Monthly Archives: June 2012

Aubrey de Grey at TEDxUChicago 2012

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Aubrey de Grey of the SENS Foundation presented at TEDxChicago 2012 a month ago or so, and video of the event recently made its way to YouTube:

Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist. As the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation (a foundation working to develop widespread access to rejuvenation biotechnologies), author of numerous journal articles and books, and board member of a handful of editorial and scientific advisory boards, it is incontestable that Dr. Aubrey de Grey has dedicated his life to the science of combating the aging process. He received his BA and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, however, his original field was computer science.? Dr. de Grey is a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association and sits on the editorial and scientific advisory boards of numerous journals and organisations. He has appeared on countless shows, was even featured in the Max Wexler documentary, How to Live Forever, and has also spoken at a number of world-renowned events, including TED.

A great many of de Grey's conference presentations and other appearances are archived in the depths of YouTube, as it happens. At some point when you have a spare few minutes, you might take a look at the full list. There are probably a few in there that you haven't seen, such as this presentation given earlier this year at TechFest 2012 in Bombay:

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

A High Level View of What is Known of Aging

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The Guardian talks to researcher Tom Kirkwood: "We've known for some time that ageing is extremely variable; that everybody is different and that the differences of individuals' experience of ageing are greater than differences in earlier stages of life ... And why so variable? ... Because of the nature of the ageing process. I've been involved in this field for more than 35 years and when I entered it people fondly believed that ageing was programmed; that there was a mechanism inside our bodies that determined how long we would live. It was kind of written into our genes that we would die at a certain age. What we've been able to show is that the idea of this genetically programmed ageing makes no sense at all. There is no evidence. ... But, surely, genetic influences - a family susceptibility to cardiovascular problems, for instance - play a part in determining longevity? Only to a degree. [For example] a Danish study shows that such influences only explain about a quarter of the factors determining a lifespan. ... What we now know is that the genetic factors that influence your longevity are not genes that measure out the passage of time; the reason we age and die is because, as we live our lives, our bodies accumululate a great variety of small faults in the cells, and the molecules that make up the cells in our body - so ageing is driven by this accumulation of faults. The genes that influence longevity are those that influence how well the body copes with damage, how aggressive our repair mechanisms are; they're genes that regulate the house-keeping and maintenance and repair." All the more reason to focus research on the development of biotechnologies that can do a far better job of repair.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/may/29/tom-kirkwood-research-dispels-myths-ageing

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Fibroblast Growth Factor and Zebrafish Regeneration

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Small steps towards understanding the greater regenerative capacity of one species: "When the spinal cord is severed in humans and other mammals, the immune system kicks in, activating specialised cells called glia to prevent bleeding into it. ... Glia are the workmen of the nervous system. The glia proliferate, forming bigger cells that span the wound site in order to prevent bleeding into it. They come in and try to sort out problems. A glial scar forms. ... However, the scar prevents axons, threadlike structures of nerve cells that carry impulses to the brain, of neighbouring nerve cells from penetrating the wound. The result is paralysis. ... The axons upstream and downstream of the lesion sites are never able to penetrate the glial scar to reform. This is a major barrier in mammalian spinal cord regeneration. In contrast, the zebra fish glia form a bridge that spans the injury site but allow the penetration of axons into it. The fish can fully regenerate its spinal cord within two months of injury. ... Scientists discovered the protein, called fibroblast growth factor (fgf), controlled the shape of the glia, and accounted for the difference in the response to spinal cord injury between humans and zebra fish. The scientists showed the protein could be manipulated in the zebra fish to speed up tissue repair even more. ... The hope is that fgf could eventually be used to promote better results in spinal cord repair in people."

Link: http://www.monash.edu.au/news/show/fish-study-raises-hopes-for-spinal-cord-injury-repair

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Civilization as a Side-Effect of the Urge to Immortality

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A thesis on culture and the urge to longevity is discussed by Ronald Bailey at Reason Magazine:

Cave's fascinating new book, Immortality, posits that civilization is a major side effect of humanity's attempts to live forever. He argues that our sophisticated minds inexorably recognize that, like all other living things, we will one day die. Simultaneously, Cave asserts, "The one thing that these minds cannot imagine is that very state of nonexistence; it is literally inconceivable. Death therefore presents itself as both inevitable and impossible. This is what I will call the Mortality Paradox, and its resolution is what gives shape to the immortality narratives, and therefore to civilization."

