Giant Tortoise Not Extinct

Fernanda, the only known living Fernandina giant tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus, or 

“fantastic giant tortoise”), now lives at the Galápagos National Park’s Giant Tortoise 

Breeding Center on Santa Cruz Island. Credit: The Galápagos Conservancy

Stephen Gaughran, a geneticist at Princeton University, has verified that “Fernanda” is related to a tortoise that was taken from Fernandina Island more than a century ago and that both of them are genetically distinct from all other Galápagos tortoises.

A tortoise from a Galápagos species that was long thought to be extinct has been discovered alive. The tortoise is the first of her kind to be discovered in more than a century and has been given the name Fernanda after her home on Fernandina Island.

A single specimen of the Fernandina Island Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus, or “fantastic giant tortoise”) was discovered in 1906. The chance to ascertain if the species is still alive came with the discovery of a female tortoise on Fernandina Island in 2019.

Stephen Gaughran from Princeton University demonstrated that the two known Fernandina tortoises are members of the same species and genetically distinct from other members by sequencing the genomes of both the living individual and the museum specimen and comparing them to the other 13 species of Galápagos giant tortoises. He co-authored a recent paper in the journal Communications Biology that established the survival of her species.

“For many years it was thought that the original specimen collected in 1906 had been transplanted to the island, as it was the only one of its kind,” said Peter Grant, Princeton’s Class of 1877 Professor of Zoology, Emeritus and an emeritus professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who has spent more than 40 years studying evolution in the Galápagos islands. “It now seems to be one of a very few that were alive a century ago.”  READ MORE...

Scratching Bear

 

Killing Hard to Treat Cancers

The new compound called ERX-41 kills a broad spectrum of hard-to-treat cancers.

A new molecule created by a researcher at the University of Texas at Dallas kills a variety of difficult-to-treat cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer, by taking advantage of a weakness in cells that was not previously targeted by existing drugs.

The research, which was conducted using isolated cells, human cancer tissue, and mouse-grown human cancers, was recently published in Nature Cancer.

A co-corresponding author of the study and an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Jung-Mo Ahn has dedicated more than ten years of his career to developing small molecules that target protein-protein interactions in cells. He previously created potential therapeutic candidate compounds for treatment-resistant prostate cancer and breast cancer using a method called structure-based rational drug design.

In the current work, Ahn and his colleagues tested a novel compound he synthesized called ERX-41 for its effects against breast cancer cells, both those that contain estrogen receptors (ERs) and those that do not. While there are effective treatments available for patients with ER-positive breast cancer, there are few treatment options for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which lacks receptors for estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor 2. TNBC generally affects women under 40 and has poorer outcomes than other types of breast cancer.   READ MORE...

Crashing Wave

 

Life Without Petroleum Crude Oil

 A partial list of products made from Petroleum (144 of 6000 items)

(A note to readers: This list came from a print publication in 1974. We failed to identify the source document and have been unable to find a list of the “6,000 items” since. In fact, since 1974 there have been hundreds of additional items replaced with plastic duplicates, medical syringes for example. So should you wish to find the complete list of products made from petroleum you will most likely have to compose it yourself.)

One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like:

Solvents                        Diesel fuel                   Motor Oil                Bearing Grease
Ink                                 Floor Wax                   Ballpoint Pens         Football Cleats
Upholstery                    Sweaters                      Boats                       Insecticides
Bicycle Tires                 Sports Car Bodies       Nail Polish              Fishing lures
Dresses                          Tires                            Golf Bags                Perfumes
Cassettes                       Dishwasher parts        Tool Boxes               Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet       Caulking                     Petroleum Jelly        Transparent Tape
CD Player                      Faucet Washers          Antiseptics               Clothesline
Curtains                         Food Preservatives     Basketballs              Soap
Vitamin Capsules          Antihistamines            Purses                      Shoes
Dashboards                   Cortisone                     Deodorant                Shoelace Aglets
Putty                             Dyes                            Panty Hose               Refrigerant
Percolators                    Life Jackets                 Rubbing Alcohol      Linings
Skis                              TV Cabinets                 Shag Rugs                Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks                   Car Battery Cases        Epoxy                       Paint
Mops                            Slacks                          Insect Repellent        Oil Filters
Umbrellas                    Yarn                              Fertilizers                 Hair Coloring
Roofing                       Toilet Seats                   Fishing Rods            Lipstick
Denture                       Adhesive Linoleum      Ice Cube Trays         Synthetic Rubber
Speakers                     Plastic Wood                 Electric Blankets      Glycerin
Tennis Rackets           Rubber Cement             Fishing Boots           Dice
Nylon Rope                Candles                         Trash Bags                House Paint
Water Pipes                Hand Lotion                  Roller Skates            Surf Boards
Shampoo                    Wheels                          Paint Rollers             Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings            Luggage                        Aspirin                      Safety Glasses
Antifreeze                  Football Helmets          Awnings                    Eyeglasses
Clothes                      Toothbrushes                 Ice Chests                  Footballs
Combs                       CD’s & DVD’s             Paint Brushes             Detergents
Vaporizers                 Balloons                        Sun Glasses               Tents
Heart Valves             Crayons                         Parachutes                 Telephones
Enamel                      Pillows                          Dishes                        Cameras
Anesthetics               Artificial Turf                Artificial limbs          Bandages
Dentures                   Model Cars                    Folding Doors           Hair Curlers
Cold cream               Movie film                    Contact lenses            Drinking Cups
Fan Belts                  Car Enamel                    Shaving Cream          Ammonia
Refrigerators            Golf Balls                      Toothpaste                  Gasoline

This is a frigging long list of items and it is incomplete...  SO, it is going to be impossible for us to eliminate the use of Petroleum Cruse Oil and replace it with GREEN ENERGY...  Those who think we can have their heads up their virtual green asses...

Dog & Fish

 

First Female Viking Grave

A mountain hiker in Jämtland, in central Sweden, on his way camping in Kalffällen, made a surprising discovery.

The discovery excited archaeologists in Sweden. Mountain hiker Eskil Nyström discovered a brooch 1 year ago. Nyströn discovered something strange sticking up from the ground as he was erecting and securing his tent.

“My first thought was that I had found a mine, but then when I had dug around, I understood that it can’t be, Eskil Nyström told TT.

It has now turned out to be a 1200-year-old brooch, possibly the first female tomb from the Viking Age found in the Swedish mountains.

Eskil Nyström brought the brooch home and asked around, but no one knew what it was or where it came from. One year later, he made contact with the museum Jamtli in Östersund and realized the archaeological and historical significance of the brooch he had discovered.

Archaeologist Anders Hansson in Jamtli examined the find site for the first time Wednesday morning. There they found soot and burnt bones. Hansson also found another oval brooch which is not much of a surprise because such pins are usually unearthed in pairs.  READ MORE...

Duck & Cat

 

Luxury Estate From the Islamic Period

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FROM THE ISRAEL ANTIQUES AUTHORITY (IAA) HAVE UNCOVERED A LUXURY ESTATE THAT DATES FROM THE ISLAMIC PERIOD.

The team made the discovery during works to build a new neighbourhood in the city of Rahat in the Negev desert, located in Southern Israel.

The region was formerly ruled by the Al-Tayaha tribe (Al-Hezeel clan), a Negev Bedouin people that settled in the Sinai Peninsula during the early years of the Muslim conquests.

Archaeologists found a large estate with a central courtyard that sits on a vaulted complex and a three-metre-deep rock-hewn water cistern which dates to the Early Islamic period from the 8th to 9th century AD.

The estate has four wings, in which one of the wings has a hall paved with a marble and stone floor and walls decorated with frescoes using finely coloured red, yellow, blue, and black pigments.

Some of the other rooms had plaster floors and large ovens for cooking, while fragments of delicate glass serving dishes have also been uncovered.

“The luxurious estate and the impressive underground vaults are evidence of the owners’ means. Their high status and wealth allowed them to build a luxurious mansion that served as a residence and for entertaining”, said the excavation directors – Oren Shmueli, Dr. Elena Kogan-Zehavi and Dr. Noé D. Michael.  READ MORE...

Best Friends

 

New Webb Telescope Observations

Let’s start with the rumors. What about the new Webb data would suggest the big bang is wrong? 

The same type of data Hubble gave us years ago. We generally think of evidence for the big bang being centered around two facts: first, that more distant galaxies have a higher redshift than closer ones; and second, that the universe is filled with a cosmic background of microwave radiation.

The first suggests that the universe is expanding in all directions, while the second suggests that it was once in a very hot and dense state. 

