Genetic test to determine reaction to medicine is on the market … – SowetanLIVE

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The future of medicine is here and a genetic test may be able to determine if a person will have a bad reaction to certain medicine or not respond to certain drugs at all.

A R3500 test called the mygeneRx created by Johannesburg company DNAlysis can analyse your DNA and look at the genetic variation in genes that control drug-using enzymes.

These enzymes can allow a drug to be metabolized (used) by the body so fast that it gets rid of the medicine before it has time to work or very slowly so the body can have difficulty eliminating the drug.

The slow metabolism rate could lead to an overdose and unintended side effects.

The test which uses a swab from your cheek only looks at a personal response to 150 medications used for pain heart disease high cholesterol and depression.

But experts warn that genetic testing to determine how a person will respond to medication is not yet advanced enough to help the average patient.

University of Kwazulu-Natal Pharmacology lecturer Andy Gray said: I certainly would not recommend blanked testing its an exploitation of the worried well with questionable clinical benefits.

Dr Mamoonah Chaudhry Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pretorias Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine explained the field of individual testing is known as pharmacogenomics and can help warn of a persons likelihood to have bad reactions to a drug.

She said the personalized medicine approach will help reduce mortality and morbidity due to adverse (bad) drug reactions.

Chaudhry however warned that current genetic tests were not advanced enough to be used widely to guide doctors on what medication to prescribe.

Most of the (laboratories) only test for a few genetic markers as also indicated in this test which are not enough for personalized treatment.

But Chaudhry said it did show a change in thinking about medication.

The idea of one size fits all has changed over the time and a personalized medicine approach has emerged.

Pharmacist Shafrudeen Amod said the 150 drugs the test looks at were too few and cause for concern.

If the aim of pharmacogenomics is to optimise drug therapy then this test represents a science at its infancy and the test is being prematurely released Amod said.

Amod also said the medications effect was never just related to a patients genes.

There are various reasons patients may not respond to a medication ranging from something as simple as not taking the medicine to complex drug interactions. Similarly side effects to medications range from minor to major Amod said.

Gray said there were genetic variabilities that affected how people reacted to some drugs such as warfarin which is used to stop blood-clotting and the common pain killer codeine where some people get high from it.

Some people on certain drugs such as warfarin may benefit from this testing Gray suggested.

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Genetic test to determine reaction to medicine is on the market ... - SowetanLIVE

Stanford scientists create glow-in-the-dark mice, may advance gene therapies – The Indian Express

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By: PTI | Updated: February 20, 2017 6:53 pm Not only did mRNA technique make the mouse glow, it also later ran around, completely unaware of the complex series of events that had just taken place within its body, researchers said. ( Image for representation, Source: Youtube)

Stanford scientists have successfully developed glow-in-the-dark mice using compounds that create proteins responsible for lighting up fireflies, an advance that may pave the way for new gene therapies.

Timothy Blake, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University in the US refined compounds that carry instructions for assembling the protein that makes fireflies light up and delivered them into the cells of an anaesthetised mouse.

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Not only did the technique make the mouse glow, it also later woke up and ran around, completely unaware of the complex series of events that had just taken place within its body, researchers said.

This success could mark a significant step forward for gene therapy. It is hard enough getting these protein instructions, called messenger RNA (mRNA), physically into a cell. It is another hurdle altogether for the cell to actually use them to make a protein. If the technique works in people, it could provide a new way of inserting therapeutic proteins into diseased cells.

Its almost a childlike enthusiasm we have for this, said Robert Waymouth, a professor at Stanford. The code for an insect protein is put into an animal and that protein is not only synthesised in the cells but its folded and it becomes fully functional, capable of emitting light, said Waymouth. Although the results are impressive, this technique is remarkably simple and fast. Unlike traditional gene therapy that permanently alters the genetic makeup of the cell, mRNA is short-lived and its effects are temporary.

The transient nature of mRNA transmission opens up special opportunities, such as using these compounds for vaccination or cancer immunotherapy. Gene therapy is a decades-old field of research that usually focuses on modifying DNA, the fundamental genetic code. That modified DNA then produces a modified mRNA, which directs the creation of a modified protein.

Also Read:Gene-editing cell therapy saves two babies from cancer

The current work skips the DNA and instead just delivers the proteins instructions. They used a novel, deceptively straightforward creation, called charge-altering releasable transporters (CARTs). What distinguishes this polycation approach from the others, which often fail, is the others dont change from polycations to anything else, said Paul Wender, professor at Stanford.

Whereas, the ones that were working with will change from polycations to neutral small molecules. That mechanism is really unprecedented, Wender said. As part of their change from polycations to polyneutrals, CARTs biodegrade and are eventually excreted from the body.

One application of this technology is vaccination. At present, vaccines require introducing part of a virus or an inactive virus into the body in order to elicit an immune response. CARTs could potentially cut out the middleman, directly instructing the body to produce its own antigens.

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Stanford scientists create glow-in-the-dark mice, may advance gene therapies - The Indian Express

Cell and gene therapies: on course for commercial success? – PMLiVE

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PMLiVE
Cell and gene therapies: on course for commercial success?
PMLiVE
Funding and reimbursement of cell and gene therapies pose a major challenge as payers consider how to evaluate a commercial proposition that is completely divergent from the traditional pharmaceutical model. Commenters, including the Regenerative ...

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Cell and gene therapies: on course for commercial success? - PMLiVE

Elon Musk Has a New Timeline for Humans Living on Mars – Futurism

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Reaching the Red Planet

Do we really need to explore Mars? According to tech innovatorElon Musk, its not just a choice we have to

make, its a necessity. We will stay on Earth forever, and eventually there will be an extinction eventand the alternative is to become a spacefaring and multiplanetary speciesThats what we want.