...

Cave identifies four immortality narratives that drive civilizations over time which he calls; (1) Staying Alive, (2) Resurrection, (3) Soul, and (4) Legacy. Cave gracefully marches through his four immortality narratives citing examples from history, psychology, and religion up to the modern day. "At its core, a civilization is a collection of life extension technologies: agriculture to ensure food in steady supply, clothing to stave off cold, architecture to provide shelter and safety, better weapons for hunting and defense, and medicine to combat injury and disease," he writes.

Cave is something of a deathist, at first glance looking like he believes that progress means overcoming the primal urge to immortality of the self and the fear of death, but at least he is a deathist who has produced an interesting work on our deep cultural heritage. It should go without saying that history is silent when it comes to the choices we make now in building the future - it can only persuade, not veto. Preferences on life, death, and the quest for rejuvenation biotechnology are personal choices.

But onwards: I think that it is useful to realize that much of our present culture - and that includes the culture of longevity science and its supporters - has very ancient roots indeed. Unbroken lines can be traced from the incentives and psychology of stone age shamans through to the magical thinking and oral fixations of today. Little but technology separates us from our ancestors of five or ten thousand years past, and what to what use do we put that technology? We use it to make our greatest myths real: we are building the world that our ancestors chose to imagine, and which we too imagine, driven by our shared human condition and neural physiology.

Spend a little time with ancient myth, and you'll soon see there is little fundamental difference between the tales of thousands of years past and the folktales of a few hundred years ago. Our present popular entertainments merely continue the theme, a thousand more frills but the same underlying psychology at work. We humans identify with a certain set of stories, and those stories are found repeated throughout our mythologies. In turn, mythology drives technology, as technology is, at heart, a way to satisfy human desires.

As to those parts of mythology that we haven't got to yet - such as unbounded longevity, enabled through biotechnology - well, give it time. We have managed flight, standing atop mountains, journeying to the moon, transmuting the elements, growing food in abundance beyond the wildest dreams of past centuries, changing the course of floods and rivers, and far more. Even the oldest myths will in due course be reconstructed in the real world, even if that means we will build cities in the clouds, cats that can talk, and spirits for companionship. Given sufficiently advanced biotechnology and an understanding of the fundaments of intelligence, the world of a century from now will be populated by people who do not age and disembodied machine intelligences - easily enough matched to the roles of hidden peoples and household spirits in legend.

Interestingly, in the past I have sketched more or less the opposite thesis to Cave above - that our heritage of myths surrounding progress, death, and mortality are a basis for the widespread knee-jerk rejection of longevity science observed in present day populations:

"Every story is the story of the Fall" - except the one that matters, the one we're all writing together with quills of science, will and toil in the real world. That story is a grand arc of irresistible rise, of the defeat of obstacles and surpassing of limitations to our true potential. But you wouldn't know it from the myths that we find most comforting, as illustrated by their widespread nature.

...

The story of the Fall is an old and simple one; the world is one of shortages, pain, suffering and death, yet we humans can conceive of a world absent these troubles. Nostalgia is a part of the human condition also - we see earlier times in our own lives as better than they were, and it's a short leap from there to draw a line of decay from an imagined golden age to the imperfect present. The Fall is an alignment of the mythic world - a better, imaginary world - with the arrow of time; for a variety of reasons, we have come to put that mythic world in the past rather than the future.

...

This is an age of progress and biotechnology. Yet we folk who might be the first ageless humans stand atop a bone mountain. Its slopes are the stories of the dead, created, told, and appreciated by people who knew their own mortality. It is an enormous, pervasive heritage, forged by an army of billions, and no part of our culture or our endeavors is left untouched by it. This is one part of the hurdle we must overcome as we strive to convince people that a near future of rejuvenation biotechnology is plausible, possible, and desirable.

