Naked Science

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:15:33 GMT

Have a Good Summer All!

The Freshman Academy has just wrapped up with a field trip to the Phoenix Zoo, check out our home page to see some pics of the experience.

I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and that all have a good, safe summer.

Look forward to seeing you all in the Fall...jg

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:20:30 GMT

Misuse of Scientific Data By the White House (from Slashdot)

Science data nerds writes "The White House is consistently and persistently claiming that the US is doing better than Europe in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is false — their claim is purely based on carefully selecting the only subset of the data that supports this conclusion. When all the data are used, it is plain that European emissions have declined substantially and US emissions have grown substantially. The article, and this linked analysis, debunk the White House claims."

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:28:18 GMT

Noctilucent clouds over northern Europe (Credit: Pekka Parvianien)

Spectacular 'Night-shining' Clouds Could Be A Harbinger Of Climate Change

Science Daily — An international research team is to study spectacular 'night-shining' clouds, thought by some to a harbinger of global environmental change.

But, on the bright side....

IPCC Report Delivers Sobering Message

"Science & Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) today issued the following
statement on the report: "For the first time, the world's top scientists are able to confidently
attribute changes in a wide variety of ecosystems in all parts of the world to human-induced
global warming." "This report, a tremendous scientific achievement, delivers a powerful and
sobering message about the current state of our climate system."

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:49:32 GMT

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut!

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies — God damn it, you've got to be kind."

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

So it goes.

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:20:20 GMT

Richard Dawkins Explains 'The God Delusion'

Fresh Air from WHYY, March 28, 2007 · In his most recent book, British scientist Richard Dawkins writes about the irrationality of a belief in God, examines God in all his forms and sets down his arguments for atheism. The book is The God Delusion.

Dawkins is a professor of "the public understanding of science" at Oxford University.

The New York Times Book Review has hailed him as a writer who "understands the issues so clearly that he forces his reader to understand them too."

Dawkins has been one of the leading scientists bringing this topic out into the open. The idea that perhaps we should question and debate religion on the same footing that we question scientific ideas, evaluating the meaning of truth and reality.

Americans, especially in the last six years, have been loath to even discuss the topic. This is rather ironic, as we retreat from rationalism and run towards irrational thought at the same time that we are under threat from another form of extremist fundamentalist religion. jg

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:45:00 GMT

Supreme Court rules greenhouse gases a pollutant

By Beth Daley, The Boston Globe Staff | April 2, 2007

In a defeat for the Bush administration, the US Supreme Court ruled Monday that greenhouse gases are a pollutant and ordered federal environmental officials to re-examine their refusal to limit emissions of the gases from cars and trucks.

The justices' 5-4 decision did not go as far as to require the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Rather, the court directed the agency to take a new look at the gases. If it determines they cause global warming and therefore human harm, the agency should regulate them under the federal Clean Air Act, or provide a reasonable explanation why it will not, the court said.

The case, brought by 12 states and 13 environmental groups and argued by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, is the high court's first decision on global warming and is expected to have far-reaching implications for regulating greenhouse gases in the United States.

"In short, EPA has offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate change," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority.

The EPA had argued that the Clean Air Act did not give it authority to regulate greenhouse gases in part because of "substantial scientific uncertainty" about its harm to human health and the environment.

The decision comes just two months after the US endorsed a statement by hundreds of scientists worldwide that concluded that there was a high degree of certainty that the recent rise in global temperatures was mostly caused by increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.

"Despite acknowledging that global warming poses serious dangers to our environment and health, the Bush Administration has done nothing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions," Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement. "As a result of today's landmark ruling, EPA can no longer hide behind the fiction that it lacks any regulatory authority to address the problem of global warming." The EPA released a statement saying it is reviewing the decision. "The Bush Administration has an unparalleled financial, international and domestic commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions," it said, adding that the administration is pursuing voluntary efforts to prevent emissions and has spent over $35 billion on climate change programs -- "more than any other country in the world." Stevens was joined in the majority by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and Anthony Kennedy. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented.

Roberts wrote that Congress and the executive branch, not the courts, should address the states' complaints about the EPA's lack of regulation.

He said his stance "involves no judgment on whether global warming exists, what causes it, or the extent of the problem."

This is a huge victory for anyone who has a shred of concern for the future of human life on the planet (not to mention a shred of decency) jg

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:56:13 GMT

South Pointe Students - Welcome to Block IV!

