The Secret Sun sees a new symbol in ISS

Christopher Knowles (The Secret Sun), taking his typically sweeping, epic view of the symbols being hurled at us, notes that the otherwise ugly International Space Station resembles the cross of Lorraine, the alchemical symbol to which some have attributed the religious meaning, “As above, so below.”

From Knowles’ blog:

But it’s all good. Very clever, actually- keep the malcontents busy with celebrity gossip while the real action goes on under our noses – or over our heads. For instance, we all know about ISiS- the International Space Station- but did you know it was shaped like the Cross of Lorraine?

via The Secret Sun.

Latest red wine superpowers: prevents blindness, blocks tumor growth

Photo: Benjamin/Flickr CC

Resveratrol, red wine’s miracle compound (responsible for what is know as the French Paradox, causing wine-swilling and cheese-eating Frenchmen to live into old age), has been shown in mice to block out-of-control blood vessel growth, which “plays a key role in certain cancers and in atherosclerosis,” according to scientists at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis.

There are three major eye diseases that resveratrol treatment may help: age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. Age-related macular degeneration involves the development of abnormal blood vessels beneath the center of the retina. It accounts for more than 40 percent of blindness among the elderly in nursing homes, and as baby boomers get older, the problem is expected to grow, with at least 8 million cases predicted by the year 2020.

via Ingredient in Red Wine May Prevent Some Blinding Diseases.

Zinc sunscreens increase disease risk, scientists report

South Boston sunbathers. Photo: Scott LaPierre

The whole point of investigating nanomaterials is that we know that metals behave differently on the nanoscale (<100 nanometers).
Still, the makers of sunscreens did think it was necessary to wait for research such as this (excerpt and link, below), which finds that nano-zinc is highly toxic, before stuffing it into their products.
Robust markers of apoptosis, Annexin V staining, loss of mitochondrial potential, and increased generation of superoxide were observed when cells were treated with ZnO particulate matter but not when treated with comparable concentration of a soluble Zn salt. Both ZnO samples induced similar mechanisms of toxicity, but there was a statistically significant increase in potency per unit mass with the smaller particles.

via ZnO Particulate Matter Requires Cell Contact for Toxicity in Human Colon Cancer Cells – Chemical Research in Toxicology ACS Publications.

Red Ice and Alex Putney talk nanomaterials, colloidal gold and silver

Photo: Kenna Takahashi/Flickr CC

An important note of clarification fro RIC host Henrik Palmgren, re: colloidal gold and silver, which he discussed with Alex Putney in hour two of the program: “We covered the dangers of monoatomic gold… Electrum water, that contains gold and silver particles is totally different (and natural). — MB

I listened intently to the first hour of Red Ice Creation’s interview with Alex Putney last weekend, while I was hiking in the Berkshire Mountains. The Palmgren brothers have put together a regular head trip of a radio program!

If you are a fan of esoteric topics, you must definitely tune-in. Here’s a description of the Putney interview from the Red Ice website (emphases are mine):

Alex Putney (discusses) his work and theories on standing waves, geometrical relationship between ancient monuments, pyramids, sacred sites, magnetic resonance, Earth’s chakras points, changing energies, 2012, acoustic levitation, Tesla, electrum water, black light and the strange objects found at La Maná in Ecuador that are UV fluorescent. Do not miss these two very interesting hours.

Putney in the first hour of the interview mentions the work of Randell Mills, who has developed a process for chemically releasing energy from water. (My brother, Erik Baard, has covered Mills’ research for Space.com, and others.)

In hour two, Putney, who studied at Boston University and Brandeis University, said he hopes to achieve a “higher (or superior) metabolism,” without the need for ordinary food.

And to get there, it appears Putney is using colloidal gold and silver — a controversial approach, to say the least.

via Red Ice Radio – Alex Putney – Human Resonance, Sacred Sites, Pyramids & Standing Waves.

Gadgets: LG Aria is a delightful, wee songbird

The LG Aria Aria looks like a palm-sized version of HTC’s Incredible… Wonderful device, but another example of what my friend, Sean, calls “the poor man’s iPhone.”

You can support my work on this blog by reading my Globe column. Thanks so much!

via (after the jump) Boy Scouts bring ingenuity to EurekaFest – The Boston Globe.

Boy Scouts see merit in sci-tech

The Boy Scouts are working to stem America’s science and engineering brain drain.

Last week, 38 Scouts, most of them from Eastern Massachusetts, were among the first to receive the Inventing badge, the first merit badge introduced by the Boy Scouts of America since 1992.

The badge, developed by the BSA and the Lemelson-MIT Program, is awarded to Scouts who can create simple, but elegant, engineering solutions to everyday problems.

via Boy Scouts bring ingenuity to EurekaFest – The Boston Globe.

Tattoo will advertise your genetic flaws

Tattoos tell a lot about you. Photo: Laura Brechtbert/Flickr CC

MIT materials experts suggest that an ink made from carbon nanotubes can be injected into diabetics, to monitor their blood glucose levels. Patients can then check their tats for any changes.

Diabetics say this beats pricking their fingers throughout the day. But the tat — which might be partially covered by wristwatch with a UV scanner on the back of it — will also mean wearing your condition on, or near, your shirtsleeve.

The technology behind the MIT sensor, described in a December 2009 issue of ACS Nano, is fundamentally different from existing sensors, says Strano. The sensor is based on carbon nanotubes wrapped in a polymer that is sensitive to glucose concentrations. When this sensor encounters glucose, the nanotubes fluoresce, which can be detected by shining near-infrared light on them. Measuring the amount of fluorescence reveals the concentration of glucose.

The researchers plan to create an “ink” of these nanoparticles suspended in a saline solution that could be injected under the skin like a tattoo. The “tattoo” would last for a specified length of time, probably six months, before needing to be refreshed.

via ‘Tattoo’ may help diabetics track their blood sugar.

Wii Fit fries pacemakers?

Wii Fit making your defibrillator flutter? Balance Board taking your back out?

Some researchers suspect the video games industry, which touts the health benefits of so-called exergames, is paying little attention to the risks those games pose to players.

And the FDA is taking notice…

via Healthy games offer risks, too – The Boston Globe.

China syndrome: Media sanitizes brutal spacecraft return

Photo: Mike Licht/Flickr CC

In case you’d forgotten how weird and controlling the Chinese government is, and how much of the news in China is the product of stagecraft, there’s this reminder, from The Raw Feed:

According to the official, Yang was subject to enormous G-forces during re-entry, splitting his lip and covering his face with blood. When the hatch was opened and the crew saw his bloody face, they cleaned him up, strapped him back in the seat and did a do-over for the cameras. The sanitized version of the hatch opening was presented to the Chinese viewing public as the live first-opening of the hatch.

via How China staged space capsule opening – The Raw Feed.

Synthetic life starts with this cell

Craig Venter & Co. announced this breakthrough today:

Daniel Gibson and colleagues have put both methods together, to create what they call a “synthetic cell,” although only its genome is synthetic. In this case, the synthetic genome was a copy of an existing genome, though with added DNA sequences that “watermark” the genome to distinguish it from a natural one. In the future, the scientists would like to design more novel genomes that would make bacteria capable of performing specific tasks that could help solve energy, environmental or other problems.

via Science AAAS.