“…researchers have pinpointed the protein that can lead to genetic changes that cause lung cancer…the production of a protein called FANCD2 is slowed when lung cells are exposed to cigarette smoke. Low levels of FANCD2 leads to DNA damage, triggering cancer. Cigarette smoke curbs the production of ‘caretaker’ proteins, like FANCD2, which normally prevent cancer by fixing damages in DNA and causing faulty cells to commit suicide…”…Although there are probably other proteins involved in this process, we know this is a key one because cells with very high levels of FANCD2 were resistant to the toxic effects of the smoke.”…” Full Slice

“…The discovery of a human settlement at Monte Verde in the mid-1970s provided the first evidence that people had inhabited the Americas before the spread of the so-called Clovis culture around 13,000 years ago.

Scientists were long mystified how people could have reached the southern tip of South America without leaving much evidence along the way.

But many now believe the first Americans spread down the coast where they could exploit the sea for food…The lack of archaeological evidence of this migration may be due to rising sea levels.

At the time sea levels were about 200 feet (61 meters) lower than they are today, and many of the early coastal settlements may now be underwater….” Full Slice

Anyone that has watched children play at the beach or hiked along the beach would recognize the possibility of early people`s using some form of floatation device to travel along a shore. Maybe “scientists” will catch up to common sense some day. And yes, I understand about “necessary proof” etc.

Fungal Breakdown:

The bane of military quartermasters may soon be a boon to biofuels producers. The genome analysis of a champion biomass-degrading fungus has revealed a surprisingly minimal repertoire of genes that it employs to break down plant cell walls, highlighting opportunities for further improvements in enzymes customized for biofuels production.

Walter, of Fractal Fame, wore an excellent shirt to the Baloney gathering yesterday. It had the silhouettes of 51 different robots. Of course the Baloneys had to swarm around Walter and try to identify the various images. As we stared intently at his chest, he remarked “This must be how women feel”. We identified a few and insisted he send us a link to the shirt source (Click here to see because I’m about to copyright violate).

Here is the shirt image:

I can’t find a list of the robot names, so I’ve numbered the images and am hoping Baloney.Com readers will fill in the blanks:

…a team led by Laurent Koechlin of the Observatoire Midi Pyrénées in Toulouse, France, says a powerful “Fresnel imager” could be made by launching a piece of metal foil, cut with the Fresnel pattern and attached to a solid frame, into space. A spacecraft equipped with a camera and other scientific instruments would sit at the focal point some distance away and record the observations…

…A 30-metre Fresnel imager would be powerful enough to see Earth-sized planets within 30 light years of Earth, and measure the planets’ light spectrum to look for signs of life, such as atmospheric oxygen.

“Glass, sand, toothpaste, and silly putty are among the various materials that can act like a solid or a liquid, depending on the conditions…Finally, the authors suggest that their theory could also be applied to sticking vs slipping of seismic fault ruptures, shear banding in metallic alloys, strain softening in colloidal glasses, and stop-and-go driving in traffic jams.” Full Slice

“The world risks losing new medical treatments for osteoporosis, cancer and other human ailments if it does not act quickly to conserve the planet’s biodiversity, a senior United Nations environmental official said Wednesday.” Full Slice

I’m first, I’m first!
The race is won!
I’m sorry sir,
it has not begun.

No cries for justice, just sensible forgiveness.

“Sukhvir Singh said through a Punjabi interpreter on Friday that he and other members of the Sikh community wanted to offer forgiveness to Vázquez once they learned he had no previous criminal offenses and had a history of steady work.

Singh said he did not want to see the young man’s life ruined.

“If someone has made a mistake, they should learn a lesson from it,” Singh said. “They should be punished accordingly, and it should be known to society that it is not good to have hate toward any human being.”

“Vázquez said after the hearing that he was grateful for Singh’s forgiveness and that he has learned his lesson.

He is attending an alcohol-treatment program and said he does not intend to drink anymore.” Full slice

Maybe we have something to learn from the Sikhs.

a tooth is like a twip
five percent of a cent
an improvement on thou

“a new temperature-sensitive varnish that can be applied to road surfaces to visually warn drivers about dangerous conditions.

the varnish is made of a polymer containing a thermochromic pigment. the same type of coating is already used to make bath thermometers & frozen food packaging that responds to temperature change….” Full Slice

“…a group of computer scientists, mathematicians, and biologists from around the world have developed a computer algorithm that can quickly trace an individual’s genetic ancestry with only a small sample of their DNA. In fact, the program can trace the genetic ancestry of thousands of individuals in minutes, without any prior knowledge of their background….” Full Slice

The Full Paper

“And so I present to you a little game I call “Mars or Arizona,” where I will show you some pictures, and you get to guess which ones are pictures of Mars and which ones are pictures of Arizona. Sound easy?”

“A research team…has demonstrated that the metal-organic framework material MOF-74 can absorb more hydrogen than any unpressurized framework structure studied to date, and packs the molecules in more densely than they would be if frozen in a block.

By achieving technologically relevant levels of gravimetric density for stored hydrogen without either the extremely high pressures for gaseous hydrogen or extremely low temperatures for liquid hydrogen, MOF-74 could enable practical mobile hydrogen storage…MOF-74 resembles a series of tightly packed straws comprising mostly carbon atoms with columns of zinc ions running down the inside walls. A gram of the material has about the same surface area as two basketball courts….” Full Slice

The article