Get Smart: A Guide to Better Thinking | Neuromarketing
memory is improved when learning is a little more difficult. Hard work while learning is frustrating, but the memories are more lasting.
Need to learn something? Learn it in the environment in which you’ll have to remember it. Markman cites research showing that scuba divers who memorized words either on land or underwater remembered more words when they were in the environment where the learning took place.
Often, problem solving is less about a flash of intuitive brilliance and more about the application of knowledge, often from a seemingly unrelated field.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Scientists Create First Computerized Model Of Entire Organism’s Lifecycle
Scientists Create First Computerized Model Of Entire Organism’s Lifecycle | TPM Idea Lab
The simulation takes about nine to 10 hours in order for one cell to divide, again emulating its real counterpart
It took nearly four years to actually write the software to perform the simulation itself, and the use of over 900 prior scientific papers on Mycoplasma genitalium and other bacterium to create the perfect algorithm to simulate the organism.
Among the many new advances that the computer simulation could lead to is the possibility “for the wholesale creation of new microorganisms,”
Researchers used 128 computers to model an organism that is actually a sexually transmitted parasite.
The simulation takes about nine to 10 hours in order for one cell to divide, again emulating its real counterpart
It took nearly four years to actually write the software to perform the simulation itself, and the use of over 900 prior scientific papers on Mycoplasma genitalium and other bacterium to create the perfect algorithm to simulate the organism.
Among the many new advances that the computer simulation could lead to is the possibility “for the wholesale creation of new microorganisms,”
Researchers used 128 computers to model an organism that is actually a sexually transmitted parasite.
You want that? Well I want it, too! The neuroscience of mimetic desire
You want that? Well I want it, too! The neuroscience of mimetic desire | The Scicurious Brain, Scientific American Blog Network
It appears that the induction of mimetic desire involves both of these systems, the mirror neuron system responding to the other person’s action with the object, and the valuation system putting an increased value on the object because of mirror neuron input.
First, the mirror neuron system is really two areas, the parietal lobules and the premotor areas (where motor signals go before they hit the actual motor command and your muscles start moving). The neurons in these areas respond under two conditions: when you yourself are performing an action, and when you see someone else performing an action. We call it the mirror neuron system because it “mirrors” the behavior of someone else.
It appears that the induction of mimetic desire involves both of these systems, the mirror neuron system responding to the other person’s action with the object, and the valuation system putting an increased value on the object because of mirror neuron input.
First, the mirror neuron system is really two areas, the parietal lobules and the premotor areas (where motor signals go before they hit the actual motor command and your muscles start moving). The neurons in these areas respond under two conditions: when you yourself are performing an action, and when you see someone else performing an action. We call it the mirror neuron system because it “mirrors” the behavior of someone else.
Insight Into The Neural Basis Of Human Consciousness
Insight Into The Neural Basis Of Human Consciousness
But there are people, known as lucid dreamers, who can become aware of dreaming during sleep. Studies employing magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) have now been able to demonstrate that a specific cortical network consisting of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the frontopolar regions and the precuneus is activated when this lucid consciousness is attained. All of these regions are associated with self-reflective functions. This research into lucid dreaming gives the authors of the latest study insight into the neural basis of human consciousness.
studied people who are aware that they are dreaming while being in a dream state, and are also able to deliberately control their dreams. Those so-called lucid dreamers have access to their memories during lucid dreaming, can perform actions and are aware of themselves - although remaining unmistakably in a dream state and not waking up.
But there are people, known as lucid dreamers, who can become aware of dreaming during sleep. Studies employing magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) have now been able to demonstrate that a specific cortical network consisting of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the frontopolar regions and the precuneus is activated when this lucid consciousness is attained. All of these regions are associated with self-reflective functions. This research into lucid dreaming gives the authors of the latest study insight into the neural basis of human consciousness.
studied people who are aware that they are dreaming while being in a dream state, and are also able to deliberately control their dreams. Those so-called lucid dreamers have access to their memories during lucid dreaming, can perform actions and are aware of themselves - although remaining unmistakably in a dream state and not waking up.
