Science 2.0

Though Only 20% Of Americans Hold Negative Views About Vaccination, The Political Skew Impacts Policy

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 19:51:55 +0000

What do anti-vaccine believers have in common? A similar distrust in other settled science like GMOs and nuclear power, for one. And they all are more likely to share similar voting patterns, which means that even though only 20 percent of Americans hold negative views of vaccines, they have an outsized impact on policy. Because most of them are on the same political side.

There Is Now No Racial Disparity In Lung Cancer Incidence - Except For White Women

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 14:56:17 +0000

Historically, lung cancer incidence rates have been higher in Black people than White people among men of all ages and among younger women, likely reflecting historically higher smoking rates in Black adults.

That is no longer the case, and in women the trend has even reversed.

That is a big win for science and health nonprofit groups like ours, which have warned about the perils of smoking for our entire existence.

IBD: How A Class Of Killer T Cells Goes Rogue

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 19:18:13 +0000

Between 6 and 8 million people worldwide suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, a group of chronic intestinal disorders that can cause belly pain, urgent and frequent bowel movements, bloody stools and weight loss. New research suggests that a malfunctioning member of the patient’s own immune system called a killer T cell may be one of the culprits. This discovery may provide a new target for IBD medicines.

82% Of Baby Boomers Are Experienced Enough Not To Trust Russia’s ‘Sputnik V’ COVID-19 Vaccine Claims

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 15:18:26 +0000

Only 16 percent of Americans believe that Russia leapfrogged American scientists and successfully created a viable COVID-19 in a recent survey. They may be the same 16 percent who believe Russian propaganda sites like Russia Today and Sputnik when it comes to food: that Russia became the world leader in "organic" food with a press release saying they were; and energy, where Russia funds environmental groups to undermine natural gas so they can control Europe using a strategic resource while Germany can claim they have a larger percent of "renewable" energy domestically than would be possible if their energy was generated locally.

Our Food Supply Was Built On Engineering Plants: The War On Science Risks That Food Security

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 13:50:45 +0000

The majority of today's plant-based food was created using scientific optimization of traits - genetic engineering. Watermelons, bananas, tomatoes, lettuce, and corn are all great examples of genetically engineered foods that few realize are not natural even if they carry an "organic" manufacturing process sticker.

Despite that success, government-funded scientists are reporting less funding than ever and the reason is largely because the private sector has done so well. It may also be because the war against agriculture is being waged by those often in the same political tribe as those who want to pursue a career in academia. No one wants to be shamed at parties because they do science that a giant chunk of people educated by marketing dislike.

Fabien Cousteau's Proteus Could Be The ISS Of The Ocean

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:01:14 +0000

Aquanaut Fabien Cousteau — grandson of famed ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau — has announced plans to build the world's biggest underwater base for scientific research.

He calls the facility "Proteus" and envisions it being the ocean equivalent of the International Space Station — a place where scientists from across the globe can work together to solve the world's biggest problems, from climate change to world hunger.

Melanoma: Why Lymph Nodes Matter In How Cancer Cells Spread

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 10:31:19 +0000

If you or someone you know have gotten a cancer diagnosis, you know one of the first tests is to see if it has spread to your lymph nodes.

That is because they will often be a harbinger of spread to distant organs. Most cancer deaths happen after cancer spreads to other parts of the body through a process known as metastasis. This occurs when cancer cells from the primary tumor spread through blood vessels or migrate through lymphatic vessels before entering the blood.

More Evidence That Emotional Expressions Are Universal

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 19:49:13 +0000

Are smiles, scowls, or sympathetic sighs universal across cultures? Studies from Namibia to Bhutan have attempted to find out, but the findings have been too inconsistent to take seriously.

It may be because asking asking participants in a remote culture to match depictions of Western facial, bodily, or vocal expressions to situations or words in their native language is not the way to go.

Corgis And Noise, Retrievers And Surfaces - How You Can Reduce Fearfulness In Your Dog

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 15:31:15 +0000

Fear of thunder or other loud noises, nervousness about new areas, and fear of slippery surfaces and heights are common among dogs but a new paper says these non-social fears can be mitigated.

Not for all dogs, the typical Cairn Terrier will remain more fearful than the average Chinese Crested Dog, but living environment and lifestyle will help.

What works, according to 14,000 dog owners surveyed? Exposure to new things as puppies. Insufficient socialization of puppies to various situations and new environments were a link with fearfulness related to novel situations, loud noises as well as different walking surfaces. The company of other dogs reduced the occurrence of non-social fear.

Hydrocodone, Lorazepam, Oxycodone And More Are Being Prescribed For Dementia With No Evidence They Work

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 11:01:19 +0000

Data from 737,839 people with dementia find that 73.5 percent of them filled at least one prescription for an antidepressant, opioid painkiller, epilepsy drug, anxiety medication or antipsychotic drug in a one-year period.

