Extinct Lion to Be ‘Brought Back’ in Jurassic Park-Style Experiment

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The discovery of an extinct cave lion cub from the Ice Age has raised hopes that it could be cloned and its species brought back to life some 50,000 years after it disappeared.

The tiny animal was found “perfectly preserved” with its paw resting on its head on the bank of Tirekhtykh River in the Abyisky district of Yakutia in Siberia in Russia.

Investigators says the small creature was about eight weeks old but cannot say how it died in the area that is permanently frozen – in conditions that helped keep its remains from decaying.

Cave lions were native to regions in the northern hemisphere before they became extinct, and the only knowledge of the animals that hunted in packs is from cave paintings left by early man.

Dr Albert Protopopov, of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha, in Yakutia, unveiled the discovery. (Read more from “Extinct Lion to Be ‘Brought Back’ in Jurassic Park-Style Experiment” HERE)

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World’s First Human Head Transplant a Success

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By Sarah Knapton. The world’s first human head transplant has allegedly been performed on a corpse in an 18 hour operation which successfully connected the spine, nerves and blood vessels of two people.

The operation was carried out by a team led by Dr Xiaoping Ren of Harbin Medical University, China, who last year successfully grafted a head onto the body of a monkey.

Italian Professor Sergio Canavero, Director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, who has been working with the team, said they would ‘imminently’ move onto a living human who was paralysed from the neck down.

He told The Telegraph that electrical stimulation of the nerves proved the operation on the corpse had been successful, and that the two people had been completely attached. (Read more from “World’s First Human Head Transplant a Success” HERE)

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Did the Human Head Transplant Really Happen? Not So Fast, Say Some

By IFL Science. Never too far away from making headlines, the controversial neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero is back with claims that the world’s first head transplant is “imminent”, after Chinese scientists successfully carried out the first head transplant on a human corpse.

He revealed the news at a press conference in Vienna on Friday morning, The Telegraph reports. Professor Canavero claims the feat was carried out during an 18-hour operation at Harbin Medical University in China, during which a team of surgeons successfully severed then reconnected the spinal cord, nerves, and blood vessels in the spine and neck. . .

“The first human transplant on human cadavers has been done,” Canavero told the crowd, according to the Telegraph. “A full head swap between brain-dead organ donors is the next stage. And that is the final step for the formal head transplant for a medical condition which is imminent.” (Read more from “Did the Human Head Transplant Happen?” HERE)

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US Scientists Try 1st Gene Editing in the Body

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Scientists for the first time have tried editing a gene inside the body in a bold attempt to permanently change a person’s DNA to cure a disease.

The experiment was done Monday in California on 44-year-old Brian Madeux. Through an IV, he received billions of copies of a corrective gene and a genetic tool to cut his DNA in a precise spot.

“It’s kind of humbling” to be the first to test this, said Madeux, who has a metabolic disease called Hunter syndrome. “I’m willing to take that risk. Hopefully it will help me and other people.” (Read more from “US Scientists Try 1st Gene Editing in the Body” HERE)

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People Paying $50,000 to Clone Pets

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. . .For more than 15 years, ViaGen has been cloning livestock. They have cloned thousands of cattle, more than 250 horses, and thousands of pigs and sheep, too. Two years ago, they starting doing dogs and cats . . .

Now you can — or at least duplicate that animal’s genetic DNA — and have the “new” puppy born again . . .

Cloning starts when your vet takes four small skin samples from your pet. It is a simple procedure. Most dogs go home the same day. Some owners choose to have it done when their dog is already under anesthesia for something as routine as a dental cleaning . . .

Next, the cells from you dog are put into a donor egg cell. ViaGen replaces the nucleus of the egg with the DNA from your pet. Then, the egg is put in a surrogate dog. The surrogate is chosen based on size, previous experience as a mom and for her ability to care for the puppies . . .

“The cloning fee is $50,000 to clone a dog,” said [Melain] Rodriguez. “Half of that fee is paid up front as a deposit, and that secures their spot on the wait list. So we do, there is a lot of interest. We do currently have a waiting list. It’s fairly short right now. We can usually get to the cloning in one to two months.” (Read more from “People Paying $50,000 to Clone Pets” HERE)

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Bill Gates Buys Big Chunk of Land to Build ‘Smart City’

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One of Bill Gates’ investment firms has spent $80 million to kickstart the development of a brand-new community in the far West Valley.

The large plot of land is about 45 minutes west of downtown Phoenix off I-10 near Tonopah.

The proposed community, made up of close to 25,000 acres of land, is called Belmont. According to Belmont Partners, a real estate investment group based in Arizona, the goal is to turn the land into its own “smart city.”

