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Friday, November 30, 2012
U.S. top court to consider whether to review gay marriage cases
(Reuters) - The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are widely expected to decide in a private meeting on Friday to enter the legal fray raging over same-sex marriage.
An announcement to take a case could come as early as Friday afternoon or Monday morning.
Thirty-one of the 50 states have passed constitutional amendments banning gay marriage while Washington, D.C., and nine other states have legalized it, three of them on Election Day, November 6.
At issue is the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, passed by Congress, which only recognizes marriages between a man and a woman. Gay men and lesbians have specifically challenged a part of the law that prevents them from receiving federal benefits that heterosexual couples receive.
The high court is considering requests to review five cases that challenge the law as a violation of the equal protection provisions of the U.S. Constitution.
Most courts to address the issue, including federal appeals courts in Boston and New York, have found the law's contested provision unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court is expected to take at least one of the challenges, as the court typically reviews lower-court decisions that invalidate a federal law.
Even in states where same-sex marriage is legal, the couples do not qualify for a host of federal benefits because of DOMA.
If the court accepts one of the cases, the oral arguments will likely take place in early 2013, with a ruling expected by the end of the court term in June.
If the court invalidates the law, states could still be free to legalize or deny same-sex marriages on their own terms.
Friday's scheduled court conference is one of the Supreme Court's regular weekly sessions at which it considers what new cases to add to the calendar.
The meetings, attended only by the justices, are held in a small conference room adjacent to the chambers of Chief Justice John Roberts.
The justices vote in order of seniority, and while it takes five of the nine for a majority decision in a dispute, it takes only four votes to add a case to the agenda and schedule oral arguments.
CALIFORNIA'S BAN
The court is also considering whether to review a challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, which voters narrowly approved in 2008. The California case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, had sought to establish a constitutional right to marry for gays and lesbians.
The 9th Circuit in February found the gay marriage ban unconstitutional, but it ruled narrowly in a way that only affected California and not the rest of the country, finding that the state could not take away the right to same-sex marriage after previously allowing it. No other state to legalize gay marriage has later banned it.
If the Supreme Court later takes the case, it could follow the 9th Circuit's decision and also rule narrowly, requiring same-sex marriage only in California but not the rest of the country. Or it could recognize a right to marriage equality.
If the justices decline to take the case, the 9th Circuit's opinion would stand, and same-sex marriage would resume in California. That would significantly boost the number of same-sex couples able to marry, given the state's large size.
The Supreme Court is also considering an appeal from the state of Arizona, asking the court to revive a state version of DOMA. The Arizona law, which the 9th Circuit invalidated, eliminated domestic partner healthcare benefits for gay and lesbian state employees. Same-sex couples in Arizona cannot marry, under that state's constitutional ban passed in 2008.
(Reporting by Terry Baynes in New York; Editing by Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-top-court-consider-whether-review-gay-marriage-060517051.html
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
GE's service push could bring profit margin boost
(Reuters) - General Electric Co
The drive is part of the largest U.S. conglomerate's effort to boost its margins and make more money in a sluggish economy, as sales of services are more profitable equipment than sales of jet engines, locomotives and other equipment.
GE's pitch is that by tweaking how they operate, its customers can cut their own costs. For example, a 1 percent cut in the amount of fuel the global aviation industry uses could generate $30 billion in total savings, GE estimates.
Investors said the company's service business has been more stable in uneven economic times than equipment sales. Last year GE's service business, including maintenance to its products, generated $42 billion in revenue, approached half GE's industrial sales.
"Given the environment, some of the uncertainties, etc., services is an area that plays for the long term because of the...ongoing desire from customers for new levels of productivity," said Steve Bolze, the chief executive officer of GE's power and water business, who is also heading up the company's services push.
The company is developing software systems that analyze data on how its turbines and other equipment are used to find ways to run them more efficiently and at lower cost, Bolze said. It plans to discuss them at an event in San Francisco on Thursday.
GE said it has lined up customers for its new services including: U.S. railroad Norfolk Southern Corp
MARGIN PUSH
The drive is part of Chief Executive Jeff Immelt's push to raise GE's profit margins by 0.5 percent to 0.7 percent of sales next year, a rise investors expect would propel the company's industrial operating profit to about 16 percent of sales, up from 14.9 percent in 2011.
"Growing margins into the future is a big credibility point for the leadership team and one we take seriously," Immelt told investors at a September meeting held at the company's training campus in Crotonville, New York.
GE also said at the meeting that it expects services revenue to grow by 5 percent to 10 percent a year over the next few years, reaching $50 billion to $60 billion by 2015, with the service backlog forecast to rise to $175 billion from $153 billion at the end of the third quarter.
During the 2007-2009 recession, service contracts played an important stabilizing role in sales at GE and peers including United Technologies Corp
"Increasing exposure to strong incremental margin businesses like services can help the company reach its margin targets in an environment where you may not get the same kind of manufacturing productivity leverage that you have in a higher-growth environment," said Daniel Holland, an analyst at Morningstar in Chicago who covers GE.
Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE has been ramping up its software focus since last year, when it hired former Cisco Systems Inc
(Reporting by Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ges-push-could-bring-profit-margin-boost-121518972--sector.html
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Details of Halo makers' upcoming game "Destiny" leaked online ...
