Translate

venerdì 29 aprile 2016

# n-music-dance: bamboula!

<< African American Cultural Dance is most often developed in social and communal spaces. >>

https://twitter.com/NMAAHC/status/726111401672990720

<< How will u celebrate #JazzDay? >>

https://twitter.com/MontreuxJazz/status/725444592720613376

FonT: bamboula! (quasistocastica.... http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2006/12/2105-bamboula.html

2105-bamboula

N. sull' infrastrutturale abaco //
filante //
superfilante in sbilanciamento di fase //
pell' aerosol di nembi //
col tornio //
l' aciclico tornio dall' aculei per mute //
a balze in semifrase //

# s-behav: to comfort small fish, by more than a third

<< the  presence  of  large  predatory  fish  reduced stress  levels  in  baby  prey  fish  by  more  than  a  thirdby  scaring  off  midsize  predators >.

Tanya  Lewis. Small  Fish  Comforted  By  Big  Predators. Baby  fish  show  fewer  signs  of  stress  in  the  presence  of  large  fish  that  scare  off  midsize predators. April  28,  2016

http://mobile.the-scientist.com/article/45964/study-small-fish-comforted-by-big-predators

Maria  M.  Palacios, Shaun  S.  Killen, et al. Top  predators  negate  the  effect  of  mesopredators  on  prey  physiology. Journal of Animal Ecology. 25 April 2016. DOI:10.1111/1365-2656.12523

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12523/full

giovedì 28 aprile 2016

# n-socsci: immunita' da padrini

<< L'attività  di  inchiesta [1] ha  dimostrato  che  nessuna  forza politica,  anche  con  le  migliori  intenzioni,  può  ritenersi  immune  dal  condizionamento  o  peggio  dall'infiltrazione. >>

[1] Commissione  Antimafia. "Relazione  sulla  Trasparenza  delle  candidature",  relatrice Rosy  Bindi. 27/4/2016

http://www.corriere.it/notizie-ultima-ora/Cronache/Mafia-nessuna-forze-politiche-immune/27-04-2016/1-A_025646867.shtml

<< Esame della proposta di relazione sulla trasparenza delle candidature ed efficacia dei controlli per prevenire l’infiltrazione mafiosa negli enti locali in occasione delle elezioni amministrative >>

<< N.B.: Il resoconto stenografico della seduta della Commissione è pubblicato in un fascicolo a parte.>>

http://www.camera.it/leg17/436?shadow_organo_parlamentare=2328

http://documenti.camera.it/leg17/resoconti/commissioni/bollettini/pdf/2016/04/27/leg.17.bol0632.data20160427.com24.pdf

FonT: non ho trovato il link del "fascicolo a parte" ...

mercoledì 27 aprile 2016

# s-acad: a curious academic circle: you have to fund, you have to pay to read, you have to pay to publish, you have to ...

<<  Innovation  can  come  from  anywhere—not  just  academics—but  only  if  we  allow  fornon-linear  and  unrestricted  approach  to  inquiry  and  discovery. >>

Ryan  Merkley  (@ryanmerkley ). You  Pay  to  Read  Research  You  FundThat’s Ludicrous. April 18, 2016

http://www.wired.com/2016/04/stealing-publicly-funded-research-isnt-stealing/

https://twitter.com/ryanmerkley/status/722029628777492482

martedì 26 aprile 2016

# s-brain: tracing Charlie ...

<< Do  you  like  surprisesIf  you  don’tit  might  be  because  our  nervous  system  works  very  hard  to avoid  being  surprisedThis  often  involves  the  nervous  system  trying  to  predict  or  “model”  its own  future  as  accurately  as  possibleFor  examplewhen  we  are  listening  to  a  string  of  sounds that  appears  to  be  unpredictablesuch  as  a  Charlie  Parker-esque  saxophone  solo,  our  brain  will still  try  to  predict  what  the  next  note  will  be >>

