Study: General Anesthesia More Like a Reversible Drug-Induced Coma than a Deep Sleep

So, you think going under general anesthesia is like going into a deep sleep? Well, a group of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York beg to differ. They found that general anesthesia is more like a reversible drug-induced coma and the findings could lead to better treatments for coma and even better anesthesia.

"General anesthesia is pharmacological coma, not sleep," said Dr. Nicholas Schiff of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, who worked on the study with Dr. Emery Brown of Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Ralph Lydic of the University of Michigan. Their findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, represent a three-year exploration of the similarities and differences of sleep, anesthesia and coma.

They said while doctors and patients commonly describe general anesthesia as going to sleep, there are significant differences between the states, with only a bit of overlap between the deepest states of sleep and the very lightest phases of anesthesia.

While sleeping usually involves moving through a series of phases, in general anesthesia, patients are typically taken to a specific phase or state and kept there during the surgery. This phase most closely resembles a coma. Source:  Science Daily

So, it would seem that the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was doing more harm to his body when he used propofol as a method of getting a good night's sleep.

China Boasts it Made Breakthrough in Nuclear Technology, Could Potentially Save its Uranium Supply Woes

From Reuters:

Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in nuclear technology that could potentially solve China's uranium supply problem, as well as help move the coal dependent mega-nation away from their heavy reliance on fossil fuels. The new technology will enable the re-use of irradiated fuel and is able to boost the usage rate of uranium materials at nuclear plants by 60 folds.  

"With the new technology, China's existing detected uranium resources can be used for 3,000 years," Chinese Central Television reported. China has 171,400 tons of proven uranium resources spread throughout eight provinces -- Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Yunnan. The breakthrough offers hope that China can stay true to its plans to wean itself off coal, one of the dirtiest sources of greenhouse gas pollution. 

China's modest push into nuclear power already showcases 12 working reactors with 10.15 gigawatt of total generating capacity. Although the country had planned to quadruple that capacity to about 40 gigawatts in the next decade, the government now believes it could double the goal to about 80 gigawatts by 2020.

This is fascinating news, not show how the powers that be in the U.S.A. view this news. China is on its way to changing the world order with this breakthrough and others.

Australian "Biblical Floods" Turn Deadly as First Victim Swept Away from Car in Queensland

It seems that a flood of "biblical" proportions is ravishing Queensland, Australia, as we speak. Days of torrential rain has left northeastern Australia under a sea of muddy water, with the flooding affecting about 200,000 people and climbing. The rain stopped but the rivers are still rising and over-flowing into low-lying communities, according to the Huffington Post.

Australia's "bibilical" flood claimed its first victim when a woman was swept away in her car as authorities warned the waters had yet to peak in the one of the worst affected areas of Queensland. As further thunderstorms were forecast across the region, bringing the potential for flash flooding, residents of the city of Rockhampton braced themselves for the Fitzroy river to reach its peak in the next 48 hours. An area the size of France and Germany combined has been hit by the flooding of three river systems.

The woman who drowned was trying to cross a flooded causeway when her car was swept into a river in Burketown, western Queensland, on Saturday. The body of the 41-year-old was recovered yesterday about a mile away, Queensland police said. Two other people are feared drowned.

In Rockhampton many residents have already fled low-lying areas and up to 40% of the city is expected to be affected.

Read more:  Australian Woman Dies as Queensland Floodwaters Rise | U.K. Guardian

Wildlife Experts Baffled After Thousands of Red-Winged Blackbirds Fall From Skies Over Beebe, Arkansas

SHOCK: Wildlife experts are baffled as to why nearly 2,000 reg-winged blackbirds fell from the skies over Beebe, Arkansas New Year's Eve. According to media reports, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens said the birds fell in an area about a mile long and a half-mile wide. An aerial survey has indicated that no other birds were found outside that narrow area. An examination of some of the carcasses will be carried out in laboratories in Arkansas, Georgia and Wisconsin. Results could come as early as next week.

Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said the birds showed physical trauma, and she speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail." The commission also speculated that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area could have startled the birds from their roost and caused them to die from stress. Source

No matter how you view this situation, it is a sad one and certainly not normal. Something caused these birds to die in this area. If the birds were hit by hail, wouldn't that be visible on their bodies? What is equally baffling is why thousands of dead fish were found in a stretch of the Arkansas River. Fireworks is highly unlikely in the deaths of the fish. It should be noted that only one type of fish died. Stay tuned. More to follow.

Dangerous Chemicals in Food Wrappers & Microwave Popcorn Bags May Make Way Into Human Blood

SHOCK: University of Toronto scientists have discovered that chemicals used to line junk food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags are migrating into food. It is being ingested by people and is suspected of contributing to chemical contamination observed in blood. So, you should be very wary about those wrappers on foods you and your children love to eat.

Perfluorinated carboxylic acids or PFCAs are the breakdown products of chemicals used to make non-stick and water- and stain-repellent products ranging from kitchen pans to clothing to food packaging. PFCAs, the best known of which is perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are found in humans all around the world.

"We suspected that a major source of human PFCA exposure may be the consumption and metabolism of polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters or PAPs," says Jessica D'eon, a graduate student in the University of Toronto's Department of Chemistry. "PAPs are applied as greaseproofing agents to paper food contact packaging such as fast food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags."

In the U of T study, rats were exposed to PAPs either orally or by injection and monitored for a three-week period to track the concentrations of the PAPs and PFCA metabolites, including PFOA, in their blood. Human exposure to PAPs had already been established by the scientists in a previous study. Researchers used the PAP concentrations previously observed in human blood together with the PAP and PFCA concentrations observed in the rats to calculate human PFOA exposure from PAP metabolism. Source: Science Daily

Read more:  Dangerous Chemicals in Food Wrappers Likely Migrating to Humans | Science Daily

TRAFFIC India Finds Black Magic Behind Illegal Owl Trade

TRAFFIC India finds use of owls in black magic and sorcery driven by superstition, totems and taboos is one of the prime drivers of the covert owl trade.

TRAFFIC India’s report entitled “Imperiled Custodians of the Night” was launched today by Shri Jairam Ramesh, Hon. Minister of Environment and Forests at his office in New Delhi.

Hunting of and trade in all Indian owl species is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India.

While the exact number of owls traded each year countrywide is unknown, it certainly runs into thousands of individuals and there are anecdotal reports of owls becoming rare throughout India due to loss of suitable habitat especially old growth forests.

In light of such reports, TRAFFIC is calling for measures including better law enforcement to curb the trade in owls immediately.

TRAFFIC also calls for raising awareness of the beneficial and vital role of owls in the ecosystem, the birds being of particular benefit to farmers through their predation of rodents and other crop pests.

Read more:  Black magic behind illegal owl trade in India | WWF

Stem Cell Researchers Turn Skin into Blood, Could Treat Cancer & Other Ailments

Stem cell researchers turn skin into blood, could have far-reaching effects including the treatment of cancer, other ailments.

Mick Bhatia of the McMaster's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine authored a study which shows stem cell researchers found a way to turn a person's skin into blood. This groundbreaking process could be used to treat cancer and other ailments. According to the AFP, the method uses cells from a patch of a person's skin and transforms it into blood that is a genetic match, without using human embryonic stem cells, the study, which appeared in the journal Nature, said.

By avoiding the controversial and more complicated processes involved with using human embryonic stem cells to create blood, this approach simplifies the process, researchers said.

With the ability to create blood for transfusion from a person's own skin, the advance means someday patients needing blood for surgery or to treat anemia could bypass the blood bank and derive the necessary supply from themselves.

The breakthrough could also see future uses such as allowing patients undergoing chemotherapy to endure a longer regime of treatment without the breaks currently needed to rejuvenate the body. Researchers have been able to perform the skin-to-blood transformation in the past, but while using human pluripotent stem cells, widely known as embryonic stem cells.

Stem cells that are derived from human embryos hold significant promise for medical breakthroughs but also carry risks, such as the potential to create tumors. But researchers say their new method can create enough blood for a transfusion from a four by three centimeter (1.6 by 1.2 inch) patch of adult human skin, and can avoid those potential hurdles. Source: AFP

The study said clinical studies could start in 2012. This is groundbreaking and could advance cancer treatment in the near future. For all those people who say stem cell research shouldn't be undertaken, the scientists involved have accomplished a major feat that will have far-reaching effects.

Read more: Cellular 'alchemy' transforms skin into blood | Nature

World's Most Expensive Beer, Nail Ale, Brewed by Nail Brewery from Melted Ice from Antartica

World's most expensive beer auctioned for $800 is the Antarctic Nail Ale, made from melted ice from Antarctica.

Antarctic Nail Ale (Elitechoice.org)

Well, the world's most expensive beer is Antarctic Nail Ale. Brewed by Nail Brewing with ice brought back from the Antarctica, a bottle recently sold for $800 at a recent auction in Fremantle. All proceeds from the ale will go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which will soon leave on their seventh campaign to stop Japanese killing whales in the Antarctic sanctuary.

According to Beer Advocate, the previous most expensive beer in the world was a $765 bottle of "The end of History" brewed by Brewdog's. In a high alcohol level beer brewing war earlier this year, Scottish brewery "Brewdog's" brewed eleven bottles of 55% Alc beer sold in animal carcasses.

Nail Brewing Australia's brewer John Stallwood says "It is great to sell the most expensive bottle of beer in the world but it is all about a good cause. It is also good that a beer about saving the whales is now most expensive beer in the world rather than high alcohol beer sold in animal carcasses. I think future beers that sell for over $800 won't just be unique but will also be for good causes.

Nail Ale, which is a limited edition beer, only 30 were bottled, was brewed at Edith Cowan University in Perth.  Brewer John Stallwood said, “Over 90% of beer is water, so the Antarctic Nail Ale could possibly be the world’s oldest and purest beer.”

Beetle Study Suggests "Battle of Sexes" Plays a Bigger Role in Evolution than Previously Thought

A new study of beetles by the Exeter, Okayama and Kyushu Universities recently published in Current Biology shows a genetic 'battle of the sexes' could be much harder to resolve and is even more integral to evolution than previously thought, according to Science Daily.

This battle, observed across many species and known as intralocus sexual conflict, happens when the genes for a trait which is good for the breeding success of one sex are bad for the other -- sparking an 'evolutionary tug-o-war' between the sexes.

It has previously been thought these issues were only resolved when the trait in question evolves to become sex-specific in its development -- meaning the trait only develops in the gender it benefits and stops affecting the other. An example of this is male peacocks' tails, used for mating displays, which are not present in females.

Professor Dave Hosken, from the Centre for Ecology & Conservation (Cornwall) at the University of Exeter, said: "This kind of genetic tussle is everywhere in biology. For example, in humans, male hips are optimised for physical activity, whereas female hips also need to allow child bearing. That's the sort of evolutionary conflict we're talking about, and these conflicts were previously thought to be resolved by sex-specific trait development. Source: Science Daily

This is very interesting and speaks volumes to why women seem to always win the battle of the sexes.

Maroon 5 Encourages Funs to Support Environmentally Friendly Nonprofits for a Chance of Winning a Guitar

Maroon 5 encourages fans to connect with environmentally friendly non-profit group and sign up for a chance to win a guitar.

From Tree Hugger:

Here it is, No. 9, the last rung in the Green Music Group Challenge. Maroon 5 is encouraging fans to connect with an environmentally friendly nonprofit group. Sign up for an e-mail list, support a conservation or other campaign, or volunteer. Then snap a picture of yourself and the nonprofit's logo, and dream of strumming a cherry wood guitar.

Maroon 5 is a founding member of the Green Music Group, which helps bring local nonprofits out to concerts, giving organizations a platform and helping them connect with fans. The band wants to take it a step further, and is giving away a Martin Sustainable Wood Series acoustic guitar to the person who submits the most creative, greenest and smile-inspiring photograph of a nonprofit connection. Read more

Photo credit:  Reverb.org 

Environmental Group Warns Jordan River Not Safe for Baptism Due to Severe Pollution

The millions of people who flock to the Jordan River to be baptized yearly can't be happy to learn that a group of environmentalists now consider the river to be unsafe for baptisms. The Jordan River, where it has been said Jesus Christ was baptized about two thousand years ago is now severely polluted with untreated sewage, agricultural run-off, saline water and fish pond effluent, according to Gidon Bromberg of Friends of the Earth Middle East.

From Christian Post:

The reason, explains Bromberg, is that "ninety-eight percent of the Jordan's fresh waters [is] being diverted by Israel, Syria, and Jordan."

Friends of the Earth has called on regional authorities to halt baptism in the lower Jordan River until water quality standards for tourism activities are met. The Israeli site, known as Qasar al-Yahud, draws more than two million Christians each year. Thousands of them visit the holy site to be baptized.

Friends of the Earth argues that high levels of coliform bacteria from sewage in the river have made it unsafe for bathing. But water tests released last week suggest otherwise, according to Eli Dror of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority.

"There's absolutely no problem with the quality of the water,” Dror told Reuters. “People can come and baptize here as much as they want; I guarantee it."

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, meanwhile, said he was pleased that tourists would be able to continue visiting and using the site safely.

This can't be good news for the tourists who visit the river to be baptized, but from an environmental perspective it is a sad turn of events.

NPR News: Dengue Fever In Florida Portends A Growing Problem

You may not have heard much about a nasty tropical infection called dengue fever. But that may soon change. Federal health officials have identified the first sizable outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. in 55 years, in the Florida Keys. They say the southern U.S. is ripe for more.

The first cases in the recent outbreak occurred last summer and fall. In August, a New York woman recently back from a Key West vacation came down with the characteristic dengue symptoms — fever, wicked headache, chills, muscle and joint pain, and bloody urine. An alert doctor in Rochester, N.Y., diagnosed dengue fever.

Around the same time, the virus showed up in a woman and a married couple in Key West, none of whom had traveled to areas where dengue is common.

Read more:  Dengue Fever In Florida Portends A Growing Problem | NPR