Only Science

Finale with the League of Only Scientists, Tonight!

2009-12-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

Get ready for a Holiday Extraordinaire featuring Professor Gustav Quantum, Madame Zumba, Dean McConnell, and Dr Volterra.... Science Jeopardy, Time Traveling Fiction, and Debate of Death, so gather the family around the radio as Erik Nylen and the League of Only Scientists take helm! 5 PM, tonight!

Discussion Today

2009-11-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

Today I'll be joined by Nick Stroud and Allison Stockdale for a discussion on the firing of UK Drug Policy adviser David Nutt, the ethics of genetic experimentation, and the Singularity.

2009-11-08T15:02:00.001-08:00

Tune in today to Only Science to hear Phineas Gage talk about, well, life, liberty, and the pursuit!

Discussion with Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel

2009-10-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I had the wonderful opportunity to sit at a round table discussion with Dr Eric Kandel, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and author of the most comprehensive text on the brain to date. An articulate and humorous man, Kandel provided grand insight into where the field of neuroscience has come, and where it remains to go.

I was able to pry my jaw from the floor and begin taking notes when the subject turned from his relationship with Austria (from which he fled at age 11 to escape the Nazi occupation) to a discussion on neural decoding. Quick to remind us this was not his area and expert opinions could surely be found elsewhere at the conference, he noted on the dynamics of the neuroscience community.

"There are fads and trends in neuroscience," commented Kandel, "but we are moving from cellular and molecular understanding towards a systems approach. What we really want to understand is the logic of the transformation of information between neurons." When asked where the most significant advances in schizophrenia would likely be seen, he said "Ten years ago, I would have said genetics. Anymore, I'm not so certain.

"The biggest concern with neurologic diseases like schizophrenia is public perception. Many people are struck with cancer late in life. Schizophrenia occurs in adolesence. People are stuck with this the rest of their life."

When asked about the challenges in neuroscience research, Kandel asserted,

"It's no secret that financial support is the biggest issue we face in this country. People don't realize that science is not just medicine. Science is the driver of economic growth. It is what allows us to move into the future. Public health is a burden on society because we have yet to fully understand nature. This is something we can overcome."

Dr Kandel is giving the Presidential Special Lecture tonight at SfN, titled On the Perpetuation of Long-Term Memory.

This was going to happen

2009-10-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

I attended a talk today by Steven DeVries of Northwestern University, one of the pioneers in figuring out how the retina works. Dr DeVries, an ophthalmologist and an electrophysiologist, was talking about a hot-off-the-press technique he was developing to understand how individual cells in the retina send and receive signals. Without dropping too much jargon, he was using frequency dependent pulse modulation to measure receptor saturation in cells. To most people this means nothing, which is OK, for now. But while listening to his talk, I began to suspect that this was a technique that I had actually seen before. It took me a few minutes to recall where I had encountered it, but when I did, I nearly LOLed out of my rocker.

Let me rewind for a moment. This past spring semester, I was enrolled in a neuropharmacology class, dominated by molecular-biologists-in-training, and taught by a pharmacologist. The final assignment was to write a short research proposal aimed at studying some cells we had been going over in class. Given that my knowledge of molecular biology is scant at best, I decided to use a set of techniques in electrophysiology and boost them with a touch of mathematically rigorous principles in engineering. The instructor had previously announced that, for the sake of time, 4 of the 9 students would be required to defend their research proposals in front of the class. For soon-to-be obvious reasons, I was selected to defend my proposal. I proceeded to map out the series equations and graphs that described my proposal: frequency dependent pulse modulation to measure receptor saturation in cells. Amidst blank stares from my molecular-biology peers, the instructor asked me a few tangential questions that didn't really apply at all to what I was trying to do, to which I offered relevant responses. At the end of the class, the instructor announced that everybody's final grade was ready, except mine, because "he had to mull over it."

After meeting privately with the instructor, I came out with a B+ on that grounds that he, as a molecular-biology-rooted-researcher, couldn't quite wrap his head around what I was trying to propose. Given my less-than-impeccable record on homework grades, a B+ really wasn't that bad. But the fact that the professor really thought that my entire proposal was crap and made his opinion quite evident was a little irksome. Feel free to skim back over the first paragraph for a refresher before continuing reading.

My inner-generator of hilarity went wild when I realized that my in-class research proposal was EXACTLY WHAT STEVEN DEVRIES WAS PRESENTING AS NEW RESEARCH. Reassuring was how Dr DeVries spent a generous portion of time describing his methods, likely due to the many blank faces (along with one laughing one in the back) in the audience.

The fact that I saw someone talking about an idea I recently had is not surprising. This kind of thing happens all of the time in science, so it was kind of cool to see a hotshot researcher presenting and defending this idea. I hardly expect this technique to be as important as calculus, so I'll avoid bringing up a rematch of Newton and Leibniz, particularly because I never touched it after the proposal, but also because Dr DeVries has spent the last few years working on this. He clearly thought of it before me. The issue here resides in the aforementioned research proposal evaluation.

Now I could easily be angry about this whole spiel. I was for quite some time. But I think I've learned an important lesson here. No matter how correct a professor thinks he is, or how wrong he thinks someone else is, his opinion is just as likely to fault as a normal human being (which is pretty high). The next time someone calls bullshit on my newest crazy idea (and trust me, there are plenty), he better have more than just a hunch of disbelief. This might be dangerous, because my I was just starting a theory on overcoming the time dependent nature of human cognition, which is likely to draw criticism from most of civilized society. Keep tuned in for more, and by all means keep telling me how wrong I am. It is doing wonders for me.

