You can sense hot and cold, moist and dry, feel pleasant, excited and stimulated on a route of almost 2 km in Lieteberg. There are water hazards, sand hills, and steep slopes. There's also a wooden watchtower, a maze, and a suspension bridge.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Blotevoetenpad
You can sense hot and cold, moist and dry, feel pleasant, excited and stimulated on a route of almost 2 km in Lieteberg. There are water hazards, sand hills, and steep slopes. There's also a wooden watchtower, a maze, and a suspension bridge.
Chinese-Style Giant Camping Festival
Jiangxi Province, located in the eastern part of the country, is considered by many to be home to China's most beautiful countryside due to its natural ecology, as well as its long history and tradition.
A Standing Version of the Seesaw
(Photo: Winfield Parks/National Geographic)Okay, I understand why most kids were never allowed to play on these risky toys. But now that I'm legally an adult, can I have one? Please?
More
What Did Barney Rubble Do For A Living?
Fred Flintstone is a bronto-crane operator at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company. But Barney's occupation is, for the most part of the series, unknown, though later series depict him working in the same quarry as Fred. But what exactly did Barney Rubble do for a living?
Why Didn't People Smile in Old Photographs?
Why
are people in Nineteenth Century photos usually grimacing? This
newlywed couple looks like they've just been sentenced to hard labor.
American author Mark Twain explains their expression:
A photograph is a most important document, and there is nothing more damning to go down to posterity than a silly, foolish smile caught and fixed forever.
Twain wasn't alone. He supported a traditional though fading belief that smiling made you look stupid. The Atlantic cites scholar Nicholas Jeeves:
Twain wasn’t the only believer in the idiocy of the style. Look back at painted portraiture — the tradition photography inherited — and you’ll rarely see a grinning subject. This is, in fact, Jeeves’s subject. “By the 17th century in Europe,“ he writes, “it was a well-established fact that the only people who smiled broadly, in life and in art, were the poor, the lewd, the drunk, the innocent, and the entertainment.”
Indeed, not only were smiles of the middling sort, they breached propriety. In 1703, one French writer lamented “people who raise their upper lip so high… that their teeth are almost entirely visible.” Not only was this discourteous, he asked: Why do it at all? After all, “nature gave us lips to conceal them.”
Portraits represented an ideal. It’s easy to mock them — they were the profile pictures of the aristocracy, in a sort of way — but they were crucial, tied to mortality, a method of preserving a person’s visage and affect. Jeeves puts it well: “The ambition [with portraiture] was not to capture a moment, but a moral certainty.” Subjects never looked exactly like their picture, yet their portraits were how they appeared. Portraits had permanence. You did not want to commit a permanent faux pas.
The Origins Of The Periodic Table
As early as 330 BCE, Aristotle created a four-element table: earth, air, fire, and water. But it wasn't until the late 1700s that Antoine Lavoisier, a French nobleman and chemist, wrote the first list of 33 elements. He classified them as metals and nonmetals, though we now know that some were compounds or mixtures.
Scientists discover cosmic factory for making building blocks of life
Scientists have discovered a 'cosmic factory' for producing the building blocks of life, amino acids, in research published today in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The team from Imperial College
London, the University of Kent and Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory have discovered that when icy comets collide into a planet,
amino acids can be produced. These essential building blocks are also
produced if a rocky meteorite crashes into a planet with an icy surface.
The researchers suggest that this process provides another piece to the puzzle of how life was kick-started on Earth, after a period of time between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago when the planet had been bombarded by comets and meteorites.
Dr Zita Martins, co-author of the paper from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, says: "Our work shows that the basic building blocks of life can be assembled anywhere in the Solar System and perhaps beyond. However, the catch is that these building blocks need the right conditions in order for life to flourish. Excitingly, our study widens the scope for where these important ingredients may be formed in the Solar System and adds another piece to the puzzle of how life on our planet took root."
Dr Mark Price, co-author from the University of Kent, adds: "This process demonstrates a very simple mechanism whereby we can go from a mix of simple molecules, such as water and carbon-dioxide ice, to a more complicated molecule, such as an amino acid. This is the first step towards life. The next step is to work out how to go from an amino acid to even more complex molecules such as proteins."
The abundance of ice on the surfaces of Enceladus and Europa, which are moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter respectively, could provide a perfect environment for the production of amino acids, when meteorites crash into their surface, say the researchers. Their work further underlines the importance of future space missions to these moons to search for signs of life.
The researchers discovered that when a comet impacts on a world it creates a shock wave that generates molecules that make up amino acids. The impact of the shock wave also generates heat, which then transforms these molecules into amino acids.
The team made their discovery by recreating the impact of a comet by firing projectiles through a large high speed gun. This gun, located at the University of Kent, uses compressed gas to propel projectiles at speeds of 7.15 kilometres per second into targets of ice mixtures, which have a similar composition to comets. The resulting impact created amino acids such as glycine and D-and L-alanine.
 |
| A recent study shows that the basic building blocks of life can be assembled anywhere in the Solar System and perhaps beyond [Credit: Imperial College London] |
The researchers suggest that this process provides another piece to the puzzle of how life was kick-started on Earth, after a period of time between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago when the planet had been bombarded by comets and meteorites.
Dr Zita Martins, co-author of the paper from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, says: "Our work shows that the basic building blocks of life can be assembled anywhere in the Solar System and perhaps beyond. However, the catch is that these building blocks need the right conditions in order for life to flourish. Excitingly, our study widens the scope for where these important ingredients may be formed in the Solar System and adds another piece to the puzzle of how life on our planet took root."
Dr Mark Price, co-author from the University of Kent, adds: "This process demonstrates a very simple mechanism whereby we can go from a mix of simple molecules, such as water and carbon-dioxide ice, to a more complicated molecule, such as an amino acid. This is the first step towards life. The next step is to work out how to go from an amino acid to even more complex molecules such as proteins."
