Scintilla

We’re getting toward the end of the second volume of our Emerging Model Organisms series in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols, and November’s issue brings us a look at the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid and the genus Dioscorea, or True Yams. Euprymna scolopes, the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid (our cover model this month, see below) is a cephalopod that’s well-suited for study in the laboratory. E. scolopes is primarily studied in three contexts: 1) as a model for cephalopod development–the embryos and protective chorions are clear, making it amenable for the observations and manipulations common in other studied model systems 2) as a model of animal-bacteria symbioses with the luminous marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri 3) as a system for studying the interaction of tissues with light, as the squid features a specialized light organ.

When medical residents work 30-hour shifts, should they be guaranteed a five-hour nap? The Institute of Medicine thinks so, but the AMA disagrees. At its recent meeting, the AMA adopted a new policy to oppose the guaranteed sleep time. Mandatory naps could “have significant unintended consequences for continuity of patient care and safety, as well as being difficult and expensive to implement and monitor,” the AMA’s recommendations say. The Institute of Medicine recommended the mandatory nap time for shifts longer than 16 hours in a report it issued late last year on resident work hours and patient safety. Medical residencies, the clinical training docs do after finishing medical school, are famously intense. A few years back, in the face of arguments that exhausted residents are more likely to make mistakes, the group that oversees residency programs adopted work limits for residents.

Homo floresiensis and human evolution. 2009. W.Jungers and K. Baab. Significance; published online Nov. 19.imageIn 2003 Australian and Indonesian scientists discovered small-bodied, small-brained, hominin (human-like) fossils on the remote island of Flores in the Indonesian archipelago. This discovery of a new human species called Homo floresiensis has spawned much debate with some researchers claiming that the small creatures are really modern humans whose tiny head and brain are the result of a medical condition called microcephaly. Researchers have confirmed that Homo floresiensis is a genuine ancient human species and not a descendant of healthy humans dwarfed by disease. Using statistical analysis on skeletal remains of a well-preserved female specimen, researchers determined the "hobbit" to be a distinct species and not a genetically flawed version of modern humans.

Cannabis has been used recreationally and medically for centuries. Despite long experience, relatively little is known about the risks and benefits of its use as a medication. A considerable portion of our ignorance can be attributed to government discouragement of cannabis research. Searching the NIH website brings up many studies of both cannabis abuse and cannabis as a therapeutic agent, but most of the general information available is about cannabis as a drug of abuse. And there is no doubt about the abuse potential and withdrawal potential of marijuana except among hard core denialists. The data is clear: marijuana discontinuation is associated with a withdrawal syndrome in many users, with some experts likening it in symptoms and severity to nicotine withdrawal.

It gives new meaning to term high school: Medical marijuana is reportedly being prescribed to teenagers who suffer from behavioral problems such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The New York Times reports that a network of 20 clinics in Oakland, California has treated as many as 50 adolescents with ADHD. Up the bay, a Berkeley doctor was investigated by California’s medical board after he authorized the drug for a 16-year-old boy with the disorder. Bestowing bud upon kids with terminal illnesses like cancer and AIDS is one thing. But with ADHD, the idea of smoking up children seems dazed and confused to many in the medical community. The drug has been linked to many psychotic symptoms, and is likely to aggravate the concentration problems seen in many ADHD kids.

In October 2008, I participated in an NSF workshop on eChemistry: New Models for Scholarly Communication in Chemistry. Theresa Velden and Carl Lagoze have now published their reports. Here are the details from their press release:Public Release of White Paper: The Value of New Scientific Communication Models for ChemistryIthaca, NY, November 23, 2009 – The results of a National Science Foundation sponsored workshop in October 2008 are now available in a white paper 'The value of new scientific communication models for Chemistry', publicly accessible at http://hdl.handle.net/1813/14150.

With its thick atmosphere, chemical makeup, and an atmospheric pressure not too far from Earth’s, Titan is one of the most likely candidates for finding life elsewhere in our solar system. But at a temperature close to -300 degrees Fahrenheit, the surface of this Saturnian moon in anything but what we humans would call hospitable. Since this frigid place is far too cold for liquid water, any life there would need an alternative survival method. A new study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests that the simple hydrocarbon acetylene, proposed as a possible energy source for life on Titan, could be much more abundant than scientists previously thought.

“Children should be allowed to play in the dirt because being too clean can impair the skin’s ability to heal itself,” The Daily Telegraph reported. It said scientists have found that common bacteria on the skin’s surface can “dampen down overactive immune responses, which can lead to rashes or cause cuts and bruises to become swollen and painful”. This news report is based on research in human skin cells and mice. Researchers found that some non-harmful bacteria that live on the skin play an important role in regulating inflammation. These intriguing findings improve our understanding of the complex reactions that occur when cells are infected or injured.

One of the issues with how the UEA emails are perceived is whether the reader understands the context of the dubious pseudoscience and constant harassment the field faces. If you understand that, the emails are understandable and mostly excusable. If you don't, if you think that normal science is being stymied, then you come away with a very different impression.For some reason I've been bcc'ed on a conversation among scientists about a different controversy in climate science. I will go so far as to reveal text that says nothing about the underlying issue (about which I am not qualified to comment). I will say that the topic has bubbled up a little bit in the popular press over the last few weeks.I have heard from several of you and there seems to be some support for going forward with a letter to ****[journal].