Recent content by dimensionless

I'm uncomfortable with the amount of confidence that the CDC and TV ebola experts have on the world's ability to contain this. My guess, is that this is a new strain and its characteristics are poorly understood. Also, the virus has been spreading among people for 11 months now, so it has had...

Most of the data on the outbreak is coming from the World Health Organization. Currently there are an estimated 125 new cases per day. I have seen reports that stating that this is the "tip of the iceberg" and that many cases are probably going unreported. The full extent is not clear to me.

Have any of you been tracking the rate of new Ebola infections? It seems that there is pretty clear exponential growth, and the virus is anything but contained. Is anyone else bothered by this? By looking at this just mathematically, some huge swath of people will become infected. At a...

Research normally delves into subjects more deeply than textbooks. And, for that matter, the textbooks themselves are based on the research. I would answer yes. Neuroscience, along with other subjects, are and always have been ahead of the DSM.

Well, it would a whole new evolutionary branch of bacteria that likely has little to no gene transfer with the rest of the earth.

Normally, I cringe. If I do laugh, then there is some sort of additional silliness involved.

People with Asperger's have difficulty with socialization and non-verbal communication. People with a psychotic personality, or psychopathy, are capable of socialization and non-verbal communication, but don't care about it. Based on my knowledge and observations, Asperger's is not associated...

It is ironic, since a bone marrow transplant(to treat leukemia) from an HIV-resistant donor is the only means by which an HIV infection has been cured.

When a person sleeps, they are never completely unconscious of their surroundings. I suspect the same is true for people under anesthesia and as well as many coma patients. I think much of this depends on how consciousness is defined and no clear distinction exists between conscious and...

Saturated fats are associated with heart disease. It is true that there are a few human populations that both eat a diet high in saturated fat and have low rates heart disease. These populations, however, are not reliant on the western/agrarian food supply. There are a variety of granola...

The food pyramid has it's weaknesses and flaws. It is, however, a reasonable guideline for many people. Eating a candy bar is like eating a big glob of butter. You're probably young enough that you can recover, as heart attacks don't normally occur before age 50 or so. That being said...

It is a good question. I see many, maybe too many, references to animals as being "primitive," for example sponges are often called primitive. I am trying to ask if modern lifeforms have adaptations that typically make them more fit than older lifeforms when placed in an arbitrary environment...

Are Earthian biological systems, in their present state, more complex than they were 200 million years ago? Do evolutionary adaptations reach a limit in terms of they're effectiveness? Perhaps I can restate this question. If a species from 200 million years ago was transported to present...

So maybe coffee drinkers are not addicts then. Still, this reminds me of all the hoopla surrounding the benefits of wine drinking, which I think, is somewhat overhyped and misguided. These beverages are probably being consumed in place of something else that could potentially be more...

I have to wonder about the strong force and the weak force.