Why do some White people still advocate self-preservation?

A row has erupted in Virginia over a proposal to fly a huge Confederate flag outside the state capital, Richmond. One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War, the flag can still be seen flying from homes and cars in the South. Why?

 

"I think it will die out," says Ferris, who thinks flag-wavers feel like an embattled minority. "The south is changing, with the growth of Hispanics and Asian and a growing black population, and you can be sure that the Confederate flag has no place in their world." The South, he says, needs a new emblem to reflect its changing character.

 

So, the Confederate flag has "no place in their world." But how and why should then they have a place in White people's world? The inescapable logic of the passage is that the growth of the non-white population will deprive the White population of their identity, culture, and ultimately - survival. But that's okay. To object would be "racist" and "intolerant." But why isn't it "racist" and "intolerant" when non-whites takeover and remake formerly White societies in respective images, to reflect and express their particular beliefs and perspectives? We aren't told. All we know is when non-whites preserve and advance themselves, it's good, noble, and virtuous -  a reason to celebrate. But when Whites do the same thing, it's evil, wicked, and vile - a sickening display of pathological hate.

• They hate us for our freedom
• War is peace
• Diversity is our strength (even though race doesn't exist and we're all the same)

Hubble Spots Humongous 'Cosmic Caterpillar' in its Early Evolutionary Stage

(Photo : (NASA / ESA / the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) / IPHAS)

 

Astronomers have spotted a 'cosmic caterpillar' in the midst of a metamorphosis. The light-year-long cosmic doodle is currently collecting material from an envelope of gas surrounding it. Scientists are excited to see what will emerge from the protostar, which is in a very early evolutionary stage.

DNA storage: The code that could save civilisation

(Copyright: Thinkstock)

Two scientists think we can safeguard the world's knowledge against an apocalypse if we store it in DNA. How far-fetched is the idea? Ed Yong meets them to find out.

 

Living things have been storing information in DNA since the dawn of life, including the instructions for building every human, animal, bacterium and plant. The molecule itself looks like a twisting ladder, whose rungs are made of four molecules called bases that pair up in specific ways—adenine (A) with thymine (T), and cytosine (C) with guanine (G). If you can create your own strands of DNA, with the ones and zeroes of binary data converted into these As, Gs, Cs, and Ts, you have a storage medium that will never go obsolete. Sequencing machines will continue to improve and will need to be replaced, but once information is stored in DNA, that’s that.

 

In terms of information density, DNA outclasses anything we’ve been able to invent. A single gram can contain as much data as 3 million CDs. All of the world’s data would fit in the back of a minivan.

 

And once encoded into DNA, information is a doddle to copy. To transfer the contents of one hard disk into another, you need to hook both of them up to a computer and wait for minutes or hours. To transfer the contents of a tube of DNA, you dissolve it in water, suck up some of the liquid into a pipette, and squeeze it into another tube. It takes seconds. “I could copy a petabyte like this,” says Birney, who mimes depressing his thumb.

Eyes on the sky

Cerro Armazones in Chile’s Atacama Desert is the site for the European Extremely Large Telescope, which will be the world's largest telescope. (Copyright: Science Photo Library)

 

Efforts like Kepler to find Earth-like planets outside our galaxy may have ended recently, but astronomers say a wave of bigger and better missions is on its way. The data already collected suggests that there are about 100 billion planetary systems in our galaxy alone, says Mountain. So there are plenty of places left to look [for life], as and when we find the tools for the task.

Exoplanets: New missions hunting for alien worlds

British Biologist Denis Noble Debunks Neo-Darwinism

A major revolution is occurring in evolutionary biology. In this video, the President of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, Professor Denis Noble, explains what is happening and why it is set to change the nature of biology and of the importance of physiology to that change. The lecture was given to a general audience at a major international Congress held in Suzhou China.

