Archive for the ‘科学’ Category
Thursday, March 27th, 2008 |
忍不住了，决定要写这篇。四月一日快要到了，科学界里也流传着很多玩笑。今天在Gizmodo那里看到这篇关于一个69岁的老人用猪膀胱(Pig Bladder)磨成的粉来让自己的手指重生。
根据老人家说，有一天他在做飞机模型时不小心割掉自己一小载手指（差不多一寸），然后他的科学家兄弟马上寄给他磨成粉状的猪膀胱，并告诉他说不要敷任何药，只要涂上这个粉就好了。老人说四个星期过后他的手指完好的生长出来，而指甲也长得比其它手指快。
到目前为止，以我对再生(regeneration)的跟进，还没停过猪膀胱可以控制再生基因。我也只知道体内器官再生能力最强的似乎是肝脏，不是膀胱。另外一点就是连出名再生的壁虎，它的尾巴再生出来后，都比原来的还要短，那指甲生长得比其它手指快和长，手指和之前的一模一样根本就是谎话。再说如果人到69岁，再生能力恐怕是很弱的了，近乎不可能。另外如果手指短截，不涂任何药物或者做任何医药处理的话，会感染的。年龄是69，就是很69。还有很多我可以指出的错误。
在Boing Boing看到这则留言：
This is true in that there are real people claiming this.
Also there is science to suggest how it may be possible.
However, this incident has not been independently verified let alone reproduced.
一样事情如果有人说它是真的，它不一定是真的。相信不少色情业者将利用这个‘发现’，做出很多特效药。以后你收到的spam mail里可能有这么一个： “Penis Enlargement With Pig Bladder!”不过前提是你必须把你的弟弟切割一载，过后你就可以成为种猪了。
不要以为科学家都是一副正经的，有一年的愚人节期间就有正规的journal出版些骗人的文章，还得到很多科学家的引用。科学家们在三月尾和四月头都必须提高警惕。
Link:
CBS News - Medicine’s Cutting Edge: Re-Growing Organs
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Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 |
Monell Center的研究员发现到人类和果蝇喜欢共同的甜味。人类所喜欢的甜味并不是所有动物能接受的，就如可能和我们拥有共同祖先的猴子对甜味也有和人类不同的要求。
“Humans and flies have similar taste responses because they share similar environments and ecological niches, not because their sweet receptors are similar genetically,” notes senior author Paul A.S. Breslin, PhD, a Monell sensory geneticist. “Both are African species, both are omnivorous, and both historically are primarily fruit eaters.”
—— ScienceDaily: Like Sweets? You’re More Like A Fruit Fly Than You Think
对这现象的其中一种解释是因为人类和果蝇拥有共同的环境生存条件，所以在进化过程中才会演变出对口味极相似的感受器基因。写到这里忽然间想说自己很常说的冷笑话：“Time flies like arrow, fruit flies like banana.”
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Friday, March 7th, 2008 |
很多人天生就怕蛇或蜘蛛(zhi1 zhu2)，这是什么原因呢？它们并没有给过这些人同年阴影，可是为什么人们就是这么怕它们呢？
“The idea is that throughout evolutionary history, humans that learned quickly to fear snakes would have been at an advantage to survive and reproduce,” said Vanessa LoBue, a post-doctoral fellow in psychology at the University of Virginia. “Humans who detected the presence of snakes very quickly would have been more likely to pass on their genes.”
—— LiveScience: Why We Fear Snakes
人们不是天生怕蛇，可以说是学会怕蛇。科学家推测怕蛇的性格导致人类能够继续生存以及繁殖。虽然蛇不是满地爬，不过人类能够把周围的东西当作蛇的影像，进而提高警觉。蛇对人类的进化做出了很大的贡献。或许很多很多年以后，人类一看到枪也能够马上躲避。可能还会进化出躲开子弹的超能力呢。
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Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 |
很多人在接受输血过后，都有一些后遗症。这几年来科学家们都在探讨这个问题。
Scientists have discovered that blood stored in a bank loses a vital gas that is important for transferring oxygen from the blood. As VOA’s Jessica Berman reports, the discovery may explain why a significant number of people die after receiving blood transfusions.