The abundance of ice on the surfaces of Enceladus and Europa, which are moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter respectively, could provide a perfect environment for the production of amino acids, when meteorites crash into their surface, say the researchers. Their work further underlines the importance of future space missions to these moons to search for signs of life.
The researchers discovered that when a comet impacts on a world it creates a shock wave that generates molecules that make up amino acids. The impact of the shock wave also generates heat, which then transforms these molecules into amino acids.
The team made their discovery by recreating the impact of a comet by firing projectiles through a large high speed gun. This gun, located at the University of Kent, uses compressed gas to propel projectiles at speeds of 7.15 kilometres per second into targets of ice mixtures, which have a similar composition to comets. The resulting impact created amino acids such as glycine and D-and L-alanine.
The Supertrees Of Singapore
The 'Underwater Waterfall' Illusion At Mauritius Island
When viewed from above, a runoff of sand and silt deposits creates the impression of an 'underwater waterfall.' Satellite views are equally dramatic, as an underwater vortex seemingly appears off the coast of this tropical paradise.
Uros people of Peru and Bolivia have distinctive genetic ancestries
New genetic research led by the Genographic Project consortium
shows a distinctive ancestry for the Uros populations of Peru and
Bolivia that predates the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and may
date back to the earliest settlement of the Altiplano, or high plain, of
the central Andes some 3,700 years ago.
Despite the fact that the Uros today
share many lineages with the surrounding Andean populations, they have
maintained their own divergent genetic ancestry.
The Uros are a self-identified ethnic group, about 2,000 of whom live in Peru, many of them on artificial floating islands on Lake Titicaca. Another 2,600 individuals live beside lakes and rivers of Bolivia. According to some anthropologists, the Uros are descendants of the first settlers of the Altiplano -- the Andean plateau -- yet their origin has been subjected to considerable academic debate.
Those from Peru have long claimed to descend from the ancient Urus (Uruquilla speakers), using their differentiated ethnic identity to assert rights and prerogatives for their use of Titicaca's natural resources. The Uros have historically been the target of discrimination by the pre-Inca, Inca and the Spanish, and this continues today.
Some people have alleged that the Uros disappeared a long time ago and that the new islanders have conjured up an ancient heritage in order to attract tourists and receive special recognition and rights.
 |
| Uros people of Peru and Bolivia found to have distinctive genetic ancestries [Credit: National Geographic/Eduardo Rubiano Moncada] |
The Uros are a self-identified ethnic group, about 2,000 of whom live in Peru, many of them on artificial floating islands on Lake Titicaca. Another 2,600 individuals live beside lakes and rivers of Bolivia. According to some anthropologists, the Uros are descendants of the first settlers of the Altiplano -- the Andean plateau -- yet their origin has been subjected to considerable academic debate.
Those from Peru have long claimed to descend from the ancient Urus (Uruquilla speakers), using their differentiated ethnic identity to assert rights and prerogatives for their use of Titicaca's natural resources. The Uros have historically been the target of discrimination by the pre-Inca, Inca and the Spanish, and this continues today.
Some people have alleged that the Uros disappeared a long time ago and that the new islanders have conjured up an ancient heritage in order to attract tourists and receive special recognition and rights.
Neanderthal diet more varied than previously thought
Why did anatomically modern humans
replace Neanderthals in Europe around 40,000 years ago? One hypothesis
suggests that Neandertals were rigid in their dietary choice, targeting
large herbivorous mammals, such as horse, bison and mammoths, while
modern humans also exploited a wider diversity of dietary resources,
including fish. This dietary flexibility of modern humans would have
been a big advantage when competing with Neanderthals and led to their
final success.
In a joint study,
Professor Hervé Bocherens of the University of Tübingen, Germany,
together with colleagues from the Zoological Institute of the Russian
Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg, Russia and the Royal Belgian
Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, Belgium have found at a cave
in the Caucasus Mountains indirect hints of fish consumption by
Neanderthals. The scientists challenge the hypothesis of evolutionary
advantage of modern humans on basis of dietary choice. Bone analyses
ruled out cave bears and cave lions to have consumed the fish whose
remains were found at the Caucasian cave.
The hypothesis on dietary differences between modern humans and Neanderthals is based on the study of animal bones found in caves occupied by these two types of hominids, which can provide clues about their diet, but it is always difficult to exclude large predators living at the same time as being responsible for at least part of this accumulation. One such case occurs in a cave located on the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, called Kudaro 3.
There, the bone fragments of large
salmon, migrating from marine water to their freshwater spawning places,
were found in the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological layers, dated to
around 42 to 48,000 years ago, and probably deposited by Neanderthals.
Such remains suggested that fish was consumed by these archaic Humans.
However, large carnivores, such as Asiatic cave bears (Ursus kudarensis)
and cave lions (Panthera spelaea) were also found in the cave and could
have brought the salmon bones in the caves.
To test this hypothesis, the possible contribution of marine fish in the diet of these carnivores was evaluated using carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes in faunal bone collagen, comparing these isotopic signatures between predators and their potential prey. The results indicate that salmons were neither part of the diet of cave bears (they were purely vegetarian, like their European counterparts) or cave lions (they were predators of herbivores from arid areas).
