Apr. 29, 2013 ? Tiny 1,900 million-year-old fossils from rocks around Lake Superior, Canada, give the first ever snapshot of organisms eating each other and suggest what the ancient Earth would have smelled like.
The fossils, preserved in Gunflint chert, capture ancient microbes in the act of feasting on a cyanobacterium-like fossil called Gunflintia -- with the perforated sheaths of Gunflintia being the discarded leftovers of this early meal.
A team, led by Dr David Wacey of the University of Western Australia and Bergen University, Norway, and Professor Martin Brasier of Oxford University, reports in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the fossil evidence for how this type of feeding on organic matter -- called 'heterotrophy' -- was taking place. They also show that the ancient microbes appeared to prefer to snack on Gunflintia as a 'tasty morsel' in preference to another bacterium (Huroniospora).
'What we call 'heterotrophy' is the same thing we do after dinner as the bacteria in our gut break down organic matter,' said Professor Martin Brasier of Oxford University's Department of Earth Sciences, an author of the paper. 'Whilst there is chemical evidence suggesting that this mode of feeding dates back 3,500 million years, in this study for the first time we identify how it was happening and 'who was eating who'. In fact we've all experienced modern bacteria feeding in this way as that's where that 'rotten egg' whiff of hydrogen sulfide comes from in a blocked drain. So, rather surprisingly, we can say that life on earth 1,900 million years ago would have smelled a lot like rotten eggs.'
The team analysed the microscopic fossils, ranging from about 3-15 microns in diameter, using a battery of new techniques and found that one species -- a tubular form thought to be the outer sheath of Gunflintia -- was more perforated after death than other kinds, consistent with them having been eaten by bacteria.
In some places many of the tiny fossils had been partially or entirely replaced with iron sulfide ('fool's gold') a waste product of heterotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria that is also a highly visible marker. The team also found that these Gunflintia fossils carried clusters of even smaller (c.1 micron) spherical and rod-shaped bacteria that were seemingly in the process of consuming their hosts.
Dr Wacey said that: 'recent geochemical analyses have shown that the sulfur-based activities of bacteria can likely be traced back to 3,500 million years or so -- a finding reported by our group in Nature Geoscience in 2011. Whilst the Gunflint fossils are only about half as old, they confirm that such bacteria were indeed flourishing by 1,900 million years ago. And that they were also highly particular about what they chose to eat.'
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Oxford, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
David Wacey, Nicola McLoughlin, Matt R. Kilburn, Martin Saunders, John B. Cliff, Charlie Kong, Mark E. Barley, and Martin D. Brasier. Nanoscale analysis of pyritized microfossils reveals differential heterotrophic consumption in the ?1.9-Ga Gunflint chert. PNAS, April 29, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1221965110
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Apr. 29, 2013 ? A team of bioengineers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is the first to report creating artificial heart tissue that closely mimics the functions of natural heart tissue through the use of human-based materials. Their work will advance how clinicians treat the damaging effects caused by heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
"Scientists and clinicians alike are eager for new approaches to creating artificial heart tissues that resemble the native tissues as much as possible, in terms of physical properties and function," said Nasim Annabi, PhD, BWH Renal Division, first study author. "Current biomaterials used to repair hearts after a heart attack and other cardiovascular events lack suitable functionality and strength. We are introducing an alternative that has the mechanical properties and functions of native heart tissue."
The study was published online on April 26, 2013 in Advanced Functional Materials.
The researchers created MeTro gel-an advanced rubber-like material made from tropoelastin, the protein in human tissues that makes them elastic. The gel was then combined with microfabrication techniques to generate gels containing well-defined micropatterns for high elasticity.
The researchers then used these highly elastic micropatterned gels to create heart tissue that contained beating heart muscle cells.
"The micropatterned gel provides elastic mechanical support of natural heart muscle tissue as demonstrated by its ability to promote attachment, spreading, alignment, function and communication of heart muscle cells," said Annabi.
The researchers state that MeTro gel will provide a model for future studies on how heart cells behave. Moreover, the work lays the foundation for creating more elaborate 3D versions of heart tissue that will contain vascular networks.
"This can be achieved by assembling tandem layers of micropatterned MeTro gels seeded with heart muscles cells in different layers," said Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, BWH Division of Biomedical Engineering, co-senior study author. "As we continue to move forward with finding better ways to mend a broken heart, we hope the biomaterials we engineer will allow us to successfully address the limitations of current artificial tissues."
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (HL092836, DE019024, EB012597, AR057837, DE021468, HL099073, EB008392); National Health and Medical Research Council; CRC for Polymers; BHP-Billiton Fulbright Scholarship; National Science Foundation; Office of Naval Research Young National Investigator Award; Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; Australian Research Council; and Australian Defense Health Foundation and National Health and Medical Research Council.
Anthony Weiss, PhD, University of Sydney, co-senior study author is scientific founder of Elastagen Pty Ltd.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital.
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Journal Reference:
Nasim Annabi, Kelly Tsang, Suzanne M. Mithieux, Mehdi Nikkhah, Afshin Ameri, Ali Khademhosseini, Anthony S. Weiss. Highly Elastic Micropatterned Hydrogel for Engineering Functional Cardiac Tissue. Advanced Functional Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201300570
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
BERLIN, April 29 (Reuters) - Barcelona will try every trick in the book to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final return leg on Wednesday, honorary Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer warned on Monday. Bayern crushed the Spaniards last week in a surprisingly one-sided encounter but Beckenbauer, former player, coach and president of Germany's most successful club, warned that Barcelona were not ready to surrender. "Barca will try everything to throw Bayern off balance," he told Bild newspaper. ...
NEW YORK (Reuters) - World stock indexes and the euro advanced on Monday as the formation of a new government in Italy eased uncertainty about the political future of the country, the third-largest economy in the euro zone, while the S&P 500 closed at a record high.
The gains on Friday extended the S&P 500's recent rally, bringing the index's increase for the year-to-date to 11.8 percent.
Expectations of more easy money from the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, which would offset the risk of future disappointment over global economic recovery, also boosted stocks.
Recent signs of weak U.S. growth have raised expectations the Fed will keep its pace of bond buying unchanged at $85 billion a month at its two-day policy meeting beginning on Tuesday, while the ECB is widely expected to announce an interest rate cut when it meets on Thursday.
"After the election there was a lot of uncertainty about whether Italy could form a government, so now there is not only a great deal of relief over that, but also expectations for additional monetary policies from the ECB," said Alec Young, global equity strategist at S&P Equity Research in New York.
