Tackling Wine Allergies

Tech Tackles Wine Allergies -- Discovery News

Some people are allergic to certain wines -- that nice Loire Valley red gives them a rash or headache, or that California Chardonnay makes them sneeze. The University of British Columbia's Wine Research Center might have found a way to solve this problem.

The team at UBC has modified two genes of a strain of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has been used in winemaking for decades (if not centuries). The yeast was modified to eliminate the need for a species of bacteria needed for the winemaking process. That bacteria produces chemicals that cause allergic reactions. About 30 percent of the population has some allergy to wine.

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My Comment: What struck me about this article was the following stat .... about 30 percent of the population has some allergy to wine. that's a big market being left out.

New Wi-Fi Hotspots For New York City

A pilot program will turn 10 New York City payphone kiosks into wireless hotspots, with more to follow.

Wi-Fi Hotspots To Revive NYC Payphones -- CNN

(CNN) -- Remember payphones? This might sound crazy, but if New York City has its way, people might actually start using them again to communicate with each other.

The city announced Thursday that it has created Wi-Fi hotspots at 10 payphone kiosks in three of the city's boroughs. It's the first step in a pilot program designed to make wireless access available to as many people as possible in the city.

The kiosks (seven in Manhattan, two in Brooklyn and one in Queens) have antennas that create Wi-Fi hotspots providing free wireless service up to 300 feet away. More will be added in the coming months, according to the blog post announcing the program.

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My Comment: If it is free .... it will succeed.

Apple Goes Green Again

Thanks to its non-removable battery, Apple's MacBook Pro with retina display may be difficult to recycle or disassemble.

Apple: No Wait, We're Green Again -- CNN

(CNN) -- Calling its decision to abandon a green certification system for electronics "a mistake," Apple on Friday announced it would again submit its products for EPEAT certification.

"We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system," Apple's senior vice president for hardware engineering, Bob Mansfield, said in a statement. "I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT."

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My Comment: This was a screw-up.

Evidence Of 'Dark Galaxies' Discovered

Ultraviolet light from a quasar (in the red circle) causes hydrogen gas in dark galaxies (blue circles) to fluoresce. ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/S. Cantalupo (UCSC)

First Evidence Of 'Dark Galaxies' Discovered -- The Telegraph

Astronomers in Chile have observed what appears to be evidence of the existence of dark galaxies, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) announced on Wednesday.

Dark galaxies are small, gas-rich galaxies from the early universe that are believed to be the building blocks of today's bright, star-filled galaxies, said the ESO, an intergovernmental organisation supported by 15 countries.

"For the first time, dark galaxies – an early phase of galaxy formation, predicted by theory but unobserved until now – may have been spotted," the ESO said in a statement.

"Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, an international team thinks they have detected these elusive objects by observing them glowing as they are illuminated by a quasar," it said.

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How Did Dinosaurs Mate?

Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs mating - like most dinosaur species, the creatures mated like dogs

The Joy Of T-Rex: Scientists Show How Dinosaurs Had Sex (Tricky, When You Weigh 30 Tonnes And One Crucial Part Is 12ft Long) -- Daily Mail

Palaeontologists answer many tricky questions about dinosaurs - but perhaps the most interesting is how did 30-ton animals larger than four-storey buildings have sex.

A surprising amount of research has been devoted to the subject - and most researchers have concluded that dinosaurs made love like dogs

'All dinosaurs used the same basic position to mate,' said Dr Beverly Halstead, an English researcher who was one of the first to tackle the subject. 'Mounting from the rear, he put his forelimbs on her shoulders, lifting one hind limb across her back and twisting his tail under hers.'

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My Comment: 12 feet long?

Native American Settled The New World In Three Major Waves

Americas 'Settled In Three Waves' -- BBC

The biggest survey of Native American DNA has concluded that the New World was settled in three major waves.