“This study provides indirect support to the idea that Middle Palaeolithic Hominins, probably Neanderthals, were able to consume fish when it was available, and that therefore, the prey choice of Neanderthals and modern humans was not fundamentally different,” says Hervé Bocherens. He assumes that more than diet differences were certainly involved in the demise of the Neanderthals.
 |
| New evidence challenges the hypothesis of evolutionary advantage of modern humans over Neanderthals on basis of dietary choice [Credit: WikiCommons] |
The hypothesis on dietary differences between modern humans and Neanderthals is based on the study of animal bones found in caves occupied by these two types of hominids, which can provide clues about their diet, but it is always difficult to exclude large predators living at the same time as being responsible for at least part of this accumulation. One such case occurs in a cave located on the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, called Kudaro 3.
 |
| The map shows the location of the Kudaro 3 cave in the Caucasian Mountains [Credit: H. Bocherens/University of Tübingen] |
To test this hypothesis, the possible contribution of marine fish in the diet of these carnivores was evaluated using carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes in faunal bone collagen, comparing these isotopic signatures between predators and their potential prey. The results indicate that salmons were neither part of the diet of cave bears (they were purely vegetarian, like their European counterparts) or cave lions (they were predators of herbivores from arid areas).
“This study provides indirect support to the idea that Middle Palaeolithic Hominins, probably Neanderthals, were able to consume fish when it was available, and that therefore, the prey choice of Neanderthals and modern humans was not fundamentally different,” says Hervé Bocherens. He assumes that more than diet differences were certainly involved in the demise of the Neanderthals.
Giant prehistoric elephant slaughtered by early humans
Research by a University of
Southampton archaeologist suggests that early humans, who lived
thousands of years before Neanderthals, were able to work together in
groups to hunt and slaughter animals as large as the prehistoric
elephant.
Dr Francis Wenban-Smith discovered a
site containing remains of an extinct straight-tusked elephant
(Palaeoloxodon antiquus) in 2003, in an area of land at Ebbsfleet in
Kent, during the construction of the High Speed 1 rail link from the
Channel Tunnel to London.
Investigation of the area was carried out with independent heritage organisation Oxford Archaeology, with the support of HS1 Ltd.
Excavation revealed a deep sequence of deposits containing the elephant remains, along with numerous flint tools and a range of other species such as; wild aurochs, extinct forms of rhinoceros and lion, Barbary macaque, beaver, rabbit, various forms of vole and shrew, and a diverse assemblage of snails. These remains confirm that the deposits date to a warm period of climate around 420,000 years ago, the so-called Hoxnian interglacial, when the climate was probably slightly warmer than the present day.
Since the excavation, which took place in 2004, Francis has been carrying out a detailed analysis of evidence recovered from the site, including 80 undisturbed flint artefacts found scattered around the elephant carcass and used to butcher it. The pre-historic elephant was twice the size of today's African variety and up to four times the weight of family car.
Dr Wenban-Smith comments: "Although there is no direct evidence of how this particular animal met its end, the discovery of flint tools close to the carcass confirm butchery for its meat, probably by a group of at least four individuals.
"Early hominins of this period would have depended on nutrition from large herbivores. The key evidence for elephant hunting is that, of the few prehistoric butchered elephant carcasses that have been found across Europe, they are almost all large males in their prime, a pattern that does not suggest natural death and scavenging. Although it seems incredible that they could have killed such an animal, it must have been possible with wooden spears.. We know hominins of this period had these, and an elephant skeleton with a wooden spear through its ribs was found at the site of Lehringen in Germany in 1948."
These early humans suffered local extinction in Northern Europe during the great ice age known as the Anglian glaciation 450,000 years ago, but re-established themselves as the climate grew warmer again in the following Hoxnian interglacial.
An ability to hunt large mammals, and in particular elephants, as suggested by the Ebbsfleet find, would go some way to explaining how these people then managed to push northwards again into what is now Britain. The flint artefacts of these pioneer settlers are of a characteristic type known as Clactonian, mostly comprising simple razor-sharp flakes that would have been ideal for cutting meat, sometimes with notches on them that would have helped cut through the tougher animal hide.
The discovery of this previously undisturbed Elephant grave site is unique in Britain -- where only a handful of other elephant skeletons have been found and none of which have produced similar evidence of human exploitation.
Dr Wenban-Smith explains the Ebbsfleet area would have been very different from today: "Rich fossilised remains surrounding the elephant skeleton, including pollen, snails and a wide variety of vertebrates, provide a remarkable record of the climate and environment the early humans inhabited.
"Analysis of these deposits show they lived at a time of peak interglacial warmth, when the Ebbsfleet Valley was a lush, densely wooded tributary of the Thames, containing a quiet, almost stagnant swamp."
The layer of earth containing the elephant remains and flints is overlain by a higher level of sediment, rich in so-called Acheulian tool types -- handaxes of various forms from later in the same interglacial. Controversy surrounds whether or not these represent a later wave of colonisation of Britain, or whether the Clactonians themselves evolved a more sophisticated tool-kit as they developed a more sustained occupation.
 |
| Elephant tusks at Ebbsfleet [Credit: University of Southampton] |
Investigation of the area was carried out with independent heritage organisation Oxford Archaeology, with the support of HS1 Ltd.
Excavation revealed a deep sequence of deposits containing the elephant remains, along with numerous flint tools and a range of other species such as; wild aurochs, extinct forms of rhinoceros and lion, Barbary macaque, beaver, rabbit, various forms of vole and shrew, and a diverse assemblage of snails. These remains confirm that the deposits date to a warm period of climate around 420,000 years ago, the so-called Hoxnian interglacial, when the climate was probably slightly warmer than the present day.
Since the excavation, which took place in 2004, Francis has been carrying out a detailed analysis of evidence recovered from the site, including 80 undisturbed flint artefacts found scattered around the elephant carcass and used to butcher it. The pre-historic elephant was twice the size of today's African variety and up to four times the weight of family car.
Dr Wenban-Smith comments: "Although there is no direct evidence of how this particular animal met its end, the discovery of flint tools close to the carcass confirm butchery for its meat, probably by a group of at least four individuals.
"Early hominins of this period would have depended on nutrition from large herbivores. The key evidence for elephant hunting is that, of the few prehistoric butchered elephant carcasses that have been found across Europe, they are almost all large males in their prime, a pattern that does not suggest natural death and scavenging. Although it seems incredible that they could have killed such an animal, it must have been possible with wooden spears.. We know hominins of this period had these, and an elephant skeleton with a wooden spear through its ribs was found at the site of Lehringen in Germany in 1948."
