List of All Articles with Tag 'and'

The Wagner mutiny was years in the making, as Russia's system of competing powers finally collapsed.

Today's USMNT news includes reports linking Christian Pulisic to Olympique Lyonnais and Weston McKennie to AS Roma. We also round up the Stars and Stripes' draw with Jamaica in their opening game at the Gold Cup.USMNT news: Christian Pulisic to Olympique LyonnaisChristian Pulisic is ex...

BANGKOK Thailand's policy interest rate remains low and further tightening will be gradual to curb inflation risks as

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis on Sunday offered prayers and solidarity to the family of a Vatican schoolgirl who

The meaning of life is the ultimate mystery – why do we exist? And is there a point to… well… anything? These are questions to which we may never find answers, but at least we can define what “life” means in scientific terms. And yet, our understanding of what life is is changing all the time, thanks to space exploration. As scientists continue to hunt for life beyond our own world, biologists are having to rethink the meaning of the word “life” itself. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Generally, biologists explain “life” as connoting a self-sustaining chemical system which is capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolising, excreting, breathing, moving, growing, reproducing, and responding to external stimuli. This definition works pretty well here on Earth (although there are some important exceptions, such as viruses), but experts have pointed out that if life exists elsewhere in the universe, it may not display the same properties that we’re used to. Indeed, it might be unrecognisable as life as we know it (forget those little green men). In which case, how will we spot it if it ever crosses our path? Astrobiologist Sara Imari Walker and chemist Lee Cronin think they’ve come up with a solution. The pair are now arguing that highly complex molecules found in all living creatures can’t exist thanks purely to chance. Therefore, they say, the universe must have a way of creating and reproducing complex information and retaining a “memory” of all of this.. In an interview with New Scientist, Walker, of Arizona State University, explained their radical idea on how objects come into existence. The concept, known as Assembly Theory, explains why certain complex objects have become more abundant than others by considering their histories. If the theory proves correct, it will redefine what we mean by “living” things and show that we’ve been going about the search for extraterrestrial life all wrong. In the process, we could even end up creating alien life in a laboratory, she stressed. In her discussion with New Scientist, Walker pointed out: "An electron can be made anywhere in the universe and has no history. You are also a fundamental object, but with a lot of historical dependency. You might want to cite your age counting back to when you were born, but parts of you are billions of years older. "From this perspective, we should think of ourselves as lineages of propagating information that temporarily finds itself aggregated in an individual." Assembly theory predicts that molecules produced by biological processes must be more complex than those produced by non-biological processes, as Science Alert notes. To test this, Walker and her team analysed a range of organic and inorganic compounds from around the world and outer space, including E. coli bacteria, urine, meteorites and even home-brewed beer. They then smashed up the compounds into smaller pieces and used mass spectrometry to pinpoint their molecular building blocks. They calculated that the smallest number of steps required to reassemble each compound from these building blocks was 15. And whilst some compounds from living systems needed fewer than 15 assembly steps, no inorganic compounds made it above this threshold. "Our system … allows us to search the universe agnostically for evidence of what life does rather than attempting to define what life is," Walker, Cronin, and others wrote in a 2021 Nature Communications article. The handy thing about this building block system – which they’ve dubbed the “'molecular assembly index” – is that it doesn’t rely on carbon-based organic materials to be identified. In other words, an alien could be made of entirely different stuff entirely and we’d still be able to spot it as life using the index. It also works regardless of what stage of “life” an extraterrestrial being is in – whether it is still in its infancy or has moved into a technological stage beyond our understanding. That’s because all of these states produce complex molecules which couldn’t exist in the absence of a living system. If all of this is hurting your head, let’s just get back to the basics: if there is a secret to life, it might all be down to what we do, not what we are. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have revealed the gender of their new baby. Earlier this month, Kardashian, 44, announced that she and Barker are expecting their first child together. On Saturday 24 June, the couple – who tied the knot last May – posted a gender reveal video on Instagram, along with a caption of pink and blue hearts. Kardashian is seen sitting on Barker’s lap, alongside a drum kit on a stage. The Blink-182 drummer can be heard saying: “Is our pyro guy ready?” The Poosh founder replies: “I don’t know what’s happening, whatever you guys had planned…” Her sister Khloe Kardashian can apparently be heard saying: “Let’s get the party started – we’re all excited!” Barker, 47, then begins a drum roll which ends with a burst of blue streamers, as the couple’s family and friends celebrate the news that they’re having a baby boy. “I love how they dont even look at anyone else when they’re together,” one fan reacted to the video. Referencing Kardashian and Barker’s couple name, another wrote: “They can actually name [the baby] Kravis.” Kardashian first shared the news she and Barker, 47, are expecting with a Blink-182-style pregnancy reveal video. In it, the mother of three can be seen holding up a sign that reads “Travis I’m pregnant”, recreating a scene from one of the band’s hit songs “All the Small Things”. While the video was widely celebrated on Instagram, some people suggested it was “staged” since Kardashian’s baby bump was apparently visible in it. Fans defended the reality star at the time, claiming it didn’t matter when Barker found out, and that the point of the video was simply to share the news with their followers. Earlier this week, Kardashian shared pictures of her growing baby bump, as some users speculated about her due date. Kardashian and Barker tied the knot after years of being friends, and celebrated their marriage with three wedding ceremonies – including one officiated by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas. Since then, the couple has documented parts of Kardashian’s experience with fertility treatments on her family’s reality series The Kardashians. In an episode last April, she also addressed how “every single person on social media is always like, ‘Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s gained so much weight” while she was undergoing IVF treatments. She told her mother Kris Jenner: “I’m like, it’s so rude to comment on people when you have no idea what they’re actually going through.” At the time, she also explained how the medication “basically put me into a depression”. Kardashian shares three children with her former partner Scott Disick. Meanwhile, Barker shares two children with his ex-wife and former Miss USA, Shanna Moakler. Read More Mother shares heartbreak after inviting whole school class to daughter’s birthday party Lewis Capaldi opens up about worsening Tourette’s tics while he’s on stage Gongs, chanting and Celtic Shamanism: What I learnt from a day at the Glastonbury Healing Field Prince Harry ‘wanted to interview Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump about childhood trauma’ How Center Parcs became a symbol of class

