Bon appetit while you can!
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Iran protests: Evidence suggests Nika Shakarami molested and killed by armed forces
Life and death in a brutal theocratic dictatorship! Could be a whole lot worse than claims under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi!
Warren Harding: The Least Appreciated President by Amity Shlaes
Recommendable! The predecessor of President Coolidge!
Uganda gets $295 Mn from Saudi Bank: Riyadh the new Lender for Africa? with Palki Sharma
Very recommendable! This could be a game changer! Palki Sharma omitted to mention the involvement of Saudi Crown Prince MBS! I would bet MBS had something to do with it.
Lifestyle Choices Can Physically Alter Genes: Study with Palki Sharma
Recommendable! The relationship between nature and nurture is complex and modifiable. Mind over matter!
Under Mexican President AMLO Mexico has continued to be the country with the highest murder rate of journalists
Bad news! Some jobs are more dangerous than others depending on country.
"... In the almost six years that he has been president, at least 37 journalists have been murdered and five have disappeared. ...
Aside from the appalling death toll, no reform of the system for protecting journalists has been implemented despite the recommendations in this area from organisations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Worse still, the president has continued to express hostility towards the work of the media on many occasions, in stark contrast to his promises. ..."
Aside from the appalling death toll, no reform of the system for protecting journalists has been implemented despite the recommendations in this area from organisations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Worse still, the president has continued to express hostility towards the work of the media on many occasions, in stark contrast to his promises. ..."
AMLO
NASA: Pushing the Limits of Sub-Kilowatt Electric Propulsion Technology to Enable Planetary Exploration and Commercial Mission Concepts
Good news!
"NASA has developed an advanced propulsion technology to facilitate future planetary exploration missions using small spacecraft. Not only will this technology enable new types of planetary science missions, one of NASA’s commercial partners is already preparing to use it for another purpose—to extend the lifetimes of spacecraft that are already in orbit. ...
Small spacecraft using the NASA-H71M electric propulsion technology will be able to independently maneuver from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to the Moon or even from a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to Mars. ..."
Small spacecraft using the NASA-H71M electric propulsion technology will be able to independently maneuver from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to the Moon or even from a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to Mars. ..."
Left: NASA-H71M Hall-effect thruster on the Glenn Research Center Vacuum Facility 8 thrust stand. Right: Dr. Jonathan Mackey tuning the thrust stand prior to closing and pumping down the test facility.
'Tens of Thousands' of Driverless Trucks to Haul Freight on Highways in Coming Years and 20 driverless trucks in Texas this year
Good news! They can roll day and night without any interruption!
When will driverless cars be next?
"... With 25 laser, radar, and camera sensors, the truck can “see” obstacles in the road from a quarter-mile out and then switch to an unobstructed lane without any instruction or manipulation from a human. ...
Since 2021, Aurora trucks have autonomously hauled freight more than one million miles on public highways with human safety drivers on board. There have been only three crashes, Aurora CEO Chris Urmson said, all caused by mistakes made by human drivers in other vehicles. ..."
Since 2021, Aurora trucks have autonomously hauled freight more than one million miles on public highways with human safety drivers on board. There have been only three crashes, Aurora CEO Chris Urmson said, all caused by mistakes made by human drivers in other vehicles. ..."
Columbia University suspends press access on campus amid pro-Palestine protests
Wow! They are getting serious!
"Effective immediately, access to the Morningside campus has been limited to students residing in residential buildings on campus (Carman, Furnald, John Jay, Hartley, Wallach, East Campus and Wien) and employees who provide essential services to campus buildings, labs and residential student life (for example, Dining, Public Safety, and building maintenance staff). There is no additional access to the Morningside campus."
Liquid metal synthesis of diamonds achieved at atmospheric pressure
Almost ready for do it yourself at home? (just kidding) This could be a game changer!
"Diamonds have been synthesised at atmospheric pressure by researchers in South Korea. The researchers do not yet fully understand the underlying mechanism that forms these diamond films, but it involves passing methane over liquid gallium. They are working, however, to optimise the synthesis to produce higher-quality diamonds that they hope could find a range of uses. ..."
