Washington Native Plans Trip to Break Record, Bring Peace

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WASHINGTON, Conn. - Cassandra De Pecol may be just 25 but shes got big plans to break a world record, to travel the globe, to work for world peace and inspire young people to live their dreams.

The Washington, Conn., native will be working on all those goals when she leaves July 1 to visit all 195 of the worlds sovereign nations. She hopes to break the Guinness World Record for fastest time to visit all sovereign nations by completing the trip in under three years. She would also be the youngest person and the first woman to do it.

Though she holds dual citizenship in both Canada and the United States, De Pecol will be traveling as a global citizen, with the endorsement of the International Institute of Peace Through Tourism. She will be honored at the nonprofit groups upcoming World Symposium in South Africa.

That organization will provide contacts and arrange meetings with officials in each of the countries she will visit, De Pecol said.

The president [of IIPT] works with ministers of tourism in 89 countries throughout the world. Ill be meeting with them and then in the remainder, with mayors of either villages or communities or even cities hell get me in touch with them as well, she explained.

Im going to be presenting to them a declaration of peace, doing photo ops and meeting with children and people of my generation, discussing world peace and what it means to them.

But one of the means through which De Pecol hopes to promote peace will occur after her trip, when a documentary is released. The documentary, which will be shown in theaters and on Netflix, will be paired with other materials to serve as a tool kit for high school and college classes, she said. De Pecol also plans to visit schools and speak about her travels and world peace, while she also urges them to live their dreams.

Im not necessarily wanting to inspire people to do what Im doing I dont expect everyone to pack up and go travel the world but just to follow their dreams and not be stuck in miniscule things, their job if theyre not happy, she said. Im hoping to influence people in my generation to pursue what they want and live a fulfilled life.

De Pecol is already known to some through her role on the Discovery Channel show, Naked and Afraid, during which she survived a 21-day challenge in the Panamanian wilderness.

And thats not the only wild adventure shes had. Since 2009, De Pecol has traveled to the Amazon, Turkey, Italy, Egypt and several other countries while doing internships in renewable hospitality at hotels across the world. Continued...

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Washington Native Plans Trip to Break Record, Bring Peace

Scientist Builds a Supercomputer from PS3’s to Study Black Holes – Video

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Scientist Builds a Supercomputer from PS3 #39;s to Study Black Holes
When government funding for research isn #39;t exactly pouring in you gotta get crafty and that #39;s exactly what physicist Gaurav Khanna of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth did. He has put...

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Super Chip Will Tell Your Car to 'Go Park Yourself'

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In the car of the future, finding a parking spot is no longer your problem.

Feel free to even tell your car to "go park yourself."

Computer chip maker NVIDIA unveiled a new driving computer at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that makes finding a parking spot easy. Step out of the car, press a button on your smartphone, say those magic words and you're all set.

When it comes time to leave your venue in style, the car can pick you up again with these simple words: "Come back to me."

The DRIVE PX computer harnesses the power of two of the company's Tegra X1 super chips. While the technology is still in development, it provides an insightful glimpse at how humans and cars may interact in the future.

The computer has inputs for as many as a dozen cameras that can allow a car to find a spot in even the most crowded parking garage, park and wait for the driver to summon the car when they are ready to leave.

The DRIVE PX is so smart and agile, according to NVIDIA, that it can also distinguish between different types of vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and other cars.

NVIDIA also showed off a new cockpit computer system called DRIVE CX will give drivers a 360-degree view of their car and provide various digital instruments for ensuring safety on the road.

The development platform will also be released in the second quarter of 2015.

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Super Chip Will Tell Your Car to 'Go Park Yourself'

Alien Oceans May Flow on 'Super-Earth' Planets

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SEATTLE Alien worlds more massive than Earth could harbor long-lasting oceans, according to new research.

Scientists have used computer modeling to show that so-called "super-Earth" planets worlds that are up to five times more massive than Earth can play host to long-lived oceans. The modeling shows that the oceans can potentially remain on the planet for billions of years, possibly allowing life to develop on the alien planet. Researchers presented the new super-Earth findings during a news conference at the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society here in Seattle.

