Japanese researchers who devised a method for turning human skin cells into cells that closely resemble embryonic stem cells have modified their formula so that it no longer involves the cancer-causing gene c-Myc. The new method is less efficient, but it does produce induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and colleagues reported Friday in Nature Biotechnology. Researchers injected the cells into 26 mice; none of the animals died of tumors. By contrast, six of the 37 mice injected with iPS cells derived with c-Myc succumbed to tumors during the study. ‘Teen galaxies’ are discovered Young galaxies, so faint that scientists struggled to prove they were there, have been discovered by aiming two of the world’s most powerful telescopes at a single patch of sky for nearly 100 hours. An international research team has identified 27 pre-galactic fragments, ‘teenager galaxies,’ which they hope will help astronomers understand how our own Milky Way reached adulthood. The telescopes allowed scientists to see back 11 billion years or more, to 2 billion years after the Big Bang. The clusters make a compelling case for the theory that galaxies formed bit by bit instead […]
There may just be a Google phone after all. Google said on Friday it would apply to bid in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s auction of 700 megahertz band wireless spectrum. If it wins, it could build a wireless network for that spectrum on its own, or partner with others to build and operate such a network. Either way, Google could put its brand on millions of mobile devices that use the network. It would also be able to control the Internet experience on the devices and how much people would pay–or not pay–for the services. In essence, Google could control the direction of the next-generation wireless network. ‘Imagine an iPhone where the whole thing is a screen and the bottom eighth is banner ads running across,’ said Iain Gillott, a wireless analyst at IGR. ‘Spectrum is king; you own everything.’ The 700MHz spectrum, which has been used to provide analog TV service, travels far and penetrates walls. As a result, it’s considered the last remaining chunk of attractive wireless airwaves and is viewed as an opportunity to expand the Internet to a new frontier. The spectrum auction is scheduled to begin on January 24, […]
Sometimes, authors of tell-all memoirs reveal even more than they realize. One such revelation comes on Page 347 of John Bolton’s Surrender Is Not an Option, published earlier this month. I doubt most reviewers noticed the line as they leafed through the book in search of the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations’ famous putdowns. But for anyone who follows events in the Horn of Africa, it had all the impact of a small explosion. Bolton, whose contempt for the United Nations is only matched by his exasperation with the State Department, recounts the position Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer adopted in 2006 toward the ‘final and binding’ ruling an international commission had reached over the Eritrean-Ethiopian border, the cause of a war that claimed some 90,000 lives. ‘For reasons I never understood,’ writes Bolton, ‘Frazer reversed course, and asked in early February to reopen the 2002 [Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission] decision, which she had concluded was wrong, and award a major piece of disputed territory to Ethiopia. I was at a loss how to explain that to the Security Council, so I didn’t.’ Why should this interest anyone outside the United Nations? […]
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI strongly criticized modern-day atheism in a major document released today, saying it had led to some of the ‘greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice’ ever known to mankind. But in his second encyclical, Benedict also critically questioned modern Christianity, saying its focus on individual salvation had ignored Jesus’ message that true Christian hope involves salvation for all. ‘Saved by Hope’ is a deeply theological exploration of Christian hope in the afterlife – that in the suffering and misery of daily life, Christianity provides the faithful with a ‘journey of hope’ to the Kingdom of God. ‘We must do all we can to overcome suffering, but to banish it from the world is not in our power,’ Benedict wrote. ‘Only God is able to do this.’ In the 76-page document, Benedict elaborates on how the Christian understanding of hope had changed in the modern age, when man sought to relieve the suffering and injustice around him. Benedict points to two historical upheavals: the French Revolution and the proletarian revolution instigated by Karl Marx. Benedict sharply criticizes Marx and the 19th and 20th century atheism spawned by his revolution, […]
WASHINGTON — The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove’s White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call. Scott Bloch runs the Office of Special Counsel, an agency charged with protecting government whistleblowers and enforcing a ban on federal employees engaging in partisan political activity. Mr. Bloch’s agency is looking into whether Mr. Rove and other White House officials used government agencies to help re-elect Republicans in 2006. At the same time, Mr. Bloch has himself been under investigation since 2005. At the direction of the White House, the federal Office of Personnel Management’s inspector general is looking into claims that Mr. Bloch improperly retaliated against employees and dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination. Recently, investigators learned that Mr. Bloch erased all the files on his office personal computer late last year. They are now trying to determine whether the deletions were improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case said. Bypassing his agency’s computer technicians, Mr. Bloch phoned 1-800-905-GEEKS for Geeks on Call, the mobile PC-help service. It dispatched a technician in one of its […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