This dichotomy might be another facet of the difficulty in explaining modern attitudes towards longevity and aging. Why are people on the one hand so enthused by the "anti-aging" marketplace, and at the same time so quick to reject real and meaningful science aimed at extending the health human life span? I've thought on this for a decade and still have no satisfying answer.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Stem Cell Miracles and Campaign Promises : Thomas-Trounson vs. Hiltzik of the Times

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The Proposition 71 campaign of 2004,
which has filled the coffers of more than 500 researchers and
institutions with $1.4 billion, was the subject today of a discussion
about miracles.

Specifically did the campaign promise
miracles?
The story begins with a column May 27
by Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times about the
"Son of CIRM" initiative, Proposition 29, on the June ballot. It
seeks to fund more medical research with $800 million handed out by
an organization patterned after the stem cell agency.
In the column, Hiltzik did not speak
well of the agency and said the 2004 campaign promised miracles.
In a letter today in the Times, J.T,
Thomas, chairman of CIRM, and Alan Trounson, president of
CIRM, said the campaign did not promise "miraculous cures."
Hiltzik filed a riposte this afternoon
on his blog, quoting from TV campaign ads featuring Christopher
Reeve and Michael J. Fox. Hiltzik also wrote,

"Joan Samuelson, a leading
Parkinson's patient advocate, is shown in another ad asserting,
'There are more Americans than I think we can count who are sick
now, or are going to be sick in the future, whose lives will be saved
by Prop. 71.' Shortly after the measure passed, Samuelson was
appointed to the stem cell program's board. 

"Do these ads amount to promising
'miracles'? Given that the essence of scientific research is that no
one can predict the outcome, to assert as fact that 'lives will
be saved by Prop. 71' is plainly to promise something downright
extraordinary, if not outright miraculous. 

"Yes, this is the language of
advertising, not research, but for Trounson and Thomas to pretend
that the ad campaign somehow promised merely 'good science' and not
specific outcomes, as their letter suggested, is (at least)
miraculously disingenuous."

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

California Stem Cell Agency Fires Back at LA Times Columnist

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The top two leaders of the California
stem cell agency today took strong issue with a column in the Los
Angeles Times that spoke less than favorably about the history and
efforts of the state research enterprise.

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael
Hiltzik mentioned California's $3 billion stem cell effort in a piece
May 27 about Proposition 29 on the June ballot. The "Son of CIRM" initiative,
tailored after the ballot measure that created the stem cell agency
in 2004, would provide $800 million annually for research into
tobacco-related illnesses. The money would be derived from a $1
dollar-a-pack tax on cigarettes.
Among other things, Hiltzik said,

"Proposition 71(the stem cell
initiative), you may recall, was sold to a gullible public via
candy-coated images of Christopher Reeve walking again
and Michael J. Fox cured of Parkinson's. The
implication was that these miracles would happen if voters approved a
$3-billion bond issue for stem cell research."

The reponse from J.T. Thomas, chairman
of the CIRM board and a Los Angeles bond financier, and CIRM
President Alan Trounson came in the form of a letter to the editor.
The letter was only four paragraphs long and may have been cut prior
to publication, which is common practice for letters to the editor.
We have asked CIRM about whether there is more to the letter. (Following publication of this item, CIRM spokesman Kevin McCormack said the complete text was published by the Times, which has a 150-word limit on letters. The CIRM letter was 148.)
Here is the full text as published.

"In his article opposing
Proposition 29, Michael Hiltzik makes a number of misleading
statements about Proposition 71, the voter-approved measure funding
stem-cell research. 

"No ads for Proposition 71
promised miraculous cures. They promised good science, and that is
what is being funded, with more than 62 promising therapies for 40
different diseases on their way to clinical trials. 

"The stem-cell agency has
conflict-of-interest rules as strict as any government agency. We
undergo state-mandated audits to ensure we follow all rules and
regulations, and the most recent one, completed just this month,
praised the agency for its performance. 

"As for being 'an unwieldy
bureaucrac just 6% of the money we get goes to pay for staff; 94%
goes to fund research here in California, creating new jobs,
generating income for the state and, most important, helping find
treatments for deadly diseases."  