But when exactly are we getting there? Originally, SpaceXs first foray to Mars, via a lander called Red Dragon, was expected to happen by 2022which was considered a fairly feasible timeline. However, bolstered by numerous successful launches and Musks powerful vision, SpaceX moved their target date up to 2018. Now, a new announcement from SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell confirms that they are changing the timeline yet again. A mission, named Red Dragon, to Mars is now set to launch in 2020 so that SpaceX can focus on other equally ambitious projects like their commercial crew program and Falcon Heavyprograms.

We were focused on 2018, but we felt like we needed to put more resources and focus more heavily on our crew program and our Falcon Heavy program. So were looking more for the 2020 timeframe for that, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said at a recent pre-launch conference.

Missions to Mars would ideally belaunched every 26 months when the planet is aligned with Earth. The 2020 planned lander will be critical for future possible manned missions as it will test technology required to land heavy equipment on the Martian surfacea task that, given Mars unfamiliar terrain and thin atmosphere, could be difficult to execute. Heavy payloads entering Mars wont have the planets atmosphere to cushion their landing and so there is the risk of very abrupt and hard landings.

What sets Red Dragon apart from other Mars landers is its use of a supersonic retro-propulsionwhich means it will use rockets embedded in the hull to allow for larger spacecraft to land safely. Should the technique prove to be successful, this lander will be the biggest vehicle to land on the planet thus far.

Moving the launch to 2020 also means that SpaceX will be able to join several other Mars-bound expeditions stemming from government agencies and private outfits. NASA is expected to launch its next Mars rover within the same year. The ExoMars mission, a joint initiative from the Roscosmos and European Space Agency (ESA) who originally planned its second phase to take place in 2018, has also been moved to the end of the decade. Theres also talk of the United Arab Emirates sending an orbiter to the red planet by then, along with China who has expressed its intent to reach Mars by 2020.

If all these missions make their targets, it will indeed be a busy 2020 for the red planet.

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Elon Musk Has a New Timeline for Humans Living on Mars - Futurism

Remembering America’s Heritage of Freedom – Cato Institute (blog)

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Two years ago on Presidents Day (which is legally Washingtons Birthday) I talked about my book The Libertarian Mind at the National Constitution Center (video). As part of that appearance I wrote about Americas libertarian heritage in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Where better than Philadelphia on Presidents Day to talk about liberty and reviving the American tradition of freedom and limited government.

Thomas Jefferson said that when he wrote the Declaration of Independence in June of 1776, he had no book or pamphlet at hand but simply set down an expression of the American mind. With its foundation on the equal and inalienable rights of all people, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the Declaration also reflects the libertarian mind.

Indeed, the principles of the Declaration are so closely associated with libertarianism that the Chinese edition of my previous book,Libertarianism: A Primer, features a cover photograph of the famous room in Independence Hall, complete with Windsor chairs and green tablecloths.

Libertarianism is the philosophy of freedom. It has, in different form throughout history, inspired people who fought for freedom, dignity, and individual rights the early advocates of religious tolerance, the opponents of absolute monarchy, the American revolutionaries, the abolitionists, antiwar advocates and anti-imperialists, opponents of National Socialism and communism.

I believe that the simple, timeless principles of the American Revolution individual liberty, limited government, and free markets are even more powerful and more important in the world of instant communication, global markets, and unprecedented access to information, a world that Jefferson or Madison could not have imagined. Libertarianism is the essential framework for a future of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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Remembering America's Heritage of Freedom - Cato Institute (blog)

‘Freedom Highway’ by Rhiannon Giddens Review: Lives, Sounds and Purpose in the Details – Wall Street Journal (subscription)

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'Freedom Highway' by Rhiannon Giddens Review: Lives, Sounds and Purpose in the Details
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Singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens has never been one to be easily categorizedor to sit still. Her first wide recognition, at the turn of this decade, came as a co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a celebrated outfit ...
Rhiannon Giddens: Freedom Highway review timely and arrestingThe Guardian

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My govt managed freedom fighters in Kashmir: Pervez Musharraf – Economic Times

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's former dictator General Pervez Musharraf has said his administration 'managed freedom fighters' in Kashmir but later realised a political process was needed to negotiate the issue with India, a media report today said.

Musharraf, who served as Pakistan's president from 2001 to 2008 after he threw out the elected government in a coup in 1999, said his government was able to force India to discuss issues that New Delhi was unwilling to negotiate.

"In my tenure as a military chief and president of the country, we were succeeding. We were able to bring India to the negotiating table and to sort out issues that India was not ready to discuss," he told Dunya News in an interview.

He said his government was managing freedom fighters in Kashmir, and later they realised that a political process was required to negotiate further with India, the report said.

Musharraf left Pakistan for Dubai in March last year, after his name was removed from the Exit Control List.

The 73-year-old said Afghanistan's intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, was playing into India's hands and was being used as a tool to facilitate terror groups in Pakistan.

He claimed operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' - during which the Pakistan Army claimed it killed thousands of militants - had no shortcomings as it was specifically for North Waziristan.

"This operation cleaned up all the camps and launching pads of terrorist, who were supported by the Indian spy agency with the collaboration of NDS, to destabilise the tribal areas."

Musharraf said a holistic approach and planning was crucial at the moment to curb terrorism in the country. His possible reference was to a series of deadly terrorist attack in Pakistan this year, particularly the suicide bombing at a famed Sufi shrine in Sindh in which at least 88 people died.

Pakistan has blamed Afghanistan for allowing sanctuaries to terrorist groups targeting Pakistan on their soil.