From the abstract:
"Natural diamonds were (and are) formed (thousands of million years ago) in the upper mantle of Earth in metallic melts at temperatures of 900–1,400 °C and at pressures of 5–6 GPa. Diamond is thermodynamically stable under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions as per the phase diagram of carbon. Scientists at General Electric invented and used a high-pressure and high-temperature apparatus in 1955 to synthesize diamonds by using molten iron sulfide at about 7 GPa and 1,600 °C. There is an existing model that diamond can be grown using liquid metals only at both high pressure and high temperature. Here we describe the growth of diamond crystals and polycrystalline diamond films with no seed particles using liquid metal but at 1 atm pressure and at 1,025 °C, breaking this pattern. Diamond grew in the subsurface of liquid metal composed of gallium, iron, nickel and silicon, by catalytic activation of methane and diffusion of carbon atoms into and within the subsurface regions. We found that the supersaturation of carbon in the liquid metal subsurface leads to the nucleation and growth of diamonds, with Si playing an important part in stabilizing tetravalently bonded carbon clusters that play a part in nucleation. Growth of (metastable) diamond in liquid metal at moderate temperature and 1 atm pressure opens many possibilities for further basic science studies and for the scaling of this type of growth."
Making Diamonds at Ambient Pressure (original news release) - Scientists develop novel liquid metal alloy system to synthesize diamond under moderate conditions -
Growth of diamond in liquid metal at 1 atm pressure (no public access)
Figure 1. Growth of diamond in liquid metal alloy under 1 atmosphere pressure.
Diamond can be grown on this metal substrate by passing methane over it when it is liquid
Hajj pilgrims to get polio vaccine in Saudi Arabia under Bill & Melina Gates Foundation health drive and more
A creative vaccination drive?
"Hajj pilgrims heading to Saudi Arabia in June will get a health boost under a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-supported disease control drive that’s part of a broader effort to eradicate polio.
The Gates Foundation said Sunday it will open a regional office in Riyadh to coordinate a new partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health to improve disease surveillance and sanitation, and assist with the manufacturing of lower-cost vaccines to improve the health and safety of millions of Muslims attending one of the world’s largest religious mass gatherings. ..."
"Saudi Arabia and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today pledged to work together to help protect 370 million children annually from polio and lift millions out of poverty across 33 Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) member countries. ...
Saudi Arabia has pledged US $500 million over the next five years to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative ..."
Saudi Arabia has pledged US $500 million over the next five years to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative ..."
Chinese scientist who first published COVID sequence stages protest after being locked out of lab
Thanks to the Communist Party of China, we still do not know the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus!
A Chinese scientist is protesting in China! That by itself is news!
"The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of the Beijing’s continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus.
Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had been suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since the virologist published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval. ...
An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze meaningful domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country. ..."
An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze meaningful domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country. ..."
Giant screen erected at University of California LA confronts student radicals nonstop with grisly footage of Hamas' Oct. 7 atrocities
I kind of like this idea! These anti Israel protesters are brainwashed stooges and fools!
"... An anonymous group installed a large screen outside UCLA's Kaplan Hall over the weekend, where multitudes of pro-Hamas radicals have been encamped since Thursday. The screen — which is gated off and flanked by signs that read, "Hamas, free the hostages" — has apparently been playing footage of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks on loop, confronting protesters with the reality of the atrocities they might otherwise continue to downplay, deny, or celebrate. ..."
Ford just reported a massive loss $132,000 on every electric vehicle it sold in the first three months of 2024
Wow! Is it just this car manufacturer or are others doing as well? Are traditional automakers not as capable? Ist this just a one quarter oddity?
"Ford’s electric vehicle unit reported that losses soared in the first quarter to $1.3 billion, or $132,000 for each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold in the first three months of the year, helping to drag down earnings for the company overall.
Ford, like most automakers, has announced plans to shift from traditional gas-powered vehicles to EVs in coming years. But it is the only traditional automaker to break out results of its retail EV sales. ...
And that means this is not the end of the losses in the unit - Ford said it expects Model e will have EBIT losses of $5 billion for the full year. ..."
And that means this is not the end of the losses in the unit - Ford said it expects Model e will have EBIT losses of $5 billion for the full year. ..."
Monday, April 29, 2024
Mobilisierungsprobleme in der ukrainischen Armee
Empfehlenswert! Dienst ohne Frist scheint eine Fehlleistung der Ukrainischen Regierung zu sein!
Mouse-rat hybrid has neurons of both species in its brain
Amazing stuff! This may have huge implications!
"Researchers in the US are the first to successfully create hybrid brains of 2 different species using a technique called blastocyst complementation. ...
the team has created mice that can sense odours with their rat neurons, which successfully integrated into part of the olfactory system. ..."
the team has created mice that can sense odours with their rat neurons, which successfully integrated into part of the olfactory system. ..."