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

The Market's Invisible Hand and Its Impact on Stem Cell Research

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As the $3 billion California stem cell
agency intensifies its efforts this year to push cures into the
clinic, a Canadian academic is raising a host of serious questions
about the drive towards commercialization in scientific research.
Exhibit No. 1 was stem cell research,
in an article Monday in The Scientist magazine. It was written
by Timothy Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in Health Law
and Policy, and a professor at the Faculty of Law and School of
Public Health, University of Alberta. He said,

"Commercialization has emerged as
dominant theme in both the advocacy of science and in the grant
writing process.  But is this push good for science? What damage
might the market’s invisible hand do to the scientific process?"

Caulfield noted that research has
played a role in commercial enterprises and that the goal-oriented
research has led to important developments. But he also wrote,

"There are many recent examples of
how commercialization plays out in top-down policy approaches to
science.  The UK government recently justified a £220 million
investment in stem cell research on the pledge that it will help
stimulate an economic recovery. A 2009 policy document from
Texas made the optimistic prediction that stem cell research could
produce 230,000 regional jobs and $88 billion in state economic
activity.  And President Obama’s 2011 State of the
Union address went so far as to challenge American researchers
to view this moment in time as 'our generation’s Sputnik
moment'—the opportunity to use science and innovation to drive the
economy, create new jobs, and compete with emerging economies, such
as China and India. 

"The impact of this
commercialization pressure is still unfolding, but there is a growing
body of research that highlights the potential challenges, including
the possibility that this pressure could reduce collaborative
behavior, thus undermining scientific progress, and contribute to the
premature application of technologies, as may already be
happening in the spheres of stem cells and genetic
research. For example, might the controversial new Texas stem cell
research regulations, which allow the use of experimental adult
stem cell therapies without federal approval, be, at least in part, a
result of the government’s belief in the economic potential of
the field? 

"Such pressure may also magnify
the growing tendency of research institutions and the media to hype
the potential near future benefits of research—another phenomenon
that might already be occurring in a number of domains and
could have the effect of creating a public expectation that is
impossible to satisfy. 

"Furthermore, how will this trend
conflict with the emerging emphasis on an open approach to
science? A range of national and international policy entities, such
as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
suggest 'full and open access to scientific data should be adopted as
the international norm.' Can policy makers have it both ways? 
Can we ask researchers to strive to partner with industry and
commercialize their work and share their data and results
freely and as quickly as practical?"

In late July, the governing board of
the California stem cell agency is expected to make some hard
financial decisions about where its future spending will be targeted.
Just last week it approved a five-year plan with explicit goals for speeding stem cell research into the marketplace.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

The Market’s Invisible Hand and Its Impact on Stem Cell Research

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As the $3 billion California stem cell
agency intensifies its efforts this year to push cures into the
clinic, a Canadian academic is raising a host of serious questions
about the drive towards commercialization in scientific research.
Exhibit No. 1 was stem cell research,
in an article Monday in The Scientist magazine. It was written
by Timothy Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in Health Law
and Policy, and a professor at the Faculty of Law and School of
Public Health, University of Alberta. He said,

"Commercialization has emerged as
dominant theme in both the advocacy of science and in the grant
writing process.  But is this push good for science? What damage
might the market’s invisible hand do to the scientific process?"

Caulfield noted that research has
played a role in commercial enterprises and that the goal-oriented
research has led to important developments. But he also wrote,

"There are many recent examples of
how commercialization plays out in top-down policy approaches to
science.  The UK government recently justified a £220 million
investment in stem cell research on the pledge that it will help
stimulate an economic recovery. A 2009 policy document from
Texas made the optimistic prediction that stem cell research could
produce 230,000 regional jobs and $88 billion in state economic
activity.  And President Obama’s 2011 State of the
Union address went so far as to challenge American researchers
to view this moment in time as 'our generation’s Sputnik
moment'—the opportunity to use science and innovation to drive the
economy, create new jobs, and compete with emerging economies, such
as China and India. 

