Universe of Discourse

I Can Has Blahhg?

2009-02-18T03:13:18Z

So, apparently I can still use the University web blog site even though I graduated! Super Duper! So I'll see you here same time, same place!

Who is that person?

2008-03-06T05:16:44Z

I was strolling through some political articles today which were talking about the primaries from yesterday. There was a spread about Obama keeping his fight despite weak losses. I passed by this one and upon closer inspection noticed that the person right behind Obama has like 5 recorders in her hands. What do you need with 5 recorders!!??? Are you going to put them all together and make a Dolby Surround version of a short press discussion on Obama 1? Anyways here's the photo:

Almost 10 Years and Still Expanding

2008-03-05T17:06:12Z

The International Space Station was put into orbit in November 1998 and has been continually added to since then. They recently posted photos of the station with new modules in place. (Via Astronomy Picture of the Day).

ISS Circa 2002

ISS Circa 2008

Something Fishy

2008-03-05T14:52:49Z

So I'm having a little problem with my blaahg updating its front page! I'm annoyed, because there is a sweet picture in the last entry, check it out in the science category section.

Don't Buy Bottle Water

2008-03-05T14:38:57Z

Not only do we have some of the strictest water standards in the united states, which bottled water makers do not need to adhere to, it also costs a lot more ecologically to produce all those stupid bottles. Go Glass!

Get Vaccinated!

2008-02-29T15:22:04Z

Every winter you hear the same thing, "Get Vaccinated!" or as they say here at the University of Minnesota, "Do it for the herd!" Despite the fact they make humans into a pack of animals, this is exactly what we are. Packed into cities, apartment buildings, dorms and schools, there is real danger that a simple disease can be easily passed from person to person.
After growing up in the 1990's, me and my peers have never seen an epidemic that lead to mass deaths. The only thing I ever learned about was HIV, and despite the seriousness of this disease, it can only be passed through sexual contact and from bodily fluids. This characteristic of HIV makes it fairly easy to protect yourself against it.
The real threat to most people comes in the form of the flu and other diseases that can be passed on just by sneezing or being careless. We may not all have seen the effects of this, but the history books show what can happen. The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic killed around 20 million people worldwide. Measles, a not so common disease which is becoming more common, is usually vaccinated for when a child reaches 18 months and can prove to be deadly. Unvaccinated populations in Nigeria have become at risk because they wouldn't vaccinate for religious and cultural reasons. The BBC reports that even in America and other Western Nations people are not vaccinating children because of the archaic myth that vaccinations increase the risk of Autism in children. This is absurd and with immunization could prevent 900 children under the age of nine from getting measles.
The possibility that immunization could aggravate underlying forms of autism is a dangerous myth that shouldn't even be a question any more. The vaccinations that were in question were made with thimerosal, and due to unfounded toxicity concerns have been discontinued and replaced by mercury-free mediums. The real danger is not whether a person will become autistic (I've had so many thimerosal shots I should be acting like the mad hatter if this were true) but whether that person will contract a potentially deadly illness and, even worse, pass it on.
So when living in a crowded place like a city, like a dorm, a house with multiple people, going to a busy school, or wherever you find yourself around a great number of people, don't just think of your personal well being, think of the other people. They could be carrying a virus, or could be susceptible to a virus. Get vaccinated. Do it for the herd.

Wyatt Bordewyk: Immortilized on the Internets (InterWeb, What Have You)

2008-02-25T04:35:54Z

If you happen to be on google maps any time soon, check out 711 5th Ave SE, 55414. You will be able to see Yours Truly looking bewildered at the silly looking car while trying to fix my bicycle.

An Informed Government is the Best Government

2008-02-12T18:10:42Z

Have you ever wondered where your favorite candidates stand on issues other than immigration, health care, gun control, etc etc? Have you ever wondered if they could pass a high school biology test? Do you ever wonder if they really care about national innovation? Well look no further than ScienceDebate2008! The candidates have been informed and now they need the necessary prodding to push them into talking about the issues. Email your candidate (Hell-email all the candidates) and urge them to participate in this crucial discussion. Contact information can be found here. Let's turn this into the Great Science Debate of 2008!

Happy Darwin Day!

2008-02-12T18:00:35Z

Today is Darwins Birthday! Pay respects here
And for all those in the Valentines spirit:

Romney the Incoherent and McCain the Democrat

2008-02-08T14:36:19Z

Amid a crowd of "Oh Noeing" conservatives yesterday, Mitt Romney decided to step aside and gave John McCain the lead in the Republican race for candidacy. During his speech at the CPAC Romney stated that he was dropping out of the race because of his extreme love for America, and that he was basically too incompetent to run a country that has been mired in an extremely unpopular war in Iraq.
Despite his ridiculous speech, Romney managed to give his less conservative(?) competitor John McCain his support to defeat the terrorist loving Liberals, or as Romney so eloquently put it:

I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

And with that McCain was later booed to stage, despite CPAC organizers preemptive attempt to remind people to be civilized. Anyways, I'll leave you with this picture. Note how FOX News (oxy-moron?) "accidentally" labeled John McCain a Democrat.

w00t-Made it work

2008-02-07T21:32:38Z

I feel kinda silly! I haven't blogged for a while, so when making the last post I embedded some simple html and forgot a quote symbol that messed it all up. I was stumped for a week. Silly me! Any who, look for more awesome posts coming to your computer soon!

Gene Expression as a Function of Diet

2008-01-31T21:18:02Z

In my lab I work with a transcription factor called the Carbohydrate Response Element Binding Protein (ChREBP) that activates in a pathway that uses glucose as a signaling molecule to activate transcription of a certain set of genes. The signaling occurs after meals rich in carbohydrates, which are converted to simpler sugars such as glucose. This signaling can have a great effect on which proteins are being expressed at any point.
PLoS ONE has an article by Somel, Creely, et al that takes a look at how the diet difference between humans and other primates can effect differences in phenotype and genotype.

The effects of human diets were found to be significantly different from that of a chimpanzee diet in the mouse liver, but not in the brain. Importantly, 10% of the genes that differ in their expression between humans and chimpanzee livers differed also between the livers of mice fed the human and chimpanzee diets. Furthermore, both the promoter sequences and the amino acid sequences of these diet-related genes carry more differences between humans and chimpanzees than random genes. Our results suggest that the mouse can be used to study at least some aspects of human-specific traits.

Support The Troops!

2008-01-31T20:32:09Z

By buying this fashionable vehicle accessory!

Getting Close

2008-01-30T23:27:49Z

Well, I finished my color scheme and added my college links! While you wait for more improvements (like a blog roll, etc) enjoy this picture!

Under Construction

2008-01-29T17:51:42Z

Hold out for a sweet new interface! I'll be blogging in no time...flat!