Gunbuster -- Relativity in Anime
on
The Forever War
·
· Score: 2
Another example of relativity in Science Fiction would be the anime "Gunbuster", created by Gainax in 1988. It's also about humanity battling an alien race.
Unlike the sociological focus of the Forever War, it seems (to me at least), the consequences of time dilation are focused more on the technological advancements the human race accomplishments, as we advance from the first crude spacecraft, to mammoth battleships, to finally a vessel engineered from the planet Jupiter.
During the course of the series, there is one particular combat sequence that shows a pair of time displays in a cockpit, one showing a slowly advancing shipboard clock, while the other shows an earth time display, blurred by the speed of the digits whipping by.
Another amusing feature is a set of "Physics Lessons", as the show pauses for brief explanations hosted by the main characters.
Mod the above poster up, there's some good points there.
I also want to add one personal example to the debate concerning type II diabetes and genetics vs. behavior. My stepmother was recently diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and she happens to be rail-thin, and has been all her life. I suspect she may even have been anorexic at one time, although I do not know for sure. I do know that our family doctor specifically cautioned her against trying to self-treat using diet and exercise, due to her already unusually low weight. Her father, who I believe was also thin, was Type II diabetic. So, that's my anecdote on what appears to be an example on the genetic side of the suceptibility curve.
I, on the other hand, spend my days indoors in a lab, and buy twinkies in bulk. Yet both my weight and blood sugar levels are completely normal.
So, as Chico Science says, "So, while type 2 diabetes is indeed exacerbated by obesity, one cannot call it a disease of diet."
One interesting example of host behavioral modification is in the single-celled protozoan Toxoplasma gondii.
This organism has two different hosts in it's life cycle, cats and rats. An infected cat will shed parasites in its feces which are then picked up by rats. The parasites take up residence in the rat until it is eaten by a cat, completing the life cycle.
The parasite takes up residence in various tissues of the rat, including the brain. Interestingly enough, infected rats show behavioral modifications. They become less cautious and more "curious", and may lose their normal aversion to the scent of cat urine -- thus making them easier prey.
Toxoplasma gondii also frequently infects humans, with some estimates suggesting up to half of the population having been exposed. It is dangerous to human fetuses and individuals with deficient immune systems (such as those with AIDS), but healthly carriers are usually asymptomatic.
It is uncertain whether or not the organism produces behavioral changes in humans, but there have been some suggestions that it might. Toxoplasma gondii link.
"According to this AP story [nytimes.com] (free registration at NY Times required), that's not really an issue"
So far as I know, the move was only allowed after an exhaustive search of the porcine cell line for any traces of infectious viruses.
After eliminating all possibilities for infectious viruses, then you have to consider endogenous retroviruses. These are portions of retroviral code that have inserted themselves into the host genome, and are passed down from generation to generation. Most species, including humans, have them. To be able to use an animal cell line in humans, you'd also have to prove that these pieces of retroviral code either are incapable of spontaneously re-activating, or that the re-activated virus cannot infect human cells (With the additional problem that transplant patients will be on immunosupprescent drugs).
I don't know if this is the issue with the murine feeder cell line, though.
This is slightly off-topic, but I just wanted to make a comment on articles dealing with the potential of adult stem cells, such as those harvested from fat tissue, cadavers, etc.
Such reports are frequently held up by opponents of embryonic cell research, by providing an arguement that we could have all the benefits without any of the the cost, and that research could continue as is even in the presence of a embryonic cell ban.
Unfortunately, adult stem cells are more likely to provoke an immune reaction. Many are capable of only a few divisions while those that are not limited are frequently cancerous or abnormal.
Another problem is that while a stem cell may differentiate into something that looks like, say, a muscle or nerve cell, it is very difficult to say that it actually is identical to that cell type, and in many cases it isn't. This could be more of a problem with adult cells than with embryonic ones.
