"This is our mum isn't it?"
New Kind Human Found Which Challeges Darwinian Theory
A new find of human remains challenges Darwinian theory. Science was absolutely certain that for the past 80,000 or so years only humans and Neanderthals wandered the earth. First the "hobbit" on the island of Flores was found which showed that other hominids lived almost to the present time in remote parts of the world. Now a new human species has come to light in Mongolia. The DNA from a child's finger indicates a separate species. Denisova is the name given to the new humans after the region where it was found.
For many years it was believed animals with a different number of chromosomes could not interbreed. This premise is now brought into question. Neanderthal DNA has been identified in human DNA. This finding makes the discovery of our origins almost impossible. With no clear distinction between species how do you put them into categories?
Denisova and humans diverted from a common ancestor about a million years ago. Neanderthals and humans separated from their ancestor half a million years ago. If interbreeding was commonplace Man's history will be blurred. The offspring of parents from two types of hominids will carry traits from both variations. Finding remains of distinct species will be more difficult. For the most part, however, bones and fossils of different hominids are being found. Perhaps cross breeding was not the norm.
For many years it was believed animals with a different number of chromosomes could not interbreed. This premise is now brought into question. Neanderthal DNA has been identified in human DNA. This finding makes the discovery of our origins almost impossible. With no clear distinction between species how do you put them into categories?
Denisova and humans diverted from a common ancestor about a million years ago. Neanderthals and humans separated from their ancestor half a million years ago. If interbreeding was commonplace Man's history will be blurred. The offspring of parents from two types of hominids will carry traits from both variations. Finding remains of distinct species will be more difficult. For the most part, however, bones and fossils of different hominids are being found. Perhaps cross breeding was not the norm.
People Perceive the World Differently
All human beings are the same. This presumption is now challenged by new findings. Some people are good at remembering faces and the names that go with them. Others can recognize only a few. Some very few, indeed, perhaps just one or two friends. This means that we all have a unique perception of life. If remembering others is significant what about other differences in our sensory sensitivities?
The Muller-Lyer illusion is illuminating. In this test the length of two lines is the same. One has lines at the two ends pointing inward. The other has lines pointing out.
The percentage of people who perceive the second line to be longer differs from society to society. For example, the Kalahari foragers know that the lines are same length - nearly all of the participants tested. On the other hand, most Senegalese believed the second line to be longer.
The Dictator Game also highlights the difference. In this "test" a player is allowed to share a pot of money with another player to apportion rewards fairly. Westerners gave twice as much as people from Bolivia.
Questions arise. If we are not equal, should the law be applied differently to different people? Furthermore, should those born with "better" attributes be selected out at a young age and be "primed" to take leading positions as adults? We are not all like peas in a pod. Should societies be stratified to reflect the variation?
The Muller-Lyer illusion is illuminating. In this test the length of two lines is the same. One has lines at the two ends pointing inward. The other has lines pointing out.
The percentage of people who perceive the second line to be longer differs from society to society. For example, the Kalahari foragers know that the lines are same length - nearly all of the participants tested. On the other hand, most Senegalese believed the second line to be longer.The Dictator Game also highlights the difference. In this "test" a player is allowed to share a pot of money with another player to apportion rewards fairly. Westerners gave twice as much as people from Bolivia.
Questions arise. If we are not equal, should the law be applied differently to different people? Furthermore, should those born with "better" attributes be selected out at a young age and be "primed" to take leading positions as adults? We are not all like peas in a pod. Should societies be stratified to reflect the variation?
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Don't Get Excited About Nuclear Power
The world is in a tight corner and people are far too optimistic. Thinking that carbon pollution will cure itself is not scientific fact. Only a fool would hang onto the notion that nothing is wrong. The poles are thawing out and that is fact. Polar bears are dwindling in number as their traditional frozen feeding grounds get warmer. Butterflies that used to stay on in winter in southern England have moved north to colder climes. Those species that stay are getting larger.
Despite coal power stations being the main culprit more are being built to meet Mankind's increasing demand. Much is said about nuclear power stations holding the key to a "clean" future. Used uranium is going around Europe at this very moment without finding a home in any country. Where will this dangerous product be put in the future? Unless it is blasted into space toward the sun there is no where for it to go. France gets more than 80 percent of its electric power from nuclear means, but this is the country with the used uranium problem.
