What I've Tumbled Across...

Stem Cell Contact Lenses Cure Blindness in Less Than a Month

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:59:13 -0400

Stem Cell Contact Lenses Cure Blindness in Less Than a Month:

Here’s something that people with poor or no vision will be excited about: three patients had their sight restored in less than a month by contact lenses cultured with stem cells.

All three patients were blind in one eye. The researchers extracted stem cells from their working eyes, cultured them in contact lenses for 10 days, and gave them to the patients. Within 10 to 14 days of use, the stem cells began recolonizing and repairing the cornea.

Of the three patients, two were legally blind but can now read the big letters on an eye chart, while the third, who could previously read the top few rows of the chart, is now able to pass the vision test for a driver’s license. The research team isn’t getting over excited, still remaining unsure as to whether the correction will remain stable, but the fact that the three test patients have been enjoying restored sight for the last 18 months is definitely encouraging. The simplicity and low cost of the technique also means that it could be carried out in poorer countries.

This is incredible and potentially game changing. It’s stuff like this that makes you realize that we live in the future, and it’s awesome. [UNSW via The Australian via GizMag]

Poop On Finding Penguins: Follow The Guano

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:00:19 -0400

Poop On Finding Penguins: Follow The Guano: BY SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

Updated: 6:02 am PDT June 2, 2009

WASHINGTON — Scientists looking for lost penguins stumbled upon an effective method: Follow their poop from space. In remote Antarctica, about one-and-a-half times bigger than the United States, researchers have been unable to figure out just where colonies of emperor penguins live and if their population is in peril. It’s harder still because emperor penguins, featured in the film “March of the Penguins,” breed on sea ice, which scientists say will shrink significantly in the future because of global warming. Because the large penguins stay on the same ice for months, their poop stains make them stand out from space. Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey found this out by accident when they were looking at satellite images of their bases. A reddish-brown streak on the colorless ice was right where they knew a colony was, said survey mapping scientist Peter Fretwell. The stain was penguin poo — particularly smelly stuff — and it gave researchers an idea to search for brown stains to find penguins. They found the same telltale trail, usually dark enough to spot from space, all over the continent, said Fretwell by telephone from England. Using satellite data, the scientists found 10 new colonies of penguins, six colonies that had moved from previously mapped positions to new spots and another six that seemed to have disappeared. Overall, 38 colonies were spotted from above, according to Fretwell’s paper, “Penguins From Space” in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography. “It’s a very important result scientifically, even though it’s a lighthearted method,” Fretwell said Monday. Even though Antarctic sea ice hasn’t melted so far, scientists predict it to shrink by one-third by the end of the century, potentially threatening the birds, Fretwell said. The research is “incredibly useful,” because the only time to see emperors are during breeding in winter when weather makes it nearly impossible to get to the colonies, said longtime penguin researcher William Fraser, who wasn’t involved in the study. Fraser noted that salty penguin guano “over time will corrode your boots,” adding that he has lost nearly a dozen pairs to poop in 35 years of penguin research.

Gulags, Nukes and a Water Slide: Citizen Spies Lift North Korea's Veil - WSJ.com

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:25:43 -0400

Gulags, Nukes and a Water Slide: Citizen Spies Lift North Korea's Veil - WSJ.com

NPR: Dear Pixar, From All The Girls With Band-Aids On Their Knees

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:17:48 -0400

NPR: Dear Pixar, From All The Girls With Band-Aids On Their Knees

Germany Imagines Suburbs Without Cars

Tue, 12 May 2009 15:33:24 -0400

Germany Imagines Suburbs Without Cars:

Awesome.

"The difference between a boy and a man is simple: A man knows what he wants and doesn’t apologize..."

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:41:16 -0400

“The difference between a boy and a man is simple: A man knows what he wants and doesn’t apologize for it. The right “type” is whomever he says it is. […] Life is too few breaths, and it’s wise not to waste them on romantic fool errands. Love the curves, love the legs, own your want. This is what real men do.”

- Men Love Curvy Women | The Frisky

"Don’t invite people to events if they don’t live in your city."

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:35:40 -0400

““Don’t invite people to events if they don’t live in your city.””

- How Not to be Hated on Facebook - TIME

CNBC Is Ridiculous: Macs Come With Photoshop, PCs Need $600 Extra to 'Perform As Well As a Mac'

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:51:38 -0400

CNBC Is Ridiculous: Macs Come With Photoshop, PCs Need $600 Extra to 'Perform As Well As a Mac'

What Is a Man - Characteristics of the Ideal Man

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:35:55 -0400

What Is a Man - Characteristics of the Ideal Man:

Absolutely wonderful. I want this.

Good Thing: T-Shirt Bag

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:59:10 -0400

Good Thing: T-Shirt Bag :

This is really cute and easy. I would think you’d have to use a high quality shirt that wouldn’t stretch, or use it for lightweight carrying.

"The tribute to Robinson is the best touch of all because — unlike the Yankees — the Mets have..."

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:22:26 -0400

“The tribute to Robinson is the best touch of all because — unlike the Yankees — the Mets have acknowledged that everything is not about them.”

- Sports of The Times - Mets’ Cozy New Home Has a Sense of Its Place - NYTimes.com

Fun with Obama Photos: International Lampoon's European Vacation

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:54:45 -0400

Fun with Obama Photos: International Lampoon's European Vacation

In Middle Schools, Empathy Becomes a Weapon Against Bullying

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:01:55 -0400

In Middle Schools, Empathy Becomes a Weapon Against Bullying

5 Things You Didn't Know: New York City

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:59:46 -0400

5 Things You Didn't Know: New York City

Turtles all the way down

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:54:29 -0400

Turtles all the way down:

“But the thing is, science learns. The greatest mysteries of today are undergraduate homework problems in 20 years. That’s the strength of science.”

"Well, the most successful hybrid car in the world, Prius, is roughly around 1 or 2 million cars. Out..."

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:39:00 -0400

“Well, the most successful hybrid car in the world, Prius, is roughly around 1 or 2 million cars. Out of about 750 million cars. In other words, we’re having 0.0 percent effect on oil consumption.”

- From the Desk of David Pogue - Electric Cars for All! (No, Really This Time) - NYTimes.com

Etsy :: YAVAglass :: YAVAglass

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:57:37 -0400

Etsy :: YAVAglass :: YAVAglass:

Awesome recycled glass glasses

Chris Brown allowed to have contact with Rihanna

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:52:21 -0500

Chris Brown allowed to have contact with Rihanna:

I hope that parents who have children that look up to Rihanna explain to them that just because she went back to him doesn’t make it the right thing to do. I want parents to take their girls to a battered women’s shelter, or somewhere similar, and show what really happens. It’s never OK to be scared of somebody you love.

Why Is Her Paycheck Smaller? - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:42:05 -0500

Why Is Her Paycheck Smaller? - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com

"Slumdog" Kids Back To School, One Taken Ill, Father Demands More Cash

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:15:37 -0500

"Slumdog" Kids Back To School, One Taken Ill, Father Demands More Cash:

The kids got used to LA life… I was afraid of this.