Friday, September 1
Extending Human Longevity VIA the Longevity Gene
Researchers successfully transferred a longevity gene from naked mole rats to mice, leading to enhanced health and increased lifespan. Naked mole rats, noted for their resistance to age-related diseases, have a gene that produces high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HMW-HA), which when introduced to mice, demonstrated potential anti-aging benefits.
The successful transfer of a gene that produces HMW-HA paves the way for improving the health and lifespan of humans, too.
In a groundbreaking endeavor, scientists at the University of Rochester have successfully transferred a longevity gene from naked mole rats to mice, leading to enhanced health and a longer lifespan for the mice.
Naked mole rats, known for their long lifespans and exceptional resistance to age-related diseases, have long captured the attention of the scientific community. By introducing a specific gene responsible for enhanced cellular repair and protection into mice, the Rochester researchers have opened exciting possibilities for unlocking the secrets of aging and extending human lifespan.
“Our study provides a proof of principle that unique longevity mechanisms that evolved in long-lived mammalian species can be exported to improve the lifespans of other mammals,” says Vera Gorbunova, the Doris Johns Cherry Professor of biology and medicine at Rochester.
Gorbunova, along with Andrei Seluanov, a professor of biology, and their colleagues, report in a study published in Nature that they successfully transferred a gene responsible for making high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HMW-HA) from a naked mole rat to mice. This led to improved health and an approximate 4.4 percent increase in the median lifespan for the mice.
A unique mechanism for cancer resistance
Naked mole rats are mouse-sized rodents that have exceptional longevity for rodents of their size; they can live up to 41 years, nearly ten times as long as similar-sized rodents. Unlike many other species, naked mole rats do not often contract diseases—including neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and cancer—as they age. Gorbunova and Seluanov have devoted decades of research to understanding the unique mechanisms that naked mole rats use to protect themselves against aging and diseases. READ MORE...
Non Tenured College Teaching
I got paid full time and my 9 month contract was spread out over 12 months. I got paid extra for teaching in summer school. I was hired on a non-tenure basis which means I had no employment protection, nor did I have to spend time trying to get articles published.
The requirement at this university was to have 12 hours in the classroom each week and 6 hours in the office and be on at least one committee that took less than two hours of your time each week. These committees met once a month.
SO... I worked only 20 hours each week and got paid for 40 hours... but this was only because I was not on a tenure track. That extra time would have been used to do research for publishing.
The university was less than 2 miles from where my wife and I were living at the time. So, I could go home for lunch if I wanted to.
When I was doing my office hours very few students came to see me so I spent that time working on my lesson plans for the next class or grading papers.
At this particular school and in this particular business department, everyone put in their hours Monday through Thursday and Friday morning. At 1pm, all faculty except for the Dean and secretary would leave for the weekend unless they had a committee meeting.
We had three weeks off for Christmas but had to put in our 20 hours during both the fall and spring breaks where students had no classes. That was a small price to pay.
The stress level for a job like this was next to nothing... and, during those three years, I was wishing I had made this transition earlier in my career, but it was an excellent way to END IT.
Brain Reading Devices Using Thoughts
A brain-computer interface translates the study participant’s brain signals into the speech and facial movements of an animated avatar. Credit: Noah Berger
Brain-reading implants enhanced using artificial intelligence (AI) have enabled two people with paralysis to communicate with unprecedented accuracy and speed.
In separate studies, both published on 23 August in Nature, two teams of researchers describe brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) that translate neural signals into text or words spoken by a synthetic voice. The BCIs can decode speech at 62 words per minute and 78 words per minute, respectively.
Natural conversation happens at around 160 words per minute, but the new technologies are both faster than any previous attempts.
“It is now possible to imagine a future where we can restore fluid conversation to someone with paralysis, enabling them to freely say whatever they want to say with an accuracy high enough to be understood reliably,” said Francis Willett, a neuroscientist at Stanford University in California who co-authored one of the papers, in a press conference on 22 August. READ MORE...
