Social – Australian Science

How the Internet Has Changed the World

Maya Edberg — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 11:15:35 +0000

The Internet revolutionised the way we live, learn, communicate and the way we do our business.Today, most of us can’t and won’t imagine our lives without it and we take the existence of the Internet for granted. Younger generations may not be aware of this fact – but us who were born in the 70s and 80s had no other means of communication except letters, telegrams and bulky desk phones when we were teenagers! No Wikipedia, MMO games, email, YouTube videos, social networks, liking, sharing and online courses – just good old books, face to face socialising and playing movies on our VHS player. The Internet has become an ultimate worldwide broadcast “entity

Cite this article:
Edberg M (2014-10-14 11:15:35). How the Internet Has Changed the World. Australian Science. Retrieved: May 02, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/technology/internet-changed-world/

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The Contagion of Violence

Charles Ebikeme — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:04:56 +0000

When Professor Plum killed Dr Black, in the library, with the candlestick it was for no other reason than murder is a disease. Murder is infectious and the contagion of violence is everywhere.

Violence begets violence.Violence within nations and cultures. It occurs within families and between partners. It increases the risk of violence directed at children and increases the risk of the children behaving violently themselves. Violence within a community perpetuates and spreads. Children catch it from their parents, and parents can catch it from their children. Violence is highly contagious in all respects it seems.

It was a 2012 essay by L. Rowell Huesmann that sparked off a study, appearing in Justice Quarterly. A study with a simple premise and question; if homicide is infectious, it should diffuse through communities, infecting those susceptible, and that diffusion should be detectable. Much in the same way we can track the flu from year to year, we can track the spread of murder as an epidemic. It offers an interesting way of looking at murder and homicide.

Welcome to Newark, New Jersey. A city that houses roughly 277,000 people has a homicide and murder rate over three times greater than that of anywhere else in the US. There were 104 murders and 504 shooting victims in 2006 alone. Firearms were used in 71% of the 380 reported murders in 2011. Suffice it to say, Newark is not a safe place.

The study took a look at how murders and homicides moved and behaved over a 26-year period (1982 to 2008) across the city. Firearms and gangs were the infectious agents; spreading from within the centre of the city and spreading south-westerly over the course of nearly three decades.

Their main argument is that the way murders move across a community is not random. The elements required for disease to propagate itself may be relevant and can be applied to the movement of homicide. And if this is so, then it can be predicted and controlled.

If you take a look at a map of Newark it is hard to see a pattern. Homicides occurred in all parts of the city. Almost the entire city appears to be a hot spot for murder. But analysis over the decades suggest that there was expansion of overall homicides between 1982 and 2008 with a dip in 1997 and a sharp rise in 2000. And highlighted an area of the city (North and East) that seemed largely immune to the spread of homicide. Indeed, murder was on the move.

The criminal justice system seeks to prevent murder, but only after the fact — by deterring those that do it with the penalty that awaits them after the fact (jail and criminal prosecution). Indeed, police forces already have an eye out for certain hotspots within a location. Areas where violence is known to spark and ignite at any given moment. What they don’t know is where it will go next. The authors of the study model homicide as an infectious disease as simply a way to offer instructive understanding of how homicide works. The most telling application of this non-literal model is the fact that for homicide to spread as a disease, a population susceptible to transmission must be present. Just like every other infectious agent, except this time poverty and social inequality replace a population with no herd immunity.

Image — source

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Weekly Science Picks

Magdeline.L — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 00:15:18 +0000

The midlife crisis is more complicated than first thought. It might be time to stop blaming troubled marriages and feeling obsolete in a sea of younger colleagues. A study published in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences has revealed that chimpanzees and orangutans also experience a midlife crisis.

Having a midlife crisis may not just be the result of a troubled marriage or the thought that life may be halfway over. It might be part of primate biology. That’s right, hardwired into us.

Economist Andrew Oswald told ABC Science that it might be beneficial.

“Maybe discontent lights a fire under people, causing them to achieve more for themselves and their family.”

A shiny new red sports car might just indeed lead to better things.

Danielle Spencer runs a science club at Mitchelton State School in Queensland and explored where gender stereotypes in science began. Where does the perception that men do the “hard” sciences and women do the “soft” sciences come from? A group of 45 primary school students were surveyed and it was found that a majority of students thought that science was accessible to both genders.

When asked why there are more men than women in engineering roles, the students responded with gender based answers like “Girls like dancing and other jobs.” and “Women are more suited to caring and developing jobs like childcare and nursing.”. There was no response that challenging this observation. This was despite 75% of the group thinking that science was accessible to them. It is disheartening to hear.