Investors welcomed the formation of a broad coalition government in Italy under new Prime Minister Enrico Letta, two months after inconclusive general elections, though investors remain cautious over how long the new growth-focused government will survive.
The resolution of Italy's political stalemate helped bring its five- and 10-year borrowing costs down to their lowest level since October 2010 at a bond sale on Monday, while yields on 10-year debt in the secondary market fell 13 basis points to 3.93 percent.
MSCI's world equity index was up 0.7 percent, while the broad FTSE Eurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed up 0.5 percent, led higher by Milan's FTSE MIB, which rose 2.2 percent.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 106.20 points, or 0.72 percent, at 14,818.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 11.37 points, or 0.72 percent, at 1,593.61. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 27.76 points, or 0.85 percent, at 3,307.02.
The S&P 500 surpassed its previous record close set earlier this month.
Housing data also helped U.S. stocks. Signed contracts to purchase previously owned U.S. homes rose in March as the housing market continued to pick up pace this year.
Growth-oriented stocks like energy and technology led the way higher. The Fed's stimulus measures have helped U.S. stocks rally for much of this year.
U.S. Treasury benchmark note yields held near four-month lows, with trading volumes light ahead of the central bank meetings and the U.S. Labor Department's highly anticipated monthly jobs report on Friday.
The 10-year Treasuries were flat in price to yield 1.67 percent. The yields have dropped from as high as 2.05 percent on March 8.
The euro was up 0.51 percent at $1.3093, with hedge funds cited among key buyers. It peaked at $1.3115, the highest since April 19.
Some analysts say the euro could weaken should the ECB cut its main interest rate by 25 basis points, from 0.75 percent currently, when it meets on Thursday; a rate cut would erode the euro's interest rate advantage over the dollar and yen.
"The euro would likely weaken somewhat on that, but the overall move will be muted," said John Doyle, currency strategist at Tempus Consulting in Washington, D.C. "The expectation is starting to get priced in."
A Reuters poll of 76 economists last Thursday showed only a narrow majority of 43 expected a 25-basis-point cut at this week's ECB policy meeting, which would take the bank's refinancing rate to a record low of 0.5 percent.
OIL, GOLD CLIMB
A weaker dollar helped drive gains in both U.S. crude oil prices and gold.
U.S. light crude rose $1.50 to settle at $94.50. Brent crude settled up 65 cents at $103.81 a barrel, after making its biggest weekly gain since November last week.
U.S. gold futures were up 0.8 percent to $1,465.30 an ounce.
(Additional reporting by Wanfeng Zhou and Ryan Vlastelica in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler and Leslie Adler)
Hey, sometimes you have to turn to your old man for some wisdom. In this case, I doubt Chris Brown will, but maybe he should. Even his own father is admitting that it’s a terrible idea for Brown and Rihanna to get back together. I like this guy already. If you’re like me, and you almost threw up your dinner when you read that Chris Brown and Rihanna were considering giving their relationship another try, this article is soothing. Let’s call it Chicken Soup for the Celeb News Junkie’s Soul. That’s right, everyone online has been writing mean things about Chris Brown from the minute he was arrested for beating Rihanna. He has not been in the good favor of any news source from here to New Zealand — and for good reason! He was found guilty, and didn’t show remorse until it was literally wrung out of him. So why…in…the…hell would they get back together?! It’s very frustrating. Here is what the elder Brown had to say: “I personally really didn?t want him and Rihanna back together…You have to have a balance in a relationship. You have to have someone who is spontaneous and whimsical but you also have [...]
SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? Police in Bangladesh took six people into custody in connection with the collapse of a shoddily-constructed building that killed at least 359 people, as rescue workers admitted that voices of survivors are getting weaker after four days of being pinned under the increasingly unstable rubble.
Still, in a boost for the rescuers, 29 survivors were pulled out Saturday, said army spokesman Shahinul Islam.
Most of the victims were crushed by massive blocks of concrete and mortar falling on them when the 8-story structure came down on Wednesday morning ? a time many of the garment factories in the building were packed with workers. It was the worst tragedy to hit Bangladesh's massive garment industry, and focused attention on the poor working conditions of the employees who toil for $38 a month to produce clothing for top international brands.
Among those arrested Saturday were two owners of a garment factory, who a Dhaka court ruled can be questioned by police for 12 days without charges being filed. Also detained are two government engineers and the wife of the building owner, who is on the run, in an attempt to force him to surrender. Late Saturday, police arrested another factory owner. Violent public protests continued sporadically in Dhaka and spread to the southeastern city of Chittagong where several vehicles were set on fire.
Working round-the-clock since Wednesday through heat and a thunderstorm, rescuers on Saturday finally reached the ground floor from the top of the mountainous rubble through 25 narrow holes they have drilled, said Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, the head of the fire services.
"We are still getting response from survivors though they are becoming weaker slowly," he said, adding that rescue workers were now able to see cars that were parked at the ground level.
"The building is very vulnerable. Any time the floors could collapse. We are performing an impossible task, but we are glad that we are able to rescue so many survivors." He said the operations will continue overnight as chances fade of people surviving for a fifth day with possibly grievous injuries and the heat.
The building site was a hive of frenzied activity all day with soldiers, police and medical workers in lab coats working non-stop. Rescuers passed bottles of water and small cylinders of oxygen up a ladder leaning against the side of the building to be given to possible survivors inside.
They used bare hands and shovels, passing chunks of brick and concrete down a human chain away from the collapsed structure. On the ground, mixed in the debris were several pairs of pink cotton pants, a mud-covered navy blue sock and a pile of green uncut fabric.
Every once in a while a badly decomposed body would be brought out, covered in cloth and plastic, to a spot where ambulances were parked. Workers furiously sprayed air-fresheners on the bodies to cover the stench, leaving the air thick with the smell of death and cheap perfume.
The bodies were kept at a makeshift morgue at the nearby Adharchandra High School before being handed over to families. Many people milled around at the school, waving photos of their missing loved ones.
Officials at a rescue control center at the scene said Sunday that the death toll had risen to 359. Military spokesman Shahinul Islam said 2,429 survivors were accounted for.