"The impact of this
commercialization pressure is still unfolding, but there is a growing
body of research that highlights the potential challenges, including
the possibility that this pressure could reduce collaborative
behavior, thus undermining scientific progress, and contribute to the
premature application of technologies, as may already be
happening in the spheres of stem cells and genetic
research. For example, might the controversial new Texas stem cell
research regulations, which allow the use of experimental adult
stem cell therapies without federal approval, be, at least in part, a
result of the government’s belief in the economic potential of
the field? 

"Such pressure may also magnify
the growing tendency of research institutions and the media to hype
the potential near future benefits of research—another phenomenon
that might already be occurring in a number of domains and
could have the effect of creating a public expectation that is
impossible to satisfy. 

"Furthermore, how will this trend
conflict with the emerging emphasis on an open approach to
science? A range of national and international policy entities, such
as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
suggest 'full and open access to scientific data should be adopted as
the international norm.' Can policy makers have it both ways? 
Can we ask researchers to strive to partner with industry and
commercialize their work and share their data and results
freely and as quickly as practical?"

In late July, the governing board of
the California stem cell agency is expected to make some hard
financial decisions about where its future spending will be targeted.
Just last week it approved a five-year plan with explicit goals for speeding stem cell research into the marketplace.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

California Stem Cell Hoopdedoo Over Rick Perry: Strange Bedfellows and Education of Politicians

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A onetime aspirant to become the leader
of the free world was in California recently touring the lab of a
stem cell researcher in La Jolla.
The visit was somewhat unusual. The
visitor was Rick Perry, the governor of Texas who campaigned
unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for president and who is
a strong opponent of hESC research. The lab is run by Scripps' Jeanne
Loring, who engages in hESC research among other things.
The event – if you can call it that –
also led to a video on YouTube of Perry at the lab, three blog
items by UC Davis stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler and
responses from Loring and Michael Thorsnes,  who put up
the video and who has what he modestly describes as
"significant political experience" in the Democratic party.
Thorsnes, a retired San Diego lawyer and now a photographer, raised about $5.4 million for John Kerry's and Al Gore's
presidential efforts as well as other Democrats.
Issues raised in all the hoopdedoo include
consorting with the enemy, openness, exploitation of scientists for
political gain, public education and education of political leaders,
promotion of patient causes, rushing to judgment and even strange
bedfellows.
As far as we can tell, Perry's visit
received no attention in mainstream media, but Thorsnes, a key figure
in arranging the visit, put up a video of it on the Internet.
Knoepfler, who is the rare stem cell scientist with a blog, saw the
video and on May 21 raised what he now calls "a big stink"
in a blog posting. Subsequently Knoepfler toned down the language in
that item because of what he says was its "overly extreme
verbiage."
For several years now, Knoepfler has
been writing a fine blog that deals mostly with stem cell science but
also public policy, biotech business and more. Unfortunately,
however, his original item is no longer available, but our
recollection is that Knoepler's item was strong, indicating that
Loring should not have allowed the visit because it would bolster the
political fortunes of an enemy of science or at least hESC science.
Knoepfler cited what he called the campaign-style video as evidence
of exploitation. 
On May 24, after a related May 22 item dealing with Rick Perry, Knoepfler said he rewrote the original item to temper his comments as a result of learning more
about what led up to the visit.   That included more information from Thorsnes, who is chair of the executive advisory board of the
Parkinson’s Disease Association of San Diego. 
Loring was quoted in original item as
saying, 

"I think that scientists have an obligation to educate the
public. I welcome visits from both stem cell proponents and
opponents, so I have a chance to clarify any misconceptions about
what it is that we really do. We have to figure out how to deal with
our opponents as well as our friends. I have a policy of welcoming
opponents so I can teach them. It works. Education wins minds."

The California Stem Cell Report
queried Loring about any additional comments she had on the subject.
She replied,

"Governor Rick Perry left my lab
understanding far more about induced pluripotent stem cells than he
did when he arrived. If we don't engage those who don't share our
views, who will tell them the truth? How will they know that we are
ethical and working to improving human health? 