"When people consider whether a planet is in the habitable zone, they think about its distance from the star and its temperature," lead author of the super-Earth study Laura Schaefer of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts said in a statement. "However, they should also think about oceans, and look at super-Earths to find a good sailing or surfing destination." [10 Exoplanets That Could Host Alien Life]

Scientists think that Earth's oceans have existed for almost the entire history of the planet, and water is key to life as humanity understands it. Therefore, finding other worlds with long-lived oceans could help scientists narrow down planets that might have a good chance of hosting life.

Alien Planet Quiz: Are You an Exoplanet Expert?

Astronomers have confirmed more than 800 planets beyond our own solar system, and the discoveries keep rolling in. How much do you know about these exotic worlds?

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Alien Planet Quiz: Are You an Exoplanet Expert?

Astronomers have confirmed more than 800 planets beyond our own solar system, and the discoveries keep rolling in. How much do you know about these exotic worlds?

Earth's oceans are recycled. Water from the planet's oceans is pulled into the mantle from the crust due to geological activity, but water is also released from the mantle and back into the surface oceans through volcanic activity. The new computer model produced by Schaefer and her team was designed to test if this water recycling can occur on super-Earths with plate tectonics as well, according to the CfA.

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Alien Oceans May Flow on 'Super-Earth' Planets

Super-Earths have huge oceans that last billions of years

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Studies have shown Earth's mantle holds several oceans' worth of water Water is pulled underground by tectonic plates and sinking ocean floors Without water being brought back to the surface by volcanism, the oceans would soon disappear Experts used simulations to verify if the process happens on super-Earths They found oceans were more likely to be found on planets having two to four times the mass of the Earth Most scientists agree liquid water is needed for the development of life

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 14:14 EST, 5 January 2015 | Updated: 15:32 EST, 5 January 2015

Habitable super-Earths - that have up to five times the mass of our own planet - could possess vast, long-lasting oceans.

Oceans cover more than two thirds of the Earth's surface and are continually replenished by volcanic activity dragging up water buried deep underground.

And now a new study indicates that habitable zone planets may be even better at establishing and maintaining these large bodies of water.

Researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics believe that habitable super-Earths with up to five times the mass of our own planet, could hold vast oceans. This image shows an artist's impression of a gas giant planet rising over the horizon of an alien waterworld

A planet occupying a star's habitable zone is in an orbit where temperatures are mild enough to allow the existence of liquid surface water, making lakes, rivers and oceans possible.

Most scientists agree that liquid water is needed for the development of life as we know it.

Dr Laura Schaefer, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who led the study said: 'When people consider whether a planet is in the habitable zone, they think about its distance from the star and its temperature.

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Super-Earths have huge oceans that last billions of years

Super-Earths have long-lasting oceans

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IMAGE:This artist's depiction shows a gas giant planet rising over the horizon of an alien waterworld. New research shows that oceans on super-Earths, once established, can last for billions of... view more

Credit: David A. Aguilar (CfA)

For life as we know it to develop on other planets, those planets would need liquid water, or oceans. Geologic evidence suggests that Earth's oceans have existed for nearly the entire history of our world. But would that be true of other planets, particularly super-Earths? New research suggests the answer is yes and that oceans on super-Earths, once established, can last for billions of years.

"When people consider whether a planet is in the habitable zone, they think about its distance from the star and its temperature. However, they should also think about oceans, and look at super-Earths to find a good sailing or surfing destination," says lead author Laura Schaefer of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

Schaefer presented her findings today in a press conference at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Even though water covers 70 percent of Earth's surface, it makes up a very small fraction of the planet's overall bulk. Earth is mostly rock and iron; only about a tenth of a percent is water.

"Earth's oceans are a very thin film, like fog on a bathroom mirror," explains study co-author Dimitar Sasselov (CfA).

