Jaw-Dropping $1.5 Trillion Lithium Find at the Oregon-Nevada border

Good news! However, these news were already reported back 9 months ago or even 2 years ago.

Grr, I don't particularly like it when news is regurgitated like this without proper credits or checks! Shoddy/sloppy journalism!

"A newly confirmed, high-grade lithium deposit valued at approximately $1.5 trillion has been discovered along the Oregon-Nevada border, potentially a massive domestic source for electric-vehicle batteries and grid storage."

"... Core samples point to lithium hosted in zinnwaldite, a mica‑type mineral that can be processed with more targeted techniques than many clay‑rich deposits. The surrounding formation appears to be the weathered remnant of a caldera, where volcanic fluids circulated and left behind concentrated veins over geologic time. ..."

Jaw-Dropping $1.5 Trillion Lithium Find in an Unlikely U.S. Location - PlusNews

Credits: The Flyover

A conservative Oregon state representative is shocked that Medicaid spending covers Strip Club Outings for developmentally disabled individuals. Really!

What is wrong with that as long as those visits are not excessive or exclusive or against the will of the individuals?

Should mentally disabled individuals never have a chance to see a strip club or perhaps even to participate in the event?

Even the employees or owners of strip club may benefit from such a visit.

"Oregon state Rep. Dwayne Yunker began asking questions when he discovered the state was using tax dollars to bring developmentally disabled clients to a strip club this past summer. 

Yunker—a Republican lawmaker in a very blue state with a Democrat super majority in the legislature—has exposed this and other controversial Medicaid spending in the state that has little or nothing to do with medical or health issues. ...

The Oregon Department of Human Services informed the lawmaker in mid-August that denying the strip club outing could jeopardize federal Medicaid funding, Yunker told The Daily Signal. 

Specifically, the state agency referred to a federal law that requires state Medicaid programs to help disabled people integrate into the community. ..."

Oregon Medicaid Funds Used for Strip Club Outings

Scientists made human egg cells from skin cells

Amazing stuff! This could be a breakthrough since cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996. 

When will the first human baby be born from an artificial womb outside a woman's body? I bet it could happen within the next 10-20 years.

The Oregon based researchers could not resist to mention "... this method would allow for the possibility of same-sex couples to have a child genetically related to both partners ..."

"Creating human eggs from adult cells just got one step closer to reality.

A technique used in cloning combined with fertilization and a bit of chemical coaxing caused human skin cells to produce eggs able to give rise to early human embryos ...

The effort is the latest attempt to make eggs and sperm from human cells. Researchers have already succeeded in making these important cell types from many types of animals, including pandas. But producing human eggs and sperm has proven elusive. ..."

From the abstract:

"Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) enables the direct reprogramming of somatic cells into functional oocytes, albeit with a diploid genome.

To address ploidy reduction, we investigated an experimental reductive cell division process, termed mitomeiosis, wherein non-replicated (2n2c) somatic genomes are prematurely forced to divide following transplantation into the metaphase cytoplasm of enucleated human oocytes.

However, despite fertilization with sperm, SCNT oocytes remained arrested at the metaphase stage, indicating activation failure.

Artificial activation using a selective cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor successfully bypassed this arrest, inducing the segregation of somatic chromosomes into a zygotic pronucleus and a polar body.

Comprehensive chromosome tracing via sequencing revealed that homologous chromosome segregation occurred randomly and without crossover recombination. Nonetheless, an average of 23 somatic chromosomes were retained within the zygote, demonstrating the feasibility of experimentally halving the diploid chromosome set.

Fertilized human SCNT oocytes progressed through normal embryonic cell divisions, ultimately developing into embryos with integrated somatic and sperm-derived chromosomes. While our study demonstrates the potential of mitomeiosis for in vitro gametogenesis, at this stage it remains just a proof of concept and further research is required to ensure efficacy and safety before future clinical applications."

Scientists made human egg cells from skin cells

OHSU researchers develop functional eggs from human skin cells (original news release)

Induction of experimental cell division to generate cells with reduced chromosome ploidy (open access)

Fig. 1: Ploidy reduction by mitomeiosis.

Biologists blare hard Rock music from drones to Deter Wolves from attacking livestock

What a waste of taxpayers' money!