Jonas Obleser. PerceptionTell  me  something  I  don’t  know. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15853 Published  April  19,  2016. eLife  2016;5:e15853

http://elifesciences.org/content/5/e15853v1

https://twitter.com/eLife/status/724269430989983744

lunedì 25 aprile 2016

# s-gst: subtle, interacting internal waves

<< This  photographtaken  from  the  International  Space  Station  (ISS),  shows  the  north  coast  of  Trinidad  and  a  series  of  subtle, interacting  arcs  in  the  southeastern  Caribbean  Sea.  These  are  known  as  “internal  waves,”  the  surface  manifestation  of  slow waves  that  move  tens  of  meters  beneath  the  sea  surfaceInternal  waves  produce  enough  of  an  effect  on  the  sea  surface  to be  seen  from  space,  but  only  where  they  are  enhanced  due  to  reflection  of  sunlight,  or  sunglint,  back  towards  the  International Space  Station. The  image  shows  at  least  three  sets  of  internal  waves  interactingThe  most  prominent  set  (image  top  left)  shows  a  packet  of several  waves  moving  from  the  northwest  due  to  the  tidal  flow  towards  the  north  coast  of  Trinidad.  Two  less  prominent, younger  sets  can  be  seen  further  out  to  sea.  A  very  broad  set  enters  the  view  from  the  north  and  northeast,  and  interacts  at image  top  center  with  the  first  set.  All  the  internal  waves  are  probably  caused  by  the  shelf  break  near  Tobago  (outside  the image  to  top  right).  The  shelf  break  is  the  step  between  shallow  seas  (around  continents  and  islands)  and  the  deep  oceanIt is  the  line  at  which  tides  usually  start  to  generate  internal  waves. >>

NASA Earth Observatory.  Internal Waves off Northern Trinidad. February 4, 2013

http://m.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=80337

image: download  large  image  (391  KB,  JPEG,  1440x960)

http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/80000/80337/ISS034-E-032377_lrg.jpg

domenica 24 aprile 2016

# s-gst-apopt: a particular form of "orchestrated death"

<< The most aggressive form of pancreatic cancer -- often described as one of the hardest malignancies to diagnose and treat -- thrives in the presence of neighboring tumor cells undergoing a particular form of "orchestrated cell death."  >>

<< Our findings are the first to show that cancer cell death via necroptosis  [programmed  necrosis] can actually promote tumor growth, as this process results in suppression of the body's immune response against the cancer, (..) what is equally significant is that these findings might also be relevant to other tumor types. >>

<< This  study  exemplifies  the  importance  of  examining  cancer  within  the  actual  context  in  which  it grows (..) In  our  initial  studiesinhibiting  necroptosis  in  PDAC [pancreatic  ductal  adenocarcinoma] cells  increased  their  ability  to  grow  in tissue  culture.  Howeverwhen  we  began  to  study  the  same  process  in  micewe  were  surprised to  see  just  the  opposite  effect,  and  this  was  mainly  due  to  the  immune  response  of  the  cells surrounding  the  tumor. >>

NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER / NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. Cell  death  mechanism  may  -  paradoxically  -  enable aggressive  pancreatic  cells  to  live  on. 22-Apr-2016

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/nlmc-cdm042216.php

Lena  Seifert , Gregor  Werba, et al. The  necrosome  promotes  pancreatic  oncogenesis via  CXCL1  and  Mincle-induced  immune  suppression. Nature 532, 245–249 (14 April 2016) doi:10.1038/nature17403.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v532/n7598/full/nature17403.html

sabato 23 aprile 2016

# s-brain: tweeting in empathic brains ...

<< (..) few positive learning experiences are sufficient to increase empathy. >>

Hein G, Engelmann JB, et al. How learning shapes the empathic brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Jan 5;113(1):80-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1514539112.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26699464

venerdì 22 aprile 2016

# s-phyto: versatile SERK1, in shedding and growing ...

<< During  their  lifeplants  constantly  renew  themselvesThey  sprout  new  leaves  in  the  spring  and shed  them  in  the  fall.  >>

<< When  it  is time  to  shed  an  organ,  a  small  hormone  binds  to  this  membrane  receptor  and,  together  with  a helper  proteinthe  abscission  process  is  initiated. >>

<< To  fully  initiate  the abscission  processanother  player  is  neededthe  helper  protein  SERK1. >>