Thursday, August 31
End of August 2023
If you are like me, the photos that you take, you very seldom go back and look at them... and, when you do, it is difficult to remember why you took them.
But, it is not so much the end of a month as it is the passage of time. It has been over a YEAR since I had my back fused. It was not a small surgery as L2-L3-L4-L5, and S1 were all fused together. While there was no pain after the surgery which most people around me thought there would be, my biggest challenge was learning to walk comfortably again. A process that I am sure all these months later, I have successfully accomplished.
If I walk with a cane or pushing a grocery cart, I am fine but if I walk unaided, then there is still a bit of a struggle, although I no longer limp.
The passage of time is a wonderful thing because BAD DAYS fly by just as quickly as GOOD DAYS when you are in your 70s. On the other side of the coin, because time passes by quickly, one feels like one day one woke up as 70 years of age, and the next day one woke up at 75 years of age.
It is difficult to understand this concept when one is under fifty years of age... even though turning 40 is a big milestone in most people's lives.
Regardless of what is happening around me, the end of August will ALWAYS represent the END OF SUMMER.
September, October, November, and parts of December will ALWAYS be FALL. January, February, and March, will ALWAYS be WINTER. April and May will ALWAYS be SPRING and June, July and August will ALWAYS be SUMMER.
Since I am a traditionalist and see four distinct seasons that are almost equally occurring within the span of three months, AUGUST ends summer...
With that said, there will be unusually warm weather between now and the end of December, even though there will be periods of cool fall weather.
And, I will probably have to continue mowing the lawn and weed eating until the middle of October...
I am sure that weather in the Tennessee Valley is different than other parts of TN, North Carolina, Kentucky, and South Carolina but we are fortunate. While this is a great place to live, we don't really need anymore people to move into this area... THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Labor Day Weekend Holiday
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States. The three-day weekend it falls on is called Labor Day Weekend. Wikipedia
This holiday has been observed for about 141 years of which many of us are not aware.
I remember when I was a boy in Alexandria, VA, summer was bordered by two long weekends. Memorial Day weekend on the front end and Labor Day weekend on the tail end. School usually began the day after Labor Day.
The reason that changed was because teachers bitched that they were not being paid enough money... so, in order to increase their wages, the school year was extended... consequently, school re-opened their doors before the Labor Day Weekend holidays.
While working, many employers penalized you, if you did not work on either side of the holiday. Of course, you could avoid that penalty by taking a vacation day on Friday.
My approach was to take two vacation days on either side of both Memorial and Labor Day weekends so that I could get two weeks vacation for only 4 days. That 5th day would be taken on one side of the July 4 holiday.
Since most employers gave me a minimum of two weeks, my second week was taken between two weekends, leaving right after work on Friday.
Now that I am not working, it was only today that I realized we were heading into a long weekend which prompted this posting.
It is important at least from labor's point of view to have time off from work. Some of us enjoys or enjoyed our work, while others did not. Most of time when employees do not like their work, it is because of their SUPERVISOR and not the actual work itself.
While this is associated with blue collar workers, it is also what happens within the ranks of management. Most of the time, supervisors are ASSHOLES because there is a perception that their subordinates will not work or do what is right with someone standing over them making sure it gets done right.
Why does that bother me?
When I was teaching, my supervisor would tell me how to teach... even though that supervisor had no experience teaching or what little experience teaching that they had, the students gave them POOR EVALUATIONS.
How could they advise me on what to do when they could not even do it well themselves?
Timeshare Deception
This salesperson started the conversation by saying we were a valuable client who had a history of paying their fees on time and because of that loyalty, the timeshare company wanted to reward us.
RIGHT AWAY WE KNEW SHE WAS LYING...
The Timeshare company wanted to reward us with a 4 day, 3 night stay at one of 4 locations: VA, Las Vegas, and two in Florida. We would pay $150 up front (that night) and once we listened to a benefits presentations (where no one was trying to get us to buy anything) we would get our $150 back plus $100... Our first thought was BULLSHIT...
Why did we have to pay anything if we were getting it back?