These are two of the Three Pillars of data supporting the big bang, the third being the relative abundance of elements in the early universe.

But these observations are just the foundation of the big bang model. We have long since expanded on these to create the standard model of cosmology, also known as the LCDM model. 

That is a universe that began with the big bang and is filled with matter, dark matter, and dark energy. Everything from the acceleration of cosmic expansion to the clustering of galaxies supports this standard model. 

And the standard model makes predictions about other observational tests, so we can further prove its validity. That’s where the latest claims of the “big bust” come into play.  READ MORE...

The Pianist

 

 

I walked this morning at 8:30 am and it was 77 degrees which is fairly mild for a walker, but the humdity this morning was 88% so walking early in the morning actually made very little difference.

So, why share this incident at all?

We need to be aware of our environment rather than being unaware of what is going on because it is our health that is on the line and the older we get the more aware we should become.

I check my weight every morning and count my calories every day and I do this to make sure that I am maintaining...

I did not need to do this when I was 40, 50, or even 60...  but, as soon as I turned 60, my healthy, athletic  body began to fall apart.  In 2008 I was diagnosed with cancer and had a heart attack.  And, what is interesting about my heart attack is that I stopped smoking 20 years earlier and I had stopped drinking alcohol 20 years earlier and I had stopped eating red meat, sugars, and fried foods, 20 years earlier.  And, to cap it all off, my wife and I were fast walking 5 miles a day, 7 days a week...  and yet, I still had a heart attack.

At soon to be 75 years old, I am keenly aware of my health and pay attention to all aspects of my health of which I am aware just to make sure nothing sneaks up on me.

My level 5 lumbar disk fusion is the latest issue that I have needed to face.  My orthopedic  surgeon said if I had not been healthy, my back situation would have been worse...  well hell, that's comforting...  So, now I have to spend the next 3-9 months recovering from this trauma...  I say 3-9 months, because I have already experience 12 weeks since surgery.

I walk 1.5 miles for 6 days then take 1 day off to allow my body to recover.  It takes me about 36 minutes to walk that distance and I have been using a walking stick.

I am determined and disciplined and have no doubts at all that I will live past 95 years of age.  When I recover from this latest surgery, not only will I walk everyday but I will go to the gym and workout on strength machines...   giving up 90 minutes a day is not a bad price to pay to remain healthy.

It also helps to have a positive attitude, especially when retired, and to keep one'self busy by doing something that stimulates the mind and I don't mean just watch shows on cable TV.

For me, I maintain 2 blogs daily as well as spend time writing novels that require me doing research.  I also have interest in:

• Ancient Aliens/Extraterrestrials
• Astronomy
• Theoretical Physics
• Quantum Mechanics
• Cosmology
• Cosmic Consciousness
• Politics & Economics
• Multi-dimensions
• Parallel Universes
• Physchology

Being Like Everyone Else

 

When I was young and wanted to do something that everyone else was doing and used that as my justification, my father would say, if everyone jumped off the side of cliff, would you want to do that too?  Of course, I would say no...  but later in life, realized that my father was making an unrealistic comparison and the more I thought about that, the angrier I got at him for treating me like that....

But, today, I understand his logic because there are several progressive Democrats who want to go GREEN and have no gasoline vehicles, only electric as soon as we can or before...  these people also want us to use solar panels to power our electrical plants and stop using coal to supply power.

In short, we should do away with all fossil fuels IMMEDIATELY if not sooner.

Well, what these progressives don't seem to understand is that the rest of the world is not following our lead.  In fact, they are wondering why we are so stupid.  

If you think I am kidding check out the desire to GO GREEN by:

• Russia and China
• North Korea and Iran
• The Middle East
• Africa and South America
• Indonesia and Southeast Asia
• India and Pakistan

None of these countries want to jump off the cliff with us...  and they are laughing at us thinking we will survive once we jump off the cliff...

How stupid are these Americans???

Don't you realize that if the rest of the world does not join us in GOING GREEN that we are simply spitting in the wind and wasting our money to try and save the planet from climate change?

Again, how stupid are we???

A Perspective on US Education

Ironically, despite the United States having the best-surveyed education system on the globe, U.S students consistently score lower in math and science than students from many other countries. According to a Business Insider report in 2020, the U.S. ranked 38th in math scores and 24th in science. SOURCE:  WorldPopulationReview.com

So, why this contradiction in the data?

