‘Shape-Shifting’ Bacteria Spotted on International Space Station

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Bacterial cells treated with a common antibiotic have been spotted changing shape to survive while aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The way bacteria act in near-zero gravity environments could pose a serious problem for treating astronauts with infections.

The “clever shape-shifting” was detected in bacteria being experimented on in the near-weightlessness of space, and is believed to help the bacteria survive.

An experiment on the common E coli bacteria subjected it to different concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin sulfate, a drug which kills the bug on Earth.

However, in comparison to a control group on Earth, the space bacteria showed a 13-fold increase in cell numbers and a 73% reduction in cell column size. (Read more from “‘Shape-Shifting’ Bacteria Spotted on International Space Station” HERE)

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Controversy Over Artificial Intelligence That Identifies ‘Gay’ Faces

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A facial recognition experiment that claims to be able to distinguish between gay and heterosexual people has sparked a row between its creators and two leading LGBT rights groups.

The Stanford University study claims its software recognises facial features relating to sexual orientation that are not perceived by human observers.

The work has been accused of being “dangerous” and “junk science”.

But the scientists involved say these are “knee-jerk” reactions.

Details of the peer-reviewed project are due to be published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (Read more from “Controversy Over Artificial Intelligence That Identifies ‘Gay’ Faces” HERE)

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New Handheld ‘Pen’ Allows Surgeons to Detect Cancer in 10 SECONDS

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. . .The device gives medics a better chance of removing “every last trace” of the disease.

Researchers at the University of Texas say the device is capable of identifying cancerous cells more than 150 times faster than existing technology.

The MasSpec Pen can give surgeons precise information about which tissue to cut or preserve, helping to improve treatment and reduce the chances of cancer reoccurring, they said.

Tests conducted by the team found the tool took just 10 seconds to provide a diagnosis for cancer and was more than 96 per cent accurate.

Livia Schiavinato Eberlin, an assistant professor of chemistry who designed the study, said: “If you talk to cancer patients after surgery, one of the first things many will say is ‘I hope the surgeon got all the cancer out’. (Read more from “New Handheld ‘Pen’ Allows Surgeons to Detect Cancer in 10 SECONDS” HERE)

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Chicago’s Newest Problem Is an Invasion of ZOMBIE DOGS

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The police department in the Chicago suburb of Hanover Park is warning local residents to stay away from diseased coyotes which have lost a bunch of hair and look “like some sort of ‘zombie’ dog.”

“Recently we have received several messages and posts from citizens concerned about what appear to be malnourished or neglected stray dogs,” the Hanover Park police department says in a Facebook announcement. “These are NOT lost pets, but are in fact coyotes.”

“There is unfortunately an increase in sarcoptic mange in the urban coyote populations which has caused these normally noctural animals to become more active during the day. Infected animals will often appear “mangy” — which looks just like it sounds,” the police department’s Facebook page also says.

(Read more from “Chicago’s Newest Problem Is an Invasion of ZOMBIE DOGS” HERE)

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DOJ Subpoenas Christian Pastor’s Views on Islam

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In a sweeping defeat for Obama-era holdovers at the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal court has tossed out a case in which the department had subpoenaed a Christian pastor’s views on Islam.

The Islamic Center of Culpeper, Virginia, had already won a favorable settlement in its Obama-aided case against the city, which agreed to provide a permit for the mosque to pump sewage from a site where it wants to build a mosque, even though state environmental officials had said the site was not suitable for a septic system.

But that wasn’t enough for the lawyers who staff the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. They wanted to make an example out of rural Culpeper County. How else to explain forcing a local pastor and other locals who spoke against the mosque at public hearings to turn over personal documents that would reveal their views on Islam?

Pastor Steve Harrelson of Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church was the main target in the sights of the DOJ, which sought bring him before an inquisition-type hearing, forcing him to testify about his opinions on Islam and also deliver up to the government his personal papers and documents.

But U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon put an end to the witch hunt for “Islamophobes” in this small northern Virginia town that was being perpetuated by Obama-appointed U.S. attorneys. (Read more from “DOJ Subpoenas Christian Pastor’s Views on Islam” HERE)

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Cops: Woman Called 911 Over Meth Quality

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A Montana woman called 911 to report that she had purchased some “bad meth,” adding that the drug left a “bad taste in her mouth,” according to police.

