Higgs Boson demystified

If you do ONE THING today, make it this (from my dental blog: write this down on your checklist):

watch this video on the Higgs Boson particle from PhD comics.

I am amazed at the drawings (the movie moves like Prezi).
How exciting is the possibility that we might find this "God particle" in our lifetime? There's motivation to eat healthy and keep exercising for you.

Today's the first day of my No Spend Month and I'm going out to a Mediterranean buffet in 20 minutes...

Drinking out of a fire hydrant: Global Warming & Civic Scientists

I attended our weekly departmental lecture Thursday by Dr. John Anderson on global warming. He has been in the news lately about his censored article on Galveston. Heading down, I asked my friend, "Is this going to be really technical?" Because I get lecture abstracts from the listserve emails and don't know half the words in them. It turned out not to be. The lecture is part of Rice's UnConvention weekend and many in the audience were community members.

Some thoughts from the lecture:
- Can scientists be too "alarmist"? Dr. Anderson noted that now they are "vulgar" and throwing out phrases like "sea level rise", when decades ago they trotted carefully around the issue. Not to offend anyone.
- Free floating icebergs melting do not contribute to sea level rise!
- Most of sea level rise comes from thermal expansion of water!!!
- Glaciers don't grow back. Glaciers melting is inevitable. (I mean, obviously so but I never stopped to think about it.)
- How do we implement long-term changes that outlive politicians' election cycles???

After an hour of work catch-up, I made it to the Civic Scientist Lecture Series at the Baker Institute. I went to one by the discoverers of Buckyball a few years a back and loved it, so I RSVP'd for this one and invited a friend. The speakers were Dr. David Baltimore, 1975 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and Dr. Alice Huang, a Senior Faculty Associate in biology at Caltech.

It's hard to summarize their accomplishments into one line. But their achievements could go for hours.

Interesting points from this Civic Scientist talk:
- Average age of NIH grant recipients is 42. Much of great science accomplishments happen much younger.
- Why do we train foreigners? (I had never thought about this question...) Because in doing so, we are creating competition. But sometimes they stay in the U.S. and further American progress. (????)
- Wealthy individuals privately funding research is an American phenomenon. Howard Hughes of HHMI dropped out of Rice!!!!
- New Asia might be a good incubator for new scientists because traditionally people hold respect for intellectual pursuits. (Traditional Korean aristocrats called yang-ban's spent their days writing and reading!)
- "Is winning the Nobel Prize awesome?" Dr. Baltimore answered yes, because it is recognized by everyone. "But", he noted, "individuals being singled out for achievements is difficult."
- Scientists should become actively involved in policy making.

I had so many ideas during these lectures (thus the post title). Still organizing my notes from the talks. I love lectures that become a two-way conversation of sorts, where the ideas presented spark new ideas of my own. Much more excited about my career: scientists are not just scientists. We have a responsibility to spread our knowledge and influence policies.

Baker Institute had a fantabulous reception afterwards too. Munched on mini cheesecakes and chocolate-dipped strawberries while chatting with others who'd attended the conference. It's really interesting to hear what different people take away from the same lecture.

Be like Charlie: observations.

I live in a nice neighborhood thanks to my second job and while running around the neighborhood yesterday I had to smile at three boxes of pizza piled outside an almost-immorally-big house. Because 1) they live in this beautiful house but ordered $5 boxes of chain-store pizza? 2) Three boxes. That means enough people live in this house to maybe justify its size.

I got an email from Joe Biden titled "Saturday night". As soon as I clicked and waited for Rice's slow webmail to load, I regretted it- it had to be spam! (It wasn't). I also got an email from Barack and Michelle Obama! Campaign season.

You know the farmers market spinach I was so excited about? I dug out a small orange frog out of my dinner last night. I poked at it because I thought it was a bean or something! It was smaller than the nail on my pinky. Sorry little frog.

I miss Village Inn. Of all the delicious meals and beautiful restaurants I've been to, this is what I was craving yesterday. Because they have the most wonderful pies in the world and the most attentive waitresses. I hope I can find somewhere as comfortable as this diner next year.

Also speaking of my second job, what is up with all these "elite nanny" craze? NY Times and NPR picked up feature stories about expensive nannies who are paid six digits a year. It sounds like a lot, but same logic for any other job: you are being paid for your time... so if you need to be constantly on call and not have any freedom of your own, then your hourly wage is probably low.

And this comment made me LOL, because I do the same thing and keep re-considering changing the station every time NPR talks about something crazy:

Ellen Whitton (EllenKW) wrote: My alarm clock is set to the station that plays Morning Edition. I guess I was sleeping pretty soundly this morning because I thought I'd had this really weird dream, and woke up shaken. Now I see that I actually heard this. Maybe I should set my clock to a music station.

