Hey look... it's art!

In response to an artist friend's return to blogging, I've posted my own attempt at abstract art:



Actually, no, I lied. It's not art... it's SCIENCE!!! It's actually yesterday's lab results from my research project in grad school. My feeble attempts at art are strictly limited to music and photography. And, really, I think I approach even those genres from much more of an "analytical" perspective than an artistic one....

[Edit, 2/7/10 -- looks like I'm not the only one to equate DNA with art!]

Medical Anomolies

I saw this clip on YouTube a few months ago about the "Tree Man of Java" (superpowers sold separately):

For those with slow connections (or for those who need motivation to wait for the video to load), here's a shot of his "hands":


I ran into a recent article about his condition (a random combination of the HPV virus plus an incredibly rare genetic immune disorder) and the treatment he's been getting... which led me to an article on the man without a face....



....which, in turn, led to an article about a girl with two faces....


...which, of course, pointed me to an article about an 11-pound, 23-inch-tall 15-year-old. Here, she's pictured with a 13-month old, and her classmates:


It's interesting to note the role of religion in some of these stories. The guy with the facial tumor has firmly refused medical treatment until recently, since (until recently) the medical procedures involved would have required a blood transfusion, something he won't consider as a staunch Jehovah's Witness. Meanwhile, the girl is being hailed as a reincarnation of the Hindu god Ganesha. Her parents certainly don't mind... everyone who comes to pay their respects to the baby include a nice monetary gift.

Science Marches One

I think most everyone would agree that we've come pretty far in the last several hundred years. We geniuses of the 21st century are aware that the earth's not flat. We realize that diseases are caused by invisible little creatures that live pretty much everywhere. I'm especially glad that we don't have to visit the local barber to get our infected tooth brutally ripped from our jaw without anesthetic. It even seems that we're finally getting around to developing a working jetpack... or, the German miltary is, at least:

But every so often we are reminded that we aren't totally on top of things yet. For example, it turns out that migrating birds seem to have the equivalent of a GPS unit in their brain... and we don't really have a clue how it works. Go us.

Speaking of brains, researchers recently were poking around in an obese man's head with electrodes, hoping to find the part of the brain that would suppress his appetite. (Is brain surgery really that trivial now, that we're using it to treat overeating?) When they zapped a particular spot in his brain, he found himself remembering a scene from thirty years prior. If they ramped up the juice, he would recall more intricate details, right down to what people were wearing. Turn off the power, though, and the memories would fade. They're hoping to use the technique to treat Alzheimer's patients. I predict that one day, grateful husbands everywhere will be using it to remember anniversaries, and their wives' birthdays....

Oh, by the way, we can talk to apes. It turns out they like candy as much as obese-brain-surgery-guy.

March, science, march...

I hereby claim this blog in the name of Dianoguy.

[plants flag]

Let the rants begin!