From tretinoin and retinoids in preventing skin aging to telomeres as the ultimate cause and target of all aging, dermatologist Dr. Gilchrest provides a thoughtful and insightful look into her research at Boston University studying aging in skin cells.
Link: Pieces of the Puzzle: An Interview with Barbara Gilchrest, MD.
Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine. 5:153-159, 2002.
A friend was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Stand up 2 Cancer is a “pop” research funding enterprise (is it cool to be a scientist yet?) – Link: WELCOME TO SUTV | SU2C. Dream team? Sure sounds like they are having fun.
Also noteworthy is the CPRIT, recently approved by the Texas Legislature ($3 billion over the next 10 years). This will be huge for Texas in developing a cure for cancer and expanding our biotech and life sciences industry. The Chief Scientific Officer is former University of Texas Southwestern Medical School dean and nobel laurete (2004) Alfred G. Gilman, MD, PhD.
Check out their site. – Link: http://www.cprit.state.tx.us/
“Two in three students predicted they would be ‘very good’ workers on a job in 2006 (compared with the one in two who guessed so in 1975). Thus, by 2006, two-thirds of students were predicting that they would perform in the top 20% of the population in their adult jobs.16 It is tempting to believe that this is a positive development. American culture teaches that one must be self-confident to be successful. However, self-esteem does not predict success.22 In fact, being overconfident – a fair description of a group in which two in three people expect to perform in the top 20%– actually leads to greater failure,23 perhaps because overconfident people do not recognise when they are doing badly and need to improve.”
Abstract
President Obama recently called for more scientist involvement in education. Science outreach programs are very welcome, but to be effective, they must include incentives for teachers and better training for scientist volunteers.
Link: Encouraging science outreach : Abstract : Nature Neuroscience.
Nature Neuroscience 12, 665 (2009)
doi:10.1038/nn0609-665
I tried Natto once. Let me just say I had to watch my friend eat it first to believe it was meant to be eaten in that condition (slimy and smelly).
It was interesting…
Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans, popular especially for breakfast. As a rich source of protein, natto and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in feudal Japan. For some, natto can be an acquired taste due to its powerful smell, strong flavor, and sticky consistency.
Science in San Antonio