Neuroscience 2009

2009-10-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Benefits of exercise on the brain, gender specific attributes of cognition, and mechanisms of facial feature processing in social situations: finally, research in neuroscience can be understood by all. Or can it? In the early nineteenth century when Phineas Gage shed a frontal lobe, people started to notice the brain had much to do with our every day selves. Centuries later, a field has evolved that strives to understand every last detail of the human mind. Some may recall the Star Trek: Next Generation episode in which Captain Picard has a headache and the doctor is surprised: by that time man had mapped the brain and headaches were shelved next to polio on the old-disease list. Such a thought is a dream for every mind here at Neuroscience 2009, the world’s largest annual meeting for all things brain. Something like 30,000 neuroscientists gather here to share their newest discoveries. But while banners boast the big ideas of how thinking in men differs from that of their better counterpart, the minutiae make up the guts of the conference. Insert Latin phrase for “Lay people stay clear”. As an engineer in a field where Molecular Biology is King, I often struggle to translate findings into terms I understand (binary, preferably). But while I’m normally able to understand basic ideas of such topics, the vast majority of the research presented here goes under the radar of the public eye. Not because there isn’t press to gobble them up, and not because their research isn’t hot enough: most scientists struggle to show how the single molecule they study in species no one has heard of actually applies to humans. So I'll just stand up for everyone here: it all matters. Their research may be decades from translation into a vaccine or cure, but these are the building blocks that are required to reach any goal, no matter how lofty. I am reminded of a wonderful quote from Jill Tarter, director of SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, saying “ ‘Are we alone? Humans have been asking [this question] forever. The probability of success is difficult to estimate, but if we never search, the chance of success is zero." Such a mindset resonates in the sciences. We don’t know if we can map the human mind. We certainly don’t know what to expect in the instance we do. But let’s keep the comb fine and make some space on that shelf.

The Tale of Phineas Gage

2009-10-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Every decade or so, a new piece of information surfaces about our seminal beloved guinea pig of neuropsychology, Phineas Gage, whose frontal lobe was pitted by a rail tie stopping through on its way into orbit. Gage, whose biosketch is constantly debated among neuro-historians (all three of them), can attribute his fame to two things: one, that he survived the blow; two, it was so poorly recorded in history that wild speculation is the norm. Oh, Gage!

In the spirit of Neuroscience 2009 in Chicago, I present to you "Phineas Gage" by cult favorite buscemi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiI7tJM9KTM

Blogging at Neuroscience 2009

2009-10-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

content="0; url=http://erikleenylen.com/">

Stay tuned for updates this extended weekend from Neuroscience 2009, the world's largest conference about all things brain. There are some exciting topics that I can't wait to discuss.

As such, frequent contributor Kristopher Klein will be filling in for me on Only Science this Sunday, so make sure you tune in to hear him talk about the latest news in Nobel-ville.

For Science,
Erik

Stream Audio of "Motion 451"

2009-10-11T20:55:00.001-07:00

Check out an audio recording of today's show, "Motion 451" below.

Many thanks to improv masters Dave and Greg!

Any thoughts, comments, or concerns should be forwarded to erikleenylen@gmail.com

Tune in next week at 5 PM!

Motion 451

2009-10-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to David Philips and Gregory Gallagher for joining me in Rimbar, Motion 451 today!

Check out their website here:

paperbackrhino.com

Martian Zombies Broadcast Video!

2009-10-04T17:27:00.001-07:00

Check out today's broadcast here:

Thanks to Alex Versackas for joining me on the show today.

Tune in next week at the same time!

Tune in at 5:00 PM on Sunday, October 4th

2009-10-03T22:11:00.001-07:00

Stream Live Here for "Newton I: The Life of Martian Zombies" on Only Science, on Sunday, October the Fourth, at Five O'Clock Post Meridiem, Central Standard Time.

2009-09-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Check out a video of today's story:

"The Pandemic of the Aviamurinecapraswineprimatus Influenza"

Music credit: DJ Shadow, from "Do androids dream of electronic beats."

Stay tuned for more!

Erik

2009-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

A brief excerpt on scientific literacy from scientist/educator Neil deGrasse Tyson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gK2EEwzjPQ

Podcast

2009-09-20T20:46:00.001-07:00

Download today's show with contributor Kris Klein here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tlpxk4

Hope you all enjoyed!

Erik

Must See

2009-09-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

For anyone who needs a(nother) good reason to like science:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_2xGIwQfik

Going Fractal

2009-09-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

Today we'll be discussing the neurocognitive mechanisms of coping with digust, the ever-present struggle for global unity in climate studies, and how cells have gone fractal.

Tune in at 5PM!

Erik

2009-08-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kris Klein and his physics prowess for joining us on the show yesterday. Listen for him on upcoming shows as well as we tackle the intricacies of the universe...

Til next time,
E

Back on the Air!

2009-08-24T09:17:00.001-07:00

Only Science will be back on the airwaves this upcoming Sunday, August 30th at 5:00PM for its season premiere!

We'll be discussing the arms race between mammals and insects, what brain damage tells us about brains, and the future outlook for science fiction around us.

You won't want to miss it!

Erik

Signing Off, For Now

2009-05-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who tuned in for the Finale today, and to those who have listened to the show over the past year. I'll be signing off the air for the summer.

Stay tuned.

For Science,
Erik

Power Down

2009-04-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

In respect of Earth Day, Only Science will be powering down today for the entirety of the show. We hope you can turn your radio and computer off, go outside, and enjoy some of good old Mother Nature.

:P

E

We The People

2009-04-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

If you missed today's show, and you aren't racist, sexist, a general bigot, or like generally dark humor, check the show out here:

http://kruiradio.org/instudio/We%20The%20People_%28radio%29.mp3

Please send along to any who may enjoy....!

Erik

Special Today!

2009-04-15T15:00:00.001-07:00

Tune in to ONLY SCIENCE today!

You won't be disappointed......

I hope....

2009-04-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, no show today. In replacement though, I have assigned a reading for all those who need science in every aspect of their lives.

http://www.gutenberg-e.org/lowengard/C_Chap17.html

I suggest reading the full story that this article summarizes, which is noted at the end. If you are unable to track down the original "The G. Palmer Story (or, What It's Like, Sometimes, to Be a Scientist)," just shoot me an email and I can send it to you. It is classic, and if there weren't so many copyright issues, I'd just read it on the air (or should I anyways?)...

