- Artificial life in the near future
Scientists from around the globe are racing to be the first to develop synthetic life. One geneticist at the University of Florida may be leading the pack. Steve Benner, a biological chemist, has devised a new genetic platform to develop life with a process that involves the use of 12 different bases – as opposed to the four that exist in our current genetic regime: guanine, adenine, cytosine and thymine (n.b. RNA also uses the pyrimidine base uracil in place of thymine). While it is predicted that these nascent organisms will be quite labile, there are still concerns regarding safety in their development.
This is just too amazing to express in words. Can humans devise their own genetic alphabet to create life, just as we have done with code and computers? We live in a very exciting time in human history, my friends.
[Breitbart]
It’s all fun and beer until the bear shows up. Talk about a buzz kill.
[CNN]
- Most obvious headline ever
“Sex is prime cause of China’s HIV.” Because, you know, it is a sexually transmitted disease. To be fair, IV drug use and blood transfusions had previously been the primary path of pathogen contagion, but one has to wonder if the sensitive nature of Chinese culture has historically encouraged authorities to turn a blind eye towards the disease because of sexual taboo. After all, a lot more people engage in intercourse than inject chemicals into their bloodstreams.
[BBC]
Sorry, I just had to capitalize on that pun.
[BBC]
- Facebook costs employers billions
According to internet security company SurfControl, the internet social site Facebook may be costing employers billions of dollars.Sorry folks, nothing to see here. Hands down, I find these results very difficult to believe. Further, the whole purpose of technology is to make life easier… not just to make business more profitable, but for all people to enjoy.
Everyone deserves a break from the tedious continuum of their jobs, and with the rather ridiculous claims made by this SurfControl, one has to ask, “Is this really such a problem?” Are trashmen and factory workers and bus drivers losing all of this productivity? Seems to me that this phenomenon is limited to a very narrow industry. Sorry folks, nothing to see here.
[Reuters] "If it wasn't for what the Jews brought to Christianity, there would be no Christianity," says Melbourne, Fl. Pastor Gary Christofaro . I’ve been waiting a long time to hear those words spoken in earnest. Eat your heart out, Mel Gibson.
[CNN] - Ancient gum found by student
A British archaeology student unearthed a rather intriguing find in Finland: 5,000-year-old chewing gum. The artifact, which dates back to the fringe of prehistory, is composed of birch tar, which has historically been renowned for its antiseptic properties, as well as a multitude of other uses. In fact, one of my most influential lecturers at the University of Bradford Professor Carl Heron has done quite a bit of work on resins such as this, and their use in antiquity is rather astonishing.
Early man was quite the utilitarian, wasn’t he?
[BBC, WashPost, LATimes, UBradford]
Compiled by Adam Dubbin, TheSequitur.com Managing Editor.
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