Would not old fashioned and modern population control work better in the short and long term?

So much for the reintroduction of wolves in the mid 1990s!

"U.S. Department of Agriculture biologists are using drones and classic rock to prevent gray wolves from attacking livestock near the California-Oregon border.

The drones blast loud, unfamiliar sounds, like AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and argument clips from the movie Marriage Story, which startle the wolves and drive them away from the cattle herds. Watch a video here.

The approach plays on wolves’ aversion to novel stimuli and has proven more effective than electric fences or guard dogs. Gray wolves, once nearly wiped out, have rebounded across the Rockies and Northwest, putting ranchers on edge.

While the $20,000 drones offer short-term relief, experts and ranchers alike caution that the wolves may eventually catch on."

Tuesday, September 2, 2025 - Join The Flyover

Governor Kotek signs executive order banning cell phones in Oregon K-12 classrooms and school day. Really!

How stupid is that! Luddites in the 21st century!

When humans resort to prohibition than this often a sign of cluelessness!

Another US state follows this folly!

According to Google search: "As of June 2025,  ... [22] States with outright bans or restrictions: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia"

Smart devices need to be integrated into K-12 education!

"Governor Tina Kotek issued an executive order on Wednesday mandating all 197 school districts in Oregon ban student cell phone use during the school day.

“Oregon’s schools should be a place where students find belonging, support, and the joy of learning something new.” Governor Kotek said. ..."

Gov. Kotek signs executive order banning cell phones in Oregon K-12 classrooms

Governor Tina Kotek. Is she a Luddite? Maybe we should ban that Microsoft laptop next to her!

How Do Some Bacteria Survive Ionizing Radiation?

Amazing stuff! This is an article based on past research. This is a review article of a review article by one of the leading researchers in this field as it appears.

The secret sauce seems to be manganese. 

"For a human, experiencing a mere five grays (Gy) of ionizing radiation for just a few minutes can be lethal. But the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is made of tougher stuff. In liquid culture conditions, it can survive an acute blast of up to 25,000Gy and under chronic gamma radiation exposure (60Gy per hour), it not only survives, but thrives, continuing to grow and multiply. ...

It was discovered ... at an agricultural research station in Oregon. In the 1950s, researchers at the station were experimenting with using ionizing radiation to sterilize canned food. To their dismay, some of their heavily-irradiated corned beef still contained living microbes—they cultured the microbes and discovered D. radiodurans.

Over the following decades, scientists tried to identify the mechanisms underlying the microbe’s extreme radiation resistance. They found that the microbe could repair many more double-strand breaks within its DNA than other organisms. However, when its genome was sequenced in the early 2000s, the genes coding for DNA repair enzymes were surprisingly similar to other bacterial species, indicating that specialized repair enzymes probably weren’t responsible for the microbe’s remarkable hardiness. ...

“One of the key findings from that large body of work was the high dependence of these microorganisms on manganese,” ... Manganese can function as powerful antioxidant, which could help protect intracellular molecules from the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated when ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays, interacts with water molecules in the cell. But there was more to the story than just manganese. ...

“We were observing the emergent antioxidant’s chemistry: three components where they do much more together—much, much more together—than individually,” ...  In test tubes, mixing these three components—manganese, orthophosphate, and small peptides approximately 10–20 amino acids long—preserved the function of proteins and increased the survival of human cells in the face of high-dose radiation. ..."

From the abstract:

"The family Deinococcaceae exhibits exceptional radiation resistance and possesses all the necessary traits for surviving in radiation-exposed environments. Their survival strategy involves the coupling of metabolic and DNA repair functions, resulting in an extraordinarily efficient homologous repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused by radiation or desiccation. The keys to their survival lie in the hyperaccumulation of manganous (Mn2+)-metabolite antioxidants that protect their DNA repair proteins under extreme oxidative stress and the persistent structural linkage by Holliday junctions of their multiple genome copies per cell that facilitates DSB repair. 

This coupling of metabolic and DNA repair functions has made polyploid Deinococcus bacteria a useful tool in environmental biotechnology, radiobiology, aging, and planetary protection.