Junior Home Minister Shamsul Haque Tuku said police had arrested Bazlus Samad, managing director of New Wave Apparels Ltd., and Mahmudur Rahman Tapash, the company chairman. He told reporters that police had also detained the wife of Mohammed Sohel Rana, the owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza building, for questioning. The top three floors of the eight-story building were illegally constructed. Military spokesman Shahinul Islam said officials arrested Aminul Islam, chairman of Phantom Apparels Ltd., late Saturday in Dhaka.
Authorities are still searching for Rana, a local politician, who hasn't been seen publicly since the building collapsed. Negligence cases have been filed against him. Police in Bangladesh often detain relatives of missing suspects as a way to pressure them to surrender.
Dhaka police superintendent Habibur Rahman said Rana was a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front. His arrest, and that of the factory owners, was ordered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the Awami League leader.
Police said they detained for questioning two engineers working for the Savar municipality, Imtemam Hossain and Alam Ali. They did not say what role they played in approving the design of the building but it was clear that the arrests amounted to a widening crackdown. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
A garment manufacturers' group said the factories in the building employed 3,122 workers, but it was not clear how many were inside it when it collapsed.
Police say they ordered an evacuation of the building on Tuesday after cracks in Rana Plaza were found, but the factories ignored the order and were operating when it collapsed the next day. Video before the collapse shows cracks in walls, with apparent attempts at repair. It also shows columns missing chunks of concrete and police talking to building operators.
Officials said soon after the collapse that numerous construction regulations had been violated.
The disaster is the worst ever for the country's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards. Since then, very little has changed in Bangladesh, where low wages have made it a magnet for numerous global brands.
Bangladesh's garment industry was the third largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade. The country's minimum wage is the equivalent of about $38 a month.
Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.
The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers.
Britain's Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.
Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.
__
AP writers Chris Blake and Gillian Wong in Dhaka, and Kay Johnson in Mumbai contributed to this report.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) ? A Mississippi man whose home and business were searched as part of an investigation into poisoned letters sent to the president and others has been arrested in the case, according to the FBI.
Everett Dutschke, 41, was arrested about 12:50 a.m. Saturday at his Tupelo home by FBI special agents in connection with the letters, FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden said. The letters, which tests showed were tainted with ricin, were sent last week to President Barack Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and earlier to an 80-year-old Mississippi judge, Sadie Holland.
Madden said FBI special agents arrested Dutschke (pronounced DUHS'-kee) without incident. She said additional questions should be directed to the U.S. attorney's office. The office in Oxford did not immediately respond to messages Saturday.
Dutschke's attorney, Lori Nail Basham, said Saturday in a text message that "the authorities have confirmed Mr. Dutschke's arrest. We have no comment at this time." Basham also said via text that she didn't know what the charges against Dutschke were.
Basham said earlier this week that Dutschke was "cooperating fully" with investigators. Dutschke has insisted he had nothing to do with the letters.
Ryan Taylor, a spokesman for Wicker, said Saturday that "because the investigation is still ongoing, we're not able to comment."
Charges in the case were initially filed against an Elvis impersonator but then dropped. Attention then turned to Dutschke, who has ties to the former suspect, the judge and the senator. Earlier in the week, as investigators searched his primary residence in Tupelo, Dutschke had remarked to reporters, "I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Charges initially were filed last week against Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, the Elvis impersonator, but then dropped after authorities said they had discovered new information. Curtis' lawyers say he was framed.
Curtis' attorney, Christi McCoy, said Saturday: "We are relieved but also saddened. This crime is nothing short of diabolical. I have seen a lot of meanness in the past two decades, but this stops me in my tracks. "
Dutschke and Curtis were acquainted. Curtis said they had talked about possibly publishing a book on an alleged conspiracy to sell body parts on a black market. But he said they later had a feud.
Judge Holland is a common link between the two men who have been investigated, and both know Wicker.
Holland was the presiding judge in a case in which Curtis was accused of assaulting a Tupelo attorney in 2004. Holland sentenced him to six months in the county jail. He served only part of the sentence, according to his brother.
Holland's family has had political skirmishes with Dutschke. Her son, Steve Holland, a Democratic state representative, said he thinks his mother's only other encounter with Dutschke was at a rally in the town of Verona in 2007, when Dutschke ran as a Republican against Steve Holland
Holland said his mother confronted Dutschke after he made a derogatory speech about the Holland family. She demanded that he apologize, which Holland says he did.
On Saturday, Steve Holland said he can't say for certain that Dutschke is the person who sent the letter to his mother but added, "I feel confident the FBI knows what they are doing."
"We're ready for this long nightmare to be over," Holland told The Associated Press.
He said he's not sure why someone would target his mother. Holland said he believes Dutschke would have more reason to target him than his mother.
"Maybe he thinks the best way to get to me is to get to the love of my life, which is my mother," Holland said Saturday.
___
Associated Press writer Jack Elliott Jr. in Jackson, Miss., contributed to this report.
A NuvaRing contraceptive. (Sandy Huffaker/Getty)Rachel Lietzke Payne started using Nuvaring in 2008, when she was a 20-year-old college student. The contraceptive device appealed to her because it was easy to use. Birth control pills have to be taken every day, but Nuvaring, which came onto the market in 2001, is inserted into the vagina and removed each month?and is just as effective at preventing pregnancy.
One Monday in October of 2010, more than a year after she first began using the vaginal ring, Payne met her father for a standing lunch date at Buffalo Wild Wings in Casselberry, north of where they lived in Orlando. When she and her dad walked out of the restaurant, Payne suddenly fell ill and spat up quarter-size chunks of blood onto the cement.
Payne was rushed to the hospital, where she spent 10 days being pumped with anti-coagulants to thin her blood. She was diagnosed as having developed a blood clot in her lung, a condition that could have been fatal. ?It took them a while to figure out that it was blood clots because I was 22 at the time,? said Payne, who is now a married 25-year-old aspiring air traffic controller with a toddler son. She was also a non-smoker, fit, and had no family history of blood clots, all potential risk factors.
But the doctors landed on what they believed might have caused the clotting: the Nuvaring.
Payne is now one of more than 1,000 women suing Merck & Co?the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the birth control?in a federal district court in Missouri. They allege that the company?s device caused them to suffer blood clots?in a few cases, fatal ones?the risks of which they say they were inadequately warned about.
The suits are the latest in a pricey legal backlash over a variety of hormonal contraceptives that have come to the market in the past 10 years. Thousands of women sued over the Ortho Evra patch, citing studies that showed a higher blood clot risk compared to traditional birth control pills, costing Ortho McNeil, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, millions of dollars. And as of 2012, more than 10,000 suits were filed against Bayer, the makers of Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills, which has set aside more than $1.5 billion to settle claims against them.
