Details, details...

File under Major Blindspots - this article describes a study that finds the IUD the most effective method of emergency contraception, with a failure rate of 1 in 1000.  Great, but for emergency contraception (post-facto-ooops birth control)  the morning after pill does just fine for my money with a low 1 to 3% failure rate. The article states, despite the IUD's efficacy and safety, it is rarely recommended by clinicians for emergency contraception.  The reasons cited - it is not covered by insurance and it is not readily available.  Frankly, I'd add invasive to the list of why it's not a great option as a back-up option.  You have to get an IUD inserted through the vagina into the uterus.  A great long-term contraceptive method, but not super-appealing morning after plan B.

Didn't we just go through this in Virginia?

Please consider a donation to Planned Parenthood.

Heads up!

There is a 1 in 3,200 chance of getting hit by space junk now hurtling toward Earth this week.  The falling satellite, UARS, is the size of a school bus, and will likely hit Earth on Friday (give or take a day) - somewhere between the northern Newfoundland and southern South America latitudes. Or more precisely, but less dramatically, between 57 degrees N and 57 degrees South, and thus could hit just about anywhere around the fattest part of the planet.  While it is expected to break into pieces in a fiery light show, and rain across a path of up to 500 miles, with the largest debris estimated at about 300 pounds.

Scientists say it is not likely to hit a person.  The planet is well-covered with water, and even on land, we are relatively sparsely populated, except in places like New York City and Dhaka.  In order to take appropriate precautions, I will be walking around in my bike helmet starting Thursday at noon.

Cold enough for you?

Brrrrrrrrrr....we're experiencing an icy chill here in Washington.  It's been well- below freezing the last few days.  A huge departure from the semi-balmy typical winters in this quasi-Southern city. Today's wake-up temperature was 18 degrees, and this past weekend hovered in the 20's. (Love ya, Capital Weather Gang!). It's been lots of tea, hot chocolate, soup, long underwear, down coats, and woolly hats around here.  This deep freeze all across the northeast US - minus 35F in Saranac Lake, NY this morning!!! - and atypical icy, snowy conditions this winter in Europe are throwing us all for a loop.  Coupled with last winter's historic blizzards, it's all quite bizarre.

But for the global warming skeptics - more appropriately and accurately referred to as climate change - please do not get all smug about it.  The Arctic is downright balmy these days with 15 to 20 degree above average temperatures.  And it sports a polar ice cap 30% smaller than in 1979 when we first began to measure it.

It all quite freaky if you ask me.  I mean, have you read how the earth's magnetic poles seem to be reversing?  Someday your compass needle pointing at the 'N', will actually be heading you towards Miami.

Seriously, I'm kind of freaked out.  I even may start to panic if I thought it might do any good...

Real Science

The New York Times has a fascinating article, "Voices: What's Next in Science" which gives ten predictions from leading scientists from a variety of disciplines - biology to genomics.  These are near-term predictions, based on the directions the field is going.  And quite-frankly, some of them are mind-blowing.

My personal favorite is from Steven Strogatz, Professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell University:

“We’re going to see scientific results that are correct, that are predictive, but are without explanation. We may be able to do science without insight, and we may have to learn to live without it. Science will still progress, but computers will tell us things that are true, and we won’t understand them.”

If I understand this correctly, it means computers will tell us things that are correct, and that even if we cannot understand them we will just have to trust.  Sounds more like Faith than Science.  And yes, this is science, not science fiction.  Amazing! - check out the other predictions at the link above.

Aftershock

"The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday."

Wow!  I'm not sure whether to be concerned or not about a shorter day by 1.26 milliseconds (though really, I need longer days for a bit more sleep, not shorter ones).  But the idea of a massive earthquake shifting the earth's axis and rotation totally rocks my world.