"... It is the first time that an animal has been able to use the sensory apparatus of another to sense and respond accurately to the world and is one indication of how flexible the brain can be in integrating outside brain cells. ..."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Rat stem cells develop in mouse blastocysts to broadly populate two-species brains
• Rat neurons develop synchronously and synapse with cognate mouse neurons
• Genetic models of circuit loss or silencing unveil rescue capacity of exogenous neurons
• Rat sensory neurons restore the primal behavior of food seeking to anosmic mice
Summary
A central question for regenerative neuroscience is whether synthetic neural circuits, such as those built from two species, can function in an intact brain. Here, we apply blastocyst complementation to selectively build and test interspecies neural circuits. Despite approximately 10–20 million years of evolution, and prominent species differences in brain size, rat pluripotent stem cells injected into mouse blastocysts develop and persist throughout the mouse brain. Unexpectedly, the mouse niche reprograms the birth dates of rat neurons in the cortex and hippocampus, supporting rat-mouse synaptic activity. When mouse olfactory neurons are genetically silenced or killed, rat neurons restore information flow to odor processing circuits. Moreover, they rescue the primal behavior of food seeking, although less well than mouse neurons. By revealing that a mouse can sense the world using neurons from another species, we establish neural blastocyst complementation as a powerful tool to identify conserved mechanisms of brain development, plasticity, and repair."
With Hybrid Brains, These Mice Smell Like a Rat (original news release)
Graphical abstract
Mouse hippocampus with rat cells (red) and nuclei of both mouse and rat cells (blue).
Mice that smell like a rat. In the hybrid brains, odor processsing centers (circular structures) are a mixture of rat and mouse neurons. Odor processing centers with red cells contain rat neurons; odor processing centers with green neurons contain mouse neurons.
First experimental proof for brain-like computer with water and salt
Amazing stuff!
"Theoretical physicists ... have succeeded in building an artificial synapse. This synapse works with water and salt and provides the first evidence that a system using the same medium as our brains can process complex information. ..."
From the significance and abstract:
"Significance
The brain’s computing principles (neurons connected by synapses) and information carriers (ions in water) both differ fundamentally from those of conventional computers. Building on this distinction, we present an aqueous memristor that emulates the brain’s short-term synaptic plasticity features through ion transport in water, mirroring the natural processes in the brain. This device, which is inspired by and understood through a theoretical model, is applied as a synaptic element for reservoir computing, a brain-inspired machine learning framework. Thus we implement a brain-inspired computing element in a brain-inspired fluidic medium, representing a considerable step toward computing devices that proverbially both walk and talk like the brain.
Abstract
The brain’s remarkable and efficient information processing capability is driving research into brain-inspired (neuromorphic) computing paradigms. Artificial aqueous ion channels are emerging as an exciting platform for neuromorphic computing, representing a departure from conventional solid-state devices by directly mimicking the brain’s fluidic ion transport. Supported by a quantitative theoretical model, we present easy-to-fabricate tapered microchannels that embed a conducting network of fluidic nanochannels between a colloidal structure. Due to transient salt concentration polarization, our devices are volatile memristors (memory resistors) that are remarkably stable. The voltage-driven net salt flux and accumulation, that underpin the concentration polarization, surprisingly combine into a diffusionlike quadratic dependence of the memory retention time on the channel length, allowing channel design for a specific timescale. We implement our device as a synaptic element for neuromorphic reservoir computing. Individual channels distinguish various time series, that together represent (handwritten) numbers, for subsequent in silico classification with a simple readout function. Our results represent a significant step toward realizing the promise of fluidic ion channels as a platform to emulate the rich aqueous dynamics of the brain."
Fig. 1 Features and properties of our iontronic memristor through theory and experiment.
Chanel CEO: 'Always Underestimated' as First Indian Woman to Lead the Luxury Brand
Recommendable! From rags to riches!
Trends show Gen Z is choosing trade school over college
This trend has been reported by various sources in recent times! Nothing wrong with trade schools! Way to go!
Sunday, April 28, 2024
The sun is super active right now. Here’s how it can affect electronics on Earth
Recommendable! If there is indeed any global warming/climate change going on I bet it is the varying sun activity!
Inside Canada's debate on assisted dying for people with mental illness
A very difficult and controversial subject. I did not watch the entire video.
At about 17 minute into this video you finally learn about some of reasonable criticisms from Sonu Gaind.
"... In 2022 4.1% of all deaths in Canada were medically assisted ..." (It is not clear how many of them were only end of life assistance.)
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot and an Early Theory of Progress
Recommendable!
William Penn Was America's First Great Champion for Liberty and Peace
Very recommendable!
"William Penn was the first great hero of American liberty."
Autonomous drone delivers IV fluid in Ghana
Will Africa adopt drones faster than the West?
"Zipline passed a major milestone this week. One of its autonomous drones, called "Zips," carried two bags of IV fluid from Zipline's distribution center in Ghana's Western North Region to a local health facility — the company's millionth delivery."
More than 5 Million American Kids Are Caregivers Now
I have some doubts about the numbers. E.g. how accurate is the number 1.3 million from 20 years ago? Are the definitions of caregivers the same etc. etc.
