The Lumpen Proletarian

Technology Review: Bacteria Make Diesel from Biomass
Newly engineered <i>E. coli</i>  streamline the conversion of cellulose into fuel.

 

Vitamin D supplements could fight Crohn's disease

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study has found that Vitamin D, readily available in supplements or cod liver oil, can counter the effects of Crohn's disease. John White, an endocrinologist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, led a team of scientists from McGill University and the ...

 

'Good' bacteria keep immune system primed to fight future infections

Scientists have long pondered the seeming contradiction that taking broad-spectrum antibiotics over a long period of time can lead to severe secondary bacterial infections. Now researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine may have figured out why.

 

'Nanofactories': Stopping Bacterial Infections Without Antibiotics

(PhysOrg.com) -- New research at the A. James Clark School of Engineering could prevent bacterial infections using tiny biochemical machines - nanofactories - that can confuse bacteria and stop them from spreading, without the use of antibiotics.

 

Trees retaliate when their fig wasps don't service them
Figs and fig wasps have evolved to help each other out: Fig wasps lay their eggs inside the fruit where the wasp larvae can safely develop, and in return, the wasps pollinate the figs.

 

YouTube - Dancing Inmates - Michael Jackson's This Is It

Filipino, Philippines "Dancing Inmates" from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison, were treated to a visit ...

 

Howard Zinn, historian who challenged status quo, dies at 87 - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

Deadly fish virus now found in all Great Lakes

(PhysOrg.com) -- A deadly fish virus - viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus - first discovered in the Northeast in 2005, has been found for the first time in Lake Superior. The virus is now in all of the Great Lakes.

 

Lost Landscapes of Detroit from the Prelinger Archives Boing Boing

Technology Review: Blogs: Potential Energy: Scientists Overcome Obstacle to Fusion
From MIT. Information on Emerging Technologies & impact on business & society

 

J. D. Salinger, Enigmatic Author of ‘The Catcher in the Rye,’ Dies at 91 - Obituary 

(Obit) - NYTimes.com

Mr. Salinger, the author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” turned his back on success and adulation.

 

Magazine Preview - The Jihadist Next Door - NYTimes.com

In his small-town Alabama high school, Omar Hammami was among the coolest, most gifted students in his class. How did he grow up to become a leader in an African terror group linked to Al Qaeda?

 

Famous Literary Drunks & Addicts - Photo Gallery, 27 Pictures - LIFE

"Always be drunk ... Get drunk militantly. Just get drunk."

 

An Appraisal - David Sarkisyan - Keeper of Moscow’s Architectural Conscience - NYTimes.com
David Sarkisyan, who died on Jan. 7, was willing to stand up to the city’s corrupt politicians and powerful developers.

 

The almond tree's secret weapon

The nectar of the almond tree produces an extraordinary and dangerous poison. This is the only known plant to have this poison in its flowers' nectar. A study carried out at the University of Haifa has revealed that bees are mysteriously drawn to the toxic substance.

 

Seabirds' movement patterns tied to what fishermen toss away

Humans and human activities have clearly altered the Earth's landscape and oceans in countless ways, often to the detriment of other plants and animals. But a new report published online on January 28th in Current Biology shows just what a tangled food web we've woven. Two species of Mediterranean seabirds ...

 

Bunch Of Phonies Mourn J.D. Salinger | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

CORNISH, NH—In this big dramatic production that didn't do anyone any good (and was pretty embarrassing, really, if you think about it), thousands upon thousands of phonies across the country mourned the death of author J.D. Salinger, who was 91 years old for crying out loud.

 

America's Vanishing Silent Spaces - Newsweek.com

Audio ecologist Gordon Hempton talks about America's vanishing quiet spaces, and how our lives can be helped by listening to the silence.

 

Zoologger: The very hungry caterpillar usurps a queen - life - 27 January 2010 - New Scientist

What sounds like a touching story of interspecies love turns out to be a genocidal tale of gluttonous excess

 

Superfast Bullet Trains Are Finally Coming to the U.S. | Magazine | Wired.com
Believe it: Bullet trains are coming. After decades of false starts, planners are finally beginning to make headway on what could become the largest, most