Viral Outbreaks in Dogs Yield Clues on Origins of Hepatitis C

Posted on May 30, 2011May 28, 2020 by Lori Jia

The New York Times, May 30, 2011

Hepatitis C is, in some ways, a high-profile disease. Worldwide, an estimated 200 million people are infected with the virus. Some of them will suffer cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death. Celebrities like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and “American Idol” have spoken publicly of their infections.

But mysteries still shroud the disease. Typically spread through drug injections, blood transfusions and sexual contact, hepatitis C can quietly cause liver damage for 20 years or more before victims become aware that they are ill. “Worldwide, it’s causing devastation,” said Brian Edlin, an epidemiologist at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.

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Lisa Randall to judge this year’s 3 Quarks Daily science prize. Send in your nomination!

Posted on May 28, 2011August 21, 2021 by Matt Kristoffersen

The blog 3 Quarks Daily awards an annual prize for the best science blog post of the year. This year, Harvard physicist Lisa Randall is judging the entries. The deadline is May 31 11:59 pm EST. If there’s a blog post that has really stood out in your memory from the past year (since May 22, 2010 to be precise), go here to nominate it.

The Symmetry of Sleep

Posted on May 28, 2011August 21, 2021 by Matt Kristoffersen

The World Science Festival is going to kick off on Wednesday in New York (I’ll be speaking Thursday on a panel, on telling the stories of science in print and online.) The festival organizers have been publishing a blog on some of the topics that will be explored next week. Riffing on the session on sleep, I’ve just contributed a piece on some wonderful recent research on what it means for us to be asleep and to be awake–and the surprising porous wall that divides the two states of mind. Check it out.

[Image: Wikipedia]

Arsenic life redux: how #arseniclife helped change science

Posted on May 27, 2011August 21, 2021 by Matt Kristoffersen

It’s been six months since #arseniclife became one of my favorite hashtags on Twitter. Over at Slate, I look at how the online conversation has changed the way scientists do their work. Check it out.

Engineering the planet–with viruses?

Posted on May 27, 2011August 21, 2021 by Matt Kristoffersen

Today I close out a month-long guest blog over at the University of Chicago Press to mark the publication of my book A Planet of Viruses. I’ve been talking with experts about some of the most thought-provoking areas of virus research–

1. Can viruses control our minds?

2. Should we eliminate smallpox?

3. How can we use viruses to cure disease?

Today I talk with Penny Chisholm of MIT about the viruses that fill the worlds oceans (a billion in every spoonful). They kill off half the bacteria in the ocean every day, dumping out carbon and having enormous ecological effects–and perhaps even effects on the planet’s climate. Chisholm and I speculate on whether we could use viruses to manipulate the planet as a whole. It’s extreme speculation to be sure–but, then again, when it comes to viruses, the truth can sometimes seem too fantastic to be real. Check it out!