I hope my Biology and Anatomy & Physiology students had a good Spring Break, and are energized for our final block (yeah!). By now most of you should know how this works, but in brief, check here every week or so for some (hopefully) interesting articles and (brilliant) comments, and of course extra credit assignments. The first one of the block is soooooo simple.

For my Biology II students, scroll down to the "TOPIC - Environmental Change" posting from a few days ago, and browse through the articles. Click on at least one of the links, read the article, and write me an abstract (normal format) of it. You can either print that out and give it to me in class, or email it to me at jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net, for 25 points extra credit. Piece of cake, dudes and dudettes.

For my Anatomy & Physiology II students, check out three of the six Blogs listed in the post immediately below this one, and write me a quick note telling me about the latest post on each one. A sentence or two will do fine. Again, you can either print it out and give it to me in class, or email it to me at jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net, for 25 points extra credit. It's all good, babies...

See ya' in class...jg

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:51:02 GMT

Six of my Favorite Science Blogs

Surgeonsblog: God of the Appendix: Of Truth And Worms

Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

The Panda's Thumb

SciAm Observations: A blog from the editors of Scientific American

Science Blog | Science News: Think. It's not illegal yet.

Pharyngula

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:35:12 GMT

From the very cool Acephalous blog by Scott Eric Kaufman. jg

And Yet, I Still Miss Teaching

A slightly redacted version of my favorite student complaint ever:

My Teacher,

I appreciate you taking your inconvenience to instruct us but I really had some problems in your class and I would like to explain them to you now. Every day I wanted to discuss with you about the way you grade my papers and the way you teach the class, but I could not because the things you say in class and your words disturb me so much I can not. You make me completely uncomfortable with the little things you say in the class like how you talk about television or how you talk about when you are grading our papers and trying to be fair. You do not seem to care about our grades only that they are up to your too high standards and I can not talk to you because you make me completely uncomfortable. For example, you say you will talk to us about our grades but you really will not because of how uncomfortable you make me feel with your words and what you say.

I will plan to contest the grade you have given me in this class when I get it because I know it will be much higher with any other teacher. I am a very religious man and you are not a bad person but you do not choose your words with enough care like a teacher should. You try to be objective and the very attempt becomes your flaw because you try so hard to grade fairly and comment wisely that you become biased to your own ideas. You criticize our writings because we are college students and young but do not realize that you offend most of us when you do this. I am always offended when I go to your class and have been on many occasions but I never tell you of my offense because you make me completely uncomfortable so I never say a word.

You like to lead discussions and that is bad because it is the entire means by which we learn but we do not know what you want from us on our papers. I have honestly no idea what I learned from you in this class because so much time was spent discussing the tiny details in the passages in the book and so if I learned anything it is how to read things in too much detail. I could have read books in too much detail on my own but that is not what I came to college to do because I already know how to read and I would have told you this but you make me completely uncomfortable with your words so I never said a word.

By doing this you give us no guidance on our papers. I thought it was lame that you decided to show a movie and a cop out because you chose not to give us any instruction. I know that it was a movie based on the story in the play we read but it was not teaching to show it to us when you could have been teaching us to write what you wanted us to write on our papers instead. The movie was completely racist and very offensive because it contained cultural stereotypes that are often used in disrespectful jokes about people who have their feelings hurt all the time. I was offended by this racism and in the movie and had my feelings hurt by it. If that was supposed to teach me something about the class I completely do not understand.

After this quarter I am hurt and tired and feel like talking to you now will do me no good. I wanted to go to your office hours but I could not find the time or make myself because of your words. I feel like my paper was written to the best of my ability in reference to your teaching skills in the discussions. You grade my papers poorly but do not realize that you do so because they reflect your teaching skills. Other people may have done well with your skills but I did not and would have talked to you but what you said about grading fairly made me uncomfortable. I take my responsibilities as a man and I have never complained about my grades but this one I will because I did not need you to teach me how to read or to write. I have made very high grades in all my other writing classes and even though I had many disputes with those instructors we always settled them to my happiness. Now for the first time I can not talk to you to settle my grades because I am uncomfortable to talk or even write to you. I should have stayed strong and like a man no matter how much your words and what you said offended me. I do not blame you because when there is error there are two to blame, the perceiver and the target. I do not know what this email does but I have to get my feelings off of my chest. Thank you for reading this and I am sorry if what I feel has shown you disrespect but these are my feelings and I feel by your words you did not respect them. I love everyone and believe you to possibly be a great person but with your words you have treated me completely unfairly.

I am a very religious man and I love every one but I will forward this letter to the head of your department so he can see that I am a serious student who does not deserve the grade you will give him because I write so very well.

