- Naked mole rats: More than sidekick for Disney Channel
cartoon heroes like Kim Possible? Yes, according to Vera Gorbunova, a study author and professor
in the biology department at the University of Rochester in New York. Gorbunova
and her team have conducted a project in which they claim to have discovered
that cancer resistance seen in naked mole rats, hairless African rodents that
live 30 years or more, may come from a sugar that keeps cells from clumping
into tumors. The naked mole rat has always been fascinating partly because of
its bizarre, fur-less appearance, and partially because it lives about 10 times
longer than mice. Furthermore, the naked mole rat is impervious to cancer,
while 95 percent of mice die of cancer. The last of those facts has spurred
many a scientist to seek out r hints on potential treatments for humans. The
sugar in question, called hyaluronan, exists between cells in tissue, helping
to hold them together, according to Gorbunova and her colleagues. All animals have
hyaluronan, but the mole rat’s version is unusually large – nearly five times
the size of that found in humans. “A lot of cancer research focuses on animals
that are prone to cancer,” Gorbunova said. “We think it’s possible to learn
strategies for preventing tumors by studying animals that are cancer-proof.”
For their study, the research team attempted to stimulate tumor growth by
exposing the mole rats to proteins that cause cancer in mice. Every attempt
failed until the researchers altered the production of hyaluronan. Previous
studies sequencing the genome of the naked mole rat found very little changes
in gene expression between a 4-year-old and a 20-year-old specimen, suggesting
that these cancer-free creatures are even more badass than previously thought……..
- It may be preparing for a regime change, but the NBA
isn’t losing any of its focus on maximizing profits. With commissioner David
Stern set to retire in February and deputy commissioner Adam Silver set to take
his play, the league is forging ahead with two moneymaking initiatives. First
is a plan to sell advertising space on the edge of the court, in the
out-of-bounds area in front of tram benches. To go along with its new courtside
art, there will also be a new and fashionably dubious modification to what a
few teams are wearing. After the Golden State Warriors debuted short-sleeved
jerseys this past season, the league will reportedly have as many as five
additional teams rocking the
short-sleeve jerseys as an alternate jersey for as much as 12 games during the
season. "We are interested in doing more short-sleeve jerseys when it
makes sense," said Patrik Nilsson, president of adidas North America. Not
surprisingly, Nilsson explained that adidas is motivated to get more fans
wearing jerseys ($$$$$$) while also innovating the game jersey for the players.
That seems prudent, given that the company will pay roughly $35 million a year
to be the official apparel provider of the league through the 2016-17 season. Sal
LaRocca, the league's executive vice president of global merchandising,
confirmed that the short-sleeved jerseys were offered to all of the NBA’s 30
teams, but most were not interested. He also admitted that part of the appeal
of this jersey was to offer a different option at retail ($$$$$). "The
life cycle of our jersey continues to be really strong," LaRocca said.
"Over the last few years, sales of our traditional tank-top basketball
jersey has been growing worldwide. But we know that more men are comfortable
wearing T-shirts than tank tops, so the idea that part of our consumer base
would be interested in wearing a jersey with sleeves makes sense." There
is also something of an early adopter factor with the new uniform tops, as
adidas claims the adizero NBA short sleeve uniform system is 26 percent lighter
than the traditional NBA jersey…….
- Neighbors cannot always be kept on good terms by good
fences. Sometimes, the inaccurate discharge of a firearm is also necessary.
David Millson, 72, is a New Haven, Vt. resident who understands that reality.
