Fine food sings on the palate, but pairing it with the right wine creates a chorus. Among those in the know, the plum, chocolate and spice flavours of Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, Pinot Noirs and Sangioveses best accentuate the rich flavours of red meats. Now, however, a group of researchers led by Joseph Kanner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has discovered that pairing red wines like these with red meat appears to be more than just a matter of taste. If the two mix in the stomach, compounds in the wine thwart the formation of harmful chemicals that are released when meat is digested. The idea that red wine is actually good for your health is irresistible to the average tippler. But it appears to be true. In particular, red wines are rich in polyphenols, a group of powerful antioxidants that are thought to protect against cancer and heart disease by destroying molecules that would otherwise damage cells. How the polyphenols in wine exercise their beneficial effects, though, has been mysterious. That is because they do not seem to travel in any quantity from the stomach into the bloodstream. The answer, Dr Kanner has found, lies in the […]
The Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA) released the results of a phone poll performed early in June that show the US public is strongly in favor of addressing many of the country’s problems through scientific innovation. Although there were partisan differences on specific issues, majorities in both parties favor dedicating federal funding for scientific research, including that directed to climate change. The poll may help the organization’s campaign to get Congressional and Presidential candidates to commit to positions on science policy issues. Related Stories The poll was conducted in mid-June, and involved a phone survey of over 1,000 US voters. Subjects were asked whether science policy issues, including education, health care, energy, and climate change would influence their votes. Candidates who were in favor of scientific solutions to these issues were more likely to receive the votes of a majority of those polled, in some cases much more likely. Strong majorities (roughly 85 percent) favored candidates that supported science education efforts and research directed toward improving healthcare, with a majority of voters saying those candidates were much more likely to get their vote. Nearly 80 percent would support candidates that proposed handling energy issues through scientific research, […]
JERUSALEM — A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days. If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus, since it suggests that the story of his death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time. The tablet, probably found near the Dead Sea in Jordan according to some scholars who have studied it, is a rare example of a stone with ink writings from that era — in essence, a Dead Sea Scroll on stone. It is written, not engraved, across two neat columns, similar to columns in a Torah. But the stone is broken, and some of the text is faded, meaning that much of what it says is open to debate. Still, its authenticity has so far faced no challenge, so its role in helping to understand the roots of Christianity in […]
Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% – far more than previously estimated – according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian. The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis of the crisis so far, carried out by an internationally-respected economist at global financial body. The figure emphatically contradicts the US government’s claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises. It will add to pressure on governments in Washington and across Europe, which have turned to plant-derived fuels to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce their dependence on imported oil. Senior development sources believe the report, completed in April, has not been published to avoid embarrassing President George Bush. ‘It would put the World Bank in a political hot-spot with the White House,’ said one yesterday. The news comes at a critical point in the world’s negotiations on biofuels policy. Leaders of the G8 industrialised countries meet next week in Hokkaido, Japan, where they will discuss the food crisis and come under intense lobbying from campaigners calling for a moratorium on the use of plant-derived fuels. It will also put pressure on […]
KUMAGAYA, Japan: With its towering furnaces and clanging conveyer belts carrying crushed rock, Taiheiyo Cement’s factory looks like a relic from the Industrial Revolution. But it is actually a model of modern energy efficiency, harnessing its waste heat to generate much of its own electricity. Engineers from China and elsewhere in Asia come to study its design, which has allowed the company to slash the amount of power it buys from the grid. The plant is just one example of Japan’s single-minded dedication to reducing energy use, a commitment that dates from the oil shocks of the 1970s that shook this resource-poor nation. Now, with oil prices hitting dizzying levels and the world struggling to deal with global warming, Japan hopes to use its conservation record to assume a rare leadership role on a pressing global issue. It will showcase its efforts to export its conservation ethic – and its expensive power-saving technology – at the summit meeting of the Group of 8 industrial leaders that Japan is playing host to, starting Monday. ‘Superior technology and a national spirit of avoiding waste give Japan the world’s most energy-efficient structure,’ Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said in a […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