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:15:23 GMT

TOPIC - Environmental Change
A series of articles with an Environmental Change theme...jg

New Evidence That Global Warming Fuels Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes (March 2, 2007) -- Atmospheric scientists have uncovered fresh evidence to support the hotly debated theory that global warming has contributed to the emergence of stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070228123140.htm

Global warming: The climate has changed. Prime Minister hails 'historic day' in the battle against climate change. By Andrew Grice, Political Editor

The Government has become the first in the world to commit itself to legally binding reductions in carbon dioxide emissions but will come under strong pressure to agree to bigger cuts when its landmark Climate Change Bill goes though Parliament. More: http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2355957.ece

A Step Toward Inexpensive Geothermal Energy (March 15, 2007) -- In the debate over alternative energy resources, geothermal technology has received scant media attention. Advocates call it one of the cleanest, sustainable energy resources available. However, steep construction, equipment and drilling costs have prevented more widespread development of geothermal technology. An Ohio University hydrothermal systems expert is working to change that.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070313110634.htm

Global 'Sunscreen' Has Likely Thinned, Report NASA Scientists (March 16, 2007) -- A new NASA study has found that an important counter-balance to the warming of our planet by greenhouse gases -- sunlight blocked by dust, pollution and other aerosol particles -- appears to have lost ground.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070315161021.htm

Global December-February Temperature Warmest On Record (March 16, 2007) -- NOAA reports that February's combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the sixth warmest on record, but a strong El Nino in January helped push the winter to its highest value since records began in 1880.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070316164359.htm

NASA Studies How Airborne Particles Affect Climate Change (March 18, 2007) -- A recent NASA study links natural and human-made aerosol particles to how much Earth warms or cools. Different types of aerosol particles can influence visible light and other kinds of radiation, affecting climate and temperatures, the scientists reported.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070317131918.htm

Substantial Amount Of Mercury Entering The Ocean Through Groundwater (March 22, 2007) -- Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have found a new and substantial pathway for mercury pollution flowing into coastal waters. Marine chemists have detected much more dissolved mercury entering the ocean through groundwater than from atmospheric and river sources.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070321181643.htm

Powerful New Tool To Track Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide By Source (March 21, 2007) -- Scientists from the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory have announced a new tool to monitor changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by region and source. The tool, called CarbonTracker, will enable its users to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts to reduce or store carbon emissions.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070321153646.htm

Dióxido de Carbono: No es Causa del Cambio Climático: por Eduardo Ferreyra - La correlación entre dos fenómenos observados no es evidencia de causa: primero hay que determinar cuál es la causa y cuál es el efecto, o también, cuál efecto ocurre primero y cuál ocurre después -porque ambos eventos podrían no tener relación entre sí. Es el caso del dióxido de carbono y la variación de la temperatura del planeta. (27-diciembre-2006): http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen6/CarbonoClima.html

El Carbón en "Carbonífero": por Eduardo Ferreyra - Segunda parte de: Dióxido de Carbono: No es Causa del Cambio Climático. En las rocas está inscrita una intrigante historia de cambios climáticos que comprende las formaciones geológicas establecidas durante el Período Carbonífero. Los depósitos de carbón juegan un rol importante en este registro del clima, y su análisis permite com-prender la ausencia de correlación entre CO2 y cambio de clima. (28-diciembre-2007) http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen6/Carbonifero.html

Le incluyo más abajo el estudio del climatólogo Nir Shaviv, sobre la relación cada vez más comprobada, de la variabilidad solar como modulador e impulsor del clima de la Tierra –algo que el Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski ya venía sosteniendo desde principios de la década del 90. Ver su estudio en Inglés: "Los Ciclos Solares, No el CO2, Determinan al Clima: Último trabajo del Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski, M.D. Ph.D., D.Sc, sobre la relación ciclos solares, viento cósmico, nubes, vapor de agua, y cómo interactúan para dar forma al clima. El CO2 no cuenta para nada. (28-FEB-04) http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen3/Jawor.html

¿Dióxido de Carbono, o Forzamiento Solar?: por Nir Shaviv - el climatólogo israelí nos ilustra de manera acabada acerca de la falacia del CO2 como impulsor del clima, y nos da las razones por las que la actividad solar, como modulador del viento solar presenta una correlación irrefutable con las variaciones del clima. (12-febrero-2007): http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen6/Shaviv.html

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 05:04:09 GMT

More Than a Feeling, no more forever...