The former military chief questioned the steps being taken by Pakistan to eliminate the "sleeper cells" active in the country, including the previously peaceful Punjab province.

"What steps are being taken to eliminate these sleeper cells? Punjab has become the stronghold of militancy," he said, refuting a question that terrorist attacks and terror outfits like the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi existed during his tenure.

"This all started after I stepped down, we had carved out an effective strategy vis-a-vis Kashmir, we were near resolving Kashmir issue with India on a four-point agenda, our policies were successful; America and China were aligning with us."

On Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's "house arrest", Musharraf said the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief is not a terrorist. He claimed India is after Saeed because his supporters go voluntarily to Kashmir to fight the Indian Army.

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My govt managed freedom fighters in Kashmir: Pervez Musharraf - Economic Times

Instructor Cori Wong speaks on freedom and fighting oppression – Rocky Mountain Collegian

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Colorado State University ethnic studies instructor, special assistant to CSU president Tony Frank and director of the Women and Gender CollaborativeCori Wongspoke about the philosophy of freedom and the urgency of fighting oppression on Feb. 16.

Wong, who holds a Ph.D. in Womens Studies and Philosophy, spoke as part of Colorado State Universitys Ethics Colloquium. Using her knowledge of existentialist and feminist philosophy along with ideas from the feminist theoristSimone de BeauvoirWong addressed the everyday ethics involved with individual freedom, privilege and the fight against oppression in any form.

Wong told the audience that everyone at CSU is involved with the fight against oppression, regardless of job title or major. She stressed that when it comes to oppression and violence not actively opposing it is supporting it, even if only through ignorance, negligence, complacency or apathy.

Our choices have political consequences, whether or not we intend for those consequences, Wong said. In other words, no one gets off the hook, ever.

One is either working to advance opportunities for others or not, Wong said. She said that while most people do not work to shut down others opportunities, people are likely to hoard opportunities from others who are less privileged.

While the privileged do not need a revolution to have their opportunities, they have a moral obligation, as does everyone, to join the fight against oppression, Wong explained. Wong also said she believes it is important to realize our interconnectedness because the freedom to act can allow for, impinge upon or deny the freedom of others. It allows for oppression to both exist and to be dismantled.

It is other men who open the future to me, it is they who, setting up the world of tomorrow, define my future, Wong read from Beauvoirs book, The Ethics of Ambiguity. But if, instead of allowing me to participate in this constructive movement they keep me below the level which they have conquered and on the basis of which new conquests will be achieved, then they are cutting me off from the future, they are changing me into a thing.

Wong described oppression as a metaphorical bird cage, an idea used by the feminist theoristMarilyn Frye.

(Oppressed peoples) lives are confined and shaped by forces and barriers which are not accidental or occasional and hence avoidable, Wong said. They are systematically related to each other it is the experience of being caged in: all avenues in every direction are blocked or booby trapped.

The solution, Wong explained, is to resist against the oppressors and their allies.

In the face of oppression, resistance is required, Wong said. Complicity is in this case tyranny.

In return oppressors will respond to resistance by saying they are being oppressed, Wong said. She explained through Beauvoirs writings that people must only respect freedom when it is intended for freedom, but it must be denied when its only purpose is to deny the freedom of others for the sake of advancing an individual. The recognition of others freedom is not oppression, Wong said.

Wong continued reading Beauvoir, who wrote that while educating oppressors to denounce their ways seems to be the only moral route they will not do so and will instead continue them and deny oppression. Therefore Beauvoir concluded that by calling for freedom over oppressors rejection of facts, ethics demands their suppression.

In doing so Wong explained that objectification and violence is inevitable.

Since (oppressors) subjectivity, by definition, escapes our control it will be possible to act only on their objective presence; others will here have to be treated like things, with violence,' Wong read from Beauvoir.

Wong concluded with a quote from Beauvoir emphasizing that there is hope.

The fact remains that we are absolutely free today if we choose to will our existence in its finiteness, a finiteness which is open on the infinite,' Wong read from Beauvoirs book. And in fact, any man who has known real loves, real revolts, real desires and real will knows quite well that he has no need of any outside guarantee to be sure of his goals; (certainty) comes from his own drive.'

Collegian reporter MQ Borocz can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @MQBorocz22.

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Support the freedom of the press – Herald & Review (blog)

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One of the strategies used by autocratic leaning political groups is to discredit the free press. Convince people that they and only they know the truth and anything to the contrary are lies and distortions.

Thank goodness we have a newspaper that believes in freedom of the press and especially freedom of speech: the Herald and Review. Editorials and letters to the editor show a healthy mix of ideas, from conservative to liberal and everything in-between.

Today we have a president who makes statements like "The only quote that matters is a quote from me." as published in an article by Margaret Talbot in the Sept. 28, 2016 addition of the "lying" New Yorker Magazine. He wants us to believe the national media is out to get him when they simply publish things he says. Now just recently he tweeted that all negative polls about him are fake news. His surrogates aren't any better. Steve Bannon recently told the press to "shut up and listen." All this in an effort to engender doubt and mistrust in our free press to make us believe he and only he speaks the "truth."

Controlling the press is the first step to controlling the country. In recent months, we have been exposed to "fake news," alternative facts, personal attacks on reporters, demonization of mainstream media and efforts to discredit entire electronic news outlets and their reporters. These are essentially attacks on the First Amendment of our Constitution and they must not be allowed to stand. Facts are facts and are backed up by evidence and critical analysis from verifiable sources.

It is our duty as Americans to learn the true facts by critically reading or listening to more than one source of news, be it newspaper, television, radio, public and commercial and yes even the internet. Our freedom depends on it.

