The History of Science and Technology

The History of Science and Technology answers all the what, when, why, and how questions about our world"s greatest discoveries and inventions: How are bridges built? When were bifocal eyeglasses invented and by whom? What medical discovery led to the introduction of sterilization, vaccines, and antibiotics? Not only can you discover how our world came to be and how it works, but with cross-referenced entries you can also trace many intricate and exciting connections across time. Highly browsable yet richly detailed, expertly researched and indexed, This is the perfect desktop reference for both the science novice and the technologically advanced reader alike.

Space: A Journey To Our Future

"Space: A Journey to Our Future" highlights current projects in space exploration -satellites, space telescopes, living in space- and provides a glimpse to future human space travel. The most advanced interactive displays and state-of-the-art projection and audio technology are used to bring the story to life.

Highlights of “Space: A Journey to Our Future” include: the Lunar Base Camp where visitors can experience what it would be like to live on the moon; an up-close look at NASA’s Constellation Program and a model of the Orion, the spacecraft that will take human explorers back to the moon; an illustrated timeline of NASA’s 50 years of space exploration; and the multimedia 360-degree “Future Theatre.”

"Space: A Journey to Our Future" is a traveling exhibit developed by Evergreen Exhibitions presented at the National Air and Space Museum courtesy of NASA on its 50th anniversary.

This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, General Motors, and Lockheed Martin.

Reflections on the Blank Slate

Nature vs Nurture. Everyone seems to agree that the issue is dead and buried, yet the debate continues. Recently John Dupre gave a short talk on the subject followed by a Q & A. It was held at the Live Theatre in Newcastle. Dupre is Professor of Philosophy of Science and Head of Sociology at the University of Exeter.

Author and journalist, Matt Ridley was the host of a public discussion with author Steven Pinker as part of the University of Newcastle's public lecture programme. Pinker is Professor of Psychology at MIT.

Professor Pinker especially, has pushed the debate into the mainstream with his recent book 'The Blank Slate'. In it he argues that there are many myths operating in society that can be traced directly to a subtle but fervent belief in three discredited notions. He calls these a belief in the "Blank Slate", the "Noble Savage" and the "Ghost in the Machine". This website is as good an introduction as any which may pursuade you to read further.

Dispelling Some Common Myths about Science

"'The Scientific Method' includes with really many methods, including aspects of basic intelligence found in infants and animals." Dr. Terry Halwes chews through a lot provocative ideas about this subject. The opinions are of course those of the author. Much of it makes sense to me. See what you think.

Science is not a new kind of knowledge; it is not created only by a professional elite; and "The Scientific Method" is really many methods, including aspects of basic intelligence found in infants and animals.

Myths in Science

One of the problems when dealing with a topic like ours is the fact that there are many misconceptions surrounding Science as a discipline that seem to have become almost welded in place. Not only are these myths rife among the general population, but in the scientific community itself even as it prides itself on its impartiality and rigorous discipline many misconceptions abound.

As an introduction to this disconcerting topic let me direct you to the TEN MYTHS OF SCIENCE as spelled out by William McComas of the School of Education, University of Southern California.

Brain Stem Cells Can Be Awakened, Say Scientists

Chepens Eye Research Institute have identified specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when activated, can transform into neurons (nerve cells) and repair damaged brain tissue. Their findings were recently published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
An earlier paper (published in the May issue of Stem Cells) by the same scientists laid the foundation for the PNAS study findings by demonstrating that neural stem cells exist in every part of the brain, but are mostly kept silent by chemical signals from support cells known as astrocytes.

"The findings from both papers should have a far-reaching impact," says principal investigator, Dr. Dong Feng Chen, who is an associate scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute and an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. Chen believes that tapping the brain's dormant, but intrinsic, ability to regenerate itself is the best hope for people suffering from brain-ravaging diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease or traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries.