Students were asked whether their science club should be split into a boys only and girls only science club, there was overwhelming support for a combined science club. There was an appreciation and acknowledgement that irrespective of gender, everyone had a valuable contribution. At the moment this cohort of students believe that science is something that everyone can do. The question remains though, how do we get adults to believe this?

As this week drew to a close, attention focused on NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. A story broke at NPR reporting that the Curiosity Rover may have found some exciting news. Project Scientist at the Mars Science Laboratory, John Grotzinger was quoted to saying:

“We’re getting data from SAM as we sit here and speak, and the data looks really interesting.”

SAM, the Sample Analysis at Mars is a miniaturised chemistry lab. On board is a Gas Chromatograph, Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer, Tunable Laser Spectrometer as well as sample processing systems that allow heating and chemically treating samples. Normally these instruments would fill the space in a laboratory but on Curiosity it’s around the size of a microwave. SAM is being used to collect information about the past and present chemistry of Mars. As well as this SAM is also identifying organic and inorganic chemical molecules known to be important to life on Earth.

So what has SAM found? Nothing has been confirmed but it does sound like there is something especially when Grotzinger says:

“This data is gonna be one for the history books.”

We will have to wait at least several weeks before NASA makes an announcement.

New Zealand’s volcano, Mount Tongariro made it into this week’s news with an eruption on Wednesday. Luckily there have been no reports of damage or injuries. However, a group of travellers and journalists hiking at the time witnessed and filmed the eruption.

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The Science Surrounding James Bond

Kelly Burnes — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:50:43 +0000

James Bond in Skyfall. Original source: The Guardian. Photograph: Francois Duhamel

Bond. Double Bond.

That was a quip a lab partner of mine cracked during a sophomore chemistry class and I have not forgotten since. And it is a perfect lead in for this week’s post as I take you through the past and into a closer look with – The Science Surrounding James Bond.

This year marks the 50^th Anniversary of Ian Fleming’s classic James Bond series. And Friday, 9 November 2012, the 23^rd installment of the series, Skyfall, hit theatres in the United States. And I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

I became a James Bond fan early on, around age 5, thanks to my Dad. Perhaps, not the most appropriate film choice for a 5-year-old per se, but that’s water under the bridge. What captivated my attention so? The action-packed chases, the sports cars (Aston Martin DB5, yes, please), the explosions, the science behind it all!

The Quartermaster – Q

The Quartermaster, known affectionately by the moniker ‘Q’ is head of the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service. Q – always the scene stealer, in my opinion, whether portrayed by John Cleese, Desmond Llewellyn, Peter Burton, and now the youngest gadget genius, Ben Whishaw – keeps the spy business humming along. Where would 007 be without Q who created so many of those gadgets allowing his to escape safely and serve country and Queen? Q in fact answers this question in License to Kill.

“If it hadn’t been for Q Branch, you’d have been dead long ago” – Q to Bond

Yes, where would James Bond be without science and technology?

I could not possibly list all of the gadgets and technology featured in the James Bond films. Well, I could, but for space’s sake I’ll refrain. I’ll just highlight some of the more clever mechanics and mind-blowing inventions, some of which still have relevance today. Perhaps. This may be a list of mundane ordinary household items or personal effects, that are anything but, and all very much deadly. I’ll also include the movie reference for homework, just in case you’d like to check it out for yourself.

Handgun with palm recognition – Skyfall

Bioemetric Fingerprint Scanner – Diamonds Are Forever

Radioactive Lint – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Fun fact – George Lazenby who played Bond in this film is Australian)

Perfume Flamethrower – The Spy Who Loved Me

Montblanc fountain pen – Octopussy

Mini Submarine – For Your Eyes Only

SNOOPER – A View to a Kill

Philips Keychain – The Living Daylights

Miniature Binoculars – The Living Daylights

Dentonite Toothpaste – Licence to Kill

Surfboard – Die Another Day

Kids, there is a lot of chemistry, physics and hi-stakes math going on these films, so pay attention. Many of these inventions and gadgets helped keep humankind safe from terrorism and evil in the films. I’d hate to be a Debbie Downer and mention the downside, such as the loss of life, and destruction to the environment that sometimes results from Bond’s escapades, but there is a price to pay for freedom. All the more reason to study the sciences with the aim to improve the societal good of the world!

The Old and the New

The tales of Bond have allowed audiences to see the world; those that maybe haven’t had the luxury to travel so much. For a kid growing up on a farm in the Midwest, those movies opened my eyes to different lands and cultures and set my mind racing with possibilities. Possibilities of what I wanted to do in the field of science.

I really don’t want to give anything away for those that have yet to see the film (IT’S SUPERB!), but Skyfall especially displays that melding of the classic Bond with the futuristic Bond. Bond has actually found immortality – the writers, producers and actors have found ways to continually reincarnate and refresh this character for future audiences. Here’s to another 50 years of shaken martinis, fine tailoring, fast sports cars, death-defying stunts, witty one-liners and keeping the world safe from terrorism at all levels. Cheers.