Sum of the Parts? How Our Brains See Men as People and Women as Body Parts
Sum of the Parts? How Our Brains See Men as People and Women as Body Parts | Neuroscience News
“We can’t just pin this on the men. Women are perceiving women this way, too,” Gervais said. “It could be related to different motives. Men might be doing it because they’re interested in potential mates, while women may do it as more of a comparison with themselves. But what we do know is that they’re both doing it.”
Also notable is that the gender of participants doing the observing had no effect on the outcome. The participant pool was evenly divided between men and women, who processed each gender’s bodies similarly: Regardless of their gender, perceivers saw men more “globally” and women more “locally.”
the fact that people are looking at ordinary men and women and remembering women’s body parts better than their entire bodies was very interesting.
Women’s sexual body parts were more easily recognized when presented in isolation than when they were presented in the context of their entire bodies. But men’s sexual body parts were recognized better when presented in the context of their entire bodies than they were in isolation.
“Local processing underlies the way we think about objects: houses, cars and so on. But global processing should prevent us from that when it comes to people,” Gervais said. “We don’t break people down to their parts – except when it comes to women, which is really striking. Women were perceived in the same ways that objects are viewed.”
When presented with images of men, perceivers tended to rely more on “global” cognitive processing, the mental method in which a person is perceived as a whole. Meanwhile, images of women were more often the subject of “local” cognitive processing, or the objectifying perception of something as an assemblage of its various parts.
“We can’t just pin this on the men. Women are perceiving women this way, too,” Gervais said. “It could be related to different motives. Men might be doing it because they’re interested in potential mates, while women may do it as more of a comparison with themselves. But what we do know is that they’re both doing it.”
Also notable is that the gender of participants doing the observing had no effect on the outcome. The participant pool was evenly divided between men and women, who processed each gender’s bodies similarly: Regardless of their gender, perceivers saw men more “globally” and women more “locally.”
the fact that people are looking at ordinary men and women and remembering women’s body parts better than their entire bodies was very interesting.
Women’s sexual body parts were more easily recognized when presented in isolation than when they were presented in the context of their entire bodies. But men’s sexual body parts were recognized better when presented in the context of their entire bodies than they were in isolation.
“Local processing underlies the way we think about objects: houses, cars and so on. But global processing should prevent us from that when it comes to people,” Gervais said. “We don’t break people down to their parts – except when it comes to women, which is really striking. Women were perceived in the same ways that objects are viewed.”
When presented with images of men, perceivers tended to rely more on “global” cognitive processing, the mental method in which a person is perceived as a whole. Meanwhile, images of women were more often the subject of “local” cognitive processing, or the objectifying perception of something as an assemblage of its various parts.
Marriage is a wonderful institution, but...
“Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who would want to live in an institution?”
- H.L. Mencken
- H.L. Mencken
Playing God
Playing God
Another concept of God has always been based on the idea that no matter what happens, every individual would be judged and "rewarded" based on their true value, the kind of people they were in life and not based on money, political connections, popularity, appearance, or the myriad number of other criteria that humans use. So, before we get too confident in our ability to emulate God, by invoking some pre-technological era and claim how we are now countering "widespread child mortality", let's be honest with ourselves and recognize that the majority of human deaths on this planet are already preventable and fully within human hands to stop. So, instead of arguing about some future where we can "play God". Why not begin with what we can do now? We already know how to stop starvation. We already know what it takes to be non-violent. We already know about the causes of wars. We already know about sanitation and clean water.
"Detractors use the phrase "playing God" to provoke emotive opposition without defining what it is about synthetic biology that is qualitatively different to the previous advances that they enjoy and benefit from every day. Should we go back to the time before humans started playing God through their development of sanitation, vaccines and measures to counter widespread child mortality?" (3)
"If playing God involves developing technologies that cure diseases, clean up pollution and create new forms of fuel, then these potential benefits need to be considered without the burden of vague, simplistic soundbites."
Another concept of God has always been based on the idea that no matter what happens, every individual would be judged and "rewarded" based on their true value, the kind of people they were in life and not based on money, political connections, popularity, appearance, or the myriad number of other criteria that humans use. So, before we get too confident in our ability to emulate God, by invoking some pre-technological era and claim how we are now countering "widespread child mortality", let's be honest with ourselves and recognize that the majority of human deaths on this planet are already preventable and fully within human hands to stop. So, instead of arguing about some future where we can "play God". Why not begin with what we can do now? We already know how to stop starvation. We already know what it takes to be non-violent. We already know about the causes of wars. We already know about sanitation and clean water.
