US scientists say they have made progress in repairing spinal cord injuries in paralysed rats.
Rats regained some bladder control after surgery to transplant nerve cells into the spinal cord, combined with injections of a cocktail of chemicals.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could raise hopes for one day treating paralysed patients.
But UK experts say it will take several years of research before human clinical trials can be considered — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Yesterday it was widely reported that the Federal Government had shelved
its data retention plans, walking away from the controversial proposal to monitor all Australians’ communications. But the reality is the complete opposite: Data retention is still being actively considered as a policy and will shortly return to plague Australia once again.
If you believe most of Australia’s media outlets, yesterday the great multi-headed monster that is data retention was slayed by a cadre of victorious knights. Government shelves controversial data retention scheme
, proclaimed The Age. Australian Government shelves data retention plans,
wrote ZDNet. Govt shelves telco data retention scheme,
added iTNews. Yup, there were plenty of footsoldiers waving flags in the air, their feet squarely planted on what they thought was the corpse of this long-reviled comprehensive surveillance project.
The only problem is, when you go back to the source material behind yesterday’s glorious proclamation and put it into context in terms of data retention’s wider history in Australia, it becomes clear that the project as a whole has only suffered a temporary setback in its progression at best, and that at worst, this week’s events have actually played right into its proponents’ hands. Things, if you’re a bureaucrat at the Attorney-General’s Department, are pretty much right on track.
The source of yesterday’s jubilation was two-fold. Firstly, the parliamentary committee which had been examining the data retention proposal as part of a much wider package of surveillance reforms, in a process known as the National Security Inquiry
, had finally — at the last possible moment, in the last sitting week of the current Parliament — delivered a report into the proposed reforms, severely criticising the Attorney-General’s Department for its lack of transparency in developing the data retention policy, and recommending a wide range of transparency and accountability measures, as well as hard limits on its power, on the data retention idea — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Pee the Rainbow, originally uploaded by Heather West.
From red to blue to violet, all the colours of the rainbow appear regularly in urine tests conducted at hospital labs.
The prismatic pee collection seen in this stunning photo took only a week to assemble for medical laboratory scientists at Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. Heather West, the laboratory scientist who snapped the picture at the hospital, said she and her colleagues collected the urine colours to highlight their fascinating behind-the-scenes work.
My picture was intended to illustrate both the incredible and unexpected things the human body is capable of, the curiosity in science, and also the beauty that can be found in unexpected places,
West said. A mix between art and science
— via redwolf.newsvine.com
The Waterfront Park Pleated Tote is a fun sewing craft that uses leather, rivets, interfacing, and of course fabric to make a fabulous finished purse that you will love carrying around! With hidden pockets and a re-purposed belt, you’ll adore the little details this sewing tutorial provides — via The Sewing Rabbit
To make these bracelets, you will need the following — three colours of yarn — basic bangles — glue — scissors — a little bit of wire — via Instructables
This version is banned in the US and UK. For some reason the President and Prime Minister didn’t like this video — via Youtube
Scientists say new research into the behaviour of superbug bacteria could help prevent life-threatening infections forming on medically implanted devices.
Drug-resistant bacteria such as golden staph can cause infections on devices like catheters, pacemakers and joint replacements that are notoriously difficult to treat.
A team of researchers from Sydney’s University of Technology say they have discovered how the bacteria behaves and why it spreads so quickly.
The research has just been published in the prestigious US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Scotland Yard deployed undercover officers in political groups that sought to uncover corruption in the Metropolitan police and campaigned for justice for people who had died in custody, the Guardian can reveal.
At least three officers from the controversial Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) spied on London-based activist groups.
Mark Jenner, an undercover officer, used the identity Mark Cassidy
in the 1990s to penetrate the Colin Roach Centre, which was named after a 21-year-old black British man who died in the foyer of Stoke Newington police station in north-east London. The campaigners worked with people who said they had been mistreated, wrongfully arrested or assaulted by police in the local borough — Hackney — which was at the time mired in a serious corruption scandal.
Jenner, who was married with children, had a five-year relationship with a woman he was spying on before his deployment ended in 2000.
A second SDS spy was used to gather intelligence on another group that represented the victims of police harassment and racist attacks in a neighbouring part of east London. The second spy, whose identity is not known, did not infiltrate the Newham Monitoring Project directly, but got inside associated groups and was able to monitor its activities.
The revelation comes a day after the Guardian revealed that Peter Francis, a former Met officer turned whistleblower, was asked to dig for dirt
on the family of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence. The revelation provoked anger across the political spectrum, led by the prime minister — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Beloved author Richard Matheson passed yesterday at the age of 87, after a long illness. Best known for his seminal work I Am Legend, he leaves not just a legacy of great science fiction, but an indelible mark on American pop culture.
Along with I Am Legend, Matheson wrote What Dreams May Come, A Stir of Echoes, and The Shrinking Man, all of which became Hollywood movies (in the case of I Am Legend, more than a few times). He was also one of the original Twilight Zone’s greatest screenwriters, penned the classic William Shatner-starring episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
. His Twilight Zone episode Steel
became the basis for Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman.