The review highlights the groundbreaking contributions of the late Robert G.E. Murray to the field of Deinococcus research and the emergent paradigm-shifting discoveries that revolutionized our understanding of radiation survivability and oxidative stress defense, demonstrating that the proteome, rather than the genome, is the primary target responsible for survivability. These discoveries have led to the commercial development of irradiated vaccines using Deinococcus Mn-peptide antioxidants and have significant implications for various fields."

How Do Some Bacteria Survive Ionizing Radiation? | The Scientist "Integrity of the proteome, rather than the genome, underlies the remarkable radioresistance of Deinococcus radiodurans."

The scientific revolution that unraveled the astonishing DNA repair capacity of the Deinococcaceae: 40 years on (open access)

Fig. 3. Sequential recombinational pathways for double-strand break (DSB) repair in Deinococcus radiodurans that benefit from persistent linkage by Holliday junctions.

Consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant death

Bad news! But to be expected! Cannabis consumption is not harmless not even in states like Oregon, where cannabis use is largely legitimized!

Why the certainty of evidence for risks in previous studies was classified as "very-low-to-low" is a mystery to me and casts some doubt about this meta study! That should have been a red flag immediately that something is wrong with the study!

"... “Patients are coming to me in their prenatal visits saying, ‘I quit smoking and drinking, but is it safe to still use cannabis?’” said lead author Jamie Lo, M.D., M.C.R., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology (maternal-fetal medicine) ...

In fact, cannabis remains one of the most common substances used in pregnancy that’s still illegal under federal law, and, unlike declines in prenatal use of alcohol or nicotine, cannabis use is continuing to increase. Lo said many of her patients are reluctant to give up cannabis during pregnancy because it helps to reduce common prenatal symptoms such as nausea, insomnia and pain. ...

The researchers found eight new studies since their previous update, raising the certainty of evidence from “very-low-to-low” to “moderate” for increased odds of low birth weight, preterm birth and babies being small for their gestational age. ..."

From the key points and abstract:

"Key Points

Question  Is cannabis use in pregnancy associated with neonatal outcomes?

Findings  In this updated systematic review and meta-analysis of 51 studies, prenatal cannabis use was associated with increased odds of preterm birth, small for gestational age, low birth weight, and perinatal mortality.

Meaning  Using cannabis in pregnancy was associated with increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes; health care professionals should include this in their patient counseling, and increased public health measures are needed to raise awareness on safety of use.

Abstract

Importance  Prenatal cannabis use continues to increase, and cannabis remains the most commonly used illegal substance in pregnancy. Accumulating evidence suggests potential adverse effects on fetal and neonatal outcomes following cannabis use in pregnancy.

Objective  To update a living systematic review and meta-analysis to provide a timely understanding regarding cannabis use in pregnancy and fetal and neonatal outcomes.

Data Sources  The previous review was updated by searching bibliographic databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Global Health, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from November 1, 2021, through April 4, 2024.

Study Selection  Cohort or case-control studies comparing pregnancies with and without prenatal cannabis use on prespecified fetal or neonatal outcomes with adjustment for confounders, such as co-use of tobacco products, were included. Two independent reviewers screened studies, with disagreements resolved through discussion.

Data Extraction and Synthesis  Included studies were extracted by 1 reviewer and confirmed by a second. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effects meta-analyses of unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were performed for all primary outcomes. Results were synthesized using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach.

Main Outcomes and Measures  Primary outcomes were preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks of gestation), small for gestational age (SGA), low birth weight (LBW; <2500 g), and perinatal mortality.

Results  For this update, 8 new studies with 1 709 998 participants were added, for a total of 51 studies synthesized (N = 21 146 938). From meta-analyses of adjusted effect sizes, moderate-certainty evidence indicated that cannabis use in pregnancy was associated with increased odds of LBW (20 studies; OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.41-2.18), PTB (20 studies; OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.26-1.83), and SGA (12 studies; OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.36-1.81), and low-certainty evidence indicated that it was associated with greater odds of perinatal mortality (6 studies; OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.07-1.55). Previously, the evidence was rated as very low or low certainty.

Conclusions and Relevance  Cannabis use in pregnancy was associated with greater odds of PTB, SGA, and LBW even after adjusting for co-use of tobacco products, and confidence in these findings increased from low in the prior review to moderate in the current meta-analysis. The findings of this study may help inform patient counseling and future public health policies."

