Friday, May 07, 2010

Neanderthal Rationale – DNA of Primitive Species found in Homo Sapiens


It will be of no surprise to anyone who has experienced Bristol on a Saturday night when the pubs close to discover that the DNA of the Neanderthal has been found in modern humans.

A study just published in the journal Science has shown that quite probably there was what is known as a ‘gene flow’ from Neanderthals to modern humans.

‘Gene flow’ is a polite scientific term for the very likely fact that Neanderthals got jiggy with our distant ancestors.  Although we lived in close proximity for thousands of years to what would have been our nearest relatives if they hadn’t become extinct scientist have till now dismissed the possibility of interbreeding between the two species.

However, meticulous research in to the DNA of the Neanderthal from bones has revealed a surprising result.  When the Neanderthal genome was compared to that of modern humans (all non-Africans – and that is an important point) Neanderthal code was discovered in each and every one of them, albeit tiny sequences.

Why is the non-African part important?  No trace of the genome has been found in people of African descent meaning that the fait was accompli after humans had migrated from Africa.

University of California scientists now believe that the act of union between the two species probably happened in the Middle East somewhere.

Work on mitochondrial DNA points towards the idea that the interbreeding was between Neanderthal men and human women – there is no proof of genetic flow in the opposite direction.

This likely indicates that the resulting offspring were probably brought up within human communities.

We bet they were terribly bullied at school.

Image Credits
Black and White Neanderthal - Wikimedia


Q&A - Asperger's Syndrome Boy Interviews His Mother



I really don't mind admitting this, but this short animation made me cry, so wonderful were the sentiments expressed in it. It is part of the StoryCorps project. which aims to give ordinary Americans from all walks of life an opportunity to record their stories and share them with others.

In this very touching four minute animation we share the lives of Joshua and Sarah Littman.  Joshua has a fairly unique take on what makes a good interview question and his mother answers them in a beautifully candid and unguarded way.

It would be difficult to find anything online at the moment that expresses sheer unadulterated love so lucidly and naturally. Please watch and share this - if only so it might help you understand Asperger's Syndrome a little more than you do already.

If you are a parent, you will love this - if you are a human being you will adore it.


Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Multicolored Elephants on Parade


You know the song Pink Elephants on Parade?  Yesterday Londoners could have been forgiven for believing they were suffering from a similar but altogether more technicolor intoxication as the city was stampeded by two hundred and fifty eight sculptures of elephants.

The elephants are being placed across the English capital in an attempt to draw attention to the plight of the endangered Asian Elephant.  Each is a work of art in its own right and they will be auctioned off once the event runs its course in June.

The elephants have been painted by a variety of artists, celebrities and sportspeople.  It is by far the biggest ever outdoor art event in London’s history and it is hoped that the elephants will not only cheer people up as they pass but convey a serious message too.

It is hoped that once the elephants are sold that they will raise over two million pounds (that’s  over three million US dollars) by auction.  If you can’t stretch to the prices (many thousands of pounds for each) or simply don’t have the room there is also the opportunity to buy smaller versions of these delightfully colored sculptures.

The artists are either celebrities such as Terence Conran, Craig Ritchie and Tommy Hilfiger or professional artists.  Even soccer player Graeme le Saux has had a go.

This is not a completely new project as the idea was born in Holland last year.  Father and son Mike and Mark Spits created the project and held two parades in Rotterdam and Antwerp.  They were hugely successful and raised over seven hundred thousand Euros.

All the monies raised from the parade will go to the Elephant Family. This is the biggest charity concerned with elephants in the world and it has been operating since 2002.  Its founder, Mark Shand is best known in the media for his BBC documentary Queen of Elephants.

One of the main aims of the charity is to identify the routes that the elephants take and secure links between them – by buying the land.  Eighty routes have been identified so far but buying up land is expensive.  One route which has recently been purchased measures only six kilometers by half a kilometer but cost over one and a half million dollars to establish.

There is an urgent need to do something – and quickly.  Since the 1980s the population of wild Asian elephants has fallen by over seventy percent.  The drop off in numbers is so worrying that they have recently been made officially endangered.

Only about 30,000 remain and it is thought that up to half of these are in India. However, should the decline continue at its present rate the Asian elephant will be extinct by 2040.

So, let us hope that as well as brightening up the day of millions of Londoners and their tourist buddies, that the project will go a long way to securing enough money to ensure that this wonderful species of animals will not disappear from the planet.

A world without elephants – imagine that.  An impossible thought but a reality for the Asian elephant if something is not done soon.



CasinoPub


Albert Einstein liked nothing more than a good game of poker.  If he were alive today what do you think he would do to find out where to play casino games?  Well, he would probably click his trusty mouse and head over to CasinoPub.

Why?  Well to increase his chances, of course – he wasn’t one to make rash decisions.  Take a look – if you want to discover which gaming sites, poker rooms and online casinos are the best on the net, follow Albert’s lead!


Sunday, May 02, 2010

Rendezvous With Rama



Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama was published in 1972 and so far we have had no film adaptations of this marvellous science fiction novel.  None.  Nada. Zilch.

The story, set over a hundred years from now, is about the arrival in our solar system of a massive fifty kilometer cylindrical spaceship (more or less ripped off in Star Trek: The Journey Home).

