Comment Re:What about genomic testing before marriage/mati (Score 2) 146
They took the blood from the mother after she was pregnant, when there was fetal DNA in her bloodstream and are essentially doing a 'process of elimination' among the fetus, mother, and father. So while you could do a pre-conception screen, and it may indicate probabilities for genetic disorders or diseases with a genetic component, it wouldn't be the same thing as in TFA.
Comment Re:Lamark was right after all (Score 1) 148
Guess I underplayed it too much. Personally, I'd say Lamarckianism is complete trash but, as you said, he happened to throw a dart and hit something that bore a vague resemblance to reality.
Comment Re:Lamark was right after all (Score 1) 148
That would be a stretch. More like he wasn't completely wrong, in that epigenetics and methylation can be passed along to offspring. But even then, this article has nothing to do with that, considering changes in the methylation of genes in leg muscles would have no effect on the genes in zygotes.
Comment Re:OK, but.... (Score 4, Interesting) 148
IANAB (biochemist) but based on the article, methylation of a gene generally reduces its activity. In this case, exercising, forcing contractions in cultured cells, or near lethal does of caffeine in cell cultures resulted in less methylation on some genes involved in energy metabolism, presumably increasing how much they are expressed. The article does note that these genes may still be expressed when methylated.
Or if that's still unreadable, exercise changes how much some genes are active in muscle cells.
Or if that's still unreadable, exercise changes how much some genes are active in muscle cells.
Comment Re:Huh? (Score 5, Informative) 185
Yes, cellulose is a polymer of simple sugars. However most organisms lack the enzymes to break the chain up into its individual units. Ruminants and termites have symbiotic bacteria that digest it for them, and some species of fungus can break down cellulose (think mushrooms on a fallen tree) but as it stands, using cellulosic feedstocks require breaking up the chain via enzymes (expensive) or acids (nasty) so that bacteria can utilize it.
And yes, newspaper does burn quite well, but I'd like to see you stuff it in your gas tank.
Comment You got me (Score 2, Insightful) 272
And apparently quite a few others as well. Even the poll questions are TL;DR on /.
Early Look At EVE Creators' DUST 514 81
CCP Games, the developer behind space MMORPG EVE Online, made waves in August when they announced DUST 514, a console MMOFPS which will tie into the EVE universe. Eurogamer is now running a preview of the new MMO, providing more information on how it will work and the way in which it will interact with EVE and its players. Quoting: "... battles take place on dynamic battlefields about 5 kilometers across. Unlike EVE itself, there will be a cap to the number of players per battle — CCP is 'still playing with numbers' (and presumably watching the development of 256-player MAG with interest), but assures us that this will not be less than 64 players. There will be a command structure, with infantry and squadron leaders on each side led by a player-commander on board the hulking Mobile Command Center airship. The commander will effectively be playing a real-time strategy game with living units, and will have an RTS-style view of the battlefield. He'll be dependent on the situational awareness of infantry players to clear the fog of war. He'll also be the target, with the ultimate aim of a battle — after several, varying sub-objectives — being to destroy the opposing side's MCC."
Submission + - Quantum computing with Bose-Einstein Condensates
An anonymous reader writes: A paper from Stanford on the arXiv today has introduced a fundamentally new variety of quantum computing that is potentially far easier to implement than previous proposals. Previous quantum computing schemes, such as circuit-model quantum computing (the traditional model) and adiabatic quantum computing (D-wave's favored approach) rely on quantum postulates about the superposition of states and measurement to obtain speedups. This new proposal takes advantage of another fundamental quantum property — the indistinguishability of bosonic particles — which has previously been overlooked as a source for quantum speedups. In particular, this proposal suggests that it is possible to harness the fact that Bose-Einstein condensates reach their ground state faster than is possible classically to solve problems that are encoded in the ground state. This proposal may be easier to realize than the traditional schemes, since it requires only classical communication between multiple Bose-Einstein condensates. BECs are now routinely made in labs, and with recent work on room temperature BECs using semiconductors advancing, this new quantum computing scheme looks very exciting.
Does the 'Hacker Ethic' Harm Today's Developers? 436
snydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister questions whether the 'hacker ethic' synonymous with computer programing in American society is enough for developers to succeed in today's economy. To be sure, self-taught 'cowboy coders' — the hallmark of today's programming generation in America — are technically proficient, McAllister writes, 'but their code is less likely to be maintainable in the long term, and they're less likely to conform to organizational development processes and coding standards.' And though HTC's Vineet Nayar's proclamation that American programmers are 'unemployable' is overblown, there may be wisdom in offering a new kind of computer engineering degree targeted toward the student who is more interested in succeeding in industry than exploring computing theory. 'American software development managers often complain that Indian programmers are too literal-minded,' McAllister writes, but perhaps Americans have swung the pendulum too far in the other direction. In other words, are we 'too in love with the hacker ideal of the 1980s to produce programmers who are truly prepared for today's real-life business environment?'"
Comment Chemical (Score 1) 491
Of course. Who do you think makes the food, drugs, and booze?
Comment Re:Banking and Democrat Change (Score 2) 410
Actually, it's not just Democrats that are/were in on it. It was a bi-partisan screw up.
Submission + - Techie vibrator
An anonymous reader writes: Talk2Me is a wireless audio reactive rabbit-style vibrator. Audio is modulated for tactile feel and transmitted wirelessly! That's right- no wires.
Bass and treble are divided so you can feel the difference between the strong pumping bass and the tickle of the treble. Use it as a standard vibe or with your favorite song, your lover's voice, a podcast, or your boyfriend's video game.
Talk2Me comes with a standard audio cable to plug the small transmitter into any audio source. Use the built in mic to turn vocalizations into vibrations in talk mode or Karaoke mode. The transmitter can be up to 35 feet away from the vibe. http://www.thetalk2me.com/
Submission + - Intel working on 60-mile fixed-wifi
davidwr writes: Long-distance WiFi is nothing new, with distances over 200km possible.
Intel is working on a 60-mile version for use in rural parts of the 3rd world. Think WiMAX only a lot cheaper and no government license for the spectrum.
Assuming you can get 11Mbps, you can bring low-speed Internet plus several phone lines to rural communities that would otherwise be limited to radio. If you can get 54 or 108Mbps, the possibilities go way up. Of course, you still need electricity, something many small villages don't have.
One obvious downside: Indian programmers will now be expected to work all day in the office and all night at home, just like the American code-slaves they replaced.
Intel is working on a 60-mile version for use in rural parts of the 3rd world. Think WiMAX only a lot cheaper and no government license for the spectrum.
Assuming you can get 11Mbps, you can bring low-speed Internet plus several phone lines to rural communities that would otherwise be limited to radio. If you can get 54 or 108Mbps, the possibilities go way up. Of course, you still need electricity, something many small villages don't have.
One obvious downside: Indian programmers will now be expected to work all day in the office and all night at home, just like the American code-slaves they replaced.
Submission + - Open source cars?
Invertdna writes: Most cars today are a complex system of computer-controlled modules that determine the details of how your car runs (e.g., air/fuel mixture, spark plug firing, etc.). However, these operating systems are locked to all but those who design them; even dealerships don't have the ability to change code for the car's computer(s). In talking to a repairman about how to make my gas-powered car run cleaner, he suggested that I could change the air/fuel ratio, which would sacrifice some power for greater fuel savings and lower emissions. The problem, of course, is that I can't get to the code to do it. My question is this: has anyone thought about this problem and gotten around it? Or is there open-source code for commercially-available cars out there? This would obviously void most cars' warranties, but for older cars this might be a great way to live slightly greener (and cheaper).