Roger Denton, the lead counsel for the multi-district litigation against Nuvaring in Missouri, said he thinks the case could be as lucrative for his clients as Bayer?s litigation over Yaz and Yasmin. (Bayer has settled for an average of $216,000 with each plaintiff in that case.)
Hormonal contraceptives inhibit ovulation by releasing a combination of estrogen and progestin. While earlier iterations of progestin have shown only a slight increase in blood clot risk, recent studies have shown that newer forms of progestin?called third- and fourth-generation progestins, which were developed in the 1990s and 2000s?are associated with higher rates of blood clotting among women who take them compared to second-generation iterations of the hormone.
In fact, more than a dozen studies conducted over more than a decade have shown that women taking contraceptives containing a third-generation progestin?such as that used in Nuvaring and some birth control pills?have a 1.4 to 4 times higher risk of developing blood clots than women on contraceptives containing second-generation progestin.
The studies include a recent one funded by the FDA that tracked the health records of more than 835,000 women, found that those who used the vaginal ring were more likely to experience venous thrombosis than women who took oral contraceptives. But the researchers warned that the finding is ?new and raises concern,? and ?needs to be replicated in other studies.?
A handful of other studies, however, have shown no increased risk. Overall, the risk is still very low, with only around six to 10 out of 10,000 women developing blood clots over a year.
The plaintiffs in the Nuvaring case say it's not just the hormone in the device that caused their blood clots, but also the delivery system. Unlike other forms of birth control, Nuvaring dispenses hormones directly into the bloodstream, which the plaintiffs' expert witness argues could cause "spikes" of hormones that make women more susceptible to blood clots. There's currently no large study to back up that claim.
Some experts, however, warn the results of the studies conducted are being overblown by the media and trial lawyers, and may be scaring women away from effective birth control. More than 20 international researchers published an open letter in the Journal of Family Health and Reproductive Planning earlier this month saying the media and attorneys are creating a ?scare? that is not based on adequate research and could create more harm than good. They argue that large database studies, such as the one funded by the FDA, can be inaccurate because they don?t take into account all the confounding variables, such as obesity, that could affect blood clotting.
The letter notes that third- and fourth-generation hormonal contraceptives overall contain a very low risk of blood clots, and that more studies are needed before that risk can be determined. Overall, it notes, about four to six additional women out of every 10,000 on the newer forms of birth control would suffer a blood clot compared to women taking the older form of birth control. The risk goes up dramatically for pregnant women: 29 per 10,000 pregnant women develop a blood clot, meaning that the risks of unintended pregnancy are far greater than that of any hormonal birth control on the market.
The plaintiffs in the Nuvaring case say Merck did not adequately test or label the Nuvaring product to warn of these risks. Merck has disputed this, saying the company is confident its product is safe, and that it followed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for its packaging.
The company was awarded a judicial victory last week, when a judge in New Jersey threw out seven separate suits against Nuvaring, saying the plaintiffs did not prove that Nuvaring was the cause of their blood clots. New Jersey courts have tougher standards for suing an FDA-approved product than the federal court system, however, where some of the more than 1,000 suits face trial beginning in October.
?We are confident the company has provided appropriate and timely information about Nuvaring to consumers and the medical, scientific and regulatory communities,? Lainie Keller, a spokeswoman for Merck, said in a statement. ?We remain confident in the efficacy and safety profile of Nuvaring, and will continue to always act in the best interest of patients.?
But Denton, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said he?s sure his cases in the district court won?t be dismissed.
?That?s what all these drug companies say,? Denton said. ?'It?s good enough for the FDA, that?s the end of the story.? But under our law that doesn?t matter. The jury decides.?
In the last few days, New Zealand and France became the 13th and 14th countries to legalize gay marriage, respectively. My home country, South Africa, legalized it in 2006, becoming the first African country to do so.
Although it was a positive move, it doesn't mean that South Africa is progressive enough for gay people to live their lives entirely without fear. As in many of the countries that have made the move to legalize gay marriage, the decision was met with a good deal of criticism: Internet forums were splashed with derogatory comments, sermons and prayer groups were devoted to seeing the law revoked, and gay people were persecuted as much as, if not more than, ever before. In 2008, Eudy Simelane, a player in the national female soccer team, was a victim of "corrective rape" (a phenomenon in which lesbian women are gang-raped in order to be "cured" of their homosexuality) and murder. And last week, police cautioned against a serial killer who may be targeting gay men in Johannesburg -- with some people lauding the killer a "hero."
This is partially why I follow the U.S. debate surrounding gay marriage with some interest. It's not because I'm gay but because I can't understand why there is so much straight hysteria surrounding the subject, with radicals blaming everything from Hurricane Sandy to the Boston Marathon bombing on Obama's support of gay marriage. "This is just the start," one man wrote on Facebook. "Who knows what will happen when the laws are actually passed?"
You know what will happen, right? It happened to South Africa, and it will happen to you.
Ready?
Wait for it...
A bunch of gay people will get married!
They will do so the same way straight couples have been doing for years: Privately, with their friends and family, without you ever having to know about it.
It's what has happened in South Africa. Gay people got married. The girl who came in third on Idols, the South African version of American Idol, got married. Two men got married in a traditional African ceremony, wearing animal skins and killing an ox so that their ancestors could bless their union. An avid rugby player I went to high school with got married to his partner, whom he met while traveling. A friend of mine from college is thinking of proposing to her longtime girlfriend. Gay people got married, and some got divorced, and some are living right across the road -- and my life has gone on as usual.
I understand the religious fears. I've heard the argument that the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah were "homosexual cities," and that God decided to firmly and mercilessly "smite" them with fire. Therefore, by "endorsing" gay marriage or homosexuality, we open ourselves up to fire and damnation -- a sort of condemnation by association scenario, I'm assuming. Well, that hasn't happened over here yet. Seven years on, and the whole gay marriage thing is still as mundane as straight marriage. It hasn't shaken the foundations of society, and there is no sign of fire raining down from the sky.
In other words, legalizing gay marriage will not make it easier to be a gay man, woman or couple. It's still a struggle, and a scandal, in many communities. My own friends who have come out have had a long, painful battle for acceptance. Some were able to open up to their parents in high school, some cracked under the pressure of bullying, and some are still grappling with the very idea of being "different" in their 30s. Some haven't spoken to their families in years. Some entered disastrous marriages with the opposite sex in order to "fit in."
