6.01.2009
Europe's fastest supercomputer unveiled in Germany
·A new supercomputer with the power of 50,000 home PCs -- the fastest in Europe and the third worldwide -- was unveiled on Tuesday in Germany.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090526/tsc-europe-s-fastest-supercomputer-unvei-c2ff8aa.html
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090526/tsc-europe-s-fastest-supercomputer-unvei-c2ff8aa.html
The "Jugene," capable of 1,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second, ranks behind the "Roadrunner" and "Jaguar" computers in the United States, said Kosta Schinarakis from the Juelich research centre, where the computer is located.
Jugene will be used for a wide variety of operations, including research on fuel cells for electric cars, weather forecasting and the origins of the universe, the centre said.
The machine is no ordinary PC, requiring 295,000 processors located in 72 lockers each the size of a telephone box.
[Source: uk.news.yahoo.com]
Jugene will be used for a wide variety of operations, including research on fuel cells for electric cars, weather forecasting and the origins of the universe, the centre said.
The machine is no ordinary PC, requiring 295,000 processors located in 72 lockers each the size of a telephone box.
UFO Propulsion Systems
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/sf-ufo-propulsion-systems.html
If we deduce from the mountain of evidence that some flying saucers come to earth from nearby solar systems (there are one thousand stars within fifty-five light-years, forty-six of which are like the sun), we are immediately faced with two questions:
(1) How can a spaceship travel from a nearby solar system to earth in a reasonable time?
(2) Once here, how can flying saucers behave the way they are observed to behave? How do they achieve their reported high speed flight in the atmosphere (thousands of miles per hour), their ability to stop and start abruptly, to move up and down and back and forth seemingly with none of the limitations of conventional aircraft?
Typically there are no visible external engines, wings, or tails. Usually the objects are relatively silent compared to conventional craft. Often unusual colored glows are seen adjacent to the craft, and a variety of physical and physiological effects are produced on living and inanimate objects in the vicinity. These are the truly technological challenges we face.
The problem must be divided into two parts because there is no good reason to assume that the same propulsion system is used for both the long haul and local portions of the trip. It seems reasonable to assume that the huge cigar-shaped “mother ships,” into and out of which the smaller disc-shaped craft fly, are the interstellar vehicles and the others are Earth Excursion Modules for local travel only. Mother ships are rarely observed cavorting or flying close to ground level. In Ted Phillips’s huge collection of trace cases more than 90 percent of the low-level vehicles are disc-shaped. A useful analogy here is the aircraft carrier Enterprise, which is nuclear-powered and operates at low speed for many months or years on the surface of the ocean. The much smaller aircraft it carries cannot operate on the ocean but can fly at high speed and altitude for short periods and are highly maneuverable. But they are not nuclear-powered. Neither craft could replace the other.
Read more...
(1) How can a spaceship travel from a nearby solar system to earth in a reasonable time?
(2) Once here, how can flying saucers behave the way they are observed to behave? How do they achieve their reported high speed flight in the atmosphere (thousands of miles per hour), their ability to stop and start abruptly, to move up and down and back and forth seemingly with none of the limitations of conventional aircraft?
Typically there are no visible external engines, wings, or tails. Usually the objects are relatively silent compared to conventional craft. Often unusual colored glows are seen adjacent to the craft, and a variety of physical and physiological effects are produced on living and inanimate objects in the vicinity. These are the truly technological challenges we face.
The problem must be divided into two parts because there is no good reason to assume that the same propulsion system is used for both the long haul and local portions of the trip. It seems reasonable to assume that the huge cigar-shaped “mother ships,” into and out of which the smaller disc-shaped craft fly, are the interstellar vehicles and the others are Earth Excursion Modules for local travel only. Mother ships are rarely observed cavorting or flying close to ground level. In Ted Phillips’s huge collection of trace cases more than 90 percent of the low-level vehicles are disc-shaped. A useful analogy here is the aircraft carrier Enterprise, which is nuclear-powered and operates at low speed for many months or years on the surface of the ocean. The much smaller aircraft it carries cannot operate on the ocean but can fly at high speed and altitude for short periods and are highly maneuverable. But they are not nuclear-powered. Neither craft could replace the other.
5.30.2009
Sociology of Scientific Knowledge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociology_of_scientific_knowledge
[And, in this sense, read the following story:]
Remote Viewing Vs Its Skeptics
·The Larger Picture of Remote Viewing Vs. The Larger Picture of Skeptics and Debunkers
by Ingo Swann (20 Jan 96)
http://www.psicounsel.com/swanskep.html
[...]
The sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK), closely related to the sociology of science, considers social influences on science. Practitioners include Barry Barnes, David Bloor, Gaston Bachelard, Paul Feyerabend, Elihu M. Gerson, Thomas Kuhn, Martin Kusch, Bruno Latour, Susan Leigh Star, Anselm Strauss, Lucy Suchman, Harry Collins, and others.