The percentages generally were even higher among women, non-Hispanic white patients, people in their late 60s and early 70s, and people with low incomes.

The problem; there is no evidence they work, they are not approved for off-label use in dementia, and some of the drugs have been linked to worse cognitive symptoms in old adults.

Consumers Don't Realize It But The Pandemic Has Clobbered Farmers

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 10:31:15 +0000

Tennessee corn, soybean, cotton and wheat producers are estimated to have declines in income of $58.8 million, $21.4 million, $20.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively, for a total decline of $101.7 million - and that's just what is known right now.

COVID-19 Is Not Transmitted Through Breast Milk

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 21:08:40 +0000

Samples of breast milk collected by the Mommy's Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository from women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) only showed one positive for viral RNA. However, subsequent tests found that the virus was unable to replicate, and thus unable to cause infection in the breastfed infant.

There have been no documented cases to-date of an infant contracting COVID-19 as a result of consuming infected breast milk but without studies it was hard to be sure, to this is good news for families with new babies.

Alaska's Salmon Are Getting Smaller, And The Natural Fetish For 'Wild Caught' Is To Blame

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 19:08:26 +0000

Try to imagine a world where people though wild lettuce was a status symbol and superior to lettuce grown on a farm; a salad would cost $400.

That is the problem with salmon. Elite customers want to know a laborer sweated for it, they insist if it is farmed it must be inferior but unlike organic certified pineapples or non-GMO rock salt, the naturalist fetish has real world consequences when it comes to the sea. Salmon are getting smaller, because they are spending less time at sea before being caught.

Terminator 2 T-1000 Gets Closer: A New Material That Can Autonomously Heal In Air And Underwater

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 04:22:23 +0000

A new epoxy material is a first-of-its-kind, 3-D printable, stimuli-responsive polymeric material that enable massive reconfigurability in future military platforms, according to a recent paper.

It will have embedded intelligence allowing it to autonomously adapt to its environment without any external control. It is a system of materials to simultaneously provide structure, sensing and response.

Assholery In Academia

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 23:02:34 +0000

Have you ever behaved like an a**hole? Or did you ever have the impulse to do so? Did you ever use your position, your status, your authority to please yourself by crushing some ego? Please answer this in good faith to yourself - nobody is looking behind your shoulders. Take a breath. I know, it's hard to admit it. But we all have.

It is, after all, part of human nature. Humans are ready to make huge sacrifices to acquire a status or a position from which they can harass other human beings. Perhaps we have the unspoken urge to take revenge of the times when we were at the receiving end of such harassment. Or maybe we just tasted the sweet sensation it gives to use your power against somebody who can't fight back.

Pesticide Use In Germany Went Down, So Why Are Environmentalists Angry?

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:28:34 +0000

German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture data show that use of crop protection products, e.g. pesticides, went down last year and Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner notes that has been the trend since 2012. Klöckner says it shows Germany is "on the right track" when it comes to reducing use of pesticides but anti-science groups are angry.

With No Bee Deaths Happening, Activists Now Say Birds Are Dying From Neonicotinoids

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 20:42:08 +0000

Though periodic deaths of bees continue to happen, and have been documented for as long as records of bees have been kept, over 1,000 years, efforts to blame the most recent statistical blip on a newer class of pesticides designed to reduce pesticide usage, neonicotinoids, have fallen flat. Parasites remain the big killer, as does winter, even changes in land. Arguably the only thing not killing bees are seed treatments created so there would be less pesticide in the environment.

Flying Dinosaurs: Anchiornithine Theropods As The Earliest Birds

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 16:07:42 +0000

A new paper supports the traditional relationship of dromaeosaurid ('raptors') and troodontid theropods as the closest relatives of birds, but also supports the status of the controversial anchiornithine theropods as the earliest birds.

The authors say theirs is the most comprehensive study of feathered dinosaurs and early birds into the evolutionary relationships of dinosaurs at the origin of birds. They used an analytical pipeline to search for evolutionary trees, and estimated how each species may have crossed the stringent thresholds for powered flight.

Sour Beer: The Science

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 14:12:39 +0000

Sour beer is not a defect. Some people like the tart, tangy brew which results when wild yeast and bacteria are allowed to grow in freshly brewed beer (wort) and then ferment.

It's the opposite of the fresher beer many desire and began as a niche market in in Europe long ago. Now it's taking off in the U.S. the way IPAs did a decade ago.

Twistors: A New Direction For A Unified Theory

Sun, 16 Aug 2020 18:28:29 +0000

What is a twistor, and why should we care? Well, I may not be the most qualified blogger out here to give you an answer, but I will try to at least give you an idea. Before I do, though, maybe first of all I should say why I am discussing here a rather obscure mathematical concept, in this typically experimental-physics-oriented blog.

