Vehicle control

The study of traffic flow and control on roads depends on many fields. One field is how humans actually drive their cars. To study this, many models have been proposed and studied. The latest one just published is simply titled How human drivers control their vehicle, published this past week by Peter Wagner from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

If you skip through the math and the pretty graphs, you can find a few interesting conclusions. My pick is this one:

Interestingly, when a vehicle is in following mode the decelerations applied are rather small, typically the drivers control their vehicle not by applying the brakes but simply by stepping off the gas.

Sounds familiar? It sure does to me!

Technorati Tags: blogSci, driving, modeling, mathematics

Strictly for geeks

If you have some LEGO® lying around and are bored, try making some logic circuits using the LEGO. Full instructions at The Goldfish Online.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, LEGO, logic circuits, electronics

Hands-free

VITA CRAFT is selling RFID-enabled cookware called RFIQin. To automtically cook a meal, a card is swiped close to the RFID chip embedded in the pan’s handle. The pan then “knows” what you’re cooking and communicates with the stove 16 times a second to make sure the cooking is done perfectly. The pan comes with 24 recipe cards.

Is that cool or what?

Technorati Tags: blogSci, technology, cooking, RFID, RFIQin

Forensic evidence

A group working in Nagasaki University, Japan, have found that four genes were more active when a mouse is strangled. This finding could potentially be useful in forensic medicine. This finding adds to the accumulating evidence that gene expression can be activity can help elucidating the cause of death in forensics.

The study published in Legal Medicine studied four groups of mice. Two groups were sacrificed by strangulation using a string, while two control groups were sacrificed by decapiation. Gene expression was studied immediately after death or 30 minutes after death. It was found that the four genes became active only in the strangulated group. The analysis was done on skin samples.

Future work could focus on the function of these genes, with a likely function as a response to oxygen deprivation. Also, its usefulness to human cases remains to be tested.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, forensics, genetics, genes, suffocation

Ready for consumption

The EC authorized the marketing of three genetically-modified maize strains today. All three strains are produced by Monsanto, with the authorization lasting 10 years. The three strains are:

• GA21: genetically modified to be tolerant to a herbicide
• MON863: modified to have resistance against the corn root borer beetle
• MON863×810: modified to be resistant to corn rootworm and certain other pests

The EU rules dictate that any product containing genetically modified products, including these maize strains, be clearly labelled. Only GA21 and MON863 are authorized for food manufacturing, but none are authorized for cultivation within the EU.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, GMO, genetically modified, maize, EU

Take your pick

A new controversy is brewing, again, about just who discovered the American continent.

For most, that honor goes to Christopher Columbus who landed on the continent in 1492. To others, it’s Leif Ericson, around the year 1000 AD. Now, it seems, it could be a Chinese sailor, if a map obtained by The Economist is to be believed.

The story goes like this: a map bought for $500 in Shanghai, China, by a collector. The map clearly shows North and South America. Text on the map states that it is a copy made in 1763 of an original map dated 1418. The explorer in question is a famous sailor called Zheng He.

The map is still being carbon-dated, with the results expected in February. I will post the details as they emerge, but for now, read about this dramatic map.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, history, map, carbon dating, America

Jokes about Germans, Americans, and the French not funny any more

Generalizations about countries, cultures, and people give rise to pride, national identity, and, of course, jokes. But scientists found that for 49 cultures, although there were cultural trends, they were not what the stereotype suggested.

The international study, published in Science magazine, questioned almost 4000 people and compared their answers to perceived national stereotypes. Their conclusions sum it up nicely:

National character ratings were reliable but did not converge with assessed traits. Perceptions of national character thus appear to be unfounded stereotypes that may serve the function of maintaining a national identity.

Amusing commentaries at MSNBC and The Times.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, ethnicity, ethnic, stereotypes

Body likes it that way

When the body loses weight, the body automatically kicks into a ‘conservation mode’ to save energy and fat. This annoying physiology goes against the whole point of dieting, and so scientists are working hard to find out why.

We already know that weight loss is associated with changes in some hormones. A recently published paper has found that if doses are given to compensate for one hormone, called leptin, the conservation of energy mode in the body is negated. This suggests that dieting coupled with leptin supplements may be beneficial for maintaining low body weight.

However, the study used only 10 people, and so before drawing any meaningful conclusions, a larger study, and following the results over a longer period of time is needed. However, it’s an excellent lead that could, ermm, lead to better dieting.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, weight loss, diet

Breakthrough…

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, have developed a method to correct genetic mutations in embryonic stem (ES) cells. They used their technique to successfully correct the mutation in ES cells carrying the sickle cell anemia mutant genes. As their abstract humbly states:

The ES cell technology suggests that a therapeutic cloning approach may be feasible for treatment of this disease.

The research was published in PNAS.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, genetic, diseases, embryonic, stem, cells, stem cells

Subjects slept through the experiment.

Well it had to happen: somebody has tested the thinking and memory skills of people who have just woken up. And the results?

From the announcement:

The study showed test subjects had diminished short-term memory, counting skills and cognitive abilities during the groggy period upon awakening known as sleep inertia

You mean people who have just woken up can’t think straight? OK, what else?

We found the cognitive skills of test subjects were worse upon awakening than after extended sleep deprivation.

The "extended sleep deprivation" they refer to is 24 hours. What was interesting is that in the period immediately after waking up, the human brain seems less functional (thinking-wise) than if you haven’t slept for 24 hours. This period, immediately after waking up, is called sleep inertia.

The most severe effects of sleep inertia were for only the first three minutes, while most of these effects dissipated about 10 minutes after waking up.

And why is this study useful? It’s important for people who are required to be alert immediately after waking up, such as doctors.

The study was conducted by Dr. Thomas Balkin at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and colleagues.

Technorati Tags: blogSci, science, sleep, cognition, brain