"Detractors use the phrase "playing God" to provoke emotive opposition without defining what it is about synthetic biology that is qualitatively different to the previous advances that they enjoy and benefit from every day. Should we go back to the time before humans started playing God through their development of sanitation, vaccines and measures to counter widespread child mortality?" (3)
"If playing God involves developing technologies that cure diseases, clean up pollution and create new forms of fuel, then these potential benefits need to be considered without the burden of vague, simplistic soundbites."
All progress depends on the unreasonable man!
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
What's the point and purpose of marriage these days?
"So what's the point and purpose of marriage these days? Why have a ceremony, marriage certificate, and declare yourself as Husband and Wife? Do these titles really have more significance than Boy Friend / Girl Friend?"
How could it have been otherwise?
‘Behind it all is surely an idea so simple, so beautiful, that when we grasp it – in a decade, a century, or a
millennium – we will all say to each other, how could it have been otherwise?’
millennium – we will all say to each other, how could it have been otherwise?’
The problem with imagination!
"Conjectures are the products of creative imagination. But the problem with imagination is that it can create fiction much more easily than truth."
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tools of the Trade: The Pendulum That Detects Extra Dimensions
Tools of the Trade: The Pendulum That Detects
Extra Dimensions | Physics & Math | DISCOVER Magazine
The detector is essentially a pendulum—a molybdenum ring hanging on an ultrathin tungsten fiber—that feels the gravitational tug of two rotating molybdenum disks below. The disks are positioned so that their gravitational tugs on the pendulum should almost exactly offset each other. Any unexpected twisting of the pendulum would indicate a violation of the known laws of gravity—a result that might suggest the gravitational pull of the two disks is being diluted into one or more extra dimensions. So far Adelberger’s group has shown that gravity behaves just as expected to distances of 44 millionths of a meter, meaning that any extra dimensions must be even smaller.
Perhaps gravity only appears weak, because it operates in additional spatial dimensions beyond length, width, and height. These extra dimensions would be imperceptible in our macro world but might have a detectable influence on gravity at scales of less than the width of a hair.
The detector is essentially a pendulum—a molybdenum ring hanging on an ultrathin tungsten fiber—that feels the gravitational tug of two rotating molybdenum disks below. The disks are positioned so that their gravitational tugs on the pendulum should almost exactly offset each other. Any unexpected twisting of the pendulum would indicate a violation of the known laws of gravity—a result that might suggest the gravitational pull of the two disks is being diluted into one or more extra dimensions. So far Adelberger’s group has shown that gravity behaves just as expected to distances of 44 millionths of a meter, meaning that any extra dimensions must be even smaller.
Perhaps gravity only appears weak, because it operates in additional spatial dimensions beyond length, width, and height. These extra dimensions would be imperceptible in our macro world but might have a detectable influence on gravity at scales of less than the width of a hair.
Rebellion cannot exist without.....
Rebellion cannot exist without the feeling that, somewhere and somehow, one is right.
—Albert Camus, The Rebel
—Albert Camus, The Rebel
The world just is; it has no inherent value!
"What we share with Sisyphus is our existential situation. If the world is really fundamentally without order, or irrational, all the importance (order!) you attach to all the things you do is pointless. All your projects, employments, and relationships — whatever you toil to accomplish or achieve — are as empty as rolling a boulder up a hill. The world just is; it has no inherent value."
Aging worker termites explode themselves in suicide missions
Aging worker termites explode themselves in suicide missions
The study also demonstrated that the number and size of the blue pouches increased with the workers’ age. The workers’ capacity to do other work such as gathering food diminishes with age, and as they become less useful to the colony in other ways, and less able to defend the colony using their jaws, their capacity to act as suicidal defenders of the colony increases along with their willingness to sacrifice themselves.
The researchers found that when a worker with blue spots was attacked by invading termites, it ruptured its body wall, releasing the contents of the blue pouches, which mixed with salivary fluid to form a drop of chemical so toxic that it paralyzed or killed most of the invading termites that touched it. The blue-spotted worker termites died in the process. Workers with no spots also burst when threatened, but less readily and less effectively since the toxins released were much less potent than that from the blue spots.
