Nerdy Science Blog

This is the evolution of apples!

(pic [via])

Popularity: 1% [?]

I read Greg Laden’s “The Buttocks is not an excretory organ“, and I gave it a deep thought. Honestly, I was confused. Are buttocks organ?

The agency said the show was indecent because “it depicts sexual organs and excretory organs — specifically an adult woman’s buttocks.”

The agency rejected the network’s argument that “the buttocks are not a sexual organ.”

—— Yahoo! News: Nude buttocks may cost ABC $1.4 million

(pic)

I messaged my friend asking this question. She told me that anus is an organ, for sure. I said anus is not the thing I was asking, I asked about B-U-T-T-O-C-K-S. Then she gave up, and emphasized that anus is an organ.

I checked the meaning of buttocks from thefreedictionary.com.

but·tock (n.)
1.
a. Either of the two rounded prominences on the human torso that are posterior to the hips and formed by the gluteal muscles and underlying structures.
b. The analogous part of the body on certain mammals.
2. buttocks The rear pelvic area of the human body.

In biology, organ means group of tissues that perform specific function(s). Functions of buttock? Sit, smack, and reduce momentum.

So pelvis meat, fat and muscle are part of the organ? I never remember I learnt that buttocks are organ.

Popularity: 2% [?]

I bought couple of DVDs from China back then, this is one of them.

Here’s the list:

1. Microorganisms
2. Cell nucleus
3. Archaea
4. Mitosis
5. Meiosis
6. Cell differentiation
7. The krebs cycle
8. Mitochondria
9. Neurotransmission
10. Hormones
11. Photosynthesis
12. Tropical biodiversity
13. Ecosystems

Popularity: 2% [?]

From UNIMAS (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak) Website

Theme : Zoonoses, Environment and Wildlife Ecological Dynamics
Date : 21st-22nd January 2008
Vanue :Centre for Academic Information Services (CAIS) Auditorium, UNIMAS
IMPORTANT NOTES:
+ Abstract of no more than 250 words by 20th November 2007 and Extended Abstracts by 20th December 2007
Organised by : Faculty of Resource Sciences and Technology
Contact Person / Email : abdullahmt@gmail.com , yeelingchong@gmail.com , khgandy@gmail.com , hratnawati@frst.unimas.my
Brochure : Brochure Zoonosis Symposium UNIMAS

Introduction:

The recent emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic diseases (e.g. Japanese encephalitis and Nipah viral infections, knowlesi malaria) in Malaysia emphasises the urgent need to identify infective agents in wildlife, study their transmission to humans and understand the complex epidemiological and ecological mechanisms that directly impact on the health of wildlife and humans. The Regional Zoonoses and Emerging Infectious Diseases Symposium will be held at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Centre for Academic Information Services (CAIS) Auditorium from 21st - 22nd January 2008 with the theme “Zoonoses, Environment and Wildlife Ecological Dynamics”. The main objectives of the Symposium are:

• To assemble, understand, document and disseminate previous and current state of knowledge from various researchers dealing with animal-related pathogens that are zoonotic and potentially zoonotic.
• To understand the gaps in our knowledge of the human-animal interface in the promotion of good human and wildlife health
• To initiate greater collaboration among Malaysian and international scientists in the promotion of good environmental management for the control of zoonotic diseases.

The fees are RM 350 (USD 100) for the Researchers and RM 250 (~USD 75)  for the students.
(pdf)

Popularity: 5% [?]

I bought these three DVDs from Guangzhou, China. They are Discovery Channel’s DVDs.

1. 100 Greatest Discoveries: Chemistry

Sometimes blue and red fluids mixed together do not just result in a purple fluid but can result in the creation of an exciting white powder. This is the magic of chemistry which studies the reactions and transformations of the various substances found in the world. Chemical compounds combine in different ways allowing sugar to be sweet and steel to be strong. From the early work of Dalton and Priestley to modern scientific quest to create atomic particles, explore the top discoveries in the world of Chemistry.

2. 100 Greatest Discoveries: Biology

Biology is concerned with the characteristics and behaviors of organisms, how species and individuals come into existence and the interactions they have with each other and with their environment. The history of biology traces the study of the living world from ancient to modern times. Biology was revolutionized when Robert Brown identified the cell nucleus through his studies on orchids. Scientists continued to make significant breakthroughs in biology including Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and how neurotransmitters allow cells to communicate with the body.

3. 100 Greatest Discoveries: Genetics

From the first ideas about inherited characteristics in plants to the complete sequencing of the human genome, discover why certain traits are passed through families and species in the amazing science of genetics. Find out how DNA carries the genetic information that encodes proteins and enables cell to reproduce and perform their functions. Join this program to learn the major discoveries and experiments from Mendel’s peas to the 21st century’s genetic age of the Human Genome Project.

Do you know how cheap these original DVDs are? They costed RMB 15 each, and the total of three is RMB 45, which is less than USD 7.

Popularity: 2% [?]

In remote region of Colombia, a small golden frog was discovered by a team of young scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP). Until now no name is given to this frog but it is identified as dart frog which is highly poisonous. Beautiful things are harmful.

Don’t chop down all the trees in your country, who knows you may just destroy habitat for another unknown golden animals.

(link)

Popularity: 6% [?]

Mouse Factory in this post doesn’t refer to Mickey Mouse or Disney Land.

Besides parthenogenesis (the virgin-birth) of egg cells, another exciting news in biological recently is that researchers from Oregon Health & Science University has turned a mouse into some human liver cells manufacturing factory.

This not only change the way people change drugs, but also make things easier and cheaper for researchers to conduct their researches. Other than that, who knows your new liver will be a mouse-grown-human-liver, just kidding. If researchers manage to grow human liver on mouse, they can do the same on human too.

(picture source)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Last month I wrote an article about Wnt signaling system help in limb regeneration.

They know that as a human embryo matures, loads of cells await the command that directs each to become a certain type of cell with a particular function such as a heart-muscle cell. Once tissue formation begins, a red-light signal puts the brakes on cell growth before it gets out of control.

Dubbed Wnt/Beta-catenin signaling, cell-to-cell conversations control the fate of these as-yet undeveloped cells in the embryo.

—— LiveScience.com: How a Zebrafish Regrows a Fin

There are more researches show that the Wnt signaling system promote tissue regeneration.

Actually this fin-regrow-research do help in saving sharks. You can keep a shark in your aquarium and repeatedly cutting of its fins, the fins will regrow! Is it better to torture one or kills lots of them?
(Picture Source)

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Salk Institute for Biological Studies:

— La Jolla, CA —Chop off a salamander’s leg and a brand new one will sprout in no time. But most animals have lost the ability to replace missing limbs. Now, a research team at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been able to regenerate a wing in a chick embryo – a species not known to be able to regrow limbs - suggesting that the potential for such regeneration exists innately in all vertebrates, including humans.

The researchers discovered that the Wnt signaling system is responsible for the body regeneration. If human’s Wnt signaling is activated, here are three consequences:

1. You can sell your limbs or organs (perhaps some people do not have this Wnt signaling activated)
2. Every soldiers in US army will activate their Wnt signaling.
3. Human species will long live like cockroach.

Perhaps you would like to watch a video of a frog regrow its fully limb within three weeks.

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AIBS is a non-commercial, educational biology website which looks into the following issues:

• Biodiversity
• Environment
• Genomics
• Biotechnology
• Evolution
• New Frontiers
• Education

Link: ActionBioscience.org - examines bioscience issues

Popularity: 1% [?]