NEW YORK (AP) -- The AIDS virus has been circulating among people for about 100 years, decades longer than scientists had thought, a new study suggests.
Genetic analysis pushes the estimated origin of HIV back to between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908.
Previously, scientists had estimated the origin at around 1930. AIDS wasn't recognized formally until 1981 when it got the attention of public health officials in the United States.
The new result is "not a monumental shift, but it means the virus was circulating under our radar even longer than we knew," says Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona, an author of the new work.
The results appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. Researchers note that the newly calculated dates fall during the rise of cities in Africa, and they suggest urban development may have promoted HIV's initial establishment and early spread.
Scientists say HIV descended from a chimpanzee virus that jumped to humans in Africa, probably when people butchered chimps. Many individuals were probably infected that way, but so few other people caught the virus that it failed to get a lasting foothold, researchers say.
But the growth of African cities may have changed that by putting lots of people close together and promoting prostitution, Worobey suggested. "Cities are kind of ideal for a virus like HIV," providing more chances for infected people to pass the virus to others, he said.
Perhaps a person infected with the AIDS virus in a rural area went to what is now Kinshasa, Congo, "and now you've got the spark arriving in the tinderbox," Worobey said.
Key to the new work was the discovery of an HIV sample that had been taken from a woman in Kinshasa in 1960. It was only the second such sample to be found from before 1976; the other was from 1959, also from Kinshasa.
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Has the digital era killed Kodachrome?
ROCHESTER, New York (AP) -- It is an elaborately crafted photographic film, extolled for its sharpness, vivid colors and archival durability. Yet die-hard fan Alex Webb is convinced the digital age soon will take his Kodachrome away.
"Part of me feels like, boy, if only I'd been born 20 years earlier," says the 56-year-old photographer, whose work has appeared in National Geographic magazine. "I wish they would keep making it forever. I still have a lot of pictures to take in my life."
Only one commercial lab in the world, Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kansas, still develops Kodachrome, a once ubiquitous brand that has freeze-framed the world in rich but authentic hues since it was introduced in the Great Depression.
Eastman Kodak Co. now makes the slide and motion-picture film in just one 35mm format, and production runs -- in which a master sheet nearly a mile long is cut up into more than 20,000 rolls -- fall at least a year apart.
Kodak won't say when the last one occurred nor hint at Kodachrome's prospects. Kodachrome stocks currently on sale have a 2009 expiration date. If the machines aren't fired up again, the company might just sell out the remaining supplies, and that would be the end.
"It's a low-volume product; all volumes (of color film) are down," says spokesman Chris Veronda.
For decades, Kodachrome was the standard choice for professional color photography and avant-garde filmmaking. At its peak, a reverential Paul Simon crooned "Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away" in 1973. It's the only film to have a state park named after it -- photogenic Kodachrome Basin State Park in the red-rock canyons of southern Utah.
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"Part of me feels like, boy, if only I'd been born 20 years earlier," says the 56-year-old photographer, whose work has appeared in National Geographic magazine. "I wish they would keep making it forever. I still have a lot of pictures to take in my life."
Only one commercial lab in the world, Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kansas, still develops Kodachrome, a once ubiquitous brand that has freeze-framed the world in rich but authentic hues since it was introduced in the Great Depression.
Eastman Kodak Co. now makes the slide and motion-picture film in just one 35mm format, and production runs -- in which a master sheet nearly a mile long is cut up into more than 20,000 rolls -- fall at least a year apart.
Kodak won't say when the last one occurred nor hint at Kodachrome's prospects. Kodachrome stocks currently on sale have a 2009 expiration date. If the machines aren't fired up again, the company might just sell out the remaining supplies, and that would be the end.
"It's a low-volume product; all volumes (of color film) are down," says spokesman Chris Veronda.
For decades, Kodachrome was the standard choice for professional color photography and avant-garde filmmaking. At its peak, a reverential Paul Simon crooned "Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away" in 1973. It's the only film to have a state park named after it -- photogenic Kodachrome Basin State Park in the red-rock canyons of southern Utah.
