Sara Lewis is fluent in firefly. On this night she walks through a farm field in eastern Massachusetts, watching the first fireflies of the evening rise into the air and begin to blink on and off. Dr. Lewis, an evolutionary ecologist at Tufts University, points out six species in this meadow, each with its own pattern of flashes.
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The 90-year Evolution Of Swine Flu
The current H1N1 swine flu strain has genetic roots in an illness that sickened pigs at the 1918 Cedar Rapids Swine Show in Iowa, report infectious disease experts at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their paper, published online June 29 and slated for the July 16 print issue, describes H1N1's nearly century-long and often convoluted journey, which may include the accidental resurrection of an extinct strain.
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Natural-Born Divers and the Molecular Traces of Evolution
An aquatic lifestyle imposes serious demands for the organism, and this is true even for the tiniest molecules that form our body. When the ancestors of present marine mammals initiated their return to the oceans, their physiology had to adapt radically to the new medium. Dr. Michael Berenbrink and his colleagues at Liverpool University have been studying how myoglobin, the molecule responsible for delivering oxygen to the muscles during locomotion, has been modified in seals and whales to help them cope with the needs of a life at sea.
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Holy Text Quote of the Day #2
"And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money." -Exodus 21:20-21
Vegetables That Look Suspiciously Animal
A little out of the ordinary post, but still relevant.
The biodiversity on this planet is just astounding. Even with loss of habitat and the threat to flora and fauna, there is still so much to uncover and appreciate. Here we’ve gathered just a few interesting specimens of plants and fungi for you to discover. Some are more common while others are super strange, and to make things even more interesting for you, they all resemble animals and human body parts. Enjoy!
The biodiversity on this planet is just astounding. Even with loss of habitat and the threat to flora and fauna, there is still so much to uncover and appreciate. Here we’ve gathered just a few interesting specimens of plants and fungi for you to discover. Some are more common while others are super strange, and to make things even more interesting for you, they all resemble animals and human body parts. Enjoy!
Holy Text Quote of the Day
I think I'm gonna start try to post one random silly scripture from holy book across the world. The majority will be from the Holy Bible and the Qu`ran though. I realize a lot of believers will simply say it is out of context, but to know if it really is they will have to do some research wont they. Besides some of this stuff you have to wonder how it can be from any loving or merciful being and be acceptable in any context. Without further explanation here is the one for today.
"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron." -Judges 1:19
"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron." -Judges 1:19
Remains Bridge Evolutionary Gap Between Flesh Eaters and Plant Eaters
If you thought piranhas were scary, be glad Megapiranha is no longer around.
Megapiranha was up to 3 feet long (1 meter) — a fish-beast four times as big as piranhas living today, studies of its jawbones indicate. It lived about 8 million to 10 million years ago and might have been quite comfortable stalking cartoon animals in an "Ice Age" movie.
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Megapiranha was up to 3 feet long (1 meter) — a fish-beast four times as big as piranhas living today, studies of its jawbones indicate. It lived about 8 million to 10 million years ago and might have been quite comfortable stalking cartoon animals in an "Ice Age" movie.
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Dinosaur Fossil Shows Finger Evolution
U.S. and Chinese scientists say their discovery of a beaked, plant-eating dinosaur fossil shows how birds' three-fingered claws evolved from dinosaurs.
The researchers said their finding also demonstrates theropod, or bird-footed, dinosaurs were more ecologically diverse in the Jurassic period than previously thought.
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The researchers said their finding also demonstrates theropod, or bird-footed, dinosaurs were more ecologically diverse in the Jurassic period than previously thought.
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God and Science Don't Mix
My practice as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil is going to interfere with its course; and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my professional career. I should therefore be intellectually dishonest if I were not also atheistic in the affairs of the world.
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Freedom From Religion Foundation
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, with more than 13,000 members, is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists and agnostics) in the United States. FFRF has been working since 1978 to promote freethought and to keep state and church separate.
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Evolution is Faster When it's Warmer
Climate could have a direct effect on the speed of "molecular evolution" in mammals, according to a study.
Researchers have found that, among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.
These mutations - where one letter of the DNA code is substituted for another - are a first step in evolution.
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Researchers have found that, among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.
These mutations - where one letter of the DNA code is substituted for another - are a first step in evolution.
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Wanted: Freedom from religion
The Ogre does what ogres can,
Deeds quite impossible for Man,
But one prize is beyond his reach,
The Ogre cannot master Speech:
About a subjugated plain,
Among its desperate and slain,
The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
While drivel gushes from his lips.
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Deeds quite impossible for Man,
But one prize is beyond his reach,
The Ogre cannot master Speech:
About a subjugated plain,
Among its desperate and slain,
The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
While drivel gushes from his lips.