Brad Delp, the lead singer of the 1970s and '80s rock band Boston died today. With Delp's big, high-register voice, Boston scored hits with "More Than a Feeling," "Long Time," and "Peace of Mind." The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, but it remained active off and on, producing its last album "Corporate America" in 2002. Delp was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and bought his first guitar at age 13 after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, according to his Web site. Since 1994, he spent his spare time working in a tribute band called Beatle Juice, the band's Web site said.The band's Web site carried a statement, "We've just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll."

Boston was such an incredibly huge influence on rock music in the 70's that it's difficult to understand their impact today, perhaps something akin to Nirvana or Pearl Jam. They were an American band, through and through. With high power guitars, percussion, and vocals, led by Delp and lead guitarist and engineer Tom Scholz, Boston knew how to burn the house down. It's epic hit More Than a Feeling was a seminal piece of music for anyone young in the 70s and 80s. I still get chills listening to it, even after 30 years! I hope Brad found some Piece of Mind, or at least Hitched a Ride to the other side. Namaste Brad!

Brad Delp - June 12, 1951 to March 9, 2007

The nicest, kindest, most caring, down to earth rock star the world has ever known.

May you rest in Peace

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:08:36 GMT

Is Your Memory Erased While You Sleep?
Scientists have a new theory about what happens in the brain when you snooze
By Nikhil Swaminathan


	Image: © ISTOCKPHOTO/LISE GAGNE
	ERASE MODE: Scientists speculate that during sleep, the neocortex drives the clearing of information stored in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for episodic memory

For some 40 years, neuroscientists have believed that the brain forms memories by using a "sketch pad" to quickly record experiences and information learned throughout the day.

Stenographic duties, under this model, fall to the hippocampus, the two slightly curved sections of the brain located under the temporal lobe that are implicated in episodic memory. During sleep, the thinking goes, neurons in the hippocampus fire, driving a transfer of its information to the neocortex, the top layer of the cerebrum that serves as the brain's hard disk, or permanent storage bin. This model seemed to explain why people with hippocampus damage could recall old memories but could not create new ones.

For the rest of the article, click here.

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 07:07:27 GMT

How to Fix What’s Wrong in School

Until society does seven things, and does them well, little will change:

¶Make teaching a profession that attracts and keeps the most talented of our young adults.

¶Make schools intellectually stimulating for students and teachers.

¶Treat teachers with respect and pay them adequately.

¶Give teachers the continuing support they need.

¶Reduce the ravages of poverty by providing poor families with programs like health care, child care, mental health services and job training.

¶Support the development of well-paying jobs that require specialized training rather than a college education.

¶Use well-designed research rather than bumper-sticker rhetoric to guide decision-making.

Anything less will put us further behind.

Howard Margolis
Voorhees, N.J., Feb. 27, 2007
The writer is professor emeritus of literacy and special education, Queens College, CUNY.

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 21:06:30 GMT

South Pointe Extra Credit - Read the article below, and write me a one paragraph discussion of how you think the technological advance has impacted your life. To find out more about each particular advance, follow the links included or Google the headings. Either turn in the paragraph in class, respond to the post through the comments link at the bottom of the article, or send me an email at jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net. Make sure you include your name and class, so I know who to give the extra credit to.

Greatest Medical Advance: Sanitation
Sanitation Gets Top Vote in Medical Advances From Readers of the Journal BMJ
By Miranda Hitti, WebMD Medical News

Jan. 19, 2007 -- Sanitation is the greatest medical advance since 1840, according to voters in a poll on the medical journal BMJ's web site.

The runners-up: antibiotics and anesthesia, says BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal).

Last year, BMJ invited readers to submit nominations for the top medical breakthrough since 1840, the year the journal was launched.

BMJ then posted 15 nominations and invited people to vote on its web site between Jan. 5 and Jan. 14, 2007.

Votes poured in from more than 11,000 people (mainly doctors) in countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Spain, U.K., and the U.S.

Here, in order, are the results:

1. Sanitation: 1,795 votes. The importance of clean drinking water and waste disposal was recognized in the late 1800s, as diseases began to be linked to impure water. However, the World Health Organization says there is still a long way to go. More than 1.1 billion people now lack access to drinking water from an improved source; 2.6 billion do not have basic sanitation.

2. Antibiotics: 1,642 votes. Alexander Fleming, a British bacteriologist, discovered penicillin in 1928 by accident when he sloppily left a Petri dish of bacteria unwashed in his lab. He found a substance (later named penicillin) growing on it that killed the bugs, and modern-day antibiotics got its start. Fleming shared the Nobel Prize in 1945 for the discovery.

