Cell phones and brain cancer

The story that just won’t go away…

In an interesting reversal of their stance in 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that using a mobile phone may increase a certain type of brain cancer — glioma — in humans. Last year, they couldn’t find clear evidence either way; however, after reviewing the data from only heavy cell-phone users, the WHO (not the rock band) has decided that there is a potential correlation between cell phone use and brain cancer: the 2010 study indicates a forty percent increase in glioma for heavy cell phone users. To keep things in perspective, the naturally occurring frequency of glioma is less than one percent of the population, so a forty percent increase is not going to cause an epidemic: don’t start panicking just yet…

The WHO has now put cell phones in a miscellaneous group of dangerous items that includes DDT, coffee, magnetic fields, pickled vegetables, engine exhaust, and working in the textile manufacturing industry.

And, by the way, texting and hands-free options would make these findings insignificant: it is the close proximity of the cell phone to the brain that is potentially dangerous.

 

Physics and CSI

According to a physicist, forensic techniques for the analysis of blood splatters are crude and most of the math utilized is from first-semester college courses. Fred Gittes of WSU has developed new formulas that include surface tension, gravity, wind resistance, and other factors to accurately analyze a murder scene.

Fred Gittes and doctoral candidate Chris Varney performed their applied experiments with a carefully prepared blend of Ashanti chicken wing sauce and Ivory dish soap, which was found to effectively mimic blood.

The American Journal of Physics has published their research on-line: Locating the Source of Projectile Fluid Droplets.

Perhaps this could be worked into a CSI episode…

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Canucks win game 1!!!

What a game: Raffi Torres scored (assisted by Jannik Hansen and Ryan Kesler) with less than 19 seconds left in the third period to win 1 -0 over the Boston Bruins in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The first two periods had very little flow; the refs made a few too many calls (12 penalties by the end of the second period) and the game didn’t get going until the third period. Vancouver was the better team in the third, but it was a nail biter until the last couple of dozen seconds. I was sure it was going into overtime.

It was tense.

Go Canucks Go!!!

 

Drinking pure caffeine, all day long…

Ryan Summers, a doctoral researcher from the University of Iowa, has discovered bacteria (Pseudomonas putida CBB5) that feed on caffeine. He, and his colleagues, first encountered the bacteria in a campus flowerbed (in a summary to his research, Summers wrote: “Due to the extensive presence of caffeine in the environment, it is not surprising that there are bacteria that can ‘eat’ this molecule for growth and reproduction.”).

Caffeine-feeding bacteria have been discovered before, but Summers isolated three enzymes that convert the caffeine’s carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen molecules into carbon dioxide and ammonia. The discovery may facilitate the production of green chemicals and cheaper drugs.

At the rate I’m able to consume coffee, I’m beginning to wonder if I have any of those little guys in my system…

 

The Canucks are in the Finals!

Wow!

The Vancouver Canucks are in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 17 years.

Again, as in 1994 (also on May 24th!), they scored in double-overtime of game 5 in the conference final to advance.

Tonight, Kesler scored with 14 seconds left in the game to tie; then Bieksa scored on a weird bounce in the second overtime: I’m sure a large percentage of Metro-
Vancouver resident’s (and fans from across B.C., etcetera’s) eyeballs were glued to a TV.

Congratulations to San Jose for an entertaining series; the sharks were excellent again tonight: a tough team to beat.

Go Canucks Go!

 

The biggest human smiley face…

Earlier this month ( May 6^th), in Zagreb Croatia, 768 people broke the Guinness World Record for the biggest human smiley face.

Photo by Nikola Solic, Reuters

 

Canucks 3 games; Sharks 1 game…

It’s a good playoff series, but the Vancouver Canucks, so far, look like the better team. San Jose won the third game on Friday (4-3), but the Canucks came back to win a slightly bizarre game today (4-2): Vancouver scored 3 goals in less than 2 minutes while on successive 5 on 3 power-plays in the second period to — more or less — ensure the win.

One more win for Vancouver and they move on to the Stanley Cup Finals, but the 4th win is always the hardest (remember the Chicago series?). Excellent TV, if you like hockey…

Go Canucks Go!!!

 

Dust is good

I feel much better about the dust on my mantle.

Apparently, the constituents of the dust around the home include dead skin cells that are shed from the human inhabitants (not such a surprise, I suppose). Interestingly, there is oil — squalene — within the skin cells that can reduce the indoor ozone pollution by up to fifteen percent (ozone is created in reactions with pollutants from cars, factories, and other industrial sources). Breathing ozone may affect lung efficiency and inflame its linings; according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, chronic exposure might scar lung tissue.

It’s a good day to exfoliate…

 

Endeavour’s final flight

This picture of the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final launch was taken by Stephanie Gordon while on a flight from New York to Florida today:

 

Go Canucks Go!!!

I don’t drink beer much anymore, but I downed a few Buddha-beers (luckydrinkco.com), and rubbed the buddha bottle’s stomach, which seemed to bring the Vancouver Canucks good luck (the first game 3 – 2 Canucks).

As I said, it seems to have worked; and, although I don’t want to promote any particular brewski, I think this beer might make the difference in the series.

The Canucks are ahead (1 game to 0) over San Jose!