Archive for February, 2008
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Bullfrogs, The New Anti-Aging Secret
Researchers at Pukyong National University have claimed that they have isolated a new antioxidant from the skin of bullfrogs.
The research team, lead by Kim Se-kwon, claims that the isolated chemical can reduce the effects of oxidation of skin cells by 73 percent. Currently, most skin products contain tocopherol, a powerful antioxidant. Dr. Kim claims that the new material discovered [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Biology, Drug Discovery, Medicine, Pharmaceuticals by Wendell
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Genetic Testing Going Underground?
The New York Times is reporting that patients are submitting to underground genetic testing, but are not informing their doctors of the results because these patients have legitimate fears of insurance discrimination. With recent advancements in technology, companies such as 23andMe and deCODEme have been able to remove the last barrier, cost, for personalized genetic screening.
The article addresses issues regarding privacy fears, in addition to the use of genetic results [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Biology, Disease, Ethics, Medicine, SNPs by Wendell
Sunday, February 24th, 2008
Another case of Chinese contamination in heparin?
As the Wall Street Journal reported last week, about half of the world’s supply of heparin originates in China. Heparin is the main ingredient in a type of blood thinning medication that is sold by Baxter International. In the U.S., it has recently been associated with hundreds of adverse reactions and a few deaths, though the exact [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Pharmaceuticals by Jeff
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
World Fertilizer Prices Soar, Corn is put on Notice
In 2007, fertilizer prices rose more than 200%, according to the International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development, IFDC. Doctor Balu Bomb of IFDC says “reasons include new demands for food crops, especially corn (or maize), for ethanol and other biofuels, increased energy and freight prices, higher demand for grain-fed meat in the emerging [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Agriculture, Business by Wendell
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Synthetic Biology Conference to be held in U.K.
The Advances in Synthetic Biology Conference will be held from March 6-7, 2008, in Cambridge, U.K. Synthetic biology is an emerging discipline that aims to meld engineering principles with biology in order to modify biological pathways in predictable ways. Ultimately, the design of artificial life may be possible. The field of synthetic biology still has broad definitions. [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Biology, Synthetic Biology by Jeff
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
New Ultrafast Synchrotron X-ray Full-field Phase Contrast Imaging Technique
Argonne National Laboratory has invented a way to finally see into dark liquids during flow. However the marketing group at Argonne has all been fired due to the 9 word name for the new technique. Simply put, this new X-ray technique allows a visual look at flow of dark liquids, helping the bored engineers who have been putzing around [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Engineering by Wendell
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Strokes more prevalent in United States than Europe, Really?
At the 2008 International Stroke Conference, an abstract was presented which claimed that strokes are more prevalent in the United States than Europe because of higher rates of stroke risk factors and barriers to care in the United States compared to Europe. *Pause* In case you missed that last part the authors claim it is [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Medicine by Wendell
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Chicoolet Cooler Holds Warm and Cold Food with only a little Ammonia
At the 2008 Greener Gadgets Conference in New York, a conceptual design was released that could cool food or items while at the same time heating other items in a separate compartment. The design recieved a notable entry reward. The concept uses solar energy and converts it into electrical to run a compressor. The compressor can then cool [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Business, Diagnostics, Pharmaceuticals, Technology by Wendell
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Data Encryption Loses its Encryption
If you use the following encryption software for your sensitive laboratory results you may just be out of luck. Microsoft’s BitLocker, Apple’s FileVault, Linux’s dm-crypt and most other common encryption methods just became security vulnerabilities due to the research done by a team of academic, industry, and independents headed at Princeton University, Engineering School.
The flaw [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Engineering, Technology by Wendell
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Take your health care files with you, courtesy of Google
Google announced an initiative with the Clevland Clinic to put patients in charge of their own health care information. The purpose of this program is to give patients the ability to interact with multiple physicians, healthcare service providers, and pharmacies. The current system places a great burden on the patient to obtain and distribute his/her own medical records. [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Medicine, Technology by Jeff