Happy Birthday KRUI!

2009-04-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

KRUI is celebrating its 25th year of broadcasting over the airwaves this week. Check out www.kruiradio.org for all of the cool events going on!

See here for the DI coverage:
http://www.dailyiowan.com/2009/04/02/Arts/10834.html

Podcast Mason Interview

2009-03-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to President Sally Mason for appearing on the show!

The link to podcast the interview is here:

http://kruiradio.org/instudio/Mason_Interview_Final.mp3

Interview with President Mason

2009-03-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Make sure you tune in this upcoming Wednesday, March 25th, at 5:00PM to hear an Only Science exclusive interview with University of Iowa President Sally Mason.

The interview will be 2 parts:

I. Sally the Scientist: early days of the young investigator.

II. The State of the Scientific Community at the University of Iowa.

The interview will be posted for podcast right here for those of you that can't listen live.

Hope you all can tune in!

Obama, Stem Cell - O - Rama

2009-03-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Tune in today to hear a thorough discussion on President Obama's recent lifting of the federal ban on support of stem cell research!

No Show

2009-02-25T14:58:00.001-08:00

Due to the complexity of the human brain, and what I'm trying to do with it, there will be no show today. My apologies.

Stay tuned for updates.

E

Stream Wilson Forum

2009-02-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

Click here for the discussion with Dr. E.O. Wilson today.

Enjoy!

Wilson Interview Replayed

2009-02-11T13:08:00.001-08:00

To all who missed the live broadcast of the interview with E.O. Wilson, I'll be replaying it for the duration of my show this evening. It was truly an honor to get to chat with such a bright and charismatic mind. I hope all who are available can attend his lecture tonight at the IMU at 7:30.

See you then!

Erik

EO Wilson, in the house

2009-02-10T13:43:00.001-08:00

All,

KRUI is uber-pleased to announce that we've got an hour-long student forum with 2 time Pulitzer Prize winner E.O. Wilson. In addition to being a Professor at Harvard and a Fellow of the Committee on Skeptical Inquiry, Dr. Wilson is considered by all to be the father of sociobiology. My favorite quote of his, referring to ants, is "Karl Marx was right, socialism works, it is just that he had the wrong species."

Click here for his biography on Wikipedia.

The interview will air Live at Noon tomorrow, Wednesday Feb. 11th. If things go as planned, I'll re-run the interview again over the 5:00 hour during my regular show time.

Make sure you tune in tomorrow at Noon or at 5:00 to hear Dr. Wilson speak.

Erik

Upcoming Shows

2009-01-28T05:24:00.000-08:00

Greetings All!

This semester is already looking stacked for shows. I've spoke with a number of outstanding people here at the University of Iowa who are excited to come on the air and talk about science. The short list includes:

UI President Sally Mason. Only Science will be having its first Only Science Biography, and who better than the woman on top herself? We'll be talking about her days studying zoology and how she got through grad school to become a developmental biologist. Needless to say, we're pretty excited that she's sharing her time with us.

Professors Steve Kuusisto and Edwin Stone. This duo has been shaking up the scene of disabilities advocacy since Steve arrived on campus in 2007. Kuusisto, blind since birth, is a renowned poet and professor of english and has appeared on NPR, Oprah, and Only Science about life without sight. Stone, a professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences at the UI as well as a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator, researches the genetic basis of blinding eye diseases, and has discovered many of the mutations responsible for common and rare disorders.

UI neurophilosophers David Rudrauf and Kenneth Williford. Rudrauf, director of the Neuroimaging Lab at Iowa, has investigated the neural basis of many cognitive functions, such as addiction. In combination with WIlliford, visiting research faculty in the Department of Philosophy, they are studying the structure of the brain, and ultimately what structures give rise to the perception of consciousness.

Details will follow soon on when these amazing folks will be speaking on air. Tune in every Wednesday at 5PM to hear about the latest news in science at the U and around the globe.

For Science,
Erik

New Time! New Shows!

2009-01-20T11:51:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

This semester, we'll be broadcasting at 5PM every Wednesday, starting tomorrow, the 21st.

Stay tuned for show updates and other cool info to come for this season's shows.

-Erik

Podcast / Thank You!

2008-12-15T10:43:00.001-08:00

Only Science and KRUI would like to thank you for tuning in this semester!

Click on the video below to hear the podcast! I'll try to get a more compatible version up and running.....

Thanks to Lily Pappas, Lawrence De Geest and Nathan Dengle for their voices, time and effort, as well additional input and help from Paul, Grandpa Red, Mike, and KyGuy, my relatives in Sweden for sending me weird facebook application invites, Chris for his biblical prowess, my parents, for a week in an exotic land to map the idea for the Extravaganza, Scott “the Godfather of Rock and Roll” Nielsen, and all of my dedicated listeners out there you know who you are, without you, this show wouldn’t be afloat. Thanks to all the guests who appeared on Only Science this semester, you make me sound good. Hope we all stay warm this Holiday Season, and can spend some time with our families, I’ll be rooting the Hawks on in Tampa, I hope you do too. We are 100% on the air next semester, bookmark the webpage thisisonlyscience.blogspot.com for updates and random posts from me, I may become a transient sports journalist on January 1. Once the ball is rolling again, and it rolled quite a bit in the first season with record number downloads, you will be hearing raw, unfiltered Only Science, the way science is supposed to be. We’ve even got plans for a live interactive audience broadcast of the next science fiction thriller in collaboration with the KRUI 25 Years on The Air Celebration. Iowa City and the rest of the world, good luck on finals and have a safe and happy holiday season and thanks for following Only Science.

