WUSTL economics professor David Levine says abolishing 'intellectual property' won't solve all social ills, but it would be a big step in the right direction for solving a range of problems from the high cost of health care, to innovating our way out of the current recession. In a series of posts with his co-author, WUSTL economics professor Michele Boldrin, they will be posting here about green technology, entertainment, free speech, multinationals, and innovation over the next weeks.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — Save the Whales! Abolish Patents! in the Huffingtonpost.com

Article looks at another David Page contribution to the science of genetics.
A weakness in the system that allows the male Y chromosome to protect and repair itself can explain an array of genetic sexual disorders.:
The palindromes were discovered in 2003 when the Y chromosome's sequence of bases, represented by the familiar letters G, C, T and A, was first worked out by David Page of the Whitehead Institute and colleagues at the DNA sequencing center at WUSTL medical school.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — New Clues to Sex Anomalies in How Y Chromosomes Are Copied in the The New York Times

Jon Hamilton reports on a recent German study in Science that says that for more than 50 years, scientists who study the brain have been misled by squid. They did experiments on squid nerve cells thinking that those cells were good models for the human nervous system.
WUSTL radiology professor Marcus Raichle, who does brain imaging studies, says, "There is always this tendency that if you're working in an area and your experiments are working well and you're getting good data, to not think of the larger context in which this is occurring."

References:

1. Sept. 11, 2009 — Brain Scientists Misled By Squid in the NPR Morning Edition

and 1 others.

NYU, one of the most expensive higher-education institutions in the country, has resorted to rationing paper and charging students for printouts in order to cut costs.
Seething students derided the measure, which kicks in after a student surpasses a 500-page printout limit per semester, as a cheap shot.
Similar measures have been introduced at dozens of smaller colleges -- and this year at the larger WUSTL -- for economic and environmental benefits.

References:

1. Sept. 11, 2009 — NYUers paper clipped in the New York Post

and 1 others.

Researchers led by WUSTL anthropology professor Crickette Sanz in the Republic of Congo's Nouabale-Ndoki National Park said they have discovered chimpanzees that have developed specialized "tool sets" to forage for army ants.

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Chimps use 'tool kits' to gather army ants in the United Press International

and 3 others.

An international team of scientists has reported finding two more genetic risk factors of Alzheimer's disease. Includes comments by co-author and WUSTL professor of genetics in psychiatry Alison Goate.

References:

1. Sept. 8, 2009 — More Alzheimer genetic risk factors found in the United Press International

and 3 others.

New Swiss research published in Science suggests that young animals may have a mechanism that allows them to jettison traumatic memories, but experts say it's unclear whether humans of any age can do the same. Includes comments by WUSTL psychology professor and memory specialist Mark McDaniel.

References:

1. Sept. 4, 2009 — Young Animals May Be Able to Erase Bad Memories in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 5 others.

Timothy Kuklo, a former U.S. Army surgeon, "voluntarily" resigned from WUSTL, effective Sept. 30, and "will have no clinical, research or educational duties for the university between now and that date," a spokeswoman for the university's medical school said in a statement.

References:

1. Aug. 20, 2009 — Surgeon accused of faking study resigns in the United Press International

and 1 others.

Another report on the use of nanobees -- tiny particles designed to destroy cancer cells by delivering a synthesized version of toxin called melittin that is found in bees.
Samuel Wickline, director of WUSTL's Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, explains how it works.
Nanobees are one of the latest examples of how nanotechnology may change the way diseases are treated.

References:

1. Aug. 18, 2009 — Ultra-tiny 'bees' target tumors in the CNN International

and 1 others.

Health-reform moves proposed by the White House and pursued in Congress have largely steered clear of direct hits to the medical-technology sector, with one big exception: medical imaging.
Such proposals follow years of rapid growth for medical scanning that has provoked questions about overuse.
William Peck, who directs WUSTL's Center for Health Policy, suggests the House legislation needs to get at the causes of overuse, such as doctors hedging against the threat of malpractice suits.