Hubble snaps stunning picture of bright planetary nebula

Since June 16, 1995, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has posted a cosmological image on its Astronomy Picture of the Day web page.  Today’s image (August 26, 2013) is of one of the brightest nebulae in the universe, called nebula NGC 7027.  The nebula was discovered in 1878, and can be viewed in the direction of the Cygnus constellation with a standard conventional telescope.  Due to the nebula’s apparently indistinct features that appear using traditional telescopes, the nebula is rarely ever referred to by a descriptive moniker – such as Crab, Horsehead, Hourglass, and the like.

The gas and dust cloud is peculiarly massive, containing approximately three times the mass of our own Sun.

Cosmic Speciation: Hubble explores the origins of modern galaxies

The Hubble Sequence classifies galaxies according to their morphology and star-forming activity, organising them into a cosmic zoo of spiral, elliptical, and irregular shapes with whirling arms, fuzzy haloes and bright central bulges. Two main types of galaxy are identified in this sequence: elliptical and spiral, with a third type, lenticular, settling somewhere between the two.

 

This accurately describes what we see in the region of space around us, but how does galaxy morphology change as we look further back in time, to when the Universe was very young?

COSMIC SPECIATION

"This is a key question: when and over what timescale did the Hubble Sequence form?" says BoMee Lee of the University of Massachusetts, USA, lead author of a new paper exploring the sequence. "To do this you need to peer at distant galaxies and compare them to their closer relatives, to see if they too can be described in the same way."

 

The astronomers used Hubble to look 11 billion years back in time to when the Universe was very young, exploring the anatomy of distant galaxies.

 

While it was known that the Hubble Sequence holds true as far back as around 8 billion years ago, these new observations push a further 2.5 billion years back in cosmic time, covering a huge 80% of the past history of the Universe. Previous studies had also reached into this epoch of the cosmos to study lower-mass galaxies, but none had conclusively also looked at large, mature galaxies like the Milky Way. The new CANDELS observations confirm that all galaxies this far back - big and small alike - fit into the different classifications of the sequence.

 

"This is the only comprehensive study to date of the visual appearance of the large, massive galaxies that existed so far back in time," says co-author Arjen van der Wel of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. "The galaxies look remarkably mature, which is not predicted by galaxy formation models to be the case that early on in the history of the Universe."

 

The galaxies at these earlier times appear to be split between blue star-forming galaxies with a complex structure - including discs, bulges, and messy clumps - and massive red galaxies that are no longer forming stars, as seen in the nearby Universe.

 

The Hubble Sequence underpins a lot of what we know about how galaxies form and evolve -- finding it to be in place this far back is a significant discovery."

Telescope Captures Dramatic Moment of Starbirth

Everyone welcome another newborn to our galaxy. For now, we only know her as the Herbig-Haro object HH 46/47 (and I thought the hyphenated names in my family were clunky), and she's already a beauty. If you want to visit the new member of the family, you might want to leave soon, as she's located 1,400 light-years away in the southern constellation Vela.

 

The above image combines radio observations from the European Southern Observatory's Chile-based Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) with much shorter wavelength visible light observations from ESO's New Technology Telescope (NTT).

 

According to the ESO, the ALMA observations are seen in orange and green to the lower right of the newborn star, and reveal a large energetic jet moving away from us. The pink and purple shapes to the left are parts of the jet that can be observed through visible light that is streaming partly in our direction.

 

In plainer English, what we're seeing here is a new star shooting off material at speeds up to 1 million kilometers per hour. As that material collides with surrounding gas, it glows.

 

ALMA, which was actually still under construction at the time of the observations, provides sharper images than its predecessors, allowing scientists to determine that those crazy, glowing streams of stellar afterbirth are being ejected at higher speeds than previously measured and carrying more energy and momentum than previously thought.

 

"ALMA's exquisite sensitivity allows the detection of previously unseen features in this source, like this very fast outflow," explained Yale's Héctor Arce, who was lead author on a paper (PDF) detailing the observations.

