Sometimes it just tastes good Felix | Gene Expression

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The more you know, the better it tastes:

People like LaForge don’t want altitude information on their coffee because they prefer 1700m coffee to 1400m coffee. Instead, Intelligentsia is supplying something much more important and valuable: a unique narrative. It’s the same thing that’s going on in the wine world….

I agree that the “story” or our understanding of something (e.g., whether it’s $100 or $10) can affect our perception of the hedonic experience. But sometimes coffee just tastes better. So the first time I had a Stumptown roast I was blown away, without knowing anything of the roaster’s history or reputation (it has a good reputation). I wasn’t even much of a coffee snob then (and really, I’m not much now). Though I think that the narrative of civet coffee might make me avoid it, even I if accept that objectively it has a better taste.

Note: Naturally Felix takes wine as an analog, but I think the ‘narrative’ is a much bigger deal, because people have far less objective discernment when it comes to wine.

Reiner Gamma Region of Interest

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The heart of the region of interest in the Reiner Gamma swirl. Astronauts exploring this region will address longstanding questions about the origins of this distinctive natural feature. Image width is 510 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University]. View larger image


First identified by early astronomers during the Renaissance, the Reiner Gamma formation has been a subject of powerful scientific study for almost five decades and is one of the maximum-priority targets for future human lunar exploration. Reiner Gamma is one of the most idiosyncratic natural features on the Moon. This striking, tadpole-shaped swirl has a considerably higher reflectance than the surrounding mare basalts.

WAC monochrome context image of the Reiner Gamma swirl. Arrow indicates approximate location of NAC detail above. Image M117874527M; scene width approximately 80 km [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University]. View larger image


Several LROC Featured Images have shown stunning new images of the swirls near Mare Ingenii which are similar to the swirls of Reiner Gamma. Reiner Gamma, however, is the "prototypical" lunar swirl.

A concept that comes up frequently in lunar science is "space weathering." This term is used to describe a suite of natural processes (including micrometeoroid impacts and exposure to the solar wind) that can alter the spectral properties of lunar surface materials. Since the reflectance of the lunar surface within the Reiner swirl is so diverse from the surrounding mare, some process may have altered the space weathering defenselessness of the swirl materials. There are several theories to account for the existence of the Reiner Gamma swirl. Results from previous lunar missions (including Lunar Prospector) have indicated that the swirl region has an elevated magnetic field, so it's probable that an event hundreds of millions of years ago modified the magnetic properties of the surface materials, deflecting the solar wind and changing how the reflectance is customized by space weathering. Some investigators have proposed that the coma of a comet - streaking in just above the surface - interacted with the lunar surface, changing the surface properties to the degree where the Reiner Gamma swirl could persist for millions of years.

However, based on the available data, we just don't know for sure! That's not a bad thing; if we knew all the answers to all of these interesting problems, we wouldn't ever need to explore! We will not know what caused the swirls of the Reiner Gamma formation until human explorers return to this region to do the fieldwork and collect the samples that will enable us to answer this essential scientific question.

Plan your own adventure to the mysterious swirls of Reiner Gamma! Think about where you would go to answer these scientific questions!

However, based on the available data, we just don't know for sure! That's not a bad thing; if we knew all the answers to all of these fascinating problems, we wouldn't ever need to explore!

To Learn More Visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/lroc-reinergamma-20100629.html

View my blog's last three great articles...

Shingles Vaccine (Zostavax) Confirmed Safe

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Shingles (herpes zoster) is no fun. It usually begins with a couple of days of pain, then a painful rash breaks out and lasts a couple of weeks. The rash consists of blisters that eventually break open, crust over, and consolidate into an ugly plaque. It is localized to one side of the body and to a stripe of skin corresponding to the dermatomal distribution of a sensory nerve. Very rarely a shingles infection can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis) or death. More commonly, patients develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in the area where the rash was. The overall incidence of PHN is 20%; after the age of 60 this rises to 40%, and after age 70 it rises to 50%. It can be excruciatingly painful, resistant to treatment, and can last for years or even a lifetime.

Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. In fact, you can’t get shingles unless you’ve had chickenpox (or, rarely, chickenpox vaccine). Some of the virus hides in a dorsal root ganglion and remains dormant for years, then travels down the nerve to affect the associated area of skin. Shingles itself is not contagious, but it is possible to get chickenpox from contact with a shingles patient.

By various estimates somewhere between one out of five and one out of three Americans will get shingles in their lifetime; it’s more common after age 50 due to an age-related decline in cell-mediated immunity, and it’s more common in patients who are immunosuppressed. If you live to be 85, there is a 50% chance that you will have had shingles by then.

Since 2006, a shingles vaccine (Zostavax) has been available. It contains a live attenuated virus. It is recommended for everyone over the age of 60, even those who have already had shingles. There are a few contraindications like allergy to neomycin, immunosuppression, or contact with a pregnant woman who has not had chickenpox. But how safe is it? A new study is reassuring.

Pre-marketing tests showed that it was safe, but now a post-marketing study has expanded our knowledge. The VA did a randomized double-blind trial of Zostavax with over 38,000 subjects and followed them for 3.4 years. Serious adverse events occurred in 1.4% of patients who got the vaccine, but they also occurred in 1.4% of those who got a placebo! There was no indication that any of these reactions were actually caused by the vaccine. The incidence of minor inoculation-site effects (redness, swelling, pain and tenderness at the injection site) was higher in the vaccine (48%) than in the placebo group (16%), as would be expected.

How effective is it? Zostavax has been demonstrated to prevent 51% of shingles and 67% of postherpetic neuralgia. By one estimate, the number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one case of shingles over a 3 year period is 58 and the NNT to prevent one case of PHN is 364. It is estimated that this vaccine could prevent 250,000 cases of shingles a year in US plus reduce the severity of the disease in another 250,000.

The public health implications of varicella vaccines are controversial. People living with children are less likely to get shingles — about 25% of cases are prevented. Apparently this is because adults are re-exposed to the virus and this boosts their immunity. As more children are vaccinated against chickenpox, this protective re-exposure effect will disappear; hence, more cases of shingles in the short term. In the long term, vaccinating children could drastically reduce the incidence of shingles in the population.

Only about 7% of eligible patients have received the vaccine. It costs around $200 and must be kept in a freezer. It’s covered under Medicare part D, but not part B.

For more information, see the CDC website.

Conclusion

Zostavax is safe and effective. Although not as effective as we could wish, it can significantly reduce the burden of a serious disease in the elderly population. It is recommended for everyone age 60 and over by the CDC and by many medical organizations like the American Academy of Family Physicians. Admittedly, the arguments for this vaccine are nowhere near as compelling as the arguments for polio, DPT and MMR vaccines for children. After learning the facts, not everyone will choose to take Zostavax. I chose to take it, and so did my husband.


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Who are you people? | Cosmic Variance

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iLurkA bunch of blogs are inviting their commenters (and, especially, lurkers) to out themselves. As it has been a couple of years since our previous de-lurking, we figured we’d join in on the fun.

We know that Cosmic Variance readers are all strong, good looking, and better than average. Why don’t you say hello? Maybe tell us a little about yourself, and what you like/dislike about our blog? Are there events we should know about? Important blogs we haven’t advertised? Should we start a petition to bring Sean back out of retirement? Should we post more about puppies?


Tiered Pot Garden

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For this summer, I wanted to have a huge garden full of a variety of vegetables. After I planted my garden, I realized that there was no room for herbs that I wanted to grow. So, I decided to compose a pot garden that wouldn't take as much space as laying out a whole bunch of pots on my deck. Wh

Who’s Out There? | The Intersection

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Two years ago Ed Yong wanted to find out about who was reading his blog and started a thread to see what kind of information he could gather. Now Ed's revived the meme and science bloggers all around the interwebs are joining in. We think it's a great idea, so here's where you come in...
In the comments below, tell me who you are, what your background is and what you do. What’s your interest in science and your involvement with it? How did you come to this blog, how long have you been reading, what do you think about it, and how could it be improved? But really, these questions are a rough guide. I’m working on the basis that what you have to say will be far more interesting than what I think you might say.


