Tag Archives: science

in english

The reactions to swine flu in Mexico (part II)

Roman Catholic masses were cancelled throughout the city, museums were closed and football matches were played behind close doors (my team, Chivas, tied) to avoid the creation of crowds.  People have been generally very calm from what I understand, stayed home and there is no panic shopping, but the streets are rather empty for a city of over 20 million people (some pictures here).  If you understand Spanish, a great chronicle of the past two days can be found here and here.  The city is not afraid, and people still make fun of the situation from time to time.

Video rentals and video stores were doing brisk business yesterday, and schools are closed until May 6th (May 1st and 5th are holidays anyway).  Military personnel have been handling masks around the city and now everybody is bracing themselves for tomorrow: will people go to work or will they home office (those who can)?

The Finnish media have complained about the slow Mexican response to the outbreak, but they seem to ignore that even the National University (UNAM) doesn’t have the equipment needed to distinguish this new virus from its old, previously known cousins and with the normal flu season just ending, there was no cause for concern.  On the other hand the World Health Organisation has praised the Mexican response.

There are confirmed cases in Mexico, the US, Canada and New Zealand, and suspected cases in France, Spain, UK & Israel (map here).  Deaths have only happened in Mexico, and even there two thirds of the 1200 cases have already been released from hospital.  According to some information in the Mexican media, vaccines don’t work, but antivirals such as Tamiflu do.  Airports haven’t been closed, but there is more stringent screening in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan from passengers coming over from North America.

There are two different hypothesis of the origin of the virus: one points to it having started in a farm in Texas and then crossed over to the border, the other one points to farms in Perote, Veracruz, Mexico.  None has been confirmed.

If you want to know more in real time, you can follow @Veratect and @zolliker (in Spanish) on Twitter.

en español, in english

The reactions to swine flu in Mexico

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Football games cancelled in Mexico City
Football games cancelled in Mexico City

One very interesting consequence of the current situation with swine flu in Mexico (New Yortk Times, BBC, El Universal, Hesari) has been the reaction of the public.  While of course the healthcare system is taking all possible measures and people are worried, quite a few have tended to cope with the situation through jokes (some of a very dark nature). People have started joking about zombies, politics, Hollywood disaster movies or the fact that it seems to be a mutation of bird, swine and human flu.  There’s even a swine flu song…

A selection of tweets below (mostly in Spanish, sorry):

in english

Confusing belief with fact

I was watching CNN when they had a report about an alleged link between childhood vaccination and autism.  Right after it, they had a poll where they asked the audience if they believed there was such a link.  I found the process disturbing for one reason: whatever I believe may or may not be backed by scientific fact, and in issues such as healthcare this becomes very dangerous.

I might believe that the world is a flat dish, but the facts prove me wrong.

in english

Genomics for the masses.

Basically, by giving a sample of your DNA you can get answers about what is your real risk for heart disease or where did your ancestors come from, for example.  I'm just reading an article in Wired, where they explain how these genetic analysis are available for consumers for 1,000 USD a piece.  Whereas I would definitely like to know this information the consequences of it being available are enormous.  Gattaca anyone?

in english

The Planetary Society

One of the passions of my youth was space.  I still own a telescope that is occasionally used, and recently renewed my membership in the Planetary Society.  Founded by Carl Sagan, it is an organisation that tries to impulse space knowledge and exploration, with members in 125 countries around the world.

They are the guys behind different projects such as Seti at home, Red Rover, Red Rover and S.O.S. Save our Science. With them my name, together with that of the other members of the society at the time, landed on Mars with the Mars Pathfinder, and they have continued their activities for over 25 years.

As troubled as our world is, and as unrealistic as it may sound, I believe that the kickstart of a new age of exploration is what humanity needs.  Just by watching the news every day, I guess we're not that many who think that.

in english

Pale blue dot

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I’ve talked about Carl Sagan before, and found this video about the Pale Blue Dot in YouTube (based on this book).  Highly recommended.

PALE BLUE DOT

The sad note is given by the comments in the video, in which religious fundamentalists fight with everybody else.  I don’t mind if you believe in Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha or the Flying Spaghetti Monster for all I care, as long as you respect everybody else’s beliefs (and everybody else yours).  And definitely science and religion just don’t go together.

in english

Books

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Leonardo left a comment asking for more information about my relationship with books, and I'll be happy to comply.

It all started when I was in pre-school, where they taught me how to read.  Even though I still remember it was rather difficult at first, when I discovered that I could satisfy my curiosity by reading instead of asking adults all the time I was hooked.

The first book I read from cover to cover was "The Wizard of Oz" (in Spanish, my English was not up to par back then).  I was 5 years old.  For a strange reason I never understood, many of the encyclopaedias and general reference books were in my room, and I started reading them.  There was a collection by Time Life books on the sciences, which had a book each about machines, medicine, chemistry, mathematics, physics, etc. and another collection on ancient civilizations like the sumerians, the greeks, the egyptians, the mayas, etc… which meant that by the time it was turn to learn about those things in school, I would be seriously bored since I already knew the subject at that level.  Some of my peers really disliked me because of that, and I learned to be very careful in my relationship with teachers.

When I was around 8 or 9, a neighbour who knew that one of my favourite subjects was astronomy gave me for my birthday a book by Carl Sagan: Comet.  I was hooked, and read more volumes by the same author, such as Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot, Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Demon-haunted world, and others I can't remember.

I discovered science-fiction a little later, around the age of 13.  I still have a few books by Isaac Asimov, such as the Foundation series, and since that was the time when they started publishing Star Wars books again, I started collecting them.  I've also explored a little bit of fantasy (Discworld, Tolkien) and counterhistory (The Years of Rice and Salt).

I would still read anything crossing my path, and remember embarrassing people a couple of times.  Once, when I was about 11, I was reading a magazine where they mentioned that Jack the Ripper killed prostitutes.  Being young and innocent, I proceeded to ask loudly to my mom, who was paying the groceries at the supermarket, what did "prostitute" mean.  Both the lady at the counter and mom reddened slightly, but when she answered, wisely, that "It's a woman who sells her body", I couldn't stop countering by wondering how did that work…

And no, I don't think I'm anywhere near a rennaissance man (thanks for the encouragement, though).  For one, I know too little of many things.  Furthermore, I have discovered I have no patience for creating original research.  Finally, as much as I can appreciate certain forms of art, I am no artist.  I can't draw, paint, take really beautiful pictures, create or perform music, act or anything like that, and my writing is not that great.  Maybe I'll try working on that next.