Thus, legalizing gay marriage has not changed the landscape of South Africa in any way, shape or form. The only effect it has had has been on gay people themselves, and on a deeply personal level. It also won't make it any harder for you to be a straight man or woman, or to raise your children with your values. It won't change your life -- and it might not even change the lives of gay people.
You might therefore wonder why gay people would want the right to get married if it won't change anything. I've lived in the pre- and post-apartheid South Africa. I've seen people who didn't have the right to vote before 1994 go to the polls, year after year, and go home to the same shacks, in the same ill-protected, under-serviced slums, working the same jobs and going to the same subpar hospitals. Perhaps on the surface little has changed for that individual, but the right to vote has meant everything, even if it simply means that there is hope that things will improve for them in the future.
Living with someone for years, knowing them intimately and yet having to do so without being seen as that person's legitimate, legal partner, and without being able to make important legal decisions with and for that loved one, is dehumanizing in the same way that denying someone the right to vote for who will govern them or access to an education in their home language.
Legalizing gay marriage did not flip a magical switch that made our society more tolerant, but it was a very real gesture, a move in a direction where all people, no matter their sexual orientation, will be accepted for who they are, along with those whom they love.
Okay, I don’t want to simply jump on the dog pile. I don’t want to come off as a bully, either. But this column is supposed to be about celebrities who make unfortunate fashion decisions, and this fits the bill. Amanda Bynes apparently decided to pierce both cheeks. She has metal studs coming from both sides of her face, in exactly the same place. They are little little silvery dimples. I just find it trashy. She is better than that. If you look at the old pictures of her, she had a simply look that worked for her. Everyone is now saying that she is losing her mind. Some of the things she says and Tweets might support that, but that’s not what I’m going for. I just think she should have thought twice before putting holes in her cheeks. Check out some of the pictures of Amanda Bynes cheek piercing below. Your thoughts?
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Kenana, Sudan's biggest sugar producer, plans to more than triple its ethanol output within two years to become a major biofuel exporter and intends to make a stock market offering in South Africa, its managing director said.
Kenana, which is mainly owned by the governments of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, is aiming to more than double its annual sugar output to 1 million tonnes by 2015 as the firm seeks new export markets such as South Sudan, Mohamed El Mardi El Tegani told Reuters.
Sudan, one of Africa's biggest sugar producers after Egypt and South Africa, wants to cut dependency on imports of sugar, a big ingredient in Sudanese food, which makes prices of the commodity politically sensitive locally.
The Khartoum-based company plans a major expansion to diversify into "green products" such as bio fuel, fertilizer and animal feed to satisfy rising demand at home and abroad.
Boosting sugar and biofuel production would help Sudan overcome the loss of most oil reserves with South Sudan's secession in 2011. Oil used to be the main source for dollars needed to fund imports of sugar or gasoline.
Kenana wants to boost its annual production of biofuel to 200 million litres by 2015 from 65 million, of which 50 percent would be exported.
While currently 95 percent of its output is being sold to the European Union, Kenana launched this month a partnership with Nile Petroleum, one of Sudan's biggest oil distributors, to roll out ethanol at petrol stations.
"There is a big potential for production in Sudan," Tegani said in an interview on Thursday. "It improves the environment. Cost-wise definitely ethanol is cheaper than the normal gasoline," he said. Sudan is cutting down on fuel subsidies fuelling a budget deficit.
To fund its expansion, Kenana expects to get $500 million in a capital injection this year from its main shareholders, he said.
To raise more the firm plans to make next year a 25 percent an initial public offering with a primary listing in Johannesburg and secondary listing in Dubai, he said. Kenana has appointed Russia-focused Renaissance Capital and Dubai investment bank Shuaa Capital to manage the offering.
He gave no details but the firm said last year it planned to raise around $200 million. It had previously eyed an offering in Hong Kong late last year but given up the plan due to U.S. sanctions deterring firms around the globe to deal with Sudan.
SUGAR
Kenana will produce around 370,000 tonnes of sugar at its plant in White Nile state in the 2012-13 season, up from around 355,000 last year, he said. It aims to produce more than 400,000 tonnes next season after adding some 11,000 acres of land.
It also plans to refine this year 200,000 tonnes of imported raw sugar from Brazil, which will be to be exported to African neighbours such as Chad and the Central African Republic.
Two new plants will come online to help double output. Redais, in which Chinese investors have a stake, will produce some 500,000 tonnes of raw sugar from 2015. El Ramash in Sennar state will produce 150,000 tonnes from 2016.
"We are in talks for a major contract with South Sudan...We expect to do around 100,000 tonnes," he said. Kenana already exported 100,000 tonnes raw sugar to the EU and 30,000 tonnes of white sugar to Kenya this year.
Sudan's White Nile Sugar Co, in which Kenana is the biggest shareholder, expects to produce 130,000 tonnes in the 2012-13 season after launching its operations last year, Tegani said. Output would double to 250,000 tonnes next year
As part of its "green" diversification, Kenana also plans to launch 200,000 tonnes of annual production of bio fertilizer from December. Half of that would be exported to the EU and Gulf with the rest to be sold at home.
The firm would also start producing between 100,000 tonnes and 150,000 cubic meters per day of carbon dioxide this year, he said. Kenana also plans making "green" plastic.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Rwanda issued a debut $400 million Eurobond in a sale that was heavily oversubscribed, with investor enthusiasm for the fast growing economy trumping misgivings about the modest size of the offering.
The 10-year dollar bond was issued on Thursday with a 6.875 percent yield, a lead banker told Reuters.
That was at the tighter end of Rwanda's final guidance of 6.875-7 percent. One investor source told IFR, a Thomson Reuters news and analysis service, that the order book was $3 billion, or 7.5 times the issue size .
The lead banker, who did not have the precise order book size, said: "It's well oversubscribed as you can imagine."
The issue underlined investor demand for high-yielding but rare sub-Saharan African assets and suggests Eurobonds from other sovereigns planning to come to the market this year, including Kenya and Angola, may be well received.
Investors were also attracted by Rwanda's strongly growing economy, low debt and recent political stability. President Paul Kagame has been praised for leading Rwanda's recovery after the 1994 genocide, although critics say he has an autocratic style.
Economic growth averaged 8.2 percent from 2006 to 2012 and the International Monetary Fund projects growth of 7.6 percent this year. Debt levels are equivalent to 23.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2012. Inflation is in single digits.