<< The  fascinating  thing  about  SERK1  is  that  it  not  only  plays  a  role  in  the  shedding  mechanism  of plant  organsbut  also  acts  together  with  other  membrane  receptors  that  regulate  totally  different aspects  of  plant  development >>

<< IndeedSERK1  is  a versatile  helper  protein  shared  between  different  signaling  pathwaysWhen  bound  to  another protein  receptorit  can  also  for  example  signal  the  plant  to  grow. >>

Unveiling the withering process. April 14, 2016

http://scienmag.com/unveiling-the-withering-process/

Julia Santiago, Benjamin Brandt, et al.
Mechanistic insight into a peptide hormone signaling complex mediating floral organ abscission. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15075. Published April 8, 2016. eLife 2016;10.7554/eLife.15075

http://elifesciences.org/content/5/e15075v1

giovedì 21 aprile 2016

# s-acad: no "junk", but only fresh thinking

<< Science  rests  on  data,  of  that  there  can  be  no  doubtBut  ... >>

<< (..) so  the  next  best  thing  is  precision  medicine,  where  we look  at  how  genetically  similar  people  react  and  then  assume  that  a  given  person  will  respond in  a  similar  way. >>

Peter  Coveney, Edward  R  Dougherty. Big  data  has  not  revolutionised  medicine  we  need  big  theory  alongside  it. 19  April  2016,  16:02  CEST

https://theconversation.com/big-data-has-not-revolutionised-medicine-we-need-big-theory-alongside-it-55356

FonT: ironicamente, chi a suo tempo ha coniato (o usato piu' o meno acriticamente) il termine "junk DNA" forse non ha preso in considerazione il fatto che quella parte di codice, benche' di serialita' (sequenzialita') quasistocastica, avrebbe potuto contenere la parte piu' importante del "sistema operativo" della vita, vale a dire  il kernel dove risiedono le istruzioni di differenziazione, di regolazione, di riparazione sul codice ... e forse anche le banche dati storiche e mnesiche ...  istruzioni e banche dati di "assoluta  precisione", per dire ...

" junk DNA" cfr http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=%22junk+dna%22

martedì 19 aprile 2016

# s-psych: in the first moments ... to establish a rank asymmetry

<< You  may  not  win  friends,  but  a  new  study  finds  that  you  can  influence people  simply  by  lowering  the  pitch  of  your  voice  in  the  first  moments  of  a  conversation. >>

<< (..)  people whose  voices  went  down  in  pitch  early  on  in  an  interaction  were  more  likely  to  be  seen  as dominant  and  influential  than  those  whose  vocal  pitch  went  up  early  in  conversation. Those  viewed  as  dominant  also  were  more  likely  to  convince  others  to  go  along  with  their ideas  than  those  seen  as  less  dominant. >>

<< “What  excites  me  about  this  research  is  that  we  now  know  a  little  bit  more  about  how humans  use  their  voices  to  signal  status,”  said (..) Joey  Cheng >>

Diana Yates. Psychology  professor  Joey  Cheng  and  her  colleagues  found  that  changes  in  vocal  pitch coincided  with  dominancebut  not  prestige,  in  small  groups  working  together  on  a  task. Apr 18, 2016 9:30 AM

https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/352099

<< Similar  to  the  nonverbal  signals  shown  by  many  non human  animals  during  aggressive conflictshumans  display  a  broad  range  of  behavioral  signals  to  advertise  and  augment their  apparent  sizestrength,  and  fighting  prowess  when  competing  for  social dominanceFavored  by  natural  selectionthese  signals  communicate  the  displayer’s capacity  and  willingness  to  inflict  harm,  and  increase  responders’  likelihood  of  detecting and  establishing  a  rank  asymmetry,  and  thus  avoiding  costly  physical  conflicts. >>

<< Together [ from Study 1 and Study 2]findings suggest  that  humans  use  transient  vocal  changes  to  tracksignal,  and  coordinate status  relationships. >>