"The visit was arranged by Michael
Thorsnes, a well-known Democratic fundraiser. He is a very
impressive person who knows politicians of every stripe, and he
arranged the meeting with Perry so that I could explain our project
to make iPSCs from people with Parkinson's disease, and our work
using iPSC derivatives in multiple sclerosis. Perry is promoting
'adult' stem cell therapy in Texas, and I wanted to be sure that he
understood the difference between 'adult' stem cells and pluripotent
stem cells. He does. Educating those in positions of power is one
of our responsibilities, and I take it very seriously."

Our take: Perry is first and foremost a
politician with large ambitions. It is more than legitimate to think
about how such a visit might be used or misused. Nonetheless,
foregoing the opportunity to educate political leaders, who control
research spending in this country, means isolation of the scientific
community and less understanding on the part of lawmakers. As far as
Perry's possible political gain is concerned, it is conceivable that
the visit could backfire on Perry should a political opponent
characterize the Loring lab tour as some sort of endorsement by him
of hESC research.
Everybody's particular interests were
at work in this episode: Thorsnes' desire for support for his cause,
Perry's political schmoozing and his own special interest in stem
cells – pro adult and con hESC, and Loring's desire to promote
scientific research in general and to educate a major political
figure.
As for the video, Knoepfler now says he
would allow a lab visit by Perry but no video. But in this digital
age, that condition could kill a likely visit. If researchers want to
talk to politicians – and they should -- risks are always involved,
but that is the price of relying on public funding and building
public enthusiasm for continued support.
One final note: Earlier in this item,
we said it was unfortunate that the original Knoepfler post is not
available. Without being able to read the original, it is difficult
to completely understand the subsequent string of events. On the
California Stem Cell Report, when corrections or other changes are
made, we always retain something to show what the original item said
and note where changes are made and why. It keeps the record straight
and provides a necessary paper trail. All in all, however, from
Perry's visit to today, it has been a robust and healthy exchange for
the stem cell community and beyond.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

CIRM Board Member Prieto Endorses Proposition 29

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One of the members of the governing
board of the California stem cell agency, Francisco Prieto, has
commented on the item yesterday dealing with California's Proposition 29, which
would create a CIRM-like agency to fund research into tobacco-related
illness.
Prieto, who is a Sacramento physician
and president of the Sacramento Sierra Chapter of the American
Diabetes Association, said in an email,

"I'm with George Skelton(Los
Angeles Times columnist). Whatever you think about ballot box
budgeting, you could take every penny raised by this and bury it in
the ground - it would still: Reduce smoking (mostly by preventing
some kids, the most price-sensitive group of smokers from starting) .
Save lives. Hurt the lying tobacco companies. All very good things."

CIRM has not taken a position on the measure.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Social media FTW: Mayo Clinic offers preferred early access to journalists and bloggers to health news

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The newly launched "Mayo Clinic News Network" is billed as the journalists' multimedia source for health, science and research information: http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

The no cost, password-protected site for journalists offers the latest breaking medical news, videos, graphics, links for background, animation, experts and patient interviews. Journalists from TV, radio, newspaper, blogs, and mobile platforms are invited to visit our site http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org and register. Pending approval, you will have access to this rich source of multimedia content.

I feature high-quality videos from Mayo Clinic on CasesBlog 2-3 times per month, and after some brief consideration I registered and applied for access. I will let you know if a medical blog with 7 million page views qualifies for access to the Mayo Clinic News Network or not (update: the application was approved).

The flagship journal of ACP, Annals of Internal Medicine, already includes medical bloggers in their embargoed news release before each new issue.

The ACP Internist website took a step further and includes guest posts from hand-picked medical bloggers (disclaimer: I am one of the selected authors). Many of the posts are quite interesting and cover a wide variety of topics. You can see for yourself here: http://blog.acpinternist.org

Kudos to the ACP editor Ryan DuBosar who is leading the medical blog initiative there: http://blog.acpinternist.org/2012/05/qd-news-every-day-nearly-1-in-8-doctors.html

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The evolution of a physician’s blog

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Dr. Smith presents his research poster, which charts the tremendous growth of his eponymous blog, Dr Smith’s ECG blog. The blog is practically free to maintain, hosted by Google's service, Blogger.com, and will break 1,000,000 page views this year. The site itself represents a living and breathing, dynamic textbook: http://hqmeded-ecg.blogspot.com

Dr. Stephen W. Smith is a faculty physician in the Emergency Medicine Residency at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in Minneapolis, MN, and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Minnesota.