Well, the U.S. population also grew from about 294 million in 2004 to 342 million in 2024 or about 16%. Based on this population growth alone, we would expect to have at least 1.5 million teenage caregivers now.
"Leo Remis goes to high school, plays videogames, and helps take care of his disabled mom. Three afternoons a week, he flexes his mom’s legs and arms to keep muscles from deteriorating and blood clots from forming. When her hands shake, he helps her eat and brushes her teeth. “It is my normal,” says Leo, a tall, lanky 15-year-old high-school freshman. There are an estimated 5.4 million children providing care to parents, grandparents or siblings with chronic medical conditions or functional decline, up from about 1.3 million nearly 20 years ago. That number is growing because families can’t afford or find in-home care, researchers say."
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Antony Blinken buys Taylor Swift album during Beijing record store visit. Really!
Is that all he achieved on his latest trip to China? What a joke!
When did the chicken cross the Silk Road? Scientists find first evidence of chickens bred for eggs
Amazing stuff! What came first? Eggs for breakfast since 400 BCE!
"... There are at least 26 billion chickens in the world right now, more than double the number from 1990. That’s more than any other vertebrate and at least one order of magnitude greater than any other bird. ... over a year around 60 billion chickens are slaughtered ...
A team of archaeologists and biologists have found the earliest evidence of chickens raised specifically for their eggs. Some date from as early as 400 BCE in Central Asia. The scientists argue that at least as early as about 2,500 years ago, the domesticated chicken had lost the seasonal egg-laying seen in its wild counterpart. ..."
A team of archaeologists and biologists have found the earliest evidence of chickens raised specifically for their eggs. Some date from as early as 400 BCE in Central Asia. The scientists argue that at least as early as about 2,500 years ago, the domesticated chicken had lost the seasonal egg-laying seen in its wild counterpart. ..."
"... In a new study published by Nature Communications, an international team of scholars present the earliest clear archaeological and biomolecular evidence for the raising of chickens for egg production, based on material from 12 archaeological sites spanning one and a half millennia. The research indicates that the domestic chicken, now a staple in diets around the world, is not as ancient as previously thought. ...
Using eggshell fragments collected from 12 archaeological sites spanning roughly 1500 years, the researchers show that chickens were widely raised in Central Asia from approximately 400 BCE to 1000 CE and were likely dispersed along the ancient Silk Road. The abundance of eggshells further suggests that the birds were laying out of season. It was this trait of prolific egg laying, the researchers argue, that made the domestic chicken so attractive to ancient peoples. ..."
"The origins and dispersal of the chicken across the ancient world remains one of the most enigmatic questions regarding Eurasian domesticated animals. The lack of agreement concerning timing and centers of origin is due to issues with morphological identifications, a lack of direct dating, and poor preservation of thin, brittle bird bones. Here we show that chickens were widely raised across southern Central Asia from the fourth century BC through medieval periods, likely dispersing along the ancient Silk Road. We present archaeological and molecular evidence for the raising of chickens for egg production, based on material from 12 different archaeological sites spanning a millennium and a half. These eggshells were recovered in high abundance at all of these sites, suggesting that chickens may have been an important part of the overall diet and that chickens may have lost seasonal egg-laying"
When Did the Chicken Cross the Road? New Evidence from Central Asia (original news release) New research reveals that chickens were widely raised across southern Central Asia from 400 BCE through medieval periods and likely dispersed along the ancient Silk Road
Fig. 2: A compilation of evidence for ancient chickens in Central Asia.
Why Saving AM Radio in cars Is Redundant in the Age of Modern Technology
Nostalgia! The good old AM radio! About five decades ago I would listen to e.g. Armed Forces Radio news on AM in Germany to brush up on my English.
Do new cars still have to be equipped with AM radio? Probably not. One can always buy an extra radio if need be.
"In an age where technology evolves at an unprecedented pace, it’s hard to justify clinging to outdated modes of communication, especially when superior alternatives exist. This brings us to the current debate around the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, a legislative effort to mandate the inclusion of AM radio in all new car models. This move echoes the misplaced efforts to save the Airfone—those clunky seat-back phones on planes—which became obsolete once Wi-Fi provided a more efficient communication solution. ..."
Fourth time in nature organelle evolution has been identified in a marine alga
Amazing stuff!
"... Known as ‘primary endosymbiosis,’ this process has been foundational for complex organisms (like humans). It describes how a single-celled organism is engulfed by a larger, more complex eukaryotic cell and evolves into a functional organelle. ...
This new, fourth example of primary endosymbiosis is being called a ‘nitroplast’ and has been found within an algal species called Braarudosphaera bigelowii. It appears to have evolved just 100 million years ago. ...