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Why A Low Calorie Diet Extends Lifespans: Critical Enzyme Pair Identified
Experiment after experiment confirms that a diet on the brink of starvation expands lifespan in mice and many other species. But the molecular mechanism that links nutrition and survival is still poorly understood. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a pivotal role for two enzymes that work together to determine the health benefits of diet restriction.
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54 Mn Year Old Skull Reveals Early Evolution of Primate Brains
Researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Winnipeg have developed the first detailed images of a primitive primate brain, unexpectedly revealing that cousins of our earliest ancestors relied on smell more than sight.
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Istanbul Prosecutor: 'Drop Case of "God Delusion" Book'
Prosecutor Yakışan, speaking at the hearing, said that Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights also included the freedom of religion and conscience. He added, "In order for science to progress, we accept that every issue has to be approaced critically and with a questioning mind; otherwise, the whole of society is held hostage by dogmas."
The prosecutor pointed out that the European Convention protected the rights of both those with religious beliefs and of atheists, and that this had been confirmed in case law. Evaluated as a whole, the book was written as a criticism of religion and God in general, and the author did not target any particular religious group.
Yakışan reminded the court that the previous court case had ended in acquittal and thus demanded the case to be dropped. Otherwise, he warned, "publishers and writers will continuously be on trial, which would lead to personal suffering."
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The prosecutor pointed out that the European Convention protected the rights of both those with religious beliefs and of atheists, and that this had been confirmed in case law. Evaluated as a whole, the book was written as a criticism of religion and God in general, and the author did not target any particular religious group.
Yakışan reminded the court that the previous court case had ended in acquittal and thus demanded the case to be dropped. Otherwise, he warned, "publishers and writers will continuously be on trial, which would lead to personal suffering."
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DNA Template Could Explain Evolutionary Shifts
Rearrangements of all sizes in genomes, genes and exons can result from a glitch in DNA copying that occurs when the process stalls at a critical point and then shifts to a different genetic template, duplicating and even triplicating genes or just shuffling or deleting part of the code within them, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a recent report in the journal Nature Genetics.
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Two thirds of teenagers don't believe in God
Teenagers even say family, friends, money, music and even reality television are more important than religion.
It also emerged six out of ten 10 children (59 per cent) believe that religion "has a negative influence on the world".
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It also emerged six out of ten 10 children (59 per cent) believe that religion "has a negative influence on the world".
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Inside Nature's Giants
Of the many extraordinary sights revealed in Channel 4’s upcoming four-part series Inside Nature’s Giants, which uses dissection to take us inside the bodies of an elephant, giraffe and crocodile, the most remarkable is surely afforded by an autopsy carried out on a 65-foot long, 60-ton fin whale (a species second only in size to the blue whale) beached off the coast of Ireland.
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Planning Ahead Bacteria
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute in Israel, led by Prof. Yitzhak Pilpel, have recently shown that bacteria can anticipate certain future events in their environment and prepare for the upcoming changes. According to the scientists, these findings do not only improve our understanding of genetic adaptation processes, but may also have practical implications in the future for purposes such as green fuels' production.
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Among Many Peoples, Little Genomic Variety
There is a simplicity and all-inclusiveness to the number three -- the triangle, the Holy Trinity, three peas in a pod. So it's perhaps not surprising that the Family of Man is divided that way, too.
All of Earth's people, according to a new analysis of the genomes of 53 populations, fall into just three genetic groups. They are the products of the first and most important journey our species made -- the walk out of Africa about 70,000 years ago by a small fraction of ancestral Homo sapiens.
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All of Earth's people, according to a new analysis of the genomes of 53 populations, fall into just three genetic groups. They are the products of the first and most important journey our species made -- the walk out of Africa about 70,000 years ago by a small fraction of ancestral Homo sapiens.
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Why Some People Are Gay
We have known for at least a decade that hundreds of animal species — including birds, reptiles, mollusks and, of course, humans — engage in same-gender sexual acts. But no one is quite sure why. After all, same-sex couplings don't usually result in offspring. (I say usually because when male marine snails pair with other males, one partner conveniently changes sex, allowing for reproduction.) Evolutionarily speaking, homosexuality should have disappeared long ago.
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The Plant that Pretends to be ill
A plant that pretends to be ill has been found growing in the rainforests of Ecuador.
The plants feigns sickness to stop it being attacked by insect pests known as mining moths, which would otherwise eat its healthy leaves.
It is the first known example of a plant that mimics being ill, and could also explain a common pattern seen on plant leaves known as variegation.
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The plants feigns sickness to stop it being attacked by insect pests known as mining moths, which would otherwise eat its healthy leaves.
It is the first known example of a plant that mimics being ill, and could also explain a common pattern seen on plant leaves known as variegation.
