Science

Two pints of beer better for pain relief than Tylenol: study

"By elevating your blood alcohol content to approximately 0.08 per cent, you’ll give your body 'a small elevation of pain threshold' and thus a 'moderate to large reduction in pain intensity ratings'. The researchers explained: 'Findings suggest that alcohol is an effective analgesic that delivers clinically-relevant reductions in ratings of pain intensity, which could explain alcohol misuse in those with persistent pain, despite its potential consequences for long-term health.'" Continue reading →

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Bill Nye the Constitutional B.S. Guy

Debate continues to rage about whether Bill Nye is really a “science guy,” or if he’s just an entertainer pushing a political agenda, but one thing is certain: Bill Nye is not the “Constitution guy.” In an interview on CNN during the so-called “March for Science,” Nye made the case for federal funding of science…

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Bill Bonner: Here’s Proof That Wealthy Elites Control Washington

"We had no proof. Just an observation. But it looks to us as though government always begins and ends as a tool for those who control it. It is not the product of a 'social contract.' It is not an expression of the 'general will.' It is not the 'price we pay for civilization.' It is not 'captured by wealthy special interests.' On the contrary, it is as blunt and stupid as a crowbar. It is used by the elite to pry wealth, status and power away from everyone else. Few victims of the public school system believed us, but now cometh a study from Princeton and Northwestern universities proving we were right." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: Here’s Proof That Wealthy Elites Control Washington

French Study Investigates Danger Of Speed Limit Fixation

"In jurisdictions with automated speed enforcement, cruise control can save drivers from receiving a nasty surprise in the mail. A study released July 30 from the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation concluded that this reliance on cruise control can actually make driving more dangerous. These findings are consistent with those of the late Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign, who calculated that each time a driver looked down to check his speedometer in a 200 yard speed camera zone -- each glance takes about 1.1 seconds -- he loses 13 percent of the time available to observe the road for hazards. The UK Department for Transport lists driver inattention as the cause of 25% of accidents." Continue reading →

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Twelve years after 9/11, we still have no idea how to fight terrorism.

"The seven studies include among them 86 findings about the effectiveness of counterterrorism programs, and those findings are startling. Lum, Kennedy and Sherley report that the average effect of the programs examined was negative. That is, the intervention was found to increase terrorist incidents rather than reduce them. The results varied by the type of intervention, but not in a way that should give us any comfort about our strategy. It's scandalous that we spend billions every year on counterterrorism but barely spend any effort on evaluating whether what we're doing works." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwelve years after 9/11, we still have no idea how to fight terrorism.

Researchers create battery that recycles sewage into energy

"They hope their technique could be used in wastewater treatment facilities and to break down organic pollutants in the 'dead zones' of oceans and lakes where fertilizer runoff has depleted oxygen, suffocating marine life. However, for now the team from Stanford University have started small, with a prototype about the size of a D-cell battery, consisting of two electrodes — one positive and one negative — plunged into a bottle of wastewater, filled with bacteria. As the bacteria consume the organic material, the microbes cluster around the negative electrode, throwing off electrons, which are captured in turn by the positive electrode." Continue reading →

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Intel turns wine into electricity to power mobile devices

"Demonstrating what is probably the perfect solution for energy conscious winos out there, an Intel Labs researcher talked through the project on stage alongside Bell, showing off a low-power processor and an accelerometer that were powered by a glass of wine. The researcher - we didn't catch his full name - boasted that the computing solutions being worked on in Intel Labs are so low in power that in the future we'll be able to 'power them by the heat of our skin, or the ambilight in the room', or 'something a little more entertaining', he added, pointing at the wine glass hooked up to the accelerometer." Continue reading →

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NASA: Voyager 1 becomes first spacecraft to leave our solar system

"NASA’s Voyager 1 probe has now left the solar system and is wandering the galaxy, US scientists said Thursday. The spacecraft was launched in 1977 on a mission to explore the outer planets of our solar system and to possibly journey into the unknown depths of outer space. US space agency scientists now agree that Voyager is officially outside the protective bubble known as the heliosphere that extends at least eight billion miles beyond all the planets in our solar system, and has entered a cold, dark region known as interstellar space. Voyager’s instruments will have to shut down permanently in 2025, Science reported. NASA spends $5 million per year to operate the twin spacecraft." Continue reading →

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Johns Hopkins researchers reverse Down syndrome in mice

"U.S. researchers said Wednesday they have found a way to reverse Down syndrome in newborn lab mice by injecting an experimental compound that causes the brain to grow normally. The team at Johns Hopkins University used lab mice that were genetically engineered to have extra copies of about half the genes found on human chromosome 21, leading to Down syndrome-like conditions such as smaller brains and difficulty learning to navigate a maze. 'It worked beautifully,' said lead author Roger Reeves of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 'We were able to completely normalize growth of the cerebellum through adulthood with that single injection.'" Continue reading →

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Did You Know That Viruses Are Saving Your Life Right Now?

"Phages are an excellent way to combat antibacterial resistance because they adapt to morphing bacteria, whereas antibiotics don’t. Phage therapy has been used successfully to treat acne, and even MRSA. If phages can be controlled, they may become the ultimate antibacterial weapons against the latest deadly superbugs, such as CRE.The Journal of Infection reported impressive success rates with phage therapy in humans, in the range of 80 to 95 percent. The good news is, you already have this wonderful army living in your body, right where nature put it—it’s built-in!" Continue reading →

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