bmp - Slashdot User

Ocean-Crossing Dragonflies Discovered 95

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday January 06, 2010 @10:45PM from the incredible-journey dept.

grrlscientist writes "While living and working as a marine biologist in Maldives, Charles Anderson noticed sudden explosions of dragonflies at certain times of year. He explains how he carefully tracked the path of a plain, little dragonfly called the Globe Skimmer, Pantala flavescens, only to discover that it had the longest migratory journey of any insect in the world."

Scientists Say a Dirty Child Is a Healthy Child 331

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday November 24, 2009 @07:07PM from the snack-is-going-to-be-on-the-floor-today dept.

Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California have shown that the more germs a child is exposed to, the better their immune system in later life. Their study found that keeping a child's skin too clean impaired the skin's ability to heal itself. From the article: "'These germs are actually good for us,' said Professor Richard Gallo, who led the research. Common bacterial species, known as staphylococci, which can cause inflammation when under the skin, are 'good bacteria' when on the surface, where they can reduce inflammation."

Comment Separation of powers (Score 1) 388

by bmp on Tuesday March 12, 2002 @10:49AM (#3148814) Attached to: Hong Kong Gets Smart ID Cards

There is a very basic principle in democracy that is called separation of powers. Law making, law enforcement and justice have to be independant. Having a single id is a bit like not having powers separation : it smells like dictature. Your taxman does not need to know your consumer habits, nor health information, and things should be made in such a way that crossing information is, if not impossible, very difficult. Having a single card that can be use for almost anything is a potential risk : yes, our governments may swear they will respect our privacy... until they decide that for exceptional reasons they absolutely need to cross information - and if you go against it your patriotism will be in question. The "separation of IDs" will maybe need years of fighting, but is certainly the next fight for democracy.

Slashdot Top Deals