Comment massive carry trade (Score 1) 629
1) borrow risk free from fed at zero
2) invest in risk free treasuries at like 3 pct
3) PROFIT
it doesn't take a genius to make money on wall street...
Comment wow (Score 1) 60
this is really cool. that is all.
Submission + - Yeti crab cultivates bacteria on claw, then eats t (nature.com)
Pierre Bezukhov writes: In the deep ocean off the coast of Costa Rica, scientists have found a species of crab that cultivates gardens of bacteria on its claws, then eats them.
The bristles that cover the crab’s claws and body are coated in gardens of symbiotic bacteria, which derive energy from the inorganic gases of the seeps. The crab eats the bacteria, using comb-like mouthparts to harvest them from its bristles.
Scientists believe the crab waves its claws to actively farm its bacterial gardens: movements stir up the water around the bacteria, ensuring that fresh supplies of oxygen and sulphide wash over them and helping them to grow.
The bristles that cover the crab’s claws and body are coated in gardens of symbiotic bacteria, which derive energy from the inorganic gases of the seeps. The crab eats the bacteria, using comb-like mouthparts to harvest them from its bristles.
Scientists believe the crab waves its claws to actively farm its bacterial gardens: movements stir up the water around the bacteria, ensuring that fresh supplies of oxygen and sulphide wash over them and helping them to grow.
Comment Re:How to conduct human trials (Score 1) 190
actually, it's immunization. i don't know if it works on existing patients
Comment not impressed (Score 0) 348
not impressed. it's just a simple calculation of distance and speed. show me something more difficult
Submission + - Gene Therapy Approach 'Completely' Protects Mice f (ibtimes.com)
Pierre Bezukhov writes: Scientists from the California Institute of Technology have come up with a gene therapy approach that has proven effective in protecting mice (with humanized immune systems) against HIV infections. They used a genetically altered virus to infect muscles cells and deliver DNA codes of potent antibodies isolated from the blood of human HIV victims. The muscle cells then began to manufacture the antibodies in quantities that proved "completely protective" against HIV infection.
Contrastingly, traditional vaccines have not worked against HIV as scientists have failed to find a molecule that induces the immune system to produce enough potent antibodies. The difficulties stems from the fact that HIV disguises some of its external structures from the antibodies.
Contrastingly, traditional vaccines have not worked against HIV as scientists have failed to find a molecule that induces the immune system to produce enough potent antibodies. The difficulties stems from the fact that HIV disguises some of its external structures from the antibodies.
Submission + - Permafrost loss greater threat than deforestation? (bloomberg.com)
Pierre Bezukhov writes: Emissions from thawing permafrost may contribute more to global warming than deforestation this century, according to a commentary in the journal Nature.
Arctic warming of 7.5 degrees Celsius (13.5 degrees Fahrenheit) this century may unlock the equivalent of 380 billion tons of carbon dioxide as soils thaw, allowing carbon to escape as CO2 and methane, University of Florida and University of Alaska biologists wrote today in Nature. Two degrees of warming would release a third of that, they said.
The Arctic is an important harbinger of climate change because the United Nations calculates it’s warming at almost twice the average rate for the planet. The study adds to pressure on United Nations climate treaty negotiators from more than 190 countries attending two weeks of talks in Durban, South Africa that began Nov. 28.
Arctic warming of 7.5 degrees Celsius (13.5 degrees Fahrenheit) this century may unlock the equivalent of 380 billion tons of carbon dioxide as soils thaw, allowing carbon to escape as CO2 and methane, University of Florida and University of Alaska biologists wrote today in Nature. Two degrees of warming would release a third of that, they said.
The Arctic is an important harbinger of climate change because the United Nations calculates it’s warming at almost twice the average rate for the planet. The study adds to pressure on United Nations climate treaty negotiators from more than 190 countries attending two weeks of talks in Durban, South Africa that began Nov. 28.
Submission + - How Tiny Worms Could Help Humans Colonize Mars (space.com)
Pierre Bezukhov writes: The roundworm has about 20,000 protein-coding genes — nearly as many as humans, who have about 23,000. Furthermore, there is a lot of overlap between our genome and theirs, with many genes performing roughly the same functions in both species.
Launching C. elegans to Mars would allow scientists to see just how dangerous the high radiation levels found in deep space — and on the Red Planet's surface — are to animal life.
"Worms allow us to detect changes in growth, development, reproduction and behavior in response to environmental conditions such as toxins or in response to deep space missions," said Nathaniel Szewczyk of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom
"Given the high failure rate of Mars missions, use of worms allows us to safely and relatively cheaply test spacecraft systems prior to manned missions."
Launching C. elegans to Mars would allow scientists to see just how dangerous the high radiation levels found in deep space — and on the Red Planet's surface — are to animal life.
"Worms allow us to detect changes in growth, development, reproduction and behavior in response to environmental conditions such as toxins or in response to deep space missions," said Nathaniel Szewczyk of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom
"Given the high failure rate of Mars missions, use of worms allows us to safely and relatively cheaply test spacecraft systems prior to manned missions."
Submission + - How Publishers Are Cutting Their Own Throats With (antipope.org)
An anonymous reader writes: Sci-fi author Charlie Stross has written a post about how the Big Six book publishing companies have maneuvered themselves into a tough spot in the rapidly growing ebook industry — between user-unfriendly DRM and the Amazon juggernaut, they're slowly pushing themselves out of business. Quoting: 'Until 2008, ebooks were a tiny market segment, under 1% and easily overlooked; but in 2009 ebook sales began to rise exponentially, and ebooks now account for over 20% of all fiction sales. In some areas ebooks are up to 40% of the market and rising rapidly. (I am not making that last figure up: I'm speaking from my own sales figures.) And Amazon have got 80% of the ebook retail market. ... the Big Six's pig-headed insistence on DRM on ebooks is handing Amazon a stick with which to beat them harder. DRM on ebooks gives Amazon a great tool for locking ebook customers into the Kindle platform.'
Submission + - iPhone self-combust on airplane (yasstribune.com.au)
thegreymonkey writes: Last friday an iPhone caught fire on flight ZL319 operating from Lismore to Sydney. This incident is under investigation from Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
This accident might be related to iPhone battery again.
This accident might be related to iPhone battery again.
Submission + - Wi-Fi Near Testes Could Decrease Male Fertility: S (ibtimes.com)
Pierre Bezukhov writes: Authors of a new scientific study speculated that "a laptop connected wirelessly to the internet on the lap near the testes may result in decreased male fertility."
The scientists who conducted the research placed healthy sperms under a laptop running a Wi-Fi connection.
After four hours, the Wi-Fi exposed sperms showed "a significant decrease in progressive sperm motility and an increase in sperm DNA fragmentation" compared to healthy sperms stored for the same time in the same temperature away from the computer.
That is, the sperms exposed to Wi-Fi were less capable of moving towards an egg to fertilize it and less capable of passing on the male's DNA if it does fertilize an egg.
The scientists blamed the damage on non-thermal electromagnetic radiation generated by the Wi-Fi.
The scientists who conducted the research placed healthy sperms under a laptop running a Wi-Fi connection.
After four hours, the Wi-Fi exposed sperms showed "a significant decrease in progressive sperm motility and an increase in sperm DNA fragmentation" compared to healthy sperms stored for the same time in the same temperature away from the computer.
That is, the sperms exposed to Wi-Fi were less capable of moving towards an egg to fertilize it and less capable of passing on the male's DNA if it does fertilize an egg.
The scientists blamed the damage on non-thermal electromagnetic radiation generated by the Wi-Fi.
Submission + - Scientist Creates Super Deadly Virus, Some Want Re (doctortipster.com) 1
Pierre Bezukhov writes: A Dutch researcher has created a virus with the potential to kill half of the planet’s population. Now, researchers and experts in bioterrorism debate whether it is a good idea to publish the virus creation ”recipe”. However, several voices argue that such research should have not happened in the first place.
The virus is a strain of avian influenza H5N1 genetically modified to be extremely contagious. It was created by researcher Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands. The work was first presented at a conference dedicated to influenza, that took place in September in Malta.
The virus is a strain of avian influenza H5N1 genetically modified to be extremely contagious. It was created by researcher Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands. The work was first presented at a conference dedicated to influenza, that took place in September in Malta.
Submission + - Europe in the Grip of Drug-Resistant Superbugs (ibtimes.com)
Pierre Bezukhov writes: K. pneumoniae is a common cause of pneumonia, urinary tract, and bloodstream infections in hospital patients. The superbug form is resistant even to a class of medicines called carbapenems, the most powerful known antibiotics, which are usually reserved by doctors as a last line of defense.
The ECDC said several EU member states were now reporting that between 15 and up to 50 percent of K. pneumoniae from bloodstream infections were resistant to carbapenems.
To a large extent, antibiotic resistance is driven by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which encourages bacteria to develop new ways of overcoming them.
Experts say primary care doctors are partly to blame for prescribing antibiotics for patients who demand them unnecessarily, and hospitals are also guilty of overuse.
The ECDC said several EU member states were now reporting that between 15 and up to 50 percent of K. pneumoniae from bloodstream infections were resistant to carbapenems.
To a large extent, antibiotic resistance is driven by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which encourages bacteria to develop new ways of overcoming them.
Experts say primary care doctors are partly to blame for prescribing antibiotics for patients who demand them unnecessarily, and hospitals are also guilty of overuse.
Submission + - U.S. Supreme Court Votes Can Be Predicted: Study (ibtimes.com)
Pierre Bezukhov writes: Researchers Roger Guimera and Marta Sales-Pardo of Spain, set out to ask whether one of the nine Supreme Court justices could be plucked from the bench and replaced with an algorithm that does not take into account the law or the case at issue, but does take into account the other justices' votes and the court's record.
These researchers say their computational models, using methods developed to analyze complex social networks, are just as accurate in predicting a justice's decision as forecasts from legal experts.
"We find that Supreme Court justices are significantly more predictable than one would expect from 'ideally independent' justices in 'ideal courts,'" that is, free agents independently evaluating cases on their merits, free of ideology, the study said.
These researchers say their computational models, using methods developed to analyze complex social networks, are just as accurate in predicting a justice's decision as forecasts from legal experts.
"We find that Supreme Court justices are significantly more predictable than one would expect from 'ideally independent' justices in 'ideal courts,'" that is, free agents independently evaluating cases on their merits, free of ideology, the study said.
Submission + - Video Games Lead To Quick Thinking Skills
shmG writes: Parents who dismiss video games as mindless entertainment with no intrinsic value for their children may not have a leg to stand on anymore thanks to science. Cognitive scientists from the University of Rochester have proven action based video games train people to make quick, accurate decisions. These skills acquired from video games, which helps players develop a heightened sensitivity to their surroundings, can be used in real world applications. This includes multitasking, driving, reading small print, keeping track of friends in a crowd, and navigating around town.