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Posted By Phoenix Accident Injury Attorneys
'Space elevator' would take humans into orbit
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A new space race is officially underway, and this one should have the sci-fi geeks salivating.
The project is a "space elevator," and some experts now believe the concept is well within the bounds of possibility -- maybe even within our lifetimes.
A conference discussing developments in space elevator concepts is being held in Japan in November, and hundreds of engineers and scientists from Asia, Europe and the Americas are working to design the only lift that will take you directly to the one hundred-thousandth floor.
Despite these developments, you could be excused for thinking it all sounds a little far-fetched.
Indeed, if successfully built, the space elevator would be an unprecedented feat of human engineering.
A cable anchored to the Earth's surface, reaching tens of thousands of kilometers into space balanced with a counterweight attached at the other end is the basic design for the elevator.
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The project is a "space elevator," and some experts now believe the concept is well within the bounds of possibility -- maybe even within our lifetimes.
A conference discussing developments in space elevator concepts is being held in Japan in November, and hundreds of engineers and scientists from Asia, Europe and the Americas are working to design the only lift that will take you directly to the one hundred-thousandth floor.
Despite these developments, you could be excused for thinking it all sounds a little far-fetched.
Indeed, if successfully built, the space elevator would be an unprecedented feat of human engineering.
A cable anchored to the Earth's surface, reaching tens of thousands of kilometers into space balanced with a counterweight attached at the other end is the basic design for the elevator.
Read Article CNN.com/Europe
Posted By Phoenix Accident Injury Attorneys
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Clark Howard Asks: Is A Hybrid Worth It?
The Honda Corporation is betting big on small hybrid cars. While some car companies are making hybrids out of mid-size cars and SUVs, Honda said the green technology is most efficient in small cars.
In fact, next year Honda will launch a hybrid that’s smaller than a Civic.
With gas prices almost a dollar more a gallon than this time last year, you may be wondering if a hybrid is worth it. Consumer Advisor Clark Howard says -- it depends.
Cecil Alexander is not a happy hybrid owner. He spent thousands on his Camry hybrid hoping for good gas mileage. But he says – it stinks!
Cecil said he’s never been able to get better than 25 miles per gallon.
“I figured out that even if I was getting 35 miles per gallon, which is what they advertised, I’d have to drive it 400,000 miles before it made monetary sense for me,” said Cecil. “I don’t think I’ll be around that long.”
Other Camry hybrid owners report better gas mileage. So Cecil is disappointed.
Alice Chastain also has a Toyota. Hers is a Prius and she loves it. She averages about 48 miles per gallon, which is better than EPA estimates.
“I needed something that would save gas,” said Alice. “I needed to save money, I needed something that would last. My single income would mean that I would have to depend on my vehicle to be there for me.”
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In fact, next year Honda will launch a hybrid that’s smaller than a Civic.
With gas prices almost a dollar more a gallon than this time last year, you may be wondering if a hybrid is worth it. Consumer Advisor Clark Howard says -- it depends.
Cecil Alexander is not a happy hybrid owner. He spent thousands on his Camry hybrid hoping for good gas mileage. But he says – it stinks!
Cecil said he’s never been able to get better than 25 miles per gallon.
“I figured out that even if I was getting 35 miles per gallon, which is what they advertised, I’d have to drive it 400,000 miles before it made monetary sense for me,” said Cecil. “I don’t think I’ll be around that long.”
Other Camry hybrid owners report better gas mileage. So Cecil is disappointed.
Alice Chastain also has a Toyota. Hers is a Prius and she loves it. She averages about 48 miles per gallon, which is better than EPA estimates.
“I needed something that would save gas,” said Alice. “I needed to save money, I needed something that would last. My single income would mean that I would have to depend on my vehicle to be there for me.”
Read Article wsbtv.com 2
Posted By Phoenix Accident Injury Attorneys