At the same time, UCYN-A appears to have discarded parts of its genome in order to take on proteins supplied by the algal host.
“That’s one of the hallmarks of something moving from an endosymbiont to an organelle,” ..."
"... The organelle also provides insight into ocean ecosystems. All organisms need nitrogen in a biologically usable form, and UCYN-A is globally important for its ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Researchers have found it everywhere from the tropics to the Arctic Ocean, and it fixes a significant amount of nitrogen. ..."
"Eukaryotic cells are notably complex—for example, they have various organelles, which are membrane-bound structures with specific functions. Two of these organelles, mitochondria and chloroplasts, which function in respiration and photosynthesis, evolved from the integration of endosymbiotic bacteria to the eukaryotic cell. In marine systems, some nitrogen-fixing bacteria are endosymbionts of microalgae, such as Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa (UCYN-A), a cyanobacterial symbiont of the unicellular algae Braarudosphaera bigelowii. ... report a close integration of the endosymbiont into the architecture and function of the host cell, which is a characteristic of organelles. These findings show that UCYN-A has evolved from a symbiont to a eukaryotic organelle for nitrogen fixation—the nitroplast—thereby expanding a function that was thought to be exclusively carried out by prokaryotic cells to eukaryotes. ..."
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
Many partnerships have been formed between nitrogen-fixing microbes and carbon-fixing eukaryotes that need nitrogen to grow. The possibility of a eukaryote with a nitrogen-fixing organelle derived from endosymbiosis, which is called a nitroplast, has been speculated. Studying a marine alga with a cyanobacterial endosymbiont, Coale et al. used soft x-ray tomography to visualize cell morphology and division of the alga, revealing a coordinated cell cycle in which the endosymbiont divides and is split evenly, similar to the situation for plastids and mitochondria in these cells ... Proteomics revealed that a sizable fraction of the proteins in this structure are encoded by and imported from the alga, including many that are essential for biosynthesis, cell growth, and division. These results offer a fascinating view into the transition from an endosymbiont into a bona fide organelle. ...
Abstract
Symbiotic interactions were key to the evolution of chloroplast and mitochondria organelles, which mediate carbon and energy metabolism in eukaryotes. Biological nitrogen fixation, the reduction of abundant atmospheric nitrogen gas (N2) to biologically available ammonia, is a key metabolic process performed exclusively by prokaryotes. Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa, or UCYN-A, is a metabolically streamlined N2-fixing cyanobacterium previously reported to be an endosymbiont of a marine unicellular alga. Here we show that UCYN-A has been tightly integrated into algal cell architecture and organellar division and that it imports proteins encoded by the algal genome. These are characteristics of organelles and show that UCYN-A has evolved beyond endosymbiosis and functions as an early evolutionary stage N2-fixing organelle, or “nitroplast.”"
Scientists discover first nitrogen-fixing organelle (original news release)
The nitroplast: A nitrogen-fixing organelle (no public access) A bacterial endosymbiont of marine algae evolved to an organelle
Nitrogen-fixing organelle in a marine alga (no public access)
The new organelle, indicated by an arrow
A soft x-ray tomography image shows B. bigelowii cell division, with the nitroplasts (UCYN-A) in cyan.
Vast DNA tree of life for flowering plants revealed by global science team covering almost 8,000 known flowering plant genera
Amazing stuff! Impressive! What a gigantic effort!
"A new paper ... by an international team of 279 scientists led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew presents the most up-to-date understanding of the flowering plant tree of life.
Using 1.8 billion letters of genetic code from more than 9,500 species covering almost 8,000 known flowering plant genera (ca. 60%), this incredible achievement sheds new light on the evolutionary history of flowering plants and their rise to ecological dominance on Earth. ...
Among the species sequenced for this study, more than 800 have never had their DNA sequenced before. ...
a huge stride towards building a tree of life for all 330,000 known species of flowering plants ...
The vast treasure troves of dried plant material in the world's herbarium collections, which comprise nearly 400 million scientific specimens of plants, can now be studied genetically. ...
511 of the species sequenced are already at risk of extinction, according to the IUCN Red List, including three more like Hesperelaea that are already extinct. ..."
Among the species sequenced for this study, more than 800 have never had their DNA sequenced before. ...
a huge stride towards building a tree of life for all 330,000 known species of flowering plants ...
The vast treasure troves of dried plant material in the world's herbarium collections, which comprise nearly 400 million scientific specimens of plants, can now be studied genetically. ...
511 of the species sequenced are already at risk of extinction, according to the IUCN Red List, including three more like Hesperelaea that are already extinct. ..."
From the abstract:
"Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade."
Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms (open access)
Fig. 1: Time-calibrated phylogenetic tree for angiosperms based on 353 nuclear genes.