These thinkers (sociologists, philosophers of science, historians of science, anthropologists and computer scientists) have engaged in controversy concerning the role that social factors play in scientific development relative to rational, empirical, and other factors.
SSK basically exploits the history and sociology of science, it consists of studying the development of a scientific field, and identfying points of contingency or interpretative flexibility, where at time, ambiguities are present. Having identified such branch points, the researcher then seeks to explain why one interpretation rather than another succeeded.
Learn more...These thinkers (sociologists, philosophers of science, historians of science, anthropologists and computer scientists) have engaged in controversy concerning the role that social factors play in scientific development relative to rational, empirical, and other factors.
SSK basically exploits the history and sociology of science, it consists of studying the development of a scientific field, and identfying points of contingency or interpretative flexibility, where at time, ambiguities are present. Having identified such branch points, the researcher then seeks to explain why one interpretation rather than another succeeded.
[And, in this sense, read the following story:]
Remote Viewing Vs Its Skeptics
·The Larger Picture of Remote Viewing Vs. The Larger Picture of Skeptics and Debunkers
by Ingo Swann (20 Jan 96)
http://www.psicounsel.com/swanskep.html
[...]
During the mid-1970s, one of the agencies of the intelligence community requested a lengthy examination. I[Ingo Swann] was involved with a number of professional consultants in its preparation and the report was duly produced under the working title "Social Resistance to Psi."
Three of the major observations of the report established the following:
(1) Since doubt is considered a legitimate function within intellectual processes, the role of those who doubt is given more legitimacy than those who do not doubt. Were this not so then the meaning of doubt would become vague.
(2) When doubt is superimposed on direct human experiencing, then the doubt assumes a priority because of its perceived legitimacy. The superimposition then results in a subtle shift of focus away from examining the direct human experiencing and reinstalls the focus within the contexts of the various intellectualisms that have become involved.
(3) The history of intellectualisms demonstrates (a) that they have relatively short terms of social fashionability, and (b) that they tend to be elitist in nature because the larger populations either do not, or cannot, share in them.
Combining these three observations results in a fourth: that doubt is relative to social enclaves and is thus only transitory against larger issues that remain permanent within the direct experiential thresholds of our species.
Reducing these four observations to a possibly crude level, skeptics and debunkers come and go --- but the experiencing thresholds of the species remain the same. The experiencing thresholds are therefore perpetual. Skepticism that advocates doubt regarding something perpetual is relevant only to the transitory intellectual boundaries within which it has arisen.
As an apt illustration of the above, Albert Einstein introduced his special theory of relativity in 1905 while he was still a student and working in the patent office in Switzerland. The skeptical responses regarding the theory, and him as a scientist and man, were not only noisy but exceedingly voluminous.
By 1925, historians appraised that the Einstein "debate" had accumulated the largest printed paper volume ever.
When the special theory was proven correct between 1927 and 1929, it was shown that relativity was perpetual --- naturally existing and true. The skeptical and debunking responses were shown as transitory, however ardent and voluminous they had been. None of the names of Einstein's skeptics are remembered. And this is the ignominious fate of most skeptics --- because the times and tides of discovery march on and forget they existed.
Please, read more...
Three of the major observations of the report established the following:
(1) Since doubt is considered a legitimate function within intellectual processes, the role of those who doubt is given more legitimacy than those who do not doubt. Were this not so then the meaning of doubt would become vague.
(2) When doubt is superimposed on direct human experiencing, then the doubt assumes a priority because of its perceived legitimacy. The superimposition then results in a subtle shift of focus away from examining the direct human experiencing and reinstalls the focus within the contexts of the various intellectualisms that have become involved.
(3) The history of intellectualisms demonstrates (a) that they have relatively short terms of social fashionability, and (b) that they tend to be elitist in nature because the larger populations either do not, or cannot, share in them.
Combining these three observations results in a fourth: that doubt is relative to social enclaves and is thus only transitory against larger issues that remain permanent within the direct experiential thresholds of our species.
Reducing these four observations to a possibly crude level, skeptics and debunkers come and go --- but the experiencing thresholds of the species remain the same. The experiencing thresholds are therefore perpetual. Skepticism that advocates doubt regarding something perpetual is relevant only to the transitory intellectual boundaries within which it has arisen.
As an apt illustration of the above, Albert Einstein introduced his special theory of relativity in 1905 while he was still a student and working in the patent office in Switzerland. The skeptical responses regarding the theory, and him as a scientist and man, were not only noisy but exceedingly voluminous.
By 1925, historians appraised that the Einstein "debate" had accumulated the largest printed paper volume ever.
