retrospectacle
Posts by this author
September 16, 2006
Ita about 8:45pm here France time, and I thought I'd jot down today's adventures before heading off for a bar somewhere. I was horribly jetlagged last night, and didn't get to sleep until about 4am---meaning I missed breakfast and didn't wake up until almost 11am. The sleep was golden though!
The…
September 16, 2006
Ever find a bug, hideously ugly and strange, that you wanted to identify? Is it poisonous? Should you kill it, watch it, keep it as a pet?
Well, next time, snap a picture of that bug and send it to Whats That Bug! People from all over the world send in pictures of crazy creepy crawlies to the…
September 16, 2006
What a journey! Three flights, four airports, a 2 hour bus ride through London, my luggage lost (not my poster though!), but at midnight Sept 16th I have finally made it to Montpellier, France.
First, my flight out of Detroit was delayed over 2 hours, although I received some nice vouchers from…
September 15, 2006
Ever wonder how plasma TV's work? Well, I did, and decided to figure it out!
"Traditional" televisions use cathode ray tubes, in which a gun fires a beam of electrons inside a large glass tube at phosphor atoms at the other end. The electrons excite the phosphor atoms, causing them to light up as…
September 15, 2006
This looks suspiciously like the pint of Sam Adams I had in the sleezy Detroit Airport lounge (waiting for my plane, delayed 2.5 hours.) But in fact, its a advertising campaign used by a British church!
"The message is subtle but simple -- where is God in all the boozing at Christmas?" said…
September 15, 2006
If you buy a parrot from a breeder in America, chances are it has a small metal ring around its leg. My African Grey, Pepper, also has one of these (I call it his "bling.") I'd never really given it a lot of thought, but have recently become curious as to why it is placed on a captive bird and…
September 14, 2006
So, as I've mentioned previously, I'm leaving for Europe tonight (coming back Sept 29th!). Don't worry, blogging will not cease (although may be a little slower), and I'm going to try to photo-blog my travels through France, Belgium, and Amsterdam.
I am presenting a poster at the Inner Ear Biology…
September 13, 2006
Not for 50 years has a new species of bird been identified! But, a new and very colorful species was recently found in India, Yahoo news reports (pictured below.)
The new species, called Bugun Liocichla, was first seen this past May in a remote corner of India--the state of Arunachal Predesh which…
September 13, 2006
Mark Chu-Caroll related a story in the comments to this post, about how his son benefited greatly from having tubes put in his ears after recurring ear infections became a serious issue.
For children who get frequent ear infections, tympanostomy tubes can be a very effective, and low-impact…
September 13, 2006
A recent Yahoo news story reports that life expectancy is tied to race, income, and where you live. Although not unexpected, it makes for quite interesting food for thought on the disparities that exist in the current health care system in America, as well as genetic factors involved in life span…
September 12, 2006
A little more on the topic of ear infections, from Forbes:
A new study found that almost two-thirds of children given a prescription for antibiotics -- just in case -- didn't need to have the prescription filled to get better.
"Our study evaluated a 'wait-and-see' prescription for ear infections in…
September 12, 2006
Yeah, I have an ear infection (otitis media). So, why not take this opportunity to describe what an ear infection is, why it hurts, and what you can do about it.
Otitis media literally means "middle ear inflammation," but it really refers to the build-up of infected fluid in the spaces in the…
September 11, 2006
Welcome to the sixth edition of the neuroscience carnival, Encephelon!
From the Neurophilosopher's Blog comes a fascinating video lecture by Dr. Martin Sereno, a cognitive scientist at UCSD, on why humans possess so much more cognitive power than other animals despite the close similarities in…
September 8, 2006
Remember to submit your neuroscience-related blog posts to me by 9pm Sept 10th for the next edition of The Encephalon. More info on guidelines and how to submit, here.
September 8, 2006
Toby! None of us could ever aspire to his level of nerd-dom. (Although he makes it more of an ethos.)
September 8, 2006
Yes, indeed today is the 40th anniversary of the first Star Trek airing. And, how do Shatner and Nimoy feel about the franchaise, 40 years later?
If you ask them what still gets them fired up about the late producer Gene Roddenberry's creation after all these years, you get an answer that --…
September 8, 2006
What do you do when your pet African Grey parrot, which have a lifespan of 65-80 years, will likely out live you? Well, you have to make sure that it is provided for in your will, according to Dottie Kennedy, head of Rainbow Feathers bird club in southern Michigan.
"You have to be sure the bird's…
September 7, 2006
A lot of ScienceBloggers in these parts have been getting their panties and manties in a wad over who's the nerdiest nerd of all. There has been some some excellent hand-flailing-at-the-head-of-the-class-type posturing (myself included).
To recap the nerd highlights:
Tim Lambert (Nerd God like me…
September 7, 2006
Darling of Nature and current researcher at UM, Dr. Sean Morrison, has recently authored a paper implicating a protein called 'inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4A' in the decline of a stem cell's lifespan.
A single molecular switch plays a central role in inducing stem cells in the brain,…
September 6, 2006
Janet and Chris have declared a nerd-off, ostensibly in response to the sci-hottie awards that so cruelly snubbed them.
So, I feel that I must assert my Nerdelicious-ness by posting what I was wearing yesterday (under my labcoat, of course!).
Back in the twilight of my nerd-hood in the early 80s…
September 6, 2006
For many years, psychiatry has relied on the pharmacological usage of lithium (Li+), alone or in combination with other anti-depressants, as a treatment for bipolar disorder, depression, mania, etc. This, despite the fact that very little is known WHY Lithium works, let alone HOW.
The actual…
September 5, 2006
Nick called it first: Flags and Lollipops has "calculated" the hottest science bloggers on the Net using a "Hot ot Not" type algorithm. (If such a thing could be called an algorithm).
Well yours truly was voted the hottest blogger by a jury of her peers. Ego stroked? Check! No Date Tonight? Check!…
September 5, 2006
I'm on vacation, so excuse the lack of posts. Blogging will resume tomorrow!
Even if I wasn't on vacation, I'm WAY too traumatized by the death of Steve Irwin to post anything.
Most of you may not know this, but I harbored a (not so) secret crush on Mr. Irwin, and now must find an appropriate…
September 2, 2006
In the UK, fertility treatment is free under their health care system. However, experts are now suggesting that obese women should be denied access to in vitro fertilization unless they lose weight. The reasoning behind this are the high health risks associated with the treatment if the patient is…
September 1, 2006
This Grey Matters is just slightly off-topic, as this week's episode involves a macaw rather than an African Grey. But, I hope you find it interesting nonetheless!
Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of England, died in 1969 but (according to legend) was outlived by his pet parrot,…
August 31, 2006
Submit your neuro-bloggy treats to me (encephalon.host@gmail.com) by Sept 10th (9pm) for the next issue of the brain-based carnival Encephalon.
Submission guidelines can be found here.
Check out past issue of the Encephalon:
3rd July, 2006 - The Neurophilosopher's blog
17th July, 2006 - Pure…
August 30, 2006
Why he's back to taking on high profile cases, of course.
August 30, 2006
"Graduating from an Ivy League university doesn't necessarily mean you're smart."
Lakehead University in northern Ontario set up www.yaleshmale.com in a bid to attract potential new students.
It shows a picture of Yale graduate Mr Bush with the caption: "Graduating from an Ivy League university…