I got an unwanted suntan from Beer Bike this weekend! Two hours in Houston sun means I need to make the switch in foundation to summer shades if I wore foundation. Also very dehydrated from junk food and free sauna, slept all day all weekend and tried very hard to focus at today afternoon's meeting.

dental musings over no-coffee.

Here's an occupational hazard for you. Ever since I began working on this acid dissolution study, I have been drinking significantly less coffee. How can I sip on coffee when I can see exactly what that pH 4 solution is doing to my poor apatite crystals?

On my way back from the airport, I had an interesting conversation with the driver. When I told him I was applying to dental schools, he commented "Your husband must be really proud." I thought this comment was fascinating- would he have said the same to a man? After I laughed and corrected him ("No husband yet, but I am proud of myself.") he reminded me to "never forget about us folks" & to give back to the community.

There is an article today in the Chicago Tribune ("More Americans seek dental treatment at the ER") discussing the lack of preventative dental care for rural and low-income families leading to dental treatments in the emergency room. A common grievance for dentists is patients who don't return after initial assessments. But on the flip side is that these people who are not getting the dental care they need. They are choosing instead to "toughen it out" until small cavities become 3AM emergencies.

Hopefully before "tooth hurty." For everyone. Picture

I am slowly realizing that my career can help resolve inequality issues I find so disheartening. In a way, a dentist is more like a painter or a musician: you learn the skills to do things. Over the next four years, I hope to learn these practical skills that can help others- and actually do so. I just happen to have a supportive family; how fortunate am I to be selfishly studying for another four years? Staying grateful and happy about everything I have. Philadelphia, get ready.

out of control mosquitoes.

Micro-bots  got nothing on these 'quitos.

Let me tell you about the insane mosquito invasion of Houston last week. After a particularly warm few days, it suddenly became impossible to walk through grassy areas without suffering (mosquito) battle wounds. In class, it became a common sight to see students scratch themselves, even professors giving into the itch. Performing meticulous tasks became a teed bit harder as we fought the overwhelming need growing on the inside of our arm while sorting through wires, lifting heavy ramps, pipetting exact volumes of solvent.

I did some mini-research to figure out the 5 W's + How. After the much-needed rainstorm on the 9th plus the 10-14 days eggs take to hatch, the mosquito invasion of Houston began on October 20th, 2011. Stores ran out of mosquito repellants, my neighborhood brought back the spraying trucks, people reported swarm sightings on facebook and twitter.

This morning I woke up to surprisingly cold weather. The water from my faucet felt cold and when I pushed the already-cold knob, the outside air was surprisingly crisp and cool: hello, 40's weather!

I was so occupied by the freezing weather (and a dog attacking me in the intramural fields) that I failed to notice the lack of new bites on my usual walk across the grass. It was only while parting with a friend after lunch we noticed that we had been outside for an hour and had no bites to show for it.

How did I fail to notice that the mosquitoes were gone precisely because of the cold I'd been whining about? It's like the "I Hope You Dance" song: "Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens"(sorta? work with me here). So au revoir, mosquitoes.

nobel prize.

My physicist friend S(who actually worked on an optical imaging project this summer- like me!) sent me this snapshot of Saul Perlmutter, this year's Nobel Prize in Physics winner, at University of Bonn.

within life-affecting distance

Dr. Perlmutter received one half of the prize, the other half of which is shared between Brian Schmidt and Riess- the Nobel Prize cannot be shared by more than three people- for discovering that the universe is expanding at an increasing speed. There are six categories Nobel laureates can be awarded in: physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, economics, and peace.

sad but true

Here's another picture dearest S sent me soon after. Oh, seriously. But really, how many specific people do you know from each category?

make someone check their mailbox.

Tomorrow morning, wake up and find someone you haven't chatted with in a while. Gather memories, send letters and packages, support the Postal Service. They have a great flat-rate program where you can pack whatever you want in pre-set sized boxes & send them for one flat rate, guaranteed delivery in 2-3 days. (I am sending my 15 pound package to New York for $10.95).

Is anyone else startled by the fact that U.S. Postal Service might be defaulting? It is great to find something unexpected at the bottom of your stairs, those handwritten letters and carefully packed boxes. I decided to support the USPS in my own way by baking delici-o things for my favorite sibling, another care package.

cashew-raspberry chocolate barks

prepping on the coffee table (bc I got no kitchen)

pumpkin bread = perfection.

And I leave you with this adorable scene:

sleepy kitty says "write me".

Can you imagine a world without mailmen & mailboxes?

remembering 9/11/01.

