Large Hadron Collider updates

[electricland]

Important real-time updates, via slammerkinbabe: Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet?

The LHC startup, liveblogged, with lots of linky goodness (via Uncertain Principles)

The Globe has pretty pictures

New Scientist has proton's-eye view video

xkcd: So, any sign of the Higgs boson?

And don't forget to admire Google's home page today.

Comments

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

The world didn't end.

Cool.

Oh, can you tell me how scientists distinguish between male and female blood. And can you do it with a microscope?

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Errr...

I assume this is a forensic application, right? AFAIK/IIRC from high school biology you would look for white blood cells and see if they had Barr bodies. If yes, subject is female; if no, male (although the usual caveats for weird chromosomal conditions apply). It is done under a microscope but I don't know what kind of sample prep you need to do beforehand if any. (Staining, apparently.)

Obviously you could also go further and look for all the chromosomes but I think Barr bodies is the easy way.

But this is totally off the top of my head.

Ooh, here's more: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/july2000/deedric1.htm (not blood though)

[electricland.livejournal.com]

and more: http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/serology/3.html

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

So, I guess Cameron can detect Barr Bodies with the, uh, naked eye?

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Dude, Cameron is a killer robot from the future. What was your question again?

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

Fair point.

But you know how I feel about the needless multiplication of entities in plotting. Surely it was enough that the killer robot looking for her wounded target found a blood trail without layering on the "male blood" tag.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

oh, ITA.

I so want this show to be kick-ass, I will overlook it. But yeah, they do stuff like that.

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

I know. My "please, please be awesome, you're SOCLOSE" is making me wacky.