Science Etcetera Venusday, 20080111

January 11th, 2008

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of the largest black hole ever, so big it even has a smaller black hole orbiting it.

No. The Growth in the Antarctic ice sheet does not contradict Global Warming theory.

Tel Aviv University’s Prof. Itzhak Ofek’s two-decades worth of research on the fruit has found that Cranberries really are a miracle cure for women, treating urinary tract infections, cavities, and ulcers… but not for guys. Dang it!!! Well, at least we don’t have to deal with penis envy.

On the one hand China’s mind-staggering industrial growth is devestating smaller nations’ environments, on the other hand, they will soon Ban Plastic Bags.

Warning! Over eating a sugar substitute can lead to severe weight loss, which is really unhealthy, but I guess if people are willing to go on an all-pork-and-mayonnaise diet to drop pounds, like the Atkins diet, then maybe this isn’t so bad.

Healthy Habits Can Mean 14 Extra Years, but, as Laura Freberg observes, the researchers set the bar a little low about what constitutes “Healthy Habits.” Which is good news for anyone wanting to be healthy, but continue to be a slacker.

LD50 stands for “Laboratory Death 50 Percent” it’s a long standing toxicity-test, which determines the levels of exposure to a substance that is required to kill 50 percent of lab rats in a group. A new paper suggests the practice is of little use, and should be downgraded in application.

There was a one in 10,000 chance of finding one of these, but astronomers have located a Hubble finds double Einstein ring, which shows the gravitational pull of dark matter bending the light from two galaxies into a circle:

Double Einstein Ring

Double Einstein Ring

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I happen to like LD50 myself! I think it’s useful for making “understandable” statements about the toxicology of drugs.

For example, the LD50 in humans of alcohol can be as low as 3-5 times the amount required for intoxication.

The LD50 in mice for marijuana is *50,000* times the amount required for intoxication. (No human data here, as nobody has ever overdosed on marijuana — it would be way to expensive!)
by Clint January 11th, 2008 at 12:22 pm