My memory of 9/11 is waking up to the sound of television in the living room. I was living in Bundang at the time, and I walked out to find my parents watching the news which was playing the horrible video clip over and over again. I woke up the next morning and remember thinking maybe I'd dreamed about the whole incident. I had no idea that this incident and subsequent wars would change my life too.

streets near West U elementary

One of the most striking thing I heard about 9/11 was this: when the earthquake hit DC couple of weeks ago, many people wondered if this was another terrorist attack. It is this sense of personal safety that was invaded with 9/11 ten years ago. I woke up today to three missed calls, and my first response was to turn on the news to see if anything had happened.

Take a drive down University- it's hard not to feel patriotic.

This week, the street I drive home to are lined with flags to remember 9/11. You know how everyone thinks it is cheesy at pageants when the contests answer "world peace" as their one wish? I sincerely hope that people can put their ignorance and stubborn beliefs aside and live in peace. Why do we make bombs and weapons anyway?

Atlantis- eight and a half minutes into orbit.

Friday morning, I took a quick break from my morning task to watch the launch of Atlantis, the live stream from NASA TV to watch the launch of the final manned shuttle to outer space.

 

I learned 1) It takes eight and a half minutes for the space shuttle to reach orbit- must be some of the longest eight and a half minutes of the astronaut's lives! 2) The weather in not only Florida but also Houston and California matters so that if things go wrong, the contingency plan will be cleared.

We're living through history! I guess it is always true no matter when you are alive, but end of the oldest tabloid newspaper, birth of a new nation ending decades of war, and the possibly-last shuttle launch... I feel alive.

Oh, and let's not forget Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- our school is hosting a private early premiere again. I'll be strolling into the theatre to watch HP7-2 at 6:30PM on Thursday- this is the thought that's keeping me going this week.

hello, pyeong-chang!

The city of Pyeongchang, in the Gangwon province will be hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics. When I visited couple of weeks ago, there were many promotional billboards around the province cheering on the bid for Pyeongchang. I kakao-talked my dad Wednesday morning who sent back a picture of the family in front of the television waiting for the announcement of locale for the 2018 Olympics... then celebration!

The NY Times article mentions hwang-tae(sundried fish) as a local delicacy, which we did indeed take for family friends. It is strange to be reading an article on this local place I got to know and love, from a different neutral perspective which doesn't forget to mention that it is only 50 miles South of North Korea.

Picture Source

People are cheering for selection of Poporo as the mascot for this Olympics, which would be perfect- he's a penguin, enjoys winter sports, and has the name starting with P!

***I looked down at the pen I was writing with and realized that it's an Olympic pen! I stole this from my dad when I was in Korea, and now it's a reality.

delayed graft attaching hand to leg.

In light of learning about grafts (Think Xenographs are a future possibility to-be-developed. Pigs are being looked at as possible donors of heart for humans. The wonders of technology.) I came upon this incredible story article.

A nine-year-old in China named Ming Li was run over by a tractor on her way to school, which resulted in her left arm being crushed and her left hand being severed from the body. Since the arm was in too bad of a condition for the hand to be reattached, the doctors grafted the hand to her leg for three months, and after her arm was healed, successfully reattached the hand to her arm. She will be eventually able to gain function of her hand back, after two more surgeries.

Sound like something out of a science fiction movie? Amazing! Doctors were quoted as saying, "it's nothing new". Well, the technology may not be as complicated or novel, but it's insane to imagine a hand sticking out next to a foot.

Some sites have pictures of her hand attached to her arm...  click to link on Orange UK if you dare.

eat less. live longer.

I've always envied people with high metabolism because, well, who wouldn't? I would looove to be able to eat all the pastries I ever want and simply burn it off. For example, I would be able to eat dessert with my regular food instead of eating cake for dinner. I'm only half kidding.

TURNS OUT:

If you would like to live long, having a slow metabolism is better for you. (Meaning, eat less, burn slower, have a lower happiness factor but multiply by longer life span and voila! You'll be less happy but for longer).

In a wide range of organisms including yeast, flies, mice, and primates, calorie restriction has been found to increase life span by up to ~50%. 50%! This process may have been conserved across species because the ability to adapt to environmental stress such as lack of food may be useful. Organisms can then delaying development until the conditions become favorable.

Artificial "starving" situations can be created by restricting calories, and the body WILL respond. Dr. Walford participated in Biosphere 2, an enclosed biosphere project, where the members unable to sustain normal amounts of food, naturally had a restriced diet. The crew members emerging out of the biosphere after 2 years showed improvements in health such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol. He developed the CRON-diet, which recommends consumption of lower calories to maintain a weight about 10~15% lower than their stable "set point" weight.

www.walford.com

The effects of CR diets in humans remain controversial as it has been shown to have mixed effects. CR dieters show improved memory, lower blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels, but may develop eating disorders because well, they're literally being starved.