And You Are…? [Feeding the Meme] | The Loom

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A couple years ago, Ed Yong, blogger/whippersnapper, asked his readers to describe themselves in a comment thread. It was a very successful experiment, one that many science bloggers have since replicated. Now Ed’s reviving the meme, which seems as good a time as any for me to join in (especially after a day so hot that my brain was parboiled inside my skull like some exotic delicacy). So, to quote from the memester:

In the comments below, tell me who you are, what your background is and what you do. What’s your interest in science and your involvement with it? How did you come to this blog, how long have you been reading, what do you think about it, and how could it be improved?

But really, these questions are a rough guide. I’m working on the basis that what you have to say will be far more interesting than what I think you might say.

So…who goes there? I’m curious.


Longevity Gene Study, The hype cycle must die!

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You know what I love. I love a good story.

Magic research discovers Longevity genes, now humans live to 900. Just like Methusaleh.

Great headline. Unfortunately, this may not exactly turn out what it was cracked up to be.

From the WSJ 1 July 2010

"Scientists discover keys to long life"

"By analyzing the DNA of the world's oldest people.......They expect soon to offer a test...."

Tranlsation, here is why you should read this story about this amazing discovery, because soon you can take a test to discover if you will live a very, very long time.

Ok, this assumes

1. The study is correct
2. The statistics are correct
3. The findings are replicated

What's worse about the article is that there isn't even One Iota of, this is a preliminary and needs to be backed up.

Instead!

Instead, they say

"The free test will be available through a public website maintained by the New England Centenarian Study"

Come An' Get It!

Well, the website doesn't have the free test. But I bet it had a million hits the day the WSJ article and the press hype came out.

One may ask, as I am now, Once the afterglow fades, what will be of this test? Further, will the paper now stand the test of scientific scrutiny.

Just this week, despite the hype machine again rearing its ugly head like it did with Time's invention of the year in '08 or the blimps and Oprah. "An Age Old Problem Solved"? Really Globe and Mail?......We are met with discourse and doubt

There are some issues with the paper. Some skeptical about the effect size. Other's, like myself are skeptical because the SNP chip used for controls and cases was not EXACTLY the same. This can at times produce noise and false positive variants....

I am going to ask the hype machine again. Before running with an AMAZING Story, Mr. Hotz and everyone else in the press. Please take the time to get both sides and an analysis of the study BEFORE publishing the story.

The Sherpa Says: I hope this does pan out though, it sure would be interesting to have an estimate, in this case 77% accurate if you would live to 100. I use family history for this and it is not as accurate as 77%. Who gets that number anyways?

7/5/2010 Open Thread | Gene Expression

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I think it is probably best to have a weekly open thread for links and what not of interest. So I’ll just do this every week (in fact, I’m going to schedule a bunch ahead), and leave links or pointers. I suppose people could ask questions too, as a lot of my blog posts which are more didactic emerge through reader feedback (often via email).

Who are you…. | Gene Expression

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Edmund Yong has rebooted the “Who are you?” meme. I’ll quote him:

So let’s do it again. In the comments below, tell me who you are, what your background is and what you do. What’s your interest in science and your involvement with it? How did you come to this blog, how long have you been reading, what do you think about it, and how could it be improved?

I will try and be a little less…abrasive…on this thread in relation to comments, so feel free to let your hair down and “de-lurk” :-)

That being said, I do take surveys of my readership periodically, so here are some of the demographic breakdowns which I have from a survey I took last winter….

-20% of the readership responded that they’d been reading GNXP for more than 4 years

-50% have at least a master’s degree (22% have doctorates, 11% professional advanced degrees)

-Nearly 50% of university degree holders who read GNXP have a background in science & engineering (science = natural science + mathematics)

-78% are atheists & agnostics

-60% have no religious identity

-70% live in the United States of America

-80% are of European ancestry

-86% are male

-35% are on the political Left, 30% on the Right, and 25% Libertarian

-60% have no children

-12% are virgins

-82% have taken calculus

The above includes both GNXP weblogs. The sample size is north of 600 (the omission rates varied by question).