Premiere

2008-12-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today, Only Science and KRUI 89.7FM are broadcasting A Country Western Science Fiction Holiday Extravaganza at Noon on the airways! Created by Erik Lee Nylen and starring Lily Pappas, Lawrence De Geest, and Nathan Dengle as the Devil, the Extravaganza is a dark comic tale about life, peace, poverty, and Christmas.

Click here to hear the show live at Noon today!

If that doesn't work, trying clicking here,

or just go to http://www.kruiradio.org/listen

Check back later this afternoon to podcast the Extravaganza!

The Extravaganza....

2008-12-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

All,

Don't forget to tune in this upcoming Monday, December the 15th at Noon to either 89.7FM or www.kruiradio.org/listen for a live stream.

Click here to see the promo for the upcoming show.

Hope you all can tune in, and if not, hopefully you can podcast it. And, if you are like most people and don't like science fiction, but are also like most people and have weird relatives that like science fiction, burn them a copy of the show once it is posted for the holidays! It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Erik

Podcast It!

2008-12-08T11:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Dr. Ruth Bentler and Dr. Trish Zebrowski for appearing on Only Science today, we learned some valuable insight into the research, academics and clinical services provided by the Wendell Johnson Speech & Hearing Center.

For a podcast of today's show, use this cool widget:

Get this widget

Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Show Today

2008-12-08T08:37:00.001-08:00

Tune in today over the noon hour to hear Dr. Zebrowski and Dr. Bentler from the Wendell Johnson Speech & Hearing Center talk about both research at the center and the services that are available to the UI community.

Thanks!

2008-12-02T13:23:00.001-08:00

Many thanks to Heidi Kuda of ICARE for appearing on Only Science to talk about World AIDS Day.

Visit http://www.icareiowa.org for more information!

Preview of Upcoming Shows

2008-11-28T05:56:00.000-08:00

With the Turkey Day break, Only Science is delighted to spend the time recharging and getting excited about the upcoming shows. What you have to look forward to:

Monday, Dec. 1st at Noon: In view of World AIDS Day, a representative from MECCA will be talking about HIV testing that is available on campus. In fact, I'll probably mention this about 10 times over the hour, but HIV testing will be offered at the Iowa City Library from Noon to 4PM on this today. So, listen to show, hear why it's a good idea to get tested, and go get tested.

Monday, Dec. 8th at Noon: Dr. Patricia Zebrowski and Dr. Ruth Bentler, both researchers in the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic, will be on the show to discuss what is being done at the UI with regards to audiological research and advances, and how students can be tested at the hospital.

Wow, Only Science is really starting to become the Public Service show at KRUI, you say. Hold your cattle, though, it gets better:

Monday, Dec. 15th at Noon: Only Science will be airing its 2nd Fiction Special! Properly entitled The Country Western Science Fiction Holiday Extravaganza, this is simply one show you will not want to miss. And if you do miss it, hopefully I'll be able to record it.

Don't forget to tune in!

Erik

Web Gnomes

2008-11-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

I'm convinced. Things so easy and seemingly stringless can go awry without your direct doing, though such an act can only be attributed to a fateful misguided strike of the keyboard, improper capitalization, maybe a tossed up TAB in there, perhaps a misplaced punctuation mark, you name it, things tactically go wrong at the exact time you need them to go right. For me, I was simply trying to login to a new blog that a friend of mine started (so I could post more randomly-oriented entries and avoid having to put [rather] pointless rambles such as thing on a SCIENCE blog, for cryin' out loud), and the exact user name and password that I was sent simply denied me access. No, it said, promptly, boldy, get out of my blog.

Clearly, there is an underlying issue. Within the mass amount of 1's and 0's floating about in cyberspace, some of these numbers must sometimes achieve the status of "return to sender." Or even worse, these numbers are sucked into a vacuous nullity of digital binary death, relegated from a single bit to a nonentity. Whap. Not even toast, toast eaten by a stealthy passerby. Then again, my engineering training would lead me to believe that you can't make something out of nothing, and thus can't make something into nothing. The something, in cases of, say, fires or food, becomes ashes and human waste. While many computer scientists out there are joyously hooting to themselves, "Ho ho, silly engineer doesn't know pancakes about computer information." I say, "Ha ha, world, you don't know muffins about Web Gnomes."

That's right. They're there, beneath the surface. Entering went you look away and quick to escape when your gander returns. You send an email with High Importance, and the Web Gnomes get you fired for not sending your boss that highly importance report. I'm sure they've got little stocking caps and pudgy hands, too. Along with there speedy wit and fiendish trickery, they snatch up the highest of importance digital information and stuff it into their little gnome satchels. They compile up huge amounts of these data, and take them to the gnome reservoir, located somewhere in Paris. Then, they have an annual feast (date unknown, for fear of people emailing the utmostly important documents during this period) in which they bring out the well-cured and aged binary figures collected over the years and gobble them down, all washed down with [high proof] ale. They have songs they sing at this annual gathering, here is one:

We sweep up all the noise,

and for this now rejoice,

in times of harrowing,

we can but only sing!

The gnomes clash their mugs together after "sing" has been held at a boisterous and exhaustive length so that at least half of the, well, weaker gnomes pass out from asphyxiation. Those left standing are the ones who cheer, those on the ground eventually wake up and rejoin the festivities, only to hope that next year they'll be much more prepared as to not one of the gnomes who passed out in the popular song. Gnomes can grow very old, so it can be many decades before one can make it through the aforementioned tune.

Sure can be tough, sometimes.

SuperCell AAA

2008-11-17T10:55:00.001-08:00

Today's show was great. You should be able to access the link here to hear the story:

Click Here for SuperCell AAA

Just scroll down to the title, and download away!

And apologies for the loud music in the beginning, especially during the "juicing." I'll try to clean it up a bit, but for now, you get the picture.
.

. Song Credits: Olafur Arnalds, George Gershwin, The Mattoid

.
.
.