Cite this article:
Burnes K (2012-11-14 08:50:43). The Science Surrounding James Bond. Australian Science. Retrieved: May 02, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/news/the-science-surrounding-james-bond/

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Payload

Kelly Burnes — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 06:58:02 +0000

Source: http://www.payloadfilm.com/about/

Science Fiction

This may not be the usual topic for a blog post normally displayed on Australian Science, but when our editor Danica mentioned she saw this great Aussie short and asked if one of us writers wanted to do a narrative, I jumped at it. The next 17:55 of my lunch break left me in awe.

A movie doesn’t have to be a full length feature to have an impact or drive home a message. And Payload really packs a punch. There were so many messages; messages of a society that travelled down a drainpipe. Clarke’s Town is a place that would have just about every council of the United Nations mired in details and confusion and working round the clock. The issues raised in this fictional setting being human trafficking, prostitution, the sale of human organs or body parts, smuggling, security, poverty, gender, food, clothing, education… corruption is everywhere. You get a sense of normalcy among the Carter clan, but that normalcy is faced against the outside operations of a world that does not make sense,which is far bigger than the Carters. Sacrifice is the only way for survival.

Clarke’s Town is a functioning spaceport, which is a character in and of itself in this story. This spaceport, this crawler, is painted as an escape to freedom and perhaps to normalcy – from dystopia to utopia. Is that why the mother never came back? Is Davinia “Dave” Carter now saved from what one can only suspect was to be a dreadful and despairing existence? Simon Carter may have been doing what he had to do, but he is Davinia’s hero. The main characters – Simon, Adam Carter (the father) and Kate Henshaw – each went through a visible transformation, almost a metamorphosis of sorts. They took what little there was of a moral high ground when it came to the reasoning of right and wrong (no matter how wrong). With Davinia, as she says goodbye to Simon at the spaceport, she leaves you with the thought that her transformation, her payload, is yet to come. I find it rather apropos the meaning of the name Davinia/David is “beloved”.

I’m having a hard recalling when exactly was the last time a movie moved me as much as this little motion picture has. From the setting, to the haunting yet soothing tones of the music, it makes you think what society, our world, would be like without some of the resources we take for granted every day. More so, I think it makes you think about some of the countries, or communities, in this world just struggling to gain access to basic resources.

Writer and director Stuart Willis mentioned extending Payload into a feature – set 10 years later when Earth is being evacuated. Will answers be given to the questions raised in the short? My synapses are already firing up hypothetical synopses. If there were a motion picture category for the Nobel Prize, I would say award it to Mr. Willis straight away.

Watch the movie.

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Ada Lovelace Day: celebrating women in science, technology, engineering and maths

Jessie — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:56:19 +0000

In the 1800s, Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician, worked with inventor Charles Babbage on a plan for an “analytical engine.

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Amy Cuddy at TED: Your body language shapes who you are

Editorial Board — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:37:33 +0000

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing

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Weekly Science Picks

Kelly Burnes — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 03:01:39 +0000

So much science, so little time... - Photo credit, Leo Reynolds

Sigh, my photo caption sums it all up…

But here are the news stories that caught my eye and I hope you find them interesting as well. Maybe reading them will inspire your own work or to dig deeper for answers. In any case, enjoy!

This is one of my favorite topics because it offers up rampant debate on so many topics – society, education, cognition. You’re just going to have to read it for yourself.

This Is Your Brain on the Internet (Maybe) by Kyle Hill

So what is the Internet doing to our thinking? It is hard to say. Current research has a hard time keeping up with the break-neck pace of online culture, and only the more conventional mediums like television and newspapers have been evaluated in any rigorous sense.

Newspapers might be old school, but they do have an online media presence as well these days. This article was published in The Australian this week and concerns Australia’s own CSIRO. Genetically modified crops and foods have been a part of our collective diet for many years, whether or not some want to admit it. And they are here to stay. I am of the opinion that they play an important role in our food security given a number of ever changing variables in our environment. The usual characters are depicted in this piece and it will be interesting to follow this story and hear the response from CSIRO.

Scientists Wary of CSIRO GM Crop by Adam Cresswell

SCIENTISTS from three countries are warning a CSIRO-led push to make Australia the first nation in the world to introduce genetically modified wheat crops could pose a significant health threat to humans and other animals.

