Did you know that there's a disorder called Moebius syndrome? Neither did I.
I just got an emailed press release from Jacob Licht, who writes that he is on the board of directors of the Moebius Syndrome Foundation and that he has a daughter with the condition, which he describes as follows:
"Moebius Syndrome is a rare neurological condition that causes facial paralysis, preventing its victims from smiling from birth. While Moebius Syndrome is not life-threatening, it is life altering, since those with Moebius Syndrome are unable to show any facial expressions and have speech impediments. Compared to other disorders, little is known about Moebius Syndrome. ... Moebius syndrome affects the 6th and 7th cranial nerves, preventing those afflicted with it from moving their faces and eyes, as well as sometimes causing hand/feet anomalies, respiratory problems, sensory issues and weak upper body strength."
Today and tomorrow, a panel of experts is assembling under the aegis of the NIH to discuss the challenges facing research into this disorder. I wish them luck.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A millennium of metallurgy in the Andes
I came across an interesting study last night that I'm thinking about writing up for Science News. The upshot is that scientists have reconstructed the 1000-year history of metallurgy in the Andes.
In the process, they've gleaned some new insights into how and when ancient Andean peoples, including the Inca and their predecessors, used bronze and silver. Traces of metal-containing ash (spewed out by ancient forges) in the soil reveal that metal-working predated the Inca by about half a millennium.
However, the rise of the Inca coincided with a shift away from copper and toward silver production, which may have reflected the Incas' demand for tribute from their vassals.
From the ES&T press release:
An ancient Inca tax and metallurgy in Peru
Scientists in the United States and Canada are reporting the first scientific evidence that ancient civilizations in the Central Andes Mountains of Peru smelted metals, and hints that a tax imposed on local people by ancient Inca rulers forced a switch from production of copper to silver. Their study is scheduled for the May 15 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal. The University of Alberta’s Colin A. Cooke and colleagues point out that past evidence for metal smelting, which involves heating ore to extract pure metal, was limited mainly to the existence of metal artifacts dating to about 1,000 A.D. and the Wari Empire that preceded the Inca. The new evidence emerged from a study of metallurgical air pollutants released from ancient furnaces during the smelting process and deposited in lake sediments in the area. By analyzing metals in the sediments, the researchers recreated a 1,000-year history of metal smelting in the area, predating Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish conquistadors by 600 years. Their findings show that smelters in the Morococha region of Peru switched from production of copper to silver around the time that Inca rulers imposed a tax, payable in silver, on local populations.
In the process, they've gleaned some new insights into how and when ancient Andean peoples, including the Inca and their predecessors, used bronze and silver. Traces of metal-containing ash (spewed out by ancient forges) in the soil reveal that metal-working predated the Inca by about half a millennium.
However, the rise of the Inca coincided with a shift away from copper and toward silver production, which may have reflected the Incas' demand for tribute from their vassals.
From the ES&T press release:
An ancient Inca tax and metallurgy in Peru
Scientists in the United States and Canada are reporting the first scientific evidence that ancient civilizations in the Central Andes Mountains of Peru smelted metals, and hints that a tax imposed on local people by ancient Inca rulers forced a switch from production of copper to silver. Their study is scheduled for the May 15 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal. The University of Alberta’s Colin A. Cooke and colleagues point out that past evidence for metal smelting, which involves heating ore to extract pure metal, was limited mainly to the existence of metal artifacts dating to about 1,000 A.D. and the Wari Empire that preceded the Inca. The new evidence emerged from a study of metallurgical air pollutants released from ancient furnaces during the smelting process and deposited in lake sediments in the area. By analyzing metals in the sediments, the researchers recreated a 1,000-year history of metal smelting in the area, predating Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish conquistadors by 600 years. Their findings show that smelters in the Morococha region of Peru switched from production of copper to silver around the time that Inca rulers imposed a tax, payable in silver, on local populations.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Watchdog knocks EPA for putting fox on SOx panel
Couldn't resist the headline, since I was just blogging about puns. SOx, of course, are sulfur oxides, which are byproducts of fossil fuel use. The EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee is tasked with evaluating the hazards of polluting air with SOx and NOx, or nitrogen oxides. But they've got a couple of foxes sampling the hen house's air quality, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
CSPI issued a press release (fourth item) today that objects to the appointments to that advisory committee of Richard B. Schlesinger, who has received financial support from the American Petroleum Institute, and Christian Seigneur, who also works for an industry-funded organization.