Global Health NOW: Redrawing Battle Lines in the AIDS Fight; Twists in Abortion Lawsuit; and The Lifesaving Potential of Self-Driving Cars

Evidence review raises concern about cannabis use in pregnancy (original news release) "OHSU research team finds moderate risk for preterm birth, low birth weigh"

Prenatal Cannabis Use and Neonatal Outcomes / A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (no public access)

US Senator Ron Wyden (D, OR) says the Democrats need ‘chutzpah’ to return to power. Really!

Best joke of the day! 😊 With Senators like this, the Dimocratic Party remains doomed!

How is chutzpah defined: "a young man who murders his parents and then asks the court for mercy because he is an orphan. This definition is based on an old Yiddish definition of the word chutzpah." according to Google AI

Sen. Ron Wyden says the Democrats need ‘chutzpah’ to return to power - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Automatic voter registration let non-citizens onto voter rolls in South Dakota, Oregon and 23 other states plus Washington DC

Bad news! What can possibly go wrong! Automatic voter registration might be a convenience, but if it lacks monitoring and verification ...

What was wrong with the 2020 general elections? A lot! Not least the sudden switch to massive mail in vote due to Covid-19!

Kristi Noem was the Governor of South Dakota until recently! Did she do anything about it?

How many cities across the country allow non citizens to vote in local elections? How many of them are removed from state and federal elections?

"... A report released by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) last week shows that both South Dakota and Oregon, which have automatic voter registration, found non-citizens on their respective voter rolls last year. The report explains that this occurs easily and warns states about using automatic voter registration. ...

The 24 states that have automatic voter registration are Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. ..."

"The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) released a research brief detailing how driver licensing agencies were blamed for alien residents becoming registered to vote in 2024 thanks to automatic voter registration systems in Oregon and South Dakota.

For years, PILF has warned that automatic voter registration (AVR) invites error. AVR forces department of motor vehicle clerks into the role of making determinations of voting eligibility. Non-English speakers are routinely confused by the paperwork at DMV, and then their names and addresses are automatically sent to the voter roll. If DMV clerks make errors logging noncitizen customer information, the same can happen. Both scenarios were disclosed shortly before Election Day 2024. ..."

Automatic voter registration let non-citizens in South Dakota, Oregon onto voter rolls, report says | Just The News "24 states and Washington, D.C., have automatic voter registration."

Automatic Voter Registration in Oregon, South Dakota Blamed for Foreign Nationals Found on Voter Rolls in 2024

Oregon hat als erster US-Gliedstaat harte Drogen entkriminalisiert – und zahlt nun den Preis dafür

Die Freigabe von Drogen ist kein Wundermittel! 

Die Versuchung Drogen einzunehmen ist gross. Wie schützt man Kinder und Jugendliche? Jeder neue Fall von Drogensucht bedarf medizinische Behandlung usw. usw.

Oregon hat harte Drogen entkriminalisiert – die Folgen sind verheerend Fentanyl, Meth, Heroin – seit 2021 kann in Oregon jeder harte Drogen nehmen, straffrei. Besonders in Portland sind die Folgen dramatisch: Die Überfälle auf Geschäfte nahmen zu, und die Mordrate stieg auf den höchsten Stand der Geschichte.

Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs. Now It’s Reversing Course

If it only was that simple! Decriminalization has been tried and failed before in other countries as well. Greater freedom ought to come with greater responsibility and culpability!

Unfortunately, the tyranny of a minority becomes the detriment of the majority!

As a classical liberal I am all for decriminalization, but only if e.g. individual responsibility and culpability is clearly increased when taking or under the influence  of drugs and minors have to be protected. Unfortunately, decriminalization is too often tried without the increased individual responsibility and culpability! E.g. driving under the influence and causing in an accident should automatically be punished double!

"Oregon’s political leaders are on the cusp of ending a three-year experiment as the first and only state in the nation to allow people to freely use drugs. Backers of the 2020 ballot measure, which passed with 58% support, successfully convinced their fellow residents that decriminalization would mean fewer nonviolent drug addicts in prison and more in treatment. But while the first part of the prediction proved true, the second didn’t. Instead, public drug use has become rampant, as people can now smoke fentanyl and use other drugs on sidewalks with no consequences."

