Tiny tug of war in cells underpins life

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TUG of war could well be the oldest game in the world. Cells use it for division, and now researchers have measured the forces involved when an amoeba plays the game.












Hirokazu Tanimoto and Masaki Sano at the University of Tokyo, Japan, studied what happens during the division of Dictyostelium - a slime mould that has barely changed through eons of evolution. The amoeba uses tiny projections or "feet" to gain traction on a surface.












The pair placed the amoeba on a flexible surface embedded with fluorescent beads. They used traction force microscopy to measure how the organism deformed the pattern of beads: the greater the deformation, the greater the force.












Dictyostelium normally exerts a force of about 10 nanonewtons when it moves, but the pair found this roughly doubles during division. That's because the cell uses its feet to pull itself in opposite directions, as if playing tug of war with itself.












The forces involved are about 100 billion times smaller than those used in the human form of the game, Tanimoto says (Physical Review Letters, in press).


















































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Golf: McDowell wins World Challenge

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THOUSAND OAKS, California: Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell ended a two-year victory drought Sunday with a three-shot triumph in the World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods.

McDowell, who capped a stellar 2010 season that saw him win the US Open with a victory in this unofficial post-season invitational, hadn't won anywhere in the world since then.

He carded a four-under par 68 in the final round for a 72-hole total of 17-under 271 and a three-stroke victory over Keegan Bradley.

Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner who started the day two shots off McDowell's lead, posted a 69 for 274.

After taking the 54-hole lead on Saturday, McDowell admitted that even though this tournament isn't part of any tour, it would be nice to grab a win to cap a mixed season in which he settled for a tie for second at the US Open, and a tie for fifth at the British Open.

Bo Van Pelt carded a 70 for sole possession of third place on 278, while tournament host Woods carded a one-under 71 on the rain-soaked Sherwood Country Club course for a share of fourth place on 279.

He was joined by Jim Furyk (70) and Rickie Fowler (69).

- AFP/fa



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Facebook Powerball hoaxer is software engineer, report says

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Is that a software engineer's beard?



(Credit:
Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)


You have probably barely slept for wondering what kind of sniveling snail would put their picture up on Facebook with a fake winning Powerball ticket.


Or you have probably barely slept for wondering what kind of saintly sort would ask people to share on Facebook his picture with a winning Powerball ticket and offer $1 million to a random sharer.


Either way, the excitement generated by Nolan Daniels has been heated and profound -- especially as more than 2 million people have now shared in the experience.


Now, it seems, we know which Nolan Daniels he is.


The Savannah Daily News, which first brought his tale to prominence, has now announced that this Nolan Daniels is Nolan Ryan Daniels, software engineer.


It says that this Nolan Ryan Daniels is the co-owner of N2 Technologies, based in Mesa, Ariz. This is a company that offers various software services to those in the medical industry.


His LinkedIn profile offers that he is a "Seasoned Computer Programmer and SQL Expert."


The Savannah Daily News says that it has spoken with his brother, Derek, who confirmed his identity and declared: "I think he craves the love from people."


Well, he certainly has enjoyed quite some love -- especially from people who would love it if he would give them quite some money.


Derek Daniels also teased: "He did this to make himself feel better."


Naturally, one has tried to contact this very Nolan Daniels in an attempt to ascertain his own perspective on both his jape and the impact it has enjoyed all over the world.



More Technically Incorrect



Thus far, he has maintained a stoic silence. Which might mean that "The Today Show" or another fine breakfast serial has secured his story.


I am sure there will be software engineers who will admire his sense of humor.


Though a few might feel it denigrates the sheer precision of their profession that he didn't present the numbers in ascending order -- which is normal for a Powerball ticket.


As of this writing, Daniels -- who was, indeed, reportedly named after pitcher Nolan Ryan -- continues to receive messages of goodwill.


Just a couple of hours ago, the improbably named Louan Lheureuxx posted to his Facebook page: "This is not luck! There is no such thing! It is Karma. This man probably really deserved this :) awesome!!!"


It will surely be, um, awesome if he becomes a nationally recognized figure, ready to fool the world again with his next artful dodge.


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Chiefs: Jovan Didn't Have 'Long Concussion History'

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The death of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, the latest in a string of tragic NFL suicides, has left the player's teammates, coaches, family and friends wondering what could have led a man described as generous and caring to murder his girlfriend -- the mother of his 3-month-old daughter -- and then kill himself.