CSPI issued a press release (fourth item) today that objects to the appointments to that advisory committee of Richard B. Schlesinger, who has received financial support from the American Petroleum Institute, and Christian Seigneur, who also works for an industry-funded organization.
Genealogy and nomenclature
It's probably worth taking a moment to explain the rather obscure origin of the name this blog bears.
When I was an undergrad, I spent a season on the sailing team, mostly as a 'crew' (the jib-handler) in a two-person sloop called a 420. One of the duties of the crew is to hike out -- that is, to lean as far out over the windward gunwale so that your weight counterbalances the force of the wind on the sail and keeps the boat from tipping too much.
I sometimes sailed with my team captain, a gregarious guy named Chris. One day, while sailing together, we got slammed by a sudden puff of wind and the boat listed precariously. I jumped up on the gunwale and starting hiking out, and Chris, worried that we were going to capsize in spite of my efforts, yelled, "Hike harder!" When he realized that he'd unintentionally punned on my surname, he started using the pun regularly. And so, in Rudyard Kipling fashion, I acquired the nickname "Hike."
Giving me a hard time
Incidentally, people still pun on my name. Most recently, I took a lot of flak for an article I wrote on erectile dysfunction. Most of the comments that Washington Post readers subsequently posted referred not to the content of the article but to the amusing connection between the subject matter and my byline. For all I know, the editors who assigned the story to me were laughing gleefully when they did so.
When I was an undergrad, I spent a season on the sailing team, mostly as a 'crew' (the jib-handler) in a two-person sloop called a 420. One of the duties of the crew is to hike out -- that is, to lean as far out over the windward gunwale so that your weight counterbalances the force of the wind on the sail and keeps the boat from tipping too much.
I sometimes sailed with my team captain, a gregarious guy named Chris. One day, while sailing together, we got slammed by a sudden puff of wind and the boat listed precariously. I jumped up on the gunwale and starting hiking out, and Chris, worried that we were going to capsize in spite of my efforts, yelled, "Hike harder!" When he realized that he'd unintentionally punned on my surname, he started using the pun regularly. And so, in Rudyard Kipling fashion, I acquired the nickname "Hike."
Giving me a hard time
Incidentally, people still pun on my name. Most recently, I took a lot of flak for an article I wrote on erectile dysfunction. Most of the comments that Washington Post readers subsequently posted referred not to the content of the article but to the amusing connection between the subject matter and my byline. For all I know, the editors who assigned the story to me were laughing gleefully when they did so.
Disclosures -- and protecting your hearing
Before I make my first substantive post, I need to draw attention to the fact that I have at least one conflict of interest. Namely, I'm a staff member at Science News magazine. And while my employer is not paying me to promote the work of my colleagues, I do plan to blog about it from time to time because I admire so much of their reporting.
With that preamble, I want to remark on the latest article by Janet Raloff. It suggests that a combination of magnesium and vitamins A, C, and E may protect against noise-induced hearing loss. As someone who has attended his share of rock concerts -- and whose loving parents have always reminded (and reminded and reminded!) him to wear earplugs -- I'm glad to know about this new bit of research. One of Janet's sources suggests in the story that the micronutrient combo could be used in lieu of earplugs, but I think I'll actually use both pill and plugs the next time I attend a loud show.
With that preamble, I want to remark on the latest article by Janet Raloff. It suggests that a combination of magnesium and vitamins A, C, and E may protect against noise-induced hearing loss. As someone who has attended his share of rock concerts -- and whose loving parents have always reminded (and reminded and reminded!) him to wear earplugs -- I'm glad to know about this new bit of research. One of Janet's sources suggests in the story that the micronutrient combo could be used in lieu of earplugs, but I think I'll actually use both pill and plugs the next time I attend a loud show.
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