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It's a new phage in medicine

Bacteriophages ("phages" for short) were the only effective treatment against infectious diseases until antibiotics came along during WWII.

 Phages are the most ubiquitous organism on Earth. They are naturally occurring viruses that infect bacteria and bacteria only. We live in a sea of phages. Our bodies are more phage than human. There approximately 10 to the 32 power of them around us. That's 10 with 32 zeros behind it.

Antibiotics cannot keep up with evolving infections, while phages naturally co-evolve with the bacteria.

Currently we are in a growing antibiotic crisis and phage therapy is getting a serious look again. Here's a fascinating discussion from National Public Radio.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 10:42 PM on April 4, 2008 (37 comments)

We are all pathetic geeks at one time or another.

Pathetic Geek Stories is back! After a hiatus of almost three years we can once again revel in new comic strips detailing people's most humiliating youthful (and inevitably cringe-worthy) moments.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 9:17 AM on March 21, 2008 (23 comments)

Pete's Pond in Africa is my favorite. (previously)...

National Geographic has a lot of cool webcams. Pete's Pond in Africa is my favorite. (previously) It's up and running again for its third season till mid-December, the end of the dry season. Best viewing times are 4-8 PM EST and 12-4 AM EST. Lots of highlights can be found at youtube, of course. NG also provides the Seal Cam from Año Nuevo, California, Bald Eagle Cam from Maine, the Kakadu Cam from Australia and and the Polar Bear Cam from Canada. There are a lot of grizzly bears fishing right now on the Bear Cam from Alaska, but the Crane Cam from Nebraska is down right now. To view these cams you have to sit through a short commercial at first, but after that it's all live wildlife goodness. There are also very active forums where people share their screencaps and vicarious adventures.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 12:30 PM on September 3, 2007 (12 comments)

Stop the presses!

Firms with White House ties get Katrina contracts Halliburton Co. subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root and Bechtel have been awarded no-bid contracts in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. There's also this.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 11:24 AM on September 17, 2005 (80 comments)

Big Ass Shark!

Giant Mako Shark Video
On Friday some fishheads in Pensacola, FL, cruising only 300 yards off the beach came up on a 10' mako shark that happened to be munching on what might have been (before it got munched) a world record tarpon. The video is almost 8 min. long and there are some good shots of the shark near the boat. It is also rich in loud, NSFW language. BTW, the mako is the only shark known to jump when hooked.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 3:42 AM on April 24, 2005 (27 comments)

The Hubble gets a reprieve...maybe.

They're going to try to save the Hubble telescope after all! Yea!
Nasa chief Sean O'Keefe has asked for a firm mission proposal to be worked up in a year, after which a decision whether to proceed will be made.

As discussed previously in this thread, it looked like NASA didn't want to devote the resourses necessary to maintain the 14 year old telescope.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 11:00 AM on August 11, 2004 (9 comments)

Ashcroft's Justice Dept. witholds list of foreign lobbyists

The Bush administration is offering a novel reason for denying a Freedom of Information Act request seeking the Justice Department's database on foreign lobbyists: Copying the information would bring down the computer system.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 3:12 PM on June 30, 2004 (19 comments)

Archeology motherlode in Utah

Artifacts were lying on the ground untouched for more than 1,000 years.
For sixty years Waldo Wilcox, a rancher in Utah, kept people off his land about 130 miles South of Salt Lake City. The reason was a string of prehistoric indian settlements that stretch 12 miles. (more inside)
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 11:05 AM on June 25, 2004 (13 comments)

Moore scores

Michael Moore finds distribution for his explosive new Bush expose', Fahrenheit 9/11.
 For those interested, this is the latest chapter in the Moore saga.
More Moore discussions here, here, here, here and here.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 1:49 AM on May 29, 2004 (34 comments)

It's Kerry's election to lose

Zogby calls the election for Kerry
John Zogby goes out on a limb and predicts John Kerry will be the next POTUS.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 10:24 AM on May 11, 2004 (38 comments)

No more free email?!

Bill Gates proposes an end to free email
If the U.S. Postal Service delivered mail for free, our mailboxes would surely runneth over with more credit-card offers, sweepstakes entries, and supermarket fliers. That's why we get so much junk e-mail: It's essentially free to send. So Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates, among others, is now suggesting that we start buying "stamps" for e-mail.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 11:32 AM on March 5, 2004 (46 comments)

Report says Bush planned Iraq War before 9/11

New report says Bush planned Iraq War before 9/11 Jan. 10 — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill charges in a new book that President Bush entered office in January 2001 intent on invading Iraq and was in search of a way to go about it.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 10:52 AM on January 10, 2004 (101 comments)

BUSH PULLS OUT OF SPEECH TO PARLIAMENT

Bush pulls out of speech to Parliament during upcoming British trip. Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Francois Mitterand, have all given speeches to the Lords and the Commons while visiting Britain, but Bush is afraid of hecklers.
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 10:09 AM on November 17, 2003 (63 comments)

The Diebold Memos' Smoking Gun

The Diebold Memos' Smoking Gun
Volusia County Memos Disclose Election 2000 Vote Fraud
posted to MetaFilter by wsg at 9:43 AM on October 26, 2003 (47 comments)