linkstream2 microblog

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/346318841367908352
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/science/poking-holes-in-the-privacy-of-dna.html

QT:”
June 16, 2013
Poking Holes in Genetic Privacy
By GINA KOLATA

Not so long ago, people who provided DNA in the course of research studies were told that their privacy was assured. Their DNA sequences were on publicly available Web sites, yes, but they did not include names or other obvious identifiers. These were research databases, scientists said, not like the forensic DNA banks being gathered by the F.B.I. and police departments.
…
Experts were startled by what Dr. Erlich had done. “We are in what I call an awareness moment,” said Eric D. Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

Research subjects who share their DNA may risk a loss of not just their own privacy but also that of their children and grandchildren, who will inherit many of the same genes, said Mark B. Gerstein, a Yale professor who studies large genetic databases.
…
“

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html?emc=eta1&pagewanted=all Say Hello to the 100 Trillion Bacteria That Make Up Your Microbiome BY MICHAEL POLLAN
Medicine used to be obsessed with eradicating the tiny bugs that live within us. Now we?re beginning to understand all the ways they keep us healthy.

http://nyti.ms/18KwqTB
Say Hello to the 100 Trillion Bacteria That Make Up Your Microbiome BY MICHAEL POLLAN
Medicine used to be obsessed with eradicating the tiny bugs that live within us. Now we?re beginning to understand all the ways they keep us healthy.

Say Hello to the 100 Trillion Bacteria That Make Up Your Microbiome BY MICHAEL POLLAN
Medicine used to be obsessed with eradicating the tiny bugs that live within us. Now we?re beginning to understand all the ways they keep us healthy.

Press Release about HELA genome, which came out before all the controversy

http://www.embl.de/aboutus/communication_outreach/media_relations/2013/130311_Heidelberg/index.html Havoc in biology’s most-used human cell line – Press Release Heidelberg, 11 March 2013

In a nutshell:
• Scientists deliver the first high-resolution sequence of HeLa cells, a key research tool for human disease and general biology
• Sequence analysis reveals the full extent to which HeLa cells are different to the Human Genome Project reference
• Resource could enhance the quality of research using HeLa cells

The elasticity of vocal cords, the difficulty of operating on them & the story of a surgeon doing this
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/03/04/130304fa_fact_colapinto #medicine

QM QBism v Copenhagen. Is Bayesian Belief better explaining
Schrodinger’s Cat than superimposed dead & alive states?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=wave-function

Interesting scientific primer, absorbers v reflectors (Zinc oxide), “Organic sunscreens often contain oxybenzone”. These have the issue of free radical formation.

QT:”
Some sunscreen companies add antioxidants like vitamin E and vitamin C to their formulations as well to absorb some of these reactive compounds. One 2011 study found that the addition of antioxidants to SPF 15 or 50 sunscreen formulations reduced the numbers of reactive oxygen species in skin more than two-fold.
…
Retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A, is an antioxidant added to many sunscreens and cosmetics (it’s also a food additive, used to fortify some dairy products and cereals). Although the FDA considers retinyl palmitate to be safe, research suggests that upon interaction with UVA light, the compound produces reactive oxygen species. …
And what about application method—sprays, gels, wipes, or
old-fashioned lotions? The Environmental Working Group warns against sprays because of the risk that the chemicals could be inhaled or get into the eyes. But if your child won’t let you near her with anything but a cool mist, by all means use it—just ask him to hold his breath and close his eyes as you apply it. The EWG also warns against combination sunscreen/bug sprays, which may increase absorption of the repellant chemicals, and sunscreen wipes, which might not deliver adequate protection.

”
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2013/06/choosing_sunscreen_for_your_kids_organic_or_mineral_spf_30_or_50_spray_or.html
Great sunscreen primer: organic absorbers (oxybenzone) v mineral reflectors (ZnO) in relation to radicals via @Slate:
http://bit.ly/1bqd9oM

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21729084.000-antibiotic-resistance-an-apocalyptic-threat.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/health/global-partners-agree-on-sharing-trove-of-genetic-data.html

Accord Aims to Create Global Trove of Genetic Data
Phil Noble/Reuters
By GINA KOLATA
Published: June 5, 2013
More than 70 medical, research and advocacy organizations active in 41 countries and including the National Institutes of Health announced Wednesday that they have agreed to create an organized way to share genetic and clinical information. ….