Headlines of the day
Woman dancing on bar sets customer on fire in Miami-Dade
(SunSentinal.com)
He lingered near the wood chipper ... then he dove in (TwinCities.com)
Wow, it’s a good thing scientists would never do something like that with cloned humans. Isn’t it? Anyway, it is for the greater good.
Monkeys genetically modified to have Huntington's
By Will Dunham
Posted 4:05 pm EDT
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2008 (Reuters) — Scientists have created monkeys genetically modified to have Huntington's disease in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the fatal ailment and uncover clues to possible new treatments.
In the journal Nature on Sunday, the researchers said one of two surviving rhesus macaque monkeys engineered to have the defective gene that causes Huntington's in humans already is showing tell-tale symptoms at age 10 months.
Huntington's -- incurable and hereditary -- is caused by a single abnormal gene in which certain nerve cells in the brain waste away. People are born with the gene but symptoms typically do not appear until middle age.
Researchers often study laboratory animals such as mice to get insights into the underlying biology of diseases. But monkeys and other primates are more similar to people than rodents in physiological, neurological and genetic features.
The scientists at Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta said the monkeys are the first primates genetically modified to have a human disease.
They hope studying the monkeys will allow for greater knowledge of Huntington's and ideas for new drugs.
"Rodent species can capture some of the characteristics of the disease, but they have not been satisfactory in being able to really capture the essence of the disease," Stuart Zola, head of the Yerkes center, said in a telephone interview.
"Now we have a genetically modified nonhuman primate that really has captured the clinical signs that we see in patients with Huntington's disease."
Those with the progressive, degenerative disease experience uncontrolled movements, emotional disturbances and mental deterioration.
Drugs can help manage symptoms but do not stop the physical and mental decline. People typically die within 10 to 15 years after symptoms arise.
The researchers said they chose Huntington's as the disease for creating the genetically modified monkeys with an eye toward simplicity -- because it is linked to mutations in a single gene rather than multiple genes.
Zola said the achievement could pave the way for creating genetically modified primates with other neurodegenerative ailments such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
"This research allows scientists to advance beyond mouse models, which do not replicate all of the changes in the brain and behavior that humans with Huntington's disease experience," said John Harding, a primate resources official at the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.
Using so-called viral vector technology, the researchers transferred the Huntington's gene into a monkey egg cell. After using in vitro fertilization, the egg grew into a four-cell embryo and was then placed in the womb of a female monkey acting as a surrogate mother.
Of the five baby monkeys born using this process, two died within about a day, another one died in about a month and two are still living at age 10 months, according to Anthony Chan of the Yerkes center and Emory University School of Medicine,
One of the two surviving monkeys has developed symptoms including involuntary movements of the hands and face, Chan said. The other has no symptoms of the disease yet but may develop them later, he added.
We bet that if you dial 1-800 Slippery Slope, one of these jokers picks up the phone.
About that slippery slope...We're starting to get the impression that we are the only ones who ever saw "The Island of Lost Souls," with Charles Laughton.
MPs back creation of human-animal embryos
(Cow /Mouse admixed embryos)
Mark Henderson and Francis Elliott
British scientists will be allowed to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons tonight rejected a ban.
An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would have outlawed the creation of “human admixed embryos” for medical research was defeated in a free vote by a majority of 160, preserving what Gordon Brown regards as a central element of the legislation.
The Government, however, is braced for defeat tomorrow on a separate clause that would scrap the requirement that fertility clinics consider a child’s “need for a father” before treating patients. MPs will also tomorrow consider amendments that would cut the legal limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 22 or 20 weeks.
A second amendment, that would have banned the creation only of “true hybrids” made by fertilising an animal egg with human sperm, or vice-versa, was also defeated by a majority of 63. Another free vote later tonight is expected to approve the use of embryo-screening to create “saviour siblings” suitable to donate umbilical cord blood to sick children.
Edward Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, moving the amendment to ban all admixed embryos, said mingling animal and human DNA crossed an “ultimate boundary”. He said that exaggerated claims were giving patients false hope and that the dangers of the research were unknown.
He said: "In many ways we are like children playing with landmines without any concept of the dangers of the technology that we are handling.”
Mark Simmonds, a shadow health minister, who moved the amendment to ban “true hybrids”, said there was no compelling evidence of their research utility.
Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West, challenged those who accepted admixed embryos in principle but rejected “true hybrids” to explain the ethical difference between an embryo that was 99 per cent human and one that was 50 per cent human.
