Monthly Archives: February 2015

Links 2/7/15

Posted on February 7, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Why we should build cloud cities on Venus New BARDA Initiative to Develop Universal Flu Vaccine What Epistasis Is, Depends on How You Define “Is” How an African slave helped Boston fight smallpox: Centuries before Ebola, … Continue reading →

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The Republican War on… Beyoncé?

Posted on February 7, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

So this is completely bonkers (pdf): Yes, two thirds of Iowa Republican caucus goers believe Beyoncé either is or might be a ‘moral poison.’ For a little context, hero of the Uruk-hai wing of the Republican Party, Mike Huckabee, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Fucking Morons | 3 Comments

When the Security State Collides With the National Zoo

Posted on February 7, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

The National Zoo in D.C. has decided to increase security on “high access days” (boldface mine): Security in any large urban environment today is challenging. The Zoo faces particular problems during high visitation periods, including March and April, when the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, DC, Museums etc. | 1 Comment

Links 2/6/15

Posted on February 6, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Microhyla borneensis, the second-smallest frog in the world Pew’s disappointing use of invalid survey methods on GM food risk and perceptions The Death of the Dinosaurs The placebo effect is crazy How to eradicate grey squirrels … Continue reading →

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Yes, We Live in a Gilded Age

Posted on February 6, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

This table from EPI pretty much says it all: Basically, the 2014 income of the top one percent in most states is essentially identical to that in 1927, before the Great Depression. At some point, things will equalize.

Posted in Economics | Comments Off on Yes, We Live in a Gilded Age

Why Phage Therapy Hasn’t Been Widely Adopted: It’s Not a Technological Problem

Posted on February 6, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Azeen Ghorayshi has a very good article about phage therapy–the use of bacterial viruses to treat bacterial infections (the bacterial viruses only infect bacterial, not human cells). There’s a long history of using phage to stop bacterial disease (d’Herelle’s use … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Bidness, Economics, Viruses | 3 Comments

Links 2/5/15

Posted on February 5, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Another One Bites The Dust…And Another One: The Saga Of The New Republic This is how outbreaks occur. It isn’t complicated. Some doctors will no longer see patients who refuse vaccinations Yes We Can Reading Roald … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Mass Transit: You Get What You (Don’t) Pay For

Posted on February 5, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

From afar, it appears that Boston’s MBTA is not handling the incessant snow very well (boldface mine): Details will be sorted out over time, but initial reports suggest more than a third of Red Line and Orange Line trains disabled; … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Transportation | 2 Comments

The Clinical Significance of Measles: A Review

Posted on February 5, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

This was in the queue, and seems relevant giving at least one conservative pundit’s claim that measles isn’t “that big of a deal“. That’s the rather anodyne title of this article (open access) that describes the effects of measles infections … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Health, Vaccination | Comments Off on The Clinical Significance of Measles: A Review

Links 2/4/15

Posted on February 4, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: ‘How to be Bird Poop For Dummies’ by This Moth Fly Mimic The way we use antibiotics is broken. Blame nearly a century of drug marketing. ‘Moonshot’ Medicine Will Let Us Down (though it’s worth noting … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 2 Comments