It’s why he fired 12 warning shots at a new neighbor after a dispute erupted
over trees that he feared would be cut down. Millson says he was just trying to get someone's attention because he
saw trees being cut down on his neighbor’s property. Because he has limited
mobility and is old, he spends plenty of time sitting on his back porch and
looking at the world around him. What he can see from his deck is important to
him and when he spotted someone about to fell his neighbor’s tall trees, he
took action. "They were not my trees; I was simply trying to get
attention, begging for their life as it were," Millson said. "I've
watched a row of hemlocks grow out from the woods, over eight years.” Those
hemlocks were threatened and because he could not get up and run to save them,
nor could his Jazzy scooter carry him there quickly enough, he grabbed his
shotgun and fired off a series of four three-blast salvos. Bradley Sprague, the
tree threatener in question, was riding a tractor when he heard the shots fired
from what he estimated to be about 500 feet away. Sprague told police the shots
were fired in his direction, but Millson says he pointed the barrel toward the
ground. "I wouldn't shoot in the air. you shoot in the air, it lands
somewhere, you don't know where. I shoot it into my ground. I know I've got a
12,500 mile backstop," he said. A third man, Millson’s neighbor Tom
McQuade, called police when he heard the shots fired but said he did not
want the dispute to escalate. Millson is now facing charges for unlawfully
discharging his weapon and reckless endangerment, but it actually is legal to fire a gun in a
backyard in New Haven. He has hired an attorney and plans to fight the charges
against him, an ironic twist because more than 40 years ago, Millson was
arrested for sitting under a tree. At present, all but one of the trees in
question have been cut down……..
- So you’re saying there’s a chance....again. After being
put on the fast track and taken off of it what feels like half a dozen times in
the past few years, the sequel to “Dumb and Dumber” is officially back on…for
now. The project, officially titled “Dumb And Dumber To,” has supposedly been on
its way to the big screen any number of times but always found a way to get
derailed. The most notable hiccup came when the studio that was supposed to
produce the project, Warner Bros., passed on the idea last week. That left
franchise creators Peter and Bobby Farrelly to shop the sequel around and see
if anyone was interested in reviving a cult favorite with a bit of clout, as both
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are on board to reprise
their roles. That’s a stark departure from the bomb-tastic 2003 prequel called
“Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd,” which was an absolute cinematic disaster that featured none of the
original movie’s starts and no involvement whatsoever from the Farrelly
Brothers. Getting Carey and Bridges on board was vital for any possible sequel,
but Warner Bros. decision to pass in spite of their presence underscores the
fact that their presence alone wasn’t enough to guarantee anything. Red Granite
Pictures and Universal Pictures have stepped in to provide funding, according
to the Farrelly brothers, and shooting could begin this summer. That would keep
the film on track for a release some time next year, which would conveniently
mark the 20th anniversary of the original movie’s release……..
- Smugglers are an entertaining lot. Who else is going to
have packets of cocaine or heroin surgically implanted inside their body and
attempt to pass through airport security or try to fool customs by shoving
seven exotic birds down the front of their pants? Yet even among smugglers, two
Russian men apprehended this week by Chinese customs officials stand out for
their gutsy, yet idiotic quest to smuggle more than 200 bear paws inside the tires of
a van. Video footage released by the Chinese government showed customs officers
removing the 213 severed paws, which included large, adult ones and smaller
ones from younger bears, from inside the tires. When removed from their hiding
places, the paws formed rows and rows of grisly reminders that morons and
scumbags are everywhere. The haul, said to be the biggest yet by Chinese
authorities, was estimated to be worth about 2.8 million yuan (about $460,000)
on the black market. The two Russian suspects were detained when the paws were
discovered in Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia. They are currently kicking it in a
Chinese prison and awaiting trial. But why smuggle 213 bear paws into a foreign
nation? Some in China believe the paws have high nutritional value. "This
case is quite special as it occurred in May, which is not a peak time for
smuggling bear paws as the weather is too warm to keep the paws fresh,"
Sun Rongxin, an official from Manzhouli customs. All of the paws are believed
to be from brown bears, a protected animal in China. "The demand is huge
because more people can afford them and the country has the tradition to treat
bear paw as a rare ingredient for cuisine or as an expensive present," said
Zhang Xiaohai, director of China's external affairs office for the Animals Asia
Foundation. Animal rights groups have also been campaigning against the farming
of bears in China and other countries for their bile, which is used in traditional
medicine. Their efforts led to protests in 20 Chinese cities last month, with
30,000 people taking part to show their opposition to bile farming………
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