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Malta’s new draft law raises concerns over internet freedom – EurActiv

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Several thousand people took to the streets of Malta on Sunday (19 February) to protest against a new bill that is expected to force online news sites to register with the government.

The protest, organised by Maltas opposition Nationalist Party (NP), is campaigning against a new proposal, seen as a clampdown on freedom of speech.

The draft bill, proposed last week, seeks to update Maltas defamation and libel laws, which some say is a way to oblige citizens to register before being able to express views on the Internet.

This is a restriction on internet freedom and a future nationalist government will repeal it if it gets approved by parliament, NP leader Simon Busuttil told the rally in Valletta.

The move comes after the Organisation for Security and Coopeation in Europe (OSCE) slammed Malta last week for intimidating journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Earlier this month (8 February), a court upheld a request by the Economy Minister Christian Cardona to freeze the bank account of Caruana Galizia for more than 47,000 for an article published on 30 January, which compromised the minister and his EU presidency policy officer Joseph Gerada for a recent business trip to Germany.

Caruana Galizia reported that both men had been in a brothel in Velbert, Germany, while on official business as guests of the German government, where they were seen at close range by another Maltese person. Cardona has denied the allegation.

It is the job of journalists to report on issues of public importance and it is the job of the authorities to ensure that journalists can do so without being intimidated or threatened, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovi said last week, adding that she was following with concern the pressure on Caruana Galizia.

Initiating libel lawsuits for the work of journalists can very quickly chill free public discourse in any society, Mijatovi said, recalling that public figures must endure a higher threshold of criticism and scrutiny due to their public work.

In addition, the very unusual move to freeze significant financial assets of Caruana Galizia already depicts her as guilty, Mijatovi said. Freedom of expression cannot stop at views deemed appropriate by those in power.

The Institute of Maltese Journalists has called on the minister to reconsider his action in order to give journalists a message that they are really free in their work: Freezing a journalists assets is exaggerated and goes against freedom of expression and press freedom, a press release issued by the institute stated.

On Monday (20 February), Caruana Galizia won a libel case lodged by Mark Gaffarena, whose shady deals had been exposed by the journalist.

The new bill was announced by the government last week and has yet to go before parliament.

The proposed law would require all websites carrying news and controlled from Malta to register with the government, with the threat of fines for those that fail to comply.

The government says it is following the same procedure as already exists for newspapers and broadcasters, which have been required to register with the government since 1975.

Busuttil said the bill would be the beginning of the end of freedom of expression on the internet.

In her statement, Mijatovi also noted with concern that on 4 February the economy minister sued another journalist, Mario Frendo from the media outlet In-Nazzjon, in connection with the same issue.

I call on the authorities to protect critical journalism and free speech, she said. I trust that they will remedy this situation by ensuring that Caruana Galizia and all journalists can freely carry out their important work.

The draft law defines editors as any person responsible for the publication of information, ideas or images on a website, and websites as any web-based news service or other web-based service relating to news or current affairs that operates from Malta or in respect of which editorial decisions are taken in Malta.

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Malta's new draft law raises concerns over internet freedom - EurActiv

Cris Cyborg doesn’t understand why Ronda Rousey fought Amanda … – MMA Fighting

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Ronda Rousey lost two in a row in the UFC, and fellow UFC fighter Cris Cyborg doesn't think the MMA superstar or her manager made the right decision by putting her in a title fight right away.

Rousey returned from her first career loss to Holly Holm by facing current UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas at UFC 207. Rousey ultimately lost to Nunes even quicker than she did to Holm, and for Cyborg Rouseys longtime rival and one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time there is no doubt that "Rowdy" should have targeted a return against someone easier.

"I really dont understand why she fight straight for the belt right after her loss to Holly Holm, Cyborg told Ariel Helwani on a recent edition of The MMA Hour. "One year, no fight, you know? She fights someone, Amanda, with a lot of fights in the year already, and shes one year off."

The Brazilian said she doesnt know if Rousey will ever fight again, especially after Holm broke her mind at UFC 193.

"I think she needed one fight, get a win and be confident again, and go for the belt, Cyborg said. "I think it's hard to fight straight for the belt, somebody fights all year and shes one year off. I really think if Im managing someone, I dont do like this. Id give more fights for her, and she get confident again. Because after the Holly Holm fight, it broke her mind."

At this point, its unlikely that a fight between Rousey and Cyborg ever happens. The Brazilian said the reason for that is something Cyborg already knew for years: Rousey cannot take a punch."

"I never hated Ronda, Cyborg said. "Shes always talked about me, she did that to promote herself because when she started nobody knew her, and she talked about me for people to know who she is. And she opened the doors for womens MMA.

"I think me and her fight is the biggest fight ever, but after she lost two fights I really knew she cannot take a punch. I knew this, you know? And the fight is never gonna happen and never happened before because she knows whats gonna happen. And a lot of people know whats gonna happen. Same thing Amanda did, Im gonna do worse. And everybody knows this, and this fight never happened."

Cyborg admitted that her rival made a huge impact in the sport, despite the that exists animosity between them, and she said that even though Rousey doesnt actually need to compete again, she can bounce back if she does the right things.

"She did a lot of good things, she opened the door for the division for the girls, Cyborg said. "My coach said he could help train because, you know, its never gonna happen this fight. It doesnt make me sad, you know? I think when you lose the fight its not the end of the world, you can keep training and catch up and try again better, you know? But she really don't need this. Make a lot of money, she can do other things for the sport too, just (outside) the cage."