—— VOA News: Scientists Discover Stored Blood Loses Life-Saving Gas
在人类的血里，红血球是帮忙运输氧气到身体各个位置的细胞。科学家发现这些捐出来的血离开身体后，在短期间内失去了能运输氧气的气体。这个气体就是nitric oxide。科学家试验加强nitric oxide的分量并成功地加强了红血球运输氧气的功能。
如果我们捐出来的血都变成死血，那我们还需要捐血吗？答案是需要的，因为你的血可能就能救活一个人，中国有句老话就是‘死马当活马医’。如果有一丝希望，为何不帮呢？况且科学家们已经在想帮法解决这个问题了。
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Friday, July 6th, 2007 |
Science刊登出一项研究显示说男人和女人其实一样多话。
In general, they found that women tend to talk more about relationships. Their everyday conversation is more studded with pronouns. Men tend to talk more about sports and gadgets, and their utterances include more numbers.
—— NPR: Study: Men Talk Just as Much as Women
研究显示，男人和女人每天讲的话也只有在16,000万个字左右，只是女人讲得1.6万多一点点儿男人是1.6万少一点点。
为什么一直以来会有人总觉得女人比较多话呢？这或许是因为男人的话题总是在工作时才有的，而一回到家就不怎么讲话了，这是家里的情人闷在家里，一看到自己的男人回到家就说了很多话，所以就给了男人这种女人比较多话的错觉。
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Thursday, May 31st, 2007 |
纽西兰一间生物科技公司(ViaLactia)目前在开发着能直接生产出低油脂牛奶的母牛。
They state that they came across the possibility after discovering a chance gene mutation in one cow, and according to the biotechnology company Vialactia their low-fat milk can also be turned into butter that spreads as easily as margarine even if it is chilled.
—— DogFlu.ca: Cow Produces Low Fat Milk
不过这项科技在2011年前不会正式面世，目前只是发现了可以让牛直接产生低脂肪牛奶的基因。
这个基因的改变，除了考虑到低脂肪牛奶的生产，还需要考虑到产量，口味，营养价值，还有这牛能活多久以及能生产多久的牛奶。
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Saturday, May 26th, 2007 |
很多与智慧有关的迷信与手有很大的关系。例如掌纹的智慧线以及看指纹。
It seems preposterous that the length of children’s fingers could point towards success in exams. Yet that was precisely what was reported this week in the British Journal of Psychology. Scientists from the University of Bath found that seven-year-olds whose ring fingers were longer than their index fingers tended to get higher marks at maths. Though the results were due to the children’s brains, the shape of their hands appeared to matter.
—— TIMES Online: Careful Who You Finger
科学家推断说一个人的无名指如果比食指长的话，这个人会比较聪明，比较成功，也比较健康
看了看自己的手指，觉得庆幸。
左手：
无名指 - 7.3 cm
食指 - 7.1 cm
右手：
无名指 - 7.3 cm
食指 - 7.2 cm
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Posted in 科学 | 7 Comments »
Friday, February 2nd, 2007 |
在海边与另一半一边走一边欣赏海景，那带点咸味的海风迎面吹来，似乎是世界上最浪漫的一刻了。
A trip to the beach means sand between your toes, salt water in your mouth and that aromatic sea air in your nose. But what gives the ocean air that delightful and distinctive smell? Scientists have not known the full story until now.
The smell comes from a gas produced by genes recently identified by researchers in ocean-dwelling bacteria.
—— LiveScience.com: Bacteria Cause Sea to Smell Good
因为情人节快到了，我又没有情人陪，所以在这里扫你们的兴。科学家发现你们的浪漫海风很有可能是海洋里的细菌所产生的废气，也就是说与人类所放的屁是一样的。想象一下，当你们一起牵手散步，或者作出什么行为时，围绕你们的就是屁，你们吸进去的也是屁，只是它是咸的。
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Posted in 科学 | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, July 4th, 2006 |
我除了怕高，另外一个让我怕的东西就是蚊子。蚊子这么小有什么好怕的？就是因为它小，我打不到它，被咬后又会痒（痒比痛难受）。
They have isolated chemicals in the odor of people who don’t get bitten and hope to use them to improve controls to prevent the spread of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and yellow fever in developing countries.
—— Yahoo! News: “Eau de human” repellent aims to deter mosquitos
话说我们身上生产某种化学物，一种蚊子不喜欢，一种可以吸引蚊子。我是后者，因为不管我去到哪里蚊子第一个（或者唯一一个）攻击的就是我。所以我很在意傍晚和晚上时，窗门有没有关。如果别人到我的房间或家里没有关门，我会很在意的，因为那将代表我又有一天不眠夜。
希望可以敏捷到单手伸出去一抓就杀死一只蚊子。
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