Scientists in Brazil have engineered a cow to produce human insulin in its milk‚ making history as the world’s first transgenic cow capable of such a feat. Though still a long way off‚ the researchers hope that this bovine breakthrough could open doors for sustainable insulin production and help tackle the world's insulin supply problems.For now‚ the achievement is just a proof-of-concept – but with additional testing and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval‚ it could be scaled up to rival current insulin production methods‚ which involve genetically modified yeast and bacteria."Mother Nature designed the mammary gland as a factory to make protein really‚ really efficiently. We can take advantage of that system to produce a protein that can help hundreds of millions of people worldwide‚" Professor Matt Wheeler‚ lead author of a paper describing the development‚ said in a statement.To do this‚ Wheeler and co-authors created a transgenic cow by inserting a segment of human DNA that codes for proinsulin (the protein precursor of insulin) into the nuclei of 10 cow embryos. These modified embryos were then implanted into the uteruses of normal cows‚ one of which gave birth to a living‚ transgenic calf.Despite struggling to get the cow pregnant once it had reached maturity‚ the team was able to induce lactation using hormones. This yielded a smaller quantity of milk than would occur after pregnancy‚ but what milk it did produce contained human proinsulin – and‚ to the team's surprise‚ insulin."Our goal was to make proinsulin‚ purify it out to insulin‚ and go from there. But the cow basically processed it herself. She makes about three to one biologically active insulin to proinsulin‚" Wheeler said.The genetic engineering technology used means that human insulin was targeted for expression in mammary tissue only‚ and was not present anywhere else in the cow.For the insulin and proinsulin to be used‚ they would first need to be extracted and purified. Assuming this can be achieved‚ Wheeler proposes that if each cow could make 1 gram (0.04 ounces) of insulin per liter of milk‚ the system could make a lot of insulin.A typical unit of insulin is 0.0347 milligrams (0.000001 ounces)‚ which “means each gram is equivalent to 28‚818 units of insulin‚" Wheeler said. "And that's just one liter; Holsteins can produce 50 liters per day. You can do the math."The researchers now plan to re-clone the cow and eventually hope to create a whole transgenic herd. This‚ they say‚ could one day supply insulin to the millions of people with diabetes across the globe.It may be a pipe dream for now‚ but Wheeler is optimistic: "I could see a future where a 100-head herd‚ equivalent to a small Illinois or Wisconsin dairy‚ could produce all the insulin needed for the country‚" he said. "And a larger herd? You could make the whole world's supply in a year.”The study is published in the Biotechnology Journal.

A large-scale study involving amateur astronomers around the world has discovered 15 rare asteroids that exhibit unusual “active” properties that blur the boundaries between asteroids and other celestial objects. The discovered asteroids are described in the Astronomical Journal. These asteroids were seen in 430‚000 images studied by more than 8‚000 volunteers as part of the Active Asteroids Project‚ founded by Colin Orion Chandler‚ Ph.D.‚ of the University of Washington and a Dirac Institute scientist. “Active” asteroids have properties that make them unique in the solar system. Some have comet-like tails‚ while others are shrouded in clumps of dust or gas. Since their first discovery in 1949‚ only a few dozen of these rare objects have been discovered. “The properties these objects exhibit challenge our traditional understanding of solar system objects‚” NASA said. “They open up possibilities for new understanding of the behavior and origins of these rare active asteroids.” Or maybe these aren’t asteroids at all? First thought to be an asteroid‚ later recast as a likely comet‚ and by some even considered a possible alien spaceship‚ the 650-foot-long (200 meters) ‘Oumuamua zoomed through the central solar system in late 2017. During its brief visit‚ the rock approached Earth within 15 million miles (24 million kilometers)‚ about 62 Earth-moon distances‚ and disappeared a few weeks after its discovery. A paper by researchers at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics raises the possibility that the elongated dark-red object‚ which is 10 times as long as it is wide and traveling at speeds of 196‚000 mph‚ might have an “artificial origin.” “‘Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe sent intentionally to Earth vicinity by an alien civilization‚” they wrote in the paper‚ which has been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The post NASA observes unusual activity on 15 more asteroids appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Elon Musk predicts that by next year artificial intelligence will surpass human abilities. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said that artificial intelligence (AI) will surpass human abilities by next year. On social media X‚ Musk expressed confidence that “AI will likely be smarter than any single human in the next year.” He also suggested that by 2029‚ AI “will likely be smarter than all humans combined.” Musk’s forecast is based on the rapid pace of development in AI and robotics. Tesla is currently developing a humanoid robot‚ Optimus‚ that can walk‚ perform tasks‚ and interact with people. Musk is keen to release Optimus as soon as possible and believes its development could soon catch up with Boston Dynamics’ more advanced Atlas robot. Atlas already demonstrates impressive abilities: running‚ jumping and doing backflips. Musk believes that such advances in AI and robotics will lead to some tech devices becoming smarter than humans in the near future. Musk’s prediction was supported by futurist Ray Kurzweil‚ who believes that the pace of AI modernization will allow bots to “match any human” by 2029. The statements by Musk and Kurzweil caused mixed reactions. Some experts say their predictions are too optimistic‚ while others welcome rapid progress in AI. It remains unclear when AI will actually surpass human abilities‚ but Musk and Kurzweil’s predictions indicate it could happen sooner than many expect. The post Elon Musk: AI “will be smarter than all humans combined” appeared first on Anomalien.com.

With much of the media rushing to take Donald Trump’s comments about an impending “bloodbath” in the auto industry‚ Fox &; Friends declared that this is why viewers should trust them to cover the news accurately instead. This did not sit well with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel‚ who accused them on Monday of both sides-ing the issue and ultimately proclaimed that the truth doesn’t actually matter. Kimmel was going through a series of clips from Trump’s recent rally when he teed up a clip of the “bloodbath” remarks‚ “But of all the very disturbing things he said‚ this was probably most disturbing.”     What makes Kimmel’s hot take about Fox even more ridiculous is that he played the part of the clip where Trump was very clearly talking about his trade policy‚ “We're going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you're not going to be able to sell those to us if I get elected. Now‚ if I don't get elected‚ it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it.” Kimmel responded‚ “The longer this election goes‚ the more he talks like Thanos. He’s saying ‘bloodbath’ -- so after the bloodbath remark‚ people went‚ ‘oh‚ that's not great.’ So‚ Trump went into spin mode‚ saying he was only talking about a bloodbath in the auto industry. He had to post an explanation on Truth Social‚ which is on fire‚ by the way. They even had to activate the Fox &; Friends to do damage control.” In a clip of Monday morning’s Fox &; Friends‚ co-host Steve Doocy was shown declaring‚ “And with Donald Trump‚ you have to watch and don't let people report what they think he said. Context is always important‚ and we try to give you as much of it as we possibly can.” Fellow co-host Ainsley Earhardt added‚ “And if you watch a mainstream media outlet‚ you don't get the whole story.” Doocy added‚ “Just watch us. We'll tell you both sides‚” to which Earhardt agreed‚ “So true.” Mocking Earhardt‚ Kimmel returned‚ “So true. Not just true‚ so true. There are-- listen‚ there are very fine people on both sides of the bloodbath.” Kimmel then claimed that the actual context doesn’t matter‚ the fact that there’s a debate around what he said is problematic enough‚ “The truth is‚ the context we should be considering isn't whether or not Trump meant that bloodbath literally. What we should--is that he’s such a lunatic‚ we actually have to debate if he meant it literally. We have to ask ‘Was that totally crazy or just kind of crazy?’"  If it is true that in politics perception is reality‚ then context absolutely matters because taking something out of context alters people’s perception of political candidates. Somebody who claims to have a rigorous fact-checking process for his jokes should understand that.   Here is a transcript for the March 18 show: ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 3/18/2024 11:43 PM ET JIMMY KIMMEL: But of all the very disturbing things he said‚ this was probably most disturbing.  DONALD TRUMP: We're going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line and you're not going to be able to sell those to us if I get elected. Now‚ if I don't get elected‚ it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it.  KIMMEL: The longer this election goes‚ the more he talks like Thanos. He’s saying “bloodbath” -- so after the bloodbath remark‚ people went‚ “oh‚ that's not great.” So‚ Trump went into spin mode‚ saying he was only talking about a bloodbath in the auto industry. He had to post an explanation on Truth Social‚ which is on fire‚ by the way. They even had to activate the Fox &; Friends to do damage control.  