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Audio slideshow: Darwin's Endless Forms
The scientific legacy of Charles Darwin is well documented, but the impact he had on the 19th Century art world is less well known.
As part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of his birth, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is hosting an exhibition which reveals art's debt to Darwin. Take a guided tour with the curators Diana Donald and Jane Munro.
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As part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of his birth, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is hosting an exhibition which reveals art's debt to Darwin. Take a guided tour with the curators Diana Donald and Jane Munro.
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Oldest Known Evidence of Multicellular Life on Earth
"They are between 400 and 600 million years older than any multicellular life found anywhere on the planet," Professor Rasmussen, of Curtin University of Technology, said.
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Mexican Salamander May Yield Clues for Amputees
Scientists are genetically modifying a bizarre looking Mexican salamander, which according to ancient mythology is a transformed Aztec god, in the hope its ability to regenerate body parts will one day help human amputees.
Also known as "water monsters," the half-foot-long (15-cm-long) axolotl is nearly extinct in its only remaining habitat: the polluted vestiges of Aztec canals that snake though southern Mexico City, packed with colorful boats carrying tourists and mariachi musicians.
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Also known as "water monsters," the half-foot-long (15-cm-long) axolotl is nearly extinct in its only remaining habitat: the polluted vestiges of Aztec canals that snake though southern Mexico City, packed with colorful boats carrying tourists and mariachi musicians.
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Wired Science News for Your Neurons Fossil Catches Dinosaur Red-Handed, Evolving Into Bird
A newly discovered dinosaur provides a fossil snapshot of the reptiles’ evolution into birds, and neatly fills a troublesome transitional gap.
Living 159 million years ago in what is now Western China, Limusaurus inextricabilis was a small, herbivorous member of the theropod family. The coelurosaur branch of that family survives today, in highly modified form, as birds.
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Living 159 million years ago in what is now Western China, Limusaurus inextricabilis was a small, herbivorous member of the theropod family. The coelurosaur branch of that family survives today, in highly modified form, as birds.
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Sonic Black Hole Traps Sound Waves
A black hole created by Israeli scientists won't destroy Earth, but it could make our planet just a little bit less noisy.
Using Bose-Einstein condensates, the scientists created a black hole for sound. The new research could help scientists learn more about true black holes and help confirm the existence of as-yet to be discovered Hawking radiation.
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Using Bose-Einstein condensates, the scientists created a black hole for sound. The new research could help scientists learn more about true black holes and help confirm the existence of as-yet to be discovered Hawking radiation.
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Tiny Frozen Microbe May Hold Clues To Extraterrestrial Life
A novel bacterium -- trapped more than three kilometres under glacial ice in Greenland for over 120,000 years -- may hold clues as to what life forms might exist on other planets.
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Sea gives up Neanderthal fossil
Part of a Neanderthal man's skull has been dredged up from the North Sea, in the first confirmed find of its kind.
Scientists in Leiden, in the Netherlands, have unveiled the specimen - a fragment from the front of a skull belonging to a young adult male.
Analysis of chemical "isotopes" in the 60,000-year-old fossil suggest a carnivorous diet, matching results from other Neanderthal specimens.
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Scientists in Leiden, in the Netherlands, have unveiled the specimen - a fragment from the front of a skull belonging to a young adult male.
Analysis of chemical "isotopes" in the 60,000-year-old fossil suggest a carnivorous diet, matching results from other Neanderthal specimens.
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Gene Evolution Process Discovered
One of the mechanisms governing how our physical features and behavioral traits have evolved over centuries has been discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds.
Darwin proposed that such traits are passed from a parent to their offspring, with natural selection favoring those that give the greatest advantage for survival, but did not have a scientific explanation for this process.
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Darwin proposed that such traits are passed from a parent to their offspring, with natural selection favoring those that give the greatest advantage for survival, but did not have a scientific explanation for this process.
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Moray Eels Are Everywhere and There Is One Over Your Shoulder Right Now!
Reece’s approach to this question is to examine what limits and shapes species ranges of eels. Morays have extraordinary larvae, the Leptocephalus, that is an enigma in itself. The larvae contain no digestive track and no yolk but can maintain themselves in the water column from 6-24 months.
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Dr. Dino’s League of Stupid
Eric Hovind, infinite fail spawn of one notorious Kent Hovind, has a blog. And guess what? It’s crapola. It’s hard to read without shedding a tear for humanity. In fact, it’s actually worse than Ray Comfort’s absurdly named Atheist Central. And that’s really saying something.
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H1N1: Origins and Evolution of the Current Epidemic
A new analysis of the current swine-origin H1N1 influenza A virus, published online by the journal Nature, suggests that transmission to humans occurred several months before recognition of the existing outbreak.
