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Submission + - How to prevent the next Ebola outbreak (thebulletin.org)

Submitted by Lasrick
Lasrick writes: The most recent Ebola outbreak has occurred is in 3 countries that have not previously reported the disease. Laura Kahn believes humans are becoming more and more vulnerable to Ebola and other deadly diseases because of increased exposure, a result of massive deforestation: 'Environmental destruction and widespread deforestation seem to constitute a common thread in causing the emergence of many of the deadliest viruses known to humanity...Deadly viruses such as Ebola and Nipah emerge in human populations after widespread deforestation destroys the habitats of fruit bats to make way for agriculture.' In countries desperate to feed themselves, bushmeat consumption is a dangerous practice that exposes humans to Ebola. The answer, Kahn believes, is a sustainable approach to large-scale livestock production: 'The Ebola virus can be contained, but doing so requires that people be convinced to change behavior that earns them money and provides them food.'

Submission + - Global Nuclear Power Supply At Lowest Level Since 1980s (huffingtonpost.com)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: Atomic power's share of global electricity supply is at the lowest level since the 1980s following the shutdown of Japan's reactors after the Fukushima disaster, and may fall further without major new plant construction.

The forecast is one of the main conclusions of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2014, a draft copy of which was passed to Reuters before general release later on Tuesday.

The report paints a bleak picture of the industry more than three years after three reactors melted down at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi station north of the Japanese capital after an earthquake and tsunami.

Rising costs, construction delays, public opposition and aging fleets of reactors will make it difficult for nuclear to reverse the decline in its share of global energy supply, even after two reactors in Japan won provisional approval to restart earlier this month.

Comment Re:The only good thing (Score 4, Insightful) 511

Exactly. I think Evil Atheist's message basically boils down to: 'You made a mistake, now fuck off and die. Scum.'

Believe it or not, some people choose to see addicts as people who have made a mistake (at least one!) but are still human and deserve respect.

These sort of arguments along the lines of 'don't get addicted in the first place derp!' sound just like the anti-abortion wackos who say 'don't get pregnant in the first place derrp!' Those arguments fall on their face when you have a baby in your hands, or an addict in the ally. Or you know...fuck em. Right?

Comment Re:Iritis (Score 1) 550

by Scottingham (#47525817) Attached to: Laser Eye Surgery, Revisited 10 Years Later
It was the only major variable that changed. My wife and I got a CSA and started eating a lot more veggies. The collards though just seemed like they had the most benefit. My suggestion is to use bacon fat as you make them. Make them as tasty as you can (brown sugar, onions, bacon fat...bacon itself gets soggy)....it won't effect the outcome.

Of course this is 100% anecdotal evidence, but it really can't hurt to try! I feel for you though, it really really blows, and the steroids come with their own problems. I've named my permanent floater buddies caused by the steroids Lenny and Squiggy.

Comment From their official page (Score 5, Interesting) 49

by Scottingham (#47516823) Attached to: SpaceX Releases Video of Falcon Rocket's Splashdown
"At this point, we are highly confident of being able to land successfully on a floating launch pad or back at the launch site and refly the rocket with no required refurbishment. However, our next couple launches are for very high velocity geostationary satellite missions, which don’t allow enough residual propellant for landing. In the longer term, missions like that will fly on Falcon Heavy, but until then Falcon 9 will need to fly in expendable mode."

Landing on a floating platform would be so crazy-awesome I can't even stand it! NASA should really stop wasting its time with its outdated SRB shiz.

Comment Re:Singularity (Score 1) 39

by Scottingham (#47502585) Attached to: Method Rapidly Reconstructs Animal's Development Cell By Cell
Replacing neurons with artificial ones sounds iffy, but other than that I think you're on the right track. So-called 'brains in jars' are probably the way it'll get done. Instead of artificial neurons I could see GM neurons or GM viruses keeping your existing neurons in tip-top shape. Given sufficient sensory stimulation and input there's no physical reason why this could happen indefinitely. Moving from neurons to 'not neurons' is going to be extremely difficult, if not practically impossible.

Comment Re:Singularity (Score 1) 39

by Scottingham (#47502227) Attached to: Method Rapidly Reconstructs Animal's Development Cell By Cell
No.

This method is currently only for embryology studies. They are only able to track each cell while it is being observed. There are no tracking devices placed into these cells.

What you are proposing would be roughly 100 orders of magnitude more complex. In addition to each cell you'd have to track each synapse connection, which ranges in the 100s of billions.

The only way I could see 'mind uploading' work is if there was some MRI-like machine that could resolve down to the molecular level and was able to take a snapshot of every molecule in its orientation/current velocity. Then, assuming some magical hyper-quantum (whatever) computer could store and then presumably simulate what would happen 'next' with such a snapshot...Then you'd be essentially modeling reality/matter on a quantum scale, and that would be....cool.

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