STEVE DOOCY: And with Donald Trump‚ you have to watch and don't let people report what they think he said. Context is always important‚ and we try to give you as much of it as we possibly can.  AINSLEY EARHARDT: And if you watch a mainstream media outlet— LAWRENCE JONES: Right. EARHARDT: -- you don't get the whole story.  DOOCY: Just watch us. We'll tell you both sides.  EARHARDT: So true.  KIMMEL: So true. Not just true‚ so true. There are-- listen‚ there are very fine people on both sides of the bloodbath. The truth is‚ the context we should be considering isn't whether or not Trump meant that bloodbath literally. What we should--is that he’s such a lunatic‚ we actually have to debate if he meant it literally. We have to ask "Was that totally crazy or just kind of crazy?" 

Imagine being not yet seventy years old and being told‚ not exactly politely‚ that in the interest of liberalism you have to be put out to pasture. When that message went out to Justice Stephen Breyer in 2021‚ he was at least over eighty when the leftists told him his time was up on the Supreme Court. With Justice Sonia Sotomayor‚ despite being over ten years younger than Breyer when he retired‚ Josh Barro writing for The Atlantic announced that it was time for her to withdraw in the interest of liberalism as you can see in "Sonia Sotomayor Should Retire Now." As you read Barro's plea for Sotomayor to split the Supreme Court scene you can sense his irritation with her for not voluntarily leaving as yet of her own accord as a personal sacrifice for the greater cause of liberalism: Justice Sonia Sotomayor will turn 70 in June. If she retires this year‚ President Joe Biden will nominate a young and reliably liberal judge to replace her. Republicans do not control the Senate floor and cannot force the seat to be held open like they did when Scalia died. Confirmation of the new justice will be a slam dunk‚ and liberals will have successfully shored up one of their seats on the Court—playing the kind of defense that is smart and prudent when your only hope of controlling the Court again relies on both the timing of the death or retirement of conservative judges and not losing your grip on the three seats you already hold. But if Sotomayor does not retire this year‚ we don’t know when she will next be able to retire with a likely liberal replacement. It’s possible that Democrats will retain the presidency and the Senate in this year’s elections‚ in which case the insurance created by a Sotomayor retirement won’t have been necessary. But if Democrats lose the presidency or the Senate this fall—or both—she’ll need to stay on the bench until the party once again controls them. That could be just a few years‚ or it could be longer. Democrats have previously had to wait as long as 14 years (1995 to 2009). In other words‚ if Sotomayor doesn’t retire this year‚ she’ll be making a bet that she will remain fit to serve until possibly age 78 or even 82 or 84—and she’ll be forcing the whole Democratic Party to make that high-stakes bet with her. Barro justifies his rather impolite desperation by citing his liberal nightmare of a 7-2 court: If Democrats lose the bet‚ the Court’s 6–3 conservative majority will turn into a 7–2 majority at some point within the next decade. If they win the bet‚ what do they win? They win the opportunity to read dissents written by Sotomayor instead of some other liberal justice. This is obviously an insane trade. Democrats talk a lot about the importance of the Court and the damage that has been done since it has swung in a more conservative direction‚ most obviously including the end of constitutional protections for abortion rights. So why aren’t Democrats demanding Sotomayor’s retirement? And now Barro basically tells Sotomayor to get the hell off the court. Some Democrats close to the Biden administration and high-profile lawyers with past White House experience spoke to West Wing Playbook on condition of anonymity about their support for Sotomayor’s retirement. But none would go on the record about it. They worried that publicly calling for the first Latina justice to step down would appear gauche or insensitive. Privately‚ they say Sotomayor has provided an important liberal voice on the court‚ even as they concede that it would be smart for the party if she stepped down before the 2024 election. This is incredibly gutless. You’re worried about putting control of the Court completely out of reach for more than a generation‚ but because she is Latina‚ you can’t hurry along an official who’s putting your entire policy project at risk? If this is how the Democratic Party operates‚ it deserves to lose. Yeeesh! It appears that Josh Barro has no problem about appearing to be gauche or insensitive by demanding that Sotomayor resign and any pretense in support of their sacred diversity be ditched in the interests of the greater liberal good.