Cheng, Joey  T.,  Tracy, Jessica  L., et al. Listenfollow  me:  Dynamic  vocal  signals  of dominance  predict  emergent  social  rank  in  humans. Journal  of  Experimental  Psychology:  General,  Vol  145(5),  May  2016, 536-547.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0000166

lunedì 18 aprile 2016

# rmx-s-astro: terrestrial nanobot swarm to Alpha Centauri

<< The  eventual  goal  is  to  send  thousands  of  spacecraft —  each  weighing  far  less  than  an  ounceto  the  star  system  nearest  oursAlpha  Centauri,  more  than  2,000  times  as  far  as  any  spacecraft has  ever  gone. The  journey  could  take  20  to  30  years. >>

Jack  Encarnacao. Reach  for  the  stars:  Investors  team  with  geniuses. Wednesday,  April  13,  2016

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/2016/04/reach_for_the_stars_investors_team_with_geniuses

https://twitter.com/MIT/status/721701072230858752

F.on.T: chissa' cosa annoteranno i "Teorici degli Antichi Astronauti" (di talento) abitanti in qualche pianeta in Alpha C. quando vedranno arrivare lo sciame ...

domenica 17 aprile 2016

# s-bot: whiskers to approach dark and murky surroundings ...

<< Researchers  have  developed  artificial  whiskers  that  allow  robots  to  “see”  the surroundings  in  dark  and  murky  places  by  analysing  the  way  the  whiskers  respond  to water  and  air  flow. >>

Alison Hadley. Animal-inspired  whiskers  key  to  new  navigation  technology. IOP Publishing. Article Released Fri-15th-April-2016 10:38 GMT

http://www.researchsea.com/html/article.php/aid/9614/cid/2/research/technology/iop_publishing_/animal-inspired_whiskers_key_to_new_navigation_technology.html

sabato 16 aprile 2016

# s-astro: old, very old water

<< As much as half of all the water on Earth may have come from that interstellar  gas  according  to astrophysicistscalculations. That means the same liquid we drink and that fills  the  oceans  may be millions  of  years  older  than the  solar  system  itself. >>

Nicholas St. Fleur. The Water in Your Glass Might Be OlderThan the Sun.  April 15, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/science/the-water-in-your-glass-might-be-older-than-the-sun.html

L.  Ilsedore  Cleeves ,  Edwin  A.  Bergin ,  et al. The  ancient  heritage  of  water  ice  in  the  solar  system. Science    26 Sep 2014: Vol.  345,  Issue  6204,  pp.  1590-1593 DOI:  10.1126/science.1258055

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/345/6204/1590

venerdì 15 aprile 2016

# rmx-s-gst-behav: biting, policing and dueling in H. saltator

<< The  researchers  identified  three  behaviors  related  to  establishing  a  hierarchy  in H.  saltator [Indian jumping ant  "Harpegnathos saltator"] : biting,  in  which  one  ant  bites  another’s  head,  has  a  clear  winner  and  loserwith  the  winner establishing  dominancepolicing,  in  which  subordinate  workers  restrain  challengers  to  a dominant  individual;  and  dueling,  in  which  two  individuals  engage  in  a  martial  display  with  their antennaebut  which  has  no  clear  loser. >>

<< The  researchers  created  a  computer  model  that  allowed  them  to manipulate  all  three  behaviors  in  order  to  see  how  the  behaviors  affected  the  social  structure  ofcolony. When  biting  was  presentbut  policing  and  dueling  were  absentthe  model  resulted  in  a  linear hierarchyWhen  biting  and  strong  policing  were  presentthe  model  resulted  in  a  despotic hierarchy  with  a  single  dominant  individualIt  was  only  when  bitingpolicing  and  winner-winner dueling  were  all  present  that  the  model  resulted  in  a  shared  dominance  hierarchy.>>

<< shared  dominance  hierarchies  can  be found  in  animal  societies  from  lions  to  dolphins. (..) Higher  cognition  certainly  plays  a role  in  shaping  the  societies  of  many  vertebratesbut  we  think  the  presence  or  absence  of winner-winner  behaviors  may  be  an  important  factor  in  determining  the  nature  of  dominance hierarchies  for  a  wide  variety  of  species >>

