Pater Familias

DINOSAURS WITH COLORED FEATHERS. I remember when science articles discussed the theory that birds are descended from dinosaurs as being a maverick view. A problem for its proponents was a lack of evidence. This wikipedia article describes how “it was not until the early 1990s that clearly nonavian dinosaur fossils were discovered with preserved feathers.” Now this article from the New York Times reports that scientists have shown that melanosomes (pigment loaded sacs) survived for millions of years in fossil bird feathers. Studies of feathers provide additional support for the theory that birds descended from a group of bipedal dinosaurs called theropods. Anchiornis (anchioris huxleyi), a chicken-sized theropod, had long feathers on its arms and legs. The melanosomes from Anchiornis fossils permit a description of Anchiornis which sounds like it came from one of my bird books: “Anchiornis had a crown of reddish feathers surrounding dark gray ones, and its face was mottled with reddish and black spots. Its body was dark gray, but its limb feathers were white with black tips.” There is a color picture of an Anchioris in the New York Times article.

DATA FOR STUDIES OF AVASTIN. The Avery Johnson article says that the UnitedHealth Group data shows that Avastin is used heavily for treating two types of cancer for which it has not been approved. It is prescribed for 24% of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer and for 41% of colon-cancer patients. The article says that the company characterizes these uses as “inappropriate”, and the focus of the article and the program seems to be on whether treatments conform to various professional protocols. My thought is that this is a wonderful opportunity to find out about the effectiveness of Avastin in different circumstances and provide guidance for future gold-standard clinical trials.

A DATA BASE FOR CANCER RESEARCH. I have argued, for example here, that there should be a lot more data collection and statistical analysis on the thousands of cancer cases that are treated each year and took particular note that “all the off-label uses of cancer drugs (estimated to be about 75% of cancer drug use) for which the results of treatment are apparently not systematically studied.” This article in the Wall Street Journal (February 9) by Avery Johnson reports that UnitedHealth Group has been collecting clinical information about treatment of individual patients from over 1300 oncologists for three years. This could and should provide a database for large sample statistical analyses. They would not be clinical gold standard controlled experiments. They should, however, provide suggestive information about the effects of different treatments on tumors with a range of characteristics. I would think that young researchers would be eager to get hold of the data.

A WIKI APPROACH FOR SCIENTIFIC COMPUTER CODE? This article in the Guardian calls for publication of the computer code for scientific articles. It is surprising to me (actually, I am appalled) that this is not already done as a matter of course. We live in an age of Firefox and wikipedia. The article cites a study of a sample of scientific computer code which “showed that the software had an unacceptably high level of detectable inconsistencies.” The article points out that while commercial scientific software is often of poor quality, “scientific software developed in our universities and research institutes is often produced by scientists with no training in software engineering and with no quality mechanisms in place and so, no doubt, the occurrence of errors will be even higher.”

HOW INTELLIGENT IS AN OCTOPUS? I see from the search feature that I have posted five times before about octopuses, including this post on the personality of the octopus—which can be analyzed in terms of extraversion (versus shyness); neuroticism (anxiety); agreeableness; and openness to experience. I recently posted here about a video of an octopus using a coconut shell as a tool. This article addresses the question of how intelligent an octopus is. The answer: “Turns out, on a scale of one to chimpanzee, octopuses are probably somewhere close to matching wits with a dog.” The article gives an evolutionary reason for octopus intelligence. Octopuses don’t have shells and are fair game for predators so dumb octopuses have less chance of surviving. As for the use of the coconut shell, there is a difference of opinion as to whether that constitutes the use of a tool. Octopuses have been known to pile up rocks as a protective fence outside an opening to a shelter, but, again, whether that is the use of a tool depends on the definition. But octopuses do play, a sign of intelligence. I have to say that, although octopuses are smarter than I had thought, I’d bet on the dog in a battle of wits.

“THE WOMAN WITHOUT A FACE.” I am a devoted reader of mystery stories. Stories about serial killers are increasingly popular, probably because they provide a basis for a pattern that the reader has an opportunity to guess. Here is an article about the search for “the woman without a face.” The article, from April 2008, begins: “German police have stepped up the hunt for a murderer dubbed “the woman without a face”, who is believed to be a rare female multiple killer.The mystery woman is suspected of six murders and 15 years of burglaries in three countries. Her latest victims may be three Georgian second-hand car dealers shot execution-style.” The article, from the Scotsman, goes on to provide more information about the woman and her crimes. Here is another article from Australia that gives information about the “woman without a face.” Here is another article, from the London Times, this time giving the killer the name of The Phantom of Heilbronn.” The police chief in Baden-Wurttemberg was quoted as saying: “The noose is tightening.” Less than a year later, in March 2009, there was a solution. There was a pattern. There are clues in the linked articles. I will be posting about the solution to the case in a week or so.

JONAH LEHRER’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. Jonah Lehrer has some recommendations for you. First, don’t stretch your limited willpower—your budget—over too many resolutions at once; spread them throughout the year. Second, starvation diets diminish your willpower. As Lehrer says: “Even moderation must be done in moderation.” Third, exercising willpower can strengthen it. Experimental subjects who worked on improving their posture improved on various tests of willpower. I posted here on the idea of a willpower budget and here on how willpower is like a muscle in that it can be strengthened.

JONAH LEHRER ON THE SCIENCE OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. I have linked several times, for instance here, to Jonah Lehrer’s blog (Lehrer is the author of PROUST WAS A NEUROSCIENTIST). Lehrer had some recommendations here about New Years resolutions. The recommendations are based on the findings of psychologists and neuroscientists, especially the finding that the prefrontal cortex (which is just behind the forehead) is responsible for willpower, but also short term memory—so it can be overloaded. And so you can think of budgeting your willpower. Another consequence is that it’s harder to exercise willpower when you’re tired. Willpower also requires energy—energy which comes from food. Thus, there is a dilemma for dieters. Food and energy are needed for willpower. Skipping or skimping on meals can weaken the willpower needed to stay on a diet.