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Cris Cyborg doesn't understand why Ronda Rousey fought Amanda ... - MMA Fighting

This Week In MMA Biz: GSP Returns, Fedor Delayed, Cyborg Cleared, UFC Adds Champ, Drops 2 Contenders – Forbes

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This Week In MMA Biz: GSP Returns, Fedor Delayed, Cyborg Cleared, UFC Adds Champ, Drops 2 Contenders
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Georges St-Pierre and the UFC finally coming to terms on a new contract was the big news of the week, but the end to GSP's free agency saga was far from the only major roster move we saw from the MMA leader. Before we run through the others in order of ...
UFC back in business with return of 'Cyborg' Justino, Georges St-PierreMMAjunkie.com
St-Pierre, 'Cyborg' the stars UFC desperately needs in 2017FanRag Sports (blog)
Georges St. Pierre officially back with UFCThe Beacon Herald
MMA Insight -MMA Fighting -MMA Fighting -Los Angeles Times
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This Week In MMA Biz: GSP Returns, Fedor Delayed, Cyborg Cleared, UFC Adds Champ, Drops 2 Contenders - Forbes

Cris ‘Cyborg’ cleared of possible USADA violation, could fight for title next – CBSSports.com

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Cris Cyborg Justino has been cleared of her possible anti-doping violation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the organization announced Friday.

Cyborg, who tested positive for a banned substance in December 2016, was granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption by the Agency. Cyborg tested positive for Spironolactone, a prohibited substance in the category of Diuretics and Masking Agents according to USADA, but upon testing positive, Justino notified USADA of a drug prescribed to her by her doctor for an endocrine disorder following her last fight in September 2016.

It comes as a bit of a surprise, since it was just a week ago that UFC held its first womens 145-pound title fight between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie. Cyborg said leading up to the fight UFC made that belt for her, and if everyones being honest, shes the best womens 145-pound fighter in the world.

Amid the controversial finish to Holm-de Randamie, Cyborg was in attendance and seems ready for the challenge of taking on de Randamie, but the recently crowned champ said afterward she wanted to take some time and allow an injury to heal up.

Then, this week she said she would grant Holm a rematch to clear up the controversy of de Randamie throwing punches after the bell. Holm also filed an appeal with NYSAC after losing the close decision at UFC 208.

If thats the case, fine. But the next time Cyborg steps in the octagon, it better be for the womens featherweight title.

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Cris 'Cyborg' cleared of possible USADA violation, could fight for title next - CBSSports.com

Elon Musk Warns Deep AI Could Be ‘Dangerous’ to an Already-Cyborg Human Race – Breitbart News

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One of the most troubling questions is artificial intelligence. I dont mean narrow A.I deep artificial intelligence, where you can have AI which is much smarter than the smartest human on earth, proclaimed Musk during the World Government Summit in Dubai. This is a dangerous situation.

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Pay close attention to the development of artificial intelligence, he continued. Make sure researchers dont get carried away. Scientists get so engrossed in their work they dont realize what they are doing.

Musk continued to claim that humans are already part-cyborg, citing the range of digital applications that people now depend on every day.

To some degree we are already a cyborg you think of all the digital tools that you have your phone, your computer, claimed Musk. The applications that you have. The fact that you can ask a question and instantly get an answer from Google and other things.

You already have a digital tertiary layer. Think of the limbic system the animal brain and the cortex as the thinking part of the brain, and your digital self as a third layer, headded. If you die your digital ghost is still around. All of their emails, and social media, that still lives if they die.

Over time I think we will probably see a closer merger of biological intelligence and digital intelligence Its mostly about the bandwidth, the speed of the connection between your brain and the digital version of yourself, particularly output, Musk concluded. Some high bandwidth interface to the brain will be something that helps achieve a symbiosis between human and machine intelligence and maybe solves the control problem and the usefulness problem.

In November, Musk predicted that automated robots would lead to mass unemployment, which could eventually create a universal wage from the government.In June, the billionaire tech entrepreneur claimed itlikely that mankind is living in a Matrix-style computer simulation.

Musk was also one of the Silicon Valley billionaires, along with fellow PayPal Mafia members Peter Thiel and Reid Hoffman, who invested $1 billion into an artificial intelligence center in 2015.

On Monday, Business Insider reported that Googles new A.I. had learned to become highly aggressive in stressful situations, turning on each other in a virtual game once resources became scarce.

Charlie Nash is a reporterforBreitbart Tech. You can follow himon Twitter@MrNashingtonorlike his page at Facebook.

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Elon Musk Warns Deep AI Could Be 'Dangerous' to an Already-Cyborg Human Race - Breitbart News

No Rain, No Beach – The Santa Barbara Independent – Santa Barbara Independent

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David Hubbard

During the 2016's El Nio, beaches like the one below Camino Majorca in Isla Vista lost high amounts of sand.

Dry El Nio Proved Devastating to CaliforniaBeaches

The last El Nio proved a bust for rain, but for wave-generated beach depletion, it was a boom. A paper published on Valentines Day in Nature Communications looked at 29 beaches along 1,200 miles of Pacific Coast during 2015-2016. Wintertime erosion was 76 percent above normal as seen on 3-D surface maps, aerial LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), GPS topographic surveys, and direct sand quantity measurements by a U.S. Geological Survey team that included UCSBs DavidHubbard.

SoniaFernandez

DaveHubbard

Wave conditions and coastal response were unprecedented for many locations, said lead author Patrick Barnard, a geologist with the USGS. The winter wave energy equaled or exceeded measured historical maximums along the West Coast. On the other hand, rain gauges registered 70 percent less, which was actually a contributing factor in beachlosses.