If you haven’t heard, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg has banned sugary soft drink sales in cups larger than 16 0z. in his efforts to personally tackle the obesity epidemic. I feel some disclaimers are in order: One, this story did appear on www.bloomberg.com, but you could have found it in a variety of online publications; and two, I serve on the Mayor’s Best Practices Partnership to identify strategies to combat childhood obesity. That being said, I find the details of the ban interesting as you can see in the quote below. I personally do not see the need for a a 32 oz. soda, but people who want their sugary fix will do some quick addition, carry more cans or bottles and walk to get more refills. Oh, how long must we wait for data on this?!

NYC Health Panel Backs Bloomberg Ban on Super-Size Sodas by Henry Goldman and Leslie Patton

Restaurants, movie theaters and other outlets have six months to comply or face a $200 fine each time there’s a violation, the health department said. The ban doesn’t apply to convenience stores and groceries that don’t act primarily as purveyors of prepared foods, which are regulated by New York state. The rules do allow consumers to buy as many of the smaller drinks as they want and to get refills.

To continue with the discussion on obesity, this is an interesting read which once again highlights the genetics vs. environment debate.

What’s the Main Cause of Obesity – Our Genes or the Environment? from ScienceDaily with resources from the BMJ (British Medical Journal)

The ongoing obesity epidemic is creating an unprecedented challenge for healthcare systems around the world, but what determines who gets fat?

And one last article that I thought was noteworthy, and a bit on the strange side by the title:

Chemists Develop Nose-Like Array to ‘Smell’ Cancer from ScienceDaily, findings appear in the current issue of the journal ACS Nano

The chemist says, “Smell ‘A’ generates a pattern in the nose, a unique set of activated receptors, and these are different for every smell we encounter. Smell ‘B’ has a different pattern. Your brain will instantly recognize each, even if the only time you ever smelled it was 40 years ago. In the same way, we can tune or teach our nanoparticle array to recognize many healthy tissues, so it can immediately recognize something that’s even a little bit ‘off,’ that is, very subtly different from normal. It’s like a ‘check engine’ light, and assigns a different pattern to each ‘wrong’ tissue. The sensitivity is exquisite, and very powerful.”

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ScienceOnline 2013 – be a part of the program, and participate!

Editorial Board — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 08:44:59 +0000

ScienceOnline2013 conference will take place Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in the McKimmon Conference Center on the campus of N.C. State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For those not familiar with ScienceOnline conferences, ScienceOnline started in 2007 as a one-day conference with 135 people who wanted to explore the world of science blogging. Today, ScienceOnline has grown into an international and interconnected network of thousands of individuals, local groups and regional affiliations, and signature annual events that delve into all the ways that science is done, shared, communicated and supported through the Web and tools of social media.

In short, ScienceOnline is a global community – a community built through our online connections and face-to-face conversations.

Those connections and conversations have been in full splendor online with the hashtag #scio13.

Note that the scio13 planning wiki, where you can add suggestions for discussion sessions, workshops and demonstrations, will close July 1 at 12 noon E.D.T. Bora and the program committee will then begin to build the program for the conference.

More about ScienceOnline 2013: http://scienceonlinenow.org/2012/06/scienceonline2013-be-a-part-of-the-program/

Australian Science on #scio12: http://www.australianscience.com.au/education/scienceonline2012-the-power-of-the-scientific-community/ and http://www.australianscience.com.au/technology/science-online-2012-wrapping-up/

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Is Communication a Lost Art?

Kelly Burnes — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 07:50:17 +0000

So how far away are we from planet Earth morphing into Holodeck 5 and we all have Geordi La Forge glasses? There are several pairs of augmented reality glasses already on the market, many from brands you’ve probably never heard of, but then I’m sure you have heard of Google and their latest project in the foray.

No longer information at your fingertips, oh no, information at your eyelashes. And much more than information, as some researchers and visionaries have conjured up all sorts of ways to use these glasses. From finding directions to a new coffeehouse, online dating, downloading music, answering a phone call, no need for a handheld device.

Some have taken it a step further. Dr. Michio Kaku, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the City University of New York, seems to believe these glasses will forever change the way we interact with the world. He speaks about when you walk into a crowded room, say for a networking event where you are looking to land a new job. Your glasses will steer you who to speak with in that industry. A big red arrow will point them out to you. But in your glasses, their entire biography is laid out before your eyes. Where they went to school, how many brothers and sisters they have, the name of their dog – you have all this information. Likewise, someone wearing these glasses would have all this information about you. What questions will you ask? What would be left to discover about the people you meet at this event? What is their left to converse about? Oh right, work. You can talk about work.

The art of conversation involves the asking of questions. Wouldn’t these reality glasses just negate the need to speak with anyone? Is technology reducing our social ability to communicate with the spoken language? Is it in fact devolving our language? Or are we evolving and becoming more efficient that we no longer require the use of our vocal chords? Getting a bit far out there.

Social media has connected us, we keep “in touch

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