But the majority of today's indigenous Americans descend from a single group of migrants that crossed from Asia to Alaska 15,000 years ago or more.

Previous genetic data have lent support to the idea that America was colonised by a single migrant wave.

An international team of researchers have published their findings in the journal Nature.

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A New Way to Treat Diabetes?

Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered a chemical that offers a completely new and promising direction for the development of drugs to treat metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes -- a major public health concern in the United States due to the current obesity epidemic. (Credit: Image by Peter Allen, UC Santa Barbara)

Discovery of Chemical That Affects Biological Clock Offers New Way to Treat Diabetes -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (July 12, 2012) — Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered a chemical that offers a completely new and promising direction for the development of drugs to treat metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes -- a major public health concern in the United States due to the current obesity epidemic.

Their discovery, detailed in a paper published July 13 in an advance online issue of the journal Science, initially came as a surprise because the chemical they isolated does not directly control glucose production in the liver, but instead affects the activity of a key protein that regulates the internal mechanisms of our daily night and day activities, which scientists call our circadian rhythm or biological clock.

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My Comment: A promising direction to help type 2 diabetes patients.

Robotic Hand Also Doubles As A Human Exoskeleton

Festo's robotic ExoHand also works as a human augmentation device.

Sophisticated Robotic Hand Also Doubles As A Human Exoskeleton -- Singularity Hub

It may be time to jettison the notion that robots in the future will have grippers or claws for hands. The German robotics company Festo recently unveiled the ExoHand, a sophisticated robotic hand that is capable of the fine motor skills that allows the human hand to have a delicate touch or perform complex manipulations.

The ExoHand comes in two forms: as the extremity of a robotic arm or a wearable exoskeleton glove. The system is designed so that the glove can aid assembly line workers performing repetitive tasks with their hands or be used for the remote manipulation of the robotic arm by a user wearing the glove.

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Scientists Bring 500 Million-Year-Old Bacteria Back To Life

The new 'chimeric' bacteria has mutated rapidly - and some have become stronger and healthier than today's germs

Jurassic Park In A Petri Dish: Scientists Bring 500 Million-Year-Old Bacteria Back To Life - What Could Possibly Go Wrong? -- Daily Mail

* 'Frankenstein' germ spliced with gene from 500-million-year-old bacteria
* Bacteria is now thriving in lab
* Some of the 'chimeric' E Coli is now stronger than normal bacteria
* Scientists hope to 'restage' evolution
* Will answer questions about how and why organisms evolve

A 500 million-year-old bacteria has been brought back to life in a laboratory at Georgia Tech in an experiment with echoes of Jurassic Park's disastrous recreation of the dinosaurs.

The researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene and inserted it into a modern E Coli bacteria.

The 'Frankenstein' germ has thrived. In the lab, the creation has now lived through 1,000 generations.

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My Comment: It's only a matter of time before they start working on larger gene sequences.

Giant Sunspot Shooting Out Intense, X-Class Solar Flare Detected

Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite image of solar flare (NASA)

Giant Sunspot Shoots Out Intense, X-Class Solar Flare -- Washington Post

UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.: NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) just posted the following:

The R3 (Strong) Radio Blackout today at 12:49 EDT (1649 UTC) was accompanied by an earth-directed CME. Hampered by limited observations of the event, SWPC forecasters are now anticipating the passage of the [coronal mass ejection] around 1:00 a.m. EDT, Saturday, July 14. G1 (minor) Geomagnetic Storm activity is expected to then ensue through the rest of the day.

In short, NOAA is predicting minor effects from this space weather event - no major impacts on the power grid or satellites anticipated - although we remind you forecasting space weather is difficult and surprises are possible. Sky watchers in northern U.S. (and high latitudes) may have an opportunity to see aurora late Friday night into early Saturday morning.

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Your Facebook Chats Are Not Private

Facebook Monitors Your Chats for Criminal Activity -- Mashable

Facebook and other social platforms are watching users’ chats for criminal activity and notifying police if any suspicious behavior is detected, according to a report.