No Timeshare company is going to meet with an owner about benefits WITHOUT TRYING TO SELL THEM SOMETHING...
Did she think we were naive and stupid?
We explained to her that we did not want to go to Vegas or Virginia which left Florida. The closest location in Florida was 10 hours away from where we lived by car and we could not afford an airflight and car rental.
At 76 and 71, we did not want to drive 10 hours for THREE NIGHTS!
She could not understand our reluctance because we were getting this free...
After 30 minutes trying to explain our situation, we were at an impasse because we did not understand her point of view and she could not understand our point of view. We told her we were not interested and that we would pass but she refused to give up.
My wife finally hung up on her. She called back 3 times and we refused to answer the phone.
If she is going to lie to us about how loyal we are (and she obviously had our file) then we immediately knew that the deal she was offering was bogus and was not going to unfold as she said it would.
We asked if we could extend our stay longer than 3 nights because of the ten hour drive, and she said we could only go to 4 nights and that extra day would cost us about $200 which would leave us with a $50 profit, a 10 hour drive, and having to listen to a BS presentation that would be a high pressure sales meeting.
WATCH OUT FOR TIMESHARE SALES PEOPLE!!!
East Tennessee: An Outdoor Paradise
Fishing is also popular in this area, such as: salmon, bass, trout, sturgeon, carp, catfish, mussels, and minnows. The best time of the year to catch salmon is May through October. Salmon species include: chinook, coho, sockeye, and pink.
In addition to hunting and fishing in East Tennessee, there are several lakes where camping and RVs are permitted. In addition to camping around these lakes, there are numerous places that have well defined and laid out hiking paths. If you can camp, you can swim in the lake and have campfires and picnics.
Many people have pontoon boats and sail around the lake and up and down its tributaries. In addition to these pontoon boats, you will see canoes, rowboats, kayaks, as well as motorized boats. Oftentimes, these boats are pulling skiers.
East Tennessee stretches from the tri-cities area of Bristol, Kingsport, and Johnson City, down to Greeneville, Morristown, Jefferson City, over to Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg (Smoky Mountains), back over to Knoxville and then down to Chattanooga.
Where my wife and I live in East TN, we have two lakes on either side of us, Cherokee and Douglas. A few years ago, we purchased two Dagger cruising kayaks, 10 feet and 12 feet in length, and kayaked on both lakes every weekend for about 2-4 hours.
We carried the kayaks on the top of our vehicle and would pack bottles of water along with a few snacks. Typically, we would kayak around for 90 minutes, stop at an island in the middle of the lake, rest, drink water, eat our snacks, the kayak around for another 60-90 minutes before returning home.
The only reason that we stopped kayaking was that we both began to experience back problems which prevented us from getting in and out of the kayaks, and sitting down inside the kayak for extended periods of time.
I am sure that there are other outdoor places that are equally as fulfilling as those of East TN... it is just that after living here for over 30 years, and my wife for over 50 years, we have grown quite fond of this area.
Robot in the Cockpit
The robot pilot, known as PIBOT, uses both AI and robotics technology to fly the airplane without altering the aircraft. Unlike a normal autopilot system, this one can be fed the aircraft’s manuals in natural language, understand them, and use that information to fly the airplane. That includes operating any of the aircraft’s cockpit controls, not just the control column and pedal assembly. Supposedly, the autopilot can handle everything from takeoff to landing, and operate capably during heavy turbulence.
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) research team that built the machine hopes that it will pave the way for more advanced autopilot systems, and although this one has only been tested in simulators so far it shows enormous promise, and even has certain capabilities that go far beyond human pilots’ abilities including the ability to remember a much wider variety of charts. The team also hopes to eventually migrate the technology to the land, especially military vehicles, although we’ve seen how challenging that can be already.
Posted in Robots Hacks, Transportation Hacks
Preparing for the Athletic Seasons
Actually, football practice no doubt for high school began at the beginning of August and quite possibly earlier for colleges, and probably never really ended for the pros, although I am sure that they were given a couple of months off to heal souls and injuries.