Dawn Primarolo, the Health Minister, agreed: “Once we go down that road it seems illogical to oppose a particular mix.” Ms Primarolo said the shortage of human eggs was the major barrier to embryonic stem cell research. The minister admitted that the Bill “was not a promise” that cures to diseases could be found. “It’s an aspiration that it may.”
The amendment to ban all admixed embryos was defeated by 336 votes to 176. The prohibition on true hybrids was defeated by 286 votes to 223.
The main type of admixed embryo permitted by the Bill are “cytoplasmic hybrids” or “cybrids”, made by moving a human nucleus into an empty animal egg. These are genetically 99.9 per cent human. As well as true hybrids, it also allows chimeras that combine human and animal cells and transgenic human embryos that include a little animal DNA.
The most immediate implication of the Commons vote will be to allow teams at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and King’s College, London, who already hold licences to create a particular type of admixed embryo, to continue their research.
Though they were cleared to start these experiments by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in January, these licences would have been rescinded had MPs voted for a ban.
Both teams are trying to create cybrids, which could carry the DNA of patients with genetic conditions to create stem-cell models.
The idea is to make stem cell models of diseases, to study their progress and to test new treatments. Human eggs could be used, but they are in short supply as they cannot be donated without risk to women.
It is legal to culture admixed embryos for a maximum of 14 days but it is illegal to transfer them to a human or animal womb. A Times/Populus poll found last month that 50 per cent of the public supports this work, with only 30 per cent opposed.
The decision will also encourage a third team, who plans to use admixed embryos to study motor neuron disease, to apply for a licence. The group, led by Professor Chris Shaw of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, had been waiting for the vote.
Professor Shaw said: “It will allow us to forge ahead on all fronts in our attempts to understand and develop therapies for a huge range of currently incurable diseases. Cures may be some years off, but this vote does mean we can use hybrid embryos, in addition to adult stem cells, in our search to understand what causes Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease. Without a much better understanding of what is going wrong in the brain it is very unlikely we will be able to reverse the disease process.”
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, of the National Institute for Medical Research in London, said: “The positive vote is yet another endorsement for the progress of scientific enquiry, one that will greatly aid our understanding of normal embryonic development, and of many types of debilitating genetic disease.
“This understanding will ultimately give us the best chance of developing therapies for these diseases, for infertility and for a range of other medical conditions”.
Simon Denegri, chief executive of the Association for Medical Research Charities, said: “MPs have clearly listened to the strong arguments put forward by medical research charities, patient groups and scientists of the importance of this research to advancing our understanding of diseases and conditions that affect hundreds of thousands of people and their families in the UK. This is a good piece of legislation and its successful passage is in the public interest.”
No word yet on whether the mixed embryos area expected to back Labour or the Conservative candidate.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/16/08
Headline of the day
Raccoon bite causes school to lock down in Swampscott (itemlive.com)
Swampscottians like to leave little to chance. You know the type—belt and suspenders.
Sure, we’ll say it— fat chance of that.
Obesity contributes to global warming: study
By Michael Kahn
GENEVA (Reuters) - Obesity contributes to global warming, too.
Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says.
This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school's researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday.
"We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility," Edwards said in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a key part of the big picture."
At least 400 million adults worldwide are obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects by 2015, 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.
In their model, the researchers pegged 40 percent of the global population as obese with a body mass index of near 30. Many nations are fast approaching or have surpassed this level, Edwards said.
BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with more than 25 considered overweight and above 30 obese.
The researchers found that obese people require 1,680 daily calories to sustain normal energy and another 1,280 calories to maintain daily activities, 18 percent more than someone with a stable BMI.
Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture, Edwards said.
This is also important because 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, he added.
The next step is quantifying how much a heavier population is contributing to climate change, higher fuel prices and food shortages, he added.
"Promotion of a normal distribution of BMI would reduce the global demand for, and thus the price of, food," Edwards and Roberts wrote.
Instead of "Eat the rich," it's just a matter of time before it's 'Eat the fat."
Raccoon bite causes school to lock down in Swampscott (itemlive.com)
Swampscottians like to leave little to chance. You know the type—belt and suspenders.
Sure, we’ll say it— fat chance of that.
Obesity contributes to global warming: study
By Michael Kahn
GENEVA (Reuters) - Obesity contributes to global warming, too.
Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says.
This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school's researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday.
