MaxRedline

Skywatching

Jupiter is at its biggest and brightest this month, rising at dusk and remaining visible all night. The solar system's largest planet is a brilliant jewel to the naked eye, but looks fantastic through binoculars or a small telescope, which will allow you to spot the four largest moons, and maybe even glimpse a hint of the banded clouds that encircle the planet.

If you line in the Portland area (or probably anywhere in the Pacific Northwest), however, you won't see it tonight - we're socked in with thick clouds and heavy rain today. Monday should be clear, though, so grab the binoculars and head outside.

 

Meth Actually Can Benefit, Depending On Dose

Ask your doctor about methamphetamine. It's not a phrase you'll ever hear on TV or the radio, but here's a secret: Meth is an incredible medicine. Even the Drug Enforcement Administration admits it, and doctors are known to prescribe it for narcolepsy, obesity, and ADHD. Historically, meth has been used to reverse barbiturate overdoses and even raise blood pressure during surgery. Some preliminary research suggests that meth can be neuroprotective against stroke and traumatic brain injury, even stimulating the growth of brain cells.

Who knew?

If you ask most people, including policymakers, you'll hear that meth is a scourge that can do no good.

But if you've ever used something like Vicks VapoInhaler, you've experienced the healing benefits of meth firsthand. That's because the over-the-counter nasal decongestant contains levomethamphetamine, the levorotary form—or "mirror image"—of the same stuff from Breaking Bad. Procter & Gamble tries to obscure this fact by spelling the active ingredient "levmetamfetamine." Selegiline, a drug for treating Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, also metabolizes into levomethamphetamine.

Interesting read, well worth the visit.

 

 

Misnomer, As There Is No Dark Side Of The Moon

"The Dark Side Of The Moon" is the seventh studio LP to be released by Pink Floyd. It was recorded at Abbey Road
Studios in London England and released in 1973.

From Earth, we always see the same face of the Moon; from the Moon, the Earth stands still in the sky. That's due to a phenomenon referred to as tidal locking.

All sides of the moon experience night and day just like we do here on Earth. All sides have equal amounts of day and night over the course of a single month. A lunar day lasts about two Earth weeks.

"Buzz" Aldrin on the near side of the moon.

The far side may not be dark, but it is "radio silent", which might make it a great candidate for eventual installation of a radio telescope.

Much less electromagnetic interference from Earth-based broadcasts.

 

Brains

We know we are dead when we die because our brains keep working to make us aware of what's happening around us, haunting new research suggests.

Explaining when a patient is officially declared dead, he said: "It's all based on the moment when the heart stops.

"Technically speaking, that's how you get the time of death." This means you are essentially 'trapped' inside your dead body with your brain still working, if only for a short time.

In related news:

US scientists have partially revived pig brains four hours after the animals were slaughtered.

Chew on that with your BLT or Easter ham.

 

Just One Piece

Will kill you:

Eating even a moderate amount of red or processed meat is linked with an increased risk of colorectal (bowel) cancer, according to a new study published Wednesday.

Apparently, you need to go vegetarian now, before it's too late.

Your dog wants steak.

 

Bring Back Our Childhood Diseases

WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn — New York City declared a public health emergency Tuesday over a measles outbreak centered in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and ordered mandatory vaccinations in the neighborhood.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the unusual order amid what he said was a measles crisis in Brooklyn's Williamsburg section, where more than 250 people have gotten measles since September. Officials blamed the outbreak on "anti-vaxxers" spreading false information.

The order applies to anyone living, working or going to school in four ZIP codes in the neighborhood and requires all unvaccinated people at risk of exposure to the virus to get the vaccine, including children over 6 months old.

Failure to vaccinate exposes you not only to the disease, but to a $1000 fine.

Fine by me.

 

Got A Kid With Autism?

A shit transplant may cure it. I shit you not.

 

Gone Fishin'

Fish slime could be key to the development of new antibiotics, researchers say. Now researchers say new antibiotics might be found in the layer of mucus that coats the outer surface of young fish. “We believe the microbes in the mucus add chemistry to the antiseptic power of the mucus and that new bioactive compounds might be discovered from the fish microbiome,” said Dr Sandra Loesgen, the head of the research group behind the work at Oregon State University.

And all this time, you've just been wiping the stuff on your jeans after reeling them in....

 

Space Herpes

NASA has issued a warning about space herpes after a study found the virus was reactivating in crew aboard Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions.

Well, reckon we don't need to worry about Space Shuttle herpes....

There are eight known herpes virus, including the strain for chickenpox, which once contracted will stay within their hosts' nerve cells for their entire life.

Presumably, they're referring to entire life of the host.

They are mostly kept suppressed by the immune system, but if the immune system itself is suppressed by space exploration, then they could pose a significant risks to astronauts traveling to Mars or beyond.

The research found that the longer the spaceflight mission, the more it seemed the viruses were reactivating.

 

 

Pro-Plague Forces Attack U.S. Science Panel

ATLANTA—The U.S. antivaccine movement has found a new front for its attacks on scientists and their work: gatherings of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which recommends which vaccines Americans should receive. Since last summer, increasing numbers of vaccine opponents have come to ACIP meetings, held three times a year here at the campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to vent their anger at the 15 buttoned-down experts on the panel during the public comments section—and to lambaste vaccination in general.

Oh, and they have a new target as well: pets.

A growing movement of animal anti-vaccine advocates claim that immunising cats and dogs can cause a range of diseases and disorders – including autism.

In the case of cats, I think they're mistaking psychopathology for autism.

And just because your dog likes to lounge on the couch in front of the fire, he's not autistic either.

As for the pro-plague crowd, there's definitely something wrong with them, but it seems doubtful that the vaccines they received "growing up" had anything to do with it.

The best thing that could happen would be to simply round the nutters up and ship them to a far-away island, like the Brits did when they sent their criminals to Australia. But as Australia is taken, Antarctica seems a reasonable choice.