Common Science

Viruses: Friend and Foe A sniffle and a sneeze, maybe some vomit on the pillow and a seemingly innocuous fever. Or, a pool of blood haemorrhaged from your precious organs.  Waking up with any of these symptoms is going to put a crimp on your day, most notably the latter, but all of these are potentially caused by viral infections. However not all viruses offer up such conclusive evidence to their presence, and why do their symptoms range from the benign to the sensational? Take for example HIV, which has two common strains in humans: HIV-1 and HIV-2. Untreated HIV-1 eventually leads to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), whereas HIV-2 does not have the same devastating impact on the immune system, fulfilling the role of a quiet “keeps themselves to themselves” lodger. Even HIV-1 will not progress to AIDS for up to 20 years in some infected individuals. Charles Darwin, the veritable godfather of evolution based his hypothesis on fossilised bones of animal and plants, but th...

A friend unfortunately told me one of his family had been diagnosed with this rare disease and that there was no detailed information whatsoever on-line. This lead me to create my first  Wikipedia entry about HUV . When I was doing this I realised how vital Wikipedia is. I could have just emailed my review of some literature on the disease to my friend but by using Wiki other contributors can correct any mistakes and add more information as research continues into this intriguing autoimmune disorder.

Smash your staircases and head to the nearest oil rig, the dead walk. I came across this recent article on a fungus ( Ophiocordyceps unilateralis ) which infects it's carpenter ant victims turning them into the living dead. The fungus takes over the ant's nervous system, infecting muscle and brain tissue giving the ant a "stumbling" gait. The parasitic fungus controls the ant to seek out a certain type of leaf, once there the fungal controller instructs the ant to bite down hard with it's mandibles (known as "the death grip"). Once securely fastened to the leaf the ant finally dies, and the fungus sprouts a long fruiting body (stick-like) with a spore loaded pod. More fungal spores are then released to go on and infect the next carpenter ant victim. Scary stuff... A reference to the original paper can be found here  http://earthsky.org/biodiversity/fungus-turns-tropical-carpenter-ants-into-the-walking-dead

ANTIBODIES - Poni Hoax... Never heard much else from them again sadly. Poni Hoax - Antibodies - music video directed by Danakil from Cyrille de Vignemont aka Danakil on Vimeo .

Following on from my visit to the Huntarian museum in London, which documented anatomical specimens in innumerable jars, I visited the German equivalent in Berlin - The Medizinhistorisches Museum on Charite University campus. As expected from the guide books and hype from my Deutsch colleagues, the exhibit is truly fascinating with some morbid sections which warrant the over 16s certification. It is these specimens that are naturally off-putting to some (as evolution dictates innate disgust at abnormality) which are incredibly fascinating documents of life trying to survive regardless of aberrant genetics. Naturally one feels a sadness when viewing some specimens, especially due to the young age of the subject, but regardless, scientific intrigue overrides in this astounding museum. In a section of the museum devoted to eminent German scientists I read about Rudolf Virchow, and whilst reading the short summary next to a compilation of his belongings in a cabinet, ...

A select number of images highlighting natures most interesting looking minature creatures. From top left clockwise: a dust mite; a fly; a spider's spigot (web maker); a wasp's sting; the head of a flea; a red blood cell, platelet and leukocyte (white blood cell), and...... a maggot's face! The comedic/evil looking maggot's face, and the sinister dust mite whose alien appearance sums up it's single minded harvesting of our flakes of skin are favourites. These images were taken using an electron microscope, where focusing a beam of electrons rather than photons (light particles) enables high resolution (detail) at very high magnification.

Can you say cringe....

Recently whilst drinking in a pub near Holborn station, I realised I was near a museum I'd wanted to visit since I first moved to London. So with some great persuasive efforts I managed to entice my friends away from the warmth and comfort of an open fire and pint of ale to walk to the royal college of surgeons. In the basement of which is the Huntarian musuem, a collection of anatomical specimens either partially dissected to showcase the intricacies of the body, or exhibited to highlight interesting examples of errant homeostatic processes. Entering John Hunters massive collection, one is instantly staged by the array of formaldehyde filled jars, and instantly the curiousty and "where to start first" sensation takes over. I thought you could take pictures, but after one I was instantly chastised, here it is though (not the best example of the diverse array of anatomical specimens - so there's a website pic below as well) A brief aside to overview who John...