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| News Capsules - November-December - Page 1 |
Herod’s Tomb Found
The burial place of the infamous
King Herod has been located after
three decades of searching. So
says a team of researchers from
Hebrew U. in Jerusalem. Using an
account of Herod’s burial written
by the first century historian,
Josephus, the scientists found
Herod’s sarcophagus under a
mound built by Herod and called
Herodium. Any valuables buried
with Herod, who was king at the
time Jesus was born, had been
looted centuries before.—
Discover (August, 2007)
Many English Are Atheists
Only 28% of people in England
believe in a personal God,
according to a new religious
survey. And fully 42% said they
believe religion has a harmful
effect. Moreover, 74% polled said
they never or only rarely prayed.
The YouGov survey was
commissioned by John Humphrys,
a broadcaster and writer and self-
described “doubter.”— Christian
News (9/17/07)
AIDS Vaccine Ineffective
A promising new AIDS vaccine
doesn’t work. Merck & Co. said it
was discontinuing a study of the
vaccine, a study partly funded by
the National Institutes of Health.
Of 741 volunteers who got the
vaccine, 24 became infected with
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In
a comparison group, of 762
participants who got dummy
shots, only 21 became infected.—
(Racine) Journal Times (9/22/07)
The burial place of the infamous
King Herod has been located after
three decades of searching. So
says a team of researchers from
Hebrew U. in Jerusalem. Using an
account of Herod’s burial written
by the first century historian,
Josephus, the scientists found
Herod’s sarcophagus under a
mound built by Herod and called
Herodium. Any valuables buried
with Herod, who was king at the
time Jesus was born, had been
looted centuries before.—
Discover (August, 2007)
Many English Are Atheists
Only 28% of people in England
believe in a personal God,
according to a new religious
survey. And fully 42% said they
believe religion has a harmful
effect. Moreover, 74% polled said
they never or only rarely prayed.
The YouGov survey was
commissioned by John Humphrys,
a broadcaster and writer and self-
described “doubter.”— Christian
News (9/17/07)
AIDS Vaccine Ineffective
A promising new AIDS vaccine
doesn’t work. Merck & Co. said it
was discontinuing a study of the
vaccine, a study partly funded by
the National Institutes of Health.
Of 741 volunteers who got the
vaccine, 24 became infected with
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In
a comparison group, of 762
participants who got dummy
shots, only 21 became infected.—
(Racine) Journal Times (9/22/07)
Beethoven Killed?
Beethoven was accidentally killed,
a Viennese pathologist believes.
He thinks the composer’s
physician may have inadvertently
overdosed him with lead.
Previously research had
determined Beethoven had
suffered from lead poisoning.
Toxic levels of lead had been
found in his hair and bone
fragments. The pathologist
believes the physician tried to
ease Beethoven’s pain caused by
cirrhosis of the liver and edemas
of the abdomen by periodically
puncturing his abdominal cavity
and then sealing the wound with a
lead-laced poultice.—(Racine)
Journal Times (8/29/07)
Human-Animal Hybrids
British scientists may now be
allowed to create human-animal
hybrid embryos for research
purposes, the country’s fertility
regulator has decided in principle.
In creating the embryos, a tiny bit
of human DNA would be merged
with the eggs of animals such as
cattle or rabbits. Some scientists
say the research could lead to
therapies for diseases such as
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but
grave ethical and moral objections
have been raised. “These
embryos are essentially human.
Yet they will be cannibalized and
killed for their stem cells,” a pro-
life spokesman said.—news.
yahoo.com (9/5/07)
Beethoven was accidentally killed,
a Viennese pathologist believes.
He thinks the composer’s
physician may have inadvertently
overdosed him with lead.
Previously research had
determined Beethoven had
suffered from lead poisoning.
Toxic levels of lead had been
found in his hair and bone
fragments. The pathologist
believes the physician tried to
ease Beethoven’s pain caused by
cirrhosis of the liver and edemas
of the abdomen by periodically
puncturing his abdominal cavity
and then sealing the wound with a
lead-laced poultice.—(Racine)
Journal Times (8/29/07)
Human-Animal Hybrids
British scientists may now be
allowed to create human-animal
hybrid embryos for research
purposes, the country’s fertility
regulator has decided in principle.
In creating the embryos, a tiny bit
of human DNA would be merged
with the eggs of animals such as
cattle or rabbits. Some scientists
say the research could lead to
therapies for diseases such as
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but
grave ethical and moral objections
have been raised. “These
embryos are essentially human.
Yet they will be cannibalized and
killed for their stem cells,” a pro-
life spokesman said.—news.
yahoo.com (9/5/07)
Immune System
Protects Newborns
The idea that a newborn baby’s
immune system is rather
undeveloped has been
overturned by new research. A
Columbia U. immunologist
researched about 100 pregnant
women who came to a clinic for flu
shots. She found a large
proportion of newborns were
producing immune cells that didn’t
come from their mothers.—
Discover (September, 2007)
Toddlers More Social
Than Chimps
Toddlers as young as 2½ years
old have better social skills than
chimpanzees and display a
“cultural intelligence” unique to
humans. A study, published in
the journal Science, indicated
humans have distinctive abilities
to understand nonverbal
communication, to imitate
another’s solution to a problem
and to read the intentions of
others.—(Racine) Journal times
(9/7/07)
Germany Supports
Non-Embryonic Stem Cells
Germany has said it would spend
$6.9 million over 3 years for non-
embryonic stem cell research.
“We will support more those
research projects that aim to
substitute...embryonic stem cells
with stem cells...produced from
non-embryonic cells,” the German
Research Minister has stated.
Because of the Nazi experiments
at creating a “master race,”
genetic research is a sensitive
subject in Germany, and the
production of embryonic cells from
pre-existing stem cell lines is
banned in the country.—news.
yahoo. com (9/10/07)
Protects Newborns
The idea that a newborn baby’s
immune system is rather
undeveloped has been
overturned by new research. A
Columbia U. immunologist
researched about 100 pregnant
women who came to a clinic for flu
shots. She found a large
proportion of newborns were
producing immune cells that didn’t
come from their mothers.—
Discover (September, 2007)
Toddlers More Social
Than Chimps
Toddlers as young as 2½ years
old have better social skills than
chimpanzees and display a
“cultural intelligence” unique to
humans. A study, published in
the journal Science, indicated
humans have distinctive abilities
to understand nonverbal
communication, to imitate
another’s solution to a problem
and to read the intentions of
others.—(Racine) Journal times
(9/7/07)
Germany Supports
Non-Embryonic Stem Cells
Germany has said it would spend
$6.9 million over 3 years for non-
embryonic stem cell research.
“We will support more those
research projects that aim to
substitute...embryonic stem cells
with stem cells...produced from
non-embryonic cells,” the German
Research Minister has stated.
Because of the Nazi experiments
at creating a “master race,”
genetic research is a sensitive
subject in Germany, and the
production of embryonic cells from
pre-existing stem cell lines is
banned in the country.—news.
yahoo. com (9/10/07)
| Beethoven |
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