When the special theory was proven correct between 1927 and 1929, it was shown that relativity was perpetual --- naturally existing and true. The skeptical and debunking responses were shown as transitory, however ardent and voluminous they had been. None of the names of Einstein's skeptics are remembered. And this is the ignominious fate of most skeptics --- because the times and tides of discovery march on and forget they existed.
THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
http://rabbit-hole-journey.blogspot.com/2007/10/media-moguls-bankers-and-cfr.html [...after clicking on the link, scroll down to the second 'comment' by John Wallace]
A “front group” can be any entity that is set up to appear to be a legitimate independent organization, when it is actually controlled from behind the scenes by another organization or group of individuals. These front groups are often legitimate businesses, social or political organizations, professional groups, advocacy groups, research organizations, etc. Organized crime has used legitimate front organizations for many decades to launder their income from various illegal activities. Pharmaceutical companies have used front organizations to advocate for the drugs they manufacture. International terrorist organizations have their front groups here in the United States and as the evidence clearly shows, so do the international bankers.
[...]
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) was founded in 1921 by a very select group of international bankers, Wall Street lawyers and wealthy “old money” families sometimes called the Establishment or the Elites. Among the CFR’s founders were JP Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, “Colonel” Edward House (Marxist. globalist and close advisor to President Wilson), Paul Warburg (international banker), Otto Kahn and Jacob Schiff (both international investment bankers). The CFR’s stated purpose at that time was to improve the understanding of US foreign policy and international affairs through the exchange of ideas. The select membership has been gradually expanded over the years, now totaling around 3,800 and includes various professionals, corporate CEO’s, college presidents, media owners and reporters, high-ranking government officials and even high ranking US military officers.
These same international bankers that started the CFR were instrumental in getting President Woodrow Wilson to sign the Federal Reserve Act into existence in 1913 that basically gave these international bankers the power to print money and control our entire economy. To show you the mind set of this core group, one of the founding CFR members, Edward House, authored a book in 1912 entitled “Philip Dru: Administrator” in which he laid out a fictionalized plan for the conquest of America. In the book, he told of a conspiracy by which a group of wealthy businessmen would gain control of both the Democratic and Republican parties and use them as instruments for the creation of a socialist world government.
After signing the Federal Reserve Act into law, President Woodrow Wilson later admitted, "I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country….(America is) no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men." He was, of course, talking about the international bankers and the creation of the first great nationwide “front organization” called the Federal Reserve that was designed to directly benefit the international bankers at the expense of the American taxpayers.
The late Carroll Quigley (mentor and advisor to President Clinton) who was a long term member of the CFR, wrote in his book “Tragedy & Hope”: "The CFR is the American Branch of a society….which believes that national boundaries should be obliterated, and a one-world rule established."
Rear Admiral Chester Ward, a former member of the CFR for 16 years, sounded the alarm about the real intent of the CFR and pointed out that there was two separate cliques within the CFR:
1. The first and most powerful clique wants to bring about the surrender of the sovereignty and national independence of the United States.
2. The second clique of international members is comprised of Wall Street international bankers and their key agents who want to receive a world banking monopoly from whatever power ends up in control of global government.
Read all of it... [...after clicking on the link, scroll down to the second 'comment' by John Wallace]
[...]
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) was founded in 1921 by a very select group of international bankers, Wall Street lawyers and wealthy “old money” families sometimes called the Establishment or the Elites. Among the CFR’s founders were JP Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, “Colonel” Edward House (Marxist. globalist and close advisor to President Wilson), Paul Warburg (international banker), Otto Kahn and Jacob Schiff (both international investment bankers). The CFR’s stated purpose at that time was to improve the understanding of US foreign policy and international affairs through the exchange of ideas. The select membership has been gradually expanded over the years, now totaling around 3,800 and includes various professionals, corporate CEO’s, college presidents, media owners and reporters, high-ranking government officials and even high ranking US military officers.
These same international bankers that started the CFR were instrumental in getting President Woodrow Wilson to sign the Federal Reserve Act into existence in 1913 that basically gave these international bankers the power to print money and control our entire economy. To show you the mind set of this core group, one of the founding CFR members, Edward House, authored a book in 1912 entitled “Philip Dru: Administrator” in which he laid out a fictionalized plan for the conquest of America. In the book, he told of a conspiracy by which a group of wealthy businessmen would gain control of both the Democratic and Republican parties and use them as instruments for the creation of a socialist world government.
After signing the Federal Reserve Act into law, President Woodrow Wilson later admitted, "I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country….(America is) no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men." He was, of course, talking about the international bankers and the creation of the first great nationwide “front organization” called the Federal Reserve that was designed to directly benefit the international bankers at the expense of the American taxpayers.
The late Carroll Quigley (mentor and advisor to President Clinton) who was a long term member of the CFR, wrote in his book “Tragedy & Hope”: "The CFR is the American Branch of a society….which believes that national boundaries should be obliterated, and a one-world rule established."