Even some scientists say the carbon footprint of nuclear power will be reduced to zero. This is hogwash. If you ignore nuclear waste everything looks good. Include it and it all looks very bad indeed. Nuclear power isn't cheap. Building a nuclear power plant requires long term planning. Safe guards are costly. Their useful life is also limited. Coal plants can stay in operation for much longer.
Within twenty years all 25 of China's new nuclear plants will come online. The world will be a militants' paradise with used uranium for sale on the open market. The consequences will be catastrophic. Saying there is no carbon price is absolute rubbish. If a bomb goes off there will be plenty of pollution.
Despite coal power stations being the main culprit more are being built to meet Mankind's increasing demand. Much is said about nuclear power stations holding the key to a "clean" future. Used uranium is going around Europe at this very moment without finding a home in any country. Where will this dangerous product be put in the future? Unless it is blasted into space toward the sun there is no where for it to go. France gets more than 80 percent of its electric power from nuclear means, but this is the country with the used uranium problem.
Even some scientists say the carbon footprint of nuclear power will be reduced to zero. This is hogwash. If you ignore nuclear waste everything looks good. Include it and it all looks very bad indeed. Nuclear power isn't cheap. Building a nuclear power plant requires long term planning. Safe guards are costly. Their useful life is also limited. Coal plants can stay in operation for much longer.
Within twenty years all 25 of China's new nuclear plants will come online. The world will be a militants' paradise with used uranium for sale on the open market. The consequences will be catastrophic. Saying there is no carbon price is absolute rubbish. If a bomb goes off there will be plenty of pollution.
Google Beats a Small Business into Submission
Dangle, Dingle, Dongle. They are all out according to the Great God Google. It has taken a business "minnow" offering alcohol price comparisons to court and beaten it to death, well into submission, until it agreed not to use the name "Groggle". This means that Google owns by default all new business names that contain "gle". The result of this courtroom debacle is disgraceful. There should be some way where the little man has the resources to fight a giant like Google. The little business cowered in the corner and quietly murmured "Drinkle! That is what we will call our service." Only then would Google put the big stick down.
What is the world coming to when there is no protection from economic monsters like Google. Though this business wasn't even in the same industry as Google, financial muscle won the day. He had to make an out of court agreement of SILENCE! The owner of the business said he couldn't afford to go on with the court case and Google knew it.
In reality Google is breaking the law. It has not right to control use of similar names. Take for example "Palsonic" that uses a Similar name to "Panasonic" and is even in the same industry. Panasonic knew, of course, that Palsonic had the financial resources to fight, so it backed off.
There have been several cases in Australia where MacDonalds has lost the court battle in regard to similar business names. Thankfully the outcome is uncertain enough to make many large companies think before they act.
What is the world coming to when there is no protection from economic monsters like Google. Though this business wasn't even in the same industry as Google, financial muscle won the day. He had to make an out of court agreement of SILENCE! The owner of the business said he couldn't afford to go on with the court case and Google knew it.
In reality Google is breaking the law. It has not right to control use of similar names. Take for example "Palsonic" that uses a Similar name to "Panasonic" and is even in the same industry. Panasonic knew, of course, that Palsonic had the financial resources to fight, so it backed off.
There have been several cases in Australia where MacDonalds has lost the court battle in regard to similar business names. Thankfully the outcome is uncertain enough to make many large companies think before they act.
DNA Shows How Farming Reached Western Europe
Important discoveries have been made in regard to early farming in Europe. DNA evidence shows that invaders from Turkey brought farming skills to the western regions 8,000 years ago. They were not hunter gatherers from Germany as was originally believed. Hunter gatherers didn't suddenly take up farming. It was a learned skill that was passed on to the younger generation.
The research has been so informative that the route invaders took is clear. An earlier movement of eastern people has also been identified. It took place 11,000 years ago. invaders moved through south-eastern Europe via the Carpathian Basin near present day Hungary into central Europe.
The history of Man is fascinating and we do not have all the answers yet. Perhaps in the past a civilization equal to our own existed and all the knowledge they had has been lost. There are many mysterious things we do not know about the ancient Egyptians and their culture faded in only recent times.