I played all sorts of sports in high school but never was interested in sports in college. And, honestly never even considered an opportunity with the pros. I was not tall enough, strong enough, or talented enough to go that fall but that is not what stopped me. I just lost interest.
Today, I would venture to say that if the pros from 20 years ago were playing today that they would not be good or talented enough to play in the pros. This also applies to the pros from 40 years ago as well. And the pros today would not be good enough to play in the pros 20 years from now either.
The professional ranks of athletics changes that much and that fast in 20 years. And, the window might not be 20 years, it may be 12-15. So, the average player probably plays only 10-12 years before new talent pushes them out of the top slots.
Whatever money they make they must do in 10 years and whatever money they save they must also do in 10 years. If these athletes are smart enough or advised well, they will invest their money in other businesses like restaurant franchises, or hotels, or resorts.
NASCAR drivers put their money into car dealerships. I know Rusty Wallace from Knoxville, TN owns just about every car dealership in Knoxville and the surrounding areas.
So... for high schools and colleges, first there is football... then basketball comes along... then baseball... mixed in with all of these male sports is female sports and track and field events, swimming, and gymnastics. You also have archery, tennis, equestrian, shooting competitions... although many of these are not as popular as the first three mentioned.
Not only do players make or break their careers by avoiding injuries, the coaches must have winning seasons or else they are replaced by a new coach or fresh blood. It is true that coaches influence players but if the team just doesn't blend well together, there is no coach in the world who can change that.
It is not surprising that coaches move around a lot from one school to the next... this happens more in college than in high school, but it is a hell of a way to make a living, and does not offer much security.
Quantum Computing 10 Times More Efficient
In the world of quantum error correction, an underdog is coming for the king.
Last week, new simulations from two groups reported that a rising class of quantum error-correcting codes is more efficient by an order of magnitude than the current gold standard, known as the surface code.
The codes all work by transforming a horde of error-prone qubits into a much smaller band of “protected” qubits that rarely make mistakes. But in the two simulations, low-density parity check — or LDPC — codes could make protected qubits out of 10 to 15 times fewer raw qubits than the surface code.
Neither group has implemented these simulated leaps in actual hardware, but the experimental blueprints suggest that these codes, or codes like them, could hasten the arrival of more capable quantum devices.
“It really looks like it’s coming to fruition,” said Daniel Gottesman of the University of Maryland, who studies LDPC codes but was not involved in the recent studies. “These [codes] could be practical things that can greatly improve our ability to make quantum computers.”
Classical computers run on bits that rarely misfire. But the particle-like objects — qubits — that power quantum computers lose their quantum mojo when just about anything jostles them out of their delicate state.
“It really looks like it’s coming to fruition,” said Daniel Gottesman of the University of Maryland, who studies LDPC codes but was not involved in the recent studies. “These [codes] could be practical things that can greatly improve our ability to make quantum computers.”
Classical computers run on bits that rarely misfire. But the particle-like objects — qubits — that power quantum computers lose their quantum mojo when just about anything jostles them out of their delicate state.
To coax future qubits into usefulness, researchers plan to use quantum error correction, the practice of using extra qubits to redundantly encode information. It’s similar in spirit to protecting a message from static by speaking each word twice, spreading out the information among more characters.
The Canonical King
In 1998, Alexei Kitaev of the California Institute of Technology and Sergey Bravyi, then of the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics in Russia, introduced the quantum error-correcting surface code. It organizes qubits into a square grid and executes something like a game of Minesweeper: Each qubit connects to four neighbors, so checking designated helper qubits allows you to discreetly snoop on four data-carrying qubits.
In 1998, Alexei Kitaev of the California Institute of Technology and Sergey Bravyi, then of the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics in Russia, introduced the quantum error-correcting surface code. It organizes qubits into a square grid and executes something like a game of Minesweeper: Each qubit connects to four neighbors, so checking designated helper qubits allows you to discreetly snoop on four data-carrying qubits.
Depending on whether the check returns a 0 or a 1, you can infer whether some of the neighbors have erred. By checking around the board, you can deduce where the errors are and fix them. READ MORE...