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Evolution Can Occur in Less Than Ten Years
UCR-led study shows wild Trinidadian guppies adapted in less than 30 generations to a new environment
How fast can evolution take place? In just a few years, according to a new study on guppies led by UC Riverside’s Swanne Gordon, a graduate student in biology.
Gordon and her colleagues studied guppies — small fresh-water fish biologists have studied for long — from the Yarra River, Trinidad. They introduced the guppies into the nearby Damier River, in a section above a barrier waterfall that excluded all predators. The guppies and their descendents also colonized the lower portion of the stream, below the barrier waterfall, that contained natural predators.
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How fast can evolution take place? In just a few years, according to a new study on guppies led by UC Riverside’s Swanne Gordon, a graduate student in biology.
Gordon and her colleagues studied guppies — small fresh-water fish biologists have studied for long — from the Yarra River, Trinidad. They introduced the guppies into the nearby Damier River, in a section above a barrier waterfall that excluded all predators. The guppies and their descendents also colonized the lower portion of the stream, below the barrier waterfall, that contained natural predators.
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"Human"-Faced Missing Link Found in Spain?
Move over Ida—you're last month's news. There's a new (purported) "missing link" in town.
An 11.9-million-year-old fossil ape species with an unusually flat, "surprisingly human" face has been found in Spain. The discovery suggests humans' ape ancestors split from primitive apes in Europe, not Africa—the so-called cradle of humanity—a new study says.
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An 11.9-million-year-old fossil ape species with an unusually flat, "surprisingly human" face has been found in Spain. The discovery suggests humans' ape ancestors split from primitive apes in Europe, not Africa—the so-called cradle of humanity—a new study says.
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Is Cancer the Price for Our Big Brains?
Our large brains may make us cognitively superior to chimps, but, according to a new hypothesis, we could be paying a price for our sizable cerebrum: a higher rate of cancer.
Chimpanzees are thought to be the closest evolutionary relative to humans, and we share around 98 percent of our genes with these primates. But for years, scientists have observed that chimps have a surprisingly low cancer rate compared to humans.
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Chimpanzees are thought to be the closest evolutionary relative to humans, and we share around 98 percent of our genes with these primates. But for years, scientists have observed that chimps have a surprisingly low cancer rate compared to humans.
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Genetically Engineered Mice Can't Get Fat
Since lab mice have been kind enough to start making baby formula for us, it might be nice to pay them back. Luckily, two UCLA scientists have the perfect gift: a bacterial gene that, when inserted into the rat genome, adds a new metabolic pathway that makes it impossible to get fat, no matter the carb content of the mouse's diet.
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Brainy Echidna Proves Looks Aren’t Everything
If you wanted to push yourself to the outermost chalk line of human endurance, you might consider an ultramarathon, or a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean, or being nominated to the United States Supreme Court.
Or you could try studying the long-beaked echidna, one of the oldest, rarest, shyest, silliest-looking yet potentially most illuminating mammals on earth.
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Or you could try studying the long-beaked echidna, one of the oldest, rarest, shyest, silliest-looking yet potentially most illuminating mammals on earth.
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How much faith should the faithless put in Barack Obama?
The president said in his inaugural address that the United States is “a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers.” And in his commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame, he said that the Golden Rule binds “people of all faiths and no faith together.”
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In Worms, Genetic Clues to Extending Longevity
People die, but one part of them, at least in principle, is immortal. In the germline cells that produce eggs or sperm, biological time stands still. This is why babies are all born with the same age, the clock set to zero, regardless of the age of their parents.
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Robots Unlock the Mysteries of Evolution
Researchers and engineers have begun to unravel the mysteries of evolution. Yes, we know that DNA changes and favorable mutations are awarded with longer lives and more offspring, but how can scientists tell which evolutionary step was really the best? Computer programs can help to simulate different scenarios but, as many scientists will attest, there is no substitute for the real thing. That is where John Long of Vassar College steps up to the plate. He uses robotics to mimic the movements of species and can change their characteristics ever so slightly to determine exactly what a specific evolution does. These robots can tackle the tough evolutionary questions, not just why the dodo didn’t make it.
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Different genes can cause same effects
U.S. biologists have found the loss of pelvises and body armor in two species of stickleback fish was caused by different genes.
The finding surprised University of Utah researchers, who expected the same genes would control the same evolutionary changes in both related fish.
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The finding surprised University of Utah researchers, who expected the same genes would control the same evolutionary changes in both related fish.
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Early man 'genetically modified' wild horses to make them tame
Early man "genetically modified" wild horses to create tamer animals which became the domesticated horse which helped spread human civilisation around the globe, according to new findings by a team of German scientists. Until now, it was not known whether horses had always been "user-friendly" or whether humans had interceded in their genetic makeup through selective breeding - as early humans demonstrably did with wolves and wildcats to "create" modern dogs and cats.