I've coached all my terms in maybes and sometimes, reason being that the field is just simply so young that there is little complete certainty anywhere. The biggest problem is that the process of differentiation is poorly understood, and an important part of researching that involves taking apart embryos to see how it happens in the normal process of turning an amorphous blob of cells into a highly structured human being.
To suggest that research be performed on adult cells is redundant. It already happening, and is a topic of great interest. The problem is, information flows back and forth between the embryonic and adult stem cell groups, and to ban one camp simultaneously cripples the other.
"the majority of their metabolic byproducts will still be what makes them "gross": lactic acid, butyric acid, tartaric acid, other nasty smelling compounds..."
Not necessarily, there are other compounds which can also serve as the end product of a fermentation process. For instance, alcohols. And if you choose to use more advanced organisms that engage in oxidative phosphorylation, you can go all the way to C02 + H2O.
On a different note, I'd choose something other than E. coli for this purpose. An endospore-forming bacterium would be much tougher, as you could expect at least a small fragment of the population to survive just about anything short of an autoclave.
"I also wish they had built in MP3. I'd have ordered one the day they came out if they'd done that."
I've heard that the 33mhz Dragonball they use is not quite powerful enough. In the case of Sony's new Clie, there's an additional chip onboard for decoding.
"The problem is that there are a number of good counter examples."
Just wanted to add another note to an excellent comment. Cloning does not necessarily result in shortened telomeres. I don't have a reference handy, but other researchers have reported that by modifications in the cloning procedure can shorten or lengthen the telomeres in the animal produced, even making them significantly longer than normal -- although what impact this has on life expectancy is stll uncertain.
Some folks here that don't think there could possibly be a connection, that this study is just an example of the abuse of statistics. But I'd like to bring up a point.
I can't think of a possible physical mechanism that directly links sunspots and influenza. But how about an intermediate step? Sunspots influence weather. And weather... influences the transmission of influenza. Influenza is a seasonal disease, after all.
A slight change in the climate wouldn't by itself trigger an epidemic, and it probably wouldn't stop one -- epidemics/pandemics are probably triggered more by antigenic drifts/shifts. But it might ever so slightly change the odds that a new strain will have the chance to gain a foothold, maybe enough to be statistically detectable.
And who knows? Maybe there's even a linkage with the antigenic changes as well. Suppose that, like in humans, these weather changes are influences the transmission of animal strains of influenza in wildlife and farm animals too. It's thought that the mixing of strains from different species (Mainly Human/Avian/Porcine) in a host susceptible to more than one variety (Like pigs) is what drives antigenic shift -- which gives us epidemics. Hmmm...
"In a attepts to remedy this, we put cheesecloth filters over the sites of heavy air intake -- it helps immensly, and I would suggest you try it if you need to. Alternatly, many 'server' cases have washable filters that snap over the air intake ports, but those cases are in the 100+ USD range."
Plycon sells computer fan filters, although I don't know if they'd help with cigarette smoke. I believe Radioshack has a few in their catalogue too.
A used fabric softner sheet also seems to work well, as the loose weave doesn't hinder air flow too much. It doesn't keep the smaller particles of dust out, but I can attest to its ability to stop cat hair.
One potentially useful applications might be in devices that broadcast RF, like cellphones or wireless networking stuff. A particular RF band licensed for use in one country might be reserved for, say, medical devices in another. With built-in GPS, your device could automatically switch frequency bands or shut off if it is moved into an area where it is prohibited.
Re:That's not what they mean by "unique."
on
Who Owns Your Body?
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· Score: 3
//Begin unsubstatiated rumor//
In the early days, someone tested all the human cells that people were growing in culture and found *all* the cells came from the same person. This one freak mutants cells could be grown in a culture, and no-one elses could. The mutants cells were contaminating all the 'other' cultures.
//End unsubstantiated rumor//
Allow me to clarify this rumor. I believe you are refering to HeLa cells. HeLa cells were originally derived from a cervical adenocarcinoma, and are one of the older cell lines still being used, going back all the way to 1951.
