inothernews: AND STRAIGHT ON ‘TIL MORNING   After wandering about as far from the Sun on the sky as Venus can get, the brilliant evening star crossed paths with the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, earlier this week.  The beautiful conjunction was enjoyed by skygazers around the world; this photo was taken April 2 and shows the view from Portal, Arizona.  (Photo: Fred Espenak / Bifrost Astronomical Observatory via NASA APOD)

inothernews:

AND STRAIGHT ON ‘TIL MORNING   After wandering about as far from the Sun on the sky as Venus can get, the brilliant evening star crossed paths with the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, earlier this week.  The beautiful conjunction was enjoyed by skygazers around the world; this photo was taken April 2 and shows the view from Portal, Arizona.  (Photo: Fred Espenak / Bifrost Astronomical Observatory via NASA APOD)

  1. Date Posted Icon 6th April 2012
  2. Reblogged Icon Reblogged From starry-laa
  3. Notes Icon Notes: 268
    4. Tags Icon #pleiades#seven sisters#stars#astronomy#space#venus#planets
jtotheizzoe: staceythinx: AS&K does some phenomenal science and medical animation. I have no idea what these things are, but I sure want to know. And isn’t that what good illustration does? These are absolutely stunning! Let’s see if I can decode some of the biology behind the illustrations for you. Top: This one’s tough. I couldn’t find any specific details, but it looks like a representation of a dying cell to me. When cellular machinery detects a serious problem (infection, out of control growth signals, gene instability, etc.) the apoptosis machinery is activated. Apoptosis (you can either say “ay-pop-toe-sis” or “ay-puh-toe-sis”) comes from the Greek words for “falling away”, alluding to how leaves are programmed to die and fall off of trees every winter. The characteristic blebs of the dying cell can be seen, as the cell disintegrates.  Middle left: Certain kinds of immune cells consume foreign invaders and debris for a living, like the body’s trash collectors. These phagocytes migrate out of the blood stream in response to a sign of infection. Signals from the infected tissue allow the blood vessels to dilate and tiny pores to form, allowing the flexible phagocytes to crawl away to do battle using their long finger-like projections. Middle right: HIV virus particles are attacking a CD4+ T-cell, the type of immune cell that they infect and the loss of which results in AIDS. The virus has proteins on its surface (the green and red spikes) that help it latch on to specific receptors on the T-cell surface (the mushroom-like basket things). Bottom: Our cells are covered in hundreds of different receptors, surface markers and scaffold molecules. This is what allows them to take on a specific structure, as well as communicate with each other. Embedded in the plasma membrane (the blue, water-loving heads and green, oily lipids that make up our cell package), these receptors and surface proteins are thought to be organized into lipid rafts in order to keep them nearby other receptors and proteins that they work and communicate with. Beautiful stuff! jtotheizzoe: staceythinx: AS&K does some phenomenal science and medical animation. I have no idea what these things are, but I sure want to know. And isn’t that what good illustration does? These are absolutely stunning! Let’s see if I can decode some of the biology behind the illustrations for you. Top: This one’s tough. I couldn’t find any specific details, but it looks like a representation of a dying cell to me. When cellular machinery detects a serious problem (infection, out of control growth signals, gene instability, etc.) the apoptosis machinery is activated. Apoptosis (you can either say “ay-pop-toe-sis” or “ay-puh-toe-sis”) comes from the Greek words for “falling away”, alluding to how leaves are programmed to die and fall off of trees every winter. The characteristic blebs of the dying cell can be seen, as the cell disintegrates.  Middle left: Certain kinds of immune cells consume foreign invaders and debris for a living, like the body’s trash collectors. These phagocytes migrate out of the blood stream in response to a sign of infection. Signals from the infected tissue allow the blood vessels to dilate and tiny pores to form, allowing the flexible phagocytes to crawl away to do battle using their long finger-like projections. Middle right: HIV virus particles are attacking a CD4+ T-cell, the type of immune cell that they infect and the loss of which results in AIDS. The virus has proteins on its surface (the green and red spikes) that help it latch on to specific receptors on the T-cell surface (the mushroom-like basket things). Bottom: Our cells are covered in hundreds of different receptors, surface markers and scaffold molecules. This is what allows them to take on a specific structure, as well as communicate with each other. Embedded in the plasma membrane (the blue, water-loving heads and green, oily lipids that make up our cell package), these receptors and surface proteins are thought to be organized into lipid rafts in order to keep them nearby other receptors and proteins that they work and communicate with. Beautiful stuff! jtotheizzoe: staceythinx: AS&K does some phenomenal science and medical animation. I have no idea what these things are, but I sure want to know. And isn’t that what good illustration does? These are absolutely stunning! Let’s see if I can decode some of the biology behind the illustrations for you. Top: This one’s tough. I couldn’t find any specific details, but it looks like a representation of a dying cell to me. When cellular machinery detects a serious problem (infection, out of control growth signals, gene instability, etc.) the apoptosis machinery is activated. Apoptosis (you can either say “ay-pop-toe-sis” or “ay-puh-toe-sis”) comes from the Greek words for “falling away”, alluding to how leaves are programmed to die and fall off of trees every winter. The characteristic blebs of the dying cell can be seen, as the cell disintegrates.  Middle left: Certain kinds of immune cells consume foreign invaders and debris for a living, like the body’s trash collectors. These phagocytes migrate out of the blood stream in response to a sign of infection. Signals from the infected tissue allow the blood vessels to dilate and tiny pores to form, allowing the flexible phagocytes to crawl away to do battle using their long finger-like projections. Middle right: HIV virus particles are attacking a CD4+ T-cell, the type of immune cell that they infect and the loss of which results in AIDS. The virus has proteins on its surface (the green and red spikes) that help it latch on to specific receptors on the T-cell surface (the mushroom-like basket things). Bottom: Our cells are covered in hundreds of different receptors, surface markers and scaffold molecules. This is what allows them to take on a specific structure, as well as communicate with each other. Embedded in the plasma membrane (the blue, water-loving heads and green, oily lipids that make up our cell package), these receptors and surface proteins are thought to be organized into lipid rafts in order to keep them nearby other receptors and proteins that they work and communicate with. Beautiful stuff! jtotheizzoe: staceythinx: AS&K does some phenomenal science and medical animation. I have no idea what these things are, but I sure want to know. And isn’t that what good illustration does? These are absolutely stunning! Let’s see if I can decode some of the biology behind the illustrations for you. Top: This one’s tough. I couldn’t find any specific details, but it looks like a representation of a dying cell to me. When cellular machinery detects a serious problem (infection, out of control growth signals, gene instability, etc.) the apoptosis machinery is activated. Apoptosis (you can either say “ay-pop-toe-sis” or “ay-puh-toe-sis”) comes from the Greek words for “falling away”, alluding to how leaves are programmed to die and fall off of trees every winter. The characteristic blebs of the dying cell can be seen, as the cell disintegrates.  Middle left: Certain kinds of immune cells consume foreign invaders and debris for a living, like the body’s trash collectors. These phagocytes migrate out of the blood stream in response to a sign of infection. Signals from the infected tissue allow the blood vessels to dilate and tiny pores to form, allowing the flexible phagocytes to crawl away to do battle using their long finger-like projections. Middle right: HIV virus particles are attacking a CD4+ T-cell, the type of immune cell that they infect and the loss of which results in AIDS. The virus has proteins on its surface (the green and red spikes) that help it latch on to specific receptors on the T-cell surface (the mushroom-like basket things). Bottom: Our cells are covered in hundreds of different receptors, surface markers and scaffold molecules. This is what allows them to take on a specific structure, as well as communicate with each other. Embedded in the plasma membrane (the blue, water-loving heads and green, oily lipids that make up our cell package), these receptors and surface proteins are thought to be organized into lipid rafts in order to keep them nearby other receptors and proteins that they work and communicate with. Beautiful stuff!

