In the News
Developmental Disabilities Life Opportunities Trust: Washington State This trust, established by a bill passed by the Washington State Legislature, is "public-private partnership [that] creates a stable resource to enhance the quality of life for citizens with developmental disabilities."The background information, FAQ, and other documents on this site explain how the trust works to shelter and preserve "assets that would otherwise disqualify someone [with special needs] from government benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid."
September 11: Bearing Witness to History This companion website for an exhibit from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History "represents a work in progress. It embodies the best efforts of staff ... to document and preserve a wide range of stories about September 11."The site features clear, well-organized images of objects representing "the material record of this important event in American history."Includes personal narratives by the curators. Behavior of single protein observed in unprecedented detail Scrutinizing a single molecule for more than a few milliseconds used to require effectively "stapling" it down, inhibiting its normal behavior. Now, using a newly developed technique, chemists have for the first time confined a protein (one involved in photosynthesis), observed its behavior for more than a second and learned things about it that could influence solar energy technology and biofuels. Chronicles of Earthsea "Ursula Le Guin's books include 'A Wizard of Earthsea' ... and many others. This is an edited transcript of her [2004] online Q&A, in which she answered readers' questions about anarchism, utopias, [and] Harry Potter."Also discusses the impact of Ishi (the last member of a California Indian tribe, who was written about by Theodora Kroeber, her mother) on her writings. From Guardian Unlimited, the website for the U.K. newspaper The Guardian. Pluto Downgraded To 'Dwarf Planet' Status; Solar System Now Has Eight The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has downgraded the status of Pluto to that of a "dwarf planet,"a designation that will also be applied to the spherical body discovered last year by California Institute of Technology planetary scientist Mike Brown and his colleagues. The decision means that only the rocky worlds of the inner solar system and the gas giants of the outer system will hereafter be designated as planets. New Finding Points Way To Foiling Anthrax's Tricks Anthrax, when inhaled, is nearly always fatal, in part because the bacteria have a very effective way of stealing iron from human cells to reproduce. This involves two molecules, siderophores, that compete with the body's own iron-transport molecules. UC Berkeley researchers have now found that humans produce a protein that sidelines one of these siderophores, but not the other. A drug that blocks the second siderophore should be able to stop anthrax in its tracks. Studies Demonstrate Positive Data In Treatment Of Hepatitis C Data from two ongoing studies testing new approaches for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) this afternoon. Ozone Shuts Down Early Immune Response In Lungs And Body As policymakers debate what levels of ozone in the air are safe for humans to breathe, studies in mice are revealing that the inhaled pollutant impairs the body's first line of defense, making it more susceptible to subsequent foreign invaders, such as bacteria. Before and After the Great Fire of London "What did London look like before and after the Great Fire in [September] 1666?View the animation ... to see etchings of the London skyline made before and after the event."Highlights landmarks such as Fleet Street, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge, and the Tower of London. Also includes links to additional material about the Great Fire. From the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Ocean Life Fading: What Can Be Done? Creating "national parks of the sea"may be the only effective way to reverse trends that have left 76 percent of world fish stocks fully- or over-exploited and marine biodiversity at severe risk, according to the new report, Oceans in Peril: Protecting Marine Biodiversity. The four environmental experts call for a radical change in fisheries management, from a single-species approach to one that is ecosystem based and also includes the use of precautionary measures to tackle pollution and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that are changing the temperature and chemistry of the oceans.
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