Latest Entries »

Fetal Cells Return as a Parkinson’s Cure

President Franklin D. Roosevelt admonished in a 1932 commencement address that “it is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.” FDR had the revival of a depressed U.S. economy in mind, but scientists experimenting with treating brain disorders with fetal cell transplants have taken his aphorism to heart.

Read more

Chemical in Many Consumer Plastics Linked to Heart Disease

Higher concentrations of bisphenol A—a common ingredient in plastics found in products ranging from polyester to water bottles—have been linked to heart disease, according to a new follow-up study. A similar study was performed by the same team in 2008 using older data from a survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Read more

Voted for McCain? Your Testosterone Dipped

With its winners and losers, politics is a lot like sports. Now biologists have the testosterone—or lack thereof—to prove it. Specifically, they have found that male voters who back a losing candidate experience a drop in the hormone.

Read more

Cocaine found in shuttle work area, NASA says

NASA has launched an extensive investigation to determine how a small amount of cocaine ended up in a space shuttle hangar at the agency’s Florida spaceport.

Read more

Niteshift: January 12, 2010

How to make a liquid invisibility cloak

When J. K. Rowling described Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak as “fluid and silvery”, she probably wasn’t thinking specifically about silver-plated nanoparticles suspended in water. But a team of theorists believe that using such a set-up would make the first soft, tunable metamaterial – the “active ingredient” in an invisibility device.

Read more

Ex drugs tsar creates synthetic alcohol that gives you a buzz without the hangover

An alcohol substitute that gives the drinker the pleasant feelings of tipsiness without an unpleasant hangover, is being developed by researchers.

The team, led by drugs expert Professor David Nutt, has developed the drink using chemicals related to the sedative Valium.

It works on the nerves in a similar way to alcohol causing feelings of well-being and relaxation.

Read more

Niteshift: January 5, 2010

Partial rebroadcast of December 23, 2003 show presented lovingly by Max Schmid; Mike Sargent interviews actor Bill Nighy.

Sea Lions Mysteriously Disappear From Pier 39

Last month, marine scientists counted more than 1,500 sea lions on fabled Pier 39, a record number that delighted tourists and baffled experts. Why so many? Why were they sticking around? But now, almost all of the sea lions are gone, leaving the experts guessing where they went — and why.

Read more at Time.com

Niteshift: December 29, 2009