The Antennae Galaxies (also known as NGC 4038 and 4039) are seen in this image made from the parabolic antennas of the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array) project at the El Llano de Chajnantor in the Atacama desert, some 1,730 km (1,074 miles) north of Santiago and 5,000 meters (16,404 feet) above sea level, October 3, 2011. A new star birth has been recorded 1,400 light-years from Earth, and is illuminating an interstellar dust cloud. (Photo : REUTERS/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

Quantum Teleportation Made Possible By Using Electronic Circuit in A 'Solid State System'

Scientist can't "beam" people through space, but they are able to teleport information for the first time using technology similar to a computer chip.

"Physicists at ETH Zurich have for the first time successfully teleported information in a so-called solid state system," ETH Zurich said in a news release.  "The researchers did it by using a device similar to a conventional computer chip. The essential difference to a usual computer chip is that the information is not stored and processed based on the laws of classical physics, but on those of quantum physics."

Multiple studes were published in the scientific journal Nature. (Click here and here for the research. The findings show physicists "teleported" information across six millimeters of a computer chip, without physical moving the object.

"Usually, in telecommunication information is transmitted by electromagnetic pulses. In mobile communications, for example, microwave pulses are used, while in fiber connections it is optical pulses," Andreas Wallraff, Professor at the Department of Physics and head of the study, said in a news release.

Quantum teleportation will not teleport the information carrier itself, jut the said information.  Researchers offered the following explanation:

As a prerequisite for quantum teleportation, an entangled state is created between the sender and the receiver. After that the two parties can be physically separated from each other while preserving their shared entangled state. In the present experiment the physicists program a bit of quantum information into their device at the sender. Because the two parties are entangled, this information can be read out at the receiver. "Quantum teleportation is comparable to beaming as shown in the science fiction series Star Trek," says Wallraff. "The information does not travel from point A to point B. Instead, it appears at point B and disappears at point A, when read out at point B."

"Teleportation is an important future technology in the field of quantum information processing," Wallraff said.

Near-"birth" experiences are "electrical surge" in metamorphoses-esque Geist (Ascensional Transudation)

Near-"birth" experiences are "electrical surge" in morphing brain
 

 Neurons in the brain may go into overdrive around the point of "birth"

 

A surge of electrical activity in the brain could be responsible for the vivid experiences described by near-death survivors, scientists report. A study carried out on dying rats found high levels of brainwaves at the point of the animals' demise. US researchers said that in humans this could give rise to a heightened state of consciousness. The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

The lead author of the study, Dr. Jimo Borjigin, of the University of Michigan, said: "A lot of people thought that the brain after clinical death was inactive or hypoactive, with less activity than the waking state, and we show that is definitely not the case.

"If anything, it is much more active during the dying process than even the waking state."

From bright white lights to out-of-body sensations and feelings of life flashing before their eyes, the experiences reported by people who have come close to death but survived are common the world over.

 

However, studying this in humans is a challenge, and these visions are little understood.

 

To find out more, scientists at the University of Michigan monitored nine rats as they were dying. In the 30-second period after the animal's hearts stopped beating, they measured a sharp increase in high-frequency brainwaves called gamma oscillations. These pulses are one of the neuronal features that are thought to underpin consciousness in humans, especially when they help to "link" information from different parts of the brain. In the rats, these electrical pulses were found at even higher levels just after the cardiac arrest than when animals were awake and well.

 

Dr. Borjigin said it was feasible that the same thing would happen in the human brain, and that an elevated level of brain activity and consciousness could give rise to near-death visions. "This can give us a framework to begin to explain these. The fact they see light perhaps indicates the visual cortex in the brain is highly activated - and we have evidence to suggest this might be the case, because we have seen increased gamma in area of the brain that is right on top of the visual cortex," she said.

 

"We have seen increased coupling between the lower-frequency waves and the gamma that has been shown to be a feature of visual awareness and visual sensation." However, she said that to confirm the findings a study would have to be carried out on humans who have experienced clinical death and have been revived.

 

Commenting on the research, Dr. Jason Braithwaite, of the University of Birmingham, said the phenomenon appeared to be the brain's "last hurrah". "This is a very neat demonstration of an idea that's been around for a long time: that under certain unfamiliar and confusing circumstances - like near-death - the brain becomes overstimulated and hyperexcited," he said.

