Scientists at Liverpool's John Moore University have successfully cloned a dinosaur, a spokesman from the university said yesterday.
The dinosaur, a baby Apatosaurus nicknamed “Spot,” is currently being incubated at the University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
The scientists extracted DNA from preserved Apatosaurus fossils, which were on display at the university’s museum of natural science. Once the DNA was harvested, scientists injected it into a fertile ostrich womb.
“Ostriches share a lot of genetic traits with dinosaurs,” said Dr. Gerrard Jones, a biology professor at LJMU and the project’s leading scientist. “Their eggshell microstructures are almost identical to those of the Apatosaurus. That’s why the cloning worked so perfectly.”
Those in the scientific community say the dinosaur cloning – the first ever of its kind – is a milestone for genetic engineering.
“I used to think this kind of thing could only happen in the movies,” said Dr. Gemma Sheridan, a LJMU chemistry professor. “But we’re making it happen right here in our lab. It’s astounding.”
The cloning attracted the attention of a wide variety of animal rights activists and religious groups. They claim that animal cloning is unethical and immoral.
PETA President Craig Farmer criticized the scientists for performing potentially life threatening threats on a new species.
“These scientists brought an animal from the Jurassic age back to life – just to watch it suffer!” he said.
But Dr. Sheridan doesn’t seem to be bothered by the activists’ quibbling. She says that the opportunities afforded by dinosaur cloning are endless.
Within ten years, we could repopulate the world with dinosaurs,” she said.
As of press time, the dinosaur is in stable condition. Scientists plan to run more tests on him today.
Few investors are good at swing trading — meaning, they're not good at predicting short-term swings in the market.
Recently, BusinessInsider observed that more often than not, investors find themselves buying high and selling low. And when the market starts selling off sharply, investors will panic, sell their own shares, and sit on the sidelines.
For instance, if an investor stayed fully invested in the S&P 500 from 1993 to 2013, they would've had a 9.2% annualized return.
However, if trading resulted in them missing just the ten best days during that same period, then those annualized returns would collapse to 5.4%.
In this trading methodology, missing 'big win' days does so much damage because those missed gains aren't able to compound during the rest of the investment holding period.
The Economist's Big Mac index seeks to make exchange-rate theory more digestible. They say, tongue-in-cheek, that it is arguably the world's most accurate financial indicator to be based on a fast-food item.
The Big Mac index is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity (PPP), according to which exchange rates should adjust to equalize the price of a basket of goods and services around the world. For them, the basket is a burger … a McDonald’s Big Mac.
According to this measure, the most undervalued currency is India's Rupee at about 67% below its PPP rate. In India, a McDonald’s Big Mac costs just 95 Rupees on average, the equivalent of $1.54 at market exchange rates. In America, the same burger averages $4.62.
The interactive graphic, below, shows by how much, in Big Mac PPP terms, selected currencies were over- or undervalued.
The index is supposed to give a guide to the direction in which currencies should, in theory, head in the long run. It is only a rough guide, because its price reflects non-tradable elements such as rent and labor. For that reason, it is probably least rough when comparing countries at roughly the same stage of development. The Economist has added an adjustment option to account for this in the interactive version of the data.
As the Olympics ended, I saw something that caught my eye … and speaks to a wider audience.
It was an interview with astronaut, Chris Hadfield. In it, he talks about life, the universe, and what’s really out there.
One of the noteworthy points is not to focus solely on the finish line.
If you view crossing the finish line as the measure of your life, you’re setting yourself up for a personal disaster.
There are very very very few people who win gold at the Olympics. And if you say, ‘if I don’t win gold then I’m a failure or I’ve let somebody down or something,’ … What if you win a silver? What if you win a bronze? What if you come fourth? What if your binding comes apart? … What if all of those millions of things that happen in life happen?
Only a few people that go there are going to win gold. And it’s the same, in some degree, I think in commanding a spaceship or doing a spacewalk. It is a very rare, singular moment-in-time event in the continuum of life.
And you need to honor the highs and the peaks in the moments — you need to prepare your life for them — but recognize the fact that the preparation for those moments is your life and, in fact, that’s the richness of your life.
The challenge that we set for each other, and the way that we shape ourselves to rise to that challenge, is life.
Focusing on the finish line can be tough, even if you win.
Let's say you set a big goal (for example: winning a gold medal, playing in the Super Bowl, IPOing your company, making a billion dollars, etc.). Achieving a goal like that is often anti-climactic. Why, because what's next? Was that the high point … and everything else is down-hill from there?"
Instead, focus on the process, the growth, and what it makes possible. That is where you will likely find the energy and motivation to find more ways to win and a bigger future.
What do you think?
If you want more Chris Hadfield, here is something.
Are the Olympics over yet? No? Here are some worthwile momements, in case you missed them.
For example, here, a woman tried to snap a picture of the hockey game between Russia and Slovenia — but instead she got an eyeful. Call it a new form of 'Selfie'.
These side-by-side pictures of me were taken almost exactly one year apart (the skinnier one was taken last week).
While I'm proud of the progress, there's still more work to do.
The result didn't come from Photoshop or fasting; it came from a consistent application of focus and activity.
On a day-to-day basis, my weight went up or down (seemingly randomly). Nonetheless, over time, burning more calories than I ate, measuring results, and adjusting the plan — led to meaningful progress on many levels.
Change can happen in an instant … Yet, it's often easier to see over time.
The goal, itself, can act as a compass heading – pointing in the right direction. The best next step is often simply being willing to take the best next step.
Entropy and inertia are always there if you stop along the way.
It's easy to get distracted by the practical realities and minor urgencies of life. This can pull you off track.
Likewise, while it seems like human nature to focus on how far you still have to go in order to reach your goal … this can be de-motivating. A better strategy is to recognize the progress you've made towards the ultimate goal, and use it as fuel towards more progress (or something better).
Samuel Johnson said, "If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
Given enough resources, you can do anything you commit to do. Some of those resources include money and time; but I believe that focus and energy are important as well.
As long as you continue to make progress, and don't give-up, possibility turns into probability … and probability turns into realized successes.
