I hate being sick! My body decided to stage some kind of revolution earlier this week, but I’m on the mend and back online in time for the Friday roundup….
5) Red or Blue? A study was released on the relationship between color and thinking, with interesting results. Scientists have found that that looking at the color red leads to increased memory and attention skills, while looking at blue generally leads to increased creativity. Links between color and behavior have been studied for some time, but it’s been more challenging to make links cognitive function. But what’s not clear is whether our brains are naturally wired for color-related thinking, or if there is a social or cultural relationship with color that is responsible for the results. The authors of the study do address this, saying:
“Think about red, and what comes to mind: stop lights, stop signs, danger, ambulances,” said Zhu. “People want to avoid those things, and that’s why they do better on detail-oriented tasks.”
“Blue is the color of the sky, the ocean, safety,” she said. “When their environment is safe, people are more explorative.”
Hmm…I wonder if there is a correlation with people’s favorite colors? My favorite colors are red and purple, and I’m not sure that’s a fit. But, next time I’d like someone to really focus on something in detail, I’ll wave a red flag in front of them first…
4) Google’s done it again. My boss Cheryl (in her second blog mention of the week!) pointed this out to me in her office this week….Google Ocean. The new program is designed to allow any of us to explore the ocean depths from our computer screens. An extension of Google Earth, a downloadable application that provides incredibly detailed, albeit sometimes out-of-date, images of virtually any land location you choose, Google Ocean will take you on an underwater adventure. At least that’s what Google tells us…you have to download Google Earth 5.0 to see this feature, and my computer has not been accepting new software (our poor IT staff has been trying to load Office 2007 for weeks). But I plan to test it out this weekend at home…hopefully I’ll learn something about the ocean and find a cool vacation spot at the same time:-) Until then, here’s the video from Google’s YouTube page:
3) New problems with the Shuttle program. NASA announced this week 2 setbacks; the first being a delay of the planned February 12th launch of Space Shuttle Discovery due to engine troubles. The Shuttle program has had several delays in the past year or so, which makes the time line for finishing up the ISS before the 2010 retirement of the Shuttles increasingly tight. This mission, delayed by at least a week, will include installation of the last set of solar panels needed to power a full ISS holding a crew of 6 astronauts. But even worse news came when it was revealed that U.S. and Russian scientists detected 2 minutes of turbulence during a standard January 14th maneuver to position the ISS into a different orbit. This is achieved by firing rocket burns that are supposed to gently move the station into correct position (Air & Space/Smithsonian have a great explanation), but it appears that problems with the rockets may have led to far more shaking than normal. Tests are still being conducted, but it’s possible that the life of the ISS may be shortened if there is any significant damage to the structure. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
2) Everything there is to know about you – for only $5000! A California company, Complete Genomics, announced that they are able to sequence an entire human genome for $5000. This price tag is pretty fantastic, if you consider that the first sequencing of a single person’s genome cost about $1 million just over 10 years ago. The super-low rate is due to the multiple laboratories and organizations have worked to make sequencing technologymore efficient. There are definitely some things I’d love to know about my DNA, like how many mutations have I accumulated during my lifetime? (Having an identical twin makes for some fun experiments!) But I’m not pulling out my AmEx yet. A real problem of knowing your genome sequence is that DNA doesn’t always predict what happens in real life. Having a mutation that is associated with certain diseases like cancer doesn’t mean you will develop the illness. And perhaps more importantly, how do we protect our genomic information, once it’s out there? Do we want employers, insurance companies, even our friends and loved ones to know our molecular secrets? The laws are way behind on this one, but I’d want my genome sequence to be treated like the most personal of medical records; viewable only by myself and my doctor unless I say otherwise. Until then, no testing for me, but for anyone interested, Complete Genomics is accepting online orders as soon as this summer.
1) Wearing red for love. No, not the mushy Valentine’s Day stuff that will be everywhere next weekend, but for women’s health. Today is Go Red for Women Day, sponsored by the American Heart Association (AHA) to promote awareness and education about cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) health. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America, and the AHA strives to reduce the incidents of heart attacks and strokes through education, prevention and health care. Studies have shown that heart attacks can present very differently in women than in men; for example, some women having a heart attack never experience the crushing chest pain that is common in men. Also, women are less likely to get prompt and appropriate medical care for cardiovascular-related problems, so there is a need to specifically address these issues for the female population. It’s never too late or too early to be heart-healthy, and all the red dresses, jackets, shirts and shoes today are a great reminder to all of us, men and women, of just how important that is.
OK, that’s it for now. This weekend, I’m off to the Destination Imagination AEM Construction Challenge, and then I’m making snowballs with the snow from my balcony. I’m doing an experiment to figure out the best way to keep snowballs in the freezer so I can play with them in the spring. If anyone has great ideas besides zip-lock bags, send them in!
Have a great weekend!
-Rabiah
March 27, 2009 at 2:03 pm
[...] of genomic information – how is privacy protected, who has access, and what can people use it for? (I wrote about this in a previous Friday Five) Confirming those fears is an interesting experiment conducted by New [...]