The research has been so informative that the route invaders took is clear. An earlier movement of eastern people has also been identified. It took place 11,000 years ago. invaders moved through south-eastern Europe via the Carpathian Basin near present day Hungary into central Europe.
The history of Man is fascinating and we do not have all the answers yet. Perhaps in the past a civilization equal to our own existed and all the knowledge they had has been lost. There are many mysterious things we do not know about the ancient Egyptians and their culture faded in only recent times.
Things Falling From the Sky
Things have been falling from the sky for hundreds of years with no solid explanation. It has been claimed that marble pillars from ancient Rome fell gently to earth a century or so ago. This is deemed to be just a story, but Frogs, fish, worms and squid being dumped onto the earth during rainstorms is fact.
The main theory is that they were picked up from small shallow ponds by whirlwinds. This is just theory and has not be proven. Indeed, no one has observed actual "pick up" occurring. When a fall has taken place more of the same can be expected. The species of frogs and fish are not always local. They are from different climes than the dumping location. Such passengers of storm have one thing in common: they are generally small.
Although stories of small creatures falling with rain are usually much the same, some cases are truly extraordinary. Fish fell from the sky during a Singaporean earthquake in 1861. Leonard Bourne was running in a rainstorm in 1966 in Australia when a large fish hit him on the shoulder.
The explanation of pick up has one major flaw: Why are creatures of only one species selected with no pond debris? Furthermore, the dumped animals are always alive so the move from one area to another must have been short.
The main theory is that they were picked up from small shallow ponds by whirlwinds. This is just theory and has not be proven. Indeed, no one has observed actual "pick up" occurring. When a fall has taken place more of the same can be expected. The species of frogs and fish are not always local. They are from different climes than the dumping location. Such passengers of storm have one thing in common: they are generally small.
Although stories of small creatures falling with rain are usually much the same, some cases are truly extraordinary. Fish fell from the sky during a Singaporean earthquake in 1861. Leonard Bourne was running in a rainstorm in 1966 in Australia when a large fish hit him on the shoulder.
The explanation of pick up has one major flaw: Why are creatures of only one species selected with no pond debris? Furthermore, the dumped animals are always alive so the move from one area to another must have been short.
Weird Findings About IVF Babies
There has been a weird finding in research done on IVF children - they are taller than average. Work done in New Zealand has found that by six years of age children conceived by IVF are taller. This occurred when fresh embryos were used, but not with frozen embryos. The higher quality of fresh embryos was the apparent reason for this.
No benefits nor disadvantages were seen in children born using frozen embryos than children conceived normally. The real issue is - Are fresh embryos really of higher quality? Donors giving frozen embryos are just as selective.
About one in thirty children are now conceived with IVF. It is girls who are notably taller. Another "weird" outcome is that mainly boys will be conceived if the embryos are left out in a dish for five days before implantation into the uterus.
No benefits nor disadvantages were seen in children born using frozen embryos than children conceived normally. The real issue is - Are fresh embryos really of higher quality? Donors giving frozen embryos are just as selective.
About one in thirty children are now conceived with IVF. It is girls who are notably taller. Another "weird" outcome is that mainly boys will be conceived if the embryos are left out in a dish for five days before implantation into the uterus.
Danger From HIgh Salt Intake Is Overstated
Salt will kill you. That it is the idea we are all expected to accept, but there is no real proof that this is the case. No research has indicated that a high salt diet increases blood pressure. Indeed, a century ago Africans would travel a thousand miles to get it. Salt is essential for life.
Consumption 50 percent higher than the recommended level is nothing to worry about, considering it is only a "guesstimate" anyway. High blood pressure has increased in the community despite salt intake remaining about the same per person for 40 years.
Like a tax on fast food will not stop people from buying take away, so campaigns to reduce salt intake will not make people consume less. If manufacturers of processed food take salt out of their products consumers will not buy their products. Salt definitely improves flavor.
Consumption 50 percent higher than the recommended level is nothing to worry about, considering it is only a "guesstimate" anyway. High blood pressure has increased in the community despite salt intake remaining about the same per person for 40 years.
Like a tax on fast food will not stop people from buying take away, so campaigns to reduce salt intake will not make people consume less. If manufacturers of processed food take salt out of their products consumers will not buy their products. Salt definitely improves flavor.
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