Archive for February, 2008
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Nanoemulsion Vaccines the New IT!
Nanotechnology, considered morally unacceptable by the public, has benefited a variety of fields and is once again making strides in medicine. The University of Michigan has reported a novel technique using nanoemulsions to vaccinate against infectious diseases. The group uses nanometer diameter oil-based emulsions that are sprayed into the nose to produce a strong immune response. Previously, [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Biology, Medicine, Technology by Wendell
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Corny math
-An ear of corn averages 800 kernels.
-800 kernels fill up about 16 rows of corn on an ear.
-1,300 kernels make up about one pound of corn.
-7,280,000 kernels make up about 100 bushels of corn.
-It takes about 910 bushels to fill one semi truck.
-It takes about 2,800 bushels to fill a “jumbo hopper” rail car.
In the [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Agriculture by Jeff
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
An Olive Oil Controversy
In 2007, Athens was handling a great deal of commotion over claims that the olive leaf could cure cancer and other ailments. The hysteria reached a deadly height when during an argument between two brothers over whether to use olive oil to cure a third brother’s cancer, one of the brothers stabbed the other to death. The commotion [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Biotech Mashup by Wendell
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Robots with a sweet tooth
Korean researchers report the development of a robot powered by heart muscle cells from a rat. The researchers coated a biocompatible polymer with heart cells that pulse in synchony in the presence of glucose, obviating the need for an external power supply. These beating cells permit the robot to move its six legs. The robot has [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Biotech Mashup, Engineering, Physics, Synthetic Biology, Technology by Jeff
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
If you think you know where alien life lives…
Here on Biotech Mashup we generally report on life-science related stuff. But sometimes, something so cool comes along that we just have to spread the word. This time it’s the Bradford Robotic Telescope, located on Mount Teide in Tenerife, the Canary Islands. What is so cool about this site is that they have a telescope that [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Physics, Technology by Jeff
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
The Taste Primer
When you think of Primers what comes to mind? Some may think of a web primer or html primer while others may drift back in time and remember the original New England Primer. Two researchers, at Monell Chemical Senses Center and Florida State University, felt the calling of the primer paradox, the need to write a primer, and wrote the taste [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Biology by Wendell
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Your Next Computer May Catch a Cold
Researchers at Osaka University in Japan have found that proteins can store data. Professor Tetsuro Majima has developed a new method for spatiotemporally regulating fluorescent proteins. He can array a pattern of proteins using a photochemical technique, read the pattern and then erase the surface using photoirradiation. This process is useful for holding information. such as binary code for storage of data.
Memory [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Biology, Chemistry, Technology by Wendell
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Electron Filmed for First Time
As reported on LiveScience.com, researchers have for the first time “filmed” an electron in motion around a nucleus. Previously, indirect visualization methods were used that could only measure the effect of an electron’s movement, whereas the new technique can capture the entire event. Extremely short flashes of light are necessary to capture an electron in [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Biotech Mashup, Physics by Jeff
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Bugs everywhere!
My March issue of Wired Magazine arrived! As frequent readers of the Biotech Mashup will learn, I just love Wired because it presents interesting articles about all types of science and technology. This is the same theme for the Biotech Mashup blog. There was one cool (scary) article talking about the so-called microbiome associated with our bodies. Some fast facts from [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Biotech Mashup by Jeff
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Genentech Announces Accelerated Approval of Avastin
Genentech announced on Friday that the FDA has granted accelerated approval for Avastin, a VEGF inhibitor that has been previously discussed here, for treatment of metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. The approval is based on a phase III study done by Genentech which showed a 52% reduction in death or disease progression compared to the current medical treatment [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Drug Discovery, Pharmaceuticals by Wendell
