smell a rat?

Researchers are developing a new laser system for fast, non-invasive, onsite breath analysis that may be used to screen people for a range of diseases including diabetes, infections and various cancers.

The instrument is being equated to an "optical dog's nose" which uses a special laser to measure the molecular content of a sample of gas.

"Rather than sniffing out a variety of smells as a dog would, the laser system uses light to "sense" the range of molecules that are present in the sample," said Dr James Anstie, from the University of Adelaide's Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS).

we are making headway....

Hazy skies here may no longer mean lousy shots for tourists and low visibility for aircraft, if a "de-hazing" software developed by researchers at the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) takes off.

science

NUS team creates muscles for robots

 SINGAPORE: Scientists have developed artificial muscles that could allow robots to lift 80 times their own weight, giving the mchines superhuman strength and ability.

tech family

environment and technology

There's no contest. The biggest environment story of the year began on April 20 — the 40th anniversary of Earth Day — when BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. That began what is now known to be the biggest oil spill in U.S. history, with at least 185 million gallons of crude pouring into the Gulf. The disaster grabbed the public's imagination as no environmental story had since, well, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Underwater cameras revealed the daily failure of BP and the government to stop the flow of oil, while photographers captured oil-drenched beaches in Louisiana and animals slicked with crude. Environmentalists warned about an ecological catastrophe in the aftermath of the spill, while hoping that it would trigger a change in the way America consumed energy.

so technology meant that the devastation was highlighted....but did that make a difference? I guess not.

IS SCIENCE A BANE OR A BOON

• 1 Denmark has liberal sperm donation policies that appeal to women who want to conceive using artificial insemination.
•  Denmark is tightening rules on sperm donation after one donor was found to have passed on a rare genetic condition to at least five of the 43 babies he is thought to have fathered.

•   3 Donors will now only be allowed to donate enough for 12 inseminations.

 MAGDALENE seriously? is thAT THIRD POINT THE BEST SOLUTION THEY COULD THINK OF!

CECELIA : CASTRATE THE DONOR!!

THOMAS: WE HAVE COME THIS FAR...THERE IS NO STOP BUTTON FOR SCIENCE...THE THIRD POINT SHOULD BE A STOP GAP SOLUTION UNTIL OTHER SOLUTIONS ARE FOUND...IT IS NOT OK IF ONLY 12 CHILDREN ARE INFECTED... 

culture goes online - qingming tradition fading away?

How we pay respects to our elders might be redefined within a generation as more people are questioning the importance of having a physical manifestation of their ancestors.

Sea burials and going online for Qingming have emerged as viable alternatives to the tradition. Like Gaw, many Singaporeans of his generation prefer to scatter their ashes into the sea, rather than going through the hassle of buying a niche.

Retiree Ang Lay Cheu is one of them. The 58-year-old visits his parents’ niche at Bright Hill every year during Qingming, but said he would choose a sea burial for himself.

“Personally I would prefer a sea burial, and our grandchildren will just face the sky and pay their respects, instead of having to travel to a specific place every year. It’s more convenient for them,” he said.

In other Asian countries like Malaysia, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, many are abandoning traditional Qingming practices and using online memorial websites to make offerings to their ancestors.

These online memorials allow users to share photos, leave tributes and write condolence messages. They can also purchase virtual offerings such as candles and flowers.

The practice is still nascent in Singapore as only a minority has jumped onto the bandwagon, using sites like HeavenAddress and GoneTooSoon to make online tributes.

However, the alternative has its appeal to young, internet-savvy Singaporeans. Said 20-year-old Chew Si Pei: “Online memorials are definitely useful because young people nowadays are so connected to the Internet world. It certainly saves a lot of hassle.”

A tradition under threat

The rising prices of niches, issues with land leases and the belief that the younger generation might not continue the tradition are cited as top concerns for Gen X Singaporeans.

Soaring prices for increasingly scarce niche lots is another big concern for the Gen X. Due to land scarcity in Singapore, the price of niches has shot up over the years, with the most expensive single spaces in private columbariums going for a whooping $10,000.