3. Anesthesia: 1,574 votes. In 1846, a Boston dentist used ether during surgery, putting an end to much of the pain of operations. Since then, general anesthesia has become a mainstay.

4. Vaccines: 1,337 votes. Vaccines have helped prevent a variety of diseases -- including polio, whooping cough, and measles. The first was Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccine, in 1796.

5. Discovery of DNA structure: 1,000 votes. Scientists James Watson and Francis Crick presented the structure of the DNA helix, the molecule responsible for carrying genetic information from one generation to the next, in 1953. It earned them the Nobel Prize in 1962.

6. Germ theory: 843 votes. In the late 1800s, Louis Pasteur was the first to suggest that disease is caused by exposure to microorganisms. Others furthered the theory, showing that specific diseases are caused by specific "bugs."

7. Oral contraceptive pill: 842 votes. The pill arrived on the U.S. market in 1960. For women who use it correctly, oral contraception can be up to 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

8. Evidence-based medicine: 636 votes. As the name suggests, evidence-based medicine involves making use of the current best evidence (such as research), combined with a patient's values and a doctor's clinical experience, to make decisions about patient care. The term was coined in the early '90s and the concept has been evolving ever since.

9. Medical imaging: 471 votes. The X-ray was accidentally discovered in 1895. Since then, the field has expanded, giving us computed tomography (CT scans), positron emission (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), and ultrasound.

10. Computers: 405 votes. From medical records to insurance, to making sure your new medication isn't going to clash with an existing one, computers are now considered as important as their stethoscopes by some doctors. They've been in use in medicine since the early 1960s. Doctors can access information on new drugs and interactions, new medical studies, and clinical trials, and keep patient records stored at their fingertips.

11. Oral rehydration therapy: 308 votes. This therapy involves giving fluids by mouth to replace losses by the body. It was first reported in 1964; now it's a mainstay of treatment in patients with cholera, acute diarrhea, and other conditions.

12. Risks of smoking: 183 votes. The first report of the connection between smoking and lung cancer was published in BMJ in 1950. Even so, tobacco use still kills an estimated 440,000 Americans each year.

13. Immunology: 182 votes. The history of immunology is traced to 1798, when Edward Jenner found that people could be immunized against the disease smallpox. Numerous other immunology discoveries followed, leading to a greater understanding of such things as allergies and antibodies.

14. Chlorpromazine: 73 votes. Discovered in 1952, chlorpromazine (Thorazine) was the first antipsychotic medication. It was used to treat psychotic disorders and their symptoms, such as hallucinations, hostility, and delusions. Its development brought new understanding of the biological basis for mental illness, and some say it provided more humane management.

15. Tissue culture: 50 votes. Tissue culture (keeping tissue alive and growing it in a culture medium for research or other purposes) was "discovered" in 1907; but it took until the 1950s for it to become an important tool for clinical investigation.

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:47:29 GMT

Welcome to Block III All South Pointe Students!

Hi all. If you're visiting from Mr. G's Biology or Anatomy classes, welcome!

About once a week at this site, I'll post a brief extra credit assignment that goes with the unit we are currently discussing. For today, all I want you guys to do is to send me an email from this link, or send a note to jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net. You can also just post a comment by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of this post.

Make sure you include your name and class, so I know who to give the extra credit to.

Please remember to check out this page every now and then. It will also include random rants, articles, and comments on things I think are interesting. Feel free to tell me what you think about things. This is considered an off-campus site, so you can say whatever you want, however you want, just keep it relevant...jg

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:33:53 GMT

Scientists find stem cell source in amniotic fluid

Scientists reported Sunday they had found a plentiful source of stem cells in the fluid that cushions babies in the womb. The announcement may make it easier to sidestep the controversy over destroying embryos for research. Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University reported the stem cells they drew from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold much the same promise as embryonic stem cells.

They reported they were able to extract the stem cells without harm to mother or fetus and turn their discovery into several different tissue cell types, including brain, liver and bone....Dr. George Daley, a Harvard University stem cell researcher, said that finding raises the possibility that someday expectant parents can freeze amnio stem cells for future tissue replacement in a sick child without fear of immune rejection.

Nonetheless, Daley said the discovery shouldn't be used as a replacement for human embryonic stem cell research."While they are fascinating subjects of study in their own right, they are not a substitute for human embryonic stem cells, which allow scientists to address a host of other interesting questions in early human development," said Daley.

Read the rest of the article here

For more about stem cells, check out here, here, here, and here.