'Winner-winner' behavior may shape animal hierarchies, study argues. April 14, 2016

https://news.ncsu.edu/2016/04/penick-win-2016/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160414145221.htm

Takao  Sasaki, Clint  A.  Penick, et al. A Simple  Behavioral  Model  Predicts  the Emergence  of  Complex  Animal  Hierarchies. The  American  Naturalist, 2016; DOI: 10.1086/686259

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/686259

F.on.T:  un paper a risvolto poetico, questo ... sono 'aSSi, non e' vero?

giovedì 14 aprile 2016

# s-ai: MICrONS is working in reverse

<<  MICrONS  (Machine Intelligence  from  Cortical  Networks)  project  seeks  to  revolutionize  machine learning  by  reverse  engineering  algorithms  of  the  mammalian  cortex. >>

<< MICrONS  is  fundamentally  differentboth  technically  and  logistically. Rather  than  building  a  simulation  of  the  human  brainwhich  the  HBP  [Human  Brain  Project] set  out to  do,  MICrONS  is  working  in  reverseBy  mapping  out  the  intricate connections  that  neurons  form  during  visual  learning  and  observing  how  they change  with  time,  the  project  hopes  to  distill  sensory  computation  into mathematical  “neural  codes  that  can  be  fed  into  machinesgiving  them  the power  to  identify,  discriminate,  and  generalize  visual  stimulation. The  end  goal:  smarter  machines  that  can  process  images  and  video  at human-level  proficiency. >>

Shelly  Fan. US  Bets  $100  Million  on  Machines That  Think  More  Like  Humans. Mar 13,  2016.

http://singularityhub.com/2016/03/13/us-bets-100-million-on-machines-that-think-more-like-humans/

mercoledì 13 aprile 2016

# p-trade: a completely counter-cyclical institution

<<  Knowledge@Wharton:  Of  all  the  things  that  you  do  herewhat  are  you  most passionate  aboutWhat  would  you  really  like  to  make  sure  happensIt  could  besmall  thingit  could  be  a  large  thingWhat  is  it  that  really  has  your  heart?

LagardeThat’s  complicated.  I  think  it’s  this  issue  of  relevance  …  that  is  of  real concern  to  me.  You  seethis  is  a  very  fascinating  institution  because  it’s completely  counter-cyclicalWhen  the  world  around  the  IMF  goes  downhillwe thriveWe  become  extremely  active  because  we  lend  money,  we  earn  interest and  charges  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  and  the  institution  does  wellWhen  the  world goes  well  and  we’ve  had  years  of  growthas  was  the  case  back  in  2006  and 2007, the IMF doesn’t do so well both financially and otherwise. >>

Knowledge@Wharton. Christine Lagarde: Emerging Market Nations Will Get More Power in the IMF. Apr 03,  2012

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/christine-lagarde-emerging-market-nations-will-get-more-power-in-the-imf/

Tyler Durden. IMF’s Christine Lagarde: “When The World Goes Downhill, We Thrive. Global Research, April 03, 2016

http://www.globalresearch.ca/imfs-christine-lagarde-when-the-world-goes-downhill-we-thrive/5518214

more:

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2016/04/p-eu-trade-ipotesi-e-vaticinio-di-chaos.html

martedì 12 aprile 2016

# zen: silence revolutions

<< Every  person  on  earth  has  a  field  of  silence  within.  Innate  to  the  ability  to  run  is  the  ability  to walk,  and  the  ability  to  walk  contains  the  ability  to  stand  stillIt  is  the  same  with  the  mind. Inherent  in  the  ability  to  talk  is  the  ability  to  thinkthe  ability  to  think  contains  the  ability  to  think quietly--to  feel  or  intuitThe  ability  to  think  quietly  holds  the  possibility  for  the  mind  to  be completely  still.>>

Ann  Purcell. The  Silence  Revolution 04/05/2016  04:18  pm  ET

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/the-silence-revolution_b_9612766.html

also: Inchingolo GM. 2123 - le dislocazioni pausali di Theo. Monday, February 26, 2007

