Sea Corals An Anti-Cancer Compound

 

Researchers find that sea corals are a source of a sought-after “anti-cancer” compound

The ocean floor is riddled with mysteries, but scientists have just discovered one of its best-kept secrets. For the last 25 years, researchers have been looking for the source of a natural chemical that has shown promise in preliminary studies for treating cancer. Now, researchers at the University of Utah Health report that easy-to-find soft corals—flexible corals that resemble underwater plants—make the elusive compound.

After determining the source, the researchers went on to discover the animal’s DNA code for synthesizing the chemical. They were able to carry out the initial stages of re-creating the soft coral chemical in the laboratory by following those directions.

“This is the first time we have been able to do this with any drug lead on Earth,” says Eric Schmidt, Ph.D., professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Utah Health. He led the study with Paul Scesa, Ph.D., postdoctoral scientist and first author, and Zhenjian Lin, Ph.D., assistant research professor.

The breakthrough opens the door to generating the compound in big enough quantities for rigorous testing, which could one day result in a new cancer-fighting tool.  READ MORE...

Car Crunching

 

Head of Hercules

An archaeologist assesses the possible Hercules head. (photo by Nikos Giannoulakis, 

courtesy the Return to Antikythera Project)

On Monday, marine archaeologists and researchers at the site of the famed Antikythera shipwreck announced the discovery of a number of ancient artifacts recovered from the seafloor. These included a colossal marble head of a statue, a marble plinth for a statue along with remaining portions of its lower legs, nails, a lead collar for an anchor, and two human teeth. The findings reveal that there are many archaeological treasures yet to be discovered off the coast of Greece — and at dozens of other underwater sites across the Mediterranean.

Especially noteworthy among the artifacts is the massive marble head, not the bust of just any mythological hero but likely that of the headless statue of Hercules housed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, also made of Parian marble.

The new excavations are part of a multi-year (2021–2025) project led by the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea, and the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities under the direction of Angeliki Simosi and Lorenz Baumer. The site of the Antikythera wreck is off the coast of the eponymous island, which sits between the Peloponnese of mainland Greece and the island of Crete and in antiquity was often referred to as Aigila.

Dating to around 60 BCE (roughly the same time Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus created the First Triumvirate in Rome), the Antikythera wreck is perhaps the most famous Mediterranean shipwreck known today. This is due in large part to the discovery of a Hellenistic-era astronomical machine known as the Antikythera Mechanism, often referred to as the world’s first analog computer in terms of its use of numerous bronze gears to track the Sun, Moon, Zodiac, and many other astronomical and astrological features.  READ MORE...

Curious Fish

 

Muscle Girl

 

Billionaires and Their Private Jets

HAILEY, Idaho — Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, flies in a Gulfstream G650. So do Jeff Bezos and Dan Schulman, PayPal’s chief executive. The jets, roughly 470 of which are in operation, retail for about $75 million each.

Most days, those planes are spread out, ferrying captains of industry to meetings around the globe. But for one week in July, some of them converge on a single 100-foot-wide asphalt runway beside the jagged hills of Idaho’s Wood River Valley.

The occasion is the annual Sun Valley conference, a shoulder-rubbing bonanza organized by the secretive investment bank Allen & Company. Known as “summer camp for billionaires,” the conference kicks off this year on Tuesday, and it draws industry titans and their families — some of whom are watched over by local babysitters bound by nondisclosure agreements. In between organized hikes and fly-fishing at past gatherings, there have been sessions on creativity, climate change and immigration reform.

For decades at these secluded gatherings, chief executives and board chairmen have made deals that have shaped the TV we watch, the news we consume and the products we buy. It is where, near the ninth hole of the golf course, the head of General Electric expressed interest in selling NBC to Comcast. It is where Mr. Bezos met with the owner of The Washington Post before agreeing to buy the paper, and where Disney pursued a plan to purchase ABC — with Warren Buffett at the center of the discussions.

It is also the biggest week of the year for Chris Pomeroy, the director of Friedman Memorial Airport and the man responsible for making sure all the moguls come and go smoothly.

In the months before the conference starts, Mr. Pomeroy prepares to play a high-stakes, three-dimensionsional game of Tetris with multimillion-dollar private jets as attendees travel to Sun Valley, a resort town with a year-round population of 1,800.

During a 24-hour period last year as the conference began, more than 300 flights passed through Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, a small town near Sun Valley, according to data from Flightradar24, an industry data firm. They ranged from tiny propeller planes to long-wing commercial jets. By comparison, two weeks ago, when Mr. Pomeroy gave me a brief tour of the airport, just 44 flights took off or landed there over 24 hours, according to the data firm.  READ MORE...

Babbling Brook

 

Alcohol in Your Body

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention says two-thirds of adults in 2018 drank alcohol. How much obviously varies, but no one wants to end the day with a DUI because they mistakenly believed they were sober when that was not the case.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), an abundance of factors contributes to how long alcohol stays in your system. Misunderstanding these factors makes it difficult to tell whether you’re legally safe to be behind the wheel and can lead to tragic consequences.