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In what could be a breakthrough in animal breeding, a team of scientists from Germany, Russia and Sweden have discovered a set of genetic regions responsible for animal tameness. This discovery, published in the June 2009 issue of the journal Genetics, should help animal breeders, farmers, zoologists, and anyone else who handles and raises animals to more fully understand what makes some animals interact with humans better than do others. It may also lead to more precise breeding strategies designed to pass specific genes from one generation to the next as a way to produce tame animals.
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In what could be a breakthrough in animal breeding, a team of scientists from Germany, Russia and Sweden have discovered a set of genetic regions responsible for animal tameness. This discovery, published in the June 2009 issue of the journal Genetics, should help animal breeders, farmers, zoologists, and anyone else who handles and raises animals to more fully understand what makes some animals interact with humans better than do others. It may also lead to more precise breeding strategies designed to pass specific genes from one generation to the next as a way to produce tame animals.
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Atheism at a Glance
Atheism is the absence of belief in any Gods or spiritual beings. The word Atheism comes from a, meaning without, and theism meaning belief in god or gods.
* Atheists don't use God to explain the existence of the universe.
* Atheists say that human beings can devise suitable moral codes to live by without the aid of Gods or scripture
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* Atheists don't use God to explain the existence of the universe.
* Atheists say that human beings can devise suitable moral codes to live by without the aid of Gods or scripture
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What's wrong with the new Texas standards
Writing in The Earth Scientist, the journal of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, NCSE's Steven Newton explains (PDF, pp. 30-33) in detail what's wrong with the new state science standards adopted in Texas in March 2009, focusing on the Earth and Space Science standards in particular.
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New 'Molecular Clock' Aids Dating Of Human Migration History
Researchers at the University of Leeds have devised a more accurate method of dating ancient human migration – even when no corroborating archaeological evidence exists.
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Why Are Humans Different From All Other Apes? It’s the Cooking, Stupid
Human beings are not obviously equipped to be nature’s gladiators. We have no claws, no armor. That we eat meat seems surprising, because we are not made for chewing it uncooked in the wild. Our jaws are weak; our teeth are blunt; our mouths are small. That thing below our noses? It truly is a pie hole.
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Debaptism the Latest Trend for Atheists
With a slogan like "Liberate yourself from the Original Mumbo-Jumbo that liberated you from the Original Sin you never had!", what more could the everyday atheist ask for? Debaptism it is.
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Researchers Discover a DNA Dimmer
Scientists have long used genetic switches to turn genes on and off, but they have struggled to control intermediate settings. Now researchers have engineered a DNA dimmer that allows them to adjust a gene’s activity level. By adding measured amounts of anhydrotetracycline (ATc) to a population of genetically modified yeast cells, scientists at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center were able to precisely control the production of green fluorescent protein.
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A Message from Executive Director Sean Faircloth
I'm Sean Faircloth, the new executive director of the Secular Coalition for America. I am a former Majority Whip of the Maine House of Representatives, a father of three, and a proud nontheist. I am excited to have the opportunity to lead this organization.
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Squid 'Sight' Offers Insight Into Treating Human Eye Diseases
It's hard to miss the huge eye of a squid. But now it appears that certain squids can detect light through an organ other than their eyes as well.
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“Missing Link” Could Add Mediterranean Chapter to Story of Human Evolution
It didn’t have a TV special, book deal or media-friendly pimping from the mayor of New York City, but a 12 million-year-old skull recently unearthed in Spain just might end up actually deserving the label of “missing link.”
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Plants 'can recognise themselves'
Experiments show that a sagebrush plant can recognize a genetically identical cutting growing nearby.
What's more, the two clones communicate and cooperate with one another, to avoid being eaten by herbivores.
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What's more, the two clones communicate and cooperate with one another, to avoid being eaten by herbivores.
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More Religious and Devout Young Women Have Abortions
A new study published in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that young women in their teens or early twenties who have attended religious schools are more likely than their peers to get an abortion, despite their beliefs. In fact, the research points out, these girls are more likely than those in the public school system to get pregnant without being too mature or married. The findings are very weird, because private religious schools, regardless of the god they promote, pride themselves in enforcing a very strict policy as far as contacts between their students go.
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Chimp-Made Toolkit Most Complex Ever Found
Where Art and Paleontology Intersect, Fossils Become Faces
For his first date with a fellow art student, Viktor Deak suggested “Bodies,” the exhibit of flayed and plasticized humans.
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Atheist nations are more peaceful
The 2009 Global Peace Index has just been released. It's basically a ranking of how turbulent and warlike a country is.
They put it together by assessing 23 criteria, including foreign wars, internal conflicts, respect for human rights, the number of murders, the number of people in jail, the arms trade, and degrees of democracy (Guardian).
