Paleontologists have discovered fossil remains of parrots on the Isle of Mors in the northwest of Denmark.
Could this be a sub-species of the Norwegian Blue? anticipated in the 70s by Cleese and Palin. Certainly deceased, bereft of life and possibly ‘pinin for the fjords’ which hadn’t yet formed.
See article
or Dead Parrot Sketch at YouTube
Scientists have made the world’s smallest diamond ring (5 millionths of a meter across), which could play a key role in the future of computing.
The ring was laser carved from diamond crystal by Phyicists at the University of Melbourne, and will help researchers build quantum computers. Apparently it also comes in a nice, circular presentation holder.
Quantum computing is an exciting new computing concept, still in its infancy that will e.g. theoretically be able to crack ciphers requiring astronomical numbers of guesses, in seconds rather than years.
Presented at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Found at Australian Broadcasting Co
Scientists in New Zealand and Japan have created a “tear-free” onion using biotechnology to switch off the gene behind the enzyme that makes us cry, one of the leading researchers said Friday.
The discovery could signal an end to one of cooking’s eternal puzzles: why does cutting up a simple onion sting the eyes and trigger teardrops?
The research institute in New Zealand, Crop and Food, used gene-silencing technology to make the breakthrough which it hopes could lead to a prototype onion hitting the market in a decade’s time.
Colin Eady, the institute’s senior scientist, said the project started in 2002 after Japanese scientists located the gene responsible for producing the agent behind the tears.
Found at Breitbart.com
I came across this answer in Slate.com to the question ” is high-octane gas bad for the environment?” I occasionally get into this argument and never fail to be amazed that most people refuse to believe that the three grades of gas and their octane ratings are entirely a technical requirement, mostly a function of the compression ratio of your engine. There is absolutely no benefit to using a grade higher than specified in your car manual; it is simply throwing money away. All that spiel about better detergents and additives in Premium is complete marketing baloney. So is the disproportionate price difference. Those additives are in all the grades and all the brands.
Slate.com and it’s archive no longer exist.
Handwritten notes made by an acquaintance of Leonardo Da Vinci have been discovered that document Da Vinci was working on three paintings in 1503 which is when art historians agree the work is dated. The notes discuss that one of the projects was a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo who has been tentatively linked to the painting before; the painting in the Louvre is also known as La Gioconda.
The notes were found in a manuscript at Heidelberg University library and the University’s Dr. Armin Schlechter has confirmed that “all doubts are now eliminated” as to the identity of the famous smiling lady, a Florence noblewoman born Lisa Gherardini in 1449.
View Manuscript
See Reuters Article
See Wikipedia Lisa del Giocondo reference
Two recent stories emerged concerning these unimaginably exotic but apparently cosmologically common place objects.
The largest black hole so far detected has been demonstrated to be 18 billion times the mass of our sun, i.e. it weighs as much as a small galaxy. Its mass has been able to be estimated due to the fact that a second black hole weighing 100 million suns, has been observed in orbit around it.
The mass of the Sun is 2 octillion metric tons. 1 octillion = 1 followed by 27 zeros. Amazing to try and think that that this mass (times 18 billion) is shrunk to the size of well, nothing since a black hole is a singularity and has collapsed so completely as to occupy no space. Black holes possess a sphere of influence around them called an event horizon, beyond which nothing can escape, even nearby light is captured since the gravitational pull is so strong. The event horizon surrounding such a gargantuan black hole would be millions of miles across.
Super massive black holes tend to lurk at the center of galaxies and our own Milky Way galaxy is purported to be holding several. However research has now shown that some smaller, intermediate size black holes (a mere 100-1000 solar masses) are pinging around the galaxy like billiard balls. There are supposedly so few of them that the chances our solar system would encounter one, are infinitesimal, however we would be unlikely to see it coming and if we did, it would be rather an inconvenience. At the very least, disrupting planetary orbits and possibly devouring our whole system which is what black holes do and how they get bigger- Death Stars in reality.
See Biggest Black Hole in Cosmos Discovered
A new study by two York University researchers estimates the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends almost twice as much on promotion as it does on research and development, contrary to industry claims.
The authors examined the 2004 reports of two international market research companies to show that the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spent 24.4% of the sales dollar on promotion, versus 13.4% for research and development, as a percentage of US domestic sales of US$235.4 billion.