Until these studies, which were conducted in the adult brains of mice, scientists assumed that only two parts of the brain contained neural stem cells and could turn them on to regenerate brain tissue-- the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone (SVZ). The hippocampus is responsible for learning and memory, while the SVZ is a brain structure situated throughout the walls of lateral ventricles (part of the ventricular system in the brain) and are responsible for generating neurons reponible for smell. So scientists believed that when neurons died in other areas of the brain, they were lost forever along with their functions.

In the first study, Chen's team learned that stem cells existed everywhere in the brain by testing tissue from different parts of adult mice brains in cultures containing support cells (known as astrocytes) from the hippocampus, where stem cells do regenerate. In the cultures the stem cells from other brain regions came to life and turned into neurons.

When they compared the chemical makeup of the areas known to generate new neurons in the hippocampus with other parts of the brain, the team discovered that astrocytes in the hippocampus were sending one signal to the stem cells and that those from the rest of the brain were sending a different signal to stem cells.

In the second (PNAS) study, the team went on to discover the exact nature of those different chemical signals. They learned that in the areas where stem cells were sleeping, atrocytes were producing high levels of two related molecules--ephrin-A2 and ephrin-A3. They also found that removing these molecules (with a genetic tool) activated the sleeping stem cells.

The team also found that astrocytes in the hippocampus produce not only much lower levels of ephrin-A2 and ephrin-3, but also release a protein named sonic hodghoc that, when added in culture or injected into the brain, stimulates neural stem cells to divide and become new neurons.

"These findings identify a key pathway that controls neural stem cell growth in the adult brain and suggest that it may be possible to reactivate the dormant regenerative potential by adding sonic hedgehoc, or blocking ephrin-A2 or ephrin-A3," says Dr. Jianwei Jiao, the first author of the two papers,

The next step for the team will be to stimulate the sleeping stem cells in animals who are models of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, to see if the brains can repair themselves and restore their damaged functions.

Are Cell Phones Really So Dangerous?

The estimates of annual deaths reported in this week's article (2,600) may well be low. The number, for U.S. deaths related to drivers using cell phones, comes from a 2002 study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (HCRA). Researchers then estimated that the use of cell phones by drivers caused approximately 2,600 deaths.

Because data on cell phone use by motorists are limited, the range of uncertainty is wide, those researchers said. The estimate of fatalities in that HCRA report ranged between 800 and 8,000.

Importantly, the researchers noted (in 2002) that increasing cell phone use could be expected to cause the annual death estimate to rise. The 2002 estimate, for example, was up from an estimate of 1,000 deaths in the year 2000. Logic suggests the number -- though just an estimate -- could be much higher in 2005.

The estimates are based largely on mathematical models, but they are not without basis. In 2001 in California, for example, "at least 4,699 reported accidents were blamed on drivers using cell phones, and those crashes killed 31 people and injured 2,786," according to an analysis by The Los Angeles Times. That number can expected to be low, because of the lack of formal procedures for noting cell phone use as a cause of a traffic accident.

The Times also noted a 1997 study of Canadian drivers "who agreed to have their cell phone records scrutinized found that the risk of an accident was four times greater while a driver was using the phone."

Each year, about 42,000 people die in U.S. auto accidents.

Here is how the new University of Utah simulations were conducted:

Participants in the simulator used dashboard instruments, steering wheel and brake and gas pedals from a Ford Crown Victoria sedan, surrounded by three screens showing freeway scenes and traffic, including a "pace car" that intermittently hit its brakes 32 times as it appeared to drive in front of study participants.

If a participant failed to hit their own brakes, they eventually would rear-end the pace car. Each participant drove four simulated 10-mile freeway trips lasting about 10 minutes each, talking on a cell phone with a research assistant during half the trips and driving without talking the other half. Only hands-free phones were used to eliminate any possible distraction from manipulating a hand-held cell phone.

Thirty times each second, the simulator measured the participants' driving speed, following distance and - if applicable - how long it took them to hit the brakes and how long it took them to regain speed.