HeLa cells are known to be fast and aggressive in their growth, and I seem to remember that they are somewhat resistant to desiccation. So when they contaminate another cell culture, they usually end up taking over. Back in in the 50's, cell culture techniques weren't very advanced, so the cell lines that HeLa ended up replacing were propagated down through the years without it being noticed, until it was finally spotted with modern genetic techniques.
"In short, is there any way someone could produce the first live specimen of a giant squid by sticking DNA from the next dead one found into "live" eggs of another squid variety?"
Generally, the more "primitive" an animal, the easier it is to clone, so it could very well be possible.
Unfortunately, to produce a living giant squid clone, we need a living giant squid to provide the donor nucleus for the cloning process. In the (non-crackpot) cases where a dead animal has been cloned, it was done with tissue samples removed either before or just immediately after death. So, a dead squid would work only if it was so fresh that not all of it's tissues had technically died yet.
"Why should I pay for other people's bad genes and risky behavior?"
Of course it's always someone else who has bad genes, and not yourself. Oh no, you'd never have bad genes yourself.
In reality, you probably do. Back in my population genetics class, one of the topics concerned the mutational load (ie, "bad genes") in the human population. Estimates vary, but each of us probably carries something like 5-6 lethal recessives, many more sublethals. Plus genes which maybe aren't recessive, but which simply have never had the right combination of other genes or environmental triggers.
So why aren't we and all of our offspring constantly dropping dead? Because those recessives are scattered across tens of thousands of different genes, and the chance of us mating with someone who has the right combination to bring those lethals out is very small (Although inbreeding sharply increases this chance, hence the almost universal cultural taboos against it). Or if we do have a non-recessive, or homozygous recessive, then we've never experienced the right conditions or combination of other genes to trigger it.
Right now, our understanding of genetics is really poor, but eventually we'll be able to ID all those obscure little mutations you have. At that point, it becomes a matter of selective enforcement by the insurance company, who can drop anybody at anytime, as soon as they realize they may actually try to collect on their policy.
It's kind of like our legal system, there's such a tangle of laws out there that the average citizen is already breaking a couple of them without knowing it. They're never enforced, of course, unless you somehow draw attention to yourself. Then you find out what they are all of a sudden.
"Thank you, Science, for ignoring a cure for many crippling diseases long enough to produce silk-lactating goats. Thank you, Science, for ignoring global warming, colonazation of the moon, sickle-cell anemia, heart disease, flying scooters, the Los Angeles Clippers, and nuclear proliferation long enough to create silk-lactating goats."
Your absolutely right. These Scientists much yield their control of their secret mines, where Science-bearing ore is hauled out of the earth and smelted into valuable knowledge ingots, knowledge which is too valuable to be wasted on such frivolous activies, especially at a time when we are faced with all the potential disasters you've mentioned.
I recommend we Nationalize the Science mines, so that their valuable output can be rationed to best serve the needs of the people, and establish strategic stockpiles of "Science" to protect us during times of ignorance.
Thank you.
Re:Sorry, Dude. You're not a Communist.
on
Spidergoats
·
· Score: 1
"Surely, they've figured out that if you insert Tab "A" into Slot "B", a few months later, you'll have another mouth to feed?
And yet, if they continue doing it anyway, they're clearly not capable of recognizing patterns. Pattern recognition is one of the hallmarks of any measure of intelligence."
One of the sad things is that they may not have any choice even if they realize they can't support all their children. Let's say you're too poor to save much for retirement. Not only that, but the infrastructure for secure saving doesn't really exist (no compound interest for you, maybe not even a bank that isn't corrupt). Having grown children is your only chance to survive once you're too old to plow the field. Given the high rate of infant and childhood mortality, you've got to pump out a couple extra to make sure one or two stick around in your old age.
Re:This is as sexy as goats get, but...
on
Spidergoats
·
· Score: 2
"I freely admit I haven't thought about it that much, but silk is at the very least, *less* disposable that the products that are usually created by biologicals."
Not really, it's just protein, and it can degrade or be digested. Many spiders will eat their own webs when getting ready to spin a new one.
