PART V OF VI
SEPTEMBER 6, 2005
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OVER ONE HUNDRED PIECES CAUGHT! A.K.A. AS GOOD AS TIME AS ANY TO DO AN EVALUATION REPORT.
To celebrate our one hundredth piece, the SCQ would like to thank everyone with an assessment of the site using google ranking techniques. As of 8AM P.S.T. September 5th, 2005, all aforementioned phrases resulted in a number one rank result.
(Good)
"bestest most kick ass"
"an awesome force to be reckon with"
(Not so good)
"horribly, wretchedly, and obviously stinky"
"Pffffsssstttt"
(Not sure if it's good or not)
"profoundly change a person’s appetite for sex"
"aliens hatch out of us at breakfast"
"lazy-ass starfish"
(Frankly, a bit embarrassing)
"look like rats wearing coats and sneakers"
"they took shots of me pooping"
(Worrying)
"We are, in reality, pretty clueless"
(An overall good sign since this was really the whole point anyway)
"science literature presented in a myriad of ways"
SQUIRREL FISHING INSTRUCTIONS
By Annie Tomlin
This picture is a good example of how the basic squirrel fishing model works. It's best to find a fairly open space with enough room to walk around a bit. We stayed away from a group of ne'er do-well hippie hooligans who were playing games, as they were likely to inadvertently interfere with our fishing agenda. Keep in mind that squirrels often live in public places, so it might take time to find a secluded area. Trust me, though: it's worth it in the long run. It doesn't matter if people are somewhat close (see the man in the picture). Once they see what you're doing, they tend to keep their distance.
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Want to expand a genome? Previous thinking suggests you only need some transposable elements, often nicknamed “jumping genes”, to repeatedly, and irreversibly, insert into the genome. Time will take care of the rest.
However, new research is now challenging this view by revealing that transposable elements can also be deleted during evolution.
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COMPOSURE
By Claire Salvador
On page 1420 of the old Second Edition Webster’s Unabridged my father bought over 20 years ago for my brothers and me, it states that in music, a prelude is an introductory section or movement of a suite or fugue, and that since the 19th century it has become any short romantic composition.
I was not quite four when my family moved to Vancouver from Manila. I remember it was the nearing the end of the rainy season, and it was overcast and grey. I was wearing my best dress - crinoline and lace that made a wedding cake of my middle. Tito Jimmy and Tita Boubot, my mother’s siblings, each held one of my arms, and I was swung over the gigantic puddles that the rains had carved into the dirt roads. My shoes got wet, despite their best efforts.
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A DIALOG ON NUCLEAR WARFARE: CHARLES SHAW, HERMAN KAHN AND ME
By Justin Kahn
The Participants
Charles Shaw: A brand of wine, widely known as “two buck chucks” for its affordability (although in Ohio, one can’t seem to find it for no less than $3.33). An acquaintance of both participants in this dialog.
Herman Kahn—Arguably the most celebrated and controversial nuclear strategist of his time. Often said what was on everyone’s mind, was Director of the Hudson “think tank” and wrote “On Thermonuclear War.” Also a rather large man.
Me-- Pacifist. Has the last name Kahn, but is probably unrelated to Herman Kahn. Definitely smaller though.
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BIOPROSPECTING: A NEW WESTERN BLOCKBUSTER, AFTER THE GOLD RUSH, THE GENE RUSH.
By Corinne Cluis
Picture a group of scientists exploring tropical forests to collect plants, fungi or microorganism samples. They are bioprospecting. In other words, they are looking for new compounds that may help remediate so-far incurable diseases. Picture them settling in villages and discussing with the shaman to learn their traditional way of using plants to heal their people. These local medicine men are often rich of a secular oral tradition about nature’s secrets. Now, picture the scientists coming back to their wealthy country with their suitcase full of unexplored drug candidates. Ten years later, after intense research work and numerous trial and errors, one of the plants used by the shaman is found to be a revolutionary cure for cancer. At first glance, this seems like blockbuster story! But is it, really? Alas, the reality is more complex, and the happy end is not always within reach for all the story’s characters.
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HOW THE SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENTS ELUCIDATED IN SCIENCE MAGAZINE WILL AFFECT MY LIFE (VOLUME I)
By Patrick Francis
A collaboration between scientists at the University of Michigan and Harvard medical school has shown that exposure to firearm violence doubles the probability that an adolescent will himself perpetrate a violent crime (1). To be honest I didn’t read the whole report but the bits that I skimmed over made me extremely nervous. Just last year someone was shot outside of my apartment and, while I wasn’t home at the time, I was able to inspect the bullet-holes the next morning. This is just the sort of exposure I assume the authors were referring to. I did some quick calculations and determined that my pre-shooting chances of perpetrating some violence were about 50% as I was either going to not going to display aggression. These chances have now rocketed up to 100% which is why I’m a bit anxious; I’m too pretty for jail.
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ELSEWHERE AND OVERHEARD
By Caitlin Dowling
Overheard
"If you're with a phone company and you know they're not an ideal match, you're going to look for someone who is. It's a very similar situation."
Richard Ecob, who has adapted a system for modelling atoms in radioactive decay to investigate how we look for partners. (BBC News)
"The frog's distinctive Norfolk accent, the buried remains and genetic studies all provided crucial clues."
A frog with a regional accent is being re-introduced to England. (BBC)
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For those that prefer a print version, please download our beautiful pdf file.
(part i pdf)
(part ii pdf)
(part iii pdf)
(part iv pdf)
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