Pretty cool!

Pretty cool!


Travel to the end of the Universe | A User's Guide to the Universe
usersguidetotheuniverse.com
About a week ago, I had a contest on io9 calling for questions about the universe. I got one that seems, on first blush, to be kind of silly, but on further inspection is kind of awesome. Cameron asks:

We already knew that melanoma could be detected using scent (dogs do it), but di...

We already knew that melanoma could be detected using scent (dogs do it), but didn't know what the scent was. Now we do. We also now know that the scent can be detected with a nano-sensor. This may open doors to early screening and detection of this deadly disease.


Research Identifies Scent of Melanoma
newswise.com
Monell researchers identified odorants from human skin cells that can be used to identify melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In addition a nanotechnology-based sensor could reliably differentiate melanoma cells from normal skin cells. Non-invasive odor analysis may be a valuable technique…

More on 'spicy', this time it's about the buzz of sichuan peppercorns. Take a l...

More on 'spicy', this time it's about the buzz of sichuan peppercorns. Take a listen...


Third Coast International Audio Festival :: #BuzzyNumbingElectricSourSpice
www.thirdcoastfestival.org
Over the course of 20+ years with the nationally-syndicated radio program Echoes, Jeff Towne has recorded interviews and musical performances in locations ranging from closets to cathedrals. He’s also the tools editor for Transom.org, a Peabody Award-winning website dedicated to channeling new voice...

Is it all about the pain?

Is it all about the pain?


FYI: Are People Born With A Tolerance For Spicy Food?
www.popsci.com
Spice tolerance: Is it nature or nurture? As with most things, it’s a little bit of both. To really understand how spice tolerance works, you have

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Philly NerdNite
One week until the next Nerd Nite! More details incoming, but for now we leave you with the following details: learn about "Analytical Improv: Patterns and Intuition" by Matthew Akana, explore a Hidden City Festival site - the Bibitorium- with Aislinn Pentecost-Farren and others, AND geek out about the "Weird World of Archie Comics" with Nerd Nite alumnus Chris Cummins. Music by Los Festingos. $5 cover @ Frankford Hall. Doors at 7pm, show starts at 7:30pm sharp.

Engaging way to teach chemistry. CHF knows how to do it!

Engaging way to teach chemistry. CHF knows how to do it!


112 Cartoon Elements Make Learning The Periodic Table Fun
www.buzzfeed.com
Proof that everything is easier to learn when presented via Pokemon-style. Artist Kacie D. lovingly anthropomorphized every single element, which deserves to be converted into a children's book.

Should be interesting!

Should be interesting!

Last week, Director Gary Beauchamp updated Food Fit Philly staff on the science...

Last week, Director Gary Beauchamp updated Food Fit Philly staff on the science of salt taste. His talk will help inform public health efforts to reduce dietary sodium intake, including Philly's Chinese Takeout Initiative.


Philly helps Chinese takeouts take out some of the salt — NewsWorks
www.newsworks.org
Philadelphia is training owners of Chinese take out restaurants to cut some of the salt in their menu items Most of the salt we eat comes from processed and restaurant foods and many health policy

It's a scientific fact. Chilis want to hurt you. And fool you. Bruce Bryant says...

It's a scientific fact. Chilis want to hurt you. And fool you. Bruce Bryant says so!


The Gut-Wrenching Science Behind the World’s Hottest Peppers
www.smithsonianmag.com
Chiliheads crave the heat that hurts so good, but nothing compares to the legendary superhot that spices life in remote India

Two important words - BE THERE!

Two important words - BE THERE!

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Philly NerdNite
Nerd Nite tonight! Don't let the threat of T-storms deter you from learning everything you didn't know you want to know about earwax! Oh, and we have great talks about an old landmark at the edge of Northern Liberties and Mr. T Merch. Music by our very own Matt Young. “Stink, Stank, Stunk . . . The Science of Human Earwax and Body Odor” by Kate Prigge “An Indian Pole on the Edge of Town.” by Harry Kyriakodis “Mr. T: Three Decades of Fool-Pitying Merchandise” by Ben Leach $5 cover gets your happy hour specials throughout the show and the pride of being a certified nerd. Plus you just might learn a thing or two!