 

"Like 'fire raging through the brain', activity can surge through brain areas involved in conscious experience, furnishing all resultant perceptions with realer-than-real feelings and emotions." But he added: "One limitation is that we do not know when, in time, the near-death experience really occurs. Perhaps it was before patients had anaesthesia, or at some safe point during an operation long before cardiac arrest.  "However, for those instances where experiences may occur around the time of cardiac arrest - or beyond it - these new findings provide further meat to the bones of the idea that the brain drives these fascinating and striking experiences."

 

Dr. Chris Chambers, of Cardiff University, said: "This is an interesting and well-conducted piece of research. We know precious little about brain activity during death, let alone conscious brain activity. These findings open the door to further studies in humans.

Good News, Future Colonists! Mars Meals May Feature Nutella

A team member, leaving the dome, ventures out into the "Martian" landscape. (NASA)

 

On the northern slope of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, on a barren lava field at 8,000 feat above sea level, six researchers have spent the last four months living in a dome. And, when venturing beyond the dome, wearing space suits. And, beyond that, sleeping. And eating. And cooking.

 

Their task? To simulate what life on Mars might be like for humans -- barren terrain, clothing requirements, and all. Their specific task in all this was to focus on the food: to think about what culinary concoctions might be appropriate for the Mars colonists of the future.

 

So what did the researchers -- and the people who suggested recipes for them to try out -- come up with? Lots of stuff involving Spam, for one thing, including a Cajun jambalaya and a dish that married the canned meat with curry and fried noodles. A chicken-spinach-enchilada soup, for another. Seafood chowder, for another. And borscht. Freeze-dried fruit, too, they found, was surprisingly similar in taste to fresh produce. As for comfort food -- crucial when it comes to the combating-food-boredom aspect of things -- a universal hit was ... Nutella. "It's something we craved," team commander Angelo Vermeulen told the AP. "We had a limited supply so we had to ration it."

 

Now that the food-experiment stage is over, the team will now be processing the data gathered from their four-month-long Mars simulation. They're planning to present findings at the International Astronautical Congress in Beijing later this year. In the meantime, though, one data point is clear: Future Mars colonists will likely be missing their access to farmers' markets. One of the first things the team members did when they emerged from their "Martian" habitat, the AP notes, was to have a buffet breakfast. "They went straight to the fruits and vegetables," Kim Binsted, a UH-Manoa associate professor who helped oversee the study, pointed out. "They seemed delighted to have fresh fruits and vegetables."

Speedy Light Slowed to a Crawl in Liquid Crystal Matrix

Light speeds through space, bouncing off objects as it races at about 186,282 miles per second. Now, scientists may have found a way to halt this mad dash. They've discovered that they can slow light by using embedded dye molecules in a liquid crystal matrix. Picture of the experimental setup for slow light in the liquid crystals medium: a green (532nm) laser beam is directed to the sample where it induces the structural changes of the dyes which are responsible for the slow light effect. (Photo : Umberto Bortolozzo.)

 

So what can this light do? If scientists can slow down the light enough, they could potentially store the pulses for optical communications. While the long length of the light pulses in this study makes this application impractical, the technique is well suited to sensing and interferometry applications. In fact, it can be potentially be used to build a highly sensitive instrument that works on a principle similar to the concept behind a police officer's radar gun.

 

"Realizing slow and stopped light in these media is very exciting both for the fundamental research that discovers such new effects in soft matter systems, and for the new possibilities that these investigations could open in the fields of remote sensing and optical storage, said Umberto Bortolozzo, one of the researchers, in a news release.

 

The findings are published in two papers, one in Optics Express and one in Optics Letters.

NASA puts “Star Trek Replicator” on Space Station

NASA is also investigating the idea of using a 3D printer to create food for astronauts

 

A 3D printer which will fly to the International Space Station next year has been likened to Star Trek’s Replicator by an astronaut who spent six months on the ISS.

