Altered Tetanus Vaccine May Protect Against Allergies And Alzheimer’s

Chemistry and Corpses: The Science of Bog Studies

A paper published this week confirmed a piece of speculation going all the way back to Darwin.

The nomination of unqualified non-scientist Sam Clovis is a powerful illustration of the Trump administration’s hostility both to science and to the rule of law.

Dr. Peter G. Lurie, President of Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).  Read the release.  (via climatetruth)

A Helium-Resistant Material Could Finally Usher in The Age of Nuclear Fusion

"We were blown away by what we saw."

A collaboration of engineers and researchers has found a way to prevent helium, a byproduct of the fusion reaction, from weakening nuclear fusion reactors.

The secret is in building the reactors using nanocomposite solids that create channels through which the helium can escape.

Researchers from Texas A&M University, working with a team from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, have tested a new method for creating the materials used in nuclear fusion reactors and found that it could eliminate one of the obstacles preventing humanity from harnessing the power of fusion energy.

Continue Reading.

AI-controlled brain implants for mood disorders tested in people 

Brain implants that deliver electrical pulses tuned to a person’s feelings and behaviour are being tested in people for the first time. Two teams funded by the US military’s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), have begun preliminary trials of ‘closed-loop’ brain implants that use algorithms to detect patterns associated with mood disorders. These devices can shock the brain back to a healthy state without input from a physician.

The work, presented last week at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting in Washington DC, could eventually provide a way to treat severe mental illnesses that resist current therapies. It also raises thorny ethical concerns, not least because the technique could give researchers a degree of access to a person’s inner feelings in real time.

The general approach — using a brain implant to deliver electric pulses that alter neural activity — is known as deep-brain stimulation. It is used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, but has been less successful when tested against mood disorders. Early evidence suggested that constant stimulation of certain brain regions could ease chronic depression, but a major study involving 90 people with depression found no improvement after a year of treatment.1

The scientists behind the DARPA-funded projects say that their work might succeed where earlier attempts failed, because they have designed their brain implants specifically to treat mental illness — and to switch on only when needed. “We’ve learned a lot about the limitations of our current technology,” says Edward Chang, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who is leading one of the projects.

Holtzheimer, P.E., et al. Lancet Psychiatry. 4(11):839–849. (2017)

Today in Godsmack History marks the release of the lead single and title track “Awake” from Godsmack’s second studio album. The music video made for this single was filmed at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. The video contains footage of prisoners rioting and leaving the reformatory and seeing Godsmack play in the exercise yard inside a fenced-in area. The music video was produced by the band.

In an MTV online chat, Godsmack vocalist Sully Erna said that “Awake” is Godsmack “getting some closure, on a past relationship”. Erna then said: “That’s me getting closure on a relationship. I’m just saying that now I’m awake, and I’m able to deal with everything I have to deal with. Where before I felt like I was going to lose control without this person in my life. I’m saying that I’m okay now without that person”.

“Awake” was released to radio on October 3, 2000. "Awake" achieved mainstream success. The song was on the Mainstream Rock chart for 53 weeks and peaked at number 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. "Awake" also was on the Alternative Songs chart for 28 weeks and peaked at number 12 on the Alternative Songs chart. "Awake" was on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart for 24 weeks and peaked at number 1 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in 2001. "Awake" was nominated for the Rock Single of the Year category at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards. With the popularity of “Awake”, Godsmack’s album of the same name was certified 2x platinum by the RIAA in March 2002.

There are three versions of “Awake”, the first version, which is the original version, appeared on Godsmack second studio album, Awake. The second version is a radio edit which appeared on the single release of the song and music video, and the third is an acoustic version called “Asleep”, which appeared on their EP, The Other Side.

The radio edit is the same song as the album version, just shortened. The album and acoustic versions have very similar lyrics but different sound. The acoustic version runs for 3:58, making it closer to the radio edit than the full album version.

This song was featured prominently in the Nash Bridges episode “Manhunt” that first aired on November 3, 2000. It was also featured in the game Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 and The One starring Jet Li.

Since the mid-2000s, the song has been featured extensively in the U.S. Navy’s “Accelerate Your Life” commercials. The Godsmack albumAwake’’s opening track, “Sick of Life,” would also be used in the campaign.

The song also made an appearance on several compilations including the band greatest hits album, Good Times, Bad Times… Ten Years of Godsmack, WWF Tough Enough, Kerrang: Life Is Loud, and Crusty Demons: Unleash Hell.

The song features as the background track in the promos of the 2006 Bollywood film Fight Club.

Although the song was featured in the United States Navy’s “Accelerate Your Life” commercials, Erna insists that Godsmack doesn’t support any war: “By no means has this band ever supported any war for any country or that we support government decisions or why we’re sticking our nose in other people’s business at times. What we support is our troops. And the women and men that go over there — or anywhere — to fight for our country and our lives and protect our freedom and I feel that.”

“I actually sympathize with a lot of the soldiers, and the military in general, that are trained to go out and protect for us, and what they have to go through, it’s really kind of shitty in a sense that these young kids have to go over there and die, sometimes, for something that isn’t our problem. And that kind of sucks. So what I have to do is at least support them, because they don’t have the choice that we do.”

Some critics say that the band’s young audience will now be influenced to join the military because of the popular tunes. However, Erna doubts very seriously that a kid is going to join the Marines or the United States Navy because they heard Godsmack as the underlying music in the commercial.

Doggerland, the Europe That Was (1015 x 1486)