Yes, the NYT article sucks yea verily, and the author obviously hasn't done much research. However, one of the distinguishing features of the New York Times is that they pride themselves on their journalistic integrity and thoroughness.
I suggest we point out the lack of thoroughness demonstrated by this particular writer, Jim Rutenberg, by dropping a letter to the editor.
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
fax: (212) 556-3622
"Are you implying that asians are categorically uncool?"
Perhaps he is, but as an Asian I don't think the categorization is wrong. His listing almost exactly describes the club where I got my first exposure to anime.
This "Liquid DNA" sounds like a kind of Ionic Liquid.
In most Ionic compounds (Like table salt), the strong attractions between the components means that the substances has a very high melting point. However, it's only fairly recently been discovered that if you use a very large, bulky cation, the melting point will drop, sometimes dramtically below room temperature.
Thus far, most applications have centered on using these substances as industrial solvents or catalysts. This is the first biological application I've ever heard of, apart from some attempts to use them as a solvent for enzymes.
"We have known for some time that adult cells could be used to create stem cells (although not quite as easy)"
That quite true. For those interested in reading further, the NIH has published an article, "Stem Cells: A Primer". You may be especially interested about the section towards the end about stem cells in adults, especially the section, "Why not just pursue research with adult stem cells?"
"...but all of the focus has been on the controversial method of using embryos as the source. I don't see that changing."
Mind if I borrow your sentence and rearrange it a bit? I'd instead say all of the controversy has been focused on the method of using embryos as the source. If you look around, you'll find that adult stem cell research is going on, busily and quietly. Since there's nobody attacking the research, there's also nobody hyping as part of a defense. Embryo stem cell were discovered first, so of course the research is further along. What's more, it's both promising and threatened, so that's where the resources are going first.
Adult Stem cell research is NOT BEING IGNORED. Rather, it is impossible to predict which avenues of research will eventually pan out, and so scientists are loathe to close off any possibilities. One, maybe both of these paths may prove to be a dead end. But we won't know until we look.
Slashdot Mirror
Another example of relativity in Science Fiction would be the anime "Gunbuster", created by Gainax in 1988. It's also about humanity battling an alien race.
Unlike the sociological focus of the Forever War, it seems (to me at least), the consequences of time dilation are focused more on the technological advancements the human race accomplishments, as we advance from the first crude spacecraft, to mammoth battleships, to finally a vessel engineered from the planet Jupiter.
During the course of the series, there is one particular combat sequence that shows a pair of time displays in a cockpit, one showing a slowly advancing shipboard clock, while the other shows an earth time display, blurred by the speed of the digits whipping by.
Another amusing feature is a set of "Physics Lessons", as the show pauses for brief explanations hosted by the main characters.
Mod the above poster up, there's some good points there.
I also want to add one personal example to the debate concerning type II diabetes and genetics vs. behavior. My stepmother was recently diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and she happens to be rail-thin, and has been all her life. I suspect she may even have been anorexic at one time, although I do not know for sure. I do know that our family doctor specifically cautioned her against trying to self-treat using diet and exercise, due to her already unusually low weight. Her father, who I believe was also thin, was Type II diabetic. So, that's my anecdote on what appears to be an example on the genetic side of the suceptibility curve.
I, on the other hand, spend my days indoors in a lab, and buy twinkies in bulk. Yet both my weight and blood sugar levels are completely normal.
So, as Chico Science says, "So, while type 2 diabetes is indeed exacerbated by obesity, one cannot call it a disease of diet."
One interesting example of host behavioral modification is in the single-celled protozoan Toxoplasma gondii.
This organism has two different hosts in it's life cycle, cats and rats. An infected cat will shed parasites in its feces which are then picked up by rats. The parasites take up residence in the rat until it is eaten by a cat, completing the life cycle.
The parasite takes up residence in various tissues of the rat, including the brain. Interestingly enough, infected rats show behavioral modifications. They become less cautious and more "curious", and may lose their normal aversion to the scent of cat urine -- thus making them easier prey.