Fig. 2: Diversification dynamics across angiosperms.
Acoustic navigational tech gets scuba divers using GPS maps
Good news!
"Manufactured by German underwater tech company EvoLogics, DNS consists of three main components: a tracker unit, a diver console, and a USBL (ultra-short baseline) buoy. ...
Floating at the surface over the diving area, the buoy continuously sends acoustic "pings" through the water. These are received by the tracker unit, which is mounted on the diver's air tank. The tracker automatically responds to each initial ping with a reply ping of its own, which is received by the buoy. ...
As an added bonus, the console also lets divers send and receive simple preprogrammed text messages to and from one another – again, the data is transmitted via acoustic pulses. The topside crew can also send and receive such messages via the Wi-Fi-linked buoy. ..."
"The innovative system facilitates map-based navigation for divers on a mission, offering the flexibility of seamless two-way communication between divers and the dive supervision team, and setting map waypoints both during a mission’s planning and execution. ...
With the new system, EvoLogics aims to streamline complex underwater tasks such as search and rescue, salvage operations, recovery efforts, and cleanup operations. The Diver Navigation system enhances coordination, improves task management, and promotes efficient information sharing, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of diver operations. ..."
Friday, April 26, 2024
Putins Geheim-Einheit »29155«: Attacken auf Agenten und Diplomaten
Empfehlenswert! Seit gut 50 Jahren wird immer wieder behauptet, das die Soviet Union/Russland geheime Wellen Waffen einsetzt, die die Gesundheit ihrer Opfer verschlechtert. Warum der Westen bis heute dies nicht widerlegen noch belegen kann oder will ist komisch! Oder hat Der Spiegel die Widerlegung nicht berichtet?
First ‘personalised’ melanoma skin cancer vaccine trial under way in UK
Good news! Cancer is history (soon)! This is only the beginning!
How light can vaporize water without the need for heat
Amazing stuff! This is a huge discovery!
"... What the MIT team discovered is that light in the visible spectrum is enough to knock water molecules loose at the surface where it meets air and send them floating away. In other words, while it's true that evaporation has been happening all of these years due to fluctuations in temperature, water has also been turning to vapor from the force of light beams alone.
The scientists have termed the process the "photomolecular effect" after the photoelectric effect that was explained by Einstein in 1905, in which particles of light could free electrons from atoms in the material they strike. ...
“It could help us gain new understanding of how sunlight interacts with cloud, fog, oceans, and other natural water bodies to affect weather and climate," ... "It has significant potential practical applications such as high-performance water desalination driven by solar energy. This research is among the rare group of truly revolutionary discoveries ...
Because the discovery of light-based evaporation was so striking, the MIT researchers carried out 14 different verification experiments that all supported the finding. During the course of this process using laser light they found that the strongest evaporative effects happened when light that was polarized in a particular way known as transverse magnetic polarization hit the surface of the water at a 45° angle. It was also strongest with green light ..."
Because the discovery of light-based evaporation was so striking, the MIT researchers carried out 14 different verification experiments that all supported the finding. During the course of this process using laser light they found that the strongest evaporative effects happened when light that was polarized in a particular way known as transverse magnetic polarization hit the surface of the water at a 45° angle. It was also strongest with green light ..."
"... The new work builds on research reported last year, which described this new “photomolecular effect” but only under very specialized conditions: on the surface of specially prepared hydrogels soaked with water. In the new study, the researchers demonstrate that the hydrogel is not necessary for the process; it occurs at any water surface exposed to light, whether it’s a flat surface like a body of water or a curved surface like a droplet of cloud vapor. ..."
From the significance and abstract:
"Significance
We use 14 different experiments to demonstrate the existence of the photomolecular effect: photons in the visible spectrum cleave off water clusters from air–water interfaces. We use laser to study single air–water interfaces and show polarization, angle of incidence, and wavelength dependent responses, peaking at green where bulk water does not absorb. Raman and infrared absorption spectra and temperature distribution in air show the existence of water clusters under light. We suggest the photomolecular effect provides a mechanism to resolve the long-standing puzzle of larger measured solar absorptance of clouds than theoretical predictions based on bulk water optical constants and demonstrate that visible light can heat up clouds. Our work suggests that photomolecular evaporation is prevalent in nature.
Abstract
Although water is almost transparent to visible light, we demonstrate that the air–water interface interacts strongly with visible light via what we hypothesize as the photomolecular effect. In this effect, transverse-magnetic polarized photons cleave off water clusters from the air–water interface. We use 14 different experiments to demonstrate the existence of this effect and its dependence on the wavelength, incident angle, and polarization of visible light. We further demonstrate that visible light heats up thin fogs, suggesting that this process can impact weather, climate, and the earth’s water cycle and that it provides a mechanism to resolve the long-standing puzzle of larger measured clouds absorption to solar radiation than theory could predict based on bulk water optical constants. Our study suggests that the photomolecular effect should happen widely in nature, from clouds to fogs, ocean to soil surfaces, and plant transpiration and can also lead to applications in energy and clean water."