An international team of researchers, led by Robert Hanus and Jan Å obotnÃk of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, looked at Neocapritermes taracua termites, native to French Guiana, and discovered that many of the workers had varying sizes of blue spots on their backs. The blue spots are external pouches containing copper-containing proteins secreted by specialized glands located on top of the salivary glands. When the researchers picked up the termites using forceps, they were surprised to find they burst, releasing a toxic sticky droplet along with fragments of intestines and internal organs.
The study also demonstrated that the number and size of the blue pouches increased with the workers’ age. The workers’ capacity to do other work such as gathering food diminishes with age, and as they become less useful to the colony in other ways, and less able to defend the colony using their jaws, their capacity to act as suicidal defenders of the colony increases along with their willingness to sacrifice themselves.
The researchers found that when a worker with blue spots was attacked by invading termites, it ruptured its body wall, releasing the contents of the blue pouches, which mixed with salivary fluid to form a drop of chemical so toxic that it paralyzed or killed most of the invading termites that touched it. The blue-spotted worker termites died in the process. Workers with no spots also burst when threatened, but less readily and less effectively since the toxins released were much less potent than that from the blue spots.
An international team of researchers, led by Robert Hanus and Jan Å obotnÃk of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, looked at Neocapritermes taracua termites, native to French Guiana, and discovered that many of the workers had varying sizes of blue spots on their backs. The blue spots are external pouches containing copper-containing proteins secreted by specialized glands located on top of the salivary glands. When the researchers picked up the termites using forceps, they were surprised to find they burst, releasing a toxic sticky droplet along with fragments of intestines and internal organs.
Consumer Power: The Case Of Vegetable Oil
Consumer Power: The Case Of Vegetable Oil
Each scenario incorporated data on projected population growth, which would also influence demand for oil. Projected growth in India, for instance, is likely to increase consumption by anywhere from 16 to 46 megatons per year over the next hundred years; on the other hand, China's population contraction could lead to decreases of as much as 6.8 megatons per year. Across all four focal countries, these projected changes could lead to increased requirements of 3 to ~13 megatons per year. This, in turn, would be associated with conversion of forest to cropland. Under the AE, croplands were projected to increase to 11.7 megahectares in 2040, then fall to 7.3 by 2100; under the RW and CS scenarios, land use would follow a similar peak-and-trough pattern, but at levels approximately 60% and 70% lower, respectively.
Take, for instance, the case of edible vegetable oil, the global consumption of which has increased sevenfold over the past three decades. Approximately one-third of this is palm and soybean oil that comes from the tropics. As the result of increasing demand for cooking oil in China, India, the EU, and the US, farms have had to expand markedly, tripling in Indonesia and Malaysia, and growing by a factor of 20 in Brazil and Argentina combined. Space for plantations is usually carved out of rain forests, leading to reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Each scenario incorporated data on projected population growth, which would also influence demand for oil. Projected growth in India, for instance, is likely to increase consumption by anywhere from 16 to 46 megatons per year over the next hundred years; on the other hand, China's population contraction could lead to decreases of as much as 6.8 megatons per year. Across all four focal countries, these projected changes could lead to increased requirements of 3 to ~13 megatons per year. This, in turn, would be associated with conversion of forest to cropland. Under the AE, croplands were projected to increase to 11.7 megahectares in 2040, then fall to 7.3 by 2100; under the RW and CS scenarios, land use would follow a similar peak-and-trough pattern, but at levels approximately 60% and 70% lower, respectively.
Take, for instance, the case of edible vegetable oil, the global consumption of which has increased sevenfold over the past three decades. Approximately one-third of this is palm and soybean oil that comes from the tropics. As the result of increasing demand for cooking oil in China, India, the EU, and the US, farms have had to expand markedly, tripling in Indonesia and Malaysia, and growing by a factor of 20 in Brazil and Argentina combined. Space for plantations is usually carved out of rain forests, leading to reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem health.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
And yet I must carry it alone!
“[T]he doctrines that explain every-thing to me also debilitate me at the same time. They relieve me of the weight of my own life, and yet I must carry it alone.”
The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus
The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus
To live with one’s ailments!
The important thing is not to be cured . . . but to live with one’s ailments.
—Albert Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus”
—Albert Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus”
They’ll go through anything!
Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Cracked Pot
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots,each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'
The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'
'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'
Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.f
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.'
The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'
'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'
Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.f
Life is nothing more than "chemical processes dependent upon common chemical forces."
"If prionlike diseases are infectious, though, they are not so in the traditional way. They are not "alive"-infection in their case is purely a mechanical process. The theory of prions threatens to diminish our uniqueness in the universe, which is one reason that-like Galileo's insistence that the earth moves around the sun-it had trouble finding acceptance. It was another example of-in the words of the German chemist Friedrich Wohler, who discovered in 1828 that he could synthesize the body's chemicals perfectly well in a test tube-"the great tragedy of science, the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." The hypothesis was that life is ineffable, uniquely alive; the reality is that it is just chemical. Or, as Justus von Liebig wrote in 1855, life is nothing more than "chemical processes dependent upon common chemical forces.""
Monday, July 23, 2012
Relationship & Trust
Little girl and
her father were crossing a bridge.
The father was
kind of scared so he asked his little daughter, "Sweetheart, please hold my hand
so that you don't fall into the river."
The little girl
said,
"No, Dad. You
hold my hand."
"What's the
difference?
Asked the puzzled father.
Asked the puzzled father.
"There's a big
difference," replied the little girl.
"If I hold your
hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand
go.
But if you hold
my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand
go."
Moral of the
story :-
In any
relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. So hold
the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold
yours...
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Growth of weak ties!
“This rapid growth of weak ties can be a very good thing. Soci-ologists have long found that ‘weak ties’ greatly expand your ability to solve problems. For example, if you’re looking for a job and ask your friends, they won’t be much help; they’re too similar to you, and thus probably won’t have any leads that you don’t already have yourself. Remote acquaintances will be much more useful, because they’re farther afield, yet still socially intimate enough to want to help you out.”
Today’s Job hunt!
"Today, things are different. Successful professionals don’t sit back and wait until it’s time to find a new opportunity to build a network or demonstrate their expertise. Savvy careerists create a personal brand, build their reputations, and weave networks of colleagues far in advance of ever needing a job. Instead of pushing out their resumes, they pull in the people who matter—including the ones who might eventually hire them or lead to a key connection."
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Experts examine host recognition of Staphylococcus and E.coli bacteria
Experts examine host recognition of Staphylococcus and E.coli bacteria
in the cell, TLR13 recognises the segment of bacterial ribosomal ribonucleic acid to which specific antibiotics such as Erythromycin also bind should the segment not have been altered by mutation or other modifications. The concrete ribonucleic acid is referred as 23S rRNA. Animal and human ribosomes do not bind Erythromycin to their own 28S rRNA because its structure resembles that of the 23S rRNA of resistant bacteria.
Our innate immune system is clever. Certain structures, which are characteristic of many microorganisms are recognized via TLR which trigger the necessary inflammatory response. However, the situation can become dangerous: since this receptor system is so sensitive, the immune response to serious infections may be over-exaggerated and miss the mark. Blood poisoning and frequently septic shock is the result.
The fact that we nevertheless do not fall prey to infections is thanks to certain cellular sensor molecules such as toll-like receptors (TLR), which recognize the molecular structure of pathogens and intercede by ensuring an often completely unnoticeable elimination of the invaders. Their immune-activating abilities were only detected in 1998, a discovery which was awarded with the Nobel Prize.
in the cell, TLR13 recognises the segment of bacterial ribosomal ribonucleic acid to which specific antibiotics such as Erythromycin also bind should the segment not have been altered by mutation or other modifications. The concrete ribonucleic acid is referred as 23S rRNA. Animal and human ribosomes do not bind Erythromycin to their own 28S rRNA because its structure resembles that of the 23S rRNA of resistant bacteria.
Our innate immune system is clever. Certain structures, which are characteristic of many microorganisms are recognized via TLR which trigger the necessary inflammatory response. However, the situation can become dangerous: since this receptor system is so sensitive, the immune response to serious infections may be over-exaggerated and miss the mark. Blood poisoning and frequently septic shock is the result.
The fact that we nevertheless do not fall prey to infections is thanks to certain cellular sensor molecules such as toll-like receptors (TLR), which recognize the molecular structure of pathogens and intercede by ensuring an often completely unnoticeable elimination of the invaders. Their immune-activating abilities were only detected in 1998, a discovery which was awarded with the Nobel Prize.