Niches which can house the ashes of up to 24 family members in Nirvana Memorial Garden are priced at $200,000. Single niches can cost from $3,800 to $10,000, depending on its location.

Similarly, prices for Bright Hill columbarium start at $3,800 for a basic niche, and can hit up to $15,000 according to the desirability of its location.

what science and education can do for the elderly

A program called Lumosity, developed with the help of neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists from Stanford University and the University of California at San Francisco, is specifically designed to help aging people improve their memory, concentration, alertness and even mood. Free online registration gives you access to more than 30 games; paid registration lets you track your progress and get feedback about your results.

this is sad - it shows our priority

Five years ago, they joined the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) in Singapore as some of the first brand-name hires.

Now, star cancer geneticists Neal Copeland, 64, and Nancy Jenkins, 61, who left their 20-year career at the US National Cancer Institute for Singapore, are calling it quits, reported The Straits Times (ST).

They will be moving to Houston, Texas, where from October they will be co-directors of a basic cancer research programme at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and the Methodist Cancer Centre.

While a generously funded state programme there has been attractive for heavyweights in cancer research, it is also understood that the husband-and-wife team are frustrated with the research scene here.

Nature, an international weekly journal of science, highlighted the duo's decision to leave Singapore in an article published in December 2010.

The article, titled Singapore's salad days are over, reported that the nation's total research budget was "abruptly shifted to competitive industrial alignment funds' last September. This means access to funding depends on researchers' abilities to show that their work has industrial applications.

The policy was particularly aimed at the biomedical sciences, the article claimed. Amid frustrations over issues such as how the government will review research applications, Dr Copeland and Dr Jenkins decided to leave the country, it said.

The couple, currently principal investigators at the institute's cancer genetics laboratory, did not respond to ST's request for an interview.

The constraints biomedical scientists here face include having to spend time on red tape instead of research and increased pressure to focus on economic outcomes to get funding, reported the paper.

When the pair, among the most-cited biomedical scientists worldwide, first arrived in Singapore in 2006, they wanted to take research from the bench to the bedside and commercialise basic research.

According to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*Star), which oversees the IMCB, the cancer experts made a big splash in research and training here.

A*Star's Biomedical Research Council's executive director Lee Eng Hin said they sharpened the IMCB's focus in areas such as cancer, cell biology and developmental biology.

This deepened the Institute's understanding of human diseases and encouraged the translation of basic scientific discoveries into clinically useful products and commercially viable applications.

They also helped nurture a new generation of talent, he added.

Thanking the duo for their work, he told the paper, "While we are sad to see Neal and Nancy go, we are also heartened that they remain in the international biomedical research arena."

"We expect that they will continue to make great contributions to science and to society, and wish them the very best in their endeavours," said professor Lee.

He noted that Singapore is fortunate to have attracted and anchored many international scientists.

"Even when some of these scientists move on, we believe they will continue to have Singapore on their minds, and they are critical in building bridges between Singapore and the international scientific communities," he said.

"What is important is that they have lent their scientific capabilities, international standing, extensive network as well as experience in mentoring the next generation of scientific leaders."

Some observers, however, told the paper that the couple's move could be a start of a migration of top talents, where more of A*Star's top scientists follow suit.

Former A*Star head Philip Yeo had also previously warned of an exodus of talent if scientists are tasked to produce economic outcomes prematurely.


MAGDALENE: SO THE MESSAGE SEEMS TO BE : IF THERE'S NO MONEY TO BE MADE - OUT YOU GO
CECELIA: YEAH! SO WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN WE DID IT FOR SCIENCE/FOR MANKIND?
SANE THOMAS: YES I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION; BUT PLEASE DO STOP TO THINK...WE ARE TOO SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT TO BE MAKING WAVES FOR THE GOOD OF SOCIETY...WE ARE IN A RAT RACE AND NEED TO DO THINGS THAT ARE ECONOMICALLY VIABLE...