Twistor theory is a mathematical construction that dates back to the sixties, and is probably mostly known for some of its uses within string theory. Funnily enough, it has now been brought to the fore by Peter Woit, a mathematical physicist from Columbia University who became internationally renowned when he published his 2006 book "Not Even Wrong".

Newborn Mothers Get Too Many Opiods, Claim Osteopaths, Then They Circulate Them In Their Community

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:10:49 +0000

The 'teach to the protocol' environment created by government and insurance companies has removed much of the critical thinking in modern medicine, and a new paper suggests even more regulations are needed.

It suggests that absent control, doctors are giving prescriptions for postpartum pain in new mothers containing a few too many pills. And those 7-9 extra pills, they claim, may lead to opioid addiction.

Everything Wrong With Modern Theoretical Physics In One Paper's Practical Summary

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 10:31:16 +0000

There was once a time when theoretical physicists were prized because they were basically smarter than most people - about one or two things.

If We Want The Next Generation To Care About Nature Let Kids Enjoy It Unsupervised

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 15:50:28 +0000

Few care about nature as much as hunters, fishers, and other outdoor sporting enthusiasts. Yet, that is the opposite of the narrative created by more militant environmental groups, who promote the belief that land must be untouched by people and legally off-limits, even if it means government social authoritarianism.

Yet in their desire to raise their $2 billion a year by keeping everyone on apocalyptic red alert, they miss something obvious; if no one is allowed to experience nature, they won't appreciate it or care about it in the future. And if they don't care because it's not valuable to them, they won't support environmental lawyers.

The Insect Apocalypse That Never Was

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 11:01:19 +0000

In recent years, the notion of an insect apocalypse has become a hot topic in the conservation science community and has captured the public’s attention. Scientists who warn that this catastrophe is unfolding assert that arthropods – a large category of invertebrates that includes insects – are rapidly declining, perhaps signaling a general collapse of ecosystems across the world.

GMOs Can't Cause Cancer; But Nutritionists Who Note That Get Yelled At

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 10:31:32 +0000

In 2020, we've all come to know "Karen" in popular culture. She is angry, wealthy, white, and she wants to speak to your manager right now.

In food circles, Karen has been around for much longer. She made Whole Foods great. Her asymmetrical bob has long prowled the aisles looking for free-range, shade-tree-grown, fair-trade spices, because she is not just more ethical than you Plebians buying in Safeway, she is smarter. She knows GMOs cause cancer.

The Futurist Quest To Cure Aging, And Why It May Never Work

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 18:35:38 +0000

As time passes, our fertility declines and our bodies start to fail. These natural changes are what we call ageing.

In recent decades, we’ve come leaps and bounds in treating and preventing some of the world’s leading age-related diseases, such as coronary heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

But some research takes an entirely unique view on the role of science in easing the burden of aging, focusing instead on trying to prevent it, or drastically slow it down. This may seem like an idea reserved mainly for cranks and science fiction writers, but it’s not.

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' - This Universe Needs A Comedy, We'll Continue To Wait

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 17:05:56 +0000

I can save you some time. If the first few episodes of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" are any indication, CBS All Access won't be retaining a lot of new subscribers who signed up to watch it.

It's no secret that "Star Trek" from the 1960s and "Star Wars" from the 1970s hold a grip on cosmic fiction in culture, and they do so without much overlap. Their hardcore fandom, outside 'nerd' sterotypes on television shows, is pretty distinct. I prefer "Star Trek" because it's a little lighter in tone than the Sturm and Drang of the "Star Wars" universe, and that makes it perfect for a comedy.

Soil Science: Regenerative Agriculture Is 'Just Nonsense', Farmers Already Do It

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 15:40:54 +0000

"Regenerative agriculture" is the latest buzzterm advocated by people who primarily work at food marketing groups in cities, coming along at the end of the no-till, sustainable fads, but what it really means is so subjective it's "just nonsense" according to New Zealand soil expert Dr. Doug Edmeades.

Instead of getting an informed discussion of healthy soil, people are getting political spin, he worries.

And the politicians and activists implying that local farmers are doing something wrong and wanting to shame them with regulations ignore the reality that they have been practicing actual regenerative agriculture quite well.

Like 'Sustainable' And 'Organic', Consumers Misunderstand What 'Whole Grain' Means

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 21:43:54 +0000

Consumers have been so saturated with vague marketing claims that nearly 50 percent can't correctly identify what is claimed to be a "healthier" option on packages.

That sounds bad, except buying whole grain or white bread or fancy crackers are not making any difference in health anyway.

ALMA's Stellar Egg Hunt Finds A Truly Newborn Star

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 10:31:10 +0000

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile recently took a census of stellar eggs in the constellation Taurus and their evolution state in order to better understand how and when a stellar embryo transforms to a baby star deep inside a gaseous egg.

They also found a bipolar outflow, a pair of gas streams - that could be telltale evidence of a truly newborn star.