Keeping safe from flesh-eating bacteria
Keeping safe from flesh-eating bacteria - WTOP.com
The risk to most people is small, but goes up for anyone who enters the water with an open wound, Simon says.
That is because the most common way for these bacteria to enter the body is through a break in the skin
"These bacteria live in the water, especially in brackish water," he says.
Technically, necrotizing fasciitis is a deep tissue infection. When the invading bacteria release toxins, the tissue can begin to die.
nationally there are about 650 to 800 cases a year of the disease, which is formally known as necrotizing fasciitis. The disease is linked to one type of bacteria: Group A strep.
The risk to most people is small, but goes up for anyone who enters the water with an open wound, Simon says.
That is because the most common way for these bacteria to enter the body is through a break in the skin
"These bacteria live in the water, especially in brackish water," he says.
Technically, necrotizing fasciitis is a deep tissue infection. When the invading bacteria release toxins, the tissue can begin to die.
nationally there are about 650 to 800 cases a year of the disease, which is formally known as necrotizing fasciitis. The disease is linked to one type of bacteria: Group A strep.
We may be close to wiping out one of the world's most horrifying parasites
We may be close to wiping out one of the world's most horrifying parasites
The parasite is most well-known for its viscerally unpleasant removal technique. It can grow to one meter in length, and tugging on one fragile end near the skin will cause the head to break off and leave the dead worm in the body. At that point, it'll rot, killing the human patient horribly. To remove the worm, humans have to tug on the head and wind it around a stick, a little at a time. Over the following weeks, the worm has to be tugged out by only a couple of centimeters per day, until the full meter is out.
Guinea worms are parasitic worms. They get into the human system when someone drinks stagnant water that hasn't been treated, and has been infested with their larvae. They live in the human system pretty quietly for about a year, and then they make a break for freedom. They come to the surface of a person's skin. This irritates the leg and forms a blister. That blister can be anything from the size of a dime to a crater in a person's flesh. The person will feel a burning sensation, and will probably dip their leg in water. At that point the blister bursts, the worm comes to the surface, and secretes more larvae into the water supply.
In 1986, there were about 3.5 million cases of guinea worm disease across twenty-one countries. In 2011, there were just over a thousand cases, in four countries. And it looks like the entire species could be eradicated in the next few years.
The parasite is most well-known for its viscerally unpleasant removal technique. It can grow to one meter in length, and tugging on one fragile end near the skin will cause the head to break off and leave the dead worm in the body. At that point, it'll rot, killing the human patient horribly. To remove the worm, humans have to tug on the head and wind it around a stick, a little at a time. Over the following weeks, the worm has to be tugged out by only a couple of centimeters per day, until the full meter is out.
Guinea worms are parasitic worms. They get into the human system when someone drinks stagnant water that hasn't been treated, and has been infested with their larvae. They live in the human system pretty quietly for about a year, and then they make a break for freedom. They come to the surface of a person's skin. This irritates the leg and forms a blister. That blister can be anything from the size of a dime to a crater in a person's flesh. The person will feel a burning sensation, and will probably dip their leg in water. At that point the blister bursts, the worm comes to the surface, and secretes more larvae into the water supply.
In 1986, there were about 3.5 million cases of guinea worm disease across twenty-one countries. In 2011, there were just over a thousand cases, in four countries. And it looks like the entire species could be eradicated in the next few years.
A DNA Virus with the Capsid of an RNA Virus
A DNA Virus with the Capsid of an RNA Virus - Watching the Watchers
The discovery of RDHV could have implications for viral evolution. It has been suggested that the first organisms that evolved on earth were based on RNA molecules with coding and catalytic capabilities. Later, DNA based life evolved, and today both DNA based and RNA based organisms co-exist. Viruses like RDHV could have emerged during the transition from an RNA to a DNA world, when a new DNA virus captured the gene encoding an RNA virus capsid. In other words, RNA genes that had already evolved were not discarded but appropriated by DNA viruses. This scenario would have required some mechanism for converting RNA into DNA (reverse transcriptases?). The finding of RDHV-like viruses in the ocean suggests that a common ancestor emerged some time ago which diversified into different environments.