References:

1. Aug. 14, 2009 — Medical Imaging Under The Gun In Health-Reform Push in the The Wall Street Journal

and 5 others.

Sharon Begley reports on new data in the debate on neurobiology and whether we are wired to believe in God.
In a paper last month in the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, Gregory Paul posits that, rather than being wired into the brain, religion is a way to cope with stress in a dysfunctional society -- the opium-of-the-people argument.
She mentions research by WUSTL anthropology professor Pascal Boyer.

References:

1. Aug. 13, 2009 — (Un)wired For God in the Newsweek

U.S. and Canadian scientists say data from human fossils suggest a shift in animal resource exploitation as humans spread into Europe 40,000 years ago.
There is little evidence for the regular eating of fish by the Neanderthals, but early humans consistently consumed fish, supplementing their diet.
This study by WUSTL anthropology professor Erik Trinkaus a Canadian colleague was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

References:

1. Aug. 11, 2009 — Early human European diets studied in the United Press International

and 4 others.

The rise and fall of bottled water may be the best case study yet in the strange politics of trendy environmental causes.
Bottled water got its foothold in the U.S. as a statement about healthy living.
It wasn't that long ago that making water available everywhere was itself a sort of crusade.
But now schools such as WUSTL have made "Ban the Bottle" a campus cry. Thus does one crusade lead to another, with the solution to yesterday's crisis providing the stuff of today's.

References:

1. Aug. 6, 2009 — A Fashion Trend Meets A Watery Grave in the The Wall Street Journal online

Scientists know surprisingly little about the common sensation of itching. But in a recent study of mice, researchers identified specific nerve cells that pass along an itch signal to the brain. And these cells appear to be independent of the pathway for pain. WUSTL anesthesiology professor and co-author Zhou-Feng Chen comments on the study that was published in Science Express.

References:

1. Aug. 6, 2009 — Scientists Identify 'Itchy' Neurons In Mice in the NPR.org

Decoding the genome of a man with acute myeloid leukemia revealed genetic mutations that may be common among other cancer patients. The findings could help scientists understand the genetic basis of cancer. Includes comments by WUSTL researchers Richard Wilson, co-author and director of the Genome Center, and Timothy Ley, study senior author and medicine professor.

References:

1. Aug. 5, 2009 — Genome of Leukemia Patient Reveals Common Mutations in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 13 others.

WUSTL pediatrician Mark Manary, a doctor who has long treated malnourished people, is working with plant scientists trying to improve the nutritional content of food.

References:

1. July 29, 2009 — Scientists, doctors unite to fight malnutrition in the MSNBC.com

and 27 others.

On Mars, NASA's robot rover Spirit is spinning its wheels on the soft shoulder of planetary exploration, up to its axles in silt millions of miles away from tense engineers who are struggling to extricate it by remote control. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the project deputy principal investigator.

References:

1. July 17, 2009 — For Mars Rover, Really Remote Roadside Assistance in the The Wall Street Journal

WUSTL neuroscientist David Holtzman and colleagues have devised a test that shows whether an experimental medication has a chance of working in Alzheimer's patients.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — David Holtzman: Attacking Alzheimer's With a New Test for Amyloid Beta in the U.S. News & World Report online

WUSTL biochemists Elaine Mardis and Richard Wilson helped decode the human genome and are now working to find genetic mutations associated with acute myeloid leukemia.

References:

1. June 30, 2009 — Elaine Mardis and Richard Wilson: Taking Cancer's Genetic Measure in the U.S. News & World Report online

Since Facebook started giving out customized Web addresses last Friday, some 9.5 million people have rushed to grab their top choice. But for people signing up for these accounts, the battle over domain names is taking place in murky waters. WUSTL student Jeremy Fancer comments.

References:

1. June 18, 2009 — Keeping a True Identity Becomes a Battle Online in the The New York Times

and 3 others.