BBC4's "the wonder of Animals"

Chris Packham is back with another science-skewed focus on natural history with his new show "the wonder of animals". Each episode focuses on a species of animal and then looks at the science of how it has become so successful.
The first episode was about Penguins and how their feathers are masters of insulation but can also be used to aid acceleration under water via the release of air bubbles. Another episode claims Foxes can sense magnetic fields for hunting and the science behind bear hibernation is truly fascinating. All of these things have me thinking "how can we use this technology for ourselves?". The muscle-wasting defence in hibernation sounds very useful for incapacitated patients and astronauts. for example.

I think there's still a few episodes left but for those with access to BBC iplayer and like their shows in 30 minute chunks, "the wonder of animals" is well worth a look. Just don't think too much about how this knowledge was obtained - the show neatly avoids that.

Here's a taster

Science Songs

Since getting back from holiday I've been having a nightmare getting a certain type of PCR to work. The most recent head scratching moment was to get a round of PCR that worked perfectly. I immediately ran the same PCR with the same reagents and settings but with the DNA samples I wanted to check. Nothing worked - not even the positive controls that had worked 3 hours earlier.
When an experiment can't be repeated with the same conditions there's only a few explanations;
a) there's something you aren't accounting for so it isn't the "same"
b) you are the variable
c) you are switching universes in between experiments
d) there are science goblins messing with your mind

All of these options reminded me of this song

The chorus is

"There are monsters here
And as you scream it makes no sense
It makes no sense
It makes no sense at all "

That pretty much sums up the last 2 weeks of work for me.

Science Meme/Quote

Straight and to-the-point and worth picturing whenever some non-sensical "science" article turns up online. Good old Carl Sagan.

Happigenetics

Here's a link to a promo for the "happigenetics" project. Can't say I have a clue what it's about but it seems curious never-the-less. There's some more info here for those who are curious though.

Besides the great name and the fact I know some of the people involved, I think it's great that scientists are trying to show off their creative sides. To a scientist it's pretty obvious we're creative or we'd never come up with new techniques, find ways around problems or save money/time on experiments. I can see how the rest of the world may think scientists are the antithesis of creativity with regards to artistic endeavours. As this clip shows, that's really not the case and creativity can be applied to various things be it science or art. I'm sure there're a lot of artists out there who could probably come up with some great experiments too.

Whole Lotta Love

One of the great things about Science is, no matter how much time you spend working on something, there is always some super cool fact that takes you by surprise.
In this instance I discovered something about flies that I was completely unaware of until I went to a Fly seminar. Flies have 3 hearts - the main heart and an additional small heart for each wing. That's ONE more than a time-lord!
I was hoping I could find a video of them beating but have failed. I'll try and ask the person who gave the talk if I can borrow the clip.

I guess this is true of many winged insects. Which makes me wonder if a dragonfly has 5 hearts?

Office science

This offensive item is currently living in an office that is acting as a temporary kitchen. It seems to be at the stage where no one will risk touching it for fear of an explosion.
The question is how long will the plastic stand up to the pressure? I guess only time will smell ...

Forget Me Not

At around 9:30 pm last night I was about to make some food, open a beer and watch a film, when I suddenly thought "did I take those mini-preps out of the centrifuge after the final spin?". Surely I had, but the doubt lingered and I knew if I didn't nip it in the bud it would ruin the evening and probably culminate in a night where nightmares about DNA visibly decaying in front of my eyes would ruin my sleep. So I went into work. Luckily, it only takes 10 minutes if I jog.
Unsurprisingly, said mini-preps were comfortably nestled inside the freezer. The centrifuge lid was open in what appeared to be a mocking laugh. I walked back home and got a take-away so the trip wasn't a complete waste and nightmares about work were avoided.

Doubt is a dangerous thing.