How long does alcohol stay in your system?

Healthline.com says how long alcohol stays in your system is dependent upon age, weight, whether you’ve eaten food recently, medications, liver disease and the time between drinks. One cup of beer may stay in one person’s system longer than it will for someone else with a different weight.

The ability to metabolize alcohol slows as you age, health.clevelandclinic.org says. Alcohol will have heightened effects on those with lower weights and smaller body sizes. If you’re drinking on an empty stomach, then the effects of alcohol may be enhanced. Different medications can have dangerous side effects when paired with alcohol. Any present liver conditions can harm your ability to handle alcohol and process it. Binge drinking in a short period will also increase the effects of alcohol, all according to health.clevelandclinic.org and healthline.com.

A shot of liquor is estimated to metabolize in an hour, a pint of beer in two, a glass of wine in three, and several drinks could take multiple hours, according to healthline.com.

The NIAAA estimates that one drink would be metabolized and out of your system after three hours, two drinks after slightly over four hours, three drinks by six hours and four drinks by seven. The NIAAA goes on to state that this is, again, dependent on the factors above.

As for driving, healthline.com advises: "The safest thing you can do is not get behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking."  READ MORE...

Acrobats

 

How Emotionally Intelligent People Rewire their Minds

Emily's a passionate entrepreneur who's doing a lot of things right. But she's also a workaholic.

Emily has every intention of closing shop on Friday and spending the weekend with her family. But a potential client asked for a meeting this Saturday, and she couldn't say no. Sunday won't be a day off either, since she's trying to meet a deadline on a major project.

A similar scene repeats itself week after week, month after month.

Emily's always exhausted. She knows overwork causes here to get irritated easily. And she feels terrible every time she misses her son's soccer games.

Still, she can't unplug from her business. She finds it impossible to say no. No matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to break that bad habit.

Whether or not you face a similar situation, you can likely relate to Emily's struggle. You might feel like you're a victim of your brain's emotional programming, and there's nothing you can do to change it.

But is that true?

If you feel like Emily, you might benefit from a technique I learned from a psychologist some years ago. It's based on principles of emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage your emotions.

I like to call it the rule of rewiring.

What is the rule of rewiring, and how can it help you rewire your brain and exchange bad habits for better ones?

Before we answer that question, let's learn a little about how habits work.

Change the way you think--using neuroscience
It's a common misconception that the adult brain is static or otherwise fixed in form and function. But as scientists have discovered in recent years, the brain has a remarkable property called neuroplasticity.

This plasticity means that you have some amount of control over your brain's programming. Through a combination of concentrated thoughts and purposeful actions, you can rewire your brain and exert greater control over your emotional reactions and tendencies.  READ MORE...

Racers

 

Intrusion of Robots and Artificial Inelligence

 Only 39% of Americans are PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN...

Why?

Americans have problems but this country is still the best country in the world to live...

Why?

• We have freedom of speech
• We have religious freedom
• We have economic freedom
• We have educational freedom
• We have employment freedom
• We have purchasing freedom
• We have travel freedom

Problems:

1. Wealthy Control issues
2. Racism
3. Crime & Violence
4. A Divided Country Politically
5. Inflation & possible recession
6. Government intrusion into our lives
7. A faltering economy
8. A weakened military

Why?

There is a perfect revolution in the USA between Liberals and Conservatives as our population is divided perfectly 50/50... This division will continue until one side gains substantial control over the other.

As more and more people immigrate to the USA from Central and South America, there is a strong belief that a majority of these people are not just very religious. Still, they bring strong work values that will favor the conservative side of the equation.

But, there is an even greater problem looming over Americans that will be revealed over the next 5 years and that is the huge intrusion of technology into our society and personal lives and that is the growth of robots with artificial intelligence...

Robots with AI will replace jobs...  this replacement will be gradual but also will gradually intensify...  and, there will be layoffs with no chance of returning... so, workers will need retraining to pursue new opportunities.

These jobs will be replaced by 2030:

                1. Customer service executives
                2. Bookkeeping and data entry
                3. Receptionists
                4. Proofreading
                5. Manufacturing and pharmaceutical work
                6. Retail services
                7. Courier services
                8. Doctors
                9. Soldiers
                10. Taxi and bus drivers
                11. Market research analysts
                12. Security guards

Source:  Saviom.com

Survivng 2022

Once a month, I have an infusion of a substance referred to in the medical community as IVIG...  it is supposed to boost my immune system and assist my body with eliminating my anemia that has resulted from over 12 years of chemo treatments.

Unfortunately, every month I forget that prior to my IVIG infusion I am given a steroid which typically prevents me from sleeping unless I take 2 Benedryl...  and each month I forget to take these pills, so at midnight I am up waiting for the two pills I just took to kick in.

This week I had to fill up the Venza with gasoline and the bill was $60 which is twice what I was paying at the time Biden was elected to the Presidency...  I blame him and he assumes no blame as he points the finger in all sorts of other directions...  a typical politician.