MAGDALENE....HAVE YOU SOLD YOUR SOUL TO THE (PAP)? ITS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY...ESPECIALLY WHEN WE CAN AFFORD IT!!!!

this is technology for you...but also a reminder - be thankful for the face u have; dont show long face

BOSTON (Reuters) - A woman who underwent a full face transplant in May after being mauled by a chimpanzee in 2009 revealed her new face in a photo released on Thursday.

Charla Nash, 57, who was photographed in her hospital bed at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, appears dramatically different with a new nose, lips and facial skin.

"I will now be able to do things I once took for granted," Nash said in a statement.

"I will be able to smell. I will be able to eat normally. I will no longer be disfigured. I will have lips and will speak clearly once again. I will be able to kiss and hug loved ones."

Nash was hurt after a friend's 200-pound (91 kg) pet chimpanzee went on a rampage two years ago. She lost her hands, lips, nose and eyes, leaving her blind and disfigured after the attack. The animal was eventually shot and killed by police.

After undergoing a grueling 20-hour full face transplant at the hospital in May, Nash in the photo now has a fair, almost blushing, complexion.

Prior to the surgery, Nash was often photographed wearing a veil to hide her disfigurement.

Nash's full face transplant was the third surgery of its kind performed in the United States, all at the same hospital.

An anonymous female donor provided face, hands and other tissue material that made the surgery possible. The hand transplant was deemed successful but the hands did not thrive after complications from pneumonia and were removed.

Another hand transplant could be attempted if a suitable donor is identified, doctors have said.

Nash's face was rebuilt by a medical team of more than 30 physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists and residents in a challenging surgery made more complex by the double hand transplant.

The world's first full face transplant was completed in Spain in 2010.

Save the Children

One in three women worldwide gives birth without expert help, a study from UK charity Save the Children suggests.

It said if a global shortage of 350,000 midwives were met, more than one million babies a year could be saved.

Some 1,000 women and 2,000 babies died every day from easily preventable birth complications - Afghanistan was the worst place to have a baby, it said.

The charity urged world leaders to show the political will to improve access to midwives and healthcare globally.
Save the Children, which is launching a campaign for more midwives, said more babies in poorer countries died from lack of oxygen at birth than from malaria.

It said women in the poorest countries were the least likely to have a skilled attendant present at delivery, were much more likely to lose their child and were the most likely to die during childbirth.
Save the children
n the UK - where there are 749,000 births a year - there are 26,825 working midwives, while in Rwanda, where 400,000 babies are born a year, there are only 46.

xould the Raelians have been right all along?

Many planetary scientists say it's conceivable that all life on Earth is descended from organisms that originated on Mars and were carried here aboard meteorites.

And if that's the case, an instrument being developed by researchers at MIT and Harvard could provide the clinching evidence.

In order to detect signs of past or present life on Mars-if it is in fact true that we're related-then a promising strategy would be to search for DNA or RNA, and specifically for particular sequences of these molecules that are nearly universal in all forms of terrestrial life.

"It's a long shot," "but if we go to Mars and find life that's related to us, we could have originated on Mars. Or if it started here, it could have been transferred to Mars." Either way, "we could be related to life on Mars. So we should at least be looking for life on Mars that's related to us."


WELL RAELIANS, DON'T POP THE CHAMPAGNE JUST YET! THE DARWINIANS AND CREATIONISTS HAVE NOT RESPONDED YET...

can we depend on scientists?

Twenty-one top scientists called for more research into genetically modified (GM) food Friday and demanded the reinstatement of a researcher who claimed that rats fed on GM potatoes suffered a weakened immune system. Scientists from Britain, Europe, the United States and Canada signed a memorandum supporting the findings of Arpad Pusztai, who was forced to retire last year after he said his experiments also showed GM food can damage rats' vital organs.

"Dr Pusztai's results, at the very least, raise the suspicion that genetically modified food may damage the immune system," Dr Ronald Finn, a past president of the British Society of Allergy and Environmental Medicine, told a news conference. "He has been unfairly treated." Pusztai, a world authority on plant proteins, was forced to leave the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, two days after revealing preliminary findings in a television documentary. The institute said his claims could not be substantiated. But a review of his experiments and research by Stanley Ewen, a pathologist at Aberdeen University Medical School, supported his conclusion that there was reason for concern.

