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OT: The F*cking Science Thread

Bleedsblue&white said:
I find myself wanting to live to a ripe old age just so I can see what the hell my grandkids will be driving/flying, etc. We're already at public trips into space, give us a few more decades.
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I'm with you, but I find that things have advanced so slowly in the 33 years I've been alive (in terms of methods of transportation and fuel sources).... I think the next big thing over the next 20 years will be autonomous vehicles which are possible today but the infrastructure isn't there yet.... that should be a game changer!
 
I know they're working on it, and they have that DARPA challenge going...we already have parking-assist...so yeah, I can see that. Just think, all those people texting and driving will cease to be a death-threat.

Of course, drinking and driving will change forever.
 
That is awesome....so funny.

I want to use those sub-headings in my thesis.

Stuff We Did
Stuff We Found Out
Chit Chat
Conclusion
 
Science >>>>


http://now.msn.com/squeezing-breasts-can-stop-cancer?ocid=vt_fbmsnnow


Getting to second base, the holy grail for hormonal boys, is now science: New research has shown that squeezing breasts could prevent malignant breast cells from causing cancer. This doesn’t give pervy dudes license to grope you on the subway, ladies, but it does mean boob-grabbing should be a regular part of your self-care routine (yes, absolutely try it DIY-style). Experiments found that physical pressure led cells back to normal growth patterns, and that even after compression was no longer applied, the malignant cells stopped growing. Spread the word, boob-lovers of the world. [Source]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...fixtures-to-cut-superbugs-say-scientists.html

Researchers have discovered that copper and alloys made from the metal, including brass, can prevent antibiotic resistance in bacteria from spreading.

Plastic and stainless steel surfaces, which are now widely used in hospitals and public settings, allow bacteria to survive and spread when people touch them.

Even if the bacteria die, DNA that gives them resistance to antibiotics can survive and be passed on to other bacteria on these surfaces. Copper and brass, however, can kill the bacteria and also destroy this DNA.

Professor Bill Keevil, head of the microbiology group at Southampton University, said using copper on surfaces in public places and on public transport could dramatically cut the threat posed by superbugs.
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It can get out of hand lol...they make faucets, door plates, garbage cans...etc.etc. It's crazy but you know what? I rarely if ever get sick and my wife works in a kindergarden class.
 
I wouldn't worry about it at home personally. Just like I wouldn't overdo it on the antibacterial hand soap/hand sanitizer at home.

It's a little different in a hospital setting but I just use regular soap and water at home.
 
hockeylover said:
I wouldn't worry about it at home personally. Just like I wouldn't overdo it on the antibacterial hand soap/hand sanitizer at home.

It's a little different in a hospital setting but I just use regular soap and water at home.
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If it's something as simple as door handles, faucets, etc, etc....that's something that can be integrated into the interior design of my house, and cut down on transferability of bacteria, it seems like a pretty reasonable precaution to make. If it stops me from getting ill and missing work once (which for me is a week), it's paid for itself a few times over.

I agree that it's most effective use is in a health care setting (hospitals, nursing homes, etc), but this is a pretty basic alteration we can make that can potentially cut down on transferred illnesses. Shit, we only use stainless steel because it's shiny and doesn't rust easily. Brass can meet both requirements and is about 66% the cost of stainless, also significantly cheaper to machine into finished products.
 
MindzEye said:
If it's something as simple as door handles, faucets, etc, etc....that's something that can be integrated into the interior design of my house, and cut down on transferability of bacteria, it seems like a pretty reasonable precaution to make. If it stops me from getting ill and missing work once (which for me is a week), it's paid for itself a few times over.

I agree that it's most effective use is in a health care setting (hospitals, nursing homes, etc), but this is a pretty basic alteration we can make that can potentially cut down on transferred illnesses. Shit, we only use stainless steel because it's shiny and doesn't rust easily. Brass can meet both requirements and is about 66% the cost of stainless, also significantly cheaper to machine into finished products.
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If you already have these materials in your home, cool, but to replace them for this reason is a complete waste of money, IMO. I would imagine 100% of the Clinical Microbiologists I work with would say it's simply not necessary.
 
hockeylover said:
If you already have these materials in your home, cool, but to replace them for this reason is a complete waste of money, IMO. I would imagine 100% of the Clinical Microbiologists I work with would say it's simply not necessary.
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and these same microbiologists are aware of this recent research?
 
Like I said, I would imagine they'd respond to it exactly like I am. It's very interesting and may be useful in some public settings but to run out and replace all your faucets and door handles at home would seem quite excessive to people in my job.
 
Like I said, I would imagine they'd respond to it exactly like I am. It's very interesting and may be useful in some public settings but to run out and replace all your faucets and door handles at home would seem quite excessive to people in my job.
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Again though, if it limits the ability for people to transfer bacteria within a home, why not? A few hundred dollars would do the whole house, and again, if it stopped the average adult from contracting 1 illness over the lifetime of the replacement parts, it's paid for itself. In some cases (like my own), many times over. Homes with people in high risk professions (nurses, etc) or with children would also see benefits. Getting sick is as much a economic event in a lot of peoples lives as it is a health related event.
 
Children need to be exposed to allergens, bacteria, etc in order to develop strong immunity. I wouldn't let economic cost of an illness deter the development of a strong and effective immune system. Also, less exposure of yourself to allergens would also affect the neonatal immunity of a child as well.
 
MindzEye said:
Again though, if it limits the ability for people to transfer bacteria within a home, why not? A few hundred dollars would do the whole house, and again, if it stopped the average adult from contracting 1 illness over the lifetime of the replacement parts, it's paid for itself. In some cases (like my own), many times over. Homes with people in high risk professions (nurses, etc) or with children would also see benefits. Getting sick is as much a economic event in a lot of peoples lives as it is a health related event.
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My guess would be that a follow up study examining the rates of infection between homes that have brass fixtures and surfaces and homes that do not would find that there is no real significant difference in infection rates, much like they find when they look at homes with regular soap vs. antibacterial soap.

I just walked in the door from visiting with a friend who is working towards his PhD studying mechanisms of multidrug resistance in gram negative bacteria. He'd heard of this article but his feelings on its usefulness at home were essentially the same as mine. If you still feel that it would be useful to replace all of the faucets/door handles etc though, it's absolutely your prerogative, of course.
 
I would think that many studies have been done that show bacteria transfers from solid common surfaces such as door knobs to humans.

These studies show reduced levels on surfaces. What more statistical analysis do you need? It is reducing one area of possible transmission...nothing more nothing less.
 
SundinsTooth said:
I would think that many studies have been done that show bacteria transfers from solid common surfaces such as door knobs to humans.

These studies show reduced levels on surfaces. What more statistical analysis do you need? It is reducing one area of possible transmission...nothing more nothing less.
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I think you completely missed my point though.

Yes, there may be reduced bacterial levels on these surfaces, but I have my doubts that this would actually correlate to decreased infection rates in a home setting. Hence, if you don't already have these surfaces in your house, it's probably overkill to replace them.
 
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