The Fount of Useless Information
Your place for useless information that just might possibly be interesting.
Prostate cancer screening’s false promise
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/22/opinion/brawley-prostate-screening/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7
The first time I did any reading on prostate cancer was a number of years ago when my father-in-law had a positive PSA test. Based on my reading at the time there was a …
Can a Surfboard-Sized Watercraft Cross the Pacific on Wave Power Alone?
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/wave-glider-crosses-pacific/
This is another one of those ideas that are so obvious once stated and yet remain so obscure until then. Once I read the description I easily envisioned …
Better bird nesting also good for giant manta rays
Disrupting tree canopies on a Pacific atoll has ecological consequences
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340803/title/Better_bird_nesting_also_good_for_giant_manta_rays
A lot of people don’t realize that the iconic coconut palm along island’s coast is, for the most part, a …
Just not in the ways that the headlines scream…
Natural sinks still sopping up carbon
Ecosystems haven’t maxed out ability to absorb fossil fuel emissions
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340710/title/Natural_sinks_still_sopping_up_carbon
I have seen a lot of research on coral bleaching and other signs of …
U.S. could lose aging eyes in the sky
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/20/us/us-satellite-crunch/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
Our once-great science and technology advantage is steadily being eroded by short-term thinking and anti-science attitude amongst our political ‘leaders’. In addition to the mentioned two failures (yes, I know blasting …
Rural life may boost allergy resistance
Country dwellers richer in immune-calming bacteria
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340558/title/Rural_life_may_boost_allergy_resistance
I talked about the ‘hygiene hypothesis‘ before, here is more evidence. I am starting to accept that the billion-year co-evolution of multi-cellular organisms and single-celled …
Retinal implants could restore partial vision
In lab tests on rat retinas, a photovoltaic chip helps display images through special goggles
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340650/title/Retinal_implants_could_restore_partial_vision
This is still a long way off, but it is quite interesting. Basically put a CCD chip in …
On closer inspection, doomsday cancelled
http://www.smh.com.au/world/on-closer-inspection-doomsday-cancelled-20120511-1yi2l.html
Doesn’t that just suck? You have built your whole life around it ending 8 months only to learn you have to keep trudging along. What a drag!…
Dinosaurs ‘gassed’ themselves into extinction, British scientists say
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/05/07/dinosaurs-farted-their-way-to-extinction-british-scientists-say/
I didn’t delve into the primary literature (if there was any, I didn’t see any citation in the above article) but right on the surface I would have to question the …
When good moods go decisively bad
Positive feelings can lead to less than ideal choices in seniors
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/340460/title/When_good_moods_go_decisively_bad
I wonder also if people in a good mood just don’t want to be bothered with analytical thinking. Maybe they just want …