Wednesday, August 30
More From an Amateur Chef
Most of the time, I am just tossing stuff together to see if it takes good or not. Interestingly enough, I never taste while I am cooking to see if it needs anything, because I would not know how its tastes nor would I know what to add.
Recently, I have had a couple of successes that I would like to share with you.
The first one started with a can of yellow squash and Vidalia onions. I like both of those but I knew I needed to build it up a little. I started to cook a turkey burger in a pan so that I could chop it up into tiny pieces rather than cook it like a hamburger. Once it was cooked, I added the can of squash and onions and let that cook a while. To that mixture I added some angel hair spaghetti noodles and once it was all properly combined, I let it cook awhile to boil out some of the juice and make it thicker.
Not only did boiling out the juices help, but the dish was delicious.
My second creation starts with hard boiling 4 eggs for 12 minutes once the water starts boiling. Let the eggs cool, add cold water and let them stand for an hour or two. Peel the shells off and chop them up into very tiny bits and pieces with a fork. To that I added 4 green onions that were cut up into small slices. Pepper was added next along with Parseley and chives. I just sprinkled until I thought there was enough in the bowl.
To this mixture I added bacon bits and shredded cheese that was both white and yellow. Finally, 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise were added and everything was mixed up as thoroughly as possible.
I will toast some English muffins and spread a spoonful of the mixture on each half for breakfast tomorrow. I usually have just one English muffin but I may just have two... anticipating that it is going to taste good.
These two meals may not seem like much but I enjoy taking the time to pretend that I am a chef, knowing that my personality would never allow me to be a real chef.
From what I have seen on the Food Network, being a chef is TEDIOUS WORK, requires a good memory, and a great sense of taste... and creativity does not hurt either.
Cannot Avoid Politics any Longer
Our former President Trump, did many wonderful and good things for the American people and their economic wellbeing. However, Trump's personality and behavior puts him somewhere in between being a DICK HEAD and an ASSHOLE.
Despite that negative side of his attitude, Donald Trump DOES NOT DESERVE to have been indicted 4 times and charged with 91 felonies when Joe Biden as Vice President and now as President is and has, in my opinion, committed TREASON by peddling influence to other countries in the world.
AND... it really pisses me off that the mainstream media is covering up his crimes by not bringing them to the attention of the American public.
AND... it also pisses me off that the Biden administration has WEAPONIZED the DOJ and the FBI to do their dirty work and perpetuate their criminal activities.
TRUE... none of this has been proven... but the evidence is building up thanks to whistleblowers and Hunter Biden forgetting about his laptop which had all this incriminating evidence still on the hard drive. HOW STUPID WAS THAT?
I is my HOPE and DESIRE that the GOP via the HOUSE continues to investigate the BIDENS until there is so much evidence that the JUSTICE department has no choice but to go after them.
It is also my HOPE and DESIRE that the GOP in Congress both the House and the SENATE start fighting fire with fire when it comes to dealing with the DEMS. TURNS ABOUTS IS FAIR PLAY.
The Republicans need to start treating the Democrats like the Democrats have been treating the Republicans. I would be willing to be that more that 50% of Americans now feel this way.
As far as the 2024 Presidential Election is concerned, there is absolutely no one from either party that I would like to see become President.
Biden is too old to be elected again and it would be simply indescribable if Kamala Harris were to become President.
Trump should never be President again, even if he is cleared on all charges...
DeSantis may be good for Florida but he would be over his head as President. Plus, he does not have the mountain oysters to stand up to Russia or China.
That leaves NO ONE... which means one of these scenarios is going to happen, unless Biden drops out of the race, and Michele Obama or Gavin Newsome takes his place. Don't think RFK would even be considered even if he is a Kennedy.
A dark horse is NIKKI HALEY... she has experience as a governor, and with the UN, has political savvy, a great global reputation, and the iron will and determination to put both Russia and China in their place.
SHE WOULD HAVE MY VOTE...