These early humans suffered local extinction in Northern Europe during the great ice age known as the Anglian glaciation 450,000 years ago, but re-established themselves as the climate grew warmer again in the following Hoxnian interglacial.
An ability to hunt large mammals, and in particular elephants, as suggested by the Ebbsfleet find, would go some way to explaining how these people then managed to push northwards again into what is now Britain. The flint artefacts of these pioneer settlers are of a characteristic type known as Clactonian, mostly comprising simple razor-sharp flakes that would have been ideal for cutting meat, sometimes with notches on them that would have helped cut through the tougher animal hide.
The discovery of this previously undisturbed Elephant grave site is unique in Britain -- where only a handful of other elephant skeletons have been found and none of which have produced similar evidence of human exploitation.
Dr Wenban-Smith explains the Ebbsfleet area would have been very different from today: "Rich fossilised remains surrounding the elephant skeleton, including pollen, snails and a wide variety of vertebrates, provide a remarkable record of the climate and environment the early humans inhabited.
"Analysis of these deposits show they lived at a time of peak interglacial warmth, when the Ebbsfleet Valley was a lush, densely wooded tributary of the Thames, containing a quiet, almost stagnant swamp."
The layer of earth containing the elephant remains and flints is overlain by a higher level of sediment, rich in so-called Acheulian tool types -- handaxes of various forms from later in the same interglacial. Controversy surrounds whether or not these represent a later wave of colonisation of Britain, or whether the Clactonians themselves evolved a more sophisticated tool-kit as they developed a more sustained occupation.
Epiphany
This incredible photo marks the end of Matador Torero Alvaro Munera’s career. He collapsed in remorse mid-fight when he realized he was having to prompt this otherwise gentle beast to fight. He went on to become an avid opponent of bullfights. Even grievously wounded by picadors, he did not attack this man.
Torrero Munera is quoted as saying of this moment: “And suddenly, I looked at the bull. He had this innocence that all animals have in their eyes, and he looked at me with this pleading. It was like a cry for justice, deep down inside of me. I describe it as being like a prayer - because if one confesses, it is hoped, that one is forgiven. I felt like the worst shit on earth.”
This could be the smallest marlin ever caught
East Coast angler hand-captures the itsy-bitsy billfish in
what's described as an 'extremely rare' encounter; out of admiration he
sets critter free
Most Atlantic blue marlin encountered by fishermen are large and
ferocious, highly prized for their strength and acrobatics at the end of
a line. They can reach weights of nearly 1,500 pounds and wage battles
lasting hours.
But the blue marlin landed recently by Richard Brackett was unique in that it was not gargantuan or ferocious, but super cute and tiny enough to fit in the palm of a hand.
In fact, Brackett used both cupped hands to scoop up the mini-marlin after an encounter The Billfish Foundation described as highly unlikely. “The chance in encountering a blue marlin is quite a feat, but seeing one this small is extremely rare,” the group stated Friday on its website.
They then began to drift for swordfish and that’s when Brackett noticed the baby blue marlin swimming in the light behind the transom.
Brackett shares the rest of the story:
“After an hour or so, I saw what we thought to be a juvenile sailfish in the transom lights. Being such a last-minute trip, I forgot the dip net so I had to resort to option two.
“I filled the bucket with water, opened the transom door, and scooped him up with my hands and set him in the bucket. I have to say even at this small size they are crazy aggressive. I got him in my hands in the bucket … and we snapped a quick picture so we could release it as quickly as possible.”
It’s a big, cruel world out there, but Brackett and Cagle are hopeful that their itsy-bitsy billfish will survive long enough to become a top-level predator to be reckoned with.
To read more about this catch, which has been a hot topic in fishing circles, visit The Billfish Foundation’s Facebook page.
Baby blue marlin image is courtesy of Richard Brackett. Baby sailfish image (below) is courtesy of The Billfish Foundation
But the blue marlin landed recently by Richard Brackett was unique in that it was not gargantuan or ferocious, but super cute and tiny enough to fit in the palm of a hand.
In fact, Brackett used both cupped hands to scoop up the mini-marlin after an encounter The Billfish Foundation described as highly unlikely. “The chance in encountering a blue marlin is quite a feat, but seeing one this small is extremely rare,” the group stated Friday on its website.
(Note:
This has been verified by TBF biologists as a blue marlin, even though
it looks more like a sailfish because of its broad dorsal fin.
Apparently, baby blue marlin begin life with this type of fin, which
narrows as the fish grows and develops, and a stout bill. Baby
sailfish—pictured at right—feature much longer bills.)
Brackett and Joey Cagle were trolling out of Charleston, South
Carolina, en route to the swordfish grounds, and had battled a couple of
sailfish before the sun began to set.They then began to drift for swordfish and that’s when Brackett noticed the baby blue marlin swimming in the light behind the transom.
Brackett shares the rest of the story:
“After an hour or so, I saw what we thought to be a juvenile sailfish in the transom lights. Being such a last-minute trip, I forgot the dip net so I had to resort to option two.
“I filled the bucket with water, opened the transom door, and scooped him up with my hands and set him in the bucket. I have to say even at this small size they are crazy aggressive. I got him in my hands in the bucket … and we snapped a quick picture so we could release it as quickly as possible.”
It’s a big, cruel world out there, but Brackett and Cagle are hopeful that their itsy-bitsy billfish will survive long enough to become a top-level predator to be reckoned with.
To read more about this catch, which has been a hot topic in fishing circles, visit The Billfish Foundation’s Facebook page.
Monday, September 23, 2013
The Daily Drift
Deep thoughts ...
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Today in History
| 1553 | The Sadians defeat the last of their enemies and establish themselves as rulers of Morocco. | |
| 1561 | Philip II of Spain gives orders to halt colonizing efforts in Florida. | |
| 1577 | William of Orange makes his triumphant entry into Brussels, Belgium. | |
| 1667 | Slaves in Virginia are banned from obtaining their freedom by converting to Christianity. | |
| 1739 | The Austrians sign the Treaty of Belgrade after having lost the city to the Turks. | |
| 1779 | The American navy under John Paul Jones, commanding from Bonhomme Richard, defeats and captures the British man-of-war Serapis. | |
| 1788 | Louis XVI of France declares the Parliament restored. | |
| 1795 | A national plebiscite approves the new French constitution, but so many voters sustain that the results are suspect. | |
| 1803 | British Major General Sir Arthur Wellesley defeats the Marathas at Assaye, India. | |
| 1805 | Lieutenant Zebulon Pike pays $2,000 to buy from the Sioux a 9-square-mile tract at the mouth of the Minnesota River that will be used to establish a military post, Fort Snelling. | |
| 1806 | The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrives back in St. Louis just over three years after its departure. | |
| 1864 | Confederate and Union forces clash at Mount Jackson, Front Royal and Woodstock in Virginia during the Valley campaign. | |
| 1911 | The Second International Aviation Meet opens in New York. | |
| 1912 | Mack Sennet's first "Keystone Cop" film debuts, Cohen Collects a Debt. | |
| 1945 | The first American dies in Vietnam during the fall of Saigon to French forces. | |
| 1952 | Richard Nixon responds to charges of a secret slush fund during his 'Checkers Speech.' | |
| 1954 | East German police arrest 400 citizens as U.S. spies. | |
| 1967 | Soviets sign a pact to send more aid to Hanoi. | |
| 1973 | Juan Peron is re-elected president of Argentina after being overthrown in 1955. | |
| 1983 | Gerrie Coetzee (Gerhardus Coetzee), boxer from South Africa; first boxer from the African continent to win a world heavyweight tittle (World Boxing Association). | |
| 1983 | Gulf Air Flight 771 from Karachi, Pakistan, to Abu Dhabi, UAE, bombed; all 117 aboard die. | |
| 1992 | Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates 3,700-lb. bomb in Belfast, completely destroying the Northern Ireland forensic laboratory, injuring 20 people and damaging 700 houses. | |
| 2002 | The first public version of Mozilla Firefox browser released; originally called Phoenix 0.1 its name was changed due to trademark issues with Phoenix Technologies. | |
| 2004 | Hurricane Jeanne causes severe flooding in Haiti; over 1,000 reported dead. |
The Dirndl Code Expert Tips for a Rollicking Oktoberfest
What does a dirndl apron reveal about its wearer, and how do visitors
get seats inside the beer tents? An Oktoberfest expert answers
questions about how to get the most out of the world's largest folk
festival, which begins this weekend. More
FBI data shows US cops made one pot arrest every 42 seconds in 2012
"Residents of two states voted to legalize marijuana in 2012, but
despite an increase in public support for liberalizing drug policy, American police arrested about the same number of people last year on pot-related charges as in 2011."
Origins of genomic 'dark matter' discovered
A duo of scientists at Penn State
University has achieved a major milestone in understanding how genomic
"dark matter" originates. This "dark matter" -- called non-coding RNA --
does not contain the blueprint for making proteins and yet it comprises
more than 95 percent of the human genome. The researchers have
discovered that essentially all coding and non-coding RNA originates at
the same types of locations along the human genome. The team's findings
eventually may help to pinpoint exactly where complex-disease traits
reside, since the genetic origins of many diseases reside outside of the
coding region of the genome.
The research, which will be published as an Advance Online Publication in the journal Nature on 18 September 2013,
was performed by B. Franklin Pugh, holder of the Willaman chair in
Molecular Biology at Penn State, and postdoctoral scholar Bryan Venters,
who now holds a faculty position at Vanderbilt University.
In their research, Pugh and Venters set out to identify the precise location of the beginnings of transcription -- the first step in the expression of genes into proteins. "During transcription, DNA is copied into RNA -- the single-stranded genetic material that is thought to have preceded the appearance of DNA on Earth -- by an enzyme called RNA polymerase and, after several more steps, genes are encoded and proteins eventually are produced," Pugh explained. He added that, in their quest to learn just where transcription begins, other scientists had looked directly at RNA. However, Pugh and Venters instead determined where along human chromosomes the proteins that initiate transcription of the non-coding RNA were located.
"We took this approach because so many RNAs are rapidly destroyed soon after they are made, and this makes them hard to detect," Pugh said. "So rather than look for the RNA product of transcription we looked for the 'initiation machine' that makes the RNA. This machine assembles RNA polymerase, which goes on to make RNA, which goes on to make a protein." Pugh added that he and Venters were stunned to find 160,000 of these "initiation machines," because humans only have about 30,000 genes. "This finding is even more remarkable, given that fewer than 10,000 of these machines actually were found right at the site of genes. Since most genes are turned off in cells, it is understandable why they are typically devoid of the initiation machinery."
The remaining 150,000 initiation machines -- those Pugh and Venters did not find right at genes -- remained somewhat mysterious. "These initiation machines that were not associated with genes were clearly active since they were making RNA and aligned with fragments of RNA discovered by other scientists," Pugh said. "In the early days, these fragments of RNA were generally dismissed as irrelevant since they did not code for proteins." Pugh added that it was easy to dismiss these fragments because they lacked a feature called polyadenylation -- a long string of genetic material, adenosine bases -- that protect the RNA from being destroyed. Pugh and Venters further validated their surprising findings by determining that these non-coding initiation machines recognized the same DNA sequences as the ones at coding genes, indicating that they have a specific origin and that their production is regulated, just like it is at coding genes.