Rear Admiral Chester Ward, a former member of the CFR for 16 years, sounded the alarm about the real intent of the CFR and pointed out that there was two separate cliques within the CFR:
1. The first and most powerful clique wants to bring about the surrender of the sovereignty and national independence of the United States.
2. The second clique of international members is comprised of Wall Street international bankers and their key agents who want to receive a world banking monopoly from whatever power ends up in control of global government.
Sweden sued over EU data directive inaction
http://www.thelocal.se/19680/20090526/
Sweden’s government is being sued by the European Commission for refusing to implement a 2006 measure requiring telecom operators to store information about their customers’ phone calls and emails.
Court rejects lawyers' call to gag Pirates (25 May 09)
New law sees Swedish web traffic plunge (30 Apr 09)
Second ISP undermines file sharing law (28 Apr 09)
The European Union directive, known as the Data Retention Directive, was approved by Brussels in March 2006, but Sweden has yet to implement the measure more than three years after its passage.
Now the Commission’s willingness to tolerate the Swedish government’s recalcitrance over the directive appears to have worn out, as the Commission recently decided to file a suit against Sweden in the European Court of Justice, the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper reports.
According to SvD, the European Commission decided to sue Sweden on April 14th, and has recently filed papers with the court to bring the suit forward.
[...]
The measure stipulates that telecom operators store data about customers’ telephone calls, such as when and to whom calls were made, as well as information about text messages and emails.
[...]
Passed in the wake of the Madrid and London terrorist bombings[!!!], the directive was seen as an important tool in combating possible terrorist threats, despite concerns from privacy advocates – concerns which have also led the Swedish government to drag its feet.
Read more...
Court rejects lawyers' call to gag Pirates (25 May 09)
New law sees Swedish web traffic plunge (30 Apr 09)
Second ISP undermines file sharing law (28 Apr 09)
The European Union directive, known as the Data Retention Directive, was approved by Brussels in March 2006, but Sweden has yet to implement the measure more than three years after its passage.
Now the Commission’s willingness to tolerate the Swedish government’s recalcitrance over the directive appears to have worn out, as the Commission recently decided to file a suit against Sweden in the European Court of Justice, the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper reports.
According to SvD, the European Commission decided to sue Sweden on April 14th, and has recently filed papers with the court to bring the suit forward.
[...]
The measure stipulates that telecom operators store data about customers’ telephone calls, such as when and to whom calls were made, as well as information about text messages and emails.
[...]
Passed in the wake of the Madrid and London terrorist bombings[!!!], the directive was seen as an important tool in combating possible terrorist threats, despite concerns from privacy advocates – concerns which have also led the Swedish government to drag its feet.
Gravity Anomalies Detected On The Moon
·Gravity Anomaly detected by using 4-way Doppler observation data from the RSTAR (OKINA) (RSAT)
·New finding in study on the Origin of Dichotomy for the Moon
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/04/20080416_kaguya_e.html
·New finding in study on the Origin of Dichotomy for the Moon
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2008/04/20080416_kaguya_e.html
April 16, 2008 (JST)
Kyushu University
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA)
[Left, Gravity Anomaly Map at the Apollo basin. Rigth, Gravity Anomaly Map at the Mare Serenitatis]
JAXA announced a new finding of a gravity anomaly for both the near side and far side of the Moon by using 4-way Doppler observation data from the RSTAR (OKINA) with the main orbiter, the KAGUYA.
Until now, the gravity anomaly of the far side of the Moon has not been understood well. The gravity anomaly, which was obscure before, has been clearly revealed through observations by the Kaguya mission. For instance, the gravity anomaly of a basin on the far side is found to be characterized by a negative anomaly in a ring like the Apollo basin. On the other hand, the gravity anomaly of the basin on the near side is uniformly positive over the region such as with the Mare Serenitatis. Thus, the clear difference in gravity anomaly on the near side and the far side has been newly discovered and this fact brings a different story about the structure of the underground and the history of the evolution of the far side and near side of the Moon.
[...]
*Gravity anomaly: The lunar gravity field is not homogenous. Any region of the Moon with a higher than expected mass density will produce a gravity anomaly.
*Dichotomy of the Moon: Between the near side and the far side, clear asymmetry is called the "Dichotomy of the Moon" as in the thickness of the lunar crust and the distribution of the lunar Maria.
Read more...
Kyushu University
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA)
[Left, Gravity Anomaly Map at the Apollo basin. Rigth, Gravity Anomaly Map at the Mare Serenitatis]JAXA announced a new finding of a gravity anomaly for both the near side and far side of the Moon by using 4-way Doppler observation data from the RSTAR (OKINA) with the main orbiter, the KAGUYA.