RDHV probably arose when a circovirus acquired the capsid protein of an RNA virus by DNA recombination. This event likely occurred in a cell infected with both viruses. A cellular reverse transcriptase might have converted the circovirus RNA genome to DNA to allow recombination to occur. RDHV is unusual because genetic exchanges among viruses are restricted to those with similar genome types.
Goeff Diemer and Kenneth Stedman sequenced viral DNA extracted from purified viral particles from Boiling Spring Lake water. Their analyses revealed the presence of a virus with a circular, single-stranded DNA genome similar to that found in members of the Circoviridae (this virus family includes porcine circovirus and chicken anemia virus). What surprised the investigators was that the gene encoding the viral capsid protein was similar to that from viruses with single-stranded RNA genomes, including viruses that infect plants (Tombusviridae) or fungi. The authors call it ‘RNA-DNA hybrid virus', or RDHV. The host of RDHV is unknown but could be one of the eukaryotes that inhabit Boiling Spring Lake.
An unusual new virus has been discovered that appears to have sequences from both an RNA and a DNA virus.
The discovery of RDHV could have implications for viral evolution. It has been suggested that the first organisms that evolved on earth were based on RNA molecules with coding and catalytic capabilities. Later, DNA based life evolved, and today both DNA based and RNA based organisms co-exist. Viruses like RDHV could have emerged during the transition from an RNA to a DNA world, when a new DNA virus captured the gene encoding an RNA virus capsid. In other words, RNA genes that had already evolved were not discarded but appropriated by DNA viruses. This scenario would have required some mechanism for converting RNA into DNA (reverse transcriptases?). The finding of RDHV-like viruses in the ocean suggests that a common ancestor emerged some time ago which diversified into different environments.
RDHV probably arose when a circovirus acquired the capsid protein of an RNA virus by DNA recombination. This event likely occurred in a cell infected with both viruses. A cellular reverse transcriptase might have converted the circovirus RNA genome to DNA to allow recombination to occur. RDHV is unusual because genetic exchanges among viruses are restricted to those with similar genome types.
Goeff Diemer and Kenneth Stedman sequenced viral DNA extracted from purified viral particles from Boiling Spring Lake water. Their analyses revealed the presence of a virus with a circular, single-stranded DNA genome similar to that found in members of the Circoviridae (this virus family includes porcine circovirus and chicken anemia virus). What surprised the investigators was that the gene encoding the viral capsid protein was similar to that from viruses with single-stranded RNA genomes, including viruses that infect plants (Tombusviridae) or fungi. The authors call it ‘RNA-DNA hybrid virus', or RDHV. The host of RDHV is unknown but could be one of the eukaryotes that inhabit Boiling Spring Lake.
An unusual new virus has been discovered that appears to have sequences from both an RNA and a DNA virus.
Shhhhh... Scientists Are Listening for the Universe's Smallest Possible Noise
Shhhhh... Scientists Are Listening for the Universe's Smallest Possible Noise | Subatomic Particles | DISCOVER Magazine
Delsing’s quantum microphone is built on a semiconductor chip two-tenths of an inch long. On the chip’s surface, which is cooled to near absolute zero (–459 degrees Fahrenheit) to eliminate thermal vibrations, two tiny aluminum cones connected by an electric field generate extremely faint sound waves that bounce back and forth. As they go, the waves slightly displace atoms in the semiconductor, shifting positive atomic nuclei off center from their surrounding electrons and subtly altering the electric charge of the atoms. A detector positioned in the path of the waves registers those changes, acting as the microphone. The smaller the signal, the smaller the wave. Although his device cannot yet pick up individual phonons, Delsing says his team is getting close: They can measure sound waves just a few quintillionths of a meter high. “That’s much less than the size of a proton,” he says proudly.
On a planet coursing with sound and fury, physicists are listening for the softest possible sound in the universe. Called the quantum phonon, this subatomic acoustical wave can be detected only by intricate instruments that distinguish pure silence from its smallest possible deviation.