THE PRICE SCIENTISTS HAVE TO PAY FOR THIER PASSION

THOMAS EDISON WAS DEAF - WHY

HIS TRAVELLING LABORATORY - IN A COACH - CAUGHT FIRE - DUE TO AN EXPERIMENT GONE WRONG
THE CONDUCTOR WAS SO INCENSED, HE BOXED EDISON EARS
AND EDISON BECAME DEAF!

TRIVIA

the video on cosmetic surgery

the usual reactions

1 squeamish and refused to watch
2 squeamish but still watching
3 the macho - i will watch no matter what
4 luckily no one fainted
5 wish i had a camera - to snap a pic of namira hiding under the table

but do not forget the learning points

1 shd cosmetic surgery be banned?

the point of contention is --- should it be banned. not wheter cs is good or bad

privacy and security

Google Threatens Pullout From China After E-Mail Accounts Are Hacked

Google threatened to end its operations in China after it
discovered that the e-mail accounts of human rights activists
had been breached.

The company said it had detected a "highly sophisticated and
targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating
from China." Google says further investigation revealed that
"a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail
accounts of Chinese human rights activists." Google did not
specifically accuse the Chinese government. But the company
added that it is "no longer willing to continue censoring our
results" on its Chinese search engine, as the government
requires. Google says the decision could force it to shut
down its Chinese site and its offices in the country.

xenotransplantation

Twenty-five years ago, California's Dr. Leonard Bailey transplanted a baboon heart into human infant Baby Fae. The interspecies heart transplant generated headlines and ethical debates.

Unhealthy heart: Baby Fae was born in 1984 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. After receiving the baboon heart, Baby Fae lived 20 days. She was the first infant to get a nonhuman heart transplant.

Primate provider: Where did Bailey find the baboon?

Moral storm: Baby Fae's operation sparked animal rights protests and medical ethics debates.

Heartfelt success: Although baboon hearts are no longer used, human pediatric heart transplants are now possible.
Just Fae: For privacy, the hospital identified the baby only by her middle name, Fae. Her first name was Stephanie. Years later, her mother revealed the family surname.

Life goes on: Baby Fae's mom, Teresa, attends college in Kansas. Bailey still works at the same hospital (doing what?).

Fae on film: Bailey will mark the 25th anniversary by introducing the documentary "Stephanie's Heart: The Story of Baby Fae."

NEDA

neda - The woman whose death has come to symbolize Iranian resistance to the government's official election



THERE HAS BEEN two weeks of protests against the official results of the presidential elections, which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for an end to street demonstrations

Ahmadinejad won the disputed election by a margin of two-to-one over Moussavi, his nearest rival, according to official results. Moussavi and Karroubi said the results were rigged and have called for the vote to be annulled.

Footage of Ms Soltan bleeding to death captured in amateur videos posted on the Internet and broadcast across the world triggered an outcry over Iranian authorities' clampdown on protests against the disputed presidential vote.

so should the media be blamed for inciting hatred?

the Fox News Channel host. Mr. O'Reilly, a vocal opponent of abortion, often called him "Tiller the baby killer" for performing late-term abortions and said repeatedly that he had "blood on his hands."

Within hours of the shooting that left Dr. Tiller dead on Sunday, Mr. O'Reilly found himself under attack from liberal journalists and bloggers who accused him of inciting violence.





Do you think that Mr. O'Reilly bears some of the responsibility for the murder of Dr. Tiller? Why or why not? Do you think that his comments qualify as "analysis," as "hate speech" or as something else? Does such rhetoric foster violence? Should media commentators like the popular Mr. O'Reilly try to balance responsibility and free speech?

DR GEORGE R TILLER....THE KILLER?

TILLER...DOCTOR WHO PERFORMED LATE TERM ABORTIONS
WAS MURDERED IN CHURCH..GUN SHOT...BY AN ANTI-ABORTIONIST...OF COURSE