Toxoplasma gondii also frequently infects humans, with some estimates suggesting up to half of the population having been exposed. It is dangerous to human fetuses and individuals with deficient immune systems (such as those with AIDS), but healthly carriers are usually asymptomatic.
It is uncertain whether or not the organism produces behavioral changes in humans, but there have been some suggestions that it might. Toxoplasma gondii link.
"According to this AP story [nytimes.com] (free registration at NY Times required), that's not really an issue"
So far as I know, the move was only allowed after an exhaustive search of the porcine cell line for any traces of infectious viruses.
After eliminating all possibilities for infectious viruses, then you have to consider endogenous retroviruses. These are portions of retroviral code that have inserted themselves into the host genome, and are passed down from generation to generation. Most species, including humans, have them. To be able to use an animal cell line in humans, you'd also have to prove that these pieces of retroviral code either are incapable of spontaneously re-activating, or that the re-activated virus cannot infect human cells (With the additional problem that transplant patients will be on immunosupprescent drugs).
I don't know if this is the issue with the murine feeder cell line, though.
"It's like throwing a fair, ten-sided die forever and counting how often each side or combination of sides appears."
You know, this sounds a lot like a certain RPG I was in...
This is slightly off-topic, but I just wanted to make a comment on articles dealing with the potential of adult stem cells, such as those harvested from fat tissue, cadavers, etc.
Such reports are frequently held up by opponents of embryonic cell research, by providing an arguement that we could have all the benefits without any of the the cost, and that research could continue as is even in the presence of a embryonic cell ban.
Unfortunately, adult stem cells are more likely to provoke an immune reaction. Many are capable of only a few divisions while those that are not limited are frequently cancerous or abnormal.
Another problem is that while a stem cell may differentiate into something that looks like, say, a muscle or nerve cell, it is very difficult to say that it actually is identical to that cell type, and in many cases it isn't. This could be more of a problem with adult cells than with embryonic ones.
I've coached all my terms in maybes and sometimes, reason being that the field is just simply so young that there is little complete certainty anywhere. The biggest problem is that the process of differentiation is poorly understood, and an important part of researching that involves taking apart embryos to see how it happens in the normal process of turning an amorphous blob of cells into a highly structured human being.
To suggest that research be performed on adult cells is redundant. It already happening, and is a topic of great interest. The problem is, information flows back and forth between the embryonic and adult stem cell groups, and to ban one camp simultaneously cripples the other.
"the majority of their metabolic byproducts will still be what makes them "gross": lactic acid, butyric acid, tartaric acid, other nasty smelling compounds..."
Not necessarily, there are other compounds which can also serve as the end product of a fermentation process. For instance, alcohols. And if you choose to use more advanced organisms that engage in oxidative phosphorylation, you can go all the way to C02 + H2O.
On a different note, I'd choose something other than E. coli for this purpose. An endospore-forming bacterium would be much tougher, as you could expect at least a small fragment of the population to survive just about anything short of an autoclave.
"I also wish they had built in MP3. I'd have ordered one the day they came out if they'd done that."
I've heard that the 33mhz Dragonball they use is not quite powerful enough. In the case of Sony's new Clie, there's an additional chip onboard for decoding.
-Jesse Chang
"The problem is that there are a number of good counter examples."
Just wanted to add another note to an excellent comment. Cloning does not necessarily result in shortened telomeres. I don't have a reference handy, but other researchers have reported that by modifications in the cloning procedure can shorten or lengthen the telomeres in the animal produced, even making them significantly longer than normal -- although what impact this has on life expectancy is stll uncertain.
That was a problem with the old Star Wars MUDs that I used to play. Everyone wanted to be a Jedi
I don't know about MUDs, but with the tabletop RPG, there were some popular alternatives, such as bounty hunters.
Although in my case, I played a psychotic shaved Ewok with brain damage. Yubyub!
"...I'm not."
