The Physical Effects of Living in Space Could Create a New Human Species
What if one day we encounter aliens, and they are our descendants?
Societies living off-Earth sounds like a concept from science fiction. We spend our lives pinned to the planet. In half a century of human space flight, fewer than 600 people have traveled to low Earth orbit, and just 12 have stood on the surface of another world. The cost and difficulty of extracting humans from gravity's grip seem to have put dreams of space travel on ice.
Yet that is likely to change. Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are developing reusable rockets that can ferry people more easily into orbit. Richard Branson is hoping to sh...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - June 17, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
Genes of brain-eating tribe members shine light on prion protection
Brooks HaysLONDON, June 14 (UPI) -- A new study has identified a gene adaptation that protected a small subset of the Papua New Guinea's Fore population from kuru and other similar diseases. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)
Source: Health News - UPI.com - June 14, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Can Cannibalism Fight Brain Disease? Only Sort Of.
Can cannibalism fight a rare brain disease? That’s what multiple headlines have suggested this week, but don’t pick up your fork just yet.
A study published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature found that people of Papua New Guinea’s Fore tribe -- a group that formerly consumed the brains of family members at funerals -- are now resistant to a rare, degenerative brain disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
However, the reason that they developed this resistance to the disease is because their brain-eating practice led to a major outbreak of kuru -- a specific type of CJD -- in the 1950s, Reuters rep...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - June 12, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
The Fore People ate human brains and developed resistance to alzheimer's
The Fore People in Papua New Guinea used to be cannibals (file photo shown), eating the brains and flesh of the dead. This caused an epidemic, but may have also made them resistance to kuru. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - June 12, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
High Hopes for High Seas!
When I took on the role of Pacific Ocean Commissioner in December last year, I was humbled and somewhat daunted at the prospect -- being a highlander from Papua New Guinea growing up far from the sea. However, the ocean is central to everything we do. It is our culture, our livelihood, our economy and, for many, the ocean is the mother of all things.
The centrality of the ocean in our lives was underscored at our inaugural Pacific Ocean Alliance meeting held in Suva, Fiji, 25-27 May 2015. As Pacific Ocean Commissioner, it is my job to facilitate this multi-stakeholder alliance of national, regional and international partn...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - June 12, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
