Historical Perspectives – Page 28

Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Current Events, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Medical Breakthrough, New Discoveries

The scientist who discovered Hepatitis C says he’s now discovered the vaccine

February 21, 2012

Michael Houghton

In a poetic turn of virology, the scientist who discovered hepatitis C in 1989 has now also discovered a vaccine that will hopefully cure the now-incurable disease.

Not only is it poetic, it’s an accomplishment that many thought was impossible. Because hepatitis C is more virulent than HIV, no one was confident a vaccine against all the various strains around the world could be developed. But Michael Houghton, the University of Alberta researcher who announced his work today at the Canada Excellence Research Chairs Summit in Vancouver, says his vaccine works against every known strain of the virus…

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Education, Historical Perspectives, New Viewpoints

Food Cart Factory

February 19, 2012

A row of classic Worksman hot dog carts on the factory floor.

The oldest bike manufacturer in the U.S., Worksman Cycles, also happens to be the home of two American food vending icons: the Good Humor ice cream tricycle and the New York City hot dog cart. What’s more, if you live in New York city, chances are that your last delivery pizza or egg roll traveled to your door in the front basket of a Worksman bike, and if, instead, you live in the Connecticut suburbs, you may well have enjoyed a cold Bud purchased from a Worksman-made drinks trolley during your evening Metro-North commute…

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Analysis, Business, Culture, Education, Entertainment, facebook, Historical Perspectives

Beyond Facebook: The rise of interest-based social networks

February 18, 2012

Social networks have grown beyond what Facebook offers.

With the pending public offering of Facebook anticipated to be the largest tech IPO in history, it’s an interesting time to think about where we go from here. Some say “social is done,” Facebook is all the social media anyone would ever want or need. Unquestionably, as it nears one billion accounts, in the solar system of social media, Facebook is the Sun — the gravitational center around which everything social revolves.

But while some may pronounce that Facebook is all the social we’d ever need, users clearly haven’t gotten the memo. Instead, users are rapidly adopting new interest-based social networks such as Pinterest, Instagram, Thumb, Foodspotting, and even the very new Fitocracy…

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Analysis, Big Problems, Education, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News, Medical Breakthrough, Nanotechnology, New Discoveries

Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health

February 18, 2012

An intestinal cell monolayer after exposure to nanoparticles, shown in green.

Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new Cornell research warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought.

A research collaboration led by Michael Shuler, the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Chemical Engineering and the James and Marsha McCormick Chair of Biomedical Engineering, studied how large doses of polystyrene nanoparticles — a common, FDA-approved material found in substances from food additives to vitamins — affected how well chickens absorbed iron, an essential nutrient, into their cells…

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Analysis, Crazy Stuff, Education, Historical Perspectives, People Making a Difference

Thomas Edison’s job interview questions

February 18, 2012

Thomas Edison on his 77th birthday in his laboratory.

When Thomas Edison hired new employees, he presented them with a 150-question quiz, containing different questions depending on the position. But often, the questions had nothing to do with the job; Edison just wanted to know how educated the applicant was. And sometimes there were other reasons behind the interrogation…

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Analysis, Education, Historical Perspectives, Plant Life

5 things plants do better than us

February 16, 2012

Plants simply do some things better.

We need more trees in our cities. But our cities also need to become more like trees.

The other day I posted on why environmentalists must think like pro-athletes, inspired in part by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work on optimal experience. As I finish up his book, I was struck by another observation—namely that the task of finding meaning in an individual’s life can be directly compared to the role of plants as “dissipative structures—organisms that collect diffuse energy from the sun and transform it into highly complex, dynamic structures.

It seems to me that the challenge of building community is very similar. We could, as a culture, do a lot worse than to learn from plants…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Medical Breakthrough, Nanotechnology, New Discoveries

New nano-material combinations produce leap in infrared technology

February 15, 2012

ASU engineers are working on technological advances that promise to help enhance infrared photodetection used in sophisticated weapons and surveillance system, industrial and home security systems, medical diagnostics and night vision equipment for law enforcement and driving safety.

Arizona State University researchers are finding ways to improve infrared photodetector technology that is critical to national defense and security systems, as well as used increasingly in medical diagnostics, commercial applications and consumer products…

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Analysis, Animals, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News, Sealife

Humpback whales living in same ocean basin found singing different tunes

February 11, 2012

New findings about Humpback whales change old views.

Whale song and the development of whale culture is a fascinating thing. Now researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Columbia University and Australia have found that humpback whales from different sides of the same ocean basin are singing different songs — an surprising finding since whales from the same basin usually sing the same tunes.

Previously, when whale songs from the same basin were compared, researchers found that the songs typically consisted of the similar parts or what is called in whale song parlance as “themes,” or distinct sounds which are often repeated in cycles lasting up to 30 minutes…

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Analysis, Animals, Education, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries

Meet Otavia antiqua, possibly the ancestor of all animals

February 11, 2012

Otavia antiqua

It looks like an insignificant spec of dust, but if scientists are right, it could be the ancestor of us all.

Meet Otavia antiqua, a microscopic, sponge-like African fossil that could be the earliest known animal…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Current Events, Economy, Historical Perspectives, Money Talk

Crowdtilt Launches To Become The “Kickstarter For Any Group”

February 10, 2012

Kickstarter has spawned a whole new generation of funding potential.

Inherently, we like doing things in groups, as it makes our experiences more social. It’s not about what we’re doing so much as who we’re doing it with that makes our experiences enjoyable. Group messaging took off two years ago, overrunning SXSW, as a better way to keep groups of people engaged; Kickstarter has grown like a week thanks to the power of the crowd lending legs to fledgling projects that need quick capital to get off the ground.

A new startup launching today called Crowdtilt is taking a page out of Kickstarter’s book, riffing on “crowdfunding,” but instead choosing to call itself “groupfunding” or a “Kickstarter for groups of friends.”

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Analysis, Animals, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Education, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives

Scientist Catches Bear-Eating Snake in the Act

February 10, 2012

22.6-foot reticulated python, shot by Kekek Aduanan (in hat) on June 9, 1970. Photo by Thomas N. Headland

Earlier this week a team of scientists from several universities and the US Geological Survey released a study documenting the dramatically declining numbers of small and medium-size mammals in Florida – including raccoons, opossums, white-tailed deer, bobcats, rabbits and foxes. These population drops all occur in the same areas where pythons and other large, non-native snakes have taken up residence after escaping from one stop or another in the wildlife trade supply chain.

Anyone who’s even heard only the most basic facts about constrictor snakes knows that they’re formidable predators and take down prey by grasping it in their powerful jaws, coiling their bodies around it, and squeezing until it suffocates. Devouring bunnies and possums isn’t even the half of it, though. These big snakes aren’t shy about going after much larger, more dangerous game, too. Like men. And bears…

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Analysis, Food, Historical Perspectives

The top ten instant noodles in the world

February 10, 2012

Not all instant noodles are the same.

The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of dough, which is rolled flat and cut into long thin ribbons, strips, waves, helices, tubes, strings, shells, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil, but are often pan fried or deep fried. Depending upon the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking.

The top ten list is after the jump..

Continue reading… “The top ten instant noodles in the world”