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Submission + - Paper suggests cancer's an evolutionary mechanism to 'autocorrect' our gene pool (sciencealert.com)

schwit1 writes: Two scientists have come up with a depressing new hypothesis that attempts to explain why cancer is so hard to stop.

Maybe, they suggest, cancer's not working against us. Maybe the disease is actually an evolutionary 'final checkpoint' that stops faulty DNA from being passed down to the next generation.

To be clear, this is just a hypothesis. It hasn't been tested experimentally, and, more importantly, no one is suggesting that anyone shoulddie of cancer. In fact, it's quite the opposite — the researchers say that this line of thinking could help us to better understand the disease, and come up with more effective treatment strategies, like immunotherapy, even if a cure might not be possible.

So let's step back a second here, because why are our bodies trying to kill us? The idea behind the paper is based on the fact that, in the healthy body, there are a whole range of inbuilt safeguards, or 'checkpoints', that stop DNA mutations from being passed onto new cells.

One of the most important of these checkpoints is apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Whenever DNA is damaged and can't be fixed, cells are marked for apoptosis, and are quickly digested by the immune system — effectively 'swallowing' the problem. No mess, no fuss.

But the new hypothesis suggests that when apoptosis — and the other safeguards — don't work like they're supposed to, cancer just might be the final 'checkpoint' that steps in and gets rid of the rogue cells before their DNA can be passed on... by, uh, killing us, and removing our genetic material from the gene pool.

Submission + - The Fathers of the Internet Revolution Urge Today's Pioneers to Reinvent the Web (ieee.org)

Tekla Perry writes: “I’m frustrated on behalf of everybody using the Web at the moment,” Tim Berners-Lee told a group of Internet pioneers and current developers at the Decentralized Web Summit in San Francisco last week. But he, along with Vint Cerf, Brewster Kahle, and others are optimistic that the problems--the silos, the privacy issues, the impermanence--can and will be fixed. Indeed, they say, the tools are out there, and just need to be put together: like JavaScript, Google docs, Amazon's cloud service structure, Wordpress, and Bitcoin. This time, though, urged many of the speakers, it is necessary to "lock the web open" and "throw away the Oreos" because "code is law."

Submission + - Laid-Off Americans, Required to Zip Lips on Way Out, Grow Bolder (nytimes.com)

Indigo writes: New York Times: American corporations are under new scrutiny from federal lawmakers after well-publicized episodes in which the companies laid off American workers and gave the jobs to foreigners on temporary visas.

But while corporate executives have been outspoken in defending their labor practices before Congress and the public, the American workers who lost jobs to global outsourcing companies have been largely silent.

Until recently. Now some of the workers who were displaced are starting to speak out, despite severance agreements prohibiting them from criticizing their former employers.

Comment Re: This sort of thing is why people like Trump (Score 1) 420

Because if you look closely none of the companies replacing American workers with H1Bs are doing so directly. They all contract with staffing solutions providers in order to jump through a loop hole. It costs the company less to pay the contract price for all the workers they want than it does to pay for each individual American worker. It's just too bad that more entities don't hang themselves when making their way through hoops and loopholes to increase their bottom line, get their fat bonus, and give everyone else involved a big rubbery one up the poop shoot.

Comment Male and Caucasian (Score 1) 858

Given that I'm a white male 99.999999999999% of what's wrong with the World is already because of me. So now I'm going to start watching shows/movies aimed at women of color and I'm going to give such poor reviews on them. Really show those bitches who is in charge and make sure they understand that they have no business being out of the kitchen.

Comment Re:oh for fucks sake (Score 1) 206

I don't give a shit who posts what. I just get tired of those in group A wanting to completely silence those in group B, because feelings and vice versa. There are times I am more in agreement with group A, just like there are times I'm more in agreement with group B, or not in agreement with either. I voice my opinion and may very well tell someone else that I think theirs is utterly fucking retarded. What I don't and will never do is tell them that they can't have an opinion that differs from mine. That's the point I was trying to make, many of the people on either side of these arguments want to silence anyone that doesn't agree with them. That's generally a bigger problem than whatever the given issue is.

That's my opinion. If you don't like it I don't give a flying fuck.

Comment Re:oh for fucks sake (Score 1) 206

They aren't trying to censor anything, they are exercising their basic right to freedom of speech.

The cry bullies most certainly do want to censor, they want any opinion that doesn't agree with theirs to be silenced or otherwise done away with it. Most, not necessarily all of them have a poor or non-existent understanding of the first amendment. They don't seem to realize that everyone has the rights of freedom of expression and speech, it isn't reserved for those that agree with their point of view. They also don't seem to understand that the freedoms of speech and expression mean that one single solitary person has to agree with, respect, or acknowledge your position on any given subject. There are many on both sides of these arguments that display the clear lack of understanding how things actually work. Many of the complainants from all sides tend toward of modus operandi of being censorious toward anything that disagrees with their world view.

See the perceived plight of "persecuted" Christians in the United States for a perfect example of this.

Comment Re:oh for fucks sake (Score 1) 206

really??? if you dont like a filter.... dont use it!!! What is so complicated here?

Because, when I don't like something no one else should either. I shouldn't have to go to the trouble of using some other application. The developers for Snapchat should have to make the application fulfill my needs as the special snowflake that I am. Don't you understand how cry-bullying works?

Comment Re:News for nerds (Score 1) 206

These threads are nothing but excuses for flamewars, and invite all the retards from both sides of the spectrum, posters and mods alike, to stir up a goddamn shitstorm. In this thread, the reactionary-tards seem to be winning.

So fuck all your mothers' cunts with a rusty cactus and then kill yourselves you worthless goddamn niggerfaggots.

Exactly this, I wish I could mod this up some more.

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