The screening process begins with scanning software that monitors chats for words or phrases that signal something might be amiss, such as an exchange of personal information or vulgar language.

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My Comment: Should not be surprised by this news. Our online activity is monitored for advertising purposes .... so for law-enforcement and Facebook .... the technology is already there for them to use.

Cybercom Commander: Destructive Cyber Attacks Are Coming

National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander (Reuters/Larry Downing)

Cyber War -- Washington Free Beacon

Cybercom chief: Destructive cyber attacks are coming

The commander of the military’s new U.S. Cyber Command said digital attacks are evolving from disrupting network functions to destructive strikes.

Army Gen. Keith Alexander, the Cybercom commander who is also head of the National Security Agency electronic spy service, said current forms of attack emanate from nation states, criminals, hackers, and others, and mainly disrupt temporarily the work of computer networks and systems.

“What I am concerned about and what I think we really need to be concerned about is when these transition from disruptive to destructive attacks, and I think those are coming,” Alexander said during remarks Monday to the American Enterprise Institute.

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More News On Warnings From The Cybercom Commander On Future Cyber Attacks

Cyber chief warns of rising danger from cyber attacks -- CNN
NSA General on Cyberattacks: 'Probability for a Crisis Is Mounting' -- US News and World Report
US must adopt cyberattack law, says NSA chief -- The Telegraph
Cyber Command chief urges action on information-sharing legislation -- The Hill
Cybersecurity Chief Urges Action by Congress -- ABC News/AP
Legislative action needed now on cybersecurity, says US cyber chief -- Defense Systems
Cyber command chief urges greater role for agencies in infrastructure protection -- Stars and Stripes
Cybersecurity Law Is No Threat To Privacy: NSA Chief Gen. Alexander -- Aol Defense
US NSA chief backs cybersecurity law -- AFP
NSA Chief Says Spy Agency Does Not Read Private Email -- The New American
US Needs Cyber Defense From China, General Says -- Epoch Times
Pentagon cyber chief downplays NSA email snooping; says attack is 'coming our way' -- RT
NSA chief discusses challenges, opportunities of cyberworld -- US Air Force

The Next Holy Grail For Physics

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The Next Holy Grail For Physics: Finding The Anti-World -- Spiegel Online

The apparent discovery of the Higgs boson was hailed as a historic milestone, but for particle physicists it mainly marks the beginning of a new search. Rival teams at CERN in Switzerland are trying to decipher the secrets of antimatter. If they succeed, the laws of physics will have to be rewritten.

Sheep are grazing to the left of the gate to the anti-world. On the right-hand side, a pair of rust-brown steel bottles is waiting to be picked up. A sign warns: "Caution. Radiation!" Another sign prohibits the use of bicycles.

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The Sexiest Car On The Planet?

It's Official: The Aston Martin Virage Is The Sexiest Car On The Planet - -Business Insider

We spent an entire weekend cruising around in a 2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante. The verdict?

This Aston Martin drop top convertible is hands-down the sexiest car we've ever driven. It looks, sounds, and feels great – not to mention it's also a frickin' Aston Martin.

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Editor: The full review of the car is here.

Strategies For Farming In A Changing Planet

Better Seeds. David Arky

Strategies For A Changing Planet: Farming -- Popular Science

Wheat, rice and corn provide 60 percent of the world's calories -- here's how to prepare them for the future

Climate change is already happening, and it's time to get ready. Here's how we could adjust our most basic needs--food, water, shelter--to survive.

The biggest challenge in preparing crops for climate change is knowing what to prepare them for. Even within agricultural regions, the effects of global warming will vary.

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My Comment: Was not aware that wheat, rice and corn provide 60 percent of the world's calories.