Also, a friendly caller corrected me on my bowl game projections:

The Rose Bowl is reserved for the Big Ten champion, no ifs ands or buts.... which means....

Iowa is bowl-bound baby! Let's just beat Minnesota now so we don't wind up in Motor City.

-Erik

Fiction Special Today

2008-11-17T06:51:00.001-08:00

Today, I'll be performing a Only Science Fiction Special, telling the saddest story of a battery ever told on the show. Complete with sound effects and full score, it should be a good one. I even managed to finally figure out how to record shows, so the link should be up later if you can't tune in live. If you're available though, turn on the dial to 89.7FM at Noon!

Christmas on Mars

2008-11-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

Last night, I attended a free screening of the new Flaming Lips-directed movie, Christmas on Mars, thanks to the folks at the Bijou Theater. If you happen to know anything about the Flaming Lips, then most assumptions you could make about an avant-garde science fiction movie of theirs, based on Mars, over Christmas, would probably be accurate. Full of "cosmic realizations," morbid infant scenes, and genital-headed marching bands, they started off this flick with a low budget and an idea, producing perhaps the most telling story of a group of earthlings stuck on Mars who attempt to boost the morale of impending oxygen deprivation with a joyous Christmas celebration. Part grueling, part heart warming, this is the kind of holiday tale you would expect to receive as a bonus with your annual special edition pulp. Raucous comes to mind. The slight disappointment was the lack of Lips' tunes; one might expect a movie of their to exhibit a new array of songs. Apparently the production of the movie started in 2001, though, and like most of their projects, just take a while to finish, if at all. I'm just happy it made it to the big screen. One gets over its unmusicness rather quickly once Coyne finally makes it on screen. Wayne Coyne, the Lips' frontman, plays a great Martian whose presence is equated with that of Santa, and a space-station-farmed baby poses as a great analog to Jesus. I would recommend this movie to anyone who seeks an unPC, alt-rock take on how Christmas might really be on Mars, and strictly advise anyone without an adept knack for the absurd to stick with the more traditional holiday stories.

Back in the IMU / Obama

2008-11-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

Yesterday's show was fun for 2 reasons: 1) We were back in the IMU, so the sound board / CD arrangement / mics / environment was much more like a radio studio than a closet (though we very much appreciate the Quad for their hospitality during the flood refractory period), and 2) I was able to chat about the implications of an Obama presidency on science and research. I had mentioned that some 60+ Nobel laureates had publicly endorsed Obama, McCain receiving few (if any?) of this caliber support. What does this really say? After all, even Nobel toters only have one vote each. And even the Nobellers will acknowledge that the Prize doesn't recognize the smartest people in the field. The Prize is awarded to people who make discoveries that have a profound impact on the scientific community (not so for the Peace/Literature prizes, read here for interest). These people are then usually granted tenure (if they didn't already achieve it), and thought of as genuinely bright people. And for the most part, it takes a genuinely bright, slightly crazy person to discover something such as the the structure of DNA. Granted, these people may know squat about anything other than their specific micro-field of interest, but these people represent all for which the scientific community strives: Truth. Truth is pretty hard to achieve if you don't know the answers to the questions you are asking. Fortunately, if you find a pretty good answer to a pretty good question, you can come with the University-brand Academy Award. Nobel winners know what is takes for discovery: time and money. And people. And infrastructure. These are things that Obama has pledged to support (don't ask me about the economy either, I'm a science guy), and these are things that lend themselves to the truths of nature as we know it. Those who make big discoveries know the long road required to arrive one small nudge closer to truth. The majority of this crowd supported Obama, and that might just be saying something.

Professor Mark Blumberg to be Interviewed

2008-11-03T08:47:00.001-08:00

Mark Blumberg, University of Iowa Professor of Psychology, will appear on Only Science today to talk about his upcoming book Freaks of Nature, due in stores on November 11th.

Tune in at noon to hear about what anomalies in nature can tell us about evolution, and where he sees scientific discoveries going in the future.

The Live Stream is back up too, so you can stream from your computer!

Science in Politics

2008-10-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

With the upcoming election drawing nearer every day, those in the scientific community, like those in most other communities, are asking the question, "How would the candidate benefit me?" Rarely do people any more really care about how the president might help anyone else. If you are in the middle-case and having trouble getting by, you're probably pointing your finger at the upper class, and staunchly demanding that they're a bunch of money suckers causing the middle-class decline. You, as the middle-classer, want things to be better for you and your family, and frankly you don't care about the upper class. If you are in the upper class and have probably lost a huge chunk of cash in the market, you're probably pointing your finger at the barons on Wall St who were able to get out of this mess only richer, you want them behind bars, and you want your money back goddangit. If you are on Wall St, you probably don't care about anyone but yourself. If you are in the lower to no-er class, you want the candidate who is going to put a roof over your head, though with recent credit issues in the market, you'll probably have to get a job and start saving some money first. So, what if you are a scientist?

A forum related to exactly this issue has been up and running: Science Debate 2008. In this site, each candidate has addressed a series of questions, mostly related to the importance of funding science. So who reigns all powerful realm of science? Quite frankly, neither. Each gives a very cookie cutter answer along the likes of "Nurturing technology and innovation is essential for solving the critical problems facing our country: developing alternative fuels, addressing climate change, encouraging commercialization of new technologies, deploying technology to manage cost and enable new jobs, stopping the spiraling expense of health care, and better educating our children and our workforce." Well, yeah! This shouldn't even be a political debate. The problem with the "Science Debate 2008" is that candidate get to put nice looking answers down on paper, without regards to remotely considering following through with them. And moreover, with recent economic-related hurlings, issues in hard core science take a far-back seat.