But Matheson was hardly just a Hollywood idea factory. Matheson’s dark, existentialist style influenced science fiction in every medium. His prose was humanist, but it was also bleak and ambiguous in a way that science fiction hadn’t been before, revealing the way the ambiguities of human nature play into stories of the fantastic — via redwolf.newsvine.com
Colourful rope dog leads have been all the rage in the pet accessories world lately — and I am obsessed! But, with prices ranging anywhere from $70 to over $150, they’re a little outside most people’s dog stuff
budgets. If you’d still like to get your paws on a stylish leash for your pooch (in whatever colour your heart desires) without breaking the bank, give this easy DIY rope leash project a whirl — via Curbly
Quirky Montreal artist and fabricator Ian Langohr’s latest creation is this fantastic Cthulhu mask — via MAKE
Vivid Meteorite, originally uploaded by Bill Mac.
Finnish elevator manufacturer KONE has unveiled a new hoisting technology that will enable elevators to travel heights of one kilometre — twice the distance than currently possible. The new development implies that the Burj Khalifa, whose longest elevator travels a distance of 504 meters, will not remain the world’s tallest building for very long.
Currently, the fastest elevator in the world, made by Toshiba, takes passengers from ground to roof in thirty seconds, rising 33.7 mph through the Taipei 101. This surpasses the speed of the Burj Khalifa’s Otis Elevator, which travels at a mere 22 mph. At 828 meters tall, the Burj Khalifa would still be nearly 300 meters shy (equivalent to the height of The Shard) of the elevator journey that this new technology proposes. This advanced vertical transportation will allow building ever-taller skyscrapers to become even more feasible.
UltraRope, the new hoisting technology developed by KONE, will replace the conventional steel rope used for lifting with one that is developed with a carbon fibre core and a high-friction coating. This rope is extremely light, reducing energy consumption in high-rise buildings as well as reducing the weight of its moving components, such as the hoisting ropes, compensating ropes, counterweight, elevator car, and passenger load. This means, at 800 meters, the weight of the moving masses using KONE UltraRope is a fraction of the weight accumulated with the conventional steel rope — via redwolf.newsvine.com
The government has shelved a controversial plan to force Australian telecommunications companies, internet service providers and sites such as Facebook to collect metadata
from Australian users and store it for two years.
The government had run out of time to push the plan through before the election, but, after a powerful parliamentary committee raised concerns about it, the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, confirmed more work was needed.
The government will not pursue a mandatory data retention regime at this time and will await further advice from the departments and relevant agencies and comprehensive consultation,
he said in a statement.
As international debate rages about revelations in the Guardian regarding access by US and UK security agencies to the metadata of internet users, the joint intelligence and security committee report has urged any Australian government to exercise caution about plans to force metadata retention for potential use by security agencies — via redwolf.newsvine.com
A group of Southern Tamanduas was imported to the United States last August as part of an effort to bolster the population in US zoos. A pair named Olive and Brutus were placed at the Buffalo Zoo.
Not much is known about the reproductive behaviours of this species, but Olive and Brutus had their first pup on 7 April. The male baby, named Otis, is strong, alert and very vocal — via ZooBorns
It’s 185 feet below the surface of Lewis NY, and comes with Strangelove-ian clocks that show the time in cities around the world and gun-metal grey consoles covered with analogue switches and dials for you to flip and turn while making blastoff noises with your mouth
. You also get 8 acres with a waterfront view
. Asking price: $750,000 — via Boing Boing
As soon as it snows in my country, no wild horses could keep me inside the house. Winter time = fox time! No better view than a healthy and gorgeous red furred fox in a perfect snowy environment. Of course global warming is an awful thing, but yay for our new & improved winters! — via 500px
These piratical tights feature pirate ships, treasure and sea creatures octopi, narwhal and squid, hand-printed by Teja Jamilla. These tights are 80 denier, metallic silver ink on deep navy blue tights, design is on the front and goes to thighs — via Etsy
Some people hate Mondays, and now perhaps at least one horse in Barbour County does too.
The horse, named Rowdy, fell into a sticky situation Monday when he found himself stuck in a large tyre on a farm in Belington. The tyre apparently holds water for the livestock, and when some local residents found Rowdy stuck, they were afraid he was going to drown.
It is still unclear how the horse found himself in such a mess — via redwolf.newsvine.com
This isn’t a huge surprise, but the Washington Post is reporting that US federal prosecutors have filed a sealed criminal complaint against Edward Snowden charging him with espionage under the Espionage Act, along with theft and conversion of government property — and have asked Hong Kong authorities to detain him. Just this morning, we were discussing the Obama administration’s war on whistleblowers, prosecuting six different whistleblowers under the Espionage Act, twice the number of all other presidential administrations combined. Now we’re up to number seven apparently. Update: The complaint has been unsealed.
Did Snowden break the law? Possibly — but charging him with espionage is ridiculous, just as it has been ridiculous in many of these cases. Snowden wasn’t doing this to “aid the enemy” but to alert the American public to the things that the administration itself had been publicly misleading to downright untruthful about. His actions have kicked off an important discussion and debate over surveillance society and how far it has gone today. That’s not espionage. If he was doing espionage, he would have sold those secrets off to a foreign power and lived a nice life somewhere else. To charge him with espionage is insane — via redwolf.newsvine.com
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