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They put it together by assessing 23 criteria, including foreign wars, internal conflicts, respect for human rights, the number of murders, the number of people in jail, the arms trade, and degrees of democracy (Guardian).
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Ha-Ha! Ape study traces evolution of laughter
When scientists set out to trace the roots of human laughter, some chimps and gorillas were just tickled to help. Literally.
That's how researchers made a variety of apes and some human babies laugh. After analyzing the sounds, they concluded that people and great apes inherited laughter from a shared ancestor that lived more than 10 million years ago.
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That's how researchers made a variety of apes and some human babies laugh. After analyzing the sounds, they concluded that people and great apes inherited laughter from a shared ancestor that lived more than 10 million years ago.
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Climate myths: Human CO2 emissions are too tiny to matter
Ice cores show that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have remained between 180 and 300 parts per million for the past half-a-million years. In recent centuries, however, CO2 levels have risen sharply, to at least 380 ppm.
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Once again, for those that don't want to read here is a video:
Read More
Once again, for those that don't want to read here is a video:
Can monkeys mislead?
Capuchin monkeys cry "predator" to trick more senior members of their troop into fleeing the dinner table, leaving more food for themselves, according to a study published online this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Read More About These Tricky Little Bastards Here
Read More About These Tricky Little Bastards Here
Making Pig Stem Cells Raises the Possibility of Animal Organ Donors
It was only a few years ago that scientists figured out how to reprogram adult cells to make them act like multipurpose stem cells, but the next discoveries are coming fast and furious. Researchers had previously transformed human skin cells into so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that can grow into any type of tissue; now, a new study reports that the same feat has been accomplished with pig cells. The achievement raises the possibility that genetically engineered pigs could be reared as organ donors, researchers say.
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How 'Invading' Bacteria Can Integrate Captured DNA Into Own Genetic Makeup
Researchers at Texas A&M University's Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering have discovered how certain types of bacteria integrate the DNA that they have captured from invading enemies into their own genetic makeup to increase their chances of survival.
The Rest of the Article
And a few videos on the subject for those that don't want to read.
The Rest of the Article
And a few videos on the subject for those that don't want to read.
New Hominid 12 Million Years Old Found In Spain, With 'Modern' Facial Features
Researchers have discovered a fossilized face and jaw from a previously unknown hominoid primate genus in Spain dating to the Middle Miocene era, roughly 12 million years ago. Nicknamed "Lluc," the male bears a strikingly "modern" facial appearance with a flat face, rather than a protruding one.
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Why Do Christians Insist That Hitler Was an Atheist?
2. Hitler wrote in his book, Mein Kampf: “. . . I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews, I am doing the Lord’s work.” He made essentially the same claim in a speech before the Reichstag in 1938.
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Wired Science News for Your Neurons Fossil Teeth Hint at Animal Adaptation to Global Warming
Amidst predictions of global warming-driven global extinctions, a dietary analysis of ancient teeth suggests that animals may prove more adaptable than expected.
The tale of the teeth, collected at two sites in Florida and spanning a transition between extreme temperatures during an ice age climate cycle, runs counter to the standard narrative of animals as unable to adjust their behavioral patterns.
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The tale of the teeth, collected at two sites in Florida and spanning a transition between extreme temperatures during an ice age climate cycle, runs counter to the standard narrative of animals as unable to adjust their behavioral patterns.
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Abortion Provider Killed By Christian Fundamentalist
Dr. George Tiller (1941-2009): Murdered Abortion Provider Remembered for Lifelong Dedication to Woman's Reproductive Health
Retard Fundamentalists, the above is why your belief in silly superstition is questioned and belittled. Learn right and wrong, because apparently your "god" forgot to instill you with morals.
Retard Fundamentalists, the above is why your belief in silly superstition is questioned and belittled. Learn right and wrong, because apparently your "god" forgot to instill you with morals.
Promise To Return
"Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." (Matthew 16:28)
Most Christians do not realize that Jesus' promise of his second coming did not apply to our generation or to a future generation, but only to the generation of his time. Also, Jesus said in Rev. 3:11: "Behold I come quickly..."
Those poor people of early Christianity! They thought the texts got written for them, yet Jesus never fulfilled his promise.
Two thousand years have rolled by and yet many "true" believers still await his "quick" return. As any school child knows, anyone who does not keep promises does not deserve our trust, much less our admiration.
Furthermore, to believe in a second coming and the end of the world gives no reason to feel concerned about the long-term future of Earth. Why should we care about the environment, wars, or suffering if we believe that the world will come to an end soon and that everything will get taken care of in heaven?
Most Christians do not realize that Jesus' promise of his second coming did not apply to our generation or to a future generation, but only to the generation of his time. Also, Jesus said in Rev. 3:11: "Behold I come quickly..."