While it may not seem like much, I now drive the speed limit which saves gas and when accelerating from a dead stop, I do so gradually to save gasoline as well.  

Sounds silly?

Maybe so...  but over a 12-month period of time, I am saving hundreds of dollars.

Food prices have increased as well, especially red meats...  some have doubled in price while others have more than doubled in price...  so, I now I substitute other food items for meat like:  fish, chicken, turkey, and beans... 

And, as far as beans are concerned, it is cheaper to buy dried beans rather than can beans...

I also have an outside garden where I grow: cucumbers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes...  

I built myself a planter using 2X6 lumber to create a 3-foot by 3-foot frame...  laid it on the ground and filled it with planting soil.  Each food item has its own frame and will yield enough food to eat all summer, including having the ability to freeze several bags.

Again, it ain't much but it also might save a couple hundred bucks each year.

I am sure that there are many other ways to save money  like:

• taking stay-at-home vacations
• going to local parks and lakes
• not going out to a restaurant for meals
• not buying all the clothes you thought you needed
• substituting less expensive items for expensive ones

If you are clever, you can enjoy life around you just as before, with higher prices, by making a few changes and choices...

It also may be a good time to quit smoking...  and, with that said, it might be a good idea not to drink so much alcohol...  especially this FOURTH OF JULY.

Increasing one's debt is not that smart either as our economy is heading for a recession and many will be out of work...   Plus, on the near horizon, many labor-intensive jobs will be replaced by robots.

Also, the Democrats are pushing for the end of gasoline vehicles...  so, there is a good possibility that you will be purchasing an electric vehicle soon...  and, that is debt that you will have to create.

DON'T WORK HARDER...  

WORK SMARTER...

Facts About PRISON BREAK

 

Hurricanes and Typhoons

(CNN)—Before the era of satellites, it was next to impossible to know whether a hurricane occurred out in the open ocean unless a ship was unlucky enough to run into it. And scientists for decades have been trying to piece together a historical record to better understand how the climate crisis is changing these storms.

But researchers said Monday they have constructed a clearer picture than ever, and found that the frequency of the planet’s most devastating storms has decreased over the past century.

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, found that the annual number of global hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms — or tropical cyclones, more generally — declined by roughly 13% as the planet warmed during the 20th century.

Scientists found that trend in most of the world’s oceans — except for the North Atlantic, where the number of storms increased.

The lead researcher on the study told CNN that while his team found a drop in frequency, that doesn’t mean storms are becoming less of a threat. In fact, said Savin Chand, a senior lecturer at the Federation University in Australia, while there may be fewer tropical cyclones in the future, it is likely they will be more intense.

“Cyclones are no doubt one of the costliest natural disasters everywhere,” Chand told CNN. “What’s happening with global warming is that these underlying conditions are getting more unfavorable for cyclones to form in the first place. But even though cyclones are getting fewer, those that do form are now feeding more energy from the warming atmosphere, so that’s why they’re getting more intense.”  READ MORE...

Keys to Success

 

Putting a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon

Fission surface power systems – depicted in this conceptual illustration – could provide reliable 

power for human exploration of the Moon under Artemis. Credits: NASA

NASA is one step closer to finalizing nuclear power some 238,900 miles away from Earth.

The space agency and the U.S. Department of Energy have selected three design concept proposals for a fission surface power system that would be stationed on the moon.

The hope is that a nuclear reactor would produce the power needed to operate rovers, conduct experiments and help support life.


Scientists say that the concepts for the technology will benefit future exploration under the Artemis umbrella and will be ready to launch by the end of the decade.

The contracts fund the development of initial design concepts for a 40-kilowatt class fission power system planned to last at least 10 years in the lunar environment and valued at approximately $5 million each, NASA says. Forty kilowatts of power is enough to run 30 households for ten years continuously.  READ MORE...

Wild Hampster

 

Monkeypox Outbreak in US

On June 13, a man in New York began to feel ill.

"He starts to experience swollen lymph nodes and rectal discomfort," says epidemiologist Keletso Makofane, who's at Harvard University.

The man suspects he might have monkeypox. He's a scientist, and knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms, Makofane says. So the man goes to his doctor and asks for a monkeypox test. The doctor decides, instead, to test the man for common sexually transmitted diseases. All those come back negative.

"A few days later, the pain worsens," Makofane says. So he goes to the urgent care and again asks for a monkeypox test. This time, the provider prescribes him antibiotics for a bacterial infection.

"The pain becomes so bad, and starts to interfere with his sleep," Makofane says. "So this past Sunday, he goes to the emergency room of a big academic hospital in New York."

At this point the man has a growth inside his rectum, which is a symptom of monkeypox. At the hospital, he sees both an ER doctor and an infectious disease specialist. Again, the man asks for a monkeypox test. But the specialist rebuffs the request and says "a monkeypox test isn't indicated," Makofane says. Instead, the doctor speculates that the man might have colon cancer.  READ MORE...

Hungry Dogs