A Great Falls Police Department officer was dispatched Friday afternoon to the home of Margery Ann Dayrider, 33, who had dialed cops to report having a bad reaction to meth she had injected . . .

As first reported by the Great Falls Tribune, Dayrider told the cop, “I do meth three times a day everyday and have never had this reaction before.” Dayrider said that she and her boyfriend had purchased the drug the night before and that she injected herself at 9 AM, 11 AM, and 3 PM. (Read more from “Cops: Woman Called 911 Over Meth Quality” HERE)

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Murder of Pregnant Woman Linked to Satanism?

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A Satanic cult is believed to be responsible for the murder of a pregnant Argentinian woman, who was discovered stabbed multiple times and burned in a fire so hot only her necklace helped authorities identify her.

The body of Fernanda Pereyra, 26, who was six months pregnant, was found July 20 at the 6-kilometer mark on Route 6 in Argentina, near the town of Rincon de los Sauces.

Authorities said due to the significance of the number 6, they believe Pereyra was the victim of a Satanist ritual.

The three sixes chosen – kilometer 6 on Route 6, and Pereyra being 6 months pregnant – were believed to be chosen to represent the number 666, found in the Book of Revelation and often used to refer to the devil.

Investigators believe the perpetrators stabbed Pereyra five times and then used a large amount of gasoline to burn her body. The killers then transported the remains in a Renault Kangoo van, Argentinian newspaper Clarin reported. (Read more from “Murder of Pregnant Woman Linked to Satanism?” HERE)

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Airport Employee Punches an Passenger Who Was Holding a Baby

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Airport officials in Nice, France, have confirmed that an employee at the Nice Airport has been suspended after punching a passenger who was holding a baby at the time.

The altercation took place on Saturday, as passengers waited to board an EasyJet flight to Luton, England. According to witnesses, the passenger’s wife had been complaining about the flight’s significant delay — more than 12 hours — when her husband approached another airport employee and the exchange turned physical.

“The man with the baby … went over and talked to the Frenchman and the Frenchman didn’t reply, he just smiled and smirked and then whacked this guy on the left side of his face,” said Arabella Arkwright, an EasyJet passenger standing behind the family, in an interview with BBC Radio 5.

Arkwright also took a photo of the altercation, which appears to capture the exact moment the employee’s fist makes contact with the man’s face.

(Read more from “Airport Employee Punches an Passenger Who Was Holding a Baby” HERE)

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Rare Megamouth Shark Captured on Video

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When scientists first discovered the megamouth shark in 1976 off the coast of Hawaii, it struck them as so bizarre that, to classify it, they created an entirely new genus and family.

Today, little is still known about the shark save for the fact that it has a large gaping mouth, which is indeed, very mega.

While swimming off the coast of Indonesia’s Komodo Island, one diver got a lucky sighting of one of these rarely seen sharks.

The diver was exploring the northernmost string of the islands known as Gili Lawa Laut, a popular diving spot for tourists when the shark happened to swim by. Video shows a clear image of the shark gently gliding through the water. It’s characteristic head and mouth get within close proximity of the diver before it turns and swims away. (Read more from “Rare Megamouth Shark Captured on Video” HERE)

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Disney’s Next Movie Could Be Watching You, Too

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There’s this term in the processed food industry for when something is quantifiably at its most delicious, but also–critically–still unsatisfying enough that you always crave more. It’s called the bliss point, and it’s what ensures that you always want another sip of that soft drink, or the crunch of that potato chip. It’s about maximizing the bliss of consumption so that you consume more.

Now, Disney Research has developed a neural network that seems to be chasing a similar idea–but for the world of movies. The system has been trained to watch an audience of theatergoers as they watch a film. It can track reactions like smiling and laughter on hundreds of faces in a dark theater, allowing Disney to quantify whether or not a film is working as intended on a granular scale. It’s easy to imagine such technology eventually reaching well beyond the movie theater, into the real world, where Disney parks could react to your mood with real-time Disney magic.

Disney’s researchers tested the system across 150 showings of several Disney films like The Jungle Book and Star Wars: The Force Awakens in movie theaters. Studios like Disney have used the reactions of test audiences to gauge early cuts of films for decades, often making changes to the edit or ending if the film wasn’t hitting as hoped. What’s different in this instance is the sheer amount of analysis Disney Research was able to produce with this methodology: 3,179 people generated 16 million points of data. (Read more from “Disney’s Next Movie Could Be Watching You, Too” HERE)

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