"We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility," Edwards said in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a key part of the big picture."
At least 400 million adults worldwide are obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects by 2015, 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.
In their model, the researchers pegged 40 percent of the global population as obese with a body mass index of near 30. Many nations are fast approaching or have surpassed this level, Edwards said.
BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with more than 25 considered overweight and above 30 obese.
The researchers found that obese people require 1,680 daily calories to sustain normal energy and another 1,280 calories to maintain daily activities, 18 percent more than someone with a stable BMI.
Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture, Edwards said.
This is also important because 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, he added.
The next step is quantifying how much a heavier population is contributing to climate change, higher fuel prices and food shortages, he added.
"Promotion of a normal distribution of BMI would reduce the global demand for, and thus the price of, food," Edwards and Roberts wrote.
Instead of "Eat the rich," it's just a matter of time before it's 'Eat the fat."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/13/08
Headline of the day
Pete Doherty sought help after trying to kill cat with shovel
Much like his band—Babywhosis—the headline works on so many different levels.
Seal caught on tape molesting a penguin
Eskimo Pie?
Pete Doherty sought help after trying to kill cat with shovel
Much like his band—Babywhosis—the headline works on so many different levels.
Seal caught on tape molesting a penguin
Eskimo Pie?
Monday, May 12, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/12/08
Headlines of the day
3 accused of using corpse head to smoke pot (Houston Chronicle)
We know it’s a creepy story, but it is the inspiration for what we think is the best-est name for a heavy metal band ever—Skull Bong
94-year-old mom on ATV kills son in farm accident (Detroit free press)
Make that “almost all terrain” vehicle.
We figure they looked like a cross between Porter Wagoner in a Nudie suit and the Gabor sisters on holiday.
Ancient sea creatures 'dressed up' in diamonds
A glimpse into prehistoric fashion has revealed that ancient sea creatures liked to doll themselves up with diamonds imported from outer space.
CNN reports that scientists have discovered that the organisms coated themselves with tiny diamonds made from carbon brought to Earth on the asteroid which may have wiped out dinosaurs.
Fossils of the single-celled creatures were discovered in the Umbria-Marche basin of eastern Italy.
The amoeba-like creatures made their own armour by sticking together sediment grains from the ocean floor.
Researchers collected the fossils from rock samples just above and below the sediment layer created by the massive asteroid impact 65 million years ago.
When the asteroid smashed into the Earth off the coast of Mexico the extreme pressure and temperatures generated manufactured diamonds.
Some of the tiny jewels were formed by crushing and heating Earthly graphite rock. But others were truly extraterrestrial, being made from carbon carried in the asteroid. The scientists found evidence of these microscopic diamonds in the fossils.
Other grains present were unusually rich in metals such as nickel and cobalt, indicating an extraterrestrial origin.
The organisms, known as agglutinated foraminifera, are thought to have selected the diamonds for their density.
Lead researcher Michael Kaminski, from University College London, told New Scientist magazine: "The foraminifera were deliberately using extraterrestrial diamonds in their shells."
Scientists still do not know how the creatures were able to pick out the densest grains, an ability they share with their modern descendants.
"Dude, even amoeba-like creatures like shinny things."
3 accused of using corpse head to smoke pot (Houston Chronicle)
We know it’s a creepy story, but it is the inspiration for what we think is the best-est name for a heavy metal band ever—Skull Bong
94-year-old mom on ATV kills son in farm accident (Detroit free press)
Make that “almost all terrain” vehicle.
We figure they looked like a cross between Porter Wagoner in a Nudie suit and the Gabor sisters on holiday.
Ancient sea creatures 'dressed up' in diamonds
A glimpse into prehistoric fashion has revealed that ancient sea creatures liked to doll themselves up with diamonds imported from outer space.
CNN reports that scientists have discovered that the organisms coated themselves with tiny diamonds made from carbon brought to Earth on the asteroid which may have wiped out dinosaurs.
Fossils of the single-celled creatures were discovered in the Umbria-Marche basin of eastern Italy.
The amoeba-like creatures made their own armour by sticking together sediment grains from the ocean floor.
Researchers collected the fossils from rock samples just above and below the sediment layer created by the massive asteroid impact 65 million years ago.
When the asteroid smashed into the Earth off the coast of Mexico the extreme pressure and temperatures generated manufactured diamonds.
Some of the tiny jewels were formed by crushing and heating Earthly graphite rock. But others were truly extraterrestrial, being made from carbon carried in the asteroid. The scientists found evidence of these microscopic diamonds in the fossils.