However, Earth's water isn't just on the surface. Studies have shown that Earth's mantle holds several oceans' worth of water that was dragged underground by plate tectonics and subduction of the ocean seafloor. Earth's oceans would disappear due to this process, if it weren't for water returning to the surface via volcanism (mainly at mid-ocean ridges). Earth maintains its oceans through this planet-wide recycling.

Schaefer used computer simulations to see if this recycling process would take place on super-Earths, which are planets up to five times the mass, or 1.5 times the size, of Earth. She also examined the question of how long it would take oceans to form after the planet cooled enough for its crust to solidify.

She found that planets two to four times the mass of Earth are even better at establishing and maintaining oceans than our Earth. The oceans of super-Earths would persist for at least 10 billion years (unless boiled away by an evolving red giant star).

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Super-Earths have long-lasting oceans

Super-Earths are the best bet for oceans capable of hosting life

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Habitable super-Earths with up to five times the mass of our own planet could possess vast, long-lasting oceans, new research suggests.

Oceans cover more than two thirds of the Earths surface and are continually replenished by volcanic activity dragging up water buried deep underground.

But a new study indicates that habitable zone planets with two to four times the Earths mass may be even better at establishing and maintaining oceans.

A planet occupying a stars habitable zone is in an orbit where temperatures are mild enough to allow the existence of liquid surface water, making lakes, rivers and oceans possible.

Most scientists agree that liquid water is a prerequisite for the development of life as we know it.

Dr Laura Schaefer, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the US, who led the new research, said: When people consider whether a planet is in the habitable zone, they think about its distance from the star and its temperature. However, they should also think about oceans, and look at super-Earths to find a good sailing or surfing destination.

Studies have shown that the Earths mantle holds several oceans worth of water that has been pulled underground by the movements of tectonic plates and sinking ocean floors.

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Super-Earths are the best bet for oceans capable of hosting life

Brainstorm Stem-Cell Therapy Continues to Show Treatment Effect in ALS Patients

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By: Adam Feuerstein | 01/05/15 - 10:52 AM EST

Once injected, the NurOwn stem cells bathe the damaged neurons of ALS patients with secretions of nerve growth factors. Brainstorm has a home run on its hands if NurOwn can be shown to slow or halt the progressive destruction of neurons, and if that disease-modifying effect translates into improved muscle function for ALS patients. Monday's update comes from a Phase IIa trial in which 14 ALS patientswere followed for the three months without treatment. At month four, each patient wastransplanted with their own personalized NurOwn therapy and then assessed every month for six months. Brainstorm evaluated NurOwn's impact on ALS disease progression using the ALSFRS score, a commonly used assessment of treatment response and muscle function in ALS patients. Lung function, another commonly used measure of efficacy in ALS clinical trials, was also measured.

Twelve ALS patients were evaluable for response. Of these, 11 patientsshowed aslowing of ALS disease progression at six months compared to baseline, measured either by improved ALSFRS or lung function scores, Brainstorm said. Two other patients enrolled in the study died. Administration of the NurOwn therapy was well tolerated by patients, the company said.

The final Phase IIa data announced Monday were a small improvement over interim results from the same study presented last June. Further, detailed data from the study will be presented at a medical meeting later this year. For perspective purposes, it's important to note that this phase IIa study enrolled a relatively small number of ALS patients and was conducted at a single hospital in Israel. This doesn't necessarily discredit the positive results, but conclusions about NurOwn's ultimate benefit as an ALS therapy can't be drawnuntil data from larger studies are gathered.

Brainstorm is conducting another, larger Phase II study in the U.S., enrolling 48 ALS patients who will be randomized 3:1 to receive a single NurOwn treatment in the muscle and spine, or a placebo treatment. The study is being conducted at two hospitals in Massachusetts, UMass Medical Center and Massachusetts General, and the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic. The study's primary endpoint is the safety and tolerability of NurOwn, but investigators will also assess ALS patients for efficacy using measures of ALS disease activity and muscle function. The first patient was enrolled into the Phase II study last June and Brainstorm expects results to be ready in the first half of 2016.