But the yield means investors demanded a premium to past African Eurobonds, including Zambia's 2022 bond that is yielding 5.6 percent, and Senegal, whose 2021 bond is currently trading at 5.5 percent.
At less than $500 million, Rwanda's bond was ineligible for JP Morgan's emerging market bond indices that would have automatically triggered demand from index trackers and ensured higher secondary market liquidity.
Some investors were expecting more generous compensation and decided not to participate at the lower yields.
"We just think it's priced to perfection at that level so there's not much room for upside," said Daniel Broby, chief investment officer at Silk Invest.
"Clearly the order book had to be large for them to come in tight on the pricing from their initial indications," he said.
Another investor, who had expected a yield of about 7 percent, said Rwanda had benefited from renewed demand globally for risk this week and a well-run roadshow, in which officials addressed aid cuts.
Donors froze some aid over Rwanda's alleged support for rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which Kigali strongly denies.
"They appear to have done a good job on the roadshow ... explaining the dip in aid flows last year and the steps they have taken to address that," said the investor, who declined to be named.
Foreign aid accounts for about 38 percent of the budget and aid suspensions have widened the current account deficit.
UCSB researcher studies hormone levels and sexual motivation among young womenPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Andrea Estrada andrea.estrada@ia.ucsb.edu 805-893-4620 University of California - Santa Barbara
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) Feeling frisky? If so, chances are greater your estrogen level and, perhaps, fertility are hitting their monthly peak. If not, you're more likely experiencing a profusion of desire-deadening progesterone, and the less fertile time in your cycle. Oh, the power of hormones.
Researchers have long suspected a correlation between hormone levels and libido, but now scientists at UC Santa Barbara, led by James Roney, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, have actually demonstrated hormonal predictors for sexual desire. Their findings appear in the current issue of the journal Hormones and Behavior.
"We found two hormonal signals that had opposite effects on sexual motivation," said Roney, the article's lead author. "Estrogen was having a positive effect, but with a two-day lag. Progesterone was having a persistent negative effect, both for current day, day before, and two days earlier." When hormone levels and sexual desire were factored against the menstrual cycles of test subjects in this case, undergraduate students the researchers saw a measurable increase in progesterone levels at the same time the subjects noted decreases in sexual motivation. Progesterone, the researchers say, is mediating this drop in desire from the fertile window to the luteal phase the second half of the menstrual cycle.
"Progesterone acting as a potential stop signal within cycles is a novel finding in humans," noted Roney. "We know in rhesus monkeys there is a strong negative correlation with progesterone and a positive correlation with estrogen. The patterns are actually comparable to what you see in non-human primates, but hadn't been shown in humans."
The researchers' findings have potential implications on the treatment of low sexual desire and how hormone replacement trials are done. "We're not controlling hormones the way they do in the hormone replacement literature, so, in a sense, that literature is more directly applicable in terms of medical applications," said Roney. "But in the long run, it would be good to have a model of the combination of signals that operates in the natural cycle. The way hormone replacement trials are done now, there's no model of the natural signals, so they're sort of random let's give estrogen, let's give testosterone, let's combine them this way or that way."
Roney noted that his findings don't present a full model, and he'd like to replicate his results with women of different age groups. "Undergraduates might be unique for a lot of reasons," he said. "Their hormone levels tend to be a bit different from those of women even just a little bit older. And married women in their 30's are likely to be more consistently sexually active, and that might change the patterns in some ways. They also tend to have higher hormone secretion and more regular cycles than younger women," he said
Eventually, Roney continued, the goal would be to have a better model of the signals in a natural cycle that might then inform medical research.
Another interesting finding, according to Roney, was the impact or lack thereof of testosterone on the women's sexual motivation. "There's a common belief in the medical literature that testosterone is the main regulator of women's libido," he explained. "Doctors tend to believe that, though the evidence isn't that strong in humans. In the natural cycles, we weren't finding effects of testosterone. It wasn't significantly predicting outcomes."
Roney doesn't deny that testosterone does seem to have a positive effect in hormone replacement therapy, but suggests the effects may be pharmacological. "Testosterone has those effects if you inject it externally in women who are menopausal, and there are a lot of reasons that might be the case," he said. "For example, testosterone can be converted to estrogen through a particular enzyme. If you inject menopausal women with testosterone, it might be acting as a device that's delivering estrogen to the target cells. So the fact that it works doesn't necessarily mean it's an important signal in the natural cycle."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UCSB researcher studies hormone levels and sexual motivation among young womenPublic release date: 25-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Andrea Estrada andrea.estrada@ia.ucsb.edu 805-893-4620 University of California - Santa Barbara
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) Feeling frisky? If so, chances are greater your estrogen level and, perhaps, fertility are hitting their monthly peak. If not, you're more likely experiencing a profusion of desire-deadening progesterone, and the less fertile time in your cycle. Oh, the power of hormones.
Researchers have long suspected a correlation between hormone levels and libido, but now scientists at UC Santa Barbara, led by James Roney, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, have actually demonstrated hormonal predictors for sexual desire. Their findings appear in the current issue of the journal Hormones and Behavior.
"We found two hormonal signals that had opposite effects on sexual motivation," said Roney, the article's lead author. "Estrogen was having a positive effect, but with a two-day lag. Progesterone was having a persistent negative effect, both for current day, day before, and two days earlier." When hormone levels and sexual desire were factored against the menstrual cycles of test subjects in this case, undergraduate students the researchers saw a measurable increase in progesterone levels at the same time the subjects noted decreases in sexual motivation. Progesterone, the researchers say, is mediating this drop in desire from the fertile window to the luteal phase the second half of the menstrual cycle.
"Progesterone acting as a potential stop signal within cycles is a novel finding in humans," noted Roney. "We know in rhesus monkeys there is a strong negative correlation with progesterone and a positive correlation with estrogen. The patterns are actually comparable to what you see in non-human primates, but hadn't been shown in humans."
The researchers' findings have potential implications on the treatment of low sexual desire and how hormone replacement trials are done. "We're not controlling hormones the way they do in the hormone replacement literature, so, in a sense, that literature is more directly applicable in terms of medical applications," said Roney. "But in the long run, it would be good to have a model of the combination of signals that operates in the natural cycle. The way hormone replacement trials are done now, there's no model of the natural signals, so they're sort of random let's give estrogen, let's give testosterone, let's combine them this way or that way."
