Comment Re:Exactly What American Med Schools Want (Score 1) 100
The comments above are quite true and in no way exaggerated. Being a good physician after passing the USMLE or COMLEX is mostly coincidence. Then again
Comment Not like any yogurt (Score 3, Informative) 183
This kind of treatment has been tested before and is an exciting possibility, but there have been failures in the past. Also, this is nothing like the yogurt cultures you know.
Comment Re:A question for the bio geeks.. (Score 1) 121
Comment Re:A question for the bio geeks.. (Score 1) 121
Comment Re:A question for the bio geeks.. (Score 3, Informative) 121
My main concern with your statement is the argument that stem cells are MORE susceptible to random mutation than somatic cells. This is simply false. You argued that decreased activity is a protective attribute than for stem cells. In fact, most stem cells in the human body are LESS active than somatic cells as somatic cells do the work and (monopotent) stem cells like osteoprogenitor cells are mainly there to replenish and preserve genetic information. It's a biological axiom that sex cells (sperm and ova) have the highest importance in preserving genetic integrity and that's what we see experimentally: the sex cells have BETTER preservation of information, not worse.
Comment Re:A question for the bio geeks.. (Score 5, Informative) 121
Honestly, the more prime concerns are with imperfect "stemming" or imperfect conversion to heart cells.
Then again
Comment Re:Python (Score 1) 530
Forget the arguments for javascript because you're asking for a language to 'become native to'.
The Python language is great and community is awesome.
Then again... I'm and idiot.....
Comment Re:Calling 'shock' or 'electroshock' inaccurate (Score 1) 65
Then again.... I'm an idiot.....
Comment Calling 'shock' or 'electroshock' inaccurate (Score 2) 65
This is much more analogous to overclocking a part of the brain by preferentially stimulating it to work harder. This may be used to improve performance but those applications are still far away. This is most useful as a diagnostic tool or even more likely as a research tool to try to understand what various parts of the brain do.
Then again.... I'm an idiot.....
Comment Re:Good (Score 1) 1319
Also, you seem to have misunderstood the post to which you were responding. They were agreeing with you.
Then again..... I'm an idiot....
Comment Re:How about not admitting terrorist groups (Score 2, Insightful) 735
Really? It seems with reports of shiite and suni violence from the official thugs in many middle east countries that Isreal would be the best country to support. Their record for religious freedom for Muslims beats that of their neighbors.
Certainly both sides have made many mistakes but putting Hamas beside the Isreali government shows that they're not even in the same league. Supporting Isreal and expecting any others to recognize their right to live is a fundamental requirement for peace in the middle east if they're willing to have it.
Then again.... I'm an idiot....
Comment A co-researher disagrees (Score 0) 776
Another researcher working on the same project seems to disagree. Judith Curry is the second name on the paper according to the daily mail and she's contesting the analysis of his own data as incorrect with some rather strong language.
Then again.... I'm an idiot.....
Comment Re:This can't be true! (Score 1) 519
Comment Re:This can't be true! (Score 1) 519
Very poor methodology. The US actually has the best, what you're thinking of is 'best per cost'. That's very different. We're willing to pay for all kinds of treatments that aren't available in Cuba.
If I were sick, I would want to be treated in the country that had the best absolute results, not the one that spent minimally. If I were very sick, I would want to spend every effectual dollar, not just the ones that a bureaucrat approved.