The company is also in the planning stages for another Phase II study in which ALS patients will be treated with multiple doses of NurOwn. Must Read: 11 Best Small-Cap Technology Stocks That Could Hit It Big in 2015

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Brainstorm Stem-Cell Therapy Continues to Show Treatment Effect in ALS Patients

Scientists Develop Pioneering Method to Define Stages of Stem Cell Reprogramming

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Newswise In a groundbreaking study that provides scientists with a critical new understanding of stem cell development and its role in disease, UCLA researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research led by Dr. Kathrin Plath, professor of biological chemistry, have established a first-of-its-kind methodology that defines the unique stages by which specialized cells are reprogrammed into stem cells that resemble those found in the embryo.

The study was published online ahead of print in the journal Cell.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (known as iPSCs) are similar to human embryonic stem cells in that both cell types have the unique ability to self-renew and have the flexibility to become any cell in the human body. iPSC cells, however, are generated by reprogramming skin or blood cells and do not require an embryo.

Reprogramming is a long process (about one to two weeks) and largely inefficient, with typically less than one percent of the primary skin or blood cells successfully completing the journey to becoming an iPSC. The exact stages a cell goes through during the reprogramming process are also not well understood. This knowledge is important, as iPSCs hold great promise in the field of regenerative medicine, as they can provide a single source of patient-specific cells to replace those lost to injury or disease. They can also be used to create novel disease models from which new drugs and therapies can be developed.

This research has broad impact, because by deepening our understanding of cell reprogramming we have the potential to improve disease modeling and the generation of better sources of patient-specific specialized cells suitable for replacement therapy, said Plath. This can ultimately benefit patients with new and better treatments for a wide range of diseases.

Drs. Vincent Pasque and Jason Tchieu, postdoctoral fellows in the lab of Dr. Plath and co-first authors of the study, developed a roadmap of the reprogramming process using detailed time-course analyses. They induced the reprogramming of skin cells into iPSC, then observed and analyzed on a daily basis or every other day the process of transformation at the single-cell level. The data were collected and recorded over a period of up to two weeks.

Plaths team found that the changes that happen in cells during reprogramming occur in a sequential stage-by-stage manner, and that importantly, the stages were the same across all the different reprogramming systems and different cell types analyzed.

The exact stage of reprogramming of any cell can now be determined, said Pasque. This study signals a big change in thinking, because it provides simple and efficient tools for scientists to study stem cell creation in a stage-by-stage manner. Most studies to date ignore the stages of reprogramming, but we can now seek to better understand the entire process on both a macro and micro level.

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'CRISPR' Science: Newer Genome Editing Tool Shows Promise in Engineering Human Stem Cells

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Newswise A powerful genome editing technology known as CRISPR has been used by researchers since 2012 to trim, disrupt, replace or add to sequences of an organisms DNA. Now, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have shown that the system also precisely and efficiently alters human stem cells.

In a recent online report on the work in Molecular Therapy, the Johns Hopkins team says the findings could streamline and speed efforts to modify and tailor human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for use as treatments or in the development of model systems to study diseases and test drugs.

Stem cell technology is quickly advancing, and we think that the days when we can use iPSCs for human therapy arent that far away, says Zhaohui Ye, Ph.D., an instructor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This is one of the first studies to detail the use of CRISPR in human iPSCs, showcasing its potential in these cells.

CRISPR originated from a microbial immune system that contains DNA segments known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. The engineered editing system makes use of an enzyme that nicks together DNA with a piece of small RNA that guides the tool to where researchers want to introduce cuts or other changes in the genome.

Previous research has shown that CRISPR can generate genomic changes or mutations through these interventions far more efficiently than other gene editing techniques, such as TALEN, short for transcription activator-like effector nuclease.

Despite CRISPRs advantages, a recent study suggested that it might also produce a large number of off-target effects in human cancer cell lines, specifically modification of genes that researchers didnt mean to change.

To see if this unwanted effect occurred in other human cell types, Ye; Linzhao Cheng, Ph.D., a professor of medicine and oncology in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and their colleagues pitted CRISPR against TALEN in human iPSCs, adult cells reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells. Human iPSCs have already shown enormous promise for treating and studying disease.

