Friday is here again and I have been busy enough that there hasn't been a Fragments for a few weeks. That doesn't mean that I don't have links. If anything this edition may be the largest yet!
Before we get into the fragments, Monday will begin the "new" Behind the Bench series featuring other young people in science. First up will be a few people in pharmacy and will expand from there. So Jeremy Daniel you're up for Monday.
-Artificial organs are nothing new but that field changes everyday it seems. Two new advances in artificial lungs are quite intriguing. First, scientists have create the first artificial lung that breathes regular air instead of pure oxygen. Now people on artificial lungs aren't chained to oxygen tanks. In related news, read this article about "made-to-order" lungs. Similarly, scientists are making artificial spinal discs out of biological materials, which would be a better alternative than fusing the discs or metal/plastic discs that degrade and are subject to attack by the host's immune system.
-A few weeks ago I caught a article about the Large Hardon Collider and how close it is to finding the elusive Higgs Boson particle. That would be a major step forward for physics and chemistry (for those of you unfamiliar with the Higgs Boson here's the wiki article to catch you up).
-Work with Microsoft Excel? Check out these cheat sheets. Ctrl Shortcuts, Function Shortcuts, and Misc. Shortcuts. Also, here is your 2011 Excel World Champion. Yep there is a competition for Excel, Word, and Powerpoint now!
-NC State scientists are experimenting with new memory devices that work like a memristor. They would have the consistency of jell-o and even be implanted into the body! Creepy.
-In medicine news...another new drug has proven it can prevent HIV infection to a certain extent. More exciting than that is the prospect of a new therapy that can be used against a broad spectrum of viruses. Much like antibiotics can kill multiple bacteria, this new therapy attacks a process all viruses have in common. This lack of specificity also may prevent a virus from mutating to avoid destruction. Lastly, if you ever wondered what I studied as an undergrad student in Industrial Pharmacy, this article describes what's in Viagra. Learning the what, how, and why of these ingredients is a lot of what I studied.
-The Web at 20...take a trip drop memory lane (I'm thinking of you America Online)!
-If you are like any other normal human being, you probably love girl scout cookies. Well, one box of girl scout cookies could be worth $15 million dollars in graphene. Don't believe me, check it out!
I think that's enough for now...enjoy your Friday and weekend!
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