Science & TechnologyS


2 + 2 = 4

SOTT Focus: The Probability of Evolution

Mandatory Intellectomy
Sott.net
Mon, 05 Aug 2019 22:35 UTC
protein folding
A ribosome. It might seem like a jumble, but if it's arranged in any other sequence, it wouldn't be a ribosome
How does evolution happen? By chance, we're told. Stuff just happens. Every step in evolution is an accident. The model we're all taught at school says that evolution happens through random mutations and natural selection. Natural selection is supposed to sort the good from the bad, so the only mechanism that produces any "new" information is mutation. This mutation amounts to random errors in DNA. (Yes, this may already sound bizarre, but that's the theory. You are the result of billions of years of accumulated errors. You were a bacterium back when you were flawless.) If these errors happen to be "helpful" (also a slightly bizarre concept), the organism survives and reproduces better than others, and passes the new genetic information on. As we know, most mutations are detrimental. The beneficial ones are rare. So if evolution happens only by chance and the good mutations are rare, we should ask ourselves, just how probable is evolution?

Comment: This article is the fourth in a series. For part 5, go here:

The Theory of Evolution is Anti-Science

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Music

By translating proteins into music, and back, researchers gain insight into their structures and create new variations


Science Daily
Mon, 05 Aug 2019 18:35 UTC
translating proteins and music
Want to create a brand new type of protein that might have useful properties? No problem. Just hum a few bars.

In a surprising marriage of science and art, researchers at MIT have developed a system for converting the molecular structures of proteins, the basic building blocks of all living beings, into audible sound that resembles musical passages. Then, reversing the process, they can introduce some variations into the music and convert it back into new proteins never before seen in nature.

Although it's not quite as simple as humming a new protein into existence, the new system comes close. It provides a systematic way of translating a protein's sequence of amino acids into a musical sequence, using the physical properties of the molecules to determine the sounds. Although the sounds are transposed in order to bring them within the audible range for humans, the tones and their relationships are based on the actual vibrational frequencies of each amino acid molecule itself, computed using theories from quantum chemistry.
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Moon

The Moon is older than scientists thought

Evan Gough
Universe Today
Wed, 31 Jul 2019 11:08 UTC
moon earth collision
The most comprehensive and widely-held theory of how the Moon formed is called the 'giant impact hypothesis.' That hypothesis shows that about 150 million years after the Solar System formed, a roughly Mars-sized planet named Theia collided with Earth. Though the timeline is hotly-debated in the scientific community, we know that this collision melted Theia and some of Earth, and that molten rock orbited around Earth until it coalesced into the Moon.

But now a new study, though not contradicting the giant impact hypothesis, is suggesting a different timeline, and an older Moon.

New research from scientists at the University of Cologne's Institute of Geology and Mineralogy suggests that the Moon is older than the giant impact hypothesis says it is. Their research is based on chemical analyses of Apollo lunar samples and it shows that the Moon formed only 50 million years after the Solar System, rather than 150 million years. This ages the Moon by 100 million years.

Comment: See also:

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Shopping Bag

Five 'eco-friendly' products that actually harm the environment


RT
Sat, 03 Aug 2019 17:44 UTC
eco friendly
Main image: A man on an e-scooter Reuters; inset top right: Stainless steel water bottles Wikimedia Commons; inset bottom right: solar panels Pixabay
The green brigade of climate activists and canny corporations are constantly pushing products and ideas that are seen as kinder to our planet. However many of these are far less eco-friendly than we're being led to believe.

The latest example came just this week when a study published in Environmental Research Letters found that the shared electric scooters so-beloved of hipsters in cities around the world actually produce more greenhouse gas emissions per mile than travelling by bus, bicycle and even moped.

The researchers found that the materials it took to manufacture the battery, wheels and frame of the scooter and the companies collecting, charging and redistributing the scooters each day had a significant impact when it came to greenhouse gas emissions.

Comment: Wind turbines? The list goes on...

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Brain

It's Sentient: Meet the classified artificial brain being developed by US intelligence programs

Sarah Scoles
The Verge
Wed, 31 Jul 2019 11:06 UTC
artificial intelligence illustration
© Illustration by Ana Kova
At the final session of the 2019 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, attendees straggled into a giant ballroom to listen to an Air Force official and a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) executive discuss, as the panel title put it, "Enterprise Disruption." The presentation stayed as vague as the title until a direct question from the audience seemed to make the panelists squirm.

Just how good, the person wondered, had the military and intelligence communities' algorithms gotten at interpreting data and taking action based on that analysis? They pointed out that the commercial satellite industry has software that can tally shipping containers on cargo ships and cars in parking lots soon after their pictures are snapped in space. "When will the Department of Defense have real-time, automated, global order of battle?" they asked.

"That's a great question," said Chirag Parikh, director of the NGA's Office of Sciences and Methodologies. "And there's a lot of really good classified answers."

Comment: Calling this AI 'Sentient' is a bit of a stretch. Although it's likely quite sophisticated as far as data collection and parsing, it's not really thinking for itself. While true AI seems perpetually 'just around the corner', it seems we're not there yet.

See also:

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Info

Genes can spring into action hours or even days after an organism dies, says new study

Kate Golembiewski
Discover Magazine
Fri, 02 Aug 2019 09:42 UTC
Gene
© Immersion Images/Shutterstock
From the time we see Bambi's mom bite the dust, we all know what death is. At least, we think we do. But the simple definition of death — that the body stops working — doesn't take into account how weird our bodies actually are.