Kansas City police say Belcher, 25, shot and killed his girlfriend Saturday morning before going to the team stadium and and committing suicide by shooting himself in the head as he was talking to coaches.


"When the officers arrived, when they were pulling up, they actually observed a black male who had a gun to his head and he was talking to a couple of coaches out in the parking lot," Kansas City Police spokesman Darin Snapp told ABC News Radio. "As officers pulled up, and began to park, that's when they heard the gunshot and it appears the individual took his own life."


It's not yet clear what prompted Belcher's actions, but his suicide follows those of former NFL players Junior Seau, 43, and Dave Duerson, 50, both of whom died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the chest in the last two years.


The suicides of Seau, Duerson and a number of other NFL players have been blamed on concussions racked up from playing the violent sport, and a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, but that may not be the case for Belcher.








Kansas City Chiefs Player Jovan Belcher's Murder-Suicide Watch Video









Did Brain Injury Lead to NFL Star's Suicide? Watch Video







Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said today that Belcher was "a player who had not had a long concussion history," even though he was a three-time all-America wrestler and a star on the football team at his West Babylon, N.Y., high school.


Seau's and Duerson's brains are both being studied at Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, where researchers have already learned that Duerson had CTE, which may have led to his suicide.


CTE is a progressive, degenerative disease found in people who have had brain trauma from repeated blows to the head, according to the Center. It includes brain tissue degeneration and a buildup of an abnormal protein called tao, resulting in symptoms including confusion, aggression, and depression. Ultimately, CTE results in dementia.


In 2006, former Pittsburgh Steelers player Terry Long killed himself by drinking antifreeze, and former Philadelphia Eagles player Andre Waters shot himself in the head. Both of them suffered from CTE.


Researchers at Boston University found evidence of CTE in 12 of the 13 professional football players' brains they received between 2008 and 2010, according to the university. CTE can also be found in hockey players, wrestlers, and boxers.


"Football is entertainment in which the audience is expected to delight in gladiatorial action that a growing portion of the audience knows may cause the players degenerative brain disease," ABC News' George Will wrote in a Washington Post column published Aug. 3 just before he appeared on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."


Will cited Seau and Duerson in his column, both of whom committed suicide after 2010, adding that 62-year-old former NFL safety Ray Easterling committed suicide in April 2012. Esterling's autopsy revealed that he had dementia and depression brought on by CTE.





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Weaver ants help flowers get the best pollinator

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MOST flowers don't want pesky ants hanging around scaring away would-be pollinators. Not so the Singapore rhododendron - the first flower found to recruit ants to chase poor pollinators away.












Francisco Gonzálvez at EEZA, the arid zone experimental station in Almeria, Spain, and colleagues studied flowers frequented by large carpenter bees (Xylocopa) and a much smaller solitary bee, Nomia. The larger bees seemed to be better pollinators - setting far more fruit than the smaller bees.












The team found that Nomia avoided plants with weaver ant patrols, and when they did dare to land, were chased away or ambushed by the ants. Being so much bigger, carpenter bees weren't troubled by the ants (Journal of Ecology, DOI:10.1111/1365-2745.12006).












Plants usually produce chemical repellents to scare off insects that prey on their pollinators. But lab tests suggested Gonzálvez's flowers were actively attracting weaver ants, although how remains a mystery. The team thinks carpenter bees choose flowers with ants so they don't have to compete with Nomia.












Michael Kaspari of the University of Oklahoma in Norman says this is a new kind of plant-ant interaction, and that the team makes a "strong case" for the rhododendron manipulating the behaviour of weaver ants to ward off inefficient pollinators.


















































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Shiites headed for big gains in Kuwaiti polls

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KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait's Shiite minority candidates appeared Saturday set to win around 15 seats of the 50-member parliament in the polls boycotted by the Sunni-dominated opposition, their biggest ever tally.

Early results suggested Shiite candidates winning seats in all of the five constituencies, including as many as eight of the 10 seats in the first district, with half of its population being Shiites.

Kuwaiti Shiites, who form around 30 per cent of Kuwait's native population of 1.2 million, held seven seats in the previous scrapped parliament and nine MPs in the 2009 assembly.

All five candidates fielded by the National Islamic Alliance, the largest Shiite political group, won their seats, also the group's biggest win.

Shiites have defied calls by the Kuwaiti opposition to boycott the election and voted in large numbers.

Official results of the Kuwaiti election are expected within hours.

The opposition said that voter turnout was only 26.7 per cent, the lowest turnout at any Kuwaiti parliamentary elections.

- AFP/fa



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NFL players tweet prayers, perspective after murder-suicide

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Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher.



(Credit:
NFL.com)



NFL players and teams have turned to Twitter to express their sorrow after learning that Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend to death before turning the gun on himself.


The 25-year-old linebacker shot Kasandra Perkins, 22, with whom he had an infant daughter, this morning before driving to Arrowhead Stadium, where he shot himself to death in front of Chiefs staff, the Kansas City Police Department said.


"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Chiefs and the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy," the NFL said in a statement that was also shared on Twitter. "We have connected the Chiefs with our national team of professional counselors to support both the team and the families of those affected. We will continue to provide assistance in any way that we can."


After early debate about whether the Chiefs should play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the league announced on Twitter that the teams would play as scheduled.


"After discussions between the league office, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and Chiefs team captains, the Chiefs advised the NFL that it will play tomorrow's game vs. the Carolina Panthers at its originally scheduled time," the NFL said in a series of tweets.




Like many NFL players, Belcher teammates turned to Twitter express their shock and offer condolences.


Fellow Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali:



Chiefs offensive tackle David Mims:



Chiefs safetyKendrick Lewis:



Players for other teams also lent their support.


New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow:



Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who has been dealing with the recent death of his younger brother, offered prayers and perspective:




Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson wanted to be sure Perkins was not forgotten in the outpouring of support:


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Photos: Kilauea Lava Reaches the Sea

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Police: KC Chiefs Player Killed Girlfriend, Self

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Jovan Belcher, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, committed suicide today in front of his coaches and police officers outside the team's stadium, shortly after he fatally shot his girlfriend, police said.


"We heard that they had been arguing in the past [and] as far as recently, they'd been arguing before the shooting occurred this morning," Kansas City Police spokesman Darin Snapp told ABC News Radio.


The victim was identified Kasandra Perkins, 22. Snapp said the couple had lived together and had a 3-month-old daughter.


A woman first alerted police this morning that her daughter had been shot by her boyfriend, who was a Kansas City Chiefs player, Snapp said. Police initially believed the woman was Perkins' mother, but later learned she was Belcher's mother, who lived with the couple to help care for their daughter and according to family members felt extremely close to Perkins.


It is believed Belcher drove to Arrowhead Stadium shortly after the shooting and police were called.


"When the officers arrived, when they were pulling up, they actually observed a black male who had a gun to his head and he was talking to a couple of coaches out in the parking lot," Snapp said. "As officers pulled up, and began to park, that's when they heard the gunshot and it appears the individual took his own life."












Idaho Teacher Accused of Locking Boy, 5, in Dark Closet Watch Video





Snapp said the coaches told officers they didn't feel they were in any danger from Belcher.


"They said the player was actually thanking them for everything they'd done for him," he said. "They were just talking to him and he was thanking them and everything. That's when he walked away and shot himself."


Kansas City is scheduled to host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and the league has told the Panthers to go ahead with their travel plans because the game will be played as scheduled.


In a statement posted on their website, the Chiefs said they are "cooperating with authorities in their investigation" and did not mention Belcher by name.


The 6-foot-2, 228-pound linebacker joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009, and had spent all four seasons of his career with the team. He has played every in game since joining the team.


Originally from West Babylon, N.Y., where he was a three-time all-America wrestler in addition to playing on the football team, Belcher went undrafted out of the University of Maine, where he started all 45 games in which he played.


Maine Head Football Coach Jack Cosgrove described Jovan as a "tremendous student-athlete."


"His move to the NFL was in keeping with his dreams," Cosgrove said in a statement released by the university today. "This is an indescribably horrible tragedy. At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with Jovan, Kasandra and their families."


Belcher signed with the Chiefs as a rookie free agent, started 15 of 16 games his second season and last year started all 16 games as left inside linebacker.


Belcher expressed gratitude for his NFL career in an article posted on Nov. 21 on the Chiefs' website that has since been taken down.


"First and foremost, God. Family and friends just keeping me focused, coaches and just everyone," he said.



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