08:17 – We’re now shipping biology kits.
Right now, getting a biology kit packed for shipping takes longer than doing the same for a chemistry kit. That’s because I know exactly what should be in a chemistry kit, so I can just eyeball it to verify that everything that belongs in the box is in the box. I’m not as familiar with the biology kits yet, so I have to check off each item against a printed list. We’ve made up the first batch of 30 biology kits and checked the contents as we added them to the boxes, so I don’t expect to find anything missing when I tape up a box for shipping, but I’m a firm believer in the measure-twice-cut-once school of thinking.
09:20 – Here’s one of those papers that may be revolutionary [PDF] or may turn out to be just another brick in the wall. Researchers administered Buckminsterfullerene to rats, and were surprised to find that their lifespans were extended by some 90%. As far as I know, this hasn’t hit the mainstream media yet, but when it does I expect a flood of people trying to get their hands on a supply of buckyballs, assuming that instead of living to 90 years old they can live to 171. Don’t rush out to buy any buckyballs quite yet, though. The effect may turn out to be similar in humans, but it’s quite possible there will be no effect or even negative effects.
H/T: Derek Lowe
16:33 – It really, really is time for the United States to withdraw entirely from the United Nations, and to expel the UN from US soil. Really.