Was someone lying?

Test scores don't lie...

Education in the US of A today is not the same quality as education in the US of A 50 years ago...  Education has gotten WORSE instead of BETTER...

WHY???

We could blame the problem on the teachers.  We could blame the problem on the students. We could blame the problem on the parents.  We could blame the problem on the system.

All would bear some responsibility...

I retired in 2015 after 45 years of working in and around education which included me teaching classes to students who had graduated from high school and wanted more education.

These students were:

• academically lazy as they did not want to do homework
• not interested in drilling down on a subject
• not very good at presentations
• not very good at team work
• not very good at reading out loud
• not very good at writing or spelling
• not very good with critical thinking skills

What bothered me the most was they all wanted to be told exactly what to do without trying to figure it out on their own.

This was very disappointing to say the least.

I could just imagine what these people would be as parents trying to get their children to STUDY and be good students...

I was not the best student until I left college, went into the military, and returned to college.  Once I returned, I became the best student on campus.  I did the homework, read the assignments, sat in the front of class, answered questions, figured out on my own what the professor wanted me to do, and made sure my assignments always exceeded the professor's expectations.  I was in college to learn, not just get the highest grade.

But, what I don't really understand is how we could be considered to be the best when our scores are not that good at all...  That false sense of security has got to be impacting our employers who have to be hiring the people and retraining them...

How successful has that been I wonder or is that more data that has been kept hidden from us?

Sky Stars

 

Two Biblical Heroines Uncovered

The Israelite commander Barak depicted in the Huqoq synagogue mosaic. Several BYU students 

were part of the team to help excavate at the ancient Jewish village site. Credit: Jim Haberman

As they brushed the last layer of dirt from a small section of mosaic on the synagogue floor, the archaeologists were momentarily baffled by the odd image beginning to emerge.

"Then we realized we were looking at the story of Jael pounding the stake through the head of Sisera the Canaanite," said BYU ancient scripture professor Matthew Grey. "We brought out a phone and pulled up Judges 4 to read the story while we uncovered the scene."

Almost every summer since 2011, BYU faculty and students have joined a consortium of universities led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to excavate the synagogue in the ancient Jewish village of Huqoq, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. This year's work on the building's beautiful mosaic floor, which dates from the late fourth—early fifth century C.E., yielded a unique discovery: fragments showing Jael and the prophetess Deborah.

"This is the first time we've seen a depiction of the biblical heroines Deborah and Jael in ancient Jewish art," said project director and UNC professor Jodi Magness.

Situated in the southwest corner of the building just to the left of the synagogue's entrance, the panels highlight how the women helped save Israel through their gifts and intrepidity. One patch shows Deborah sitting under her palm tree, giving instructions to the Israelite general Barak to guide her people in battle (Judges 4:4–10). 

Below that, another patch shows Jael driving a tent stake through Sisera's temple, taking out the Canaanite general to help Israel defeat their enemy (Judges 4:17–22).  READ MORE...

Wave at Sea

 

Probing Dark Energy

Dark energy illustration. Credit: Visualization by Frank Summers, Space Telescope Science Institute. Simulation by Martin White, UC Berkeley and Lars Hernquist, Harvard University





Could one of the biggest puzzles in astrophysics be solved by reworking Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity? Not yet, according to a new study co-authored by NASA scientists.

The universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, and physicists don’t know why. This phenomenon seems to contradict everything scientists understand about gravity’s effect on the cosmos: It’s as if you threw an apple in the air and instead of coming back down, it continued upward, faster and faster. The cause of the cosmic acceleration, dubbed dark energy, remains a mystery.

A new study marks the latest effort to determine whether this is all simply a misunderstanding: that expectations for how gravity works at the scale of the entire universe are flawed or incomplete. This potential misunderstanding might help researchers explain dark energy. However, the study – one of the most precise tests yet of Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity at cosmic scales – finds that the current understanding still appears to be correct. The study was from the international Dark Energy Survey, using the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope in Chile.


The results, authored by a group of scientists that includes some from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), were presented Wednesday, August 24, at the International Conference on Particle Physics and Cosmology (COSMO’22) in Rio de Janeiro. 

The work helps set the stage for two upcoming space telescopes that will probe our understanding of gravity with even higher precision than the new study and perhaps finally solve the mystery.  READ MORE...

Sea Creature