The lack of rainfall means the coastal rivers produced very little sand to fill in what was lost from the beaches, so recovery has been slow, Barnard said. The study also found that beach condition prior to the storm season one of the strongest in the past 145 years predicted whether erosion would be extreme ornot.

According to Hubbard, who is an ecologist at UCSBs Marine Science Institute, climate change may increase El Nio events, possibly twofold. First we need to understand the challenges, and those include the rising sea level and the fact that most of the problems occur during these peak El Nio events, Hubbard said. Then we need to restore or manage our coasts in ways that will enable us to deal with these events and conserve beach ecosystems. I think thats the challenge that we as a society have toaddress.

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From beaches to Europe to museums, plan a spring break to remember – Huntington Herald Dispatch

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NEW YORK - Spring break is right around the corner. For some travelers, that means seeking out beaches and sunshine. Others may be tempted by Europe, which has become more affordable for Americans, or by spring skiing.

Airfare, destinations and bookings

Airfares vary considerably this time of year. Travelers not tied to a holiday week may find flights are cheaper at other times. Most colleges schedule a week off in March, but family vacations often revolve around school breaks for Easter (April 16 this year) or Passover (beginning April 10).

Booking.com's data shows that travel March 18-April 30 will be 2 percent more expensive overall than last year, but a few domestic destinations are cheaper, including New Orleans, 8 percent cheaper than last spring; Miami Beach, 4 percent cheaper; and Tampa, Florida, 9 percent cheaper.

And take a look at Europe: A strong U.S. dollar has made vacations there much more affordable for Americans.

Expedia's top 10 destinations for March and April are Cancun, Mexico, followed by Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas; New York; Miami; Los Angeles; London; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Phoenix and Paris.

American Express Travel's top five international destinations are London, Cancun, Rome, Paris and Tel Aviv. But American Express reports a few other spots spiking compared with last year, with spring bookings to Iceland up 150 percent, to Auckland, New Zealand, up 129 percent, to Madrid up 114 percent, to Casablanca, Morocco, 103 percent, and Zurich, 101 percent.

AAA's bookings have three Florida destinations - Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami - in the top five domestic destinations, along with Anaheim, California (home to Disneyland), and Las Vegas. Internationally, AAA's top five are Punta Cana, Rome, Jamaica, London and the Bahamas.

At StudentUniverse, which caters to travelers 18-26, top spring break destinations are London; Los Angeles; New York; Miami; Paris; Madrid; Orlando; Barcelona, Spain; Cancun; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tokyo and Dublin.

Debbie Sebastian, a Travel Leaders agent in Danville, Kentucky, says she's seeing lots of "groups traveling with Punta Cana being the most popular choice this year. The flight times and charter options make it a great option."

March is typically the Miami airport's busiest month for domestic arrivals, with 1.08 million passengers in March 2016.

Karen Malone, with Travel Leaders in Woodbury, Minnesota, says in addition to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica is also proving popular, with both destinations offering new resort choices. "We here in the frozen North are attracted to those turquoise blue waters and white sand beaches," she said.

Cancun's always big for spring break, but it's not just a destination for the pina colada-and-party crowd. "Cancun also serves as the gateway for more quiet environs like Isla Mujeres, which is growing in popularity, as well as the entire Riviera Maya and all points directly south of Cancun, including Playa del Carmen," said Travel Leaders spokesman Steven Loucks. The region has all-inclusive resorts for every kind of traveler - couples, families, multigenerational groups.

Spring skiing, spring training

Some ski resorts schedule fun events to mark the end of winter, from concerts to costume contests and parties with a beach-and-barbecue theme. Vail, Colorado's Spring Back to Vail festival is April 14-16 and includes the World Pond Skimming Championships, where skiers land in the water. Breckenridge, Colorado, has a Spring Fever festival, April 1-23.

Baseball fans often schedule trips to catch their favorite MLB teams getting ready for opening day. Late February through April 1, the Cactus League plays in the Phoenix area, the Grapefruit League plays in Florida.

Not everybody hits the beach for spring break and not every family heads to theme parks. Wendy Perrin, founder of the travel planning site WendyPerrin.com, says her best spring vacations with two boys have been to Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia; Paris; and a Panama Canal cruise. This year, she's taking the family to Morocco, "to introduce the kids to a completely different culture."

If you like visiting museums, note two important openings this spring: the American Writers Museum in Chicago on May 16 and the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia on April 19.

Other noteworthy events include the Whitney Museum of American Art's Biennial 2017 in New York, a contemporary art survey opening March 17; in Kansas City, Missouri, special exhibitions at the National World War I Museum and an April 6 commemoration of the centennial of America's 1917 entry into the war; and at the Dallas Museum of Art, opening March 12, a survey of 200 works of Mexican modern art by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and others. A new attraction opens at Graceland in early March, "Elvis Presley's Memphis," with museum exhibits, a stage and more.

Finally, spring means flowers. In Washington, D.C., the National Cherry Blossom Festival runs March 20-April 16 with various Japanese-themed events, though bloom times vary depending on the weather. And at Walt Disney World in Florida, the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival runs March 1-May 29.

Send us your travel photos

Whether you're heading to Europe on spring break or heading to Hocking Hills for some hiking, relaxing at Myrtle Beach, Daytona Beach or anywhere in between, or just taking a family trip to the zoo or to an amusement park, we'd like to tag along.

Through your photos, that is.

Send your spring break or vacation travel photos to us at news@herald-dispatch.com. Be sure to identify each person pictured, first and last names, and tell us a little about your trip.

So grab a camera and hit the road, and we'll see you in the paper.

