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Comment Re:Antipodal eruptions (Score 1) 78

I've never been convinced by the Chicxulub-killed-the-dinosaurs theory, and have always preferred the more gradual theory that seems better in line with the evidence as you remind us. Many dinosaur lineages had been dying out in various locations for millions of years, and the climate was changing. There was a relatively short-lived finale, but that seems more in sync with the Deccan traps in terms of the timing, and began well before Chicxulub.

Comment Re:Antipodal eruptions (Score 1) 78

The Deccan traps have long been suspect, and the antipodal theory has been around for some time too. From the article: "The researchers suggest that the Deccan Traps eruptions and the meteorite impact near present-day Chicxulub, Mexico, need to be considered together when studying and modeling the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event."

Comment Re:And the scientific evidence for this conclusion (Score 2) 391

That is not a rebuttal to what I said. How about offering something more pertinent? Are you suggesting there are no significant differences between living organisms and robots? Can you explain what makes a living organism different from a robot? I can describe huge numbers of differences, but I can't say why one is alive and the other isn't. But the differences have been apparent to humans since before we started writing stuff down. If we found the universe populated with machines, that would be the dominant technology in the universe, not the dominant life form.

Comment Not really news (Score 3, Informative) 56

Almost everything you do has an effect on DNA histone methylation, acetylation and other histone modifications. In order for the transcriptional complexes required for gene activation and transcription to gain access to DNA segments for copying (making messenger RNA) the histone complexes that protect DNA from damage must be opened up. So exercise, hormones, fasting, and even drinking alcohol will result in epigenetic DNA histone modifications associated with gene transcription. This has been known for many years now. It is not even slightly surprising that exercise would result in gene transcription, which requires histone modification. This is not "changing your DNA", it is modifying the proteins that protect DNA from damage (histones).

Comment Enforcing pot laws is big business (Score 5, Insightful) 484

in many states, and they don't want to lose that revenue. It is not about right or wrong, legal or illegal, it is really about money. But as the various other states see revenue flow into states like Colorado in the form of pot taxes, they may change their minds, just like all states changed their minds about gambling and lotteries.

Comment Re:Despicable Greenpeace (Score 2) 465

Why is that? Please edify me as to how I am a sucker because I think Greenpeace is more responsible in their actions than BP? I notice that you had to make an ad hominem comment, rather than actually saying what was inaccurate about my comment? Also, whoever moderated my comment down, why not join the discussion and tell us what I said that was so offensive to you?

Comment If you read the article in Science (Score 3, Insightful) 135

you'll see they have pretty solid evidence that this particular type of comet (Jupiter family) had a deuterium/hydrogen ratio in water that is very different from earth, whereas many asteroids (chondrites) have about the same D/H ratio. All they were saying was that this type of comet was not responsible for delivering most of earth's water, which seems reasonable based on their evidence (see figure 3 from the article).

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