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From sink to supercapacitor: kitchen sponge gets a new job

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The humble kitchen sponge, whose day-to-day job is to scour dishes, has now been put to work in an energy storage device by scientists in Saudi Arabia.

Husam Alshareef and colleagues from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal have used a sponge as a platform to support a carbon-based electrode and a transition metal oxide electrode in a supercapacitor, together with an organic electrolyte, a combination that significantly increases the amount of energy that the device can store (energy density) compared to devices using aqueous electrolytes.

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices with a higher power density than batteries, but their low energy density – an obstacle to their use in many potential applications – has led to research into improving it. This can be done in two ways: enhancing the device capacitance by getting the right electrode material and enhancing the working voltage window, which can be done by using an organic electrolyte instead of an aqueous electrolyte.

The team coated a sponge with carbon nanotubes, followed by a layer of MnO2 (both good electrode materials). They tested the device with organic and aqueous electrolytes and found that it gave a good electrochemical performance with both, but the energy density was tripled with the organic electrolyte. The sponge’s role is to allow electrolytes to flow to the entire electrode surface where the redox reactions take place.

Gives a new meaning to the phrase ‘kitchen chemistry’!

Elinor Hughes

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Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

Chemistry World competition launched

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How often have you visited Chemistry World and wished that you too were a glamorous science journalist, putting science in the spotlight, mopping its sweaty brow with the flannel of inquisition and then wringing out the musky essence for eager consumption by a thirsty public? Perhaps you’ve dreamed of seeing your name in print as the author of a story in Chemistry World? Maybe you think writing is for the (alien) dinosaurs and you’d like to show off your multimedia skills? Well, now’s your chance. This summer, we’re launching the first Chemistry World science communication competition.

All you have to do is write an 800 word article on a topic related to the chemical sciences or produce an audio or video clip no more than five minutes in length. You can even enter both if you like. The shortlisted entries will be judged by a panel of esteemed scientists and science communicators.

The competition is open now and will close at the end of August.

Shortlisted entrants will be invited to an evening reception at The Chemistry Centre, Burlington House, London where the winners will be announced. Winning entries will be featured in Chemistry World in print and/or online, and there’s also some hard cash on offer.

To find out more and submit an entry go to http://www.rsc.org/CWcompetition

Philip Robinson

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Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/?feed=rss2

The world’s smallest swingball

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While discussing an article this morning here at Chez Chemistry World, Patrick spies the images inside and says: ‘Look, it’s the world’s smallest swingball!’ And here it is, the world’s smallest swingball.

What you’re looking at here is a microbead attached to a microthread tethered to a tiny pole. The team responsible achieved this by making the post structure, then adding a water-based photoresist to the sample. They trapped a silica microbead with optical tweezers in the liquid photoresist and used a pulsed laser to create the microthread, with the initial fabrication point on the bead. The free end of the thread was optically trapped and secured to the top of the post using multiphoton absorption polymerisation. They then optically trapped and manoeuvred the thread, wrapping it around the post. The bead was fastened to the side of the post using a polymer.

Next up is the one we initially thought was kind of like a desk toy for bored execs, but it’s actually more like a thread going through the eye of a needle. This is the microthread being manipulated to go through the eye using optical tweezers.

The team plaited one of the microthreads using optical tweezers as well, and created a maze and a pyramid. Looks as though John Fourkas and his busy team at the University of Maryland in the US have had a little fun with this! But, as well as demonstrating a concept, the structures do have a purpose: they could be used in biological applications such as mimicking structures in the extracellular matrix and to study individual cells.

Elinor Hughes

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O Que Você Tem Na Cabeça?