Delsing’s quantum microphone is built on a semiconductor chip two-tenths of an inch long. On the chip’s surface, which is cooled to near absolute zero (–459 degrees Fahrenheit) to eliminate thermal vibrations, two tiny aluminum cones connected by an electric field generate extremely faint sound waves that bounce back and forth. As they go, the waves slightly displace atoms in the semiconductor, shifting positive atomic nuclei off center from their surrounding electrons and subtly altering the electric charge of the atoms. A detector positioned in the path of the waves registers those changes, acting as the microphone. The smaller the signal, the smaller the wave. Although his device cannot yet pick up individual phonons, Delsing says his team is getting close: They can measure sound waves just a few quintillionths of a meter high. “That’s much less than the size of a proton,” he says proudly.
On a planet coursing with sound and fury, physicists are listening for the softest possible sound in the universe. Called the quantum phonon, this subatomic acoustical wave can be detected only by intricate instruments that distinguish pure silence from its smallest possible deviation.
I strove to drown my exasperated feelings towards the scrivener!
"But when this old Adam of resentment rose in me and tempted me concerning Bartleby, I grappled him and threw him. How? Why, simply by recalling the divine injunction: "A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another." Yes, this it was that saved me. Aside from higher considerations, charity often operates as a vastly wise and prudent principle--a great safeguard to its possessor. Men have committed murder for jealousy's sake, and anger's sake, and hatred's sake, and selfishness' sake, and spiritual pride's sake; but no man that ever I heard of, ever committed a diabolical murder for sweet charity's sake. Mere self-interest, then, if no better motive can be enlisted, should, especially with high-tempered men, prompt all beings to charity and philanthropy. At any rate, upon the occasion in question, I strove to drown my exasperated feelings towards the scrivener by benevolently construing his conduct. Poor fellow, poor fellow! thought I, he don't mean any thing; and besides, he has seen hard times, and ought to be indulged."
The scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder!
"Revolving all these things, and coupling them with the recently discovered fact that he made my office his constant abiding place and home, and not forgetful of his morbid moodiness; revolving all these things, a prudential feeling began to steal over me. My first emotions had been those of pure melancholy and sincerest pity; but just in proportion as the forlornness of Bartleby grew and grew to my imagination, did that same melancholy merge into fear, that pity into repulsion. So true it is, and so terrible too, that up to a certain point the thought or sight of misery enlists our best affections; but, in certain special cases, beyond that point it does not. They err who would assert that invariably this is owing to the inherent selfishness of the human heart. It rather proceeds from a certain hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill. To a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. And when at last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to effectual succor, common sense bids the soul rid of it. What I saw that morning persuaded me that the scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. I might give alms to his body; but his body did not pain him; it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I could not reach."
Ah, happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay; but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none!
"For the first time in my life a feeling of overpowering stinging melancholy seized me. Before, I had never experienced aught but a not-unpleasing sadness. The bond of a common humanity now drew me irresistibly to gloom. A fraternal melancholy! For both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam. I remembered the bright silks and sparkling faces I had seen that day, in gala trim, swan-like sailing down the Mississippi of Broadway; and I contrasted them with the pallid copyist, and thought to myself, Ah, happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay; but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none. These sad fancyings--chimeras, doubtless, of a sick and silly brain--led on to other and more special thoughts, concerning the eccentricities of Bartleby. Presentiments of strange discoveries hovered round me. The scrivener's pale form appeared to me laid out, among uncaring strangers, in its shivering winding sheet."
Friday, July 20, 2012
Denial of absurdity!
"In practice, people usually deny the truth by running away. When they can’t face the fact that life is absurd, they find a way to hide or escape from that fact. The thought that life is meaningless, despite how much you yearn for meaning, can be scary. It’s not surprising, then, that many, perhaps most, people respond in a way that existentialists would call inauthentic. As Camus points out, people can respond inauthentically in two ways. The most extreme method is to commit suicide. This response may not be common, but the existentialists take it very seriously. Less dramatically, people can deny absurdity by putting their faith in systems — philosophical, religious, or scientific — that cover up or explain away the absurdity of existence."
Ignorance is bliss!
"Inauthentic people just can’t hack dis-comfort, and they strive to avoid it at all costs. The more inauthentic a person is, the more prevalent his desire to avoid discomfort. Instead of being themselves, inauthentic people want to avoid the normal friction of everyday life that being themselves just naturally brings. They avoid self-examination, they lie to themselves, and they tend to rationalize their own behavior. The path of least resistance doesn’t lead to authenticity. If inauthentic people have a motto, it’s this one: Ignorance is bliss."
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