Other grains present were unusually rich in metals such as nickel and cobalt, indicating an extraterrestrial origin.
The organisms, known as agglutinated foraminifera, are thought to have selected the diamonds for their density.
Lead researcher Michael Kaminski, from University College London, told New Scientist magazine: "The foraminifera were deliberately using extraterrestrial diamonds in their shells."
Scientists still do not know how the creatures were able to pick out the densest grains, an ability they share with their modern descendants.
"Dude, even amoeba-like creatures like shinny things."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/06/08
Can you hear me now?
Afghanistan Firefight Heard On Voice Mail
OTIS, Ore. (Fox 12-Oregon)-- An Oregon couple received a frightening phone call from their son in Afghanistan when he inadvertently called home during battle.
Stephen Phillips and other soldiers in his Army MP company were battling insurgents when his phone was pressed against his Humvee. It redialed and called his parents in the small Oregon town of Otis.
Sandie Petee, Phillips' mother, and her husband, Jeff Petee, weren't home at the time of the call. They returned home to find a three-minute voice mail on their answering machine.
Click here to find out more!
"His friend died a year ago in Iraq and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, this may be the last time I hear my son's voice on the phone,'" Petee said.
They heard shooting, swearing and shouted pleas for more ammunition on the phone call from their son.
"They were pinned down and apparently his barrel was overheating," said Jeff Petee. "It's something a parent really doesn't want to hear. It's a heck of a message to get from your son in Afghanistan."
The three-minute call ended abruptly.
"You could hear him saying stuff like, he needs more ammo, or he needs another barrel," said John Petee, Phillips' brother. "At the end, you could hear a guy saying 'Incoming! RPG!' And then it cut off."
As soon as the voice mail stopped playing, the Petees began trying to reach their son in Afghanistan. The family figured out Petee had tried to call home earlier that day, but he didn't leave a message and the phone later redialed during battle.
They eventually reached their son.
"I finally got a hold of him," Sandie Petee said. "He was embarrassed, he said, 'Don't let Grandma hear it.'"
Stephen Phillips is scheduled to return home next month, when his tour is complete, his mother said.
Now that's a network.
Afghanistan Firefight Heard On Voice Mail
OTIS, Ore. (Fox 12-Oregon)-- An Oregon couple received a frightening phone call from their son in Afghanistan when he inadvertently called home during battle.
Stephen Phillips and other soldiers in his Army MP company were battling insurgents when his phone was pressed against his Humvee. It redialed and called his parents in the small Oregon town of Otis.
Sandie Petee, Phillips' mother, and her husband, Jeff Petee, weren't home at the time of the call. They returned home to find a three-minute voice mail on their answering machine.
Click here to find out more!
"His friend died a year ago in Iraq and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, this may be the last time I hear my son's voice on the phone,'" Petee said.
They heard shooting, swearing and shouted pleas for more ammunition on the phone call from their son.
"They were pinned down and apparently his barrel was overheating," said Jeff Petee. "It's something a parent really doesn't want to hear. It's a heck of a message to get from your son in Afghanistan."
The three-minute call ended abruptly.
"You could hear him saying stuff like, he needs more ammo, or he needs another barrel," said John Petee, Phillips' brother. "At the end, you could hear a guy saying 'Incoming! RPG!' And then it cut off."
As soon as the voice mail stopped playing, the Petees began trying to reach their son in Afghanistan. The family figured out Petee had tried to call home earlier that day, but he didn't leave a message and the phone later redialed during battle.
They eventually reached their son.
"I finally got a hold of him," Sandie Petee said. "He was embarrassed, he said, 'Don't let Grandma hear it.'"
Stephen Phillips is scheduled to return home next month, when his tour is complete, his mother said.
Now that's a network.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/05/08
Headlines of the day
Police: Mother shot 8-year-old daughter in leg to win $1 bet (Seboygan Press.com)
Oh yeah, Mother’s Day is May 11.
Cops arrest man who had 300 dead cats in freezers
(Sacramento Bee)
No restaurant jokes, please.
Who needs egg heads and book learnin’?
Clinton 'Not Going To Put My Lot In With Economists' on Gas Tax
Email
ABC News' Mary Bruce reports: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., declined this morning to name a single economist who backs her call for a gas tax suspension.
"I'm not going to put my lot in with economists," Clinton said in an exclusive appearance on a special edition of "This Week" from Indianapolis.