Until now, the gravity anomaly of the far side of the Moon has not been understood well. The gravity anomaly, which was obscure before, has been clearly revealed through observations by the Kaguya mission. For instance, the gravity anomaly of a basin on the far side is found to be characterized by a negative anomaly in a ring like the Apollo basin. On the other hand, the gravity anomaly of the basin on the near side is uniformly positive over the region such as with the Mare Serenitatis. Thus, the clear difference in gravity anomaly on the near side and the far side has been newly discovered and this fact brings a different story about the structure of the underground and the history of the evolution of the far side and near side of the Moon.
[...]
*Gravity anomaly: The lunar gravity field is not homogenous. Any region of the Moon with a higher than expected mass density will produce a gravity anomaly.
*Dichotomy of the Moon: Between the near side and the far side, clear asymmetry is called the "Dichotomy of the Moon" as in the thickness of the lunar crust and the distribution of the lunar Maria.
5.28.2009
UFO Caught On Out-Door Surveillance Cam - Russia
[Pay close attention to the reaction of the people towards the end of the video]
Critics worry reality TV kids are exploited
http://www.theprovince.com/Entertainment/Critics+worry+reality+kids+exploited/1636525/story.html
Hollywood abounds with child stars whose lives went off the rails, but the boom in reality TV raises new ethical questions that have come to a head in the case of Jon and Kate Gosselin and their eight children.
U.S. celebrity magazines, blogs and tabloids are in a frenzy about the new season of reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8," in which the parents of sextuplets and twins appear to be barely speaking to each other and contemplating divorce.
[...]
On Wednesday, Kate's brother and sister-in-law, Kevin and Jodi Kreider, appeared on CBS News' "The Early Show" to appeal to the couple to stop exploiting their children.
"They're being viewed as a commodity," Kevin Kreider said.
Jodi Kreider said the children were aware of the cameras and uncomfortable having them present on every vacation.
"Kids have bad times, bad moments, they cry, and having the camera zoom in on a crying child . . . this should not be a form of entertainment," she said.
[...]
TLC did not respond to a request for comment, but a statement quoted in The New York Times said ratings were growing due to "interest in these real-life issues."
"We will continue to air as the interest continues, and the family wants to do it," the TLC statement said.
Michael Brody, media chairman of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, said the treatment of the Gosselin children may amount to abuse, though he added that he had not met the family.
"Look at what has happened to all these child stars," Brody said. "Most of these people are in rehab or they're involved in child abuse, it's horrendous."
The Gosselins have said they are motivated by the need to feed and educate the children. The New York Times cited reports the parents are paid $25,000 to $50,000 for each episode.
"The entertainment business is vast and powerful," Petersen said. "Somebody has to stand up to them and say, 'You can't do this to children any more.'"
Read all of this...
U.S. celebrity magazines, blogs and tabloids are in a frenzy about the new season of reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8," in which the parents of sextuplets and twins appear to be barely speaking to each other and contemplating divorce.
[...]
On Wednesday, Kate's brother and sister-in-law, Kevin and Jodi Kreider, appeared on CBS News' "The Early Show" to appeal to the couple to stop exploiting their children.
"They're being viewed as a commodity," Kevin Kreider said.
Jodi Kreider said the children were aware of the cameras and uncomfortable having them present on every vacation.
"Kids have bad times, bad moments, they cry, and having the camera zoom in on a crying child . . . this should not be a form of entertainment," she said.
[...]
TLC did not respond to a request for comment, but a statement quoted in The New York Times said ratings were growing due to "interest in these real-life issues."
"We will continue to air as the interest continues, and the family wants to do it," the TLC statement said.
Michael Brody, media chairman of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, said the treatment of the Gosselin children may amount to abuse, though he added that he had not met the family.
"Look at what has happened to all these child stars," Brody said. "Most of these people are in rehab or they're involved in child abuse, it's horrendous."
The Gosselins have said they are motivated by the need to feed and educate the children. The New York Times cited reports the parents are paid $25,000 to $50,000 for each episode.
"The entertainment business is vast and powerful," Petersen said. "Somebody has to stand up to them and say, 'You can't do this to children any more.'"
Fluorescent GM monkeys 'could help find Parkinson's cure'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/5393751/Fluorescent-GM-monkeys-could-help-find-Parkinsons-cure.html
[This is playing with fire...]
[This is playing with fire...]
Scientists have genetically modified marmoset monkeys with a fluorescent protein that under ultra violet light makes them glow a vivid green.
And unlike previously developed "transgenic animals" the monkeys are able to pass on their unique ability to their offspring, suggesting it is deeply embedded in its DNA.
[...]
Scientists reported the first transgenic monkeys last year – when they inserted a gene from Huntington's disease.
But in these animals, the gene did not fully integrate into the monkey's own DNA and was not passed down to their offspring.
