Monthly Archives: May 2008
Microbubbles stable for a year
Researchers from Harvard University and Unilever have shown that they can make one-micrometer sized bubbles stable for up to a year using surfactants that form a “buckyball” type structure on the bubble surface. ‘Studying the stability for a year is …
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I like it but I don’t believe it: “Survivor: Geologist”
Highly Allochthonous reprints a column from South African humorist James Clarke on a supposed attempt by “a big American TV company” to make a Survivor-type reality show with geologists working in the field. But the camera crew noticed that even …
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Teen Biotech Challenge Winners Announced
The winners of the 2008 Teen Biotech Challenge have been announced. The competition encourages high school students to explore the impact of biotechnology in the world by developing web pages on a particular topic. The winners will receive their awards …
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A monkey model for Huntington’s Disease
Continuing our animal research theme, the Times of London reports that researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta have bred genetically-modified monkeys that develop Huntington’s disease, a devastating and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease. Times science editor Mark …
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Protecting researchers from animal rights activists
The Sacramento Bee published an op-ed piece by Vice Chancellor Stan Nosek and Dallas Hyde, director of the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis, on Saturday drawing attention to the increasing problem of “animal rights” activism and the …
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A View From the New Bay Bridge
The Sacramento Bee’s Ngoc Nguyen took a tour of the new Bay Bridge currently under construction and the Bee has some nice video of the structure on its website. CalTrans is now working on the suspension span of the bridge, …
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Polar Bear listing breaks new legal ground
Following the listing of the polar bear as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act, because of the threat to its habitat from global climate change, m’learned friends representing both conservatives and conservationists are sharpening their pencils and getting …
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Better Bottle Stopper is Competition Topper
A design for a high-tech closure for wine bottles that would allow the wine to breathe much like traditional bark corks won the $15,000 first prize in the annual Big Bang! Business Plan Competition at UC Davis. The contest is …
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Mississippi State is Challenge X winner
A team of students from Mississippi State University are the winners of the 2008 Challenge X competition to design and build a fuel-efficient vehicle based on a Chevy Equinox. A team from UC Davis, mentored by Professor Andy Frank, was …
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Earthquake equipment show video
A nice report on yesterday’s earthquake engineering equipment show from Vic Lee of ABC-7. Good Day Sacramento also have a piece on the T-Rex ground shaking truck from the University of Texas, although it’s hard to link to individual pieces …
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