The mutation, results in a high pre-disposition for pre-cancerous polyps called attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis (AFAP) which, if unchecked has a high incidence of progression to cancer.
Thousands of people would now have some ancestry with these early emigrants; the phenomenon was noted in Utah, because of its world renowned genealogical database. The names of the families is however being kept secret since it is feared that Health Insurance companies would use the information to make business decisions regarding coverage.
The leader of the study, Dr Deborah Neklason said people with a history of precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer in their family should talk to their health care provider about getting a genetic screening for AFAP. It could provide them – and their family members – with life-saving information. Of course that takes you right back to the business decision problem.
Moore, who served 32 years is seen above -face right of upright pole. She was foiled by bystander Oliver Sipple (left of picture, slicked hair) a decorated ex-marine who grabbed her arm for the discharged shot and then held the gun, preventing further rounds being fired. The assassination attempt took place as the President exited the St Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Against his wishes, Sipple was subsequently outed by fellow gay Harvey Milk †, a local politician. Sipple later said life would have been simpler if he hadn’t saved the Presidents life, he died of pneumonia, a broken man in 1989.
See 2006 Washington Post article on Oliver Sipple
See 1975, Time Magazine, Sara Jane Moore Bio
† The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk by Randy Shilts
Leaving aside the San Francisco’s Zoo apparent lack of knowledge of its own enclosure specs compared with the legendary leaping ability of the most powerful big cat on earth, the zoo’s chronological response, as put together by the San Francisco Chronicle, seems chaotic and error prone.
Timeline of response Drawn from police and fire dispatch logs
5:07 p.m. First 911 call to emergency dispatch from the zoo, saying a “20-year-old” male has been attacked by an “exotic animal.” 5:08 p.m. Police are dispatched, but the call is downplayed as being from someone who is “claiming he was bitten by an animal” even though no animal is missing. 5:09 p.m. Police Officers Dean Lee and Vincent Masilang are dispatched from Taraval Station. 5:10 p.m. Zoo personnel not sure there is an emergency because they believe the two living victims are acting erratically. “Zoo thinks they are 800 (police code for mentally disturbed) and making something up.” The report confirms one man is bleeding from the back of the head, and within seconds, police hear from the zoo: “Now they are saying they have a tiger out.” 5:11 p.m. Police log says the zoo is closing its gates, and several more officers respond to the call. 5:12 p.m. Fire crews arrive at the gate but are soon barred under the “Code One” emergency declared by the zoo. 5:13 p.m. Zoo authorities inform police they are advising patrons to leave. 5:15 p.m. Fire log says police are on scene and the tiger is visible. “Waiting for the guys with the tranquilizer gun.” Police log reflects that medics are unable to get into the zoo, where the victim is still inside and “there are zoo keepers trying to round up the tigers” and “get the tigers with tranks (tranquilizers).” “Medics will not enter until secure,” the police log notes. 5:16 p.m. “According to medics, zoo keeps trying to calm down the tiger,” police log notes. 5:17 p.m. “Zoo security not letting (police) in. Zoo personnel have the tiger in sight and are dealing with it. The victim is in the cafe in the middle of the zoo.” 5:18 p.m. Police are allowed to enter through a back entrance. 5:20 p.m. A victim is located. He has a large puncture wound to the neck, and the police log notes that “medics with him now.” It is unclear, however, whether he is actually being treated, as paramedics are told not to leave their rigs. 5:20 p.m. A dispatcher asks whether the victim is being treated by medics, but a supervisor indicates that the scene is not secure. “Vets are out there. … But the scene is not safe,” the log indicates. 5:21 p.m. At the cafe, Amritpal Dhaliwal calls on his cell phone and then on a land line to say his 23-year-old brother has been bitten, and he gets instructions on how to stop the bleeding. 5:23 p.m. The phone line at the cafe goes dead. Police at the grotto indicate that they are treating the victim there and that a zoo staff member is at the scene. 5:25 p.m. Lt. Mike Favetti tells dispatch that he has the tiger “sitting right in front of him inside the zoo,” but then loses sight of it. 5:27 p.m. Officers spot tiger at the cafe attacking a victim, fires. 5:28 p.m. “Shot cat, victim with medics.” Log indicates victim is suffering uncontrolled bleeding.
S.F. Zoo visitor saw 2 victims of tiger attack teasing lions