Roney noted that his findings don't present a full model, and he'd like to replicate his results with women of different age groups. "Undergraduates might be unique for a lot of reasons," he said. "Their hormone levels tend to be a bit different from those of women even just a little bit older. And married women in their 30's are likely to be more consistently sexually active, and that might change the patterns in some ways. They also tend to have higher hormone secretion and more regular cycles than younger women," he said
Eventually, Roney continued, the goal would be to have a better model of the signals in a natural cycle that might then inform medical research.
Another interesting finding, according to Roney, was the impact or lack thereof of testosterone on the women's sexual motivation. "There's a common belief in the medical literature that testosterone is the main regulator of women's libido," he explained. "Doctors tend to believe that, though the evidence isn't that strong in humans. In the natural cycles, we weren't finding effects of testosterone. It wasn't significantly predicting outcomes."
Roney doesn't deny that testosterone does seem to have a positive effect in hormone replacement therapy, but suggests the effects may be pharmacological. "Testosterone has those effects if you inject it externally in women who are menopausal, and there are a lot of reasons that might be the case," he said. "For example, testosterone can be converted to estrogen through a particular enzyme. If you inject menopausal women with testosterone, it might be acting as a device that's delivering estrogen to the target cells. So the fact that it works doesn't necessarily mean it's an important signal in the natural cycle."
###
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
MUNICH, April 23 (Reuters) - Barcelona centre half Gerard Pique acknowledged his team were thoroughly second best as Bayern Munich romped to a 4-0 win in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday. "They gave us a thrashing," he said. "We will try to turn it around in the return leg (on May 1) and put in a good performance for the fans. "They were better and faster than us. There is no point talking about the referee, there is no excuse." Arjen Robben, who sparkled on the wing for Bayern and scored one of the goals, hailed his team's spectacular performance. ...
Cardio could hold key to cancer curePublic release date: 26-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dimple Natali easlpressoffice@cohnwolfe.com 44-079-001-38904 European Association for the Study of the Liver
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Friday 26 April 2013: Regular exercise has been proven to reduce the chance of developing liver cancer in a world-first mice study that carries hope for patients at risk from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The research announced at the International Liver Congress 2013 involved two groups of mice fed a control diet and a high fat diet then divided into separate exercise and sedentary groups. The exercise groups ran on a motorised treadmill for 60 minutes per day, five days a week.
After 32 weeks of regular exercise, 71% of mice on the controlled diet developed tumours larger than 10mm versus 100% in the sedentary group. The mean number and volume of HCC tumours per liver was also reduced in the exercise group compared to the sedentary group.
EASL's Educational Councillor Prof. Jean-Francois Dufour said the data showed the significant benefit of regular exercise on the development of HCC. Exercise decreased the level of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice receiving a high-fat diet. He said: "We know that modern, unhealthy lifestyles predispose people to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which may lead to liver cancer; however it's been previously unknown whether regular exercise reduces the risk of developing HCC. This research is significant because it opens the door for further studies to prove that regular exercise can reduce the chance of people developing HCC."
Prof. Jean-Francois Dufour added: "The results could eventually lead to some very tangible benefits for people staring down the barrel of liver cancer and I look forward to seeing human studies in this important area in the future. The prognosis for liver cancer patients is often bleak as only a proportion of patients are suitable for potentially curative treatments so any kind of positive news in this arena is warmly welcomed."
HCC is a cancer originating in liver cells and is one of the most common types of tumour. Worldwide, HCC accounts for approximately 5.4% of all cancers and causes 695,000 deaths per year, including 47,000 deaths in Europe per annum. It is the fifth most common cause of cancer in men and the eighth most common cause in women.
Disclaimer: the data referenced in this release is based on the submitted abstract. More recent data may be presented at the International Liver Congress 2013.
###
Notes to Editors
About EASL
EASL is the leading European scientific society involved in promoting research and education in hepatology. EASL attracts the foremost hepatology experts and has an impressive track record in promoting research in liver disease, supporting wider education and promoting changes in European liver policy.
EASL's main focus on education and research is delivered through numerous events and initiatives, including:
The International Liver CongressTM which is the main scientific and professional event in
hepatology worldwide
Meetings including Monothematic and Special conferences, Post Graduate courses and other
endorsed meetings that take place throughout the year
Clinical and Basic Schools of Hepatology, a series of events covering different aspects in the field
of hepatology
Journal of Hepatology published monthly
Participation in a number of policy initiatives at European level
About The International Liver Congress 2013
The International Liver Congress 2013, the 48th annual meeting of the European Association for the study of the Liver, is being held at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam from April 24 28, 2013. The congress annually attracts in excess of 9000 clinicians and scientists from around the world and provides an opportunity to hear the latest research, perspectives and treatments of liver disease from principal experts in the field.
1 A.C Piguet, EFFECT OF REGULAR TRAINING ON HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA DEVELOPMENT IN HEPATOCYTE-SPECIFIC PTEN-DEFICIENT MICE. Abstract presented at the International Liver CongressTM 2013
2 Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Wikipedia. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatocellular_carcinoma. Accessed 04.04.12
3 Kumar Vinay, Nelso Fausto and Abul Abbas. Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th ed. Saunders; 2004.
4 Cancer fact sheet. World Health Organisation. February 2006.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/ accessed 04.04.12
5 EU Burden of Liver Disease: A review of available epidemiological data. European Association for the Study of the Liver Disease. 2013. http://www.easl.eu/assets/application/files/54ae845caec619f_file.pdf. Accessed 26.02.13
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Cardio could hold key to cancer curePublic release date: 26-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dimple Natali easlpressoffice@cohnwolfe.com 44-079-001-38904 European Association for the Study of the Liver
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Friday 26 April 2013: Regular exercise has been proven to reduce the chance of developing liver cancer in a world-first mice study that carries hope for patients at risk from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The research announced at the International Liver Congress 2013 involved two groups of mice fed a control diet and a high fat diet then divided into separate exercise and sedentary groups. The exercise groups ran on a motorised treadmill for 60 minutes per day, five days a week.
After 32 weeks of regular exercise, 71% of mice on the controlled diet developed tumours larger than 10mm versus 100% in the sedentary group. The mean number and volume of HCC tumours per liver was also reduced in the exercise group compared to the sedentary group.