“Belmont will create a forward-thinking community with a communication and infrastructure spine that embraces cutting-edge technology, designed around high-speed digital networks, data centers, new manufacturing technologies and distribution models, autonomous vehicles and autonomous logistics hubs,” Belmont Partners said in a news release.

Ronald Schott, executive emeritus at the Arizona Technology Council, says the land Gates’ company purchased is in a good spot, in part due to the proposed I-11 freeway, which would run right through Belmont and connect to Las Vegas. (Read more from “Bill Gates Buys Big Chunk of Land to Build ‘Smart City'” HERE)

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Mysterious ‘Dinosaur’ Shark Caught

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. . .The animal, which was snagged off the coast of Portugal, is considered a “living fossil” by scientists because the species is thought to have remained largely unchanged … After it was caught, the commercial fishermen reported their strange catch and the creature was transferred to a research vessel where scientists examined it.

According to the fishermen, the beast measured an impressive five feet in length and had been hauled in from a depth of around 2,300 feet. The odd sharks are thought to live at extreme depths, and have been caught as far as 5,150 feet, which is the primary reason humans very rarely encounter them. Old tales of sailors encountering “sea serpents” may have been inspired by the occasional spotting of the animals, but there’s really no way of knowing.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the frilled shark is a pretty frightening creature to see. With a long, snake-like body, it hunts by lunging at its prey and snagging them with its rows of needle-like teeth. (Read more from “Mysterious ‘Dinosaur’ Shark Caught” HERE)

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Nurse May Have Killed Over 100 Patients

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A nurse who is already serving a life sentence for two murders may have killed more than 100 patients over several years at two hospitals in northwestern Germany, prosecutors said Thursday.

Investigators have completed toxicological examinations on patients who died during Niels Hoegel’s time as a nurse in the hospitals in Oldenburg and Delmenhorst, prosecutors and police in Oldenburg said. They found a further 16 cases in which he is suspected.

In late August, they said they had determined that he might have killed at least another 84 patients beyond the ones for whose murder he is already serving time. At the time, they said that they were awaiting toxicology results on another 41 fatalities, which have now been concluded. (Read more from “Nurse May Have Killed Over 100 Patients” HERE)

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Newest Threat to Mental Health: Christmas Music

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Are you one of those people that can’t stand hearing Christmas songs months before the holiday actually arrives? Does hearing festive carols weeks before Thanksgiving only make you upset that you haven’t eaten your turkey yet? A psychologist in Great Britain says your reactions don’t make you a Grinch because too much Christmas music is actually bad for your mental health.

Clinical psychologist Linda Blair claims the constant barrage of Christmas tunes too early in the season forces people to remember all the things they have to do before the holiday. Blair says the songs are a reminder to buy presents, cater parties, organize travel, and all the more stressful chores during Christmas. “You’re simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing,” Blair tells Sky News.

The psychologist added that store workers are most at risk for being worn down by the catchy beats. She states that hearing the same songs over and over each day make workers struggle to “tune it out” and they become “unable to focus on anything else.” “Christmas music is likely to irritate people if it’s played too loudly and too early,” Blair explained to reporters.

(Read more from “Newest Threat to Mental Health: Christmas Music” HERE)

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Hepatitis A Outbreak Continues to Grow

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Though the case count in San Diego’s ongoing hepatitis A outbreak increased again Monday, officials said that the number of new infections continues to slow.

In a presentation to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer, showed a chart that indicated there were 31 cases in October, significantly fewer than the 81 reported in September and 94 in August which saw the largest total of the outbreak so far . . .

The latest update bumped the outbreak’s case total to 544, eight more than the 536 reported last week. The number of deaths did not increase, remaining at 20 after one new death was reported last week.

Though the county has been providing weekly case, death and hospitalization updates, there has been some confusion, even among the Board of Supervisors, about what those numbers really mean. (Read more from “Hepatitis A Outbreak Continues to Grow” HERE)

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Mom Strapped Son to the Roof of Minivan to Hold Down Plastic Pool

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A 28-year-old Wisconsin mother is accused of taking her son for a very dangerous ride — on top of the family minivan — in order to hold down a plastic pool, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.

Amber Schmunk of Fredonia is charged with second degree recklessly endangering safety and could face up to 10 years in prison for the Sept. 9 incident, according to the complaint obtained by FOX6.

Authorities were initially called after receiving a report of a child riding on top of a minivan holding a plastic pool.

The complaint obtained by FOX6 said the 28-year-old eventually pulled over and took her son off the roof, folded the pool up and put it into the van before pulling into her sister’s driveway.

After police arrived at the sister’s house, Schmunk said she “believed it was OK as her father let her do things like that when she was that age,” the complaint said. (Read more from “Mom Strapped Son to the Roof of Minivan to Hold Down Plastic Pool” HERE)

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