jtotheizzoe:

staceythinx:

AS&K does some phenomenal science and medical animation. I have no idea what these things are, but I sure want to know. And isn’t that what good illustration does?

These are absolutely stunning! Let’s see if I can decode some of the biology behind the illustrations for you.

Top: This one’s tough. I couldn’t find any specific details, but it looks like a representation of a dying cell to me. When cellular machinery detects a serious problem (infection, out of control growth signals, gene instability, etc.) the apoptosis machinery is activated. Apoptosis (you can either say “ay-pop-toe-sis” or “ay-puh-toe-sis”) comes from the Greek words for “falling away”, alluding to how leaves are programmed to die and fall off of trees every winter. The characteristic blebs of the dying cell can be seen, as the cell disintegrates. 

Middle left: Certain kinds of immune cells consume foreign invaders and debris for a living, like the body’s trash collectors. These phagocytes migrate out of the blood stream in response to a sign of infection. Signals from the infected tissue allow the blood vessels to dilate and tiny pores to form, allowing the flexible phagocytes to crawl away to do battle using their long finger-like projections.

Middle right: HIV virus particles are attacking a CD4+ T-cell, the type of immune cell that they infect and the loss of which results in AIDS. The virus has proteins on its surface (the green and red spikes) that help it latch on to specific receptors on the T-cell surface (the mushroom-like basket things).

Bottom: Our cells are covered in hundreds of different receptors, surface markers and scaffold molecules. This is what allows them to take on a specific structure, as well as communicate with each other. Embedded in the plasma membrane (the blue, water-loving heads and green, oily lipids that make up our cell package), these receptors and surface proteins are thought to be organized into lipid rafts in order to keep them nearby other receptors and proteins that they work and communicate with.