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2007/02/2123-le-dislocazioni-pausali-di-theo.html

domenica 10 aprile 2016

# n-evol: the rise of human complex (stratified) social structures

<< (..) the prevalence of (human) sacrifice increased with the degree of social stratification: it occurred in 25% of cultures with little or no stratification, 37% of those with moderately stratified societies, and 67% of those that had a pronounced hierarchy. And by mapping the evolutionary relationships between cultures, the team suggests that human sacrifice and social hierarchy co-evolved. >>

<< Human sacrifice seems to have been largely the privilege of priests or others who claimed religious authority. Watts and colleagues say that their results therefore disclose a “dark side” to the social role of religion. >>

Philip Ball. How human sacrifice propped up the social order. April 4, 2016

http://www.nature.com/news/how-human-sacrifice-propped-up-the-social-order-1.19681

Joseph  Watts, Oliver  Sheehan, et al.  Ritual  human  sacrifice  promoted  and  sustained  the evolution  of  stratified  societies. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature17159 (2016).

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature17159.html

<< The scientists (..) found that ritual sacrifice may have spurred the transition of smalegalitarian  societies  to largestratified  onesThe  study  examined  93  traditional  Austronesian  cultures  (speakers  of  a  family of  languages  in parts  of  Africa,  Asia  and  Oceania). >>

Tatiana Schlossberg. Why Some Societies Practiced Ritual Human Sacrifice. April 4, 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/science/ritual-human-sacrifice.html

more (an hypothesis of a funny approach inside modern societies):  Elio Petri. La decima vittima (movie, 1965)

https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_decima_vittima

sabato 9 aprile 2016

# e-tech: all kind of info storable in DNA

AA have << (..) detailed one of the first complete systems to encode, store and retrieve digital data using DNA molecules, which can store information millions of times more compactly than current archival technologies. >>

<< “Life has produced this fantastic molecule called DNA that efficiently stores all kinds of information about your genes and how a living system worksit’s very, very compact and very durable,” said co-author Luis Ceze, UW associate professor of computer science and engineering.“We’re essentially repurposing it to store digital data — pictures, videos, documents— in a manageable way for hundreds or thousands of years.” >>

Jennifer Langston. UW team stores digital images in DNA and retrieves them perfectly. April 7, 2016.

http://www.washington.edu/news/2016/04/07/uw-team-stores-digital-images-in-dna-and-retrieves-them-perfectly/

venerdì 8 aprile 2016

# n-laws: nashville looks back

<< Weeks  after  moving  to  name  a  high-powered  rifle  as  the official  gun  of  Tennessee,  lawmakers  in the  state  are  keeping  alive  their  prolific  tradition  of  declaring  official  state  designations  by  passing  a bil  that  would  make  the  Bible  the  state’s  official  book. >>

<< Senator  Steve  Southerlandthe  Republican who sponsored the bilargued  that  it  is  about  honoring  the  Bible’s  historical  and  cultural  contributions  to the  state.  He  said  that  a  Jewish friend  of  his  had  agreed  the  Bible  is  a  historical  text. >>

<< Both this bil  and  the  one  that  would  give  a  place  of  honor  to  a  rifle  with the  power  to take  down a commercial aircraft are ways of playing “political footbal”  with  social  issuesaccording  to  Hedy Weinberg,  executive  director  of  the  American Civil  Liberties  Union  of  Tennessee. >>

Katie Rogers. Bible Could Soon Be Tennessee’s Official Book. April 5, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/06/us/bible-could-soon-be-tennessees-officialbook.html

giovedì 7 aprile 2016

# n-ecol: example of cultural transitions during climate change: the Pueblo people

<<  The researchers  also  document  recurring  narratives  in  which  the  Pueblo  people  agreed  on  canons  of  ritual, behavior  and  belief  that  quickly  dissolved  as  climate  change  hurt  crops  and  precipitated  social  turmoil and  violence. >>

Ancient  Southwest  marked  by  repeated periods  of  boom  and  bust . WSU researchers  link  climate  changes  and  large  social  disruption.  1-Apr-2016