In light of fierce criticism from economic experts, Clinton said, "We've been, for the last seven years, seeing a tremendous amount of government power and elite opinion basically behind policies that haven't worked well for the middle class and hard-working Americans. ... I know if we get it right, if we actually did it right, if we had a president who used all the tools of the presidency, we would design it in such a way that it would be implemented effectively."
The Democratic candidate also responded to claims that her proposal is not a "truthful response" to the soaring prices at the pump.
"This gas tax issue to me is very real, because I am meeting people across Indiana and North Carolina who drive for a living, who commute long distances, who would save money if the oil companies paid this $8 billion this summer, instead of it coming out of the pockets of consumers," Clinton said. "Now, look, I have long-term plans too. I mean, it's a misnomer to say this is all that I'm doing. It's not. I have a comprehensive long-term energy plan that would go right at dependence on foreign oil."
Clinton also differentiated her plan from that of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely Republican presidential nominee, who has also called for summer gas tax holiday.
"My proposal is very different from Sen. McCain," she said. "Sen. McCain has said take off the gas tax, don't pay for it, throw us further into deficit and debt. That is not what I've proposed. What I've proposed is that the oil companies pay the gas tax instead of consumers and drivers this summer."
Clinton has proposed using a windfall profits tax on oil companies to pay for the gas tax holiday. However, she also previously pledged to use windfall profits to create a strategic energy fund for renewable and alternative energies.
But when "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked if she had already spent the windfall profits tax, she said, "No ... the tax subsidies will go right into that [strategic energy fund]. I'm talking about something temporary this summer. My longer-term plan is, yes, to put an excess profits tax on the oil companies above a certain level of profit that would go in to help us make the transition."
Yeah, let’s have the oil companies pay the gas tax, cause they’d never think of passing the cost on to consumers. Nope, not those guys.
Police: Mother shot 8-year-old daughter in leg to win $1 bet (Seboygan Press.com)
Oh yeah, Mother’s Day is May 11.
Cops arrest man who had 300 dead cats in freezers
(Sacramento Bee)
No restaurant jokes, please.
Who needs egg heads and book learnin’?
Clinton 'Not Going To Put My Lot In With Economists' on Gas Tax
ABC News' Mary Bruce reports: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., declined this morning to name a single economist who backs her call for a gas tax suspension.
"I'm not going to put my lot in with economists," Clinton said in an exclusive appearance on a special edition of "This Week" from Indianapolis.
In light of fierce criticism from economic experts, Clinton said, "We've been, for the last seven years, seeing a tremendous amount of government power and elite opinion basically behind policies that haven't worked well for the middle class and hard-working Americans. ... I know if we get it right, if we actually did it right, if we had a president who used all the tools of the presidency, we would design it in such a way that it would be implemented effectively."
The Democratic candidate also responded to claims that her proposal is not a "truthful response" to the soaring prices at the pump.
"This gas tax issue to me is very real, because I am meeting people across Indiana and North Carolina who drive for a living, who commute long distances, who would save money if the oil companies paid this $8 billion this summer, instead of it coming out of the pockets of consumers," Clinton said. "Now, look, I have long-term plans too. I mean, it's a misnomer to say this is all that I'm doing. It's not. I have a comprehensive long-term energy plan that would go right at dependence on foreign oil."
Clinton also differentiated her plan from that of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely Republican presidential nominee, who has also called for summer gas tax holiday.
"My proposal is very different from Sen. McCain," she said. "Sen. McCain has said take off the gas tax, don't pay for it, throw us further into deficit and debt. That is not what I've proposed. What I've proposed is that the oil companies pay the gas tax instead of consumers and drivers this summer."
Clinton has proposed using a windfall profits tax on oil companies to pay for the gas tax holiday. However, she also previously pledged to use windfall profits to create a strategic energy fund for renewable and alternative energies.
But when "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked if she had already spent the windfall profits tax, she said, "No ... the tax subsidies will go right into that [strategic energy fund]. I'm talking about something temporary this summer. My longer-term plan is, yes, to put an excess profits tax on the oil companies above a certain level of profit that would go in to help us make the transition."
Yeah, let’s have the oil companies pay the gas tax, cause they’d never think of passing the cost on to consumers. Nope, not those guys.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 04/30/08
Headline of the day
Three-year-old boy takes 1st place in Minnesota mullet contest (Breitbart.,com)
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