E. coli figure prominently and violently in this study: “Whack-an-E. coli with the Morbidostat,” Ofer Fridman, Amir Goldberg and Nathalie Q Balaban, Genome Biology, 2012 Jan 27;13(1):140. The caption to figure 1 of the paper reads: “The morbidostat, as a whack-a-mole game, maintaining constant evolutionary pressure despite the evolution of protective mechanisms. An Escherichia coli culture is […]
How to hold a stick, geologically
In this photo, geologist Ian West demonstrates how to hold a stick: West is pointing the stick at some of the geology on display at Lyme Regis Westward, on the Wessex coast of southern England.
Chemistry perfume PR innovation: In the future, “better” means “more”
Under a new interpretation — call it, perhaps, “The Belfast Interpretation” — more means better. To see how this works, read a publicity release issued by Queen’s University Belfast with the headline “Queen’s scientists develop first perfume which smells better the more you sweat“: Researchers in the Queen’s University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL) Research Centre have developed a […]
Effect of microwave ovens on astronomy
“Rogue Microwave Ovens Are the Culprits Behind Mysterious Radio Signals” is the headline on Nadia Drake’s article in the Phenomena blog. Drake writes: if you happen to be reheating your coffee at the Parkes Observatory in Australia, you could be contributing to the growing collection of mysterious radio signals known as perytons. Well, the collection […]