New findings have suggested that adding sensors to supermarket trolleys could save people’s lives. Scientists investigated whether installing electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors – designed to check the heart’s rhythm – on the handles of supermarket, trolleys could identify shoppers with atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. The sensors would detect heart conditions that put them at increased risk of stroke. The researchers said that over the course of two months, they identified 39 people who were unaware that they had the condition. Ian Jones, professor of cardiovascular nursing at Liverpool John Moores University, who led the study, said: “That’s 39 people at greater risk of stroke who received a cardiologist appointment.” He added: “This study shows the potential of taking health checks to the masses without disrupting daily routines.” It is estimated that around 1.5 million people in the UK have atrial fibrillation, contributing to one in five strokes. The condition is treatable, but at least another 270,000 people in the UK remain undiagnosed and unaware, according to the British Heart Foundation. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter There are wearable devices that can also spot irregular heartbeat but this would also require people to take responsibility and wear the device. Professor Jones said: “Nearly two-thirds of the shoppers we approached were happy to use a trolley, and the vast majority of those who declined were in a rush rather than wary of being monitored. “This shows that the concept is acceptable to most people and worth testing in a larger study.” He added: “Checking for atrial fibrillation while people do their regular shopping holds promise for preventing strokes and saving lives. “A crucial aspect is providing immediate access to a health professional who can explain the findings and refer patients on for confirmatory tests and medication if needed.” The findings were presented at ACNAP 2023 conference organised by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

'No Hard Feelings' actress Jennifer Lawrence reveals there were "a lot of alternate lines" that didn't make the cut for the movie because the director was keen to keep trying other ideas.

Irish police found Woody lying, exhausted, across a pavement in County Tipperary last year.

Human remains were found Saturday in Southern California near the area where investigators have been searching for missing British actor Julian Sands, according to authorities.

Four months after being hired by the Commanders, ex-Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy names one key difference between the two teams.Off the top of our heads, we can think of a few differences between the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders. Quarterback, coaching, divisional record, playoff recor...

George Orwell's satirical novel has such resonance it has been translated into the local Shona language.