The Old Man in the Valley
My sister, brother, and daughter have had enough of my opinions and have made the decision to have very little, if anything, to do with me. At first that bothered me because we were family but then I realized that they simply no longer wanted to tolerate my opinions because they did not agree with their views.
That is a hell of a reason to turn your back on family but that is what happened.
As for me... I have learned (these past few years) that the only person that really cares about me... is me... and, that there is not a damn thing that I can do about the behavior of others... all I can do is analyze and control my own behavior. My biggest teacher in that was my wife.
I once point in time, I was very controlling and had no idea what I was doing. When my family continued to control me, I realized what I had been doing to my wife. Now, the situation has reversed and she tries to control me. This causes us to butt heads, but I can easily see what she is doing now and what I had been doing. I try to roll with the punches and ignore her behavior. Most of the time that works.
I learned tolerance and patience from our three cats... not sure how that happened but these cats do not give a damn about my behavior with other humans as long as I don't yell at them and give them attention throughout the day. In exchange, they want to lay on the couch with me and offer their companionship, even though they are not totally away of what they are doing.
They do not see me as the old man in the valley. They do not see me as an opinionated asshole. They do not see me as someone who has no family or that many friends.
They do not see me as a retired veteran or as someone who is sick with cancer.
For them, I am their guardian and someone on which they can count from one day to the next.
Odd how my next best friend outside of my wife are my three cats.
Chinese Breakthrough in Laser Weaponry Technology
High-energy laser weapons can now operate ‘infinitely’, thanks to a new cooling system that completely eliminates the build-up of waste heat
The technology could significantly change the face of battle by extending engagement times, and increasing range and damage, researchers say
Chinese military scientists have announced a major breakthrough in laser weapon technology, claiming they have developed a new cooling system that allows high-energy lasers to operate “infinitely” without any build-up of waste heat.
According to scientists at the National University of Defence Technology, in Changsha, Hunan province, the new cooling system completely eliminates the harmful heat that is generated during the operation of high-energy lasers. The issue has been a major technical challenge for laser weapon development.
With the new technology, weapons can now generate laser beams for as long as they want, without any interruption or degradation in performance.
“This is a huge breakthrough in improving the performance of high-energy laser systems,” said the team led by laser weapon scientist Yuan Shengfu in a paper published on August 4 in Acta Optica Sinica, a Chinese-language peer-reviewed journal.
“High-quality beams can be produced not only in the first second, but also maintained indefinitely,” they said.
The new cooling system uses advanced structures and optimised gas flow to remove heat from inside the laser weapon, while minimising turbulence and vibration and improving mirror cleanliness.
It has the potential to significantly change the face of battle by extending engagement times, increasing range and damage, and reducing logistics and costs, according to the researchers. READ MORE...
Hump Day
That perception is not true for all of us. When my father worked for the Federal Government, he did work 9-5 and Monday through Friday. However, every job that I ever had started at 8am and lasted until 6pm sometimes longer and it was quite often that I had to work on Saturdays and Sundays.
The perception also falls short of reality for most manufacturing jobs because those jobs are split into 3 shifts and last 6 days a week. Those 3 shifts are 7am-3pm, 3pm-11pm, and 11pm-7am.
Additionally, many hospitals are going to a 12 hour shift 4 days a week or a 12 hour shift 3 days a week where you are also off 3 days.
And, fire departments have 24 hour shifts with weekends off and a weekend shift for 48 hours with 5 days off.
There are all sorts of employment shifts and hours as unions have tried to get management to accommodate worker demands. Sometimes these unions are successful and sometimes they are not.
What it boils down to is that HUMP DAY no longer applies to the American Worker and I am not sure if it ever did. However, there is still a mythology around Hump Day that the workers like to embrace when they can, signifying that the work week is HALF OVER.
What this tells me is that the American Worker (not management) really does not like to work. Could this be because management treats them and pays them so poorly?
Neuroscience Breakthrough
See-through 3D model that shows the axon (red), medium spinal motor neuron (green), and astrocyte converging at the synapse (yellow). Credit: Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester and University of Copenhagen
Scientists have created one of the most detailed 3D images of the synapse, the important juncture where neurons communicate with each other through an exchange of chemical signals. These nanometer-scale models will help scientists better understand and study neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease and schizophrenia.