Beautiful stuff!

  1. Date Posted Icon 13th March 2012
  2. Reblogged Icon Reblogged From effyeahimmunology
  3. Notes Icon Notes: 1751
    4. Tags Icon #immune system#biology#reblog
inothernews: Hey Tumblr? Go do this. Everything, of course, starts with a string.

inothernews:

Hey Tumblr?

Go do this.

Everything, of course, starts with a string.

  1. Date Posted Icon 12th March 2012
  2. Reblogged Icon Reblogged From inothernews
  3. Notes Icon Notes: 601
    4. Tags Icon #science#the universe#space#matter#dimension
Basically, the reason I’m posting lots of blood-related posts is that next week I’m giving blood (not for the first time.) This time of year, blood donations are low but are still very much in demand! If you are of age and are fit and healthy, please consider doing something amazing and give blood! You may just save someone’s life.

Basically, the reason I’m posting lots of blood-related posts is that next week I’m giving blood (not for the first time.) This time of year, blood donations are low but are still very much in demand! If you are of age and are fit and healthy, please consider doing something amazing and give blood! You may just save someone’s life.

  1. Date Posted Icon 13th January 2012
  2. Notes Icon Notes: 25
    3. Tags Icon #blood#give blood
The Rhesus (RhD) System

The positive and negative of someone’s blood type (for instance, O+), denotes to whether someone is RhD positive or negative.

85% of people have the D antigen on their red blood cells and are RhD positive.

The remaining 15% lack the D antigen and are RhD negative.

Haemolytic disease of a newborn baby can arise if the mother and foetus have different RhD types (the mother being negative and the foetus positive.) If the foetus’ blood passes to the mother, the mother will produce antibodies. When this blood passes back to the foetus, the antibodies will strike the foetus’ red blood cells and can cause harm.

However, tests to detect whether there is any incompatibility is standard pre-natal procedure.

  1. Date Posted Icon 13th January 2012
  2. Notes Icon Notes: 1
    3. Tags Icon #rhesus (RhD) system#blood types#blood#red blood cells#pregnancy
  1. Date Posted Icon 13th January 2012
  2. Notes Icon Notes: 8
    3. Tags Icon #blood types#abo system#blood#red blood cells
The ABO Blood Type System

There are about 30 blood type systems, but the most important ones are the ABO and RhD systems.

With regards to the ABO system, people can be: blood type A, blood type B, blood type O and blood type AB. What blood type you are denotes what antigen you have on your red blood cells. Those who are blood type A have the A antigen, those who are blood type B have the B antigen, O has neither antigen and AB has both.

In the UK, 37% of people are O+. Blood type O is considered the universal donor - it can be given to any blood type and the body won’t react to it, because there are no  A or B antigens on it and thus won’t be detected by anti- A and anti- B antibodies.

(Source: blood.co.uk)

  1. Date Posted Icon 13th January 2012
  2. Notes Icon Notes: 3
    3. Tags Icon #Blood#blood types#red blood cells/erythrocytes#red blood cells#blood donor#source: blood donor UK
Sherlock Holmes: The Science of Deduction

For those of you living in the UK who like Sherlock and are interested in pioneering forensic science, BBC’s Focus magazine has a very interesting article about some of the future technologies that Sherlock might use in the future, presenting the article in a murder case style and how Sherlock might use each technology at a given point in the case. Examples include: being able to determine who wrote an anonynomous e-mail, DNA phenotyping (being able to produce a genetic profile in three hours, that might also be able to visualise what the suspect might look like) and smart phones that can control things like a pace maker (never a good idea in my opinion…)

  1. Date Posted Icon 10th January 2012
  2. Notes Icon Notes: 3
    3. Tags Icon #source: bbc Focus magazine#BBC Focus mag#science#forensics#pioneering science#Sherlock Holmes#Sherlock#BBC's Sherlock Holmes
scipsy: 2011 The science year in brief: an interactive guide.

scipsy:

2011 The science year in brief: an interactive guide.

  1. Date Posted Icon 27th December 2011
  2. Reblogged Icon Reblogged From thenameismaynard
  3. Notes Icon Notes: 523
    4. Tags Icon #science stuff#2011 science
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Three French scientists

Marie Curie l Louis Pasteur l Henri Bequerel

Two random elements

and a dinosaur family tree!

(also, 159 years ago today, Henri Bequerel was born. Yay!)

  1. Date Posted Icon 15th December 2011
  2. Notes Icon Notes: 9
    3. Tags Icon #scientists#french scientists#marie curie#louis pasteur#The Twelve Days of Christmas: the science edition#henri bequerel