(Read the NY magazine article of a reporter's attempt at CR diet here).

So what is the actual mechanism behind longevity through CR? In rodents, yeast and company, SIR2, a histone deacetylase has been suggested to mediate this life extension. SIR2 may control further endocrine signaling and DNA repair mechanisms such as p53 and FOXO which increase stress resistance and promote longevity. (Read all about it in this Cell review).

It's definitely not for me. The world is full of too many delicious things for me to give them up. Besides, CR hasn't been proven to completely to have only positive effects, right? So... until then, I'm going to eat my foods, like this from Koriente in Austin:

Mmmmmmm, as I'm sipping my black coffee. It's National Coffee Day today!

flying just gets harder.

Here's the real reason why I didn't fly home. Airport full body scanners.

Jaunted.com

There are currently a little more than a hundred scanners in place, and about a thousand to be installed. You can refuse to walk through a body scanner, but you'll have to go through a metal detector plus a pat-down. You might even be accused of being "unpatriotic". Wall Street Journal

Last month, a TSA employee walked through the scanner during a training which prompted a teasing from his co-workers about the size of his manly parts. He attacked his colleague who consequently suffered bruises and cuts, and was arrested with assault charges. Huffington Post

At London's Heathrow Airport, a month after full body scanner was put in place, the first sexual harassment complaint was filed. After a woman walked through the scanner, an employee supposedly said "love those gigantic _". Gulp.  There are now "Flying Pasties" for sale, where you put orange stickers over your private parts.

There's also concerns about harmful effects of radiation. A study by Dr. David Brenner at Columbia University found that the scanners may cause an increase in basal cell carcinoma (a sort of a skin cancer), especially in individuals who are genetically susceptible to DNA damange.

Here's a fun quote by Jon Andler, head of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, in response to concerns regarding invasion of privacy: "I think a bomb detonating on a plane is the biggest invasion of privacy a person can experience."

bigger. taller. richer?

On the radio #1.

In the states, women who are 5'7 make about 5k more a year than someone who is 5'2. Forbes article. A study in London (done by clothing line Long Tall Sally) with 1,461 women found that those who are 5'8 and taller earn up to 5,000 pounds more than those who are shorter.

Why?
The same study suggested body confidence as a reason. A quarter of the taller women did not want to change anything about themselves compared to 90% of the shorter women. Arianne Cohen, author of "The Tall Book" says this might be because a tall person might grow up naturally assuming the role of a leader since to their peers, they look older.

Hmmm. At 5'8, I feel that being tall is a big part of my identity. I don't feel dwarfed by much taller people, I can eat a lot more, and I can reach for stuff without asking for help.

Here's the 5'10  Nicole Kidman at premier of "Nine" with fellow co-stars Penelope Cruz and Fergie.

photo by axelle from bauergriffinonline.

craig venter, creator of life?

Craig Venter announced on May 20th (a day before my birthday!) that he succeeded in creating a synthetic cell. That's right. He created artificial life.

When the human genome was just beginning to be sequenced, Dr. Venter founded Celera and used the shotgun sequencing, which he believed to be a faster method than the clone-by-clone method. He planned on sequencing the human genome before the public efforts and making a profit from charging access to the database. Public Genome Project and Craig Venter's newly founded Celera essentially began a race to completion of sequencing the human genome, and in 2000, the complete genomic sequence of humans was completed (One of the five individuals was Venter himself).

He went on to found J. Craig Venter Institute, whose focus is on synthetic biology. Mycoplasma laboratorium, say "hello world".

BP oil spill ill

This might be the biggest oil disaster of our history yet. Due to the leak unable to be stopped, 5,000 barrels of oil (or more) are spilling out to the Gulf of Mexico every day.

So far, several methods have been attempted to try to stop the leak, but these are only temporary measures including setting the oil on fire (scariest, ocean is on FIRE), using dispersants to break apart the oil (unknown if totally safe yet), using a well to siphon the oil (not that effective).

From U.S. Coast Guard

 In this new method BP is trying next week, viscous liquid will be poured into the leak to stop the oil flow and the leak will be sealed with cement.
http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/05/21/mattingly.bp.top.kill.cnn

You can also watch the oil spill live at:
http://globalwarming.house.gov/spillcam
(Warning: It's frustrating to watch the vast amounts of oil pour out out out into the ocean.)

Heard on NPR. Tom Hutchings, an environmental consultant says, in response to BP saying that the oil spill is tiny compared to the vast ocean,
"If a BP exec wants to call something tiny, call the effort tiny."