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Science

How Stephen Hawking Has Defied the Odds for 50 Yea

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes "Now aged 70, Prof Stephen Hawking, winner of 12 honorary degrees, a CBE and in 2009 awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is an extraordinary man but what is perhaps most extraordinary about Hawking is how he has defied and baffled medical experts who predicted he had just months to live in 1963 when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a disease that only 5% survive for more than a decade after diagnosis. Hawking started having symptoms shortly before his 21st birthday. At first they were mild — a bit of clumsiness and few unexplained stumbles and falls but, predictably, by the very nature of the disease, his incurable condition worsened. The diagnosis came as a great shock, but also helped shape his future. "Although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research, and I got engaged to a girl called Jane Wilde, whom I had met just about the time my condition was diagnosed," says Hawking. "That engagement changed my life. It gave me something to live for." Another important thing in Hawking's life has been his work and at the age of 70, Hawking continues working at the University of Cambridge and recently published a new book — The Grand Design. "Being disabled, or physically challenged, makes no difference to how my scientific colleagues treat me apart from practical matters like waiting while I write what I want to say." Finally the grandfather-of-three continues to seek out new challenges and recently experienced first-hand what space travel feels like by taking a zero-gravity flight in a specially modified plane. "People are fascinated by the contrast between my very limited physical powers, and the vast nature of the universe I deal with," says Hawking. "I'm the archetype of a disabled genius, or should I say a physically challenged genius, to be politically correct. At least I'm obviously physically challenged. Whether I'm a genius is more open to doubt.""
Medicine

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body 3

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes "'IBM's Well-Being Management System,' boasts Big Blue, 'ensures proactive planning, execution excellence, measurement and continuous improvement in all areas of employee health and well-being.' As one example of its paycheck-fattening wellness initiatives, IBM cites yoga activities, which the Smarter Planet people may want to reconsider after reading How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body in Sunday's NY Times. From the article: 'Among devotees, from gurus to acolytes forever carrying their rolled-up mats, yoga is described as a nearly miraculous agent of renewal and healing. They celebrate its abilities to calm, cure, energize and strengthen. And much of this appears to be true: yoga can lower your blood pressure, make chemicals that act as antidepressants, even improve your sex life. But the yoga community long remained silent about its potential to inflict blinding pain.'"
Science

Russian Scientist Discovers Giant Methane Plumes i->

Submitted by thomst
thomst writes "Russian scientist Igor Semiletov of the International Arctic Research Centre at the University of Alaska Fairbanks revealed in an interview with The Independent that his team discovered "powerful and impressive seeping structures (of Methane gas) more than 1,000 metres in diameter" during their survey of the Arctic Ocean earlier this year. "I was most impressed by the sheer scale and the high density of the plumes. Over a relatively small area we found more than 100, but over a wider area there should be thousands of them," Semiletov told The Independent's Steve Connor. This finding is important because methane is estimated to be 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, and it could indicate that global warming is about to accelerate dramatically."
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Blasting Tumors With Radioactive Radiation From Th->

Submitted by
Hemi Rodner
Hemi Rodner writes "Israeli medical researchers say they have developed a new technique for blasting cancer tumours from the inside out which reduces the risk of the disease returning after treatment.
Unlike conventional radiation therapy, which bombards the body with gamma rays from outside, the alpha particles "diffuse inside the tumour, spreading further and further before disintegrating," a Tel Aviv University statement quoted Keisari as saying.
"Not only are cancerous cells more reliably destroyed, but in the majority of cases the body develops immunity against the return of the tumour," the statement said."

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Businesses

The scandal of the Alabama poor cut off from water->

Submitted by sociocapitalist
sociocapitalist writes "The BBC reports the ongoing situation in Jefferson County, Alabama where finance companies bribed politicians and a $300 million project ended up costing $3.1 billion bankrupting the county and leaving the poorest unable to pay their skyrocketing water/sewage bills.

Why the financiers were only fined and didn't go to jail, and why they should be subsequently allowed to profit on the situation is just another example of the imbalance in the US (and elsewhere)."

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Alexander Graham Bell recordings recovered after 1->

Submitted by DSS11Q13
DSS11Q13 writes "Housed in the Smithsonian Institute for more than a century, new technology which uses light and a 3D camera has allowed scientists to recover Alexander Graham Bell's recordings from the 1880s which were thought to be unplayable. The recordings feature recitations of Shakespeare and "Mary Had a Little Lamb," among others."
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Entertainment

George Takei brokers Star Peace-> 4

Submitted by Master Moose
Master Moose writes "George Takei has called for Star Wars and Star Trek fans to unite against the mutual threat to all science fiction: Twilight.

"Gone is any sense of heroism, camaraderie, or epic battle. In its place, we have vampires that sparkle, and moan, and go to high school".

"Now I am not above mixing in a little sex appeal to spice up the fantasy," he added, his words accompanied by the appearance of images of a topless young Mr Sulu and Robert Pattinson, the star of Twilight.

"But sci-fi fans be warned. There are no great stories, characters or profound life lessons to be had in Twilight. No, in Twilight, the only message that rings through loud and clear is 'Does my boyfriend like me?'""

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