Yesterday, Monell's Board, International Advisory Council, and staff gratefully...

Yesterday, Monell's Board, International Advisory Council, and staff gratefully dedicated a plaque honoring the visionary leadership of Monell benefactor Louise Slade. From l-r: Dr. Harry Levine, Dr. Slade, Monell Board Chair Dr. Dwight Riskey, Director Dr. Gary Beauchamp and Dr. Alexander Bachmanov, who represented the scientific staff. Thank you, Louise!

New study from Liquan Huang and colleagues identifies Ggamma13 as an intracellul...

New study from Liquan Huang and colleagues identifies Ggamma13 as an intracellular protein critical to the ability to smell.

“Without Ggamma13, the mice cannot smell,” said Huang. “This raises the possibility that mutations in the Ggamma13 gene may contribute to certain forms of human anosmia and that gene sequencing may be able to predict some instances of smell loss.”


Monell Chemical Senses Center
www.monell.org
PHILADELPHIA (May 6, 2013) – Researchers at the Monell Center and collaborators have identified a protein that is critical to the ability of mammals to smell. Mice engineered to be lacking the Ggamma13 protein in their olfactory receptors were functionally anosmic – unable to smell. The findings may...

Very good interview by Dr. Otto at Penn Vet on the ovarian cancer grant

Very good interview by Dr. Otto at Penn Vet on the ovarian cancer grant


Sniffing out cancer?
Grant awarded to dog training center

Can we detect ovarian cancer using smell? Congratulations to Dr. George Preti a...

Can we detect ovarian cancer using smell? Congratulations to Dr. George Preti and his collaborators on recieving this important grant. Smell - a sense of health.


Penn Vet Working Dog Center Collaborating on Ovarian Cancer Detection Study
www.upenn.edu
In a unique, interdisciplinary collaboration, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Me

Ditto

Ditto

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Philadelphia Science Festival
That's a wrap! Thank you for an absolutely amazing 11 days of science celebration!

Alum Larry Clark, Director of the NWRC, named 2013 Kerry-Manheimer Award recipient

Alum Larry Clark, Director of the NWRC, named 2013 Kerry-Manheimer Award recipient


Monell Chemical Senses Center
www.monell.org
PHILADELPHIA (April 24, 2013) — Larry Clark, PhD, Director of the United States Department of Agriculture National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), is the 2013 recipient of the Monell Center’s Kerry-Manheimer Award. The Award will be presented to Clark on the evening of April 29.

Showtime! If you're in Philly and consider yourself a fun-loving geek, don't mis...

Showtime! If you're in Philly and consider yourself a fun-loving geek, don't miss tonight's kick-off event at Next Fab on Washington St. Over 30 fun demos tailored just for adults. We'll be pouring wine and EVOO - stop by to find out why. To find us, just look for the Monell t-shirts.


Philadelphia Science Festival
www.philasciencefestival.org
Close your eyes and imagine a science wonderland, with hands-on activities just for adults.Be there to tap the 2013 Yard’s Official Science Festival Beer, Pythagorean Beerum, a specially brewed Belgian Tripel

Congratulations to Peihua Jiang!

Congratulations to Peihua Jiang!


Monell Chemical Senses Center
www.monell.org
Monell Center molecular neurobiologist Peihua Jiang, PhD, is the 2013 recipient of the Ajinomoto Award for Young Investigators in Gustation, an annual award presented by the Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) to an exceptional junior scientist who is a rising leader in the field of gus...

The Monell Center mourns the sudden loss of Dr. Kunio Yamazaki. From Director G...

The Monell Center mourns the sudden loss of Dr. Kunio Yamazaki. From Director Gary Beauchamp: “It is with profound sadness that I tell you that Kunio Yamazaki died on April 11 2013. Kunio was one of Monell's most eminent scientists. He was also one of Monell's most loyal supporters and ambassadors to the world. But most of all he was a wonderful colleague and friend, one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever known. I know all of us at Monell will miss him and cherish his memory.”