Those poor people of early Christianity! They thought the texts got written for them, yet Jesus never fulfilled his promise.
Two thousand years have rolled by and yet many "true" believers still await his "quick" return. As any school child knows, anyone who does not keep promises does not deserve our trust, much less our admiration.
Furthermore, to believe in a second coming and the end of the world gives no reason to feel concerned about the long-term future of Earth. Why should we care about the environment, wars, or suffering if we believe that the world will come to an end soon and that everything will get taken care of in heaven?
Darwin and Religion
I am aware that if we admit a first cause, the mind still craves to know whence it came and how it arose.
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Six things Darwin never said - and one he did
"I was a young man with uninformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them."
Lady Hope: a quote from an article claiming to describe Darwin's deathbed return to Christianity. His children denied that Lady Hope was anywhere near Darwin as he was dying, and the story is generally considered to have been fabricated.
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Lady Hope: a quote from an article claiming to describe Darwin's deathbed return to Christianity. His children denied that Lady Hope was anywhere near Darwin as he was dying, and the story is generally considered to have been fabricated.
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Electronic Evolution: Research Show Robots Forming Human-like Societies
A lone group of Swiss scientists have been using scattered LEDs, neural circuity, and an army of miniature robots to explore the very basis of good and evil. No, you aren't reading the back cover of a DVD in the "one dollar each, please get this trash out of our store" bin of your local blockbuster -this research is very real and very, very awesome.
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Of Mice and Men: Scientists unveil complete genome sequence of the mouse
Genetically speaking, what distinguishes a man from a mouse? U.S. and European scientists provide the answer in this week's PLoS Biology. They have described the finished genome sequence of the mouse, which, after the human, is only the second mammal to have its complete genome decoded.
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Clemson geology museum displaying rare 375 million-year-old fossil
Tiktaalik, a rare fossil specimen that illustrates the evolution of fish to land animals, will be on display at the Bob Campbell Geology Museum at Clemson University through July 3.
Read On Here
Read On Here
Christ Kills Two, Injures Seven In Abortion-Clinic Attack *Satire*
"As I said in John 16:21, every life is precious," Christ said. "This means every life, not just those who have already been born. My father, the Lord, feels the same way I do. In Jeremiah 1:5, He said unto the prophet Jeremiah, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.' The unborn fetus is a sacred, living creation of my Father in Heaven and should be treated as such."
Added Christ: "What if the Virgin Mary had decided to abort me? Certainly she must have been tempted to do so. After all, it wasn't even her decision to conceive me in the first place. But in the end, she made the right decision, bringing her pregnancy to term and giving the world a Savior. Blessed is she among women." According to legal experts, if convicted, Christ could face the death penalty.
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Added Christ: "What if the Virgin Mary had decided to abort me? Certainly she must have been tempted to do so. After all, it wasn't even her decision to conceive me in the first place. But in the end, she made the right decision, bringing her pregnancy to term and giving the world a Savior. Blessed is she among women." According to legal experts, if convicted, Christ could face the death penalty.
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God is Merciful, but Only if You're a Man
Jew, Christian or Muslim ... whatever the faith, women are still treated with disdain or worse.
Jump for the Obvious Truth
Jump for the Obvious Truth
Richard Dawkins and Steve Jones give their views on creationism teaching poll
But if teaching creationism 'alongside' evolution means what it seems to mean, it is no more defensible than teaching the stork theory alongside the sex theory of the where babies come from.
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The Gods Creation
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26) [Bold caps mind, Ed.]
The Bible has a crisis from the very beginning in that Biblical translators have chosen to use the word "God" for the Hebrew term 'Elohim.' The problem, here lies in the fact that Elohim represents the plural form of 'El.' Elohim literally means 'gods.' A more honest translation of Verse 1 should read, "In the beginning Gods created the heaven and the earth," and in Verse 26: "And the Gods said..."
The idea of Genesis and the Creation story did not come originally from the Hebrews, but rather from various cultures in the area. For example, excavations in Mesopotamia uncovered small cylinder seals depicting the creation stories. Of course these early people believed in many gods and goddesses, just as did the first Hebrews. The Enuma Elish, the Mesopotamian creation story which predates Genesis and which believers recited in every Mesopotamian temple every year for some 4000 years and more, parallels the Biblical stories to such an extent that it even makes abundant use of the "magical" number seven. [Romer, p.35-36]
Although as the Hebrew belief system grew, and the word Elohim came to mean the singular God, the fact still remains: The original meaning meant the plural form. Any honest translation of Elohim, therefore should reflect this plurality. In the name of honesty, we should ask why our Church fathers would allow the dishonest singular forms of the word God in the Bible.
