Month: September 2012

First in the new series of In Our Time, on The Cell. Steve Jones as one of the panel of three enthusiasts talking about what they know best. Origins of life, via Schroedinger to RNA, DNA, membranes, mitochondria and chloroplasts and so forth on what cells are, how they came to be and how they work.

Early on, to illustrate the proportion of human cells to bacterial cells in a human body, Steve suggests; think of one leg filled-up to just below the knee with human cells – the rest is bacteria.

[Post note ; unconnected to this programme, but just now – two weeks later – I’m reading Stuart Kaufman’s “Reinventing the Sacred” and it majors on the wonders of cell complexity – how we have become hooked on the digital information simplicity of DNA/RNA/Genes /G/A/C/T/U et al and completely overlook the other self-organizing wonders of life in both evolution and individual ontogeny.]

Take a hint from Du Pont. (From Futility Closet with hat tip to BifRiv)

Interesting that the customer service contacts of these food companies all seem to use Google and Wikipedia to answer customer questions about sources and processes of their products.

Not sure we ever got to the “bottom” (beyond speculation in the broadcast material) of how the LGG Probiotic bacteria really are originally sourced, but no surprise they are factory cultured in production quantities thereafter.

The grapefruit processing is an eye-opener – not the blanching and manual peeling, but the hydrochloric acid and caustic soda treatments. Must use a lot of water too to wash away the chlorine / chloride by-products – and what about the natural citric acid, if processed to neutralisation?

None-too incisive journalism, but interesting first in a new series, with James and Martin of Brewdog as well as Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt.

Interesting to hear new Green Party leader Natalie Bennett responding do the standard scientistic questions from the Pod Mob. Knows the issues and handled them pretty well for the quick fire Q&A format – certainly didn’t dodge any. Sarah Palin with brains (and an Oz accent?) maybe.

The rest of the Pod is indeed deluded.