The Inimitable Tiff

PALAEOBLOG: Entire Genome of Extinct Human Decoded From Fossil

In 2010, Svante Pääbo and his colleagues presented a draft version of the genome from a small fragment of a human finger bone discovered in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia. The DNA sequences showed that this individual came from a previously unknown group of extinct humans that have become known as Denisovans. Together with their sister group the Neandertals, Denisovans are the closest extinct relatives of currently living humans.

The Leipzig team has now developed sensitive novel techniques which have allowed them to sequence every position in the Denisovan genome about 30 times over, using DNA extracted from less than 10 milligrams of the finger bone. The now-completed version of the genome allows even the small differences between the copies of genes that this individual inherited from its mother and father to be distinguished. This Wednesday the Leipzig group makes the entire Denisovan genome sequence available for the scientific community over the internet.

Animals - Esquire

Absolutely gripping reading.  The parallel GQ piece, too.

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motherjones:

Well, basically, yeah.

infoneer-pulse:

News of raids, arrests, seizures, extraditions and jail time in the file-sharing world hasn’t gone unnoticed by the operators of major BitTorrent sites. Yesterday, the owners of BTjunkie decided to close their site because the stress became too much, and there are others who consider doing the same. While there are still plenty site owners who are determined to continue, doubt and uncertainty are more present than ever before.

» via TorrentFreak

For the legal side of the torrent-sharing community—like rare live music, out-of-print or copyright-expired material—it’s sad to lose some of these sites’ seeded collections.  The actual pirated content is going to find another obfuscated home.  However I understand the challenges of monitoring community content to keep inventory mostly legit—voluntary or involuntary shut-downs were only a matter of time.

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producermatthew:

This is an actual tweet published by Rick Santorum (or someone authorized on behalf of Santorum to tweet for him).

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reuters:

This Reuters graphic shows there have been 6,519 men, 190 women and 465 children killed in violence in Syria as of Feb. 5, 2012. The most fatalities in a single day since April of last year happened on Feb. 4, 2012 with 400 deaths reported.

The latest on Syria | Follow Reuters on Tumblr

[Graphic: REUTERS | Sources: UNITAR-UNOSAT, Syria Violence Document Center, syrianshuhada.com, syriamap.wordpress.com, news reports]

DECLARATION ON THE NOTION OF “THE FUTURE”

ADMONITIONS AND EXHORTATIONS FOR CULTURAL AGENTS OF THE EARLY-TO-MID-TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

DISCUSSED: Consciousness, Late Capitalism, Happy Days, Hegelian Narratives of Transcendence, Hamlet, Joyce, Ballard, Princess Grace of Monaco

The Believer - Declaration on the Notion of “The Future”

kurafire:

Classic article by Rebecca Solnit on the societal construct when men explain things to women. Worth a re-read if you’ve read it before; a must-read if you haven’t.

Most women fight wars on two fronts, one for whatever the putative topic is and one simply for the right to speak, to have ideas, to be acknowledged to be in possession of facts and truths, to have value, to be a human being. Things have certainly gotten better, but this war won’t end in my lifetime. I’m still fighting it, for myself certainly, but also for all those younger women who have something to say, in the hope that they will get to say it.

gbb:

Superbowl Shuffle
, from GB Bowers bit.ly/zBKLPt

US father Josh Powell blows himself up with two young children | World news | The Guardian

Wow, what a horrible end to an awful story.  Coincidentally, my brother’s friend in Salt Lake City investigated the Utah side of the Powell case, even following it to my Washington stomping grounds when Powell moved his boys north.   I read along, up until the family’s in-fighting became too painful to bear.

The entire story is heartbreaking and the poor social worker’s last efforts probably the hardest of all.

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The Death of the Cyberflâneur - NYTimes.com

I’ve forgotten who first brought the term to my attention but I like this meditation…to explain social media’s homogenizing effects to those outside the industry.  However, it seems short-sighted to cite the concept and not include the likes of Tumblr or Pinterest, which are very much more in the spirit.

simplystatistics:

A growing tend in education is to put lectures online, for free. The Kahn Academy, Stanford’s recent AI course, and Gary King’s new quantitative government course at Harvard are three of the more prominent examples. This new pedagogical format is more democratic, free, and helps people…

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

accidentalcharm:

somethingchanged:

Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” alternate take w/ Arthur Russell on cello (1977)

From Will Hermes’ Love Goes to Buildings on Fire:

Had things played out differently, the fourth position in Talking Heads might have gone to Arthur Russell. He was a fan of the band; he had helped them get their first art-scene gig in March at the Kitchen…Russell’s friendship with Talking Heads got him invited to play cello on a take of “Psycho Killer” during the sessions for Talking Heads ‘77 (the band ultimately went with a different version for the album).

This is that take.

Via austinkleon.

dreamy.

(Source: vastandgrand)

The philosophy was simple. The task of an intelligence service, Smiley announced firmly, was not to play chase games but to deliver intelligence to its customers. If it failed to do this, those customers would resort to other, less scrupulous sellers or, worse, indulge in amateurish self-help. And the service itself would wither. Not to be seen in the Whitehall markets was not to be desired, he went on. Unless the Circus produced, it would also have no wares to barter with the Cousins, or with other sister services with whom reciprocal deals were traditional. Not to produce was not to trade, and not to trade was to die. Amen, they said.

Highlighted by Tiff Fehr in The Honourable Schoolboy: A George Smiley Novel

(Source: tumblr.com)

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How Susan G. Komen For The Cure Torpedoed Its Brand | Fast Company

Will the Komen brand ever recover? Unfortunately for them, they were already getting some negative publicity for their tendency to sue anyone using the phrase “For The Cure” and the color pink for other charities. While they certainly have the right to protect their intellectual property, Komen comes off as a big bully when they start sending cease-and-desist letters to tiny charities run by individuals.

They are going to have to work long and hard to win back the masses of people who now view them as an organization driven more by politics and the personal beliefs of its executives than its concern for women’s health, in whatever form that may take. One wonders if Handel or Brinker will have to step down to effect the change. Or perhaps they’ll decide that they want to hitch their wagon to a particular ideology, and stop pretending that they aren’t pushing an agenda.