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Carla Pires de Carvalho Fernandes Super Brain Call Parade (3)

Carla Pires de Carvalho Fernandes Super Brain Call Parade (1)

Carla Pires de Carvalho Fernandes Super Brain Call Parade (2)

Does anyone still use telephone booths?  They’re clearly still around here and there, so why not use them for public art projects?  That’s exactly what Sao Paulo, Brazil did with their project titled Call Parade.  They commissioned 100 artists to decorate 100 public telephone booths around the city.  It’s resulted in some pretty fantastic pieces, including the Super Brain above by artist Carla Pires de Carvalho Fernandes.

Take a look through all 100 booth designs here and vote for your favorite!

 

[spotted by Peter]

 

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/streetanatomy/OQuC

Amanda Lilleston

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Amanda Lilleston MFA thesis medical illustration woodblock prints (3)

Amanda Lilleston MFA thesis medical illustration woodblock prints (2)

MFA ’12 candidate at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design, Amanda Lilleston takes the study of anatomy and turns her vision into large woodblock collage prints.

Amanda says of her work:

“I am interested in understanding the vulnerability and strength of the human body. In much of my work, I investigated the inner workings of our anatomy. This exploration began by watching surgeries, researching physiology, and assisting in dissections. I used these methods to investigate, first-hand, the components that make us human. My primary medium is woodblock printmaking. I cut the woodblock surface by peeling, digging, and scraping, recording each stage of carving by inking the block and printing. I use multiples, collage, and chine-collé to transform my prints into new forms. I think of these as human parts: susceptible to gravity, discomfort and decay. The form on the paper becomes saturated and heavy, and over time structures develop, details accumulate, and layers fuse. While my imagery is grounded in reality, exaggeration and abstraction of shape, form, and color create new structures and spaces.”

 

[via Kath Roos]

 

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/streetanatomy/OQuC

Vesna Jovanovic: Reattachment

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Vesna Jovanovic Reattachment (3)
Reattachment, 2008, 36″x36″, MRI Scan, Ink, Watercolor, Graphite, and Colored Pencil on Paper

Vesna Jovanovic Reattachment detail

Vesna Jovanovic Reattachment (2)

Vesna Jovanovic Reattachment (1)
Original MRI scan

Vesna Jovanovic, a visual artist with self proclaimed interests in science and perceptual phenomena, created this album cover for Chicago composer Dan Wallace.  Wanting a medically themed cover, Dan gave Vesna an MRI scan of his head who then used it as the foundation of the piece, painting and drawing around it.  The final piece is inspired by the title song, Reattachment.

Vesna has a really interesting background.  Based in our very own Chicago, IL, she worked in a scientific research and development laboratory while attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago for her BFA in Studio Art in 2003.  Talk about a true mix of science and art!

View more of Vesna’s work at vesnaonline.com.

 

[thanks to Laura Miller for the reco]

 

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/streetanatomy/OQuC

"St. Dennistoun Mortuary" Coin-Operated Automaton LIVE AND IN ACTION!!!

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Regular readers of Morbid Anatomy might remember a recent post on this blog about an amazing 1920/30s era coin-operated automaton depictingthe St. Dennistoun Mortuary (yes, really!) that will be going to auction this Saturday. Skinner Auction House just sent along a video of this magnificent machine in action.

Press play above and enjoy. WOW.

The piece is estimated to go for between $4,000-$6,000 as part of an upcoming Science, Technology & Clocks auction taking place Saturday, June 2 at 10:00AM. Full lot description from the Skinner Auctioneers website follows:

Lot 207
"St. Dennistoun Mortuary" Coin-Operated Automaton, attributed to Leonard Lee, c. 1900, the mahogany cabinet and glazed viewing area displays a Greek Revival mortuary building with double doors and grieving mourners out front, when a coin is inserted, doors open and the room is lighted revealing four morticians and four poor souls on embalming tables, the morticians move as if busily at work on their grisly task and mourners standing outside bob their heads as if sobbing in grief, ht. 30 1/2, wd. 24, dp. 17 1/4 in.

Estimate $4,000-6,000

Brass coin plate stamped J. Dennison Leeds NO. 80

As I said before, whoever buys this, please (please!!!) let me come over to meet it! You can find out more about it here.

Source:
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