Some folks here that don't think there could possibly be a connection, that this study is just an example of the abuse of statistics. But I'd like to bring up a point.
I can't think of a possible physical mechanism that directly links sunspots and influenza. But how about an intermediate step? Sunspots influence weather. And weather... influences the transmission of influenza. Influenza is a seasonal disease, after all.
A slight change in the climate wouldn't by itself trigger an epidemic, and it probably wouldn't stop one -- epidemics/pandemics are probably triggered more by antigenic drifts/shifts. But it might ever so slightly change the odds that a new strain will have the chance to gain a foothold, maybe enough to be statistically detectable.
And who knows? Maybe there's even a linkage with the antigenic changes as well. Suppose that, like in humans, these weather changes are influences the transmission of animal strains of influenza in wildlife and farm animals too. It's thought that the mixing of strains from different species (Mainly Human/Avian/Porcine) in a host susceptible to more than one variety (Like pigs) is what drives antigenic shift -- which gives us epidemics. Hmmm...
"In a attepts to remedy this, we put cheesecloth filters over the sites of heavy air intake -- it helps immensly, and I would suggest you try it if you need to. Alternatly, many 'server' cases have washable filters that snap over the air intake ports, but those cases are in the 100+ USD range."
Plycon sells computer fan filters, although I don't know if they'd help with cigarette smoke. I believe Radioshack has a few in their catalogue too.
A used fabric softner sheet also seems to work well, as the loose weave doesn't hinder air flow too much. It doesn't keep the smaller particles of dust out, but I can attest to its ability to stop cat hair.
One potentially useful applications might be in devices that broadcast RF, like cellphones or wireless networking stuff. A particular RF band licensed for use in one country might be reserved for, say, medical devices in another. With built-in GPS, your device could automatically switch frequency bands or shut off if it is moved into an area where it is prohibited.
Allow me to clarify this rumor. I believe you are refering to HeLa cells. HeLa cells were originally derived from a cervical adenocarcinoma, and are one of the older cell lines still being used, going back all the way to 1951.
HeLa cells are known to be fast and aggressive in their growth, and I seem to remember that they are somewhat resistant to desiccation. So when they contaminate another cell culture, they usually end up taking over. Back in in the 50's, cell culture techniques weren't very advanced, so the cell lines that HeLa ended up replacing were propagated down through the years without it being noticed, until it was finally spotted with modern genetic techniques.
"In short, is there any way someone could produce the first live specimen of a giant squid by sticking DNA from the next dead one found into "live" eggs of another squid variety?"
Generally, the more "primitive" an animal, the easier it is to clone, so it could very well be possible.
Unfortunately, to produce a living giant squid clone, we need a living giant squid to provide the donor nucleus for the cloning process. In the (non-crackpot) cases where a dead animal has been cloned, it was done with tissue samples removed either before or just immediately after death. So, a dead squid would work only if it was so fresh that not all of it's tissues had technically died yet.
"Why should I pay for other people's bad genes and risky behavior?"
Of course it's always someone else who has bad genes, and not yourself. Oh no, you'd never have bad genes yourself.
In reality, you probably do. Back in my population genetics class, one of the topics concerned the mutational load (ie, "bad genes") in the human population. Estimates vary, but each of us probably carries something like 5-6 lethal recessives, many more sublethals. Plus genes which maybe aren't recessive, but which simply have never had the right combination of other genes or environmental triggers.
So why aren't we and all of our offspring constantly dropping dead? Because those recessives are scattered across tens of thousands of different genes, and the chance of us mating with someone who has the right combination to bring those lethals out is very small (Although inbreeding sharply increases this chance, hence the almost universal cultural taboos against it). Or if we do have a non-recessive, or homozygous recessive, then we've never experienced the right conditions or combination of other genes to trigger it.
Right now, our understanding of genetics is really poor, but eventually we'll be able to ID all those obscure little mutations you have. At that point, it becomes a matter of selective enforcement by the insurance company, who can drop anybody at anytime, as soon as they realize they may actually try to collect on their policy.
