Neuroskeptic

Google Glass: Artificial Unconscious?

Google Glass is cool. But could it be philosophically dangerous?

60 years ago, Ludwig Wittgenstein famously wrote:
Where does this idea come from? It is like a pair of glasses on our nose through which we see whatever we look at. It never occurs to us to take them off.

The “idea” in this case was a particular philosophical theory about language. Wittgenstein saying that other philosophers were making use of this idea without realizing it, unconsciously – so he chose the metaphor of  …

Field Notes

Printed Space Food: All the Calories, But Still Missing Something

The other day I had to figure out what to make for dinner. On this mission, we have plenty of raw ingredients — pastas, tofu, dehydrated beef, freeze-dried vegetables, and even complete meals — so I puzzled over the my options for some time. My turn to “cook” fell on a day that we were required, by the HI-SEAS food study, to use just-add-water-and-heat foods only. In the end, I went with a dehydrated meal of sweet and sour pork with rice. On the side, I added rehydrated green beans,  …

Seriously, Science?

Money can't buy you love, but it can reduce your pain.

Everyone knows that money can buy you pretty much anything. Well, here are two more things to add to the list: reduced physical pain *and* less social distress. In this study, the researchers had subjects count either paper or money, and just the act of counting money made the subjects less sensitive to subsequent social exclusion or physical pain (via dipping their hands in hot water). So, the next time you’re feeling left out, just count your money. It might make people dislike you even mo …

D-brief

Spit-Cleaned Pacifiers Boost Babies' Immune Systems

The only thing a baby seems to love more than sucking on a pacifier is dropping it on the ground. Health-conscious parents often think they are doing the right thing by sterilizing the dropped binky before giving it back to their child. However new research shows that these parents might want to rethink: When parents clean a pacifier with their own saliva instead, the child is less likely to develop eczema, allergies and other related conditions.

For the past century, medical science has fo …

Gene Expression

A little knowledge is dangerous

Being public on the internet means having to interact with many different sorts. Recently I’ve been having to deal with a heckler on Facebook. The heckler is actually of a particular type. I’m still trying to learn genetics at this point in my life, so I don’t propose to assert that my opinions are beyond dispute. But there is a variety of discussion which is not fruitful.

An interesting aspect of talking to people about genetics is that totally novice intelligent lay people are often ver …

Gene Expression

(pre)Historical genetics still has to be historical

Credit: Albozagros

The genetics and history of Tibet are fascinating to many. To be honest the primary reason here is elevation. The Tibetan plateau has served as a fortress for populations who have adapted biologically and culturally to the extreme conditions. Naturally this means that there has been a fair amount of population genetics on Tibetans, as hypoxia is a side effect of high altitude living which dramatically impacts fitness. I have discussed papers on this topic before.� …

D-brief

Twin Stars Are Closer to Earth Than Thought

Imagine if you could see a car’s headlights from more than 20 miles away. Those must be some headlights! It might even throw your whole understanding of headlights into question – how could there be any this bright? But then, you realize that the car wasn’t 20 miles away, but just 2; instantly, things make sense again.

This is how scientists solved an astronomical mystery involving not headlights, but a double star system named SS Cygni. It’s a kind of system known as a dwarf nova …

D-brief

New Bird Flu May Be Able to Spread Between People

Since it was first identified by Chinese authorities two months ago, the new H7N9 bird flu has infected 131 people in eastern China. The virus produces severe pneumonia, with most patients requiring hospitalization, and statistics [pdf] released last week by the WHO indicate that 32 of those infected have died of the virus.

Now a study in ferrets, considered the best model animal of flu transmission in humans, has found that the virus is transmissible via air and direct contact, making it p …

Body Horrors

Microbial Misadventures: Exploits in Botulism & Pruno In Our Prison Population

I am partial to the odd tipple and, as a resident of the licentious, enabling city that is New Orleans, I’m fortunate to be adequately supported in my booze-seeking ways by the high number of bars and restaurants within stumbling distance of my front porch. But what to do for those of us prohibited from indulging in one of the world’s greatest mood modulators, for those of us, say, incarcerated in America’s prison-industrial complex? In that case, American ingenuity and tenacity wins, always: b …

D-brief

Rise in Whooping Cough Linked to Weak Vaccine

Whooping cough is staging a comeback. According to the CDC, 2012 saw nearly 42,000 pertussis cases—the most since 1955. Many public health officials initially believed the epidemic was due to falling vaccination rates. But a new study published this week in Pediatrics shows that the problem is also due to serious shortcomings of the vaccination itself.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, the U.S. began using a new pertussis vaccine that showed fewer side effects. Instead of injecting killed Borde …