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From beaches to Europe to museums, plan a spring break to remember - Huntington Herald Dispatch

Let Your Kids Have a Sesame Street Adventure with Beaches Resorts – TravelPulse (blog)

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PHOTO: Sesame Street street sign. (Photo via Flickr/Gavin St. Ours)

Working on that big plan for the family vacation?

Why not give the kids a unique experience with Sesame Street?

Travel Planners International details how Beaches Resorts has partnered with the beloved show and the several fun activities theyve set up.

READ MORE Should Travelers Connect or Disconnect During Vacation?

Kids can partake in bird watching and learn about birds on a nature walk with Big Bird, as well as decorate feathery headbands and learn a fun dance as official Birdketeers, per the Travel Planners International blogger.

Another fun outing for the children is Story Time with Elmo. The lovable Sesame Street character tells great tales from the Caribbean and interacts with the kids as well.

Theres also Oscar the Grouchs trashland, where your little ones can let their imaginations run wild by transforming Oscars favorite scraps, such as cardboard, plastic, paper, and other items into creative objects, all while learning about how much fun it is to recycle and reuse resources, per the Travel Planners International blogger.

Additional activities for kids include the Discovery Dome and Exploring The Moon with Elmo.

Parents dont fret though, because the beach is right by and theres also a sensational spa to relax in while your kids dive into their Sesame Street adventure.

For more information, check out the Travel Planners International blog here.

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Art is a veteran travel writer.

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Let Your Kids Have a Sesame Street Adventure with Beaches Resorts - TravelPulse (blog)

Astronomers Use ALMA to Hunt for Universe’s Oldest Light – Sci-News.com

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This image shows the first measurements of the so-called Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE) from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.

Astronomers combined data from ALMAs 7- and 12-m antennas to produce the sharpest possible image of RX J1347.51145, the center of which shows up here in the dark hole in the ALMA observations. The energy distribution of the CMB photons shifts and appears as a temperature decrease at the wavelength observed by ALMA, hence a dark patch is observed in this image at the location of the cluster. The optical image of RX J1347.51145 was taken with Hubble. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / T. Kitayama, Toho University / ALMA.

The events surrounding the Big Bang were so cataclysmic that they left an indelible imprint on the fabric of the cosmos.

Astronomers can detect these scars today by observing the oldest light in the Universe.

As it was created nearly 14 billion years ago, this light which exists now as weak microwave radiation and is thus named the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has now expanded to permeate the entire cosmos, filling it with detectable photons.

The CMB can be used to probe the cosmos via the SZE, which was first observed in 1983.

Scientists detect the CMB here on Earth when its constituent microwave photons travel to our planet through space.

On their journey to Earth, they can pass through galaxy clusters that contain high-energy electrons. These electrons give the photons a tiny boost of energy.

Detecting these boosted photons through our telescopes is challenging but important they can help astronomers to understand some of the fundamental properties of the Universe, such as the location and distribution of dense galaxy clusters.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observed RX J1347.51145, a giant cluster of galaxies approximately 5 billion light-years from Earth, as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble.

This observation helped the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the CMB using the thermal SZE (blue-purple hues).

_____

This article is based on a press-release from NASA.

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Astronomers Use ALMA to Hunt for Universe's Oldest Light - Sci-News.com

SpaceX nails the landing after an historic launch – Blastr

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Yesterday morning, Sunday, February 19, 2017, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket into orbit. The primary mission: Loft a Dragon capsule containing 2500 kilograms of cargo to the International Space Station. Spoiler alert: They did it.

Well, they did most of it; the launch was a success (after a one-day delay due to a slightly odd behavior of the second stage engine steering mechanism), and the Dragon is now on its way to ISS; berthing is scheduled for 06:00 Eastern time Wednesday, February 22. This is the tenth ISS resupply mission for SpaceX.

Of course, all eyes were on the secondary mission, which was to land the first stage booster back on Earth. Spoiler alert again: They did this, too! Somehow, even though this is the eighth such successful landing, the shine hasnt worn off. Its still amazing to watch.

In fact, you can watch it again: SpaceX posted video of the landing taken from a drone, and its incredible:

Oh, yeah. This was the third successful landing of the booster at Landing Zone 1, located at the Cape Canaveral launch complex in Florida, and the first during the day. Speaking of which, this launch was also somewhat historic because it was the first for SpaceX from the fabled Launch Complex Pad 39A, which was the site of the crewed Apollo Saturn V launches (except Apollo 10), as well as the final launch of a Space Shuttle, Atlantis, in 2011. SpaceX leases that pad from NASA.

SpaceX has put up the entire launch sequence on video as well:

Some highlights: Launch is at the 14:35 mark. At 21:15, the booster performs a re-entry burn to slow itself. You can see the grid fins moving back and forth to guide the booster, as well. At 22:18 or so, the landing burn begins just as the booster plunges down through the low cloud layer.Then, at 22:52, it touches down. Going back to the primary mission, the Dragon capsule solar power arrays deploy at 27:28; those power the on-board batteries for the two days it takes to approach ISS.

If you want details on the mission, including how the booster gets back to Earth, check out NASA Spaceflight.

Ill note the point of bringing the boosters back down is to save money: It costs about $60 million to build one, but only a million or two to fix it up, refuel it, and launch it again. SpaceX has yet to actually do this, but theyre planning on their first reused booster launch sometime this year. They also announced that theyll be reusing a Dragon capsule for the 11th ISS resupply mission, scheduled for early April.

That will be the real test. If they can do it, theyll have found a way to save a lot of money on launch costs, which was one of the main goals of SpaceX when the company was founded. All we have right now is speculation on the actual costs and needed engineering to make this happen; once they launch a reused booster well be able to see just what the economics are.