In Star Trek, the machines could create any inanimate object out of thin air.

NASA’s version has been created by Made in Space specifically to work on the International Space Station - and will create spare parts “on demand” for astronauts. Timothy Creamer, a NASA astronaut who spent time on the ISS said, “It provides us the ability to do our own Star Trek “replication” on the spot. It helps us replace things we’ve lost - or things we’ve broken - and to make anything we have thought of that could be useful.”

The space agency is also investigating a 3D printer that could not only print out food - but also living flesh, which could be used for transplants.

If an astronaut lost a body part, the printer could “secrete” cells to replace it.

The printer would create 3D arrays of cells using Martian atmospheric gases and rocks - to create everything from organic to “novel, biologically derived materials not previously possible to fabricate.”

“Imagine being able to print anything from tools and composite building materials to food and human tissues,” the space agency says. “Imagine being on Mars with the ability to replace any broken part, whether it's a part of your spacesuit, your habitat, or your own body.”

 

SIC ITUR AD ASTRA!

Watch the Planet Pulsate Through the Seasons with "a Breathing Earth"

Earth Breathes as Seasons Change

 

The resulting animated image is an incredible, organic look at how the ice and snow over the Northern Hemisphere advance and retreat from month to month, creating a heartbeat for the planet. The other projections from his page let you see how it hits the rest of the planet too, including the minimal snow changes in the Southern Hemisphere, and the shifting green belts around the equator.

 

Nelson talked to Fast Co Design about his own thoughts on the project, especially having grown up in Michigan, a state that annually battles extreme cold and intense snow. But for every one of us, this animation gives an incredible, organic look at the beating climatic heart of the planet.

Glowing Nurseries

 

A pair of star nurseries are lit up like cosmic neon signs, in this stunning new image by the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile.

 

These colorful glowing nebulae sit within the Large Magellanic Cloud—the largest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way some 160,000 light years from Earth.

 

The Large Magellanic Cloud is quite small compared to our Milky Way, with less than one tenth as much mass and spanning only 14,000 light-years, whereas the Milky Way stretches 100,000 light-years. Its irregular shape is likely a consequence of gravitational push and pull with the Milky Way and the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Race against the clock: Speciation or the Abyss

Mars One Foundation to Colonize Red Planet

Cosmic Evolution

 

The Mars One Foundation, an ambitious non-profit that plans to colonize the red planet has 30,000 volunteers who have finished the application requirements. They have many other applicants still in the process of enrolling; but those few that will be chosen for the missions should be aware of a significant catch: It is a one way trip.

 

The foundation plans to put its first group of 4 astronauts on the red planet on 2023. They will first have to pass a training program lasting several years, teaching them everything from first aid, to how to grow food and obtain water and air. A big emphasis of the training is dealing with the isolation of living in a remote location.

 

Global Warming Could Lead to More Violence: Study

Ethnropy

 

Global Warming could lead to more violence among human race as per a new study from United States. Many people would the new revelation as shocking as earlier, global warming was blamed for intense storms, flooding and droughts in some regions.

 

The study has revealed that climate change could lead to more domestic violence and higher rate of crime in the society. One major reason for the violence has been related to people moving to different places due to weather related problems in their native region. This could lead to shift the balance in the places where people would migrate. The local population would feel the pain of the migration of new people to their region.

"Democracy" - American style

It’s August 2013. What better time to talk about 2016?

At this point, Hillary Rodham Clinton has been awarded the Democratic nomination virtually by default and declared the clear favorite to win the general election against her as yet unknown Republican opponent.

Why even bother to have an "election"? The only real reason is the money that the mass media rake in by running ads and commercials. The U.S. will experience eight years of Hillary, then most likely eight years of a Hispanic, and then most likely eight years of an Asian - and thereafter there won't be a "U.S."

And in the meantime, the U.S. will continue to be hollowed-out and exploited by plutocrats, the Israel Lobby, and the militant, organized "minorities": you can take that to the "too big to fail" bank.