Mathematics in Motion

Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically increasing lengths dance together to produce the above. Fantastic!

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Ageing Could Be a Thing of the Past

A dream come true but a little too late for me.

A Russian scientist, Professor Vladimir Skulachev, believes he has found an anti-ageing pill which will add decades to our lives. The drug works by halting the damaging effects of oxygen on the body's cells.

His findings have been backed up by the international community including Nobel prize winner Dr Gunter Blobel.

The professor claims the treatment will need two more years of clinical testing, which has already started, and thousands of people have registered to take part.

Now we're all going to live forever.  What a thought.

source

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Optical Illusions

click to enlarge

Courtesy of Guy Aitchison, Our Kingdom

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Gordon Brown's Moral Compass

According to scientists we all have one - a real-life 'moral compass' in the brain which controls how we judge other people's behaviour. Researchers were able to use powerful magnets to disrupt this area of the brain and make people temporarily less moral.

One of my readers definition of Gordon Brown's brain: "His big clunking fist is magnetic and each time he scratches his ear, he scrambles his brain and his compass resets".

As good a definition as any isn't it!

For those of us with a 'slow mind' the news is good. We may nurture more creative ideas.

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The Fun Theory

The Swedes, in conjunction with Volvo, tried an experiment to see if they could encourage people to use the stairs rather than the escalator.

H/T to Daniel1979

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Grey is Good for You

I don't know if men or women get more anxious about grey hair but, if the latest science is to be believed, we all should welcome it. Hair goes grey when the number of stem cells in hair follicles declines. Now a scientist of Toyko Medical and Dental University in Japan and colleagues have found what causes this decline in mice.

When the researchers exposed mice to radiation and chemicals that harm DNA, damaged stem cells transformed permanently into melanocytes which produce the pigments that colour hair and their numbers are kept topped up by stem cells. This ultimately led to fewer melanocytes, as it meant there were fewer stem cells capable of topping up the melanocyte pool. The mice also went grey.

David Fisher, a cancer researcher at Harvard Medical School, suggests such processes may hep protect us from cancer, by discouraging the proliferation of stem cells with damaged DNA, which could pass on mutations. "One likely beneficial effect is the removal of potentially dangerous cells that may contain pre-cancerous capabilities," he says.

So don't think grey hair is all bad news. Yes it shows we're all getting older but it could be very good for you.

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SCHOOLS NO LONGER OFFER HIGHERS in SCIENCES

Yes I know, here I go again, on about education; I make no apology for it either.   The Sunday Times today reports a number of schools are no longer offering science subjects at Higher level, blaming a lack of interest from pupils.  Opposition politicians and education campaigners have blamed cost-cutting and argue that all schools should offer all three subjects (chemistry, physics and biology) at Higher level.  

They claim failure to stimulate interest in science at school could damage Scotland's future economic growth.  Too right it could! Part of a teacher's job is to know the abilities of their pupils and to encourage those with an aptitude for a certain subject to continue studying it. Back in the 60s, until you reached 5th year, you had no opinion about the subjects you studied - that was decided between the Rector, teachers and parents.  The responsibility of the pupil was to do their best and produce acceptable exam results.

Nowadays pupils get so much choice they must be confused.   If I was 15 again and was offered the choices many are offered today, I'd possibly still choose physics and chemistry as I found them fascinating, but I can understand youngsters opting for the 'easier' subjects such as art and media studies.

The loss of Higher science in some schools is a continuation of the dumbing down of our education system and it must be stopped. This situation is not the fault of the present Scottish government but they are the people who must turn this round, and quickly. Fiona Hyslop must get together with her academic trusties and get a strategy into place to halt this corrosion of our education standards.  One idea may be to introduce the sciences in P6 andP7 and I understand a campaign with this in mind is to be unveiled soon.  This has happened for years in Europe and has shown to provide results insofar as Europe produces far more science graduates than the UK (pro rata).

Of course not every young person will have an interest in the sciences, but to think that some of Glasgow's largest schools are no longer going to offer Highers in the subjects, makes me angry. Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said some schools were discouraging pupils from taking harder science subjects in order to improve their performance in exam league tables.

Ms Hyslop this crisis requires your urgent attention. Scotland, until around the late 70s/ early 80s, had a Europe-wide reputation for its excellence in educational standards. We must recover this reputation starting today as it is everyone's responsibility to ensure our children receive an education which maximises their abilities.

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