But for now, this mission has gone very well. After a pair of lost rockets, including one in 2015 to resupply the ISS, I always breathe a sigh of relief once the Dragon is in orbit. Congratulations to SpaceX, and may the rest of this mission go as well.

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SpaceX nails the landing after an historic launch - Blastr

Minor planet named after famous Thai astronomer – Bangkok Post

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The asteroids of the inner Solar System and Jupiter: The donut-shaped asteroid belt is located between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars (Source: Wikipedia); Inset: Thai astronomer Singto, a founder of the Bangkok Planetarium & author of the book Star Tales in the Thai language on astronomy. Although the new minor planet does not have a name, some minor planets have been named such as the asteroid pictured here named 951 Gaspra, the first asteroid imaged by a spacecraft, as viewed during Galileo's 1991 flyby.

Founder of Bangkok Planetarium Thai astronomer Singto Pukahuta who died in 2007 gets small planet named after him to immortalize his name.

ASTRONOMY

19/02/2017 Apinya Wipatayotin

A new minor planet will be named after the famous Thai astronomer Singto Pukahuta.

The minor planet 1989 CN was discovered on Feb 4, 1989, by two Japanese astronomers.

The new minor planet Singto measures 3.96 kilometres in diameter and orbits between Mars and Jupiter (for more info see here, here & here).

Minor planets are defined as large objects in outer space that orbit around the Sun, including asteroids but excluding planets, dwarf planets and comets, "as of 2016, the orbits of 709,706 minor planets were archived at the Minor Planet Center, 469,275 of which had received permanent numbers" (see here).

FAMOUS THAI ASTRONOMER

Singto, who was born in 1915, was a prominent astronomer, educator and author as well as a founder and director of the Bangkok Planetarium and president of the Thai Astronomical Society (TAS).

He wrote Star Tales, which is regarded as one of 100 good books that Thai children should read.

Singto was also former president of the Thai Astronomical Society (TAS).

The astronomer passed away in 2007 at the age of 92.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION BESTOWS NAME ON MINOR PLANET

Wimut Wasalai, a committee member of the TAS, said the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on Feb 12 officially bestowed the name of Singto on minor planet 1989 CN (6125) following the society's request.

Mr Wimut said the IAU gave the TAS the opportunity to name this new minor planet due to it winning the majority of votes for a newly discovered star in late 2015 with the name 47 Ursae Majoris.

100,000 MINOR PLANETS AWAITING NAMES

"It's the first time the society has had the honour of naming a minor planet and the name of Singto came up as he greatly contributed to Thai astronomy," he said.

"Our society is very proud to have his name on the minor planet."

"It will be an inspiration for young Thais to study space and science so that one day new planets may be named after them," he said.

He added that there are about 100,000 minor planets waiting for names.

There are various ways of naming planets including naming contests for the most creative name (see here).

HOW ARE MINOR PLANETS NAMED?

There is a planet named Mongkut in honour of King Rama IV, also known as King Mongkut, who was the father of science.

In total, there are more than 10 minor planets named after Thai people.

However, most of the names are those of ex-students who won science and technology projects.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1200861/tas-bestows-thai-name-on-minor-planet

http://www.tnnthailand.com/news_detail.php?id=129247&t=news

These Poor Planets Are Why The Internet Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Name Things

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=6125

http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=6125

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_belt

as well as : also -

asteroid : any one of the many small planets that go around the sun - 1-480

astronomer : a scientist who studies astronomy, the scientific study of the sun, moon, stars, planets, etc. -

astronomical (adj): connected with astronomy (the scientific study of the sun, moon, stars, planets, etc.) -

astronomy : the scientific study of the stars, planets, and other objects in the universe -

author (noun): a person who writes a book or article - ,

bestowed : (of something valuable or important) given -

comet : a mass of ice and dust that moves around the sun and looks like a bright star with a tail -

contribute : to be a part of a group or an activity and help it to be successful -

contribute to : to help to cause an event or situation -

diameter : the length of a straight line that reaches from one point on the edge of a round shape or object, through its center, to a point on the opposite edge -

director : one of a group of senior managers who run a company -

discover : to be the first person to become aware that a particular place or thing exists -

due to : because of -

educator : teacher -

excluding : not including something - ,

float : to cause to move slowly in the air or on water -

former : of or in an earlier time; before the present time or in the past - ,

founder (noun): a person who establishes an institution, business, or organisation -

honour : an award, official title, etc. given to somebody as a reward for something that they have done - ,

inspiration : someone or something that gives you new ideas or enthusiasm to do something -

majority (noun): more than half of something - ,

measure (verb): to find the size, quantity, etc. of something in standard units - (, , )

minor : not important; small; having little influence or effect -

object : a thing that can be seen or touched, but is not alive - ,

opportunity : a chance to do something, or a situation in which it is easy for you to do something -

orbit : a curved path followed by a planet or an object as it moves around another planet, star, moon, etc - ,

orbit (verb): (of a planet, satellite, etc.) to follow a curved path as it moves around another planet, star, moon, etc -

outer space : the area outside the earth's atmosphere where all the other planets and stars are -

passed away (verb): died - (),,

planet : a large round object in space that moves around a star (such as the sun) and receives light from it -

project : a planned piece of work that is designed to find information about something, to produce something new, or to improve something -

prominent : important and well known - , ,

proud : feeling pleased and satisfied about something that you own or have done, or are connected with -

regarded as : considered to be -

request : an act of asking for something in a formal or polite way -

society (noun): a group of people who join together for a particular purpose -

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Minor planet named after famous Thai astronomer - Bangkok Post