This time Dr Erika Sasaki, of the Central Institute for Experimental Animals in Kawasaki, and colleagues used a virus to introduce the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the DNA of the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus.
[...]
Dr Sasaki said: "The common marmoset is increasingly attractive for use as a non-human primate animal model in biomedical research. It has a relatively high reproduction rate for a primate, making it potentially suitable for transgenic modification.
[...]
"In particular, genetically modified primates would be a powerful human disease model for preclinical assessment of the safety and efficacy of stem-cell or gene therapy."
[...]
"Because non-human primates are much closer to humans than mice genetically, the successful creation of transgenic marmosets means that we will have a new animal model to work with," he said.
Read all of this...
And unlike previously developed "transgenic animals" the monkeys are able to pass on their unique ability to their offspring, suggesting it is deeply embedded in its DNA.
[...]
Scientists reported the first transgenic monkeys last year – when they inserted a gene from Huntington's disease.
But in these animals, the gene did not fully integrate into the monkey's own DNA and was not passed down to their offspring.
This time Dr Erika Sasaki, of the Central Institute for Experimental Animals in Kawasaki, and colleagues used a virus to introduce the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the DNA of the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus.
[...]
Dr Sasaki said: "The common marmoset is increasingly attractive for use as a non-human primate animal model in biomedical research. It has a relatively high reproduction rate for a primate, making it potentially suitable for transgenic modification.
[...]
"In particular, genetically modified primates would be a powerful human disease model for preclinical assessment of the safety and efficacy of stem-cell or gene therapy."
[...]
"Because non-human primates are much closer to humans than mice genetically, the successful creation of transgenic marmosets means that we will have a new animal model to work with," he said.
Ida, suppossed 'missing link' fossil, most likely a lemur.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article6375317.ece
[...]
Fellow scientists denounced the discovery as hype and criticised Dr Hurum, saying that the purchase could stimulate a black market in fossils.
[...]
The skeleton, which other palaeontologists say is far more likely to be an ancestor of lemurs and bush babies than human beings, was unearthed in the Messel pit, a renowned fossil site near Darmstadt in Germany, in 1983. The anonymous collector kept it in his basement until it was sold to Dr Hurum in 2007.
[...]
The Ida team is facing opposition over its scientific interpretation of the fossil, which it claims is a “missing link” between humans, apes and monkeys and their distant past. They suggest that, if not a direct ancestor, Ida lies on the broad ancestral branch, known as the haplorhines, that led to monkeys, apes and humans. “She’s on our ancestral line,” Dr Hurum said.
It is thought that the majority of palaeontologists believe that Ida is more likely to lie on the strepsirhine branch that led to modern-day lemurs.
Dr Beard says that further examination of the fossil will eventually lead to it being placed on the lemur line.
Read all of this...
Fellow scientists denounced the discovery as hype and criticised Dr Hurum, saying that the purchase could stimulate a black market in fossils.
[...]
The skeleton, which other palaeontologists say is far more likely to be an ancestor of lemurs and bush babies than human beings, was unearthed in the Messel pit, a renowned fossil site near Darmstadt in Germany, in 1983. The anonymous collector kept it in his basement until it was sold to Dr Hurum in 2007.
[...]
The Ida team is facing opposition over its scientific interpretation of the fossil, which it claims is a “missing link” between humans, apes and monkeys and their distant past. They suggest that, if not a direct ancestor, Ida lies on the broad ancestral branch, known as the haplorhines, that led to monkeys, apes and humans. “She’s on our ancestral line,” Dr Hurum said.
It is thought that the majority of palaeontologists believe that Ida is more likely to lie on the strepsirhine branch that led to modern-day lemurs.
Dr Beard says that further examination of the fossil will eventually lead to it being placed on the lemur line.
Detectada por primera vez la emisión de rayos X más próxima a un agujero negro
·Investigadores españoles han colaborado en el descubrimiento a través del Centro de Astrobiología.
http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=616297&idseccio_PK=1012
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http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=616297&idseccio_PK=1012
Una investigación internacional, con participación del CSIC, ha detectado por primera vez la emisión de rayos X más próxima a un agujero negro observada hasta el momento, localizada en una región en donde la teoría de la relatividad es muy importante.
El citado agujero negro, ubicado en una galaxia situada a 540 millones de años luz de la Tierra, engulle dos veces la masa de la Tierra en tan sólo una hora, tal como ha sido publicado en el último número de la revista Nature.
Se trata de un agujero que "come muy bien", tal como ha puntualizado uno de los responsables de la investigación, Giovanni Miniutti, del Centro de Astrobiología (centro mixto del CSIC y el INTA).
