Science Friday

There are some cool science stories in the news lately. Two of the stories dominating the news — climate change and bird flu — I have already covered, but here are some more...

Have you ever worried someone could 'read' your mind? Look at your private thoughts and feelings, explore the inner reaches of your brain? Personally, that thought frightens me and I hope it is not purely possible, but scientists are making headway on mind reading technology.

Brain scans have been developed which it is claimed can predict what a person is about to do.

German, British and Japanese scientists were able to "read minds" using sophisticated functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) and computer programs.

Current Biology reported people were asked to think about adding or subtracting - scientists were able to read intentions in 70% of cases.

A UK expert advised caution, but said such technologies would develop.

Such techniques could be used to help people who are paralysed - there are already some steps being taken towards helping people using computer-assisted prosthetic devices linked to computers.

But this research might also allow abstract thoughts and intentions to be read.

It may even be possible to carry out instructions such as "send email" simply by thinking them - with a scanner picking up the wish and translating it in a way that the computer can act on.

It looks like you need a scanner and computing hardware and software, a willing participant, and some luck (the chance that the intentions will be picked up by the fMRI) for this kind of mind reading to work. From what I have read, it is not like the computer would be able to read your inner thoughts, and the thoughts they would read would be voluntary. I doubt mind reading technology can get advanced enough to read anything more complex than a voluntary nerve impulse — like in the case of a paralyzed person wanting to get a drink by signaling with their hand, but they can't because they are paralyzed, so the computer alerts their caregiver. This is interesting nonetheless, but I would not worry too much about someone extracting your memories and abstract thoughts with a scanner and computer.

With all this talk about the destructive effects of climate change, do you find yourself wondering what would happen in the worst case scenario? Would future human inhabitants or potential extraterrestrial visitors be able to see and experience the amazing biodiversity we enjoy today? Thanks in large part to the Norwegian government, it looks possible.

The final design for a "doomsday" vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops has been unveiled by the Norwegian government.

The Svalbard International Seed Vault will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole.

The vault aims to safeguard the world's agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change.

Construction begins in March, and the seed bank is scheduled to open in 2008.

The Norwegian government is paying the $5m (£2.5m) construction costs of the vault, which will have enough space to house three million seed samples.

The design plans look neat too.

The mental disorder of autism is more common than previously thought, as around one in 150 American children have it, according to new data.

Approximately one in every 150 children in the United States has autism or a closely related disorder -- a figure higher than most recent estimates -- according to a federal survey released yesterday, the most thorough ever conducted.

The new data, from 14 states, do not mean that autism is on the rise, because the criteria and definitions used were not the same as those used in the past.

The article goes onto say that the nationwide number of autistic children is 560,000. Why is the prevalence so high?

First ever legitimately FDA-approved over-the-counter diet drug:

GlaxoSmithKline's weight-loss drug, "alli", has become the first ever to be approved for over-the-counter use in the US, where 65% of the population is obese or overweight.

The question is, will it work and what are the affects — assuming they're positive maybe the drug will help. However, wouldn't it just be easier to live a more active lifestyle and eat healthier? I guess in America, every health problem needs a drug as a solution... from bad parenting to obesity. (Just a note, but that 65% statistic the above article cites seems low compared to figures I have read.)

technorati tags: autism, obesity, health, science, mind+reading, brain, biology, ecology, norway, domesday, doomsday, glaxosmithkline, autistic+children, news, tech, technology, mind

Stem cells in the US, part 1

See post on stem cells and cloned food.
See also this post on the stem cell wars between ideologues and normal people.

From a BBC News Q&A article on the United States and stem cells:

There are religious and social conservatives who oppose abortion and consequently the destruction of embryos required for stem cell research. Many of these are also supporters of Mr Bush.

This junk from the large group of social American conservatives is largely false. Scientists have found that they can do stem cell research without the risk of cloning or injuring a potential baby, yet most of these people have still refused to accept any form of stem cell research or treatment. Bottom line: the majority of staunch American partisans and conservatives are closed-minded and won't go by any of the facts, only the fantasies and fallacies they create in their quasi-moral (e.g. supporting torture of "enemy combatants"; no consented death for those with terminal illnesses?) politic.


technorati tags: stem+cell, stem+cells, united+states, religious+right, christian, conservative, social+conservatives, science, politics, ethics, biology, biotech, technology, commentary, in+perspective, clearthought, news, current, bush

Cloned food, stem cells, and the FDA

So in the United States we are allowed to eat cloned meat but not use stem cell and related techniques that are much less severe than the technological and moral implications of cow (etc.) cloning?

From the Washington Post article:

Three years after the Food and Drug Administration first hinted that it might permit the sale of milk and meat from cloned animals, prompting public reactions that ranged from curiosity to disgust, the agency is poised to endorse marketing of the mass-produced animals for public consumption.

There seems to be an indication that the cloned food is OK for humans, but what about the natural balance? Couldn't this create very negative affecting (to consumers and the ecosystem in which cows, etc., interact) result, from things like genetic mutations?

From the Wired News article:

Consumer watchdog groups are skeptical, and say cloned meat should at least be labeled.

Studies have shown differences between cloned and regular animals, including a higher incidence of genetic and physiological abnormalities in clones. But scientists say these differences don't pose a threat to someone who eats cloned meat.

A 2002 National Academy of Sciences report said there was no evidence that cloned meat was dangerous to eat, but more data was needed to be certain.

Discount or no, it would not be practical for farmers to clone all their cattle rather than breed them normally.

It's unnatural and unethical; cloning — I thought that was wrong!?! Haven't all those scientists been saying so? Americans should not be so willing to put so much shit into their mouths, whether it be cloned, genetically modified, or just really fatty and pumped up on preservatives. I am not one of those vegan health nuts — I like food too much — but the FDA needs to be watching out for consumers, not advancing overzealous meat mass-producers' fantasies. Of course, the Food and Drug Administration has already vastly failed on the "Drug" part, and most of the "Food" part, I guess it is just a matter of time until when one sees the FDA stamp, they will know the food is bad. There is a difference between cloned food that is safe for humans to eat, and cloned food that is safe. At this point, the former may be true, but certainly not the latter.

technorati tags: clone, food, health, ecology, stem+cell, stem+cells, biotech, science, technology, news, politics, in+perspective, in+the+news, clearthought, current+affairs, fda, united+states, usa, cloning