The researchers compared the ability of both genome editing systems to either cut out pieces of known genes in iPSCs or cut out a piece of these genes and replace it with another. As model genes, the researchers used JAK2, a gene that when mutated causes a bone marrow disorder known as polycythemia vera; SERPINA1, a gene that when mutated causes alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, an inherited disorder that may cause lung and liver disease; and AAVS1, a gene thats been recently discovered to be a safe harbor in the human genome for inserting foreign genes.

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'CRISPR' Science: Newer Genome Editing Tool Shows Promise in Engineering Human Stem Cells

Venkatesh and I discuss Spirituality Pawan Kalyan @ Gopala Gopala Audio Release – Video

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Venkatesh and I discuss Spirituality Pawan Kalyan @ Gopala Gopala Audio Release
Watch Pawan Kalyan and Venkatesh talk about their relation off screen. Pawan states that Spirituality is a common point of discussion and may be that has inspired them to act in Gopala Gopala....

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Dalai Lama rumoured to be appearing at Glastonbury festival 2015

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The Dalai Lama seemingly announced his slot on 28 June at Glastonbury festival. Photograph: Michael Mayhew/Allstar/Sportsphoto Ltd

Glastonbury is the home of spiritual enlightenment for thousands festival goers who make their pilgrimage to Worthy Farm each June, but 2015s event could be a particularly enlightening experience if rumours of the Dalai Lamas appearance turn out to be true.

On his official website dalailama.com Tenzin Gyatso, the 79-year-old head monk of Tibetan Buddhism, seemingly self-announced his slot at this years festival, detailing his attendance at the event on Sunday 28 June.

His Holiness will give a talk at the Glastonbury Festival in the morning, a post on the sites schedule section read.

There is now confusion though, over whether the spiritual leader will be appearing. Festival officials refused to comment on Monday on the Dalai Lamas possible appearance and the original listing on the spiritual leaders website was removed once news began to circulate.

At present, there still remains a Glastonbury shaped gap in his diary: the Nobel peace prize winner is scheduled to give a talk on The Wisdom of Giving and Receiving in Perth, western Australia on 14 June and a public talk on Buddhism in the 21st Century in Middlesex on 29 June. Perhaps a Pyramid stage gig is still possible.

With Glastonbury synonymous with an ethos of peace and love, news of his potential arrival on Worthy Farm is a surprising yet well suited choice: pop culture has long celebrated his spiritual and environmental causes, with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing for him in 2013, and the Beastie Boys late Adam Yauch regularly working alongside the leader to raise awareness on the plight of the Tibetan people.

While it would be his debut at Glastonbury, in 2013, the Dalai Lamas Tibetan monks The Gyuto Monks of Tibet, who are exiled with the 14th Dalai Lama in north India performed their chants in the famous Green Fields.

The full Glastonbury lineup is not expected to be revealed until April, with this years only confirmed name remaining soul singer, Lionel Richie, who makes his debut on the Pyramid stage on the Sunday. Tickets for 2015s Glastonbury, which runs from 24th to 28th June, are sold out.

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Dalai Lama rumoured to be appearing at Glastonbury festival 2015

Three Point Perspective (preview) by Winston Chmielinski – Video

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Three Point Perspective (preview) by Winston Chmielinski
Yann Arthus-Bertrand #39;s freely-distributed environmental documentary, #39;Home #39;, serves as the backdrop to a pre-recording of the International Space Station #39;s live video stream, which launched...

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Three Point Perspective (preview) by Winston Chmielinski - Video

Star Citizen Sunday – Zero-G Training, FPS Module Space Station + More – Video

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Star Citizen Sunday - Zero-G Training, FPS Module Space Station + More
Keep up with all the news over the past week from CIG #39;s upcoming epic space sim, Star Citizen. In this weeks show, we have 10 for the Producers, episode 2, we see how the FPS demo location...

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Star Citizen Sunday - Zero-G Training, FPS Module Space Station + More - Video