It is told from the perspective of the astronauts whose mission it is to intercept and enter the giant spacecraft.  What happens next? Go discover!

Back to adaptations - the occasional computer game does not sate the desire to see this on screen (the big, silver one that is).  Of course the BBC produced its own very worthy radio adaptation of the novel in 2009 which allows the listener to imagine the splendor of space and Rama itself.  However - that just simply is not good enough, is it?


Morgan Freeman was mooted to be interested in a film version of RwR but sadly nothing ever came of it.  Now at last, thanks to Vancouver Film School student Philip Mahoney (sound design) and visual media by Aaron Ross (from a previous project), we finally get a glimpse of just what RwR might look like if given the full movie treatment.

For obvious reasons, Mahoney and Ross were not able to include everything that happens in the novel in this short animation which runs for just over three minutes.  However, they manage to feature some key moments from the novel in this superbly done animation with the main thrust of Mahoney's project being taking the already prepared video and interpolating a new soundtrack upon it..  This was done with full permission (see Aaron's comments below) and - although due to individual interpretation, improves on the original.

It would be marvellous if some Hollywood big wig were to see this and decide to go ahead with creating what, in the right hands, could turn out to be a science fiction movie masterpiece.  Hopefully he would take on Philip Mahoney (showing just how important sound is) and Aaron Ross - with the awesome graphics - to work on (if not lead!) the project.

If you haven't had quite enough - here is a short making of the original film (Ross' project) that we are sure you will find interesting.

Publish Post


World Expo Opens in Shanghai



Yesterday saw the opening of the World Expo in the historic Chinese city of Shanghai. The Big Picture, which is probably the best photographic blog in the world, has an amazing array of photographs which will leave you gasping and wishing that you could get there to see it all. True, there are going to be an estimated one hundred million visitors to the event - buy 95% of those are going to be Chinese which means the rest of the world will only be sending a paltry five million.

So, if you can't make it yourself and want to see what your country and others have contributed to this mind blowing exposition, take a look at these fascinating pictures HERE.


The True Power of the Sun


The sun is what we rely on for everything, really.  Without it we would be lost, an ice cold ball in the midst of darkest space.  So, this is why we usually study it at school and - wow - what a lot of facts and figures there are about the star which sustains us.

Did you know, for example, that our sun is so large that over one million of this planet we call earth would fit inside it?  That is pretty big by our standars, but in fact our sun is on the small side when compared with other stars.  Makes you feel pretty small.

If you want to learn more about the true power of the sun, click on this link and take a look at a fascinating article written by Mr Ghaz.

While we are on the subject of stars, Timon and Pumba from Disney's The Lion  King had one of my favorite discussions about stars, in fact let's reproduce it here...

Pumbaa: Timon, ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?
Timon: Pumbaa, I don't wonder; I know.
Pumbaa: Oh. What are they?
Timon: They're fireflies that got stuck up in that bluish-black thing.
Pumbaa: Oh, gee. I always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.
Timon: Pumbaa, with you, everything's gas.

(If that doesn't make you want to watch the movie again, then what exactly might?)


Saturday, May 01, 2010

The Penny Black, the Stamp That Changed The World, is 170


Today, one hundred and seventy years ago, a little paper rectangle with the face of the young Queen Victoria on one side and sticky adhesive on the other went on sale for the first time. 

So what, you may ask.  Before the Penny Black there was no such thing as postage stamps, for a start (and so no such thing as stamp collectors either!) but we will leave that to you to decide if that made the world a better place or not.

However, before this humble little stamp came about it would cost you the equivalent of seven pounds in today's money to send a letter from one end of the country to another - which is pretty steep.


Hand in hand with the new railways the Penny Black would help shape the way things were communicated in the Britain of the Industrial Revolution.

The Independent has the full, fascinating story.  You will also find out exactly why Britain is the only country in the world that does not have its name on its stamps.


Culture Crossing


Have you ever been a visitor to a country and been nonplused or at least perplexed by some of the customs of the people there?  What is even worse, have you ever made a cultural boo boo that had made you blush all the way to the airport, let alone for years afterwards at its very thought?

Well, online help is at hand if that is the case! The Kuriositas Kids have recently come across a wonderful website call Culture Crossing.  No matter where you are heading in the world they  have some great tips for you so you don't have to worry about putting your foot in it (whether it is your mouth or something far, far worse).

There is plenty of information at the website at the moment but if you want to join in yourself then you can become a member and start letting people know the dos and don't of visiting particular countries.  If you don't want to advise but simply ask then there is a Q&A facility too where you can ask nationals from the countries concerned anything you want (well, within reason of course!).


Population Growth - Infographic



Population growth is the elephant in the room.  In virtually all globally important meetings about the environment the human population is not mentioned.  However, the bald facts - as presented here by Kristy Graybill - are more than a little frightening.

The increase in population from now to 2050 will equal the entire world population in 1950.  While the birth rates of developed nations is slowing their populations continue to consume a disproportionate amount of the planet's resources.  If our standards of living are to be maintained or improved then this will mean the destruction of much of what remains of the earth's pristine habitats.  No one wants that, but still population is hardly ever mentioned by politicians.

The solution is fairly simple if unpalatable.  The developing world must curb its almost exponential population growth and in return those lucky enough to live in the developed world must learn to curb their excesses.  It is as simple as that - but do we have the will to make it happen?

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