It's kind of like our legal system, there's such a tangle of laws out there that the average citizen is already breaking a couple of them without knowing it. They're never enforced, of course, unless you somehow draw attention to yourself. Then you find out what they are all of a sudden.
"Thank you, Science, for ignoring a cure for many crippling diseases long enough to produce silk-lactating goats. Thank you, Science, for ignoring global warming, colonazation of the moon, sickle-cell anemia, heart disease, flying scooters, the Los Angeles Clippers, and nuclear proliferation long enough to create silk-lactating goats."
Your absolutely right. These Scientists much yield their control of their secret mines, where Science-bearing ore is hauled out of the earth and smelted into valuable knowledge ingots, knowledge which is too valuable to be wasted on such frivolous activies, especially at a time when we are faced with all the potential disasters you've mentioned.
I recommend we Nationalize the Science mines, so that their valuable output can be rationed to best serve the needs of the people, and establish strategic stockpiles of "Science" to protect us during times of ignorance.
Thank you.
"Surely, they've figured out that if you insert Tab "A" into Slot "B", a few months later, you'll have another mouth to feed?
And yet, if they continue doing it anyway, they're clearly not capable of recognizing patterns. Pattern recognition is one of the hallmarks of any measure of intelligence."
One of the sad things is that they may not have any choice even if they realize they can't support all their children. Let's say you're too poor to save much for retirement. Not only that, but the infrastructure for secure saving doesn't really exist (no compound interest for you, maybe not even a bank that isn't corrupt). Having grown children is your only chance to survive once you're too old to plow the field. Given the high rate of infant and childhood mortality, you've got to pump out a couple extra to make sure one or two stick around in your old age.
"I freely admit I haven't thought about it that much, but silk is at the very least, *less* disposable that the products that are usually created by biologicals."
Not really, it's just protein, and it can degrade or be digested. Many spiders will eat their own webs when getting ready to spin a new one.
editor@nyt.com
I haven't verified that this address is functional, but I believe it to be correct.
Yes, the NYT article sucks yea verily, and the author obviously hasn't done much research. However, one of the distinguishing features of the New York Times is that they pride themselves on their journalistic integrity and thoroughness.
I suggest we point out the lack of thoroughness demonstrated by this particular writer, Jim Rutenberg, by dropping a letter to the editor.
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
fax: (212) 556-3622
"Are you implying that asians are categorically uncool?"
Perhaps he is, but as an Asian I don't think the categorization is wrong. His listing almost exactly describes the club where I got my first exposure to anime.
This "Liquid DNA" sounds like a kind of Ionic Liquid.
In most Ionic compounds (Like table salt), the strong attractions between the components means that the substances has a very high melting point. However, it's only fairly recently been discovered that if you use a very large, bulky cation, the melting point will drop, sometimes dramtically below room temperature.
Thus far, most applications have centered on using these substances as industrial solvents or catalysts. This is the first biological application I've ever heard of, apart from some attempts to use them as a solvent for enzymes.
"We have known for some time that adult cells could be used to create stem cells (although not quite as easy)"
That quite true. For those interested in reading further, the NIH has published an article, "Stem Cells: A Primer". You may be especially interested about the section towards the end about stem cells in adults, especially the section, "Why not just pursue research with adult stem cells?"
"...but all of the focus has been on the controversial method of using embryos as the source. I don't see that changing."
Mind if I borrow your sentence and rearrange it a bit? I'd instead say all of the controversy has been focused on the method of using embryos as the source. If you look around, you'll find that adult stem cell research is going on, busily and quietly. Since there's nobody attacking the research, there's also nobody hyping as part of a defense. Embryo stem cell were discovered first, so of course the research is further along. What's more, it's both promising and threatened, so that's where the resources are going first.
Adult Stem cell research is NOT BEING IGNORED. Rather, it is impossible to predict which avenues of research will eventually pan out, and so scientists are loathe to close off any possibilities. One, maybe both of these paths may prove to be a dead end. But we won't know until we look.