Author Archive
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Fuzzy math
-China produces more cotton than any other country.
-Texas grows the most cotton of any state in the U.S.
-A bale of cotton weights about 500 pounds.
-Each bale is subjected to more than 800,000 pounds of force during wrapping.
-One bale can produce:
1,217 men’s T-shirts
313,600 $100 bills
215 pairs of jeans
3,085 diapers
1,256 pillow cases
-There [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Agriculture, Biotech Mashup by Jeff
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Fat genes that keep you warm?
Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) reported on a recent study published in PLoS Genetics which found that genes that helped early humans adapt to cold climates may be driving metabolism-related diseases such as obesity or diabetes. U.S. researchers at the University of Chicago found a strong correlation between climate and genetic adaptations that influence the risk of metabolic syndrome, [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Biology, Diagnostics, Disease, SNPs by Jeff
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Fertilize the ocean to save the world?
About 70% of the world’s surface is covered in oceans which are filled with plankton. Plankton that generate calcium or silica carbonate skeletons account for most direct carbon sequestration. To increase this carbon sequestration, iron can be used as a “fertilizer.” Iron fertilization is the intentional introduction of iron to the upper ocean to increase [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Biotech Mashup, Chemistry by Jeff
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
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
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
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
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