A group of seasoned female cyclists were ripping through the forested Tokul Creek trail northeast of Fall City‚ Washington‚ when they came across a pair of cougars. The female cat took off running. The young male cougar‚ however‚ stuck around for a fight and a feast. Owing to the perseverance and grit of the five cyclists — all in their 50s and 60s — the cougar ultimately lost the fight and became a feast for worms. KUOW-FM reported that the cyclists met at the Tokul Creek trail on Feb. 17‚ then ventured some 19 miles in before encountering the cats. The group comprised Keri Bergere‚ 60; Annie Bilotta‚ 64; Auna Tietz‚ 59; Tisch Williams‚ 59; and Erica Wolf‚ 51. The cats burst from the brush‚ dividing the riding team. Tietz shouted‚ "Cougar! Cougar!" The yelling was apparently enough to prompt the first cat to flee the scene‚ but not the other. The male lion‚ evidently unfazed‚ lunged at Bergere. "Looking to my right‚ I saw the cougar's face‚" Bergere told KUOW. "It was just a split second‚ and he tackled me off my bike." The cougar pulled the rider into the ditch that runs alongside the trail and clamped down on her jaw. "I thought my teeth were coming loose‚ and I was gonna swallow my teeth‚" Bergere recalled. "I could feel the bones crushing‚ and I could feel it tearing back." The beast‚ which the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife indicated was roughly a 1-year-old 75-pound cougar‚ had Bergere pinned and down for the count. "I felt like it was suffocating me‚" said Bergere. "I could taste the blood in my mouth." As the cyclist breathed what could have been her last‚ she reportedly heard the roar of her fellow riders and some choice language. "These ladies are not big‚ and they were killing this cougar‚" said Bergere. "They were not going to let it get me." "I immediately tried to choke the cougar‚ which was like trying to choke a rock‚" Bilotta told KING-TV. "Then‚ Erica and Tisch come over with sticks and a rock and we're hand-to-hand combat battling this thing." While the riders thwacked at the beast with rocks‚ sticks‚ and an almost useless 2-inch knife‚ Bergere desperately attempted to unhinge its jaw‚ stabbing her fingers into its eyes‚ nostrils‚ and mouth. Bilotta reportedly joined Bergere in digging into the cougar's mouth while Tietz yanked on the beast's leg. "The cougar had his claws pretty much around her‚ in attack mode‚" Tietz told KUOW. "Like‚ 'I will have my prey now‚ and within a couple minutes I will eat her.'" Looking to adopt the "most drastic measure‚" Tietz found a 25-pound melon-sized rock. She hoisted it between her legs about a foot off the ground‚ got the thumbs-up from Bergere‚ whose head was just next to the cougar's‚ then dropped the rock. Once was not enough‚ so Tietz dropped it on the cougar another four or five times. This drastic measure was not‚ however‚ enough. "I was sitting down‚ and I actually said‚ 'I can't do this any more‚'" said Tietz. "But then I saw all the other girls doing their thing and helping‚ and I of course regained strength‚ and I saw‚ 'Okay‚ I can do this.'" The riders refused to relent‚ and their fighting paid off: After fifteen minutes in the grips of the cougar‚ Bergere finally was able to break free of its jaws. Bergere‚ bloodied but still alive‚ crawled over to the trail while her fellow riders struggled to keep the cougar down. The riders reportedly grabbed Wolf's $6‚000 bicycle and used it to pin down the cat until help arrived. "I know for a fact I would be dead if they didn't come back in‚ I would just be gone‚" Bergere told KING. "That cougar had me." WDFW Officer Chris Moszeter arrived on the scene and put a bullet between the cougar's shoulders while the women held it down‚ bringing the battle to a close. "The people on the scene took immediate action to render aid‚ and one of our officers was able to arrive within minutes to continue medical aid and coordinate transport‚" said WDFW Lt. Erik Olson. "We may have had a very different outcome without their heroic efforts." According to a GoFundMe campaign set up to help Bergere with her recovery‚ she suffered severe trauma to the face and permanent nerve damage. Bergere was released from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Feb. 22 and reunited with an earring the beast had torn out and consumed. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Johnson Space Center in Houston‚ Texas‚ welcomed 12 new astronauts after the candidates completed a two-year training program through NASA. There are reportedly 10 Americans and two individuals from the United Arab Emirates who make up the latest class of astronauts.Space.com reported that these astronauts will be assigned to missions on the International Space Station and future commercial space stations. They will also be focused on missions to the moon in preparation for an eventual journey to Mars.NASA announced the news on its website earlier this month:The most recent astronaut candidates wave to the crowd in this image from their March 5‚ 2024‚ graduation ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Nicknamed “The Flies‚” this cohort is now eligible for spaceflight assignments to the International Space Station‚ future orbiting destinations‚ the Moon‚ and beyond.Selected for training in 2021‚ the astronaut graduates were chosen from a pool of more than 12‚000 applicants and successfully completed more than two years of required basic training‚ including spacewalking‚ robotics‚ space station systems‚ and more.Fox News Digital reported that Luke Delaney — a retired United States Marine Corps major from Florida — said graduating from the program was a dream come true. For some‚ the dream of becoming an astronaut takes decades to come to fruition. Delaney discussed the first time he put on the spacesuit‚ saying‚ "The first time you put that on‚ and you’re getting in the water‚ it’s impressive. You just feel like you’ve made it in some ways‚" he shared.The process of becoming an astronaut is intense. Reports mentioned that all the members of the current class are doctors‚ scientists‚ engineers‚ and researchers‚ and they were chosen from a pool of 12‚000 applicants. After making the initial cut‚ they were sent to Houston to begin physical and mental training for their first spaceflight.Jack Hathaway — another member of the newest astronaut class — said there is "just so much to be excited about.""There's a lot of hard work that the whole team is going to have to do. The whole thing is just such a cool time to be part of the [astronaut] office. You're coming into the office with all the commercial partners doing lunar landings and lunar missions‚ and the opportunity to have multiple commercial partners building lunar landers and human landing systems. I'm just really excited about this."There is a lot of buzz around the possibility of astronauts making another trip to the moon. Medical physicist Christopher Williams said the team is prepared to get back to the moon and to use their specialized skills to get there."It just gives me goosebumps that some of the folks that I walked across the stage with today‚ I think‚ are going to be on the moon‚" he told Space.com. "We're not only growing‚ but adding to our portfolio‚ getting beyond low Earth orbit. I think it connects with a lot of people in terms of exploration and getting out there."There is no timetable for when the astronauts could make a return to the moon. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Trump was asked about Chuck Schumer’s call for the election of a new Israeli government that would entertain peace talks with Hamas.

Keith Olbermann BACKPEDALS After Twitter Spanks Him for Wishing Death on Trump‚ Only Makes Things WORSE

'Lawyer UP‚ Liz!' Liz Cheney Goes Full BASKET CASE in Days-Long Meltdown After J6 Committee BOMBSHELL