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| News Capsules - March-April, 2008 issue - Page 1 |
One-Third of Americans
Believe in Ghosts
One-third of Americans believe in
ghosts according to a recent
Associated Press-Ipsos poll. The
poll also found one-third believe
in unidentified flying objects, 19%
accept the existence of spells
and/or witchcraft, and 48% think
there’s something to extrasensory
perception or ESP. The 23% of
respondents who said they had
actually witnessed a ghost were
more likely to be single, Catholic,
non-churchgoing, and politically
liberal than the average.—
(Racine) Journal Times (10/26/07)
Scientists Close to
Creating Life—Again
Scientists in the U.S. once again
have said they are close to
creating artificial life. This time,
after five years of research, they
have synthetically reproduced the
DNA of a bacteria. An artificial life
form based entirely on a man-
made DNA genome has tantalized
scientists and sci-fi writers for
years. However, the work is only
at stage two of a three-step
process in creating a synthetic
organism. A debate over the
ethics and possible ramifications
of such an advance is expected.—
news.yahoo.com (1/25/08)
Believe in Ghosts
One-third of Americans believe in
ghosts according to a recent
Associated Press-Ipsos poll. The
poll also found one-third believe
in unidentified flying objects, 19%
accept the existence of spells
and/or witchcraft, and 48% think
there’s something to extrasensory
perception or ESP. The 23% of
respondents who said they had
actually witnessed a ghost were
more likely to be single, Catholic,
non-churchgoing, and politically
liberal than the average.—
(Racine) Journal Times (10/26/07)
Scientists Close to
Creating Life—Again
Scientists in the U.S. once again
have said they are close to
creating artificial life. This time,
after five years of research, they
have synthetically reproduced the
DNA of a bacteria. An artificial life
form based entirely on a man-
made DNA genome has tantalized
scientists and sci-fi writers for
years. However, the work is only
at stage two of a three-step
process in creating a synthetic
organism. A debate over the
ethics and possible ramifications
of such an advance is expected.—
news.yahoo.com (1/25/08)
Divorce Bad for the
Environment
Divorce rates have been rising
around the world, and that’s bad
for the environment, says a
Michigan State U. ecologist. A
divorce usually leads to two
households were formerly there
was one, and that means more
use of land, water and energy.
The U.S. had 16.5 million
households in 2005 headed up by
a divorced person and just over
60 million with a married person
as head of the house.—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(12/4/07)
Study Hints at Health Benefits
of Fasting
Mormons have long been known
to have less heart disease than
the general public—something
doctors have credited to the
Mormon ban on smoking. Now a
study in Utah possibly adds a
second reason—the Mormon
practice of fasting one day each
month. The study found that
Mormons and non-Mormons alike
who took regular breaks from food
were 40% less likely to have
clogged arteries.—(Racine)
Journal Times (12/11/07)
Bible Written on a
Pinhead-Sized Chip
Researchers in Israel have written
a version of the Bible on the
silicon surface of a chip smaller
than a pinhead. The 0.01 sq. in.
nano-Bible was written using a
device called Focused Ion Beam
(Fib). Scientists said the aim of
the project is to increase students’
interest in nanoscience and
nanotechnology.—news.bbc.co.
uk (12/24/07)
Environment
Divorce rates have been rising
around the world, and that’s bad
for the environment, says a
Michigan State U. ecologist. A
divorce usually leads to two
households were formerly there
was one, and that means more
use of land, water and energy.
The U.S. had 16.5 million
households in 2005 headed up by
a divorced person and just over
60 million with a married person
as head of the house.—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(12/4/07)
Study Hints at Health Benefits
of Fasting
Mormons have long been known
to have less heart disease than
the general public—something
doctors have credited to the
Mormon ban on smoking. Now a
study in Utah possibly adds a
second reason—the Mormon
practice of fasting one day each
month. The study found that
Mormons and non-Mormons alike
who took regular breaks from food
were 40% less likely to have
clogged arteries.—(Racine)
Journal Times (12/11/07)
Bible Written on a
Pinhead-Sized Chip
Researchers in Israel have written
a version of the Bible on the
silicon surface of a chip smaller
than a pinhead. The 0.01 sq. in.
nano-Bible was written using a
device called Focused Ion Beam
(Fib). Scientists said the aim of
the project is to increase students’
interest in nanoscience and
nanotechnology.—news.bbc.co.
uk (12/24/07)
Man in Trouble over
RU-486
A Wisconsin man who laced his
girlfriend’s drink with the abortion
drug, RU-486, in an attempt to
end the woman’s pregnancy, was
charged late November under
Wisconsin’s fetal homicide law.
Darshana Patel, a 39-year-old
Kaukauna woman, miscarried in
September after consuming food
and drinks prepared for her by
the man. A hearing to determine
whether Manishkuma M. Patel, 34,
should face trial is scheduled for
January 30.—Clearly Caring
(January/February, 2008)
Men Protest Abortion
A growing movement of “post-
abortive men” is calling attention
to the role of men in abortions
and the grief many feel over the
lost fatherhood. About 150 anti-
abortion activists gathered
recently in San Francisco and
heard men talk of having
abortions, the pain and
depression they felt after their
partners aborted, and the need
for “forgiveness therapy.” Similar
accounts of a post-abortion
syndrome suffered by women
were cited by the Supreme Court
a year ago when the Court
banned “partial-birth” abortions.—
(Racine) Journal Times (1/10/08)
‘Creationists Ignorant’
John Hopkins President
The president of the John Hopkins
U. chose the commencement
exercises in May to speak about
willful ignorance, which he
equated with creationism. He said
creationists ignore or subvert
facts and the findings of science.
In his speech, he blasted the new
Creation Museum in Kentucky.—
Answers (October-December,
2007)
RU-486
A Wisconsin man who laced his
girlfriend’s drink with the abortion
drug, RU-486, in an attempt to
end the woman’s pregnancy, was
charged late November under
Wisconsin’s fetal homicide law.
Darshana Patel, a 39-year-old
Kaukauna woman, miscarried in
September after consuming food
and drinks prepared for her by
the man. A hearing to determine
whether Manishkuma M. Patel, 34,
should face trial is scheduled for
January 30.—Clearly Caring
(January/February, 2008)
Men Protest Abortion
A growing movement of “post-
abortive men” is calling attention
to the role of men in abortions
and the grief many feel over the
lost fatherhood. About 150 anti-
abortion activists gathered
recently in San Francisco and
heard men talk of having
abortions, the pain and
depression they felt after their
partners aborted, and the need
for “forgiveness therapy.” Similar
accounts of a post-abortion
syndrome suffered by women
were cited by the Supreme Court
a year ago when the Court
banned “partial-birth” abortions.—
(Racine) Journal Times (1/10/08)
‘Creationists Ignorant’
John Hopkins President
The president of the John Hopkins
U. chose the commencement
exercises in May to speak about
willful ignorance, which he
equated with creationism. He said
creationists ignore or subvert
facts and the findings of science.
In his speech, he blasted the new
Creation Museum in Kentucky.—
Answers (October-December,
2007)
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