La "última llamada de socorro"
En su opinión, "la materia atraída por el agujero negro sí se ve". "A medida que cae hacia el agujero negro, se calienta tanto que emite su última llamada de socorro en forma de radiación muy energética de rayos X, antes de desaparecer para siempre", añade.
Leer más... El citado agujero negro, ubicado en una galaxia situada a 540 millones de años luz de la Tierra, engulle dos veces la masa de la Tierra en tan sólo una hora, tal como ha sido publicado en el último número de la revista Nature.
Se trata de un agujero que "come muy bien", tal como ha puntualizado uno de los responsables de la investigación, Giovanni Miniutti, del Centro de Astrobiología (centro mixto del CSIC y el INTA).
La "última llamada de socorro"
En su opinión, "la materia atraída por el agujero negro sí se ve". "A medida que cae hacia el agujero negro, se calienta tanto que emite su última llamada de socorro en forma de radiación muy energética de rayos X, antes de desaparecer para siempre", añade.
El 45% de los internautas utilizan la red para informarse de política
http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=616323&idseccio_PK=1012
El 45% de los internautas españoles utilizan la red para informarse de política, según un estudio en el que ha participado la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), que indica también que quienes navegan por internet tienen unas orientaciones políticas significativamente distintas de quienes no lo hacen.
Según este estudio, la participación política a través de internet es todavía limitada, en comparación con países como Estados Unidos, ya que sólo el 8% ha ofrecido dinero a causas políticas por medio de la red, el 5% ha contactado con un político y el 14% ha firmado una petición electrónica.
El proyecto Polnet (Política e Internet) se centra en el análisis de impacto del uso de internet en la participación política en España y ha sido realizado por investigadores del Instituto de Gobierno y Políticas Públicas (IGOP), del Departamento de Ciencia Política de la UAB, de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, de la Universidad de Irvine (California) y de la European University Institute.
Leer más...
Según este estudio, la participación política a través de internet es todavía limitada, en comparación con países como Estados Unidos, ya que sólo el 8% ha ofrecido dinero a causas políticas por medio de la red, el 5% ha contactado con un político y el 14% ha firmado una petición electrónica.
El proyecto Polnet (Política e Internet) se centra en el análisis de impacto del uso de internet en la participación política en España y ha sido realizado por investigadores del Instituto de Gobierno y Políticas Públicas (IGOP), del Departamento de Ciencia Política de la UAB, de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, de la Universidad de Irvine (California) y de la European University Institute.
El Vaticano ve peor abortar que los abusos de curas en Irlanda
·"No es comparable con lo sucedido en algunos colegios", dice Cañizares[!!!!!].
http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=616383&idseccio_PK=1021
El cardenal prefecto de la Congregación por el Culto Divino y la Disciplina de los Sacramentos, Antonio Cañizares, pidió ayer "perdón" por los abusos sexuales a menores cometidos por curas y monjas en escuelas católicas irlandesas entre los años 50 y 80 del siglo pasado. El ministro del Vaticano declaró a TV-3 que "esas conductas son totalmente condenables". Pero a renglón seguido añadió: "No es comparable lo que haya podido pasar en unos cuantos colegios con los millones de vidas destruidas por el aborto".[Hijodep··a!! Imagínense qué puede pensar una mujer que, por cosas de la vida, haya abortado...pero que además, un hijo suyo, que si tuvo, haya sido abusado sexualmente por un(a) cura/monja!!!]
Según Cañizares, exvicepresidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Española, el aborto "ha destruido legalmente[...y yo que pensaba que estos señores sólo se dedicaban a cosas del espíritu...] más de 40 millones* de vidas humanas, cuando la legislación debería dar apoyo a los derechos y la justicia". En este sentido, el religioso se mostró convencido de que la reforma de la ley del aborto que impulsa el Gobierno "debilita los fundamentos de la sociedad" porque "el primer derecho es el de la vida".
MÁS DE 2.000 VÍCTIMAS
Los abusos de curas y monjas a menores irlandeses por los que pidió "perdón" Cañizares fueron desvelados hace unos días en Dublín por la Comisión de Investigación de Abuso de Niños, establecida en el año 2000 por el Gobierno, tras las denuncias aparecidas en una serie de reportajes en televisión.
En el informe elaborado por esta entidad, que consta de más de 2.000 entrevistas a supuestas víctimas, se relatan casos de torturas, violaciones y palizas que sufrieron los niños que estaban al cuidado de varias órdenes religiosas en reformatorios, internados y orfanatos. Los abusos sexuales eran un mal "endémico", asegura el trabajo. La jerarquía eclesiástica supo de esos delitos, pero protegió a los pederastas, añade.
Algunas víctimas apenas tenían 3 años cuando ingresaron en aquellos centros religiosos.
