They Call Us Michael L. Wong

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Michael L. Wong, an astrobiologist, planetary scientist and podcaster who studies planetary atmospheres, habitability, biosignatures, and the emergence of life. And Star Trek. He talks about his involvement in the Stand Up for Science protests, the intersection of science, activism, and the challenges faced by the scientific community, particularly in light of recent budget cuts to space exploration and other STEM fields, and the broader implications of stifling diversity in science.

"Asian glow" could be linked to Alzheimer's, study finds

If you've spent any time partying with Asian kids, you've witnessed it.



Some more bad news for us folks who deal with the "Asian glow," according to a new study... In the presence of alcohol, a defective version of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 gene -- which causes that pesky redness when we drink -- also leads to biochemical changes associated with Alzheimer's disease.

A common mutation in aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, or ALDH2, a key enzyme involved in alcohol metabolism, increases damage in cells from patients with Alzheimer's disease and in mice, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Stop the racial profiling of Chinese American scientists

#SCIENTISTSNOTSPIES



On Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a story on physics professor Xiaoxing Xi and hydrologist Sherry Chen -- two of several recent cases involving Chinese American scientists who have been wrongfully prosecuted by the U.S. government with espionage-related crimes -- falsely accused of spying for China.

In each of these cases, American citizens -- Xi and Chen, as well as Guiqing Cao and Shuyu Li -- were widely labeled as spies for China before the government dropped all their charges with no explanation, apology or compensation. Supporters believe they were profiled and targeted because they are Asian American.

#ScientistsNotSpies
This week, advocates across the nation are demanding accountability and transparency from the federal government, urging for a stop to these reckless prosecutions and an investigation into the possible use of racial profiling in the case of Asian American scientists who have been accused of espionage.

The government still hasn't publicly acknowledged any wrongdoing for its recent wrongful prosecutions. The #ScientistsNotSpies campaign is asking for your support sending a message to the Attorney General and Inspector General of the United States to stop possible racial profiling in the Department of Justice.

Here how you can take action:

"This is not the America I thought I knew."

The case against falsely accused scientist Xiaoxing Xi reflects "America's most cherished ideals gone wrong."



Earlier this month, the Justice Department abruptly dropped criminal charges against Xiaoxing Xi, a scientist who was accused of sharing sensitive technology with China. Turns out, the evidence that prosecutors thought they had against Professor Xi was all wrong. In light of "additional information," they dropped the case. But that's after months of dragging his personal and professional reputation through the mud.

Joyce Xi, the daughter of Professor Xi, says the case "reflects some of America's most cherished ideals gone wrong." She has written an op-ed piece for USA Today in which she shares about her family's ordeal and the fallout of the government's false and reckless claims against her father. She's watched as the FBI raided her family's home, led her father away in handcuffs, and stripped away all senses of security and privacy.

She calls the case against her father and other falsely accused scientists "irresponsible government overreach."

U.S. drops charges against scientist accused of spying

The Justice Department has moved to drop the espionage case against physicist Xiaoxing Xi.



On Friday, the Justice Department abruptly dropped criminal charges against a scientist who was accused of sharing sensitive technology with China. Why? In a federal court filing, prosecutors stated that "additional information came to the attention of the government." In other words, they f*cked up. A lot.

U.S. Drops Charges That Professor Shared Technology With China

Last May, the Justice Department arrested 57-year-old Xiaoxing Xi, the former chairman of Temple University's physics department and a globally recognized expert in the field of superconductivity. Mr. Xi, a naturalized American citizen, was accused of sending sensitive information to scientists in China. Federal agents, guns drawn, raided his home and took him away in handcuffs.

The most damning piece of evidence appeared to be schematics for a piece of semiconductor research equipment known as a pocket heater. Prosecutors say Xi sent the schematics, which he had sworn to keep secret, to scientists in China. Unfortunately, neither the FBI nor the Justice Department bothered to put in the research to figure out the embarrassing truth: the schematics were not for a pocket heater.

Are you Asian American? Drink alcohol? Science needs you.

UCLA Addictions Lab seeks Asian American participants for a research study on alcohol use.


Remember that alcohol research study I posted a few months back? They were looking for Asians Americans who drink alcohol to participate in a study -- all in the name of scientific research! I'm told it was a big hit and they got a huge response. So good for you, Asians, for getting your alcohol on. Oh, they're recruiting again.

The Addictions Research Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at UCLA is looking for Asian Americans who drink alcohol to take part in a study investigating a medication for alcohol use. You'll be compensated up to $446 for your participation, which will involve, among other things, providing a DNA sample, completing questionnaires... and consumption of alcohol. Sort of.

Read on for details:

Arson-murder rap overturned, man set free after 24 years

Judge rules that the 1990 case against Han Tak Lee was based on now-discredited arson science.



Whoa. After spending the last 24 years in prison, convicted for setting the fire that killed his daughter, a man walks free. Last week in Pennsylvania, a federal judge overturned his 1990 murder-arson conviction, ruling that the case against him was based on now-discredited arson science.

Arson-Murder Rap Tossed, Han Tak Lee Set Free After 24 Years In Prison

79-year-old Han Tak Lee was released on bail Friday from the federal courthouse in Harrisburg. Lee was found guilty of purposely setting the 1989 cabin fire that killed his 20-year-old daughter Ji Yun Lee at a religious retreat in the Pocono Mountains. Prosecutor argued that the motive for murder was Ji Yun's severe depression, which had become too difficult for her family to handle.

Lee has consistently maintained his innocence over the last 25 years. Meanwhile, over the past two decades, there has been a revolution in fire science. Mr. Lee's case is one of dozens around the United States to come under scrutiny because of now-debunked beliefs about how arson can be detected.

Research Study seeks Asian Americans who drink alcohol

Where do I sign up? In the name of science, of course.


Do you drink alcohol? Are you Asian American? Are you in the Southern California area? Then I've got the opportunity for you... all in the name of scientific research! Saw this posted on Craigslist...

The Addictions Research Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at UCLA is looking for Asian Americans who drink alcohol to participate in a study investigating a medication for alcohol use. You'll be compensated up to $478 for your participation, which will involve, among other things, providing a DNA sample, completing questionnaires... and consumption of alcohol.

Here are some more details about the study:

This kid just got a planet named after him

MIT's Lincoln Laboratory honors teen scientist Michael Shao



People of planet Earth! You can now look up into night skies (probably through a super high-powered telescope) and see the planet named for a really smart teenage scientist named Michael Shao.

Planet named after Detroit Country Day School student

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory has named a minor planet after Michael Shao, a junior at Detroit Country Day School in Michigan, in recognition of his achievements at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's largest high school science research competition.

Shao's project, winner in the Animal Sciences category, analyzed a worm's simple nervous system:

Conan O'Brien talks to teen inventor Eesha Khare

Meet 18-year-old Eesha Khare, a Harvard-bound high school graduate from Saratoga, California who took the top prize last month at the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her groundbreaking experiment, "Design and Synthesis of Hydrogenated TiO2-Polyaniline Nanorods for Flexible High-Performance Supercapacitors." In simpler terms, she invented a device that can charge a cell phone in 30 seconds.

Eesha recently appeared on Conan to talk about her invention: