Archive for the ‘Male Genetics’ Category

Friedreich's ataxia sufferers Andrew and William Mcleod from Westruther with parents Donald and Jan.

Two brothers, Andrew and William Macleod, aged 11 and 13 respectively, have Friedreichs ataxia also known as spinocerebellar degeneration a rare genetic disease that causes difficulty walking, a loss of sensation in the arms and legs, and impaired speech.

It causes damage to parts of your brain and spinal cord and can also affect your heart.

The two boys have an older brother Connor,15,who does not have the condition.

One of the villagers, Ali Boyle, told us: This is a really really cruel progressive childhood disorder which is robbing these two young lads of their mobility and independence day by day.

There is no cure and no treatment apart from painkillers and as a community it is really hard to watch our friends struggling with this when there is nothing we can do to help.

It is important to us that every member of that family knows that we are there for them.

A few of their dad Donalds pals have been talking for a while about how to show some support for the family, as well as raising awareness of the condition locally and further afield.

And the idea of a naked calendar came up.

Villager John Purves also known as Mr April said: We were looking to do something a bit different to not only help the family, but also to bring to light just how cruel this terrible condition is.

We know there have been several naked calendars made elsewhere, but they are normally just young, buff men, not chaps in their 50s.

We knew it would show us as we are, but there was no hesitation from any of the guys ... they didnt even think about it.

Sales have gone really well, so far. We have sold around 200 calendars from our first print run of 250, but the printers told us we can get more put together at any time.

Ali added: We are a really small village , about 200 population max, including all the little hamlets round about. We dont even have a shop, and so want to sell as many calendars as possible outwith the community to raise awareness and cash to find a cure for all the lovely kids affected by this awful disorder.

She joked: Also, if we sell them all that means I wont need to buy one and have naked pics of my neighbours up in my kitchen for a year, which is just too awful to contemplate.

The men contacted photographer Phil Wilkinson, who captured the men in their birthday suits in several hilarious poses, with imaginative ways of covering up their dignity.

Phil told us: John contacted me with the idea, and its for a good cause.

They were all really good sports, and its a lovely community they have there.

If you would like to brighten up your 2020, you can buy a calendar in the village pub, The Old Thistle Inn, or order through the groups Facebook page @Menofwestruther.

Its 9.99, with a 3 carriage fee on top.

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Westruther men reveal their support (among other things) for village family in new calendar - The Southern Reporter

NASHVILLE, Tenn A state lawmaker wants to require transgender students to play on school sports teams based on their sex at birth.

State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) introduced House Bill 1572, which would require Tennessee transgender students to participate in the sports categories based on the sex on their birth certificate.

Griffey says he introduced the bill to ensure that there's fairness in sports competitions throughout the state.

"There's no ill will intended toward anyone regarding this legislation," Griffey said. "We all know that traditionally males generally have bigger hearts, bigger upper body strength, and that can give them a genetic advantage when competing against women in a number of sports."

However, advocates for LGBT rights say this bill is an attack on the transgender community.

"Some members of the General Assembly have not made an effort to understand that trans youth are a part of our school population and we need to serve and protect them like all students," said Chris Sanders, executive director with the Tennessee Equality Project.

Sanders says the bill part of a "2020 slate of hate bills," which he claims are an attack on the LGBT community. Sanders called the purpose of proposal "ignorance, hate and discrimination."

"It is insulting to trans youth. It is an attack on them. Their state government should be serving them and not seeking ways to marginalize them further," Sanders said.

Griffey says there's no intention to punish or discriminate when it comes down to the bones of the bill. He said it's about fair competitions.

"We've split up sports into male and female competitions to begin with for a sense of fairness; and if we're going to begin blurring the lines we're really defeating the purpose of having fair competitions to begin with," Griffey said.

Under the bill, if any elementary or secondary school willfully or intentionally violates the guidelines, the schools would be "immediately ineligible to continue to receive public funds of any type from this state or a local government."

If the bill becomes law, it would impose a fine of up to $10,000 on any school or state official who knowingly violates the ban, and the official accused of violating it would have to leave their office.

They would also be ineligible to hold public office, school administration positions, or principal positions for five years after.

This story was originally published by Kelsey Gibbs on WTVF in Nashville.

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Tenn. bill would require trans athletes to play on teams based on birth gender - KPAX-TV

Men are more confident, naturally dominant and prefer things. Women are kinder, more hesitant and prefer people. These differences, as received wisdom would have it, are biological. The female and male brain are different.

Except theyre not, says Gina Rippon, professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston University Brain Centre and author of The Gendered Brain. Over the last 200 years weve just been encouraged to think they are.

The lifelong "plasticity" of the human brain means that it can change and adapt as a result of experience, she says. And that means whats going on outside the head is as important as whats going on inside.

Rippon spoke to Management Today about the consequences of the male and female brain myth, why gender doesnt determine skill and the usefulness of IQ tests for recruitment.

"Mens brains are on average bigger than womens, but thats because on average men are bigger than women. Brain size is pretty meaningless in terms of functional significance."

"It links to the way in which our brain determines our behaviour. The brain responds very well to how the world expects people to behave.

"Theres a great phrase by Reshma Saujani, who founded an organisation called Girls Who Code: 'We raise our boys to be brave and our girls to be perfect.' Thats a fantastic summary of the different pressures on boys and girls from an early age."

"Im horrified by how much research is being misrepresented and misused. Scientists aresometimes less than responsible in how they explain what they find and the implications of those findings.

"The arguments they make are plausible because they "confirm" what peoplealready think beliefs that continue to shape the environment within which people grow up, are educated and employed.

"Just recently I was reading about a firm whose business manual explained how women should act in certain situations, how they should dress and what tone of voice they should use. I think its fed by a sort of accessible, but ill-informed self-help manual.

"Language is really important in terms of what people hear. Next time youre confronted with a claim such as at last, the truth that mens and womens brains are different, just look at what kind of arguments are being made: are we harking back to evolutionary biology as the reason?"

"One of the downsides of gender initiatives, even if theyre trying to solve a pay gap, is that you sustain the belief that there is a difference between men and women. If you measure their behavioural and neurological information, youll get classic bell-shaped curves and a huge amount of variability within each group. But if you put that data on the same axes, they overlap enormously.

"There are issues associated with saying that women have a particular set of skills that are missing from the boardroom. Just appointing people because theyre men or because theyre women is not actually going to change that. But clearly people with exactly the same potential are not achieving that potential in equal numbers.

"Thats why you should be looking at the longer-term issues that affect how people arrived at a particular choice point."

"Businesses are quite fond of their questionnaires and personality profiles. But one of the issues we need to look at is how good are the measurement tools that were using to gather the data? Theres a lot of promotion of quick and dirty tests without anybody asking whether they are actually useful.

"IQ tests are a classic example. They dont really measure anything useful with respect to individual skills. Research came out recently that suggests a link between particular genetic profiles and IQ, but the idea that there is a single common factor that will discriminate one individual from another is flawed. It ignores variability within groups."

"One of the more optimistic views that I hope comes out of this is that were not necessarily driven through life by the brains were born with, or the brains were stuck with because of how weve been treated at school.

"We know now that there are dramatic changes we can bring about in our brain and the skills we can learn. If there are particular skills your business needs, for instance, you dont necessarily need to look outside the organisation, there are things that your existing workforce can learn."

Image credits:John Greim/Contributor via Getty Images

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There's no such thing as a male or female brain - and why that matters - Management Today

Anne Innis Dagg was the first female biologist to study giraffes; while all the men who preceded her had observed firsthand that male giraffes are super queer (their primary form of play is a game dubbed "penis fencing," which is exactly what it sounds like), only Dagg was willing to write it down and publish it.

Dagg's work on giraffes -- several of the seminal books on the animals -- was initially mocked or ignored, partly because of her pioneering approach of living among the animals (as opposed to observing them at a distance) offended the establishment; partly because of her gender.

Though Dagg earned a PhD and taught for decades, she was denied tenure. She continued to produce challenging, brave, brilliant work at the intersection of biology and gender politics, ranging over both scholarly and popular works. In particular, she specialized in pointing out the lack of rigor in her male colleagues' work when discussing sex and gender among animals, and how that spilled over into the way the field was organized, and gender bias within research institutions and in research publishing.

Her 2004 book, Love of Shopping is Not a Gene, is an absolute must-read book on the subject, addressing the total absence of rigor and falsifiability in hypotheses from male biologists to explain human gender and power roles with reference to animal behavior and/or the imaginary lives of early hominids -- howlers like "Rape is genetic" or "Black people are genetically destined to have lower IQ scores than white people."

These comforting fairy tales (I always think of them as being reducible to, "But honey, it's not my fault I'm fucking my undergrads, it's because of the chimps!") are especially in vogue today, as white nationalists, plutocrats (and their bootlickers), and other advocates for gross inequality and population-scale subjugation seek to justify their ideology by claiming that it is biologically determined, and any attempt to change it is literally unnatural. Exhibit A for this is Jordan Peterson, whose obsession with a single species of lobsters is the founding myth of a transphobic, misogynist cult.

Dagg anticipated this debate decades in advance and repeatedly demolished its arguments for anyone who would listen, wielding science to slice through the self-serving bullshit of mediocre thinkers who want so desperately for their privilege to be the result of a biological process and not their own sociopathy.

Despite organized campaigns to marginalize Dagg and her work, she never gave up and was hugely influential on all kinds of scholars and thinkers. She was my own undergrad advisor at the University of Waterloo's Independent Studies program, and was an excellent mentor to me there. More broadly, she inspired generations of largely female giraffe biologists (I just met a giraffe keeper at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom who was a fan!), serving as a mentor and inspiration.

Dagg just received the Order of Canada, the second-highest honor awarded to Canadians (after the Order of Merit). The honor comes on the heels of The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, a documentary on Dagg's life and work.

This is wonderful news, seriously. Dagg is such a clear, uncompromising advocate for a rigorous approach to biology both as a means of understanding other animals and as a means for understand humans -- and is such a strong tonic against those who would abuse this tool for making sense of human behavior and social organization -- and she has accepted her marginalization as the price for her commitment to the truth.

Anne Dagg, Queen of Giraffes, appointed to Order of Canada among recipients with global influence [Stephanie Levitz/The National Post]

Wanda Diaz Merced is an astronomer at the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Office for Astronomy Outreach in Mitaka, Japan. Diaz Merced is blind and uses a technique to transform data from astronomical surveys into sounds for analysis. Over at Nature, Elizabeth Gibney interviewed Merced about how converting astronomical data into sound could bring discoveries that []

In the Galapagos Islands, a shoreside crane toppled over while loading a shipping container onto a barge, capsizing the boat and causing a terrible oil spill of hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel. It was Charles Darwins 1835 studies of the Galapagos Islandss biodiversity that sparked his theory of evolution by natural selection. From ABC []

Photographer Eric Brummel created this magnificent time-lapse video of the Milky Way in which the sky is stabilized so you can experience the Earths rotation. He captured the footage at Fonts Point, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California. From Universe Today: Eric created this time-lapse by using a star-tracker with his camera. A star-tracker rotates the []

One of the first things marketers learn in todays wired world is that theres no direct path to potential clients. Big companies are learning to laser-target their pitches to customers on the platforms they like best. Theres no reason start-ups of any size cant do the same, and the Become a Social Media Manager Certification []

A good website should be able to do a lot of things, and that means a good web designer needs to be just as versatile. If youre looking to break into this in-demand field but arent sure where to start, give The Complete 2020 Learn to Design Certification Bundlea look. Its actually a package of []

If youve got more than one Apple device, chances are your nightstand is a cluttered mess of charging cables; and if you take them out with you on the daily, your bag probably also has a tangled mass of chargers for your iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch and so on. Its time to de-clutter your charging []

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Anne Dagg, pioneering giraffe biologist and feminist critic of "evolutionary psychology" receives the Order of Canada - Boing Boing

The identity of a decapitated torso found in a dusty cave in Idaho has finally been revealed after 40 years of mystery. However, many questions still hang over this strange tale of murder, outlaws, and jailbreaks.

Investigators have confirmedthe headless body once belonged to Joseph Henry Loveless, a bootlegging outlaw who died in 1916 shortly after escaping from prison where he was serving time for murdering his second wife with an ax.

Speaking at a press conferenceon December 31, 2019, theteam explained how they cracked the case, but warned they are still unsure how his headless body ended up in the remote cave. Nevertheless, they were able to find Loveless 87-year-old grandson and tell him about his grandfathers wild story.

The mystery first came to light on August 26, 1979, when a family hunting for arrowheads in Buffalo Cave in rural Clark Country discovered a headless corpse wrapped in burlap.In 1991, a girl exploring the same cave system found a hand, leading to the discovery of a number of odd limbs also wrapped in burlap.

The remains were handed to anthropologists from Idaho State University and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as investigators from the FBI. Although they were able to deduce he was a male around 40 years old at the time of death and had reddish-brown hair, they were unable to make much progress with the identification.

Then, in 2019, came the help of the DNA Doe Project, a non-profit organization that uses genetic evidence to identify John and Jane Does using DNA obtained from people who have opted into law enforcement matching.

Using DNA obtained from the man's bones, they were able to find his grandson and hundreds of relatives (after all, hundreds of first cousins can descend from a single grandparent). Dealing with outlaws in the early 20th century who had numerous aliases, numerous wives, and few written records is no easy task, but further investigative work was able to pinpoint Joseph Henry Loveless out of a number of possible candidates. One major clue was that Loveless grave was empty with no date, as if he had just gone missing without a trace.

Further digging through news reports and records revealed that Loveless was born December 3, 1870, in the Utah Territory. Throughout his life of crime, he switched between a number of aliases, including Walter Cairns and Charles Smith. He married his second wife in 1905, with whom he had four kids, and was arrested for liquor bootlegging in 1914. He managed to break out of jail two years later and murdered his wife just a couple of months after his escape.

While serving another term in prison in 1916, he escaped by sawing through the bars using a tool he hid in his shoes. The next part remains a mystery, but shortly after the jailbreak, he was somehow killed, decapitated, and ended up in the Buffalo Cave system. The case remains open.

Its blown everyones minds, Lee Bingham Redgrave, a forensic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project, told theAssociated Press. The really cool thing, though, is that his wanted poster from his last escape is described as wearing the same clothing that he was found in, so that leads us to put his death date at likely 1916.

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DNA Of Headless Corpse In Idaho Reveals Story Of Ax Murders And Outlaws - IFLScience

Tom Brady leading the New England Patriots to the playoffs is a physical wonder at age 42. Its clear to anyone watching him suit up week after week. But its especially impressive to the guy with the locker immediately to Bradys right: Ben Watson.

On Thursday, Watson marveled when presented with the fact that Brady would be playing in his 41st career playoff games Saturday

Thats longer than some peoples career," Watson said. Thats amazing. Im sure he would downplay it, but thats special.

When it comes to longevity in the NFL, there are few who can appreciate what Bradys accomplished like Watson, who turned 39 earlier this season.

Brady has been fortunate to stay in the NFL this long, but Watson wants to make it clear: that sort of longevity doesnt happen by accident. Professional football players are often blessed with great genetics, Watson says, but it doesnt mean much without the will to hone that talent into something great on the field.

When it comes to Brady, few have matched the amount of effort put forth to stay in the game.

Hes put in a tremendous amount of work, physically, mentally, emotionally, to be able to keep doing it over and over and over again, Watson said. One people dont understand sometimes is the stress mentally that playing at this level has on you. A lot of guys, sometimes tap out while their bodies can still probably play. But mentally having to turn it on over and over and over again, under pressure, over and over again, for years after years, burns you out. So to have that competitive stamina that he has is really amazing."

Different guys react differently when it comes to the mental aspect of football. Brady is still going strong. But other guys dont stick around quite as long. Rob Gronkowski is the perfect example. The retired tight end has said he could probably still play in the league. However, he admits that he longer has the competitive fire to go back out there.

Watson said its been special to go out and play with a great leader like Brady in a second go-around -- a decade after his first stint in New England.

Hes the leader on this team, the leader of this organization and its going to be a joy for me to go out on the field with him," Watson said.

As the team head to the postseason, we could be facing the final game in a Patriots uniform for both Brady and Watson. Will either player stick around in New England -- or in the NFL? Its hard to tell at this point.

Brady and Watson have bested the test of time so far. But soon enough, the time to hang it up will come.

They say age is a number and thats kind of true, Watson said. But obviously we all have an expiration date -- of our lives in its entirety and also on our careers. But it doesnt mean you cant do great things as you get older in age and as you get outside whatever the norm is for pro sports and I think hes proven that.

Originally posted here:
Tom Brady playing at 42 shows Patriots QBs amazing mental stamina on top of physical longevity, Ben Watson - MassLive.com

The research, which comes from Japan, is based on a animal model. Here scientists pinpointed a gene in mice which appears to influence memory recall at varying times of day. Further examination showed how this gene influences mice to be more forgetful at a time just prior to when they normally wake up.There are various reasons for forgetting soothing. Perhaps we didn't learn a fact properly, or we might have been distracted. There is also a difference between not knowing something and simply not recalling it. Another reason, based on the University of Tokyo research, could be the time of day. In exploring the issue, the scientists examined the memories of young adult male and female mice. To begin with, they allowed the mice to 'learn' by letting the rodents explore a new object for a few minutes. The scientists then analyzed the mice's memory recall by reintroducing the same object at differing times of the day.The study was then repeated using mice with and without BMAL1, which is a protein that regulates the expression of many other genes. This showed how mice trained at a time prior to when they normally wake up did recognize the object, compared with mice examined at their normal waking time.The results also indicated that mice allowed to wake up at their normal time but without BMAL1 had the same pattern of results compared to mice with the protein; however, mice without BMAL1 were found to be far more forgetful just prior to when they normally awake. The scientists think that BMAL1 influences the circadian clock and, in turn, this affects memory recall. The circadian clock organizes the internal and external activities of an animal's body around the 24-hour day. The genetic connection adds further to the complications around the biology of memory recall and forgetting.The research has been reported to Nature Communications. The research paper is headed "Hippocampal clock regulates memory retrieval via Dopamine and PKA-induced GluA1 phosphorylation."

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Forgetfulness is connected to different times of the day - Digital Journal

The examination room was earnestly retro, with laminated anatomy charts, a model skeleton, and a blood pressure sleeve hanging from a rack, a throwback to Early Times, when doctors treated illnesses.

The doctor smiled. How are we feeling today?

O.K. Roberta reclined into the exam chair. Actually, a little nervous.

Most people are, the doctor said, laying a hand on her arm. Especially with a first child. Behind him the nurse prepared a syringe. Even after all this time, he said, genetic mutation can still sound scary. But our mothers did it, our grandmothers did it. And its the law. Ready?

Roberta nodded. As the needle pierced the side of her abdomen she felt a tingling sensation wash over her, first cool, then increasingly warm. Was her baby experiencing the same thing, she wondered. Where would this rank among the upheavals hed already faced: the sprouting of limbs, the awareness of sound? Then it was over.

The nurse stamped the compliance form. May I have the childs name? she asked.

Roberta turned to her husband. They smiled and answered simultaneously.

Kwame. Landry.

Roberta lovingly patted Donalds arm. Its Landry, she said to the nurse.

Yo, this here is my show, the rapper said, turning up the volume on the 60-inch TV. The members of his entourage lifted their gazes from their iPhones. Airing live, from a Disney backlot ringed with bleachers, a young man in a helmet and jumpsuit was being lowered into a cannon. It was aimed directly at a brick wall, above which a giant clock was suspended, counting down from 12 minutes 7 seconds.

Some people spend their deathday watching the waves roll gently onto the shore, said the TV host. Boooring! Jason, an adrenaline junkie from Scottsdale, has always wanted to be shot out of a cannon. Well Jason, today is your day. Its time for

The Countdown, the audience screamed.

Landry packed up his audio recorder and notebook. Hed done enough celebrity interviews to know when one was over. The rappers publicist apologized.

Its fine. Ive got what I need, Landry said.

Ill see you out. I have another client in the building, the publicist said. They walked toward the foyer of the penthouse. I was happy to hear they were sending you. Its been a while.

The Beyonc profile, Landry said.

The publicist swiped her wrist against a wall panel which then glowed green. The elevator door opened.

I heard she hated it, Landry said, stepping inside.

Not her, the publicist said. But at that level theres opinions involved. You know. Landry nodded.

As the elevator door closed, a screen began playing an ad for destination funerals in Hawaii. Landry muted the sound.

Not a fan? she asked.

Just not for me.

Hey, after the album launches, I get to have a normal life again. You want to have dinner sometime? she asked.

Id love to, but I cant.

I havent said a day yet.

Right. Sorry. Its I mean I cant really

You have a girlfriend.

No.

Youre into guys?

No.

The elevator door opened. As she stepped out, she turned to Landry and smiled. My mistake. I thought you were interested. She walked away confidently as the doors closed.

I am, Landry said.

On the ground floor, the elevator opened once again, and Landry stepped out into a warm spring afternoon. It seemed as if the city had collectively shed its skin, emerging from a winter hibernation. The Citi Bike stalls were empty, a sidewalk cafe seemed to be filled exclusively with smiling couples, and a group of preschoolers exited Central Park unencumbered by down coats and clunky boots.

It was days like this that used to make Landry wonder. Wonder if that same feeling of revitalization and promise existed before the vaccine, when people got old, got sick. Did the uncertainty of death when and how it would arrive make days like this one easier or more difficult to appreciate?

As Landry turned to cross Sixth Avenue, an elderly man riding a unicycle and texting veered into his path. Looking up at the last moment, the old man, wearing a checkered flannel shirt and Dockers, avoided Landry, but not the mailbox. He fell in a heap. Landry and a passer-by rushed over to help.

Are you O.K.? the passer-by asked.

The old man popped up spryly. Im fine, he said.

Landry handed the old man his phone, which now had a spider crack along the length of the screen.

Dammit, the old man said. I mean, thank you.

My cousin fixes screens, said the passer-by. But with a skin-job like that, you can probably swing a new phone. He leaned in for a closer look. Its so realistic. Must have cost a fortune.

Not as much as you think, bro, said the old man. My fiance and I did a cosmetic vacation in Thailand. Half the price youd pay here.

Though he wouldnt have done it himself, even if hed had the means, Landry understood the impulse behind skin-jobs. Before the vaccine, people had obsessed over looking younger, according to historians. It only made sense, Landry thought, that today, with a population of the perpetually young, an equally hefty profit could be had making people look old.

Dude, thats like art, said the passer-by. Be more careful next time. Youre wearing a Picasso.

Landry entered his one-bedroom walk-up. He hung up his jacket on an otherwise empty coat rack, went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. It contained an aluminum takeout container of Thai noodles and its plastic cylindrical counterpart with enough beef basil and curry, Landry figured, to make things interesting. He spooned out the remains of each onto a plate and set it in the microwave. From the freezer he pulled out three pints of ice cream, each a different flavor, and arranged them on a serving tray. When the microwave beeped, he added the plate to the tray, carried everything to the living room and turned on the television. The World Health Organizations latest population projections have the sustainability impact factor remaining at level two, the broadcaster said, with the human footprint at just 38 percent. High Commissioner Thabo Jacob called this continued good news for our planet.

Landry muted the sound. He opened his laptop and worked while eating dinner.

Several hours later, the ice cream pints empty, Landry clicked Send on an email to his editor and closed his laptop. He walked to his bedroom and opened the closet. Inside was a single suit, shirt and tie. He lingered a moment over the suit, then undressed, brushed his teeth and lay on his bed. He reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out a letter, embossed with the seal of the U.S. government. It was the original, mailed to him on his 18th birthday.

Following a salutation and opening that every citizen could recite by heart, it read:

Wilson, Landry Kwame.

ID #325641685

Deathdate: April 16, 2020.

Landry set his bedside clock to countdown mode. It read 16 hours 30 minutes 43 seconds. He swiped his wrist to turn out the lights and went to sleep.

In the barbershop, the blades of the clippers gently buzzed as Landry got his shape-up. The regulars, tossing bon mots above the din of Judge Judy," outnumbered the paying customers by three to one. On this afternoon, Lenny, a shop veteran, was talking about Early Times, and catching flack. Laugh if you want, he said, but before they came up with the vaccine, we had elders to teach the young ones our history. Now, you got kids out here thinking white folks invented the blues.

O.K., conspiracy brother, the barber said. You saying we were better off with high blood pressure? Diabetes? And whats that thing with the toes gout?

You just concentrate on that shape-up, Lenny answered. Or youll have him walking outta here looking like that bucktooth boy from Fat Albert.

The barber sucked his teeth as he handed Landry a mirror. Hows that? he asked.

Thats tight, Landry said.

Whats the occasion? the barber asked, admiring Landrys suit.

Just wanted to change it up, Landry said. He swiped his wrist across the sensor in the armrest. A very generous tip flashed on the barbers screen.

Blessings, brother, the barber said. See you next month?

As always, Landry said.

Landry entered the Final Affairs Building, checked in at the intake counter and found a seat. When his number was called, he entered the interview room.

Sit, the agent said, without looking up from her computer.

Landry sat.

Swipe.

Landry swiped his wrist on the scanner. The agent scrolled through some pages on her screen, then looked Landry up and down.

Any cosmetic alterations? she asked.

No, said Landry.

Do stripes make me look fat? she asked.

Uhhh Landry stammered.

Im joking. Relax. Boy, you should have seen the look on your face. Your deathday and youre worried about a #MeToo demerit. Priceless. Now, just a couple of details to confirm. She looked back at her screen. Housing release is in order. Bank transfer is approved. Assets are all marked for donation, is that correct?

Yes, said Landry.

And your last date of employment was yesterday? she asked.

Landry nodded.

Wow. You must have really loved your job, she said.

Just wanted to tie up some loose ends.

Suit yourself. She smiled and waited.

Oh, right, Landry said, because Im wearing a

Exactly. Gotta keep it fun, I always say. The agent tapped her screen. Ive authenticated your certificate. You should have the upload any second. Just provide your passcode to the funeral director and youre all set.

Thank you, Landry said.

Landry sat in the front row, the funeral program creased in his hand. Where is everybody? he wondered, looking around the room one last time. He rarely attended funeral parties himself these days, but now he regretted each time hed offered his final thoughts to colleagues over Facebook and Twitter rather than in person. Today, he surmised, was karmic justice.

A clock was mounted on the wall, counting down to zero.

20 19.

Standing up, Landry straightened his tie and walked toward the open coffin. At the head of it stood a floral arrangement wrapped by a sash with his picture on it. That wasnt his taste, but hed let the salesman talk him into it just to move the process along. Using the stepladder, he climbed into the coffin, lay down, let out a long breath and closed his eyes. The wall clock counted down:

5 4 3 2 1 0.

A moment later, a single flower petal floated down and landed on Landrys chest.

A woman entered the room. Wearing costume pearls, a sequined dress and a Diana Ross and the Supremes-era beehive hairdo, she looked around, confused. She must have gotten the room number wrong. This certainly wasnt the Best of Motown funeral the modeling agency had booked her for. As she turned to leave, Landrys nose twitched.

Achoo!

The woman shrieked. Landry opened his eyes, sat up and saw the stranger staring at him, slack-jawed.

Umm, this is awkward, he said.

Yeah. It is.

My name is Landry.

O.K. Femi. Im Femi.

Look, I dont know how this happened, Landry said as he stepped out of the coffin.

No. Stop! Femi said. Is this one of those prank shows? She eyed the floral arrangement. Is there a camera hidden in there?

Its not a prank. I dont know what it is. But I do know that Im supposed to be. For the first time, he couldnt bring himself to say the word.

Femi looked at him suspiciously.

Honest. I would never maybe its a timing error, he said, pointing to the wall clock, which now read minus 90 seconds. They say its 100 percent accurate, but nothings 100 percent, right? Maybe its just a few minutes off.

Femi looked around the empty room. So where is everybody, then? she asked.

Landry slumped his shoulders and sighed. I dont know, he said.

Yeah, youre probably right, Femi said. The clock must be off. You should get back inside. You know, before. Her voice trailed off. Landry walked back toward the coffin. Ill stay here until then, she said.

View original post here:
Opinion | Unrequited Love Song for the Panopticon - The New York Times

JACKSON Federal wildlife scientists have put to rest the idea that the late-season elk hunt in Grand Teton National Park draws in and concentrates large numbers of grizzly bears.

Bears, especially residents, do learn to key in on the prehibernation food source of gut piles and gunshot-and-lost elk, and they can amass in numbers in the open hunt area. But the largest influx of grizzlies to the east side of the Tetons actually comes weeks earlier in the fall, when itinerant grizzlies are passing through. Few bears, relatively, remain out of their dens by the time hunters typically are actively killing elk within the park in mid-November, Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team researchers recently concluded.

By the time elk carcasses have accumulated in significant numbers, only a small number of bears may remain active in the areas open to hunting, Study Team Leader Frank van Manen wrote in a recent edition of the academic journal BioOne Complete. Given the lack of other food resources, these remaining bears specialize on elk carcasses, a notion that is supported by telemetry data and observations.

The rest of the Ursos arctos horibilis clans are likely already hibernating. Past research has found that 90% of female bears typically have entered their dens by the end of November, and that hibernating males hit the 90% threshold by the second week of December. (On the flip side, 88% of the bears marked in the study were still out of their dens on Nov. 1.) In recent years Grand Tetons elk hunt, dubbed a reduction program, has wrapped up about a week into December.

Van Manens study, titled Primarily resident grizzly bears respond to late-season elk harvest, was pursued because of the desire of park officials to keep hunters and grizzly bears safe.

Park managers are seeking new, science-based information to help reduce conflict potential, the study says. A key information need is whether the autumn elk harvest attracts grizzly bears into the areas open for hunting.

Co-authors included fellow study team members Mike Ebinger and Mark Haroldson and Grand Teton National Park biologists Dave Gustine and Kate Wilmot.

The biologists, who are also researching other aspects of hunter-grizzly interaction, initially had a hunch that the late-season cow and calf elk hunt would have a magnet effect for Jackson Hole grizzlies.

Contrary to our research hypothesis, temporary movements into the study area occurred between the July-August (no hunt) and September-October (no hunt) primary periods each year, the study says, rather than during the transition from September-October (no hunt) to November-December (hunt).

The magnet effect of a hunting season has been documented by past research focused on the southern boundary of Yellowstone National Park, where grizzlies are drawn out of the park into the adjacent Bridger-Teton National Forests Teton Wilderness, where elk and deer hunting occurs earlier in the year.

To make their determinations, U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service researchers strategically deployed barb-wired hair snares and culvert-style traps to collect genetic information and estimate numbers of grizzlies in 2014 and 2015. Sample sites were concentrated in a 190-square-mile area in and around the east side of Grand Teton, and specifically near the convergence of known elk migration paths headed toward the National Elk Refuge.

Overall, 31 unique grizzlies were identified: six females and 25 males. Eight of the bears were classified as residents, and almost all of these animals were documented keying in on elk carcasses within the park hunt zone before tucking in for the season. Well-recognized bears such as the grizzly sow known as 399 have been among the animals that have taken advantage of gut piles and carcasses along the southern reaches of her range.

But the majority of the grizzlies marked and 11 had never been identified were classified as transients. Those animals were the primary factor in the overall abundance of bears and were much less likely to stick around late into the year.

Our findings suggest that temporary movement into the study area did occur, van Manens study says, but primarily in the time period prior to the elk hunting season, rather than during the elk reduction program.

Wildlife managers and biologists seek to learn more about the relation of elk and deer hunters and grizzly bears because the clash of the two is often deadly. Preceding the study there were two high-profile incidents: a hunter who was mauled but survived in 2011, and a charging grizzly that was shot and killed in the Snake River bottoms in 2012. Across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, 28% of all grizzlies killed by humans over a recent 15-year period were casualties of run-ins with hunters acting in self defense, according to the study.

The researchers did not make any specific recommendations about the park hunt, though they did end by saying that the late timing of the hunt probably reduces conflict. Moreover, the habituated nature of the resident bears may increase their tolerance to hunters, they wrote.

Although continuation of the elk reduction program with the current timing likely represents a scenario with a low relative risk, elk hunters should be aware that encounter risks remain real, as they are anywhere within occupied grizzly bear range, the study says.

Thus, maintaining the status quo regarding the timing of the elk hunt would not diminish the importance of current strategies that are in place to reduce the risk of hunter-bear encounters, such as the requirement to carry bear spray and closure of areas near the Snake River bottoms, the study continues. The timing and location of the elk reduction program are unique, so we caution that our study findings may not apply elsewhere in the ecosystem.

See the original post here:
Grand Teton elk hunt not grizzly lure, officials say - The Torrington Telegram

Playing pool, watching comedy, and performing karaoke. These are some of the activities many Europeans do while drinking alcohol.

Athletic exertion is not one of them.

However, in recent years, more and more races have popped up across Europe that involve both running and drinking - at the same time.

Marathons in traditional wine heartlands like Bordeaux and Beaujolais have been running for decades but in recent years, many more races have popped up across the continent such as the Genusslauf in Germany, the Forges of the Anlier Forest in Belgium and now the new kid on the block - the Marathon of Flavours in Switzerland.

Most races of this sort require a medical certificate, so I popped down to my local doctor, had my blood pressure taken, jumped up and down a bit, and was duly awarded one.

At 9 a.m. I'm queuing for my bib in the picturesque Swiss town of Sion. It's the inaugural edition of the Marathon des Saveurs.

It's pouring hard, overcast and I'm severely underdressed in my running top and shorts. Looking around, many people are sensibly robed, as if they're here for a hike. And perhaps they are. This is the point where I begin to think it's not really a race.

Once out of the centre of Sion we climb a few hundred metres into the hills and run on narrow paths alongside tiny irrigation canals called 'bisses', some of which date back to the 13th century.

These man-made streams have been vital to the survival of farmland and viticulture in the area since the dark ages. The rain has not stopped and so I put my foot down and overtake a few people to warm up.

By 10:30 I'm drenched and the sight of a small marquee in the distance heralds the first 'tasting stop' - and it's a mixed blessing. Shelter from the rain is very welcome, as are the friendly faces telling us what is on offer. And though it's a little early for wine, I figure I should throw myself into the fray to get the full experience.

I'm given a white wine called Fendant, which is actually Chasselas - Switzerland's most widely grown indigenous grape. They have special names for grapes in the Valais - more of which later. It has a slight fizz on the tongue, which is a surprise. It's not a tasting glass either, it's a full wine glass. Same with the red that follows, which is called Dole. It dawns on me we're going to drink around three bottles' worth. There's food, too, of course. The organisers won't let you drink on an empty stomach. A platter of meat and cheese is the fare here. I have a chat with a couple of other competitors and everyone is in good spirits. I wonder if everyone will be drunk in an hour or so?

Rze and Cornalin are very old varietals (which is a terribly sophisticated word for grape types). Records of these two wines date back to the middle ages and the irrigation canals. We're served these, along with some delicious pumpkin soup, in the garden of some kind of traditional farm house.

The party is in full swing with some hilarious accordion music and the first glimpse of sunshine. I'm nearly 10k in, and I'm starting to really enjoy myself.

It's between stops two and three that I really begin to notice that I'm overtaking a lot of people. I heard a few competitors say they were feeling a little light-headed while we were enjoying the Cornalin, and it made me wonder when my body would start feeling the effects.

It's common knowledge that Alcohol is a diuretic (something that will dehydrate you).

"Staying well hydrated is absolutely key in races such as the 23k," Dr Chris Gaffney, Lecturer in Sports Science at Lancaster University tells me. "When we exercise our core body temperature increases and you sweat to dissipate this heat. If you consume alcohol during exercise then the body is getting rid of fluid necessary to try and maintain our body temperature. Thus, we are stopping the body from regulating temperature normally."

Dehydration is something I was aware of as someone who runs regularly, and I was carrying a three litre water bladder in my backpack for the run. What I didn't know was other, quite startling, considerations that Dr Chris made me aware of. Cardiovascular and metabolic considerations for example.

"Drinking alcohol effects the electrical activity of our heart. This can lead to an increase in heart rate, an increase in blood pressure, and an increased frequency of abnormal heart rhythms. These can be dangerous during exercise where the heart is already under increased demand."

He goes on: "Over 90% of alcohol is broken down in the liver. The processing of alcohol may impair the livers ability to detoxify other metabolites during exercise, and the accumulation of some metabolites can be bad for our health."

It's not hitting me yet and I'm still happily running through vineyards.

The promise of hot cheese leads me to run quite quickly to this, the third tasting station. A glass of Muscat is a sweet kick upon arrival as is the stereo system which is pumping out AC/DC's Highway to Hell, a fitting tribute to those struggling with the alcohol. Then comes the Humagne Rouge, which pairs stupendously with the bubbling raclette. I'm sure I'm not drunk. But then again, I am singing.

It's at this point I start to sniff victory. I am told there's only one group of runners that have already passed this way, eaten, drank and left. I decided it was game on so I declined the second plate of raclette and headed off.

After about two kilometres I could see runners in the distance. That gave me something to aim for. Soon, I'm gaining on them and feel really good.

Could it be that my fairly regular drinking habits have given me an advantage?

Gaffney seems to think so. He highlights the two elements that support the theory - genetics and what he terms the 'training' effect.

"You may be biologically advantaged through being male and having genetics that predispose to efficient breakdown of alcohol. You will further be advantaged through possessing greater quantities of enzymes in the liver to break down this alcohol that youve gained from frequent drinking.

I had been running solo for about 20 minutes by the time I reached the penultimate tasting station. Nobody was there aside from the guys running the food and drink stall. Did I just miss the frontrunners? Yes, they tell me. By about 5 minutes.

I can't just swig two glasses of wine, wolf down the game terrine and scuttle off. I have to do this properly.

I am given a glass of Johannisberg. Which takes us back to Stop One. The names for grapes that aren't actually the names for grapes.

Much like Fendant is the special Valais name for the ubiquitous Chasselas, similarly Johannisberg is really Sylvaner. These fantasy names are romantic and truly make one feel like you've entered into an entirely new world of wine. And you kind of have.

The Valais is the same size as Bordeaux's St Emilion region. That's about 5,000 hectares. Wine-wise, that's not particularly huge.

A day before the race I went to visit one of Switzerland's flagship wine estates, Domaine du Mont d'Or. Laurent Guidoux, who runs the operation, gave me a tour of the vineyards and we discussed the singular problem that is how to export Swiss wine.

"99% of Swiss wine never leaves the country," he says. "And the cost of production is too high to have prices that are interesting to supermarkets."

A wine without a profile isn't going to intrigue buyers, especially at a high price. And Guidoux has overheads that push the price point beyond an easy sell. But the quality does make the wine from the Valais competitive.

Their Petite Arvine is remarkable. There's an unmistakable saline finish that sets it apart from any other white I've ever tasted. A total shoe-in for a blind tasting. Nevertheless, he's facing a serious problem. The sort of problem that closes vineyards. Guidoux has the means to ride it out, but not every producer does.

Back to the race, and it's getting hot. I start running with a guy called Gerald and his mate. Gerald thinks we might win but I tell him I was told we're not the leaders. I then speed off, which proves foolish as while I'm running and filming a local man waving to me, I miss a signpost and take myself about half a kilometre the wrong way. It's only when I come to a crossroads with no signpost that I realise my mistake.

By the time I reroute myself, Gerald is a spot in the distance and I've got some running to do.

Eventually, after about two kilometres, I catch up. I still have a little water left in my bladder pack but I'm swigging quite heavily now. Gerald says he feels "very good" and it makes me laugh. Soon we come to "Raspille Gorge", the fifth and final tasting stop. It's dessert. Strudel with grape seeds served with Plum sorbet.

The dessert wine that goes with it, an overmaturated Hermitage, is exceptionally decent. The grapes that make this are not harvested until December, giving them more time to sweeten.

It's at this time an official gives me the news that there are two runners ahead and they left a few minutes ago. I'm not going to win this. At that moment, another couple get to Stop 5, and carry on through without stopping to drink. No, you don't, I think to myself. I down the wine, finish off the strudel and thank the volunteers. Gerald and chum are not quite ready so I wave and hit the final stage.

As I run up a hill and overtake the non-drinking couple, I ask myself if I'm drunk. I really don't think so. I don't feel unsteady and haven't the whole time.

"Alcohol affects the density of fluid within the inner ear, which sets off a cascade of signals to the brain which can result in feeling unsteady on our feet and even falling," Dr Gaffney notes in his advice to me. "This is compounded by the effect on the oculomotor (eye movement) system. This happens because alcohol affects the central nervous system and changes our eye movement patterns so they are less effective. This could pose dangers when running, particularly on uneven ground. In brief, if we consume (enough) alcohol we become unsteady on our feet and this is usually bad for exercise."

Legendary Clash frontman Joe Strummer reportedly ran a marathon in 3 hours 20 mins. According to various sources it was the Paris marathon of 1982. His advice on preparation? Drink 10 pints of beer the night before the race."

No cheering crowds, in fact no-one at all is there to witness me finish. Initially I worry I've got the wrong place, but once into a courtyard I see two officials having a glass of wine and a chat, so I head towards them. I sign to say I have completed the race and they tell me that I have come third.

A man comes over from the bar area to say that, since there's no actual podium, would I like a congratulatory drink. I gladly accept. Well, I'm not made of stone.

Read more from the original source:
Boozy marathons: can running and drinking alcohol really be healthy? - Euronews

Its easy to forget about Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with so many great quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson this year.

Mahomes just threw over 4,000 passing yards and 26 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions during a season where he dealt with multiple injuries, including two games missed with a dislocated knee cap.

Plus, his Chiefs are the No. 2 seeded team in the AFC Playoffs. They get a home playoff game after a bye thanks to their dominate quarterback.

Still, it is hard to forget how great Mahomes is. It is even harder finding a proper comparison.

So who are some players similar to the Chiefs 24-year-old signal caller?

Last year, Mahomes joined Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Stafford, Dan Marino, Tom Brady and Drew Brees as the only passers to surpass 5,000 yards. Brees is the only one in that group to do it multiple times (five). Marino was the first youngest player to do it (23).

Patrick Mahomes wasnt too far off doing it in his second season. Stafford was close too, hitting the mark in 2011 at 23 during his third season. The Lions QB came close to joining the club again the next season. However, Mahomes threw five less interceptions than Marino or Stafford in their 5k passing seasons. Marino also never broke 100 yards rushing in a season like Mahomes has twice. Stafford has done that three times in 10 seasons.

Otherwise, most of the other guys did it deeper in their career. Tony Romo, Kirk Cousins and Eli Manning have also come close to this club but have not made it. Mahomes is also elite in that group because he threw 50 touchdowns along with all those yards. Manning is the only other guy to do that.

What really separates Mahomes from the rest of the 5,000 passing yards club, like Manning and Brady, is his ability to run. Well many of those guys can scramble, or create in the pocket, they do not have the same size and speed to pose a threat as a runner.

In two seasons as a starter, Mahomes has 490 rushing yards along with four touchdowns. Those rushing numbers are easily passed by Cam Newton in basically any of his seasons. However, Newton has only passed 4,000 passing yards or 30 touchdowns one time each. Mahomes also completed 66 percent of his passes in each of his two seasons as a starter.

The same could be said for Steve McNair, Steve Young, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Randall Cunningham or any other quarterback you think of for running. Sure, those guys own Mahomes in rushing yards and touchdowns, but Pat beat them majorly in passing last season. Maybe it is a different league but Mahomes is a different bread.

Mahomes isnt really a true running quarterback. He is more of a mobile QB with a big arm. He relies on the threat of his arm to open opportunities to run and not his running ability to open up passing.

That makes him closer to Warren Moon. Moon, like Mahomes, could run but he was better with his arm. Moon passed 4,000 passing yards four times in his career despite his career having an asterisk on it since he had so much time in the CFL.

However, Moon never came close to the 50 touchdowns like PatrickMahomes. Moon also only completed more than 64 percent of his passes once. Patrick completed 66 percent of his throws twice in his three seasons.

Patrick Mahomes also separates himself from the pack with his early success. The Chiefs QB is 23-7 as a starter. Moon finished his career with about a .500 winning percentage in over 200 games. It is an apple to oranges comparison, but it took Moon three seasons before he had a winning season.

Yet Mahomes won MVP in only his second season. He had the Chiefs looking unstoppable last season. His starts are down this year, as he threw 1,000 less yards and half the touchdowns, but his team is still in the playoffs. Mahomes also threw way less interceptions in his second year as the starter. All this coming after he sat out three games nursing an injury.

You would have to go back to Marino to find a player with the kind of success Mahomes is having this early. You could make a case for a young Ben Roethlisberger in terms of winning, but it took Big Ben four seasons to throw more than 30 touchdown passes.

Russell Wilson had success early in his career too. However, Mahomes is bigger and takes a lot less sacks than Wilson. Wilson has also played predominately in a run offense so his passing numbers do not really compare well to Mahomes either.

Of course, there is Lamar Jackson who has his team at the top of the AFC, and is most likely headed to an MVP in only his second season. However, Jackson is in his own unique group, as he set the record for rushing yards for a QB. Jackson is completing over 66 percent of his passes with over 30 touchdowns and single-digit interceptions.

Jackson is also like Mahomes in that they both slid down their draft boards. They both had to get the torch passed to them by an incumbent as well. Alex Smith started Mahomes first season in the league while Jackson watched Joe Flacco for half the year.

Speaking of draft slides, Aaron Rodgers is another one who knows about waiting in the green room as well as inheriting a team. He slid to the 20s in his draft and he had to inherit the team from Brett Favre. Nonetheless, the Chiefs traded up and gave up picks to draft Mahomes at No. 10 overall which put him on an instant winner.

When it comes to the eye test, you could probably compare him to either of those guys. Rodgers is infamous for his deep ball with the flick of a wrist. He can also takeover a game. Rodgers has only thrown double-digit interceptions twice in his 14 seasons. Rodgers also bests Mahomes in rushing yards. Yet, Rodgers has not had 5,000 passing yards or 50 touchdowns like Mahomes last year. He has come close. Rodgers was also older than Mahomes when he took over.

Favre on the other hand was a master at improvising. Throwing on the run and creating. Still, Mahomes has never thrown more than 12 interceptions. Over nearly a twenty year career, Favre did that once. Not to mention, PatrickMahomes is also unique for really practicing no-look, jumping throws, side arms and other highlights.

Matt Ryan is also a modern gunslinging QB who comes to mind. Ryan has thrown over 4,000 yards and completed over 60 percent of his passes the last nine seasons. Yet, Ryan has never thrown over 40 touchdowns. His numbers also took a sizable jump in his fourth season when the Falcons drafted Julio Jones. Pat Mahomes No. 1 receiver Tyreek Hill is great but he is no Julio Jones and Mahomes could still put up those big numbers.

Besides 5,000 passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns in one season, Mahomes also shares something with Peyton Manning. That is a pops who is a professional athlete. Some have even compared him to Steph Curry for having a pro athlete dad, transcending the game putting up godly numbers.

Mahomes father was a professional baseball player with 11 seasons. Its not the same as the Mannings, but it means he had guidance and genetics. In fact, it probably makes Mahomes a better athlete than either of the Mannings. Mahomes is also in the 80th percentile for three-cone drills at the NFL Combine and the 90th percentile for 20-yard shuttle which again proves his athleticism.

There is actually an entire feature about the legend of Mahomes playing basketball, football and baseball at a high-level his entire life.

In High School, Mahomes was a baseball phenom. He got drafted and offered to play in the MLB but he loved football more. That puts him somewhat in a group with Kyler Murray and Russell Wislon as guys who got drafted by the MLB. Murray and Mahomes both came up under current Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as well.

Murray is actually faster and a better runner. Mahomes athletic profile is actually closer to Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Lock. Yet neither of those guys have the same arm as Mahomes. Not to mention, Murray only threw two less interceptions this year than Mahomes last season, but Murray hasnt thrown half the touchdowns.

Moreover, Mahomes is already on his way to being as visible as the Mannings or Tom Brady. He was just on the cover of Madden and has been in commercials. It wasnt until recently we really saw Brady get the visibility Mahomes is receiving.

No there is no quarterback like Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. That is the short answer.

The long answer is that there is no player with the flash, arm-strength, accuracy, dual-threat ability, team success and story that Mahomes brings in only his second year as a starter in the NFL.

It does not matter what class you put him, there is no QB in history like Patrick Mahomes. His athletic pedigree, arm-strength, highlights, team success, mobility and story make him one of a kind. We cant forget the froggish-voice or athlete girlfriend either as part of his story.

The point is, Mahomes is in a category by himself. At 24, and only his second year starting, Mahomes still gets to play his best football too. Guys like Murray or Jackson might be the future of the league, but even they are no Mahomes yet.

Look at stats, look at tape or look at impact and you will not find a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes.

Read the original:
Is there any quarterback in NFL history similar to Patrick Mahomes? - ClutchPoints

Weve already looked at political and economic lessons from Magneto and historical revisionism from Apocalypse in todays X-Men #4 fromJonathan Hickman (#9 on the power list) and Leinil Francis Yu.And it addresses one very central point brought up in House Of X and skirted around since. How could Professor Charles Xavier give up on his dream of mutants and humans co-existing in peace. A dream that has informed every X-Men comic book since the beginning and for what, over the decades, he has sacrificed lives for, including his own. But in House Of X, that had all been done away with. Back from the dead in a rejuvenated body, walking or floating around with a massive Cerebro helmet, there were doubts about his identity and his sanity but now the Professor explains it all.

Yes, Professor, we kinda had. Given that you have taken all mutants into an isolationist racist paradise where no human may enter, given genetic parameters on entry that border on eugenics, imposing a governmental council without a democratic mandate and turned the whole place into a shag palace.

This is one of those tough love things, right? Loving someone so much that you have to dominate, subjugate and control them? Am I the only one hearing King George singing Youll be back? Still, at least it got him to take the helmet off.

I mean, okay, he does have a point. But then again the bad guys often do and it isnt long before the helmet goes back on. Red Hood: Outlaw #41, also out today, Written by former X-Men writer Scott Lobdell had something to say about that too. Once you could work out what the hell was going on in that comic.

Yes. That.

X-MEN #4 DX(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Leinil Francis YuThe Krakoan leaders attend and economic forum to show the humans what real power looks likeRated T+In Shops: Jan 01, 2020 SRP: $3.99

X-Men #4 is published today by Marvel Comics in all good comic shops. I bought mine from Piranha Comics in Kingston-Upon-Thames.Piranha Comics is a small south London comic storechain with a small south-east store in Kingston-Upon Thamess market centre, which runsMagic The Gathering nights on Fridays, and a larger south-west store in Bromley, whichalso runs Magic nightsand hasan extensive back issue collection and online store. If you are in the neighbourhood, check them out.

Here is the original post:
Professor Xavier on Giving Up His Dreams Of Mutants and Humans Coexisting Peacefully (X-Men #4 SPOILERS) - Bleeding Cool News

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A few months ago, readers sent a second round of Santa Cruz-related science questions for students from UCSCs Science Communication Program to investigatehere are their answers

Where will sea-level rise from climate change hit the hardest in Santa Cruz County, and how soon will we see the impacts?

It may be decades or centuries before tourists will be able to snorkel the Boardwalk. But long before then, well see the effects of rising sea levels, when low-lying coastal areas temporarily flood during major storms.

Locally, Capitola is ground zero for climate impacts, says coastal geologist Patrick Barnard of the U.S. Geological Survey. The city has endured significant storm flooding three times since 1978, but rising tides will make it even more vulnerable. Other at-risk areas include downtown Santa Cruz and Twin Lakes. Some of these stretches may face permanent inundation if climate change worsens.

The cliffs and bluffs that line much of our coastline are slowly wearing away, too. The higher the sea level is, the more waves will hit those cliffs, and the more rapidly theyll erode, says geologist Gary Griggs of UCSC. Riprap armoring on the bases of coastal cliffs cannot stave off the Pacifics relentless pounding. Already, Santa Cruz officials are considering a plan to relocate portions of West Cliff Drive and its pedestrian path further inland.

When will the ocean invade? No ones going to be threatened tomorrow, says Griggs. But it could be 10, 20, 30 years before the water is in your living room, or the cliff edge is 5 feet away. By 2050 or so, 7-13 inches of sea level risethe current likeliest forecastmay double the frequency of flooding along Californias coast.

Such forecasts are imperfect, and perhaps well reduce or even reverse carbon emissions. But theres little chance the dangers of sea-level rise are being overstated, says Bernard. In fact, he says, I think were going to find itll be quite a bit worse.

Jesse Kathan

Are there species of birds in Santa Cruz County specially adapted to live only in redwood forests?

Our redwoods host a variety of birds, from little Oregon juncos to great horned owls. But one species in particularthe marbled murreletseeks out the upper canopy of old-growth forests to raise its young.

Marbled murrelets, robin-sized seabirds, live along the Pacific Coast from here to Alaska. They spend most days feeding on small fish close to shore. But in the summer, when their plumage changes from black and white to a speckled, marbled brown, they venture inland to mate and lay a single jade-green egg.

No one knew where these murrelets nested until 1974, when a tree trimmer in Big Basin Redwoods State Park found a single chick atop a wide branch 150 feet above the ground. The parents take turns watching the nest and flying back to sea for food. Their elusive habits pose a challenge to ecologists. Its a bird thats really hard to know much about, says Portia Halbert, senior environmental scientist for California State Parks.

By some estimates, only about 600 secretive individuals now live in the U.S.earning the bird endangered status in 1992. Logging has destroyed much of the old forests they need for their nests, and their fishy meals could be harder to find at sea.

But park visitors create one of the greatest threats to marbled murrelets. Sloppy tourists leave food waste that attracts aggressive crows and Stellers jays. Too often, these hungry scavengers turn their hunting eyes to murrelet eggs and chicks. In response, state park officials started a Crumb Clean campaign to educate visitors about storing food in lockers and disposing waste in secure bins.

To see our local marbled murrelets, says Halbert, go to Big Basins Redwood Meadow for spring and summer sunrises, especially in July. You might spot them circling high above for their morning social hour, or hear their piercing, keer-like call.

Ariana Remmel

With bees in decline, how much impact would there be if 100 Santa Cruz households installed new hive boxes with honeybee colonies in them?

If homeowners managed all of their hives properly, this could be a good move. But planting flowers in your yard is a simpler, more surefire way to support local bees.

Honeybees and other pollinators help produce one-third of our food. Busy bees cant perform this feat on an empty stomach. They feed on pollen and nectar from flowers, trees and crops to get the protein and carbohydrates they need.

Urbanization in Santa Cruz Countyand nationwidehas replaced flowery meadows with acres of pavement, while single-crop farms laced with pesticides can stress bees. Hungry, stressed bees are susceptible to parasites, such as the blood-sucking Varroa mite. As a result, U.S. beekeepers lost two out of every five hives last year, according to a startling survey by the Bee Informed Partnership.

Given this decline, starting your own honeybee hive may seem a noble hobby. Another sweet perk: A single hive can produce up to 100 pounds of honey a year.

But bee conservation researcher Hamutahl Cohen thinks the buzz around honeybees misses the larger point. We actually have dozens of species of bees in Santa Cruz, says Cohen, who earned her doctorate in environmental studies at UCSC and is now a postdoctoral scholar at UC Riverside. Beekeepers can always make more honeybees by inseminating the queen, Cohen says, but wild bees are key pollinators that cant be replaced. Common wild bee species on the Central Coast include the yellow-faced bee, green sweat bee and valley carpenter bee.

Cohens research shows that, without proper cleaning, beehives can spread infections to wild species. Instead of starting a hive, she recommends planting clumps of flowersincluding sunflowers, cosmos and daisiesto ensure that bees are well fed year-round. UC Berkeleys Urban Bee Lab (helpabee.org) has online resources if youre eager to get started.

Jonathan Wosen

Why does Santa Cruz have such good air quality? Is it luck and geography, or does it result from smart environmental policy and our culture of environmental awareness?

Lets clear the air: Santa Cruz does boast some of the best air quality in the state. Were lucky that way, says William Chevalier, supervising air monitoring specialist at the Monterey Bay Air Resources District. Ocean winds and a lack of heavy industry provide a breath of fresh air along our shores.

So why does the American Lung Association frequently give Santa Cruz County a failing grade for air quality? Chevalier calls it a patchy situation. While the coast enjoys the sea breeze effect, the San Lorenzo Valley is, as the districts air pollution control officer Richard Stedman puts it, cursed by geography. Surrounding hills trap tiny particles from vehicle emissions and wood-burning stoves at ground level.

The district offers an incentive program to encourage the valleys residents to change out their old stoves for cleaner options. Locals also support other clean initiatives, like forest conservation and recycling, but they tend to resist proposals that could reduce pollution from cars and trucks, says Adam Millard-Ball, an urban planning expert at UCSC.

Where our environmental awareness falls apart is housing and transportation, he says.

Replacing some parking spaces with protected bicycle lanes and bus lanes would cut down on emissions. Increasing affordable housing options downtown would also help, notes Millard-Ball. Opposition to new housing construction forces people to live farther out and spend more time driving.

Most of the time, though, poor air-quality days in Santa Cruz result from winds that carry smoke and smog from hundreds of miles away. For instance, the Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise in November 2018 shrouded all of northern California in smoke, including the Monterey Bay area.

In general, Santa Cruz residents can breathe easier knowing that our beautiful geography also protects our air quality.

Erin Malsbury

How does the county handle scheduled burns, and is there a better way to reduce wildfire risk?

Our landscape craves regular fires. Without them, pent-up combustible materials threaten to burst into catastrophic wildfires with a single spark. Prescribed burning is an attempt to negotiate with nature. They consume fuels, but only when its safe.

The majority of California is probably pretty outside of its natural fire regime, says Andy Hubbs, a forester for Cal Fires San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit. To counter this, fire crews try to reduce fuels with chainsaws, wood chippers and heavy machinery to grind up undergrowth. But these labor-intensive methods only mimic what a prescribed burn often does better.

In Santa Cruz County, either Cal Fire or California State Parks manage a handful of burns each year. The agencies require specific conditions: some humidity, low winds and fuels that are damp but still combustible. Controlled burns also require a perimeter: a road, trail or strip of land devoid of fuels to separate it from grasses or trees. Burn crews monitor changes in wind that could cause flare ups, and are ready to mobilize if fire threatens to escape.

These closely watched burns are highly unlikely to turn into wildfires, Hubbs says. But even the safest ones produce smoke, another hazard of burning that ignites debate.

David Frisbey, the monitoring manager at Monterey Bay Air Resources District, says smoke gets residents pretty unglued. The countys cities and towns are close to areas that agencies might wish to burn. That means smaller prescribed fires.

The largest burn well see in Santa Cruz County is about 300 acres up in Big Basin [Redwoods State Park], Frisbey says. For comparison, a recent burn in a remote part of San Benito County spanned 6,000 acres.

The biggest challenge to prescribed burning, says Hubbs, is getting people used to smoke being part of life again in our flammable state.

Jerimiah Oetting

Are there any negative environmental consequences from flying drones in Santa Cruzs natural spaces?

Drones are rapidly rising in popularity. But birds and other animals may be less than wild about their artificial associates.

Most people arent necessarily aware of what wildlife is doing when they fly a drone, says Lisa Sheridan, president of the Santa Cruz Bird Club. Several years ago, club members were monitoring a nest at Anna Jean Cummings Park in Soquel with three baby white-tailed kites when a drone whirred onto the scene. The parents darted away to attack it, abandoning their young. We were afraid a collision with a bladed helicopter would kill one of them, she says. We did our best to inform people, since they werent aware of the birth being there.

Sheridan has also seen terns, willets, plovers, and other migratory birds scatter when drones appear. The birds waste energy fleeing instead of resting and feeding, she says.

Rules written to prevent such clashes mean you cant fly a drone wherever you wish. Within the California State Parks system, each district sets its own guidelines for drone operation. In Santa Cruz County, for example, only one state park permits visitors to fly drones near its parking lot. County parks forbid them. You also cant pilot your drone over specific coastlines that are part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Violators can be fined.

Drones arent necessarily all bad, though. This past summer, UCSC researchers flew droneswith permissionto capture aerial photographs of Ao Nuevo Island. Citizen scientists counted animals in these photos to tally elephant seals, sea lions and birds, providing a valuable census for ecologists.

Some of these drones, in the right hands, can be very helpful for research, Sheridan says. As long as their operators respect the environment, drones and wildlife may be able to coexist after all.

Jack J. Lee

Why do rip tides happen, and are they dangerous in the Monterey Bay?

Daily tidal ebbs and flows at the narrow mouth of a bay like San Franciscos can create strong surges called rip tides, which funnel out to sea. But in less restricted waters, like those of the Monterey Bay, the hazards actually come from rip currentsnarrow channels of water in the surf zone that can sweep beach-goers far offshore.

As waves break against an uneven shoreline, seawater flows back out at different speeds. Energetic waves can scour away enough sand to focus outgoing water into rapid rip currents often hidden from plain sight.

There are always rip currents at local beaches, says Eddie Rhee-Pizano, lifeguard supervisor for state parks in Santa Cruz County. Surfers even ride the rips like conveyor belts to get beyond wave breaks.

Many such currents are small and pose no threat to a perfectly planned beach day. But when the currents intensify, these flows can tow swimmers into perilously deep waters.

The main danger stems from panic. Instinctively, most people try to swim straight back to the beach when suddenly dragged out. But thats the last thing you want to do, says Rhee-Pizano. Its basically swimming up-river.

Instead, its best to stay calm and ride the rip until it weakens. Moving parallel to shore also allows swimmers to escape the strongest pull and swim back farther down the beach. This is especially important for those without a wetsuit, as the frigid Pacific quickly saps a bodys strength.

Every year, county lifeguards stop hundreds of swimmers teetering close to rip currents. Though the numbers vary, California Sea Grant estimates rip currents lead to about 80% of all beach rescues in the state. To stay safe, pick a beach with lifeguards, ask them about the conditions, and swim alongside a buddy.

Lara Streiff

Local levels of recycling organic material (i.e. composting) are terrible. How big of a difference would it make if we improved?

If everyone in Santa Cruz County composted their food and organic waste, our landfills would have roughly 40% more space overall. Wed also reduce the countys greenhouse gas emissionsand get fantastic fertilizer in return. All of this is easy to do.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more food gets dumped or burned every day than any other kind of trash. Each person who composts diverts more than three pounds of waste from the dump each week.

That impact really adds up, says J. Elliott Campbell, an expert in food sustainability at UCSC. By composting, you can help to extend the life of the landfills, so we dont have to build another one, Campbell says. Indeed, at our current rate of dumping, Santa Cruz County has about 10 years to find a new landfill site.

Composting at home also cuts down the harmful greenhouse gases we release. When food ends up in a landfill, trash is piled on topjust like putting food inside a plastic bag and letting it rot. With no oxygen, the decay produces methane, a gas that traps heat in our atmosphere 25 times more powerfully than carbon dioxide. In a composting bin, oxygen infiltrates the breakdown process and eliminates methane, along with that awful rotten trash smell. Statewide, California residents could release 20% less methane gas if everyone composted.

You can do all of this as a comfortable family project at home. As a bonus, youll create soil so rich in nutrients that composters call it black goldgood for you and your garden, and great for the planet. To get started, visit dpw.co.santa-cruz.ca.us.

Ashleigh Papp

What will global warming do to our summer fog bank? And if theres less fog, would that change our coastal ecosystems?

About one-third of the fog along Californias coast has disappeared over the past century as the planet has heated up, scientists estimate. Losing this cool, moist blanket may put some plant species at risk, but solutions to this clearing of the air are not so clear.

Fog spreads moisture through coastal ecosystems, especially redwood forests, while helping to rinse pollution from the air. Without the higher humidity, water and nutrients carried in fog droplets, like nitrogen and phosphorus, plants may suffer from more heat stress. When its cool, plants create sugars they need from photosynthesis more easily than in a blazing-hot sun.

In the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area, the fog provides moisture for a lot of species that are dependent on that moisture when there isnt any rain, says Daniel Fernandez, an environmental scientist at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Fog forms when water vapor changes to water droplets at high levels of humidity. When the air is cooled, the water vapor contained in it can condenses into particles, creating the calming mist of fog.

But if climate change erodes more of our fog banks, it can have an adverse effect on ecosystems during the otherwise-dry summer season, Fernandez says. Most research he has seen predicts that fog levels will continue to decrease as seawater in the Monterey Bay warms up, creating less of a contrast with the air temperature above the water. That contrast is what makes fog droplets condense, Fernandez says.

Researchers have struggled to make models and projections for coastal fog because its presence depends on so many factors, both local and global. There will be variability, and not all locations will respond in the same fashion within the same time period, says Fernandez.

S. Hussain Ather

Why are male elephant seals so much larger than females?

Among elephant seals, massive males top the breeding hierarchy. The more they mate, the more their genes get passed on to ensure the next generation of giants.

When one sex is larger or flashier than the other, scientists call it sexual dimorphism. We see it in many animals, including gorillas, peacocks andoddly enoughstick insects. Often, the dimorphism reflects mating style.

The drive to mate creates spectacular displays at Ao Nuevo, the nearest breeding ground for northern elephant seals. In early January, females arrive en masse to give birth to their pups. After nursing them for only 28 days, the females mate again before returning to sea.

This tight window creates intense competition among males. Larger seals can weigh more than 4,000 pounds, so fighting is risky. A bellow from their inflated nose sackthink gravel in a garbage disposalsends smaller males scuttling, but evenly matched pairs come to blows. Colliding violently, they rake each others chest, neck and head. The winner gains control of a harem of females, which top out at a slimmer 1,500 pounds. Losers may miss out on mating altogether.

During breeding season, adult seals stop eating and drinking. Their thick layers of fat sustain the males. Still, its an amazing physiological feat for such a large mammal, says Patrick Robinson, director of the Ao Nuevo Reserve. They stick it out to the bitter end, Robinson says. If theres one female that its possible to mate with, they will be there.

Hunted down to about 100 seals in 1900, the species has rebounded. However, Robinson says, the animals now suffer from a genetic bottleneck, a lack of diversity that occurs when a population expands from just a few sets of parents. This leaves them at risk in a changing ocean. But dont worry: these seals are fighters.

Amanda Heidt

Excerpt from:
The Birds and the Bees of Santa Cruz, answered by UCSC students - Good Times Weekly

CreditAlexandra Citrin/The New York Times

An equal number of infertility cases are caused by male factors as by female ones, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. But thats not the perception: Many couples who have trouble conceiving assume the woman is at the root of any problem, and thats how they go about seeking help. I have a long list of anecdotal stories of people who went forward with fertility treatments only to recognize later that the guy had a significant issue that explained his sperm count and their difficulty getting pregnant, said Dr. Joseph Alukal, M.D., a urologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Several start-ups are trying to address the sperm side of things and to rebalance responsibilities around family planning.

[Male infertility: what to know and how to cope]

Legacy, a start-up out of Harvard Innovation Lab, began in 2018 to make inconvenient meetings with physicians a thing of the past. Customers mail their semen to the company in temperature-controlled kits. Then Legacy, in partnership with clinical labs, analyzes the deposit for factors like sperm motility and quality, provides recommendations if necessary and sets up a plan to cryogenically store the best sperm. We are working toward creating a new social norm for men, a world where all men are freezing their sperm at a young age, when they have their healthiest genetic material, said Khaled Kteily, the companys chief executive officer. A similar company named Dadi began this year. Both have raised several million dollars in funding. (Theres also Yo, an at-home testing kit, that employs a glass slide and an app to analyze sperm number without shipping them anywhere.)

Convenience and cost. Dadi charges $99 for the testing kit and $99 for annual storage. Legacys pricing starts at $199 for clinical fertility analysis; optional cryogenic storage is $149 a year. Traditional sperm banks can cost around $1,000 for semen analysis and a year of storage.

Experts say these mail-in kits cannot replace in-office visits. Neither Dadi nor Legacy is able to offer what would be legally considered medical advice, and in cases of results that indicate a problem, they refer customers to fertility specialists who will most likely redo the test and ask more comprehensive questions, said Dr. Alukal. Some of the start-ups tests could also be falsely reassuring or falsely alarming without the necessary context, added Dr. Zev Williams, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Columbia. When it comes to sperm-freezing, doctors we spoke with agreed that anything that makes a man consider his fertility is a boon: There is no demographic that sees a doctor less than men between the ages of 18 and 45. But they werent convinced that banking was necessary beyond specific populations like men with cancer or other diseases that could affect fertility, those in the military or trans patients. I still think its overkill to recommend that everyone bank their sperm in their 20s, said Dr. Bobby Najari, M.D., a urologist and the director of the Male Infertility Program at N.Y.U. Langone Health.

Lauren is a project manager for NYT Magazine Labs and freelance journalist in New York.

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What's the Deal with Mail-In Sperm Start-Ups? - NYT Parenting

Two weeks ago, Andre Hollins sat behind the bench with his former Gophers basketball teammates and friends watching the programs biggest victory in nearly a decade unfold in the blowout over then-No. 3 Ohio State at the Barn.

Hollins, who starred for Minnesota from 2011-15, has the best single-game performance for the Gophers in the last four decades, but he was also in attendance for sophomore Marcus Carrs memorable 35-point effort against the Buckeyes.

It was most points by a U player since Hollins exploded for 41 points in a win against his hometown program, Memphis, in the Battle for Atlantis in the Bahamas his sophomore year in 2012.

Hes the catalyst of the team, Hollins said of Carr. Everything goes through him. He runs it. Theyre not very deep with experience. Theyre really young, but they can, like Marcus says, compete with anyone in the country. They showed it.

A big reason Hollins was in town goes backseven years ago the same season hebecame the first Gopher to score 40 points in a game since the 1970s.

In 2012, Hollins signed up to be a blood donor for Be the Match, the global leader in bone marrow transplants. It was during an event called Hope Day for Gophers athletes on campus.

The organization didnt find a genetic match for Hollins until this summer. The 27-year-old Memphis native returned to Minneapolis this month for them to retrieve his stem cell donation a couple days after the Gophers defeated Ohio State on Dec. 15.

Hollins lookedforward to the patient being strong enoughphysically to receive the marrow, which can help to battle blood cancers such as leukemia and sickle cell.

Its always good to be a blessing to someone and give back, Hollins said. And it was easy. [Be the Match] makes sure you have all the information. They take care of the flights and travel and get you to where youre going. They make it really easy for the donor. Now, hopefully the patient is ready.

Hollins most recently played a full basketball season in the Hungarian League in 2017-18 before taking a break to fully recover from a strained Achilles. Hes healthy now and waiting for another opportunity to continue his pro career overseas.

It all worked out for Hollins to watch a big win for his alma mater, spend the holidays with ex-teammates like KendalShell and Trevor Mbakwe and friend and ex-Gopher womens star Rachel Banham (She has two of thebest U hoops performance of the decade overall with her 60 points vs. Northwestern and 52 points vs. Michigan State in 2016). But most importantly, he got to help someone in need back in Minnesota.

I always love to come back, Hollins said. That was an awesome game to come to. [A lot] of magic there.

This year isn't officially the end of the decade, not untilafter 2020.But Hollins and Carr, who both played for Richard Pitino,hadtwo of the biggest individual performances from 2010 until the present.

Here'smy ranking of the top 10 Gophers mens hoops performances since 2010. Let me know if I missed any of them.

TOP GOPHERS PERFORMANCES SINCE 2010

NEXT FIVE: Gabe Kalscheur 34 points on 7 for 9 threes in Dec. 21 win vs. Oklahoma State, Jordan Murphy 35 points and 15 rebounds vs. USC Upstate in 2017-18 opener, Daniel Oturu 21 points and 20 rebounds in Dec. 28 win vs. Florida International (first Gopher 20-20 game since 1966), Austin Hollins 32 points with six threes and three steals in the NIT quarterfinal win vs. Southern Miss in his final home game in 2014 (Austin Hollins eventually named NIT Most Outstanding Player after leading the Gophers to NIT title), Amir Coffey 32 points on 8 for 16 field goals and 14 of 17 free throws with six rebounds and six assists in win Dec. 5 vs. No. 24 Nebraska (Win was dedicated to Dupree McBrayer's mother, Tayra McFarlane, who died earlier in the week).

The rest is here:
Best Gophers hoops performances of the decade? Andre Hollins was there for both - Minneapolis Star Tribune

When Henry Ross discovered the marble-sized lump on his chest, he was alarmed. But his eventual diagnosis still came as a shock.

I just never did think that I, a male, would get breast cancer, said Ross, 65.

His 2017 diagnosis of invasive ductile carcinoma was triggered by a mutation of his BRCA2 gene, which can raise the risk of developing breast, prostate and ovarian cancers. Women with this genetic mutation have a 40 to 60 percent lifelong risk of getting breast cancer.

For men, its 6 percent. Ross was unlucky enough to be counted among that group.

On ExpressNews.com: I belong here: Advocate works to raise profile of black women with breast cancer

Breast cancer is understandably treated as a womens disease men make up only 1 percent of all diagnoses. Last year, about 2,500 men in the U.S. learned that they have the disease, and the number of cases seems to be growing slightly over time, said Dr. Maryam Elmi, a breast surgical oncologist with the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio.

Men have breast and glandular tissue as well. Although its rare, they are at risk for breast cancer, she said.

With such small numbers, the men who do get diagnosed can feel isolated, out of place. Everything in the field is oriented around women, from clinical trials to guidelines for preventive screenings.

Most of the support groups are led by women. The majority of the survivors, 99 percent, are women, Elmi said. Its hard for men to relate.

That was true for Ross, whose experience with breast cancer was in some ways the same and in others completely different from that of women.

The treatment itself was standard: chemotherapy and a mastectomy, followed by radiation. Ross, who was at the time commuting from his home in San Antonio to his job in Austin with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, felt the same overwhelmed emotions that come with any cancer diagnosis, the same physical toll from chemo and surgery.

The social aspects were another story. When he went in for his appointments, the waiting room was filled with women. He had few peers to lean on, as opposed to the numerous groups for women with breast cancer and survivors. Telling other people about his diagnosis felt embarrassing, Ross said, because we still look at this as a womens issue.

On ExpressNews.com: MRI scans are better than mammograms for certain types of breast cancer screenings, researchers find

After initially refusing treatment a diabetic, Ross was also dealing with dialysis and the prospect of a kidney transplant at the time he came to grips with the situation. Ross, whose mother and aunt both had breast cancer, told his extended family members, which led to three cousins learning that they also had BRCA2 mutations. He did his research, learning that he was about 30 percent more likely to also develop prostate cancer.

Sure enough, in September he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He plans to undergo treatment for it this month and into next year.

Ross surgical oncologist, Dr. Morton Kahlenberg, said men like Ross who have family members with a history of breast and ovarian cancers should be aware of the risks, even if theyre small. He encouraged men to conduct self-examinations and consider undergoing genetic testing, which can provide more information about a persons risk of getting breast cancer.

Kahlenberg, who serves as medical director of San Antonios Baptist Cancer Center and Baptist Breast Network, added that some negative stigma around mens ability to develop breast cancer, including the incorrect perception that it makes them more feminine, leaves men more reluctant to pursue medical care.

As a result, they are often diagnosed at a later stage, limiting treatment options. For example, Kahlenberg said, most men end up getting mastectomies, where the entire breast is removed, as opposed to lumpectomies, where just the abnormal tissue is excised.

Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox

Some doctors may even have their own blind spots when it comes to treating male breast cancer patients, Elmi said. While reconstruction is a normal part of treatment for women, she said its important that physicians broach that conversation early on with men, too.

Ross said he is more comfortable now talking about his experience with breast cancer so that other men can be aware of the risks without feeling ashamed.

Its not just a disease that your mother or your aunt gets, he said.

Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba

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He was embarrassed by his breast cancer diagnosis. Now, he wants others to know that men are at risk, too. - San Antonio Express-News

There I was, watching my old VHS copy ofThe Boys from Brazil, idly reading the lab reports on the swabs I took from my gentile neighbors kids when he wasnt looking, and revising the bassoon part of a concerto Ive been working on, when I saw something alarming trending on Twitter. Not eugenics, but Bret Stephens.

Whats he done now? I asked in six languages, two of them not from the Indo-European language family.

In todaysNew York Times, Bret Stephens discusses Norman Lebrechts excellent new history of the Jews in modern times. Lebrecht describes the unparalleled contributions of notorious underachievers like Marx, Freud, Heine, Disraeli, Herzl, Trotsky, Kafka, Wittgenstein and Einstein but, inexplicably, he fails to mention the contributions of members of the Green family a lacuna that I, with my inherited Ashkenazi acumen, can already see him correcting in the paperback edition.

Lebrecht specifically does not attribute Jewish success to Jewish DNA. He attributes it to environmental factors: the Jewish tradition of Talmudic study, which produced near-universal adult literacy among Jewish males when most Europeans couldnt even write well-poisoner in blood; to the cultural imprint of intellectual labor even among secular Jews; to the Jewish emphasis on hard work, family and education; and to the perennial threat of violence, as nothing concentrates the mind like the prospect of your neighbors burning you and your children alive in your home.

There is solid evidence for all these environmental factors, and plenty of evidence that similar factors apply to many other minorities. There is less solid evidence for genetic factors in Jewish achievement, and especially epigenetic factors (changes in gene expression in living organisms, presumably due to environmental factors). Bret Stephens summarizes all this by saying, Jews are, or tend to be smart.

This is not terribly smart. Perhaps it reflects the errors of compression that go into editing. The evidence that we have and it would be interesting to have more is that Jews arent much smarter than any other group. The difference is that they produce high-achieving intellectual outliers at a slightly higher rate. As in athletics, so in the life of the mind: the higher you get, the more marginal the advantages become.

Stephens also refers to a genetic study from 2005. This is an interesting study you see, we read all the time. In particular, it challenges the bottleneck theory (Ashkenazi genes were bottlenecked in the early Middle Ages) and instead focuses on how intelligence in heterozygotes are increased by the well-known clusters of Ashkenazi genetic diseases, the sphingolipid cluster and the DNA repair cluster. I want you to know that I understood that first time round, while making a pastrami sandwich.

The mention of athletics shows how fast the topic of heredity slides into the unsayable. Is there a genetic component to the excelling of Kenyans and Ethiopians at long-distance running? Why are Afro-Caribbeans, who were subjected to a horrific bottlenecking under slavery, better at sprinting than whites from the same geographical zone? Why, returning to safer ground, have Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews not produced the army of Nobel prize winners that the Ashkenazim have?

These are difficult questions, in part because they suggest that what applies to cattle might apply in marginal degree to humans. Nietzsche may have been right when, plagiarizingKelly Clarkson, he said that What doesnt kill me makes me stronger. But to pretend that difficult questions cannot be asked because some people will draw dumb or malicious conclusions is to surrender truth and the advancement of knowledge to the arbitrary moods of the mob and its digital commissars.

These dimwits were out on Twitter within hours on Saturday. In theGuardian, theNew York Timess twin these days in thick virtue-signaling, Edward Helmore wrote that that Stephens had sparked furiouscontroversy online for a column praising Ashkenazi Jews for their scientific accomplishments, which critics say amounts to embracing eugenics. In other words, praising a group for actual accomplishments is racist.

There is nothing obnoxious at all in what Stephens has said. There are obviously obnoxious things in the history of eugenics, and also it appears that one of the authors of that 2005 paper has said some obnoxious things. All of which may be true and regrettable, and none of which discredits social facts and scientific findings.

If you wish to avail yourself of the secrets of Jewish genius, there are two simple courses of action. One is to enlist your children at an early age in the study of the Talmud, and teach them the values of ethics, work and family, which are also the near-universal immigrant virtues. This will be demanding for both them and you: helping them with math homework will be a cinch by comparison.

The other option is to hire Jewish people who show marginal aptitude in their fields of specialization. This is the much less demanding course to take, and it is much more likely to lead to success in the long run. But it does mean refraining from chasing them out of the universities, the professions and the Democratic party. So, be smart like us.

Dominic Green is Life & Arts editor ofSpectator USA.

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Want to know the secret of 'Jewish genius'? - The Spectator USA

2019 has been a banner year for history, especially for those in the field archaeologists of all stripes, historians, war experts and more had a annus mirabilis a miraculous year, thanks to some innovative technology that they previously couldnt access, and good, old fashioned elbow grease that brought some amazing finds to light.

From a shipwreck in the Arctic to Crusader tunnels, from King Tuts tomb to woolly mammoths, all of this was at the fingertips of historians, all of whom were dazzled by these developments. Heres a roundup of what made the history books and headlines during 2019.

The long lost ship was finally made accessible thanks to underwater drones, that went down to the ship and captured images of rust-laden artifacts for the first time in 174 years. (The video is available for viewing on You Tube). The ship went out to find the elusive Northwest Passage, helmed by Sir John Franklin, but he and his crew of almost 130 died, thanks to cold and starvation. They tried to ward off the latter by resorting to cannibalism, but to no avail; none of the men were ever seen or heard from again.

HMS Terror thrown up by the ice.

In Norway, the 1,000 year-old remains of a female Viking were found, along with weapons, in her burial site. Scientists were to able to do a 3D recreation of her which showed the extent of her combat experience. She looks eerily modern, right down to her long hair, and it gave us evidence that to a certain extent women participated in battle and provides a glimpse of what some women achieved back then right beside their male counterparts.

Viking woman

Although some scientists arent sure of this development in DNA research, all agree that we evolved from hominids who lived in Africa. This theory about this history came to the fore in 2019 thanks to a team led by Vanessa Hayes of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sidney, Australia. Using mitochondrial DNA, it claims to pinpoint the exact location of early human beginnings to an area in Botswana, according to National Geographic. Specifically it refers to the MakgadikgadiOkavango palaeo-wetlands, commonly known as the Kalahari section of northern Botswana. This is where they believe the earliest modern human genetic relationships began, even though the oldest human bones ever found were in eastern Africa.

Location of Botswana in Africa. Image by TUBS CC by 3.0

It took 10 years of hard work, scrubbing away decay and restoring gold in several layers in intricate detail, but the restoration of King Tutankhamens tomb is finally complete. The tomb had been subject to the harsh Egyptian sun while on display, to say nothing of the sweat and moisture left by millions of tourists, but the ancient tomb is now back in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, ready for exhibition. A date for the grand opening has yet to be announced, but it will, officials say, be in early 2020.

Mask on Tutankhamuns innermost coffin

This year archaeologists found 800 miles of tunnels under the city of Acre, in Israel, that are linked to the Knights Templar, who were described by one researcher as warrior monks (that) are the stuff of legend, as is the gold treasure they supposedly hoarded. The legend say that the monks used the ancient tunnels to travel in secret to carry out their deeds, and that work on the tunnels may lead scientists to the mysterious gold. At the time of this writing, no date has been announced on when excavation of the tunnels may begin, but a new documentary series by National Geographic, entitled Lost Cities, was launched with an episode on this discovery.

The Templar Tunnel in Acre, Israel. Photo by Geagea CC BY-SA 2.0 .

Its not surprising that the DNA of a Blackfoot man, who lives near Butte, Montana, has found to have the oldest DNA in America, according to the lab that tested him, CRI Genetics. Scientists have long believed that Native Americans date back thousands of years, when people from Siberia traversed what we now call the Bering Strait to settle in the United States. However, many First Nations people believe they date back further than that, even, saying their ancestors have been on American soil since time immemorial, as one expert called it. The man was found to have DNA that dated back 55 generations, or about 17,000 years!

The Oldest American DNA

A Florida researcher, Bruce Campbell, had no idea the tapes in his basement were so historically significant, until he finally heard them in 2019. Voices from the landing boats at D-Day beaches are audible, and though it took a while for Campbell to realize what the tapes contained, when he did he donated them to the National D-Day Memorial in Virginia. Also on the tapes is the voice of famed broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, who covered the war for several radio stations back home.

June 18, 1944: US Army reinforcements march up a hill past a German bunker overlooking Omaha Beach after the D-Day landings near Colleville sur Mer, France. source

Scientists discovered the remains of at least 14 enormous woolly mammoths caught in man-made traps, in pits, in Tultepec, Mexico this year. Each pit is approximately 82 feet across, and scientists say that they found clear evidence that the creatures were actually hunted. Before this find, archaeologists and anthropologists believed that man only scavenged woolly mammoths when one was sick, or hurt, because they were so massive up to six tons, and they stood as high as 11 feet. But this find proved that humans made calculated hunting attempts at these giant beasts. Most mammoths went extinct about 10,000 years ago; the site in Mexico is thought to be approximately 15,000 years old.

Woolly mammoth

These are just 10 of the headline making, jaw dropping, amazing events, discoveries and advances talked about in 2019 in the field of history. No doubt the year ahead has much more in store; more in science, more in history, more in archaeology, and maybe other fields we havent even mentioned yet.

Related Article: Incredible Historical Coincidences Too Strange to be True?

Who knows where the first big news will come from below the sea, under the ground, in the world of antiquities or perhaps the world of nature? No one can predict that, but we can say one thing with certainty: during the first week of 2020, some bigs news will break on one or all of those fronts. 2019 wont be the only great year for history. Be sure to stay tuned, and keep reading!

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What a Year for History! The 8 Biggest Events that made 2019 Amazing - The Vintage News

Sharks are arguably some of the coolest creatures on Earth. From the magnificent great white shark to the long-extinct megalodon, these ancient predators have always played an important role in their ocean ecosystems, yet scientists still have much to learn about them. Here at Live Science we love writing about sharks. Here are 10 of our favorite shark stories from 2019.

We started the year off with one of the most unusual shark stories we've ever reported on: A California fisherman was convicted of illegally shooting and killing a great white shark. The mysterious death of the 9-foot-long (2.7 meters) great white shark made headlines months earlier when it washed up on Beer Can Beach in Aptos, California, and became the subject of a criminal investigation. Authorities were tight-lipped about the investigation until six months later, when they charged commercial fisherman Vinh Pham for the shark's death. Pham was fined $5,000 and placed on conditional probation for two years.

Read more about the great white shark criminal investigation.

Great white sharks can be ferocious predators, but one of these giant fish overestimated its hunting abilities when it crunched down on a sea turtle and then choked to death. According to one expert, this was a remarkably rare occurrence. Not only is it unusual for a great white to choke on prey, it's even rarer that a great white fits an entire sea turtle in its mouth in the first place.

Read more about this shark's fatal error.

This summer, an underwater remotely operated vehicle from the Okeanos Explorer, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel, filmed an incredible scene of nearly a dozen dogfish sharks feasting on an enormous swordfish carcass that had fallen to the sea floor. As if that wasn't impressive enough, a few minutes into filming, a goliath grouper (a really big fish) slipped into the picture and gulped one of the sharks down, swallowing it whole. The rest of the sharks remained laser-focused on getting as much of the carcass into their bellies as fast as they could, undisturbed by the larger predator in their midst.

Read more about the dining shark that became dinner.

Great white sharks have the seemingly magical abilities to grow very large, live long lives, heal quickly and they probably don't get cancer. How these ocean beasts pull all that off has long been a mystery to scientists, although they're starting to discover clues. Earlier this year, an international team of researchers sequenced the genome of the great white shark and compared it with the genomes of several other vertebrate species. The team discovered a wealth of unusual genetic characteristics that could explain why white sharks are basically the superheroes (or supervillains, if you're a plump sea lion) of the sea.

Read more about the great white shark genome.

A large, female great white shark pregnant with a record 14 pups was accidentally caught by fishers off the coast of Taiwan and sold at a fish market. The enormous 15-foot-long (4.7 m) mamma was reportedly purchased for less than $2,000 by a Taiwanese taxidermy company. Although this shark suffered an untimely death, it provided a rare opportunity for scientists to examine a pregnant great white shark.

Read more about this record-breaking mamma shark.

Scientists described a new species of shark that's so small you could hold it in your hand. Tiny, adorable, blunt-headed sharks called pocket sharks are so rare that until just a few years ago, only one individual had ever been collected from the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Then, in 2010, researchers with NOAA caught a second pocket shark in the Gulf of Mexico. Measuring only 5.5 inches (14 centimeters) in length, the wee male shark was identified as a separate species the American pocket shark, and given the scientific name Mollisquama mississippiensis.

Read more about this adorable pocket shark.

The coast of South Carolina is often blessed with the presence of several great white sharks each year, but two exceptionally large specimens cruised close to shore this past spring. In May, a 15-foot (4.6 m) great white named Luna spent time swimming above an undersea bank about 80 miles (129 kilometers) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. A smaller shark, Caroline, who clocks in at 12 feet, 9 inches (3.9 m), was hanging out closer to shore at South Carolina's Edisto Beach. At the time, The Charlotte Observer reported that Luna was headed northward to the Outer Banks.

Read more about South Carolina's shark visitors.

A new study suggested that ancient, massive megalodon sharks were outcompeted by a smaller, savvier predator: great whites.

Scientists used to think the megalodon went extinct around 2.6 million years ago as part of a mass extinction event in the ocean. But the fossil record for these sharks between 2.6 and 3.6 million years ago is rather murky, leading scientists to suspect the giant predator may have gone extinct closer to 3.6 million years ago. Great whites arrived in the oceans about 4 million years ago, just 400,000 years before megalodon's revised death date. So, the researchers said it's possible that the great white eventually beat out the megalodon as a top ocean predator.

Read more about how great whites outlived megalodons.

It's a common piece of surfing wisdom that where dolphins swim, there are never sharks. But for oceangoers who take comfort in a pod of dolphins swimming by, shark experts have bad news.

"This is a myth," Andrew Nosal, a shark expert at the University of San Diego, previously told Live Science in an email.

In fact, the opposite is probably true. That's because sharks and dolphins both of whom are carnivores go to the same spots to hunt. That doesn't mean the two species are buddies, but don't be surprised to see them in the same area. If you're concerned about sharks in the area you want to swim, experts told Live Science you should avoid swimming when visibility is poor or near areas where sharks like to hang out, like near cliffs or drop-offs.

Read more about the true swimming habits of dolphins and sharks.

It's depressing to think about, but what would happen if sharks disappeared?

Approximately 25% of all shark, skate and ray species are currently threatened with extinction, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal. In recent decades, some shark populations have declined by up to 90%, reflecting an unsustainable trend of overexploitation in ocean habitats, according to Jenny Bortoluzzi, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Zoology at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

If sharks were to disappear, the repercussions on ocean food webs would ultimately affect humans, too.

"Fisheries may collapse, with artisanal fishers being the likely most affected, and popular tourism destinations which rely on sharks to attract tourists will also suffer greatly," Bortoluzzi previously told Live Science.

Read more about what would happen if sharks went extinct.

Originally published on Live Science.

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The 10 Coolest Shark Stories of 2019 - Livescience.com

SALT LAKE CITY We leave an invisible trail of it behind us everywhere we go and of late, millions of us have voluntary harvested and submitted it to find out more about who we are and where we come from.

While once only a theoretical mystery, Its been well over a decade since the international Human Genome Project announced reaching the end of its inward voyage of discovery, successfully completing a project that provided the world the ability, for the first time, to read natures complete genetic blueprint for building a human being.

Since then, genomic innovations have advanced at a dramatic rate, including the development of technology that has enabled a new realm of direct-to-consumer genetic testing services that are cheap, fast and ubiquitous. Spit into a tube, send it out the door and in mere weeks you can find out the ethnic and geographic origins of your ancestors and, more personally, some pretty minute details about what physical and psychological anomalies may be coming your way.

A collateral outcome of this new volume of genetic testing are massive new databases holding troves of genetic data, veritable gateways to the most personal information about tens of millions of individuals.

Now civil rights advocates are joining Utah lawmakers in the effort to establish some basic protections on this data as law enforcement and other government agencies are increasingly accessing this information as a genetic blueprint for building the perfect criminal case.

Connor Boyack, president of Utah-based libertarian public advocacy group Libertas Institute, said while the technology is a boon to amateur genealogists, the way it is being leveraged by government agencies raises concerns.

In the past couple of years, law enforcement around the country have identified a new opportunity to use DNA to find and catch bad guys, Boyack said. At first blush, many might think this is an exciting new tool to catch criminals, however, when you look at it more closely, its actually a very profound violation of privacy.

DNA samples harvested by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have been in use for years via the federally managed Combined DNA Index System, but Boyack said his concerns are focused on law enforcement access to public and privately managed DNA databases. Some DNA testing services like Ancestry.com and 23andMe assert they will staunchly defend unwarranted law enforcement access while other service providers in the sphere of genetic analysis have taken markedly different stances.

One company, GEDMatch, is not a testing service but instead provides a platform that allows consumers who have had their DNA tested elsewhere to upload their results with the hope of connecting with unknown family members or to find out more about their DNA profiles. The company was founded nine years ago with the goal of providing a tool for amateur genealogists.

GEDMatch was acquired by San Diego-based forensic genealogy firm Verogen earlier this month but has previously made its database, which currently includes some 1.3 million samples, accessible to law enforcement. Its a practice thats earned the company headlines for its involvement in helping close outstanding criminal cases like that of Californias Golden State Killer, and closer to home, recently helping Clearfield police apprehend a suspect in a horrific assault case. In May, the company drastically increased restrictions on warrantless law enforcement scanning, limiting access to DNA test results from those users who have expressly issued consent for that purpose. Before that change, however, the site had reportedly been used to solve some 70 criminal cases.

Boyack said the proposal hes been working on with stakeholders, industry experts and lawmakers would create privacy protections around consumer-side DNA databases that would require law enforcement to adhere to the particularity mandate of the Fourth Amendment.

Our bill would allow law enforcement to take their DNA sample and run it through (Combined DNA Index System) as well as other state and local law enforcement DNA databases of known criminals, Boyack said. However, it would prohibit dragnet-style familial searches of consumer databases.

If law enforcement has some blood or evidence obtained from other investigatory methods that identify Bob is a suspect, they can get a warrant for Bobs blood or saliva and even without a warrant collect DNA from Bobs trash. That would still be allowed because, again, theres a suspect. Beyond that our proposal would deny law enforcement the ability to go on fishing expeditions. No mass searching of private or public databases without an individual suspicion.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah is participating in drafting the proposal and, like Libertas, has concerns centered on unfettered law enforcement access to the DNA data of millions of individuals.

This moment in time demonstrates that we really need to try and figure out clear roles around secondary uses (of DNA data), said Marina Lowe, the ACLU of Utahs legislative and policy counsel. People will submit an Ancestry test kit to find about their familys ethnic heritage or help identify health risks in their family lineage. Law enforcement gaining access to this is a secondary use that people may not be expecting. My hope is this legislation will make that clear if you sign up for one of these programs youre doing so for a particular purpose and law enforcement shouldnt have open access to information that was clearly shared for a different purpose.

There is little in the way of existing legislation at either the state or federal level that has sought to specifically regulate how, when and where law enforcement or other government agencies can access DNA data, outside the DNA data already under their purview.

While creating bright line definitions of the circumstances under which this data can be accessed is the focus of the current and still evolving Utah proposal, there could be other ways to limit so-called fishing expeditions.

Teneille Brown is a professor at the University of Utahs S.J. Quinney College of Law and an expert in health law and medical ethics. Brown has had a chance to review the potential Utah legislation and believes there may be other ways to bolster privacy protections as they relate to consumer DNA test data.

Brown noted that the user agreements every consumer consents to when submitting a sample for DNA testing are fungible and the ability for a company to change those agreements, whether motivated by internal policy revisions or via an acquisition or ownership change, is a point of concern.

Law enforcement access (of consumer DNA databases) to identify relatives connected to crime scene DNA is not where I see privacy concerns, Brown said. What the real weak points are is the people who are uploading (DNA) snip profiles. Do they understand what that action means? Theyre downloading their profile and uploading it to a service or website, but they need to be aware of and worried about the consent theyre granting. And how hard it may be to opt out later if and when that agreement changes.

Brown explained that the owners of DNA databases could and should create protections for the deeper, underlying data that can reveal very personal insights about individuals. She noted law enforcement agencies can access the DNA data they need for a familial match for a criminal investigation and dont need and shouldnt get to see the deeper DNA information.

The (genetic test snip) data is the genetic mutation data that could be used to make predictions about someones health, Brown said. But the cops dont have that, and they dont need it. GEDMatch, 23andMe and Ancestry have that raw (snip) data in their databases, and the user can download their own, if they want to, but there would be no reason to share this data with law enforcement.

Law enforcement doesnt need the raw data to make a match with a relative. GEDMatchs algorithm just spits out a match, and does not share the (snip) data of the third or fourth cousin. Similarly, Ancestrys algorithm predicts relationships and if provided by the user, could render a name. Because law enforcement does not need the (genetic snip) data itself to render a name/match to a distant relative, denying them access would just make our DNA privacy better, at very little cost to solving cold crimes.

While the fine-tuning of the proposals specific language is likely to continue, Rep. Craig Hall, R-West Valley City, said hes set to sponsor the effort in the upcoming legislative session. Hall said he believes it is necessary to establish some statutory privacy protections when it comes to law enforcement access to DNA data.

There are certain companies out there that do genetic testing that will strongly fight against any law enforcement searching in their database, Hall said. Ancestry and 23andMe, they resist searches by law enforcement. And there are some databases that are more publicly available ... and some of those individuals using those services may quote-unquote consent to letting the government search their own DNA but the challenge with this is when one person submits their DNA, theyre not only submitting their own information, but that of their family members who not only may not have consented, but who in fact may strongly dissent.

Hall said creating new rules to govern how an individuals DNA data is used requires navigating the territory between appropriate law enforcement procedures and the constitutional rights of every individual.

We all want to hold criminals accountable, but in the balancing act of privacy and due process, the mass search of genetic databases is too problematic to allow, Hall said.

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DNA and crime: When does it cross the line of personal privacy rights? - Deseret News

Illustration: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost; Photos: Alamy/Getty Images

Farewell To... is an end-of-decade series that explores some of the biggest cultural trends of the last 10 years. HuffPosts culture team says bye to the celebrity feminist litmus test, so long to lily-white and mostly male literary institutions, RIP to the movie star and more.

Vampires: mysterious, manipulative, bloodthirsty, cold creatures of the night or as the last decade illustrated our pretty teenage boyfriends.

Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, sparkly, vegetarian bloodsuckers made their way into the zeitgeist in the form of morally conscious manpires like Edward Cullen of Twilight, Bill Compton of True Blood and Stefan Salvatore of The Vampire Diaries. But how could a monster once seen as repulsive morph into something so beautiful?

According to experts, particular adaptations of the undead are conjured up as a way to address public needs and process not only current events but also social injustices. Whereas the 1980s and 90s vampire craze consisting of everything from The Lost Boys (1987) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) to Interview With the Vampire (1994) and Blade (1998) was thought to be fueled by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the forbiddenness of blood, as podcaster and author Eric Nuzum noted to HuffPost, real-life crises led to this decades initiation of a more liberated vampire.

Nuzum, who studied vampire lore for his 2007 book, The Dead Travel Fast, said updated versions of these monsters cycle in when we dont know how to confront something as a society or when we need to find a metaphor to help us understand a situation. In his view, the recent vampire trend was ignited by the financial crisis and perhaps sustained by the divisive nature of our political and social environments.

In 2007 and 2008, were finding out about all this fiscal malfeasance and the inability of the government to protect us. The world was becoming a very scary place, filled with people whove done bad things. So we kind of leaned into the vampire ... a fantastical creature with supernatural powers who can confront the forces of reality, Nuzum said. Sometimes the most telling parts of the vampire story arent the vampire. Its everything that happens around them. Thats where you really see the cultural knitting happening between reality and fiction.

Since the literary phenomenon of Bram Stokers Dracula in 1897, vampires have been a fixture in popular culture. But as the 1931 Dracula film or the 1922 classic Nosferatu presented gothic horror tales about murderous nocturnal fanged monsters, the adaptations of the 2010s relied on relatable, humane vampires who lounge in meadows and sparkle in the sun to propel the genre. These iterations speak directly to people who feel like an outsider be it through their sexuality, economic status, race or gender and give them a character to relate to.

John Edgar Browning, a vampire theory scholar and professor of liberal arts at Savannah College of Art and Design, told HuffPost the vampires we saw with, and since, the Vampire Renaissance were, and are, more free to be.

Im not saying that vampires today are gayer or more sexually liberated; it just matters less to us where they are putting their fangs, Browning said. Vampires are us, in a manner of speaking, so how we regulate them is how we regulate ourselves. Freer vampires and monsters are a sign of a healthier culture.

Illustration: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost; Photos: Getty Images

When the HBO series True Blood, based on the Sookie Stackhouse books, premiered in 2008, for example, audiences were introduced to the progressive world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, where vampires attempted to exist peacefully among mortals thanks to a synthetic blood concoction called TruBlood. The vampire-human romance between Bill (Stephen Moyer) and telepathic waitress Sookie (Anna Paquin) explored abstinence and indulgence, while other relationships on the series dissected themes of sexuality, exclusion and intolerance. The show became somewhat of a fantasy allegory for the queer rights movement before it ended in August 2014, less than a year before same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S.

It took fiction to make the vampire palatable, Browning said. Whereas centuries ago vampires served as conduits through which we could express fear, in fiction they assumed the twofold role of fear and desire a different conduit for a different time. Today were still using vampires to help us express fears and forbidden desires, only now, more often than not, vampires are helping us fight fear and prejudice and liberate in others a host of desires that greater society is finally willing to accept.

If True Blood made the vampire digestible for mature audiences, Twilight gave young adults an outlet to express their own wants and needs. When Stephenie Meyers book series began in 2005, a mascot for the vampire boyfriends was born in Edward Cullen, a fantastically beautiful member of the undead who lives on animal blood and has the porcelain skin of a 17-year-old Nicole Kidman. These are the vampires you can take home to meet your parents, Taekia Blackwell, the chief operating officer of fan convention organization Mischief Management, told HuffPost.

Edward further entranced the adolescent demographic when the five-part film series premiered in 2008, starring Robert Pattinson as the stand-in for the pleasures and perils of teenage desire, a vampire who adamantly fights the urge to kill, and be intimate with, the one mortal hes in love with, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Unlike True Blood, virginity is paramount in this made-for-tweens tale, but despite its conservative approach to sex, Nuzum noted that Twilight made that mix of fear and desire accessible to young girls who were confronting the world as adult women for the first time and all the bullshit that comes along with it.

Real life is scary, he said. And you want to live in a fantasy place, even for a moment, that shows theres a way above it and through it.

Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley) of The CWs The Vampire Diaries was another manpire who not only captured the attention of the YA audience but illustrated the drive to be and do better. Stefan, a character from L.J. Smiths 1990s book series, fought every day to follow a moral code in light of his indelible lust for blood. He gravitates toward Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a high school student grieving the loss of her parents, but his dark past as a ripper and blood-a-holic makes it difficult for him to maintain self-control. Although he tries to live on animal blood, he eventually steals blood bags from the hospital and spirals back into addiction. Still, his desire to protect Elena and her friends from his race ultimately outlasts his thirst for blood, making him one of the redeemable vampires of the 2010s.

I think our modern pop-culture vampire just makes it a little less intense and more relatable, Blackwell said of the allure of the ethical vampire and its rise to prominence. The danger is lessened by the conscience.

Priscilla Frank/HuffPostIllustration of Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore of "The Vampire Diaries."

These stories clearly resonated with viewers, who were not only escaping the daily grind but also ingesting material that spoke to the larger themes of discrimination, hate and love. True Blood ran for seven seasons while The Vampire Diaries aired for eight. And moviegoers flocked to the theaters to see Edward and Bella fight for and defend their fanged family in dreary Forks, Washington. The final installment of the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn - Part 2, made almost $830 million worldwide, and the film series as a whole garnered $3.3 billion.

And wed be remiss not to mention the countless vampire movies that came out in the 2010s, including Let Me In (2010), Fright Night (2011), Byzantium (2012), The Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). By mid-decade, audiences seemed to lose interest in the genre, with the Johnny Depp-fronted Dark Shadows (2012) and Dracula Untold (2014), starring Luke Evans, failing to get high marks at the domestic box office. The zombies of The Walking Dead and the dragons ofGame of Thrones soon took over. Now witches are having their moment with shows like Sabrina andCharmed.

Hot vampires are kind of like the skinny jeans of monsters. I wouldnt say theyve dwindled or disappeared, but theyre definitely not at the forefront of fashion or as talked about as they once were, said Shanyce Lora, the senior marketing manager of Mischief. Monsters really have cycles in pop culture.

Ian Somerhalder, who played Stefans morally conflicted vampire brother Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries, is not giving up on the lore just yet. His new Netflix series fits into the overcrowded genre, but instead of focusing on glittery, wrinkle-free undead beings, V Wars addresses vampirism through climate change and revives scary, toothed fiends. Based on the comics by Jonathan Maberry, the series follows scientist Dr. Luther Swann (Somerhalder), whose best friend (Adrian Holmes) is a victim of a fast-spreading genetic mutation after a millennia-old bacterium is unknowingly exhumed in Antarctica. As far-fetched as it sounds, V Wars drops the romantic, kindhearted vampires or bloods, as theyre known in the show and focuses in on the social and environmental effects that exacerbate an epidemic.

Having done 171 episodes of The Vampire Diaries, I acquired some skill sets that allow me to understand the genre in a really profound way, Somerhalder told HuffPost during a recent Build Series interview. This genre is amazing. It stands the test of time; it transcends generations and demographics, and it can be quite a lesson because, at the end of the day, vampires are the story of the outsider, the ostracized, the alone.

Similar to experts comments about international crises and their connection to on-screen iterations of vampire stories, Somerhalder explained that cancer is an allegory for his new project, which addresses tentpole topics such as diversity, disease and border control. If he had it his way, the actor, director and executive producer would want V Wars to come off as 28 Days Later meets The Handmaids Tale by way of Walking Dead.

What happens when there are so many bloods that airlines cant fly anymore? Somerhalder said. What happens when theres a new mortgage crisis because the banking world is starting to fall apart because millions of people are sick? What happens when telecommunication companies cant function? When society starts to fracture? These are all big, amazing thematics we cant wait to tell.

The series premiered on Dec. 5, and audiences are responding well to its premise, but time will tell if it ushers in another wave of vampirism.

No matter how oversaturated our cultural landscape may be with monsters today, theyll never truly go away. Vampires will just rip those stakes out of their hearts, steer clear of holy water and adapt for a new time. Over the last 120 years, audiences have seen these beings go from pointy-eared goblins to chiseled Adonises. They have murdered innocent bystanders and tackled deer for nourishment. But again, these stories are not necessarily about the vampire itself they address larger themes that relate to the current struggles of todays world. And thats what keeps them relevant.

Vampires and zombies belong to that class of monster we call the undead, and whoever could keep the undead down, for very long anyway? Browning said. A resurgence of fang and decaying matter is, I suspect, on the horizon who better to help fight bigotry.

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The Coffin Is Closing On Vampires, At Least For Now - HuffPost

One of my guy friends got out of the military a few years ago and needed work. Rather than spending months or years agonizing over what he was passionate about and what his calling was, he took a practical approach.

He went to the library, got out a book about the top 100 professions currently in the highest demand (and predicted to be highly in-demand over the next decade) ... and then went to nursing school.

Just over two years later, he was an orthopedic surgical nurse bringing in $100,000+ a year.

There are lots of ways to decide what to do with your time and your work life. If you're not ready to quit everything and become a nurse (althoughif you aren't sure quite what to do and like helping people, you should think about it), there are other options.

One is setting up a side hustle. And again, instead of just doing something about which you're intensely passionate, you could more targeted and pragmatic in your approach.

Enter a seemingly random industry but one that will only grow in size: fish-free omega-3 supplements.

Yes, it sounds extremely specific (because it is), but it's also big business. In 2018, the fish-free omega-3 industry saw 6.5% year-over-year growth, reaching a market valuation of $550M. It's slated to be a $1B industry by 2029.

Why? Because there are tons of people who want to incorporate omega-3s into their diet but don't want fishy products.

By now, if you're at all educated about health, you know you need omega-3sand omega-6s in your diet. They lower your blood pressure; reduce your likelihood of heart attack and stroke; and improve brain functioning. There's also preliminary evidence that shows that DHA & EPA supplementscan boost your moodand help those suffering from depression.

And you probably alsoyou can find said omega-3s in fish like salmon. You may have even purchased fish-oil supplements in the past, whichtasted ... well, kind of gross.

It turns out a whole lot of people are deterred by that fishyodor--or are vegetarians or vegans who object to the omega-3s in their diet coming from fish. They know they need omega-3s, but they want plant-based options.

In fact, consumers are already hunting for quality, vegetarian sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids--to the tune of predictions of this single supplement becoming a billion-dollar industry over the next decade.

Now imagine entering a multi-million dollar industry where you knew there was demand already, and not very much supply to meet it. It would be like shooting fish (oil) in a barrel.

So how do you get started? Well, it's pretty easy to enter the supplements market. There are plenty of companies that can help you white-label your supplements (meaning they provide the actual productand you do the rest.) Of course you want to research those places and ensure that you're getting high-quality, plant-based omega-3s and omega-6s--but that's just a matter of vetting.

Then these companies can help you drop-ship your product, so you don't have a bunch of cases of plant-based omega-3 hanging out in your garage.

Once you've found your white-label supplier, all that's left is to set yourself up as a seller on a platform like Amazon. You can do that in a few hours.

Then you market the hell out of your product. You write blogs, you do videos, you post on social media, you run Facebook or Google ads--whatever you want. If you use key words like "vegetarian omega-3s" or "plant-based omega-6s" you're already slated to succeed. You don't have to guess whether people will buy what you're selling--you know they will.

The search term "side hustle" has spiked in recent years. It's not a new concept, but in an economy that's increasingly comprised of freelancers and less-than-stable job security, it's no wonder.

What would you do with an extra $1,000 a month? Put it towards childcare? Pay down debt? Split it up between self-care activities like getting massages, and contributions to causes in which you believe?

Too many people start side businesses without actually feeling out the market. But if you know ahead of time that there's definitely demand for what you're going to sell ... you're in it to win it.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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Looking for a Side Hustle? Consider This Rapidly-Growing Industry -- It Will Reach $1B by 2029 - Inc.

The history of the elephants in Borneo is the most interesting of the four sub species of elephants that exist in the wilds of Asia. The four sub species are Elephasmaximusmaximus from Sri Lanka, Elephasmaximusindicus from mainland India, and Elephasmaximussumatranus from Sumatra, Indonesia. The status of the Bornean elephant Elephasmaximusbornensis is yet to be confirmed.

For a long time there was a theory that the Bornean elephants were smaller than the other mainland sub species and were called pigmy elephants. However, now with scientific investigation, it has been established that these elephants are the same as the other Asian elephants. The authorities in Borneo however prefer to continue to refer to them as pigmy elephants. This is because they feel that pigmy elephants would be more attractive to potential tourists. There is a push to promote tourism in Sabah and Borneo in a big way.

There was much speculation as to whether the Bornean elephant is really a wild elephant or whether they were released into the wild by a former Sultan. Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando and some other researchers found that the DNA of the Bornean elephant proved that it was a wild elephant and not feral.

Two different alternative hypotheses have been suggested by researchers. One is that the elephants in Borneo are non-native to Borneo and are a recent introduction, in the 17th century. The introduction hypothesis is based on historical records suggesting that the current population represents the descendants of a domesticated herd that formerly existed on Sulu Island, Philippines, and were introduced to eastern Sabah by the Sultan of Sulu in the 17th century. The original elephants, most likely, came from the Javan elephant population, now extinct. It was further reported that only two elephants were introduced to Jolo (Sulu) Island in the late 13th century, and their descendants were transported to Sabah around 1673.

The other theory is that they are from an ancient colonization several thousand years ago. No fossils have been found, which has led to the theory that it is evidence of a very recent introduction. On the other hand it has been found by researchers, including Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando, that there is DNA divergence of the Borneo sub species in other Asian elephants. This favours the theory of early existence.

The Bornean elephant is morphologically and, in some ways, behaviourally distinct from the elephants of mainland Asia. Their genetic distinctiveness from other mainland Asian elephant subspecies makes them one of the highest priority populations for Asian elephant conservation. It is classified as endangered according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species.

The social behaviour of the Bornean elephant is the same as that of the other subspecies of the Asian elephant. The herd is led by the matriarch with all adult males being ejected by the herd when they attain puberty. This is to prevent inbreeding. If the male calves remain after they become adults, they will necessarily have to mate with their close relatives. The males wander around on their own or in small bull groups. Only some of the males carry tusks. The percentage of males with tusks in the Bornean population has not been ascertained as yet.

The Bornean elephant population in Sabah is about 2,000 individuals that are currently restricted mainly to a limited number of forest reserves. The main populations are in the Central Forest and Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Herds of elephants are also found in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and the North Kinabatangan Reserve.

The main threats to the survival of the species are population fragmentation and isolation of the existing herds. These elephants do not cross from one reserve to another across human-dominated landscapes that separate forest fragments. This means that since there is no movement into new areas and no new blood flowing, there is the possibility of new species developing within the isolated herds. Conservation measures should be taken to maintain current levels of genetic diversity in fragmented habitats.

The conservation of the Bornean elephant should aim at securing connectivity between spatially distinct populations. It may not be easy but elephant corridors have to be established to facilitate the free and secure movement of these elephants from one range to another.

Pics: Benoit Gossens

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Bornean elephants are the same as other Asian elephants - Sunday Observer

It's hard to imagine that season one of The Big Bang Theory aired 11 years ago. That11 years ago, Sheldon got himself a loom, the boys'were senthome without pants and the couples we known and love were not yet formed.

When the sitcom first aired in 2008, little did audiences know what a science-comedic phenomenon it would become. Earlier this year, whenTheBig Bang Theoryendedits run, fanswere polarised.Some had continually called for the show to end,whilst others expressed sadness over its finale.

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In general, TheBig Bang Theoryreeked of the wittiest and brilliant writing in its first half, seasons one through six. That being said, season one especially is filled with underappreciated humor. Here are some of those jokes.

In the pilot episode, Sheldon and Leonard visit the 'High IQ Sperm Bank' to donate sperm for money. Originally it's Sheldon's idea because he wants to make a little extra money to get fractional T1 bandwidth in the apartment.

As the two are seated in the clinic, Sheldon comes to the conclusion that it's actually genetic fraud because there's a possibility that a toddler with the same DNA wouldn't come out as smart as him. He says "Some poor woman is going to pin her hopes on my sperm, what if she winds up with a toddler who doesn't know if he should use an integral or a differential to solve the area under a curve?"

After Leonard reassures him the mother would surely still love her child anyway, Sheldon doesn't see it that way, saying "I wouldn't."

You can never sit in Sheldon's spot, that's rule one. In the pilot episode Penny, the new neighbor, makes that mistake. Sheldon, being the gracious host that he is, gives her an earful. By earful we mean, some pretty complicated, science-jargon laced reasons as to why she should move immediately.

The now-legendary reasoning is "In the winter that seat is close enough to the radiator to remain warm, and yet not so close as to cause perspiration. In the summer its directly in the path of a cross-breeze created by open windows there, and there. It faces the television at an angle that is neither direct, thus discouraging conversation, nor so far wide to create a parallax distortion."

Did you know that the concept of Zodiac signs is a mass cultural delusion? At least according to Sheldon Cooper, it is.

In the opening episode, Penny introduces herself as a Sagittarius. Her zodiac sign, according toher, tells the guys way more than they should need to know.

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But according to Sheldon it only tells them that sheparticipates in the "mass cultural delusion that the Suns apparent position relative to arbitrarily defined constellations and the time ofher birth somehow affectsher personality." Neat.

The show established Leonard's incapacity to flirt and talk with women early on. He calls Penny's waitressing job at the Cheesecake factory as her "acting as like.. a carbohydrate delivery system."

By this point, Penny is very well accustomed to Leonard and Sheldon, so she comes up with a quick-witted answer in no time. "Call it whatever you want, but I get minimum wage."

Dr. Leslie Winkle, an experimental physicist at California Institute of Technology was one of the most quick-witted characters on the show. We are not talking of a mean sense of humor,rather intelligent humor. Remember the time she explained the chemistry of sex?

Penny: "Wow, a girl scientist!" Leslie: "Yep, come for the breasts. Stay for the brains." This was just one of the earlier of Leslie's legendary quips and insults. Every appearance was punctuated with smart comments and quick thinking.

One of the groupmates, Raj Koothrappali is from India,and he adds to the social variation in their dynamics. Audiences are given a peek into Indian culture, every time Rajesh's parents, Doctor and Mrs. Koothrappali, call from India.

In"The Grasshopper Experiment", Rajesh's parents call to inform him they have set him up with some Indian girl Lalita Gupta, practicing dentistry in L.A.

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Whilst Rajesh tries stopping them from meddling in his life, Sheldon slyly reminds him that his parents don't consider this as meddling and that, "Indian parents continue to have greater than average involvement in their children's love lives." An angry Raj retorts "Why are you telling me about my own culture?" The first of many similar exchanges.

Remember the gigantic time machine from the movie Time Machine in "The Nerdvana Annihilation"? Leonard leads the gang to buy this machine prop, which takes up half the boys' living room. Howard and Raj also pitch in on condition that everyone will take the prop home in turn.

To Howard, this time machine shall serve the purposes of a "chick magnet", something he is going to use to woo the ladies. And he's not shy about it, either. This leads Sheldon to add the rule "In addition to the expected no shoes in the time machine and no eating in the time machine, I propose that we add pants must be worn at all times in the time machine."

In "The Nerdvana Annihilation", Penny is late for work, as the guys' time machine prop has blocked her way. Unable to go down the stairs, Sheldonadvises herto go up the roof,and hop over thesmall gap between this and the otherbuilding.

The small gap turns out to be a three feet wide gap and she slips and skins her knee. And when shedoes manage to take the leap, it turns out the door to the stairwell of the second building is locked. She is thus forced to go down a fire escape which ends on an Armenian Family's floor.

This lovely Armenian family feeds her eight courses of lamb. And, it gets worse. They try to fix her up with their son.

In "The Pork Chop Indeterminacy",Mary Coopersends over her daughter and Sheldon's twinsister, Missy to Sheldon. The immediate purpose is to get Sheldon's signatures on his father'sestate papers.

Missy visits Sheldon's office, causing the males at CalTech tohover around. Because Sheldon is so disconnected from his twin sister, none of his friends have an idea who she is to him.

Leonard asks "So how do you two know each other?" To which Missy replies, "Oh, he once spent nine months with my legs wrapped around his head." This is Missy's eyebrow-raising way of describing the fact she and Sheldon are twins.

Schrdinger's Cat is referenced in "The Tangerine Factor" by Sheldon Cooper. The premise of this joke is that Leonard asks Penny out for a date, which she agrees to. Since Leonard isn't the type of guy Penny usually goes out with, she has second thoughts about the date. As does Leonard.

Before the date, Pennyand Leonard both turn to Sheldon for advice, separately though. And he advises them to go through with it. The date could turn out to be both good and bad, based on the whole premise ofSchrdinger's Cat. Leonard immediately gets it, but Penny requires some classwork.

NEXT:The Big Bang Theory: 10 Reasons Why Mary Cooper Is The Best Guest Character On The Show

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Bisma Fida thinks pop culture shapes human lives. Sitcoms, dramas, and movies have helped her survive the impact of the geopolitical conflict of her homeland. Every piece she authors is essentially a third-world feminist's take.You can connect to her at bisma.fid@yahoo.com

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The Big Bang Theory: 10 Season 1 Jokes You Didnt Notice - Screen Rant

In the vast arsenal of animal weaponry, the most exaggerated, elaborate and diverse devices such as tusks, claws and antlers have not been shaped by a need to fend off fierce predators. Rather, these impressive forms are driven by sex.

Everybody understands at a gut level that its usually males that have flashy displays or weapons like tusks and antlers, says Doug Emlen, an animal weapon expert at the University of Montana in Missoula. Biologists say that these fantastic shapesfrom the giant curved tusks of woolly mammoths to the nightmarish jaws of stag beetlesevolved to ward off competition from rival males and to impress females.

Examples of such sexually selected weapons abound throughout the animal kingdom in insects, fish, crustaceans, reptiles and mammals as varied as narwhal, rhinoceros and moose. Even extinct species such as trilobites and dinosaurs sported elaborate projections. The number and variety of examples argue that evolution has turned to weaponry time and again in the race to reproduce successfully.

Its such a common theme that Emlen had to persuade his editors to include seven detailed, full-page line drawings in a survey of natures weapons that he wrote for the 2008 Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, featuring more than 280 examples of fantastical spikes, horns, antlers, pincers, tusks, claws, extended jaws, saws and spears. The illustration above offers a taste.

Scientists still debate the degree to which female choice plays a role in shaping the weapons flair and are still trying to figure out what factors drive the diversity of weapon forms seen among even closely related species. But its clear that the wild array of weapons evolved to aid successful mating.

Like the structures, types of combat vary greatly. Rhinoceros beetles, named for their rhino-like horns, guard access to the oozes of tree sap that females feed upon before laying eggs. Rival males size each other up, and if their horns sizes are similarly matched, a face-off ensues and each uses his horns to try to flip, pry and toss his rival off the tree branch.

Most species of male fiddler crabs guard their burrows, where mating takes place. Dueling males shove and tap on each others single, enlarged clawand, should the fight escalate, they lock claws, secret-handshake style, as if theyre testing the others strength. If one decides he has the upper hand, he flings his opponent away from the burrow.

The fearsome weapons seem to evolve whenever three criteria are met, Emlen says. One: Males must be competing over either resources such as food or over females. Two: Its possible for access to those resources to successfully be guarded. And three: Males of the species compete in one-on-one duels.

But the fighting is almost never to the death and rarely results in serious wounds. Scientists say that this supports the idea that these weapons are built for rivalrytheir designs optimized not for destruction but for power struggles. Indeed, variation in the size of male weaponry is huge, Emlen notes: While overall body size among adult male elk might vary by a factor of 2 at most, their antler racks can vary by a factor of more than 30, he says. And the most dazzling weapons act largely as deterrents, with actual fights breaking out only when males are closely matched.

As the weapons grow bigger and flashier, they come with the cost of producing and lugging around such big structures. (And sometimes other costs: Male fiddler crabs can only stuff algae in their mouths with one claw.) Studies show that the weapons sizes are sensitive to nutrition, parasite load, stress and overall physical conditionand so the healthiest, most fit individuals sport the most impressive weapons.

Researchers consider these ostentatious male weapons to be honest signalsadvertising the owners might and fitness accurately. And not just physical fitness. A study of nearly 200 Iberian red deer stags measured the size and complexity of the animals antlers and found that bigger and more elaborate racks correlated with both bigger testes and faster-swimming sperm. From that and other evidence, many biologists think that bigger weapons can advertise reproductive superiority, too.

And while Emlen believes that male weapons evolved primarily for the purposes of male-male rivalry battles, comparative physiologist Brook Swanson of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, argues that those signals are almost certainly also being assessed by females choosing mates. Even if a male could beat up all the other males, females almost always have a choice among mates, he says.

Take those fiddler crabs. Males of more than 100 species of the crabs have enlarged claws, and research suggests that the females can be picky. Some will cruise an area of multiple male burrows and size up the weapons being waved at them, among other things, before selecting a mate. We dont know what the females thinking, but shes taking into account a bunch of complicated information, Swanson says.

Though scientists believe that the primary role for these animal weapons is in reproduction, there are cases in which the weapons also serve as deterrents or defenses against predatorslikely as an evolutionary bonus. Elk antlers are a case in point. Unlike many other North American species in the deer family, elk hang onto their antlers until March, long after the mating season has ended in October. When Matt Metz, a PhD student at the University of Montana, and his colleagues tracked wolf kills in Yellowstone National Park they found that during March, wolves are three to four times more likely to attack an antlerless male elk than one still wearing his rack.

Since elk rarely use the antlers in defense, preferring to rear up and kick predators with their front hooves, presumably the structures serve as deterrents, Metz says. Yet if antler weapons had evolved primarily as a defense against predators, it wouldnt make sense to shed them at all, he addsand females should have them, too.

Why nature came up with such a bizarre array of weapon shapes and forms remains a bit of a mystery. But as a general rule, Swanson says, evolution tended to exaggerate structures already in existence. Crabs and lobsters have pincer claws that over evolutionary time became enlarged. And arthropods (spiders, insects and crustaceans) have exoskeletonsthat genetic changes could sculpt to form projections such as the horns or giant mandibles seen in beetles.

Weapons also are probably molded by the type of fighting and where its doneas borne out by work on the shapes of rhinoceros beetle horns by evolutionary biologist Erin McCullough. As a graduate student with Emlen, she spent two summers in Taiwan videotaping battles of the Japanese horned beetle, which has a pitchfork-shaped horn. She compared its fights to those of the Hercules beetle, which sports thick, pinching horns, and a species of Golofa beetle, which has thinner, sword-like horns. Each fights in slightly different ways, all with the goal of flicking their opponent off a tree branch or bamboo shoot.

McCullough, now a postdoctoral researcher at Syracuse University in New York, first measured how much force was needed to dislodge an average-size male from a branch. Next, she CT-scanned the critters horns, built 3-D computer models of the structures and used engineering tools to calculate the stresses and strains that the structures could withstand. She found that each horn performed best under the forces of its species-specific fighting style. This is a big component for why different species have different weapons, she says.

In October, an international group of researchers used the same computer modeling techniques to suggest that the largest antlers ever to existthe 12-feet-across by 5-feet-high rack of the prehistoric Irish elkwere used for male sparring, too.

But McCullough notes that the scariest, showiest weapons are not always very lethal. Some diversity, such as curlicues and extra tines, is probably driven by the display functions of weapons, she says.

Some of the largest animal weapons ever found adorned dinosaur heads. An example is seen in the horns and frills of the triceratops, a type of ceratopsid dinosaurbig-bodied herbivores that lived in large herds in open spaces, not unlike caribou. They had the biggest skulls of land-living animals that ever lived, partly due to these big bony structures on their heads, says Scott Sampson, paleontologist and executive director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

Of course, its tricky to study dinosaur behavior, or even determine a skeletons sex, from fossils. Paleontologists continue to debate whether such unusual face decor was used to help dinosaur species recognize their own kind, for male-male mating contests or signals to females, or for defense. But Sampson says several lines of evidence persuade him that these horns were sexual weapons or displays rather than spears to fend off predators.

Importantly, these features werent fully grown until the animals reached adult size and reproductive age. And many of the features of dinosaur horns, spikes and frills were lousy as weapons against carnivorous predators, Sampson says. Some were thin to the point of fragility or curved in seemingly the wrong direction. Take, for example, Kosmoceratops, a flamboyant fossil found in southern Utah that sported 15 horns on its face, the top of its skull and its bony frill, some of which curve back on themselves. Im quite certain this pattern is all about show, Sampson says. Ceratopsids, he says, would have been more likely to use their sheer size as a weapon against predators.

From spines and plates on late Cretaceous behemoths to horns on tiny, modern-day beetles, making and carrying flashy weapons can come at a huge energy cost. An elks antlers are akin to a 180-pound man wearing a 12-pound gold chain around his neck.

But the costs are worth it. In a lot of mating systems, if you dont produce a weapon, then you have zero success, Swanson says. You have no choice but to play the game.

This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews. Sign up for the newsletter.

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The Weapons of Sexual Rivalry - Scientific American