Note, when anyone questioned this plurality, Christian priests tried to resolve this sticky problem by using the concept of the Trinity (Father, Son and the Holy Ghost) or the heavenly angels to explain the plurality. The problem here comes that if they truly believed this, then why not use the proper plural translation in the first place? Substituting a singular term for the plurality of the Trinity or other heavenly agents amounts to dishonesty or subterfuge.
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26) [Bold caps mind, Ed.]
The Bible has a crisis from the very beginning in that Biblical translators have chosen to use the word "God" for the Hebrew term 'Elohim.' The problem, here lies in the fact that Elohim represents the plural form of 'El.' Elohim literally means 'gods.' A more honest translation of Verse 1 should read, "In the beginning Gods created the heaven and the earth," and in Verse 26: "And the Gods said..."
The idea of Genesis and the Creation story did not come originally from the Hebrews, but rather from various cultures in the area. For example, excavations in Mesopotamia uncovered small cylinder seals depicting the creation stories. Of course these early people believed in many gods and goddesses, just as did the first Hebrews. The Enuma Elish, the Mesopotamian creation story which predates Genesis and which believers recited in every Mesopotamian temple every year for some 4000 years and more, parallels the Biblical stories to such an extent that it even makes abundant use of the "magical" number seven. [Romer, p.35-36]
Although as the Hebrew belief system grew, and the word Elohim came to mean the singular God, the fact still remains: The original meaning meant the plural form. Any honest translation of Elohim, therefore should reflect this plurality. In the name of honesty, we should ask why our Church fathers would allow the dishonest singular forms of the word God in the Bible.
Note, when anyone questioned this plurality, Christian priests tried to resolve this sticky problem by using the concept of the Trinity (Father, Son and the Holy Ghost) or the heavenly angels to explain the plurality. The problem here comes that if they truly believed this, then why not use the proper plural translation in the first place? Substituting a singular term for the plurality of the Trinity or other heavenly agents amounts to dishonesty or subterfuge.
Jesus Reveals Himself to be Satan
"I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelation 22:16)
This verse presents the most shocking revelation in the entire Bible. On the very last page, it reveals Jesus as the "bright and morning star". In other words, Lucifer-- Satan!
In Isaiah 14:12, St. Jerome, translated the Hebrew "morning star" into the Latin term "Lucifer" (light bearer), a name commonly ascribed to Satan by Christians, and represents the fallen star, an ancient symbol for the fallen or evil one. The mourning star actually appears as the planet Venus, the brightest "star" in the sky (but the ancients did not know about planets). Venus always appears low on the horizon, thus it looked like a fallen star (fallen angel) to the believers.
Although the Isaiah verse describes the fallen king of Babylon, Christians have, for centuries, ascribed Satan as taking many forms. And what more powerful form could an evil being take than to pretend himself as the savior of the world? This would certainly explain the hate filled verses attributed to Jesus and the blind followers who inherit ignorance. Thus, a conclusion, based on Christian beliefs of Satan, and the belief in the "inerrancy" of the Bible, one must conclude that Jesus has revealed himself as Satan!
What a Revelation!
This verse presents the most shocking revelation in the entire Bible. On the very last page, it reveals Jesus as the "bright and morning star". In other words, Lucifer-- Satan!
In Isaiah 14:12, St. Jerome, translated the Hebrew "morning star" into the Latin term "Lucifer" (light bearer), a name commonly ascribed to Satan by Christians, and represents the fallen star, an ancient symbol for the fallen or evil one. The mourning star actually appears as the planet Venus, the brightest "star" in the sky (but the ancients did not know about planets). Venus always appears low on the horizon, thus it looked like a fallen star (fallen angel) to the believers.
Although the Isaiah verse describes the fallen king of Babylon, Christians have, for centuries, ascribed Satan as taking many forms. And what more powerful form could an evil being take than to pretend himself as the savior of the world? This would certainly explain the hate filled verses attributed to Jesus and the blind followers who inherit ignorance. Thus, a conclusion, based on Christian beliefs of Satan, and the belief in the "inerrancy" of the Bible, one must conclude that Jesus has revealed himself as Satan!
What a Revelation!
BIBLE BASED MORALITY
"Genesis chapter 11 says that it was God who separated men by language and scattered them abroad on the face of all the earth (verse 9). Prior to that, it says that the whole earth was of one language and of one speech (verse 1), living and working together in peace. It was God, concerned about their ambition and ability as a unified people, who decided to segregate them by language and geography. Is it therefore surprising when a racial separatist declares that blacks should go back to Africa and points to the Bible as his source of authority? Is he not right, if the Bible has any authority, to claim that people of different races and different languages should remain separated as God wanted? He’s only wrong if the Bible is wrong."
What does the bible say about woman, slavery, racism, human sacrifice, and the handicap? You might be surprised.
What does the bible say about woman, slavery, racism, human sacrifice, and the handicap? You might be surprised.
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