"As a firefighter-paramedic in suburban Portland, Dacia Grayber has seen the ravages of Oregon’s drug epidemic: fentanyl addicts stumbling around like zombies or collapsed in fetal positions. Last year she watched a young addict pass away with his 2-year-old daughter curled up on his chest. ..."

Oregon Decriminalized Hard Drugs. Now It’s Reversing Course. - WSJ State legislature passes bill restoring criminal penalties following widespread anger over public drug use

No bar exam required to practice law in Oregon starting next year

Good news! The special privileges of the legal profession and law schools should be abolished!

You don't have to go to law school to be a good attorney!

"... The Oregon Supreme Court on Tuesday approved an alternative licensing program that bar exam reformers hope will spur further innovation in other states. After law school, candidates will spend 675 hours working under the supervision of an experienced attorney and create a portfolio of legal work that bar officials will grade as an alternative to the traditional bar exam. ..."

No bar exam required to practice law in Oregon starting next year | Reuters

New evidence suggests McDermitt Caldera on the Oregon/Nevada border may be among the largest known lithium reserves in the world

Good news!

"A trio of volcanologists and geologists from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University reports evidence that the McDermitt Caldera, on the Nevada/Oregon, border, may host some of the largest known deposits of lithium on Earth.  ...

In 2017, another team of researchers found evidence that one part of the caldera called Thacker Pass could be among the largest sources of lithium ever found. Lithium Americas obtained a stake at the site and began testing mining operations. Soon thereafter, they ran into opposition from locals and Native American groups, but eventually won the right to mine at the site. ..."

From the abstract:

"Developing a sustainable supply chain for the global proliferation of lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles and grid storage necessitates the extraction of lithium resources that minimize local environmental impacts. Volcano sedimentary lithium resources have the potential to meet this requirement, as they tend to be shallow, high-tonnage deposits with low waste:ore strip ratios. Illite-bearing Miocene lacustrine sediments within the southern portion of McDermitt caldera (USA) at Thacker Pass contain extremely high lithium grades (up to ~1 weight % of Li), more than double the whole-rock concentration of lithium in smectite-rich claystones in the caldera and other known claystone lithium resources globally (<0.4 weight % of Li). Illite concentrations measured in situ range from ~1.3 to 2.4 weight % of Li within fluorine-rich illitic claystones. The unique lithium enrichment of illite at Thacker Pass resulted from secondary lithium- and fluorine-bearing hydrothermal alteration of primary neoformed smectite-bearing sediments, a phenomenon not previously identified."

New evidence suggests McDermitt Caldera may be among the largest known lithium reserves in the world

Hydrothermal enrichment of lithium in intracaldera illite-bearing claystones (open access)

Fig. 1. Map showing type and relative size of global lithium resources.

One-third of Oregon counties vote to secede to join 'Greater Idaho'

Good news! Is this gerrymandering? 😊 Democracy at its best!

Remember, the American Civil War was also about secession!

"One-third of Oregon counties have voted in support of the "Greater Idaho" movement to secede from Oregon to join their conservative eastern neighbors.

Wallowa County became the 12th in Oregon to join the initiative after officials finalized the special election results Tuesday, according to Fox News.

The vote was held in May and the preliminary results showed support for joining Idaho led by 21 votes. By the time the votes were finalized the following month, the lead shrunk to seven, avoiding Oregon's threshold for a mandatory recount by one vote.

The "Greater Idaho" movement began in 2019 with the idea that large portions of rural eastern Oregon could leave to join Idaho. The movement has since grown to include people from California and Washington, according to the group's website, which says the idea behind the movement is "so that conservative counties can become a part of a red state."

So far, 12 out of 12 counties that have held elections on the matter have voted in favor of exploring secession. The original "Greater Idaho" movement includes 15 of Oregon's 36 counties. ..."

One-third of Oregon counties vote to secede to join 'Greater Idaho' | Just The News

Oregon Counties SECESSION Is Actually HAPPENING!!!

Good news! Let's redraw the state lines to create greater Idaho! I am all for more potatoes!

All 50 members of the Portland police riot squad resign

What Portland, Oregon police officers are not allowed to wear body cameras???