US Declares The Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due To Severe Drought

U.S. Declares Drought-Stricken States Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever -- The Lookout/Yahoo News

The United States Department of Agriculture has declared natural disaster areas in more than 1,000 counties and 26 drought-stricken states, making it the largest natural disaster in America ever.

The declaration—which covers roughly half of the country—gives farmers and ranchers devastated by drought access to federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.

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More News On The US Declaring The Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due To Severe Drought

Disaster Declared in 26 States as Drought Sears U.S. -- Bloomberg
U.S. Declares the Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due to Drought -- The Atlantic
USDA Declares Biggest Disaster Ever -- Newser

My Comment: This will not only mean higher food prices in the U.S., but also higher prices worldwide. In a world where even small swings in the price of food commodities an bring about disaster, one can then only expect a future of even more unrest and suffering in regions that are dependent on this food aid and assistance.

New Pluto Moon Discovered By The Hubble Space Telescope

Image Credit: NASA, ESA and M. Showaler (SETI Institute)

New Pluto Moon Discovered -- Red Orbit

Scientists announced on Wednesday they have discovered the smallest moon yet, orbiting around the dwarf planet Pluto.

The discovery was made by a team of scientists who used the Hubble Space Telescope to scout out Pluto’s neighborhood ahead of a NASA spacecraft that is scheduled to arrive in 2015.

The new moon, known as P5 currently, appeared as a small fleck in the Hubble images, and scientists believe it is about 6 to 15 miles across.

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My Comment: Incredible. This new moon is only 6 - 15 miles across .... but it can still be spotted by the Hubble telescope.

Tree-Rings Prove Climate Was WARMER In Roman And Medieval Times Than It Is Now

Global cooling: It is the first time that researchers have been able to accurately measure trends in global temperature over the last two millennia

Tree-Rings Prove Climate Was WARMER In Roman And Medieval Times Than It Is Now - And World Has Been Cooling For 2,000 Years -- Daily Mail

* Study of semi-fossilised trees gives accurate climate reading back to 138BC
* World was warmer in Roman and Medieval times than it is now

How did the Romans grow grapes in northern England? Perhaps because it was warmer than we thought.

A study suggests the Britain of 2,000 years ago experienced a lengthy period of hotter summers than today.

German researchers used data from tree rings – a key indicator of past climate – to claim the world has been on a ‘long-term cooling trend’ for two millennia until the global warming of the twentieth century.

This cooling was punctuated by a couple of warm spells.

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My Comment: More fuel to the climate warming debate.

Truvada Drug Trials Signal 'Turning Point' In The Battle Against AIDS

Truvada Drug Trials Signal 'Turning Point' In AIDS Epidemic -- USA Today

A trio of new studies highlights the promise and challenges of preventing the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS: Giving anti-AIDS drugs to healthy but high-risk patients can dramatically reduce the risk of infection.

Two studies from Africa in heterosexual patients found that the drugs reduced the rate of HIV infection by 62% to 75%, a success rate that's comparable to results from studies of gay men, according to research in today's New England Journal of Medicine. A third study in African women at high risk of infection, however, was ended early after researchers saw the drugs had no effect on HIV rates, largely because fewer than 40% of study participants took their pills as instructed.

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My Comment: Say what they want .... the battle against AIDS is a long battle that will years (if ever) to succeed.

Could Wine Reduce The Chance Of Arthritis by half?

Drink up: Women who drink three glasses of wine a week could be halving their risk of arthritis

Three Glasses Of Wine A Week Could Reduce Chance Of Arthritis By Half -- Daily Mail

* Around 400,000 Britons are affected by rheumatoid arthritis and the majority are women, aged 40 to 70

The next time someone offers you a glass of wine, be grateful – it could save you from the agony of arthritis.

Women who indulge in moderate drinking halve the risk of certain forms of the illness, researchers have found.

Swedish academics found that women who drank at least three medium-sized glasses of wine a week - or the equivalent in beer or spirits - were up to 52 per cent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

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My Comment: I will drink to that.