[Fuente: elperiodico.com]
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http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=616383&idseccio_PK=1021
El cardenal prefecto de la Congregación por el Culto Divino y la Disciplina de los Sacramentos, Antonio Cañizares, pidió ayer "perdón" por los abusos sexuales a menores cometidos por curas y monjas en escuelas católicas irlandesas entre los años 50 y 80 del siglo pasado. El ministro del Vaticano declaró a TV-3 que "esas conductas son totalmente condenables". Pero a renglón seguido añadió: "No es comparable lo que haya podido pasar en unos cuantos colegios con los millones de vidas destruidas por el aborto".[Hijodep··a!! Imagínense qué puede pensar una mujer que, por cosas de la vida, haya abortado...pero que además, un hijo suyo, que si tuvo, haya sido abusado sexualmente por un(a) cura/monja!!!]
Según Cañizares, exvicepresidente de la Conferencia Episcopal Española, el aborto "ha destruido legalmente[...y yo que pensaba que estos señores sólo se dedicaban a cosas del espíritu...] más de 40 millones* de vidas humanas, cuando la legislación debería dar apoyo a los derechos y la justicia". En este sentido, el religioso se mostró convencido de que la reforma de la ley del aborto que impulsa el Gobierno "debilita los fundamentos de la sociedad" porque "el primer derecho es el de la vida".
MÁS DE 2.000 VÍCTIMAS
Los abusos de curas y monjas a menores irlandeses por los que pidió "perdón" Cañizares fueron desvelados hace unos días en Dublín por la Comisión de Investigación de Abuso de Niños, establecida en el año 2000 por el Gobierno, tras las denuncias aparecidas en una serie de reportajes en televisión.
En el informe elaborado por esta entidad, que consta de más de 2.000 entrevistas a supuestas víctimas, se relatan casos de torturas, violaciones y palizas que sufrieron los niños que estaban al cuidado de varias órdenes religiosas en reformatorios, internados y orfanatos. Los abusos sexuales eran un mal "endémico", asegura el trabajo. La jerarquía eclesiástica supo de esos delitos, pero protegió a los pederastas, añade.
Algunas víctimas apenas tenían 3 años cuando ingresaron en aquellos centros religiosos.
[Fuente: elperiodico.com]
*[Ya que tiene 'tantos' números a la mano, propongo lo siguiente: supongamos que sus cifras se ajustan a la realidad (cosa bastante improbable!), así, tenemos sus 40 millones de abortos 'perpetrados' por, imagino yo, 40 millones de mujeres. Esto, si cada mujer abortó una sola vez...pero digamos que hay unas 'muuuy' malas y lo hicieron 2 y hasta 3 veces. De cualquier forma, estaríamos de acuerdo en que el aborto es probablemente bastante traumático como para querer (sin ofender a todas que aquellas que han sido, o se han sentido, obligadas a) repetir, así el porcentaje de mujeres que sólo lo han hecho 1 sola vez debe de ser tan alto que seguiríamos hablando de la misma proporción 1:1. Pero, para mi propuesta ya me vale suponer 2 y hasta 3(!) abortos por mujer. Continúo. Se dice que fueron más de 2.000 víctimas de abusos sexuales en irlanda. ¿Cuántos curas/monjas son los involucrados en este escándalo? En webs informativas, como el huffingtonpost.com, hablan de 4 curas. Como no dan nombres, ya que ninguno ha sido enjuiciado, es difícil contrastar este número y lo más probable es que sean más. Para nuestros cálculos podemos aventurar una cifra de 25, que pueden incluso ser 50(!), pero 25 ya nos vale, Irlanda es un país muy pequeño. Así tenemos que 25 curas/monjas abusaron de más de 2.000 niños. Vamos a ver, por si no salta a la vista. 2.000 por 25... esto da una proporción de 80:1 !!!!! Comparar los abortos, proporción 1:1 o, si pensamos muuuy mal de las mujeres, proporción 2:1, con la de los curas/monjas de 80:1 es, cuanto menos, vulgar. Es decir, cada cura/monja abusó de, en promedio, 80 niños, cuando cada mujer tuvo, también en promedio, un único aborto, máximo 2. Ahora viene lo peor. Los 40 millones de los que habla el Sr. Cañizares son una cifra que no puede referirse a Irlanda, cuya población se estima que, a día de hoy, es de entre 4 a 6 millones de personas... Así, sus 40 millones son un número más global. ¿Europa? ¿Mundo católico? ¿Occidente? ¿Todo el planeta? En realidad, da igual. Porque, en el momento en que comencemos a sumar todos los casos de abusos sexuales por parte del clérigo en europa, o en el mundo católico, o en occidente, etc., la cifra irlandesa de 2.000 casos se dispararía en proporción. Tenemos que escuchar atentamente cuando estos personajes, como el Sr. Cañizares, dicen algo. Por norma, tienden a descalificarse a sí mismos... sólo hay que prestar atención]
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