How light can vaporize water without the need for heat Surprising “photomolecular effect” discovered by MIT researchers could affect calculations of climate change and may lead to improved desalination and drying processes.
Photomolecular effect: Visible light interaction with air–water interface (no public access)
The team used a lab device that beamed laser light at water to observe the evaporative effects of light
Chile: 19,000-year-old biosphere with links to Mars discovered beneath desert floor
Amazing stuff!
"...
Most of the sequences were assigned to bacteria; 0.5% were archaea, single-celled microorganisms similar in structure to bacteria but evolutionarily distinct. Archaea are thought to constitute an ancient group between bacteria and eukaryotes or organisms whose DNA-containing cells contain a distinct nucleus. Three bacterial groups (phyla) dominated, accounting for over 90% of genetic sequences: Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. ...
Ecologically speaking, the playa deposits are relatively young; sedimentation started about 19,000 years ago. However, the alluvial deposits are much older, with depths of 4.2 m dating back up to 3.8 million years. ..."
Gene sequencing revealed an abundance of diverse microbial communities across the different layers.
Ecologically speaking, the playa deposits are relatively young; sedimentation started about 19,000 years ago. However, the alluvial deposits are much older, with depths of 4.2 m dating back up to 3.8 million years. ..."
"Summary For a long time, the extremely dry soils of the Chilean Atacama Desert were considered completely lifeless. In one of its driest regions, a team of scientists ... from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, together with colleagues from the TU Berlin and the University of Antofagasta, Chile, has now uncovered a previously unexplored underground habitat. This was based on newly developed methods of molecular DNA analysis, which allow the focussed extraction and analysis of intracellular DNA. This comes from intact cells of living or dormant organisms, making it possible to detect viable and potentially active microbial communities which inhabit hyperarid soils down to a depth of 4.20 metres. The study, published in the journal PNAS Nexus, thus expands our understanding of biodiversity of a region where extreme conditions of drought, salinity and nutrient deficiency are close to the limits of life. The results also have implications for the search for life on other planets."
From the abstract:
"Desert environments constitute one of the largest and yet most fragile ecosystems on Earth. Under the absence of regular precipitation, microorganisms are the main ecological component mediating nutrient fluxes by using soil components, like minerals and salts, and atmospheric gases as a source for energy and water. While most of the previous studies on microbial ecology of desert environments have focused on surface environments, little is known about microbial life in deeper sediment layers. Our study is extending the limited knowledge about microbial communities within the deeper subsurface of the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert. By employing intracellular DNA extraction and subsequent 16S rRNA sequencing of samples collected from a soil pit in the Yungay region of the Atacama Desert, we unveiled a potentially viable microbial subsurface community residing at depths down to 4.20 m. In the upper 80 cm of the playa sediments, microbial communities were dominated by Firmicutes taxa showing a depth-related decrease in biomass correlating with increasing amounts of soluble salts. High salt concentrations are possibly causing microbial colonization to cease in the lower part of the playa sediments between 80 and 200 cm depth. In the underlying alluvial fan deposits, microbial communities reemerge, possibly due to gypsum providing an alternative water source. The discovery of this deeper subsurface community is reshaping our understanding of desert soils, emphasizing the need to consider subsurface environments in future explorations of arid ecosystems."
Newly discovered microbial communities beneath the Atacama Desert (original news release)
Persistent microbial communities in hyperarid subsurface habitats of the Atacama Desert: Insights from intracellular DNA analysis (open access)
Abundant, diverse microbial communities live deep under the surface of the hyper-arid Atacama Desert
The microbial composition of different subsurface depths
Portugal: Affordable starter home is 3D-printed in just 18 hours
Good news! Amazing stuff!
"... According to COBOD, Havelar's houses can be produced for €1,500 per sq m, which it contrasts favorably with the Porto average of €3,104 (around US$3,330) per square meter. ..."
The 3D-printed house is located in the Porto area of Portugal and measures 80 sq m (roughly 860 sq ft)
COVID-19 may have eroded doctors’ belief that they are obligated to treat infectious patients
That seems concerning if confirmed! I guess, we take it for granted that a doctor will always see you.
"COVID-19 may have eroded doctors’ belief that they are obligated to treat infectious patients, concluded Duke University–led researchers who compared trends during various pandemics; COVID-19-related characteristics including vaccine refusal, PPE shortages, and abuse of staff by patients and their families may have contributed to the shift. CIDRAP"
"The unique circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic altered a long-held convention that doctors provide care regardless of personal risk.