Scientists spend most of their lives trying to convince people their work is actually making a big difference in the grand scheme of things. And when you look at the big picture, each little piece of the puzzle is necessary. The real issue? The horrible f-word: Funding. Without money, scientists drown in ideas and their inability to make things happen, and things just really never happen. Evidential piece #1 that gross amounts of funding can really get something accomplished: In the 1960s, NASA's annual budget was $6 billion, equivalent to ~$38 billion in todays dollars. That is the kind of money it took to put a man on the moon, but hey, with some really friggin smart guys, and a lot of dough, we did it. If you were to put $38 billion into one branch of research, say, cancer, I guarantee you'll start seeing some amazing results in 10 years (not that there are not currently amazing results). It would be soon be found in the archives just upstream from polio. Seriously. Good experiments and good science require two things: good people and good amounts of money (the former, itself, requires good money, too). We can't just run net-and-lepidopteran experiments and hope to erradicate disease. Not gonna happen.

So who is the best candidate for science? One big Minus that McCain carries (science-wise) is his pledge to freeze domestic discretionary spending for a year. Due to lack of annual agreement-type funding, this extra cash approach, like many other fields, is where science research gets a good chunk of change. It would be safe to assume that the bare minimum amounts of money allocated for science related research would be the most that science would see, government-wise. You would be correct in saying that this type of freeze would help the economy, but scientists aren't economists, so rarely do they try to forcefully proclaim what is good for the economy, just like economists aren't in the lab running DNA-screens. Scientists, like everyone else, care about themselves, too. They want funding, and they want it at the expense of everyone's tax paying dollars, myself included. Believe me, money helps. Check out the Science Debate 2008 website, its as close as you'll get to answer from both sides.

Not so intelligent design...

2008-10-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

Tune in ONLINE today at http://www.kruiradio.org/listen to catch the live stream of Only Science at Noon. We'll be chatting about theories of intelligent design, teaching in the classrooms, and all that evolution does and does not have to prove to win out the lot. Place your bets now, folks, while the market is back on the rise...

Dr. Tim

2008-09-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank Dr. Timothy Vogel for coming on the show this last monday. Tim is a 4th year resident in neurosurgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and he shared some cool insight on the research he's doing to tackle hydrocephaly (water on the brain). Apparently you want water everywhere in your body, except on the brain.

The live stream is still not functioning, though the folks at KRUI are working hard to figure out a means to let you, the whole world, tune into my show on a weekly basis. More to follow.

Make sure you listen this next week as we talk about violences patterns in young males, particularly the Amish. Who'd a thunk?

In Memoriam

2008-09-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today, Only Science will be celebrating the life and works of David Foster Wallace, the great American author who recently ended his life, reportedly. If you haven't read any Wallace, I, without reluctance, strongly recommend you pick up any piece of his literature, drop whatever you are doing, and read his literature. You will then realize how actually sad it is that he is longer with us. Wallace was way off the deep end, writing-wise, and if you have read Infinite Jest, you may find an eeriness about its characters and how actually reflective of him they may have been. You'll be remembered, Dave.

Renowned psychology professor to talk about new book

2008-09-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Though each Only Science warrants its heavy hitters in the realm of science, you're not going to want to miss our special guest on Monday, November 3rd: Mark Blumberg, Professor of Psychology at the University of Iowa will be talking about his book "Freaks of Nature," due out in stores on November 11th. Get the preview here: http://www.psychology.uiowa.edu/Faculty/Blumberg/FreaksofNaturethebook.html but be sure to tune in at Noon, to KRUI 89.7FM on November 3rd, to hear Mark discuss what anomalies in nature can tell us about evolution and development.

ELN

Today's Show

2008-09-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today's show was great, we were joined by Dr. Stuart Thompson of the Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration. We talked about everything concerning circadian rhythms, and the importance of the visual system in ensuring these rhythms run smoothly. We managed to touch upon different models of gene therapy and recent scandals in stem cell research. Bad scientist! No! No copying the lab report from your neighbor!

As always, tune in next week at NOON on Monday and keep checking back for who our next guest will be!

ELN

One week postponement....

2008-09-01T08:04:00.001-07:00

Blast!

We'll be airing on Monday, Sept. 8th, at Noon. Sorry to all the Only Science enthusiasts who had been waiting for the seasonal debut so impatiently. You'll just have to wait some more.

We've got some awesome guests lined up, so stay tuned....

Cheers,
ELN

Back on the Air!!

2008-08-28T15:19:00.001-07:00

All,

The new time for Only Science this semester is Mondays at Noon! Make sure you tune into 89.7FM if you are in the Iowa City area, or check out www.kruiradio.org for a live stream

This upcoming weeks guest is Charles Newsom, Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Iowa. Dr. Newsom's research has involved particle physics at both CERN and Fermi labs. Another specialty area of his happens to be flooding: physics of floods, flood management, hydrology, prevention, (the list goes on, I'm sure). Tune in to hear him comment on how the university may have been able to prevent massive damages, and what we all hope the Army Corps of Engineers can learn from such a disaster.

If you have any questions or comments too, please email me at erikleenylen@gmail.com

Reckless Wishing

2008-07-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Every since I started working in ophthalmology, I've had a growing interest in how the research I perform is actually translated into treatments for patients with visual disabilities. Such growing interest has led me to want to interact with real people with real problems: I've heard countless stories about visual loss, ranging from mild reduction in visual over several decades to no-light-perception over night. But only hearing these stories left a large space between myself and the patients. It's hard to really understand people when you are pinned up in a lab and, well, have no interaction with these people. I was rather recklessly wishing to see a case.

Susan (name changed) is a 51 year old accountant. She spends most of her time looking at small numbers, crunching data, you know, accounting. Several years ago she reported problems with her visual acuity, that is, it became harder and harder for her to see little numbers. Glasses didn't help. It was rather safely assumed at this point in time that she had some type of photoreceptor degeneration (and it clearly was not age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma). By last year, her visual was right around 20/100, which means what you might see at 20 feet appears to be 100 feet away from her.