EASL's Educational Councillor Prof. Jean-Francois Dufour said the data showed the significant benefit of regular exercise on the development of HCC. Exercise decreased the level of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice receiving a high-fat diet. He said: "We know that modern, unhealthy lifestyles predispose people to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which may lead to liver cancer; however it's been previously unknown whether regular exercise reduces the risk of developing HCC. This research is significant because it opens the door for further studies to prove that regular exercise can reduce the chance of people developing HCC."
Prof. Jean-Francois Dufour added: "The results could eventually lead to some very tangible benefits for people staring down the barrel of liver cancer and I look forward to seeing human studies in this important area in the future. The prognosis for liver cancer patients is often bleak as only a proportion of patients are suitable for potentially curative treatments so any kind of positive news in this arena is warmly welcomed."
HCC is a cancer originating in liver cells and is one of the most common types of tumour. Worldwide, HCC accounts for approximately 5.4% of all cancers and causes 695,000 deaths per year, including 47,000 deaths in Europe per annum. It is the fifth most common cause of cancer in men and the eighth most common cause in women.
Disclaimer: the data referenced in this release is based on the submitted abstract. More recent data may be presented at the International Liver Congress 2013.
###
Notes to Editors
About EASL
EASL is the leading European scientific society involved in promoting research and education in hepatology. EASL attracts the foremost hepatology experts and has an impressive track record in promoting research in liver disease, supporting wider education and promoting changes in European liver policy.
EASL's main focus on education and research is delivered through numerous events and initiatives, including:
The International Liver CongressTM which is the main scientific and professional event in
hepatology worldwide
Meetings including Monothematic and Special conferences, Post Graduate courses and other
endorsed meetings that take place throughout the year
Clinical and Basic Schools of Hepatology, a series of events covering different aspects in the field
of hepatology
Journal of Hepatology published monthly
Participation in a number of policy initiatives at European level
About The International Liver Congress 2013
The International Liver Congress 2013, the 48th annual meeting of the European Association for the study of the Liver, is being held at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam from April 24 28, 2013. The congress annually attracts in excess of 9000 clinicians and scientists from around the world and provides an opportunity to hear the latest research, perspectives and treatments of liver disease from principal experts in the field.
1 A.C Piguet, EFFECT OF REGULAR TRAINING ON HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA DEVELOPMENT IN HEPATOCYTE-SPECIFIC PTEN-DEFICIENT MICE. Abstract presented at the International Liver CongressTM 2013
2 Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Wikipedia. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatocellular_carcinoma. Accessed 04.04.12
3 Kumar Vinay, Nelso Fausto and Abul Abbas. Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th ed. Saunders; 2004.
4 Cancer fact sheet. World Health Organisation. February 2006.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/ accessed 04.04.12
5 EU Burden of Liver Disease: A review of available epidemiological data. European Association for the Study of the Liver Disease. 2013. http://www.easl.eu/assets/application/files/54ae845caec619f_file.pdf. Accessed 26.02.13
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Apr. 25, 2013 ? The Maya civilization is well-known for its elaborate temples, sophisticated writing system, and mathematical and astronomical developments, yet the civilization's origins remain something of a mystery.
A new University of Arizona study to be published in the journal Science challenges the two prevailing theories on how the ancient civilization began, suggesting its origins are more complex than previously thought.
Anthropologists typically fall into one of two competing camps with regard to the origins of Maya civilization. The first camp believes that it developed almost entirely on its own in the jungles of what is now Guatemala and southern Mexico. The second believes that the Maya civilization developed as the result of direct influences from the older Olmec civilization and its center of La Venta.
It's likely that neither of those theories tells the full story, according to findings by a team of archaeologists led by UA husband-and-wife anthropologists Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan.
"We really focused on the beginning of this civilization and how this remarkable civilization developed," said Inomata, UA professor of anthropology and the study's lead author.
In their excavations at Ceibal, an ancient Maya site in Guatemala, researchers found that Ceibal actually predates the growth of La Venta as a major center by as much as 200 years, suggesting that La Venta could not have been the prevailing influence over early Mayan development.
That does not make the Maya civilization older than the Olmec civilization -- since Olmec had another center prior to La Venta -- nor does it prove that the Maya civilization developed entirely independently, researchers say.
What it does indicate, they say, is that both Ceibal and La Venta probably participated in a broader cultural shift taking place in the period between 1,150-800 B.C.
"We're saying that the scenario of early Maya culture is really more complex than we thought," said UA anthropology graduate student Victor Castillo, who co-authored the paper with Inomata and Triadan.
"We have this idea of the origin of Maya civilization as an indigenous development, and we have this other idea that it was an external influence that triggered the social complexity of Maya civilization. We're now thinking it's not actually black and white," Castillo said.
There is no denying the striking similarities between Ceibal and La Venta, such as evidence of similar ritual practices and the presence of similar architecture -- namely the pyramids that would come to be the hallmark of Mesoamerican civilization but did not exist at the earlier Olmec center of San Lorenzo.
However, researchers don't think this is the case of simply one site mimicking the other. Rather, they suspect that both the Maya site of Ceibal and the Olmec site of La Venta were parts of a more geographically far-reaching cultural shift that occurred around 1,000 B.C., about the time when the Olmec center was transitioning from San Lorenzo to La Venta.
"Basically, there was a major social change happening from the southern Maya lowlands to possibly the coast of Chiapas and the southern Gulf Coast, and this site of Ceibal was a part of that broader social change," Inomata said. "The emergence of a new form of society -- with new architecture, with new rituals -- became really the important basis for all later Mesoamerican civilizations."
The Science paper, titled "Early Ceremonial Constructions at Ceibal, Guatemala, and the Origins of Lowland Maya Civilization," is based on seven years of excavations at Ceibal.
Additional authors of the paper include Japanese researchers Kazuo Aoyama of the University of Ibaraki, Mito and Hitoshi Yonenobu of the Naruto University of Education, Tokushima.
"We were looking at the emergence of specific cultural traits that were shared by many of those Mesoamerican centers, particularly the form of rituals and the construction of the pyramids," Inomata said. "This gives us a new idea about the beginning of Maya civilization, and it also tells us about how common traits shared by many different Mesoamerican civilizations emerged during that time."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Arizona. The original article was written by Alexis Blue.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
T. Inomata, D. Triadan, K. Aoyama, V. Castillo, H. Yonenobu. Early Ceremonial Constructions at Ceibal, Guatemala, and the Origins of Lowland Maya Civilization. Science, 2013; 340 (6131): 467 DOI: 10.1126/science.1234493
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
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Public release date: 25-Apr-2013
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