"These non-coding RNAs have been called the 'dark matter' of the genome because, just like the dark matter of the universe, they are massive in terms of coverage -- making up over 95 percent of the human genome. However, they are difficult to detect and no one knows exactly what they all are doing or why they are there," Pugh said. "Now at least we know that they are real, and not just 'noise' or 'junk.' Of course, the next step is to answer the question, 'what, in fact, do they do?'"
Pugh added that the implications of this research could represent one step towards solving the problem of "missing heritability" -- a concept that describes how most traits, including many diseases, cannot be accounted for by individual genes and seem to have their origins in regions of the genome that do not code for proteins. "It is difficult to pin down the source of a disease when the mutation maps to a region of the genome with no known function," Pugh said. "However, if such regions produce RNA then we are one step closer to understanding that disease."
 |
| A duo of scientists at Penn State University has achieved a major milestone in understanding genomic "dark matter" -- called non-coding RNA. This "dark matter" is difficult to detect and no one knows exactly what it is doing or why it is there in our genome, but scientists suspect it may be the source of inherited diseases. This research achievement may help to pinpoint exactly where complex-disease traits reside in the human genome. This illustration shows, in the upper left corner, a chromosome -- a densely compressed package containing one long, continuous strand of DNA. The DNA is pervasively transcribed into RNA, but only a very small fraction of the RNA has the instructions (or codes) for making proteins. The green circles in this illustration represent places along the strand of DNA where transcription originates. New research led by B. Franklin Pugh of Penn State University shows that essentially all RNA, whether or not it codes for proteins, originates at the same types of locations along the strand of DNA. The findings eventually may help to pinpoint exactly where complex-disease traits reside, since the genetic origins of many diseases reside outside of the coding region of the genome [Credit: National Institutes of Health and B. Franklin Pugh, Penn State University] |
In their research, Pugh and Venters set out to identify the precise location of the beginnings of transcription -- the first step in the expression of genes into proteins. "During transcription, DNA is copied into RNA -- the single-stranded genetic material that is thought to have preceded the appearance of DNA on Earth -- by an enzyme called RNA polymerase and, after several more steps, genes are encoded and proteins eventually are produced," Pugh explained. He added that, in their quest to learn just where transcription begins, other scientists had looked directly at RNA. However, Pugh and Venters instead determined where along human chromosomes the proteins that initiate transcription of the non-coding RNA were located.
"We took this approach because so many RNAs are rapidly destroyed soon after they are made, and this makes them hard to detect," Pugh said. "So rather than look for the RNA product of transcription we looked for the 'initiation machine' that makes the RNA. This machine assembles RNA polymerase, which goes on to make RNA, which goes on to make a protein." Pugh added that he and Venters were stunned to find 160,000 of these "initiation machines," because humans only have about 30,000 genes. "This finding is even more remarkable, given that fewer than 10,000 of these machines actually were found right at the site of genes. Since most genes are turned off in cells, it is understandable why they are typically devoid of the initiation machinery."
The remaining 150,000 initiation machines -- those Pugh and Venters did not find right at genes -- remained somewhat mysterious. "These initiation machines that were not associated with genes were clearly active since they were making RNA and aligned with fragments of RNA discovered by other scientists," Pugh said. "In the early days, these fragments of RNA were generally dismissed as irrelevant since they did not code for proteins." Pugh added that it was easy to dismiss these fragments because they lacked a feature called polyadenylation -- a long string of genetic material, adenosine bases -- that protect the RNA from being destroyed. Pugh and Venters further validated their surprising findings by determining that these non-coding initiation machines recognized the same DNA sequences as the ones at coding genes, indicating that they have a specific origin and that their production is regulated, just like it is at coding genes.
"These non-coding RNAs have been called the 'dark matter' of the genome because, just like the dark matter of the universe, they are massive in terms of coverage -- making up over 95 percent of the human genome. However, they are difficult to detect and no one knows exactly what they all are doing or why they are there," Pugh said. "Now at least we know that they are real, and not just 'noise' or 'junk.' Of course, the next step is to answer the question, 'what, in fact, do they do?'"
Pugh added that the implications of this research could represent one step towards solving the problem of "missing heritability" -- a concept that describes how most traits, including many diseases, cannot be accounted for by individual genes and seem to have their origins in regions of the genome that do not code for proteins. "It is difficult to pin down the source of a disease when the mutation maps to a region of the genome with no known function," Pugh said. "However, if such regions produce RNA then we are one step closer to understanding that disease."
Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint Privately Admit That repugicans Won’t Defund Obamacare
While discussing what the repugicans are hoping to accomplish by tying Obamacare to funding the government, Gigot said, “I’ve talked to these people privately. They don’t think going to. Even Ted Cruz and Jim Demint and these guys, they say well, we’re not going to be able to defund Obamacare.” Daniel Henninger of the WSJ added that Cruz’s goal was to launch a grassroots uprising against Obamacare, just like what happened with the threat of military strikes in Syria.
Cruz and Rand Paul tried to stage a big tea party rally in DC to defund Obamacare,10efund-obamacare-rally-attracts-dozens-medicare-elderly-people. But their event drew hundreds, not the thousands that they expected. It had become apparent that Cruz’s efforts have been a total failure, and that is why he is trying so hard to cut and run from his own campaign to defund Obamacare.
Once again, the repugican base has been scammed by their own elected officials. The repugicans know that they can’t defund Obamacare. This is all a scheme to raise money, and get repugican voters fired up for the 2014 election. Cruz was also hoping to become the leader of a popular rebellion that would carry him to the 2016 repugican presidential nomination. Expect lots of tough talk about defunding Obamacare from Ted Cruz, but it’s all bullshit, and he knows it.
The country is facing the prospect of a potential government shutdown, because repugicans want to fire up their base, and/or run for president in 2016. Gigot’s comments are more evidence that repugicans know that they are going to ultimately lose any fight over defunding Obamacare and shutting down the government.
Americans should be outraged by this pointless circus, and should give House repugicans a one way ticket to the unemployment line on Election Day 2014.
The disappearing "middle class"
Excerpts from an essay at Salon:
When I was growing up, it was assumed that America’s shared prosperity was the natural endpoint of our economy’s development, that capitalism had produced the workers paradise to which Communism unsuccessfully aspired. Now, with the perspective of 40 years, it’s obvious that the nonstop economic expansion that lasted from the end of World War II to the Arab oil embargo of 1973 was a historical fluke, made possible by the fact that the United States was the only country to emerge from that war with its industrial
capacity intact. Unfortunately, the middle class – especially the blue-collar middle class – is also starting to look like a fluke, an interlude between Gilded Ages that more closely reflects the way most societies structure themselves economically. For the majority of human history – and in the majority of countries today – there have been only two classes: aristocracy and peasantry. It’s an order in which the many toil for subsistence wages to provide luxuries for the few. Twentieth century America temporarily escaped this stratification, but now, as statistics on economic inequality demonstrate, we’re slipping back in that direction. Between 1970 and today, the share of the nation’s income that went to the middle class – households earning two-thirds to double the national median – fell from 62 percent to 45 percent. Last year, the wealthiest 1 percent took in 19 percent of America’s income – their highest share since 1928.
Capitalism has been doing exactly what it was designed to do: concentrating wealth in the ownership class, while providing the mass of workers with just enough wages to feed, house and clothe themselves.
The United States will never again be as wealthy as it was in the 1950s and ’60s. Never again will 18-year-olds graduate directly from high school to jobs that pay well enough to buy a house and support a family.
This Tiny Town Is Trying To Stop Neo-Nazis From Taking Over
by Meg Lindholm
Craig Cobb's house on Main Street in Leith,
N.D., where he spends his days posting online comments advocating for
white supremacists to join his settlement. Cobb, a self-described white
supremacist, has invited fellow white separatists to help him transform
the town into a white enclave.
A white supremacist has plans to take over a tiny town in North
Dakota and turn it into one for whites only. This weekend, members of
one of the nation's largest neo-Nazi organizations will descend upon the
town in a step toward making that vision a reality — and several
residents are trying to stop them.Leith, N.D., which sits 3 miles off the nearest paved road, has been in decline for decades. The railroad, schools and most of the town's businesses and residents are gone. Many buildings are held together by rotting boards and slabs of concrete. At the urging of residents, the county health department has condemned several of the structures.
It's part of an effort to stop Craig Cobb, a white supremacist, from easily moving in others like him to take over the town and its small local government.
Bobby Harper, who lives right across an alleyway from Cobb, is the only black resident in the town of 24 people. He says he was prepared to tolerate Cobb as long as he kept to himself, but he's angry now that Cobb has invited other white separatists to join him.
Bobby Harper, with his wife, Sherill, lives across the alley from Cobb. He says he was prepared to tolerate Cobb as long as he kept to himself, but he's angry now that Cobb has invited other white supremacists to join him.
"He knows that those people that he's inviting to this town are full of hate," Harper says. "He's bringing his people in that doesn't like me just because of my race, and that's not the way it should be."
Cobb invited Schoep and NSM members to visit Leith for two days, starting this Sunday, to showcase his vision of an all-white community. He says he wants to install flags of the "formerly white nations of Europe."
"It would be extraordinarily beautiful when people enter the town, particularly at night," Cobb says. "We will probably have the National Socialist hunting flag with stag horns and a very small swastika in the center — very discreet."
Cobb's plans don't end in Leith. He also wants to take over other towns roughly adjacent to the state's oil fields, like one near the Canadian border called Alkabo. "A little bit like 'al-Qaida' but 'Alkabo,' " he says with a laugh.
Gregory Gordon, a law professor at the University of North Dakota, says he doesn't think Cobb is necessarily dangerous but that he should not be underestimated.
"I don't think we should take him lightly, because he is very much into glorifying and promoting violence against racial minorities," Gordon says.
Still, the residents of Leith aren't feeling hopeful. Several say their best chance of saving their town may be to legislate it out of existence. They are considering and transferring control to the county.
It's a painful choice, says longtime resident Bethany Haberstroh.
"It's sad seeing a town die off, but what's heartbreaking is to see a town struggling with the decision of dissolving its government because an extreme hate group is wanting to take over," she says.
Meanwhile, Harper, Cobb's across-the-alley neighbor, says he won't be driven out. "They gotta do something very drastic to make it very unsafe and uncomfortable for me. Right now, I don't see it happening," he says.
A protest against Cobb and the National Socialist Movement is also being planned for this weekend. The town's mayor says his fervent hope is for peace on both sides.
Medical terminology named after Nazis
Surprisingly, there are a good half-dozen medical eponyms that come
from Nazi doctors who performed experiments on unwilling human subjects
or used bodies of executed prisoners in their work — often in the course
of discovering the very things that now bear their names. Clara cells,
for instance, are a type of cell that lines small airways in your lungs.
They're named for Max Clara, who discovered them by dissecting executed political prisoners.
Secret Code Music Score May Lead to Nazi Gold
by Björn Hengst and Benjamin Dürr
After some initial digs, a Dutch filmmaker believes he may have found
the site of buried Nazi treasure long rumored to exist. He was led to
the Bavarian town of Mittenwald after cracking a code believed to be
hidden in a music score. More
U-1206 ... The sub that sunk because of its toilet
On March 28, 1945 the submarine departed from Kiel for its first training patrol in the North Sea, returning on March 30. The submarine departed from Horten for a one-day patrol on April 2, and its first active patrol began on April 6, when it departed from Kristiansand. On April 14, while on patrol, the vessel sank after the toilet was operated improperly.
Sinking
U-1206 was one of the late war boats fitted with new deepwater high-pressure toilets which allowed them to be used while running at depth. Flushing these facilities was extremely complicated and special technicians were trained to operate them.
On April 14, 1945, 8 miles (13 km) off Peterhead, Scotland, while cruising at a depth of 200 feet (61 m), misuse of the new toilet caused large amounts of water to flood the boat. According to the Commander’s official report, while in the engine room helping to repair one of the diesel engines, he was informed that a malfunction involving the toilet caused a leak in the forward section. The leak flooded the submarine’s batteries (located beneath the toilet) causing them to release chlorine gas, leaving him with no alternative but to surface. Once surfaced, U-1206 was discovered and bombed by British patrols, forcing Schlitt to scuttle the submarine. One man died in the attack, three men drowned in the heavy seas after abandoning the vessel and 46 were captured.
Queen Marie of Romania
Human News
We've all dreamed of hitting the lotto -- going from broke to
livin' large in a minute's time! But, of course, the chances of that
happening are really small. How small? Laci looks at the odds.
From fruity to minty to popcorn-y, all smells can be classified as one of 10 types of aroma, scientists say.
Outbreaks in China and Saudi Arabia worry doctors; what does it take for a contagion to make the big jump?
Arg! That's right, matey ... International Talk Like a Pirate
Day is here again. So Trace set sail in search of buried treasure and
an answer to why people speak differently around the world.
During a coma, the brain's electrical activity can diminish
until medical devices show a flat line. But this may not be the end for
the brain, researchers have found.
Go pretty much anywhere on the Internet, and you you're
likely to find a whole bunch of angry people -- making comments about
articles and videos, and blowing up Twitter. Anthony explains why anger
is so prevalent online.
Human History
Pirate history stretches back for millennia, from the ancient Greeks into the 21st century.
Examples of fantasized, attempted and real cannibalism have
been around for millennia. What's behind people eating people?
The 'Columbian Exchange'
How Discovering the Americas Transformed the World
by Johann Grolle
Columbus' arrival in the Americas sparked the globalization of
animals, plants and microbes. A recent book takes a closer look at how
items from the New World, such as potatoes, guano and rubber, quickly
and radically transformed the rest of the planet. More..
Finnish archaeologist digs up ancient civilization in Brazil
Archaeologist Martti Pärssinen has
made sensational finds of an ancient civilisation in the Amazonian area.
The summer’s digs in Brazil have unearthed unique artefacts, including
entirely new forms of ceramics.
The clearing of the Amazon
rainforest has revealed mysterious patterns in the earth. The
large-scale patterns are best visible from the air, where Finnish
archaeologist Martti Pärssinen takes pictures of them.
The geometrical patterns have been made with earth mounds and moats. Many of them are huge, with sides measuring up to a few hundred meters. Over 300 such structures have been discovered in the Brazilian state of Acre alone.
The construction feat involved can be compared to that achieved by those that built the pyramids in Egypt.
Pärssinen points out that people here must have expended as much energy as the workers in Egypt, shaping the earth into vast motes and mounds, in complex, multiple structures.
Sensational finds
The find has been a sensation for researchers, as it was previously thought that much of the Amazon was merely sparsely populated, wild rainforest.
Graduate student Ivandra Rampanelli from Spain's University of València says the patterns are rewriting the history of habitation of the Amazon – an area that was before seen as devoid of great civilizations.
Radiocarbon dating shows the oldest patterns were built some 2,000 years ago, and that the civilization suddenly ended 500 years ago, possibly due to foreign diseases brought by Europeans.
Now the archaeological excavations are shedding light on the life of this ancient people. Record quantities of ceramics have been unearthed, including 300 kilograms of pot shards.
Some of the ornamentation on these is totally new to science, while other figures prove connections with faraway populations in the Andes.
Pärssinen couldn’t be more excited, noting that this may be one of the last places in the world where such rich findings can still be made. Almost everything that is discovered here brings new knowledge of the past, he says.
You can watch a TV report on this story here.
 |
| Professor Martti Pärssinen (upper left) oversees the digs in Brazil [Credit: Yle / Mika Mäkeläinen] |
The geometrical patterns have been made with earth mounds and moats. Many of them are huge, with sides measuring up to a few hundred meters. Over 300 such structures have been discovered in the Brazilian state of Acre alone.
The construction feat involved can be compared to that achieved by those that built the pyramids in Egypt.
Pärssinen points out that people here must have expended as much energy as the workers in Egypt, shaping the earth into vast motes and mounds, in complex, multiple structures.
Sensational finds
The find has been a sensation for researchers, as it was previously thought that much of the Amazon was merely sparsely populated, wild rainforest.
Graduate student Ivandra Rampanelli from Spain's University of València says the patterns are rewriting the history of habitation of the Amazon – an area that was before seen as devoid of great civilizations.
Radiocarbon dating shows the oldest patterns were built some 2,000 years ago, and that the civilization suddenly ended 500 years ago, possibly due to foreign diseases brought by Europeans.
Now the archaeological excavations are shedding light on the life of this ancient people. Record quantities of ceramics have been unearthed, including 300 kilograms of pot shards.
Some of the ornamentation on these is totally new to science, while other figures prove connections with faraway populations in the Andes.
Pärssinen couldn’t be more excited, noting that this may be one of the last places in the world where such rich findings can still be made. Almost everything that is discovered here brings new knowledge of the past, he says.
You can watch a TV report on this story here.
Neandertals, not modern humans, made first specialized bone tools in Europe
One
day in 2011, undergraduate student Naomi Martisius was sorting through
tiny bone remnants in the University of California, Davis,
paleoanthropology lab when she stumbled across a peculiar piece. TheArchaeology News
Inside a 2,600-year-old tomb lies the likely remains of a prince from one of the most enigmatic cultures of all time.
The body, sealed for 2,600 years until this week, may be a relative of the legendary fifth king of Rome.
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