In a study assessing doctors’ tolerance for refusing care to COVID-19 patients, Duke Health researchers identified a growing acceptance to withhold care because of safety concerns. ..."
From the abstract:
"During pandemics, healthcare providers struggle with balancing obligations to self, family, and patients. While HIV/AIDS seemed to settle this issue, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rekindled debates regarding treatment refusal. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL Complete, and Web of Science using terms including obligation, refusal, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and pandemics. After duplicate removal and dual, independent screening, we analyzed 156 articles for quality, ethical position, reasons, and concepts. Diseases in our sample included HIV/AIDS (72.2%), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (10.2%), COVID-19 (10.2%), Ebola (7.0%), and influenza (7.0%). Most articles (81.9%, n = 128) indicated an obligation to treat. COVID-19 had the highest number of papers indicating ethical acceptability of refusal (60%, P < .001), while HIV had the least (13.3%, P = .026). Several reason domains were significantly different during COVID-19, including unreasonable risks to self/family (26.7%, P < .001) and labor rights/workers' protection (40%, P < .001). A surge in ethics literature during COVID-19 has advocated for permissibility of treatment refusal. Balancing healthcare provision with workforce protection is crucial in effectively responding to a global pandemic."
COVID-19 pandemic alters view that doctors are obligated to provide care Previous infectious disease outbreaks such as HIV and SARS showed little impact on how doctors approached their obligation to treat patients
Bird flu Outbreak in cow milk Likely ‘Much Bigger’ Than Official Counts. Really!
The next scare is coming! We should be all dead a long time ago!
The scaremongers tend to say little about how dangerous this virus actually is! Instead they stress infectiousness and discovery!
Maybe this has been going on for ages only humans were previously not able to detect/diagnose it.
"As U.S. government officials gradually release more data about H5N1 being detected in the commercial milk supply, scientists say there are signs that the outbreak is “far more widespread” than the official count of 33 herds in eight states, reports STAT.
Yesterday, the FDA revealed that it had detected milk positive for traces of avian flu in 20% of samples. ...
The bigger worry: The more widely H5N1 spreads in cows, the more opportunities it has to adapt—and become “a pathogen of pandemic potential,” ...
Reminders of early COVID: Researchers worry the U.S. government’s early response is too fractured, slow, and obtuse—reminiscent of missteps in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic ..."
The bigger worry: The more widely H5N1 spreads in cows, the more opportunities it has to adapt—and become “a pathogen of pandemic potential,” ...
Reminders of early COVID: Researchers worry the U.S. government’s early response is too fractured, slow, and obtuse—reminiscent of missteps in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic ..."
Geologists discover rocks with the oldest evidence yet of Earth’s magnetic field on Greenland
Amazing stuff! Why is Greenland called green land? The Vikings discovered a lush green land during the Medieval Warm Period (or global warming before the Industrial Age)!
"Geologists at MIT and Oxford University have uncovered ancient rocks in Greenland that bear the oldest remnants of Earth’s early magnetic field.
The rocks appear to be exceptionally pristine, having preserved their properties for billions of years. The researchers determined that the rocks are about 3.7 billion years old and retain signatures of a magnetic field with a strength of at least 15 microtesla. The ancient field is similar in magnitude to the Earth’s magnetic field today. ..."
From the abstract:
"Recovering ancient records of Earth's magnetic field is essential for determining the role of the magnetosphere in protecting early Earth from cosmic radiation and atmospheric escape. We present paleomagnetic field tests hinting that a record of Earth's 3.7-billion-year (Ga) old magnetic field may be preserved in the northeastern Isua Supracrustal Belt as a chemical remanent magnetization acquired during amphibolite-grade metamorphism in the banded iron formation. Multiple petrological and geochronological lines of evidence indicate that the northernmost part of Isua has not experienced metamorphic temperatures exceeding 380°C since the Eoarchean, suggesting the rocks have not been significantly heated since magnetization was acquired. We use “pseudo” baked contact tests (intrusions emplaced 3.26–3.5 Ga ago) and a fold test (folding 3.6 Ga ago) to demonstrate that some samples preserve a ca. 3.7 Ga record of the magnetic field. We recover a field strength of >15 µT. This suggests that Earth's magnetic field may have been weak enough to enhance atmospheric escape during the Archean."
Possible Eoarchean Records of the Geomagnetic Field Preserved in the Isua Supracrustal Belt, Southern West Greenland (open access)
[Researchers] stand on the outcrop of a banded iron formation containing the oldest records of Earth’s magnetic field. The Greenland ice sheet is in the background.
Fig. 7 Passed pseudo-baked contact tests for site 8A/A.
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