The new study appears in the journal PNAS and was authored by a team led by Steve Goldman, MD, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester and the University of Copenhagen. The findings represent a significant technical achievement that allows researchers to study the different cells that converge at individual synapses at a level of detail not previously achievable.
“It is one thing to understand the structure of the synapse from the literature, but it is another to see the precise geometry of interactions between individual cells with your own eyes,” said Abdellatif Benraiss, Ph.D., a research associate professor in the Center for Translational Neuromedicine and co-author of the study. “The ability to measure these extremely small environments is a young field, and holds the potential to advance our understanding of a number of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases in which synaptic function is disturbed.”
The researchers used the new technique to compare the brains of healthy mice to mice carrying the mutant gene that causes Huntington’s disease. Prior research in Goldman’s lab has shown that dysfunctional astrocytes play a key role in the disease. Astrocytes are members of a family of support cells in the brain called glia and help maintain the proper chemical environment at the synapse.
The researchers focused on synapses that involve medium spiny motor neurons, the progressive loss of these cells is a hallmark of Huntington’s disease. The researchers first had to identify synapses hidden within the tangle of the three different cells that converge at the site: the pre-synaptic axon from a distant neuron; its target, the post-synaptic medium spiny motor neuron; and the fiber processes of a neighboring astrocyte. READ MORE...
Tuesday, August 29
FACT: The Fabric of Space is Curved
It is debatable whether or not this gravity exists when there are no planets around... but then there is dark matter and dark energy that must be dealt with and the concept that some force is responsible for holding this vast universe together...
While I am not a scientist, I can read and I can understand what these experts are saying... and, without this force of gravity, our universe would simply dissipate into nothingness. Everything would be so far apart that there would not nothing to hold anything together.
The oceans on earth are held in place by the land masses and by gravity, if one or both of these fields of containment were not present, the oceans would just flow into the atmosphere and eventually disappear.
NOW... understanding there is gravity and this gravity curves the fabric of space, then it is theoretically possible for the beginning of time to curve around and merge with the end of time... This would mean that time and space are cyclical in nature...
What would happen when the end of time meets the beginning of time?
No one knows for sure, but that point in time is referred to as achieving SINGULARITY. However, no one knows if singularity actually exists or not. But if it does, then the BIG BANG actually came from the explosion that ended all life in the universe... so that it could start all over again.
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS ALREADY HAPPENED?
The Mysteries of Life
Why were you born when you were born?
Why were you born to your parents?
Why were you born where you were born?
What was accomplished by your birth?
WHO MADE ALL THOSE DECISIONS FOR YOU?
Hardly anyone thinks about any of this because there are NEVER ANY ANSWERS... so, why worry about the questions?
Yes... that is true... but, it does not stop me and a few others from wondering about these questions...
Even though there are no answers to these questions, it begs the THOUGHT that we are not in control of our destiny.
If someone makes the decision on our birth does that same person or another one make the decision on our death?
If they do, then what criteria do they use to decide who will live and who will die?
AND IF, someone decided our birth, they also decided:
- our skin color
- our eye color
- our hair color
- our physical condition
- our predisposition to disease
- our mental abilities
- our physical appearance
- our height
Yes, this comes from the DNA mixing of our parents, but our parents were also decided for us as well... so, the points above had to be taken into consideration.
Whoever has this capability, has an intellect far, far superior to our intelligence... and, it may be a level of intelligence that we never attain... on the other side of the coin, this person simply could be the future of human beings and we advanced to the point where we can go back in time and influence the direction of the future.
Some of us believe that this is not how mankind develops but that this interference comes from EXTRATERRESTRIALS who are using the human race on which to perform experiments.
Which one seems more likely to you? Or, perhaps neither of these explanations seem plausible. No one knows for sure... at least no right now.
But, the fact remains that we did not CHOSE OUR BIRTH...
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