Yesterday, Susan came into the clinic. Upon testing her visual acuity, her best corrected was 20/500. What you might see at 20 feet appears to be 500 feet away from her. I was given the duty of helping test her visual fields, which means figuring out what she can see in her periphery. After 20 minutes of flashing small lights all around her eye, it occurred to her that this time around, the test was much more difficult. She had already started using a computer monitor to zoom in on texts, and one of the best optometrists around had, earlier that morning, gave her a good amount of information on learning how to use a white cane. Simply put, her vision was plummeting. When I told Susan that I was done testing one eye and that she could relax, the exact opposite happened. A day where I thought I was getting great patient interaction turned into a lady sobbing about how crappy her vision has become. No doctor around to jump in. No Abort button. What do I even say? Do I tell her that everything is going to be OK? Clearly, this is a major life change for Susan. Now you see, now you don't. I can't empathize with her; my vision is good. This being my real first actual patient issue, it's even difficult to sympathize. The easy thing would have been to do nothing. Maybe play drill sergeant and tell her to get over it? Isn't this something that only doctors have to deal with? And how do they deal with it?

I told her about the research that we were doing. I told her that a lab with 35 dedicated employees are working hard every day to figure out what is going on in her eyes. I told her that her vision isn't as bad as she thought.

When the attending physician eventually saw her, he noted that her visual fields were actually the same as before. Her peripheral vision hadn't gone anywhere. Her fine-detail-abilites were getting worse, but her ability to see the world hadn't changed. It turns out that her "vision isn't as bad as she thought" was true. I thought I was stretching the truth a bit, but really I wasn't at all. Yeah, her central vision is slowly deteriorating, but looking on the bright side, she can still other things. After each tissue she went through, she threw them in the trash. Note to self: people that cannot see cannot through things in the trash. Even though her vision isn't getting better by itself, it's not horrible. If there is such a bright side, this is it.

My wish to really see something snuck right up on me. Realization unfolded right before me. Just imagine going blind.

Already I've learned an immense amount about how to deal with such issues. Next time I'll be slightly better equiped for talking about how such problems can really be addressed. About seeing the bright side of things. Let's hope the Susans out there are just as willing to see the bright side without having to really see at all.

Assistance?

2008-07-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings, and apologies for such lazy lack of blogging lately. Don't worry, 'thas all been for a good cause: I just finished writing and illustrating my first children's short story. Being the science person that I am, I haven't a clue who to talk to in terms of trying to get it printed. Any suggestions from anyone would be great, I can be best reached via erikleenylen@gmail.com.

Thanks!

10,000,000 Year Floodplain

2008-06-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Let's just all be glad we're not Highlanders.

It is interesting to note though, that the 500 year floodplain came only 15 years after the 100 year floodplain. The mathematician inside me knew that something was hairy.

There are a couple of different ways we can take this.

For one, we can assume a direct linear relationship between the given data. That is, beginning at year 1993 (year 0), and progressing to year 2008 (year 15), we are able to derive rather easily that the equation for the flood plain mark is:

Floodplain Year(x) (FPY) = (x*80/3) + 100
(Equation 1, where "x" is in years)

Try it for yourself: year 0 gives you FPY100, year 15 gives you FPY500.

However, we could take the route of an exponential relationship. In this manner, the equation would be:

FPY = 100*e^(0.1073*x)
(Equation 2, "x" is in years)

Given Equation 1, we are pretty safe. It would take roughly 375,000 years for the 10,000,000 year floodplain to hit. Whew, that was close!

If we apply Equation 2 (the exponential relationship) to the matter at hand, things are bit dicier.
Solving for "x" it can be found that in roughly 107.3 years, the 10,000,000 year floodplain will hit. OK, those of use that are not highlanders are still safe, albeit barely. Future generations? Let's just hope the whole scheme was a plot of the Wolf Family, and Dirk Pitt is around to save us all. Gee, Dirk, thanks!

Newton's Time Management

2008-06-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Through the web of technology and digital signals and satellites and computer screens that separates me from you, the reader, I can still manage a degree of psychic powers into exactly what you are thinking:

"Shouldn't you [Erik] be, like, writing a thesis right now, not a blog?"

The short answer is yes.

However, even in the few weeks in which I've been up and blogging have I simply transferred my flow of information from what would have been a wasted napkin into public viewing, more or less. I hold great admire for Bryson's description of Isaac Newton, saying that Newton would sometimes wake up in the morning, and be incapable of getting out of bed, rendered completely immobile by the influx of ideas.

Just think if Newton would have blogged.

To put things in perspective for you, I am currently positioned in a posture likely frightening to a chiropractor or a finishing school teacher. My chair is in the "let me lean back" mode, as I've managed to slide down without having completely become supine. The back of my head still touches the back of the chair. My left leg is on the desk from knee to foot, and my right foot is closer to my body, resting on top of the computer on the ground with my upper/outer ankle wedged into the corner of the desk. I don't doubt that my foot is long asleep. The keyboard is positioned on my right leg. The mouse, when needed, is up on the desk. Don't worry, I've got a pretty good reach.

If you still can't picture how I am oriented, imagine an empty chair in front of a basic computer set up. Now imagine plopping a six and a half foot bag of sand on top of said scenery. There you have it.

You're probably waiting for me to tell you that I'm rendering myself completely immobile, due to the enormous influx of ideas. What Newton didn't tell you was that when he had a really big deadline approaching, he probably wrote as much and much as possible so he could filter out all of the bad stuff from the good stuff. One of Newton's finest qualities was the ability to discern an astonishing breakthrough from absolute rubbish.

More Fun

2008-06-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

For all of my ophthalmology folks out there...