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/wsu-asm032916.php

R. Kyle Bocinsky, Johnathan Rush, Keith W. Kintigh and Timothy A. Kohler.  Exploration and exploitation in the macrohistory of the pre-Hispanic Pueblo Southwest. Science Advances  01 Apr 2016: Vol. 2, no. 4, e1501532. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1501532

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/4/e1501532

mercoledì 6 aprile 2016

# n-archeol: where Hannibal crossed

AA <<  have  (..) provided  solid evidence  for  the  most  likely  transit  route  that  took  Hannibal’s  forces  across  the  Alps  via    the Col  de  Traversette  pass  (~3000  m).    This  crossing  point  was  first  proposed  over  a  half  century  ago  by  the  biologist  and  polymath  Sir Gavin  de  Beerbut  has  not  previously  been  widely  accepted  by  the  academic  community. >>

Queen’s  University  Microbiologists  Unmask  the  Hannibal  Route  Enigma.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/ceao/News/Title,631613,en.html

W. C. Mahaney, C. C. R. Allen, et al.  Biostratigraphic Evidence Relating to the Age-Old Question of Hannibal's Invasion of Italy, II: Chemical Biomarkers and Microbial Signatures. Article first published online: 16 Mar 2016 DOI: 10.1111/arcm.12228

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12228

martedì 5 aprile 2016

# s-brain-behav: the skill to synchronize eye-blinks

<< Magicians  use  several  techniques  to  deceive  their  audiencesincludingfor  examplethe misdirection  of  attention  and  verbal  suggestionWe  explored  another  potential  stratagem, namely  the  relaxation  of  attentionParticipants  watched  a  video  of  a  highly  skilled  magician whilst  having  their  eye-blinks  recordedThe  timing  of  spontaneous  eye-blinks  was  highly synchronized  across  participants.  In  additionthe  synchronized  blinks  frequency  occurred immediately  after  a  seemingly  impossible  feat,  and  often  coincided  with  actions  that  the  magician wanted  to  conceal  from  the  audience.  Given  that  blinking  is  associated  with  the  relaxation  of attentionthese  findings  suggest  that  blinking  plays  an  important  role  in  the  perception  of  magic, and  that  magicians  may  utilize  blinking  and  the  relaxation  of  attention  to  hide  certain  secret actions. >>

Wiseman  RJ,  Nakano  T. Blink  and  you’ll  miss  itthe  role  of  blinking  in  the perception  of  magic  tricks. PeerJ4:e1873 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1873

https://peerj.com/articles/1873/

lunedì 4 aprile 2016

# p-eu-trade: ipotesi (e vaticinio) di #chaos con meccaniche "a leva" di Poul e Delia

<< "Quale fattore condurrà a una decisione? In passato c'è stato un solo momento in cui è stata presa una decisione ed è coinciso con una situazione che vedeva la Grecia a corto di liquidi e a un passo dal default. Non è vero? ", ha detto Thomsen."Esatto!", ha  affermato Veculescu. >>

Poul Thomsen, direttore europeo del FMI;  Delia Velculescu, capo missione del FMI in Grecia.

Daniel Marans. Fuga di notizie: le conversazioni del FMI che fanno scoppiare la rabbia in Grecia. 03/04/2016 17:13 CEST.

http://m.huffpost.com/it/entry/9604636

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/imf-greece-leak_us_57001521e4b0a06d5805ddf6

https://wikileaks.org/imf-internal-20160319/transcript/page-1.html

http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/Tsipras-Lagarde_Letter_4-2-16.pdf

domenica 3 aprile 2016

# s-astro: about Milkomeda wave

<< The  two  celestial  giants  will become  one  and  stars,  planets  and  gas  clouds  will  be  hurled  into  intergalactic  space  by  titanic  gravitational  forcesSurviving  stars  and planets  will  be  pitched  into  a  jumbled  cloud  flaring  up  with  new  stars  –  floating  into  a  long  future  not  in  the  Milky  Waynor Andromeda,  but  a  monstrous  “Milkomeda”  galaxy. >>

Our galaxy’s impossible collision could break gravity. 30 March 2016

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030670-300-how-a-galactic-smashup-could-force-a-rethink-of-gravitys-laws/