"We really know nothing about what happens when you die," says Peter Noble, a former professor at the University of Alabama. Noble knows firsthand that surprises await scientists studying the end of life: he helped discover that long-dormant genes can spring into action hours or even days after an organism dies.
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Gold Seal

Famed Yale computer science professor quits believing Darwin's theories

Jennifer Kabbany
The College Fix
Tue, 30 Jul 2019 17:30 UTC
gelernter
'The origin of species is exactly what Darwin cannot explain'
David Gelernter, a famed Yale University professor, has publicly renounced his belief in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, calling it a "beautiful idea" that has been effectively disproven.

Gelernter, who is known for predicting the World Wide Web and has developed many complex computing tools over the years, is today a professor of computer science at Yale, chief scientist at Mirror Worlds Technologies, member of the National Council of the Arts, and a prolific author.

In May, the Claremont Review of Books published a column by Gelernter headlined "Giving Up Darwin." In it, he explained how his readings and discussions of Darwinian evolution and its competing theories, namely intelligent design, have convinced him Darwin had it wrong.

In particular, he cited Stephen Meyer's 2013 book Darwin's Doubt as well as The Deniable Darwin by David Berlinski. The professor expanded on his views in an interview with Stanford University's Hoover Institution that was published last week.


Gelernter stops short of fully embracing intelligent design, both in his essay and during his interview. He said in his interview he sees intelligence in Earth's design, and has no quarrel with ID proponents, but notes the world is a mess, its suffering far outweighs its goodness.

Comment: Gelernter's column can be read here:

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Alarm Clock

What can go wrong? Scientists create first hybrid human-monkey embryo in China

Hnery Holloway
Daily Star
Thu, 01 Aug 2019 17:25 UTC
DNA human embryo
© Getty images
Scientists have successfully formed a hybrid human-monkey embryo - with the experiment taking place in China to avoid "legal issues".

Researchers led by scientist Juan Carlos Izpisúa spliced together the genes to grow a monkey with human cells.

It is said the creature could have grown and been born, but scientists aborted the process.

The team, made up of members of the Salk Institute in the United States and the Murcia Catholic University, genetically modified the monkey embryos.

Researchers deactivates the genes which form organs, and replaced them with human stem cells.

And it is hoped that one day these hybrid-grown organs will be able to be translated into humans.

Meanwhile, scientists in Japan are developing human-rat chimeras for the same purpose in a new biotech arms race.

Project collaborator Estrella Núñez hailed the experiment as "very promising".

Comment:

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Microscope 1

Major class of viruses reveals complex origins that don't fit evolutionary theory

Richard Harth
ScienceDaily
Wed, 31 Jul 2019 17:17 UTC
dna in cell
© Juan Gärtner / Adobe Stock
Comparing a living cell to a virus is a bit like comparing the Sistine Chapel to a backyard dog house. Lacking the intricate machinery of living cells, viruses represent biology stripped down to an extreme level. They are the true minimalists of the biological world.

Nevertheless, the field of virology is brimming with unanswered questions about these architecturally simple, yet mysterious entities. In new research, Arvind Varsani, a molecular virologist at Arizona State University, joins a prestigious international team to explore a particular class of viruses, ferreting out genetic fragments revealing the complexities of viral evolution.
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Meteor

Seven asteroids are headed for Earth this August

Inigo Monzon
International Business Times
Tue, 30 Jul 2019 10:59 UTC
Image of two different asteroids captured by NASA
© NASA/JPL/JHUAPLImage of two different asteroids captured by NASA.
NASA has detected a total of seven asteroids headed for Earth in August. According to the agency's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the biggest asteroid from the group is five times taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The first asteroid that will approach Earth is called 2019 ON. CNEOS noted that the space rock is about 180 feet long and is traveling at a speed of 10,400 miles per hour. It is expected to approach Earth on Aug. 1 at 11:23 am ST. During its approach, it will zip past Earth from a distance of 0.01729 astronomical units or roughly 1.6 million miles away.

Trailing behind 2019 ON is asteroid 2006 QQ23. According to CNEOS' data, this is the biggest asteroid that will approach Earth next month. It has an estimated diameter of 1,870 feet and has a velocity of 10,400 miles per hour.

CNEOS estimated that 2006 QQ23 will fly past Earth on Aug. 10 at 7:23 am ST. It is expected to be about 0.04977 astronomical units or around 4.6 million miles away from the planet during its flyby.

The third asteroid that will visit Earth in August is 454094 2013 BZ45. This asteroid is about 820 feet long and is traveling at 18,250 miles per hour. It will enter Earth's neighborhood on Aug. 12 at 12:14 am ST. Its closest distance to Earth during its visit is expected to be at 0.04352 astronomical units or around 4 million miles away.

Comment: A few years ago NASA created a 'Planetary Defense Coordination Office' with a view to track meteors headed toward Earth, and "redirect" potentially dangerous asteroids as part of a long-term planetary defense goal.

However, asteroid 'redirection' or 'deflection' remains just theoretical. A more accurate way of looking at it is that NASA is funding deflection and redirection of the topic of space threats by 'getting the message out' that 'everything is just fine'.

See also: Expecting an asteroid? Proposed budget for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office suddenly increased three-fold

As Fireball Numbers Increase it is well worth remembering what can come out of the sky, without any warning at all:



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