Apple vs. Orange

2008-06-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Discussion on how humans make real time decisions between apples and oranges can be found here:

Apples vs Oranges

Indefinitely Suspended

2008-06-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Due to the large amount of flooding in Iowa City and every other city near a body of water in Iowa, the home of KRUI, the Iowa Memorial Union, will be shutting down its operations indefinitely. This morning, I was amazed by how many people were at the IMU helping out with moving and sand-bagging. I glanced over one of the sand walls that had been made, and the water was eerily close. I'm talking feet away. Reports have indicated that water levels are expected to rise yet another 3 to 5 feet. I'm no mathematician, but that pits Iowa River vs. measly sand bags. Granted that the sand wall is a triangular 4ish feet tall, with about the same width, and that the Iowa River is well over 100 feet wide, and apparently ticked off enough to not have subsided yet. It almost reminds me of Ghostbusters 2, when the slime begins to take over the city. Alright, alright, the slime was a viscous orange substance with undeniably ghoul powers, BUT, the same effect is happening. In a fictional era that is used to be infested with ghosts getting hit by slime sucks, but at least they new something like that was coming, with all of the ghost foreboding. Now, in Iowa, we are faced with The Massive Flood, Part 2. Iowa is no stranger to natural disasters, so something like a flood isn't exactly out of the norm. How can we really be surprised? What is sad is how we apparently didn't learn from The Massive Flood, Part 1 (Man! If only they'd tell us there would be a sequel!). We could have shelled out 3 million dollars for a study on flood dynamics that may have actually told us something about what might happen next time. Now, we're just sitting ducks as we set up garlic and crosses to fight off our own slime. I don't know how the ghostbusters figured out that they could simply climb into the statue of liberty, fill it with slime, cue the music and BAM!, Lady Liberty comes to life and fights evil or something. Maybe with 3 million big ones we could hire a couple of high tech Hydroscientists (Hmm... if only we knew a few) to reroute the water to some place where their people can actually say they didn't see this coming. How about Illinois? There. Not our problem.

The Show

2008-06-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today, we were graced by the presence of Mike Magnetta, and as with any conversation with him, we talked about science and only science. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to cover everything that I wanted to today. We didn't even get to talk about the platypus. One of these days I'll have a concrete time schedule, and maybe even know what songs are going to be played, though I was rather impressed with a random shot at spinning Sci-Fi Kid. Until that day comes, we'll go wherever the science takes us.

Much thanks to all of the volunteers who are helping prevent flood damage in Iowa City.

Thanks again to Mike to for joining the show today. Don't forget to visit his myougle, and check out his application on facebook.

Alas, your Top 10 signs you should a doctor:

10 You came in contact with any form of matter at the Summit.
9 After accidentally ingesting Flomax, you experience nausea and fever. Wait, those are normal side effects.
8 That red growth on your shin is starting to take over the red growth on your knee.
7 Your chiropractor finally admitted to not having scant bit of real medical knowledge.
6 You are breathing very heavily, and it’s not just from sitting inside of the Deadwood.
5 You legitimately think tofu tastes good.
4 Your convulsive seizures are remarkably similar to those seen by the patient in last night’s episode of House, you also remember that that patient died within 24 hours.
3 You realized your water main has been collecting from the Iowa River for the past 5 years.
2 The voices went away but were replaced by Lambchop’s “Song that never ends.”
1 You actually get enjoyment out of a Science talk radio show.

A podcast of today's show will be available within the next few days, so stay tuned.

What is to come

2008-06-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

This upcoming Wednesday, June 11th, we will be joined in the studio by none other than UI graduate student in biomedical engineering, Mr. Michael Magnetta. My invitation to UI assistant professor of biomedical engineering and ophthalmology & visual sciences Todd Scheetz has been given the big "maybe." Todd is the sensei of all things computationally genetic. I've offered to share the profits of my show with him if he makes an appearance, which hard to turn down, no matter how big (or small) that amount may be. Big Mike will be sharing his research experience in spine mechanics, drug delivery, and how certain drugs, if delivered properly, can cause pain relief of the spine. Strap in your boots for a short science fiction story, a gagging Top 10, and some dialogue re: the latest groundbreaking unveiling of the platypus genome.

What You Missed

2008-06-05T06:27:00.001-07:00

Thanks again to Professor Steve Kuusisto and Dr. Tyson Kinnick for their wonderful insight on the show!

Steve's websites can be viewed at www.stephenkuusisto.com or www.planet-of-the-blind.com

Tyson and his team's research can be viewed at www.project3000.org or www.carverlab.org

And, of course, the Top 10 Reasons why Science is the best subject in elementary school.
10) Vinegar and baking soda volcanoes are way cooler than book trades.
9) Astronauts? Yeah, they're pretty much scientists.
8) History is so last year.
7) Conservative religion promotes abstinence in sex education, but the Origin of Species promotes doing it.
6) Dexter's Laboratory trumps Doug any day.
5) Chicks dig binary.
4) Learning how to make a protective casing around an egg so you can drop it 2 stories without it braking teaches valuable life lessons, like the all the times as an adult when you need to drop an egg 2 stories without it braking.
3) That dorky kid who read physics books in the 4th grade is now deciding whether or not your son passes his lecture.
2) Math can tell you your odds if getting that cute girl across the classroom, but you're not getting anywhere without the chemistry.
1) Two Words: Bill Nye.

Make sure to tune in next week to KRUI 89.7FM, Wednesday at Noon!

Radio Debut

2008-06-04T08:49:00.000-07:00

We've got quite the exciting show for the inaugural Only Science, airing Wednesday on KRUI 89.7FM at Noon. Some have said I'm setting the bar a little too high, and that the show can only go downhill from here. They're probably right. Dr. Tyson Kinnick, a post-doctoral research fellow in the Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration, and Professor Steve Kuusisto, professor of English and Ophthalmology, will be joining the show to talk about research at the U, how it is actually translating to helping people, and why interdisciplinary efforts are necessary to for fighting diseases such as, oh, maybe blindness. Tune in to catch the Top 10 reasons why Science is the best subject in elementary school, and listen to Tyson and Steve take quizzes on English and Science, respectively.