Bungie?s next project may have inadvertently been leaked to the world ahead of schedule. According to supposedly documents sent to video game news sites IGN and Kotaku, the next game by the makers of the popular FPS series ?Halo? will be called ?Destiny?.?
?
Bungie confirmed that the game is indeed called just that, and is set sometime in the future where humanity has colonized the stars and is now experiencing an attack by alien forces. Forced into their last city and protected by a massive alien ship known as ?The Traveler?, players will take the role of a ?knight? who is tasked with defending the remnants of humanity whilst exploring space, finding the source of the alien menace, and eventually overcoming it.
?
The game is touted to be an ambitious project by Bungie, and will feature an MMO style of gameplay that will span the universe and compel players to interact in a very sociable manner. It?s an experience that?s being compared to the Star Wars franchise, and according to Bungie co-founder Jason Jones is ?designed for your inner seven year old. We want to make it feel like a mythic adventure?.
?
Following the leak that showed various information and artwork from the game, Bungie has confirmed some of the stuff are real, and countered things by posting a story and image on their own website, with a simple message relayed to readers and addressing the leak:?
?Go ahead. Take a peek. It?s alright. We weren?t quite ready, but we will be soon, and we can?t wait to finally show you what we?ve really been up to.
?
Stick around, we haven?t even started yet.?
?
Some of the artwork has been debunked by Kotaku and traced to sites like DeviantArt. The document has revealed a Destiny logo as well, which includes the PS3 and Xbox 360 icons, as well as a URL address that is currently password protected.?
According to IGN, word first emerged about ?Destiny? on May when court documents revealed its name, as well as four planned installments and DLC content. A release date hasn?t been confirmed yet, but details may arise sooner than later. ? TJD, GMA Newsmissouri primary minnesota caucus knowshon moreno knowshon moreno sovereign citizen komen chrome for android
Study focuses on returning wounded soldiers to meaningful civilian lives
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 29-Nov-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Julie O'Connor
julie.oconnor@wayne.edu
313-577-8845
Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research
DETROIT Record numbers of soldiers are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with serious spinal cord injuries (SCI). Medical advancements can help heal their physical wounds, but little is known about how these veterans re-engage with their communities and rebuild meaningful lives. "How do they transition back to family and community life? How do they adjust to their physical impairments? And how do they reconfigure their homes, their work and their lives?" asked Cathy Lysack, professor of occupational therapy and gerontology at Wayne State University. Drs. Lysack and Mark Luborsky, professor of anthropology and gerontology at Wayne State University, are co-principal investigators on a new $456,000 grant from the Department of Defense to explore those questions.
The three-year grant, shared between WSU's Institute of Gerontology and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will study how service members and veterans with SCI reintegrate into society. Luborsky believes "the time is ripe to discover how military personnel with SCI create a sense of connection."
"After the medical issues are stabilized, the key to long-term success for patients is how they establish their cultural identities and create meaningful connections to communities," he said. "This project will move the science and research forward toward interventions to help all people with SCI maintain their independence and ability to function in community life."
A total of 60 spinal cord injured veterans will be recruited at three levels of recovery: less than 12 months, 12 to 24 months, and 2 to 5 years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. The research teams will interview service members in depth about their long-term goals, values and expectations for meaningful community reintegration and social participation.
"Traumatic spinal cord injury is severe and permanent, but it need not be a catastrophic disability," said Lysack. While researchers have learned a lot about how civilians with SCI reintegrate into family and community life, veterans and service members may approach it much differently.
"These are soldiers uber males and females whose role in the military has been to fight and protect," she said. "We need to learn how they make a successful transition to civilian life." The goal of this study is to support the development of innovative strategies and systems that will improve the long-term outlook for service members with traumatic injuries and their families. "This is not about managing a disability," Lysack said. "It's about rebuilding a life."
###
PR Contact: Cheryl Deep - cheryldeep@wayne.edu
The Institute of Gerontology researches the aging process, educates students in gerontology, and presents programs on aging issues relevant to professionals, caregivers and older adults in the community (www.iog.wayne.edu). The Institute is part of the Division of Research at Wayne State University, one of the nation's preeminent public research institutions in an urban setting. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 29-Nov-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Julie O'Connor
julie.oconnor@wayne.edu
313-577-8845
Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research
DETROIT Record numbers of soldiers are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with serious spinal cord injuries (SCI). Medical advancements can help heal their physical wounds, but little is known about how these veterans re-engage with their communities and rebuild meaningful lives. "How do they transition back to family and community life? How do they adjust to their physical impairments? And how do they reconfigure their homes, their work and their lives?" asked Cathy Lysack, professor of occupational therapy and gerontology at Wayne State University. Drs. Lysack and Mark Luborsky, professor of anthropology and gerontology at Wayne State University, are co-principal investigators on a new $456,000 grant from the Department of Defense to explore those questions.
The three-year grant, shared between WSU's Institute of Gerontology and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will study how service members and veterans with SCI reintegrate into society. Luborsky believes "the time is ripe to discover how military personnel with SCI create a sense of connection."
"After the medical issues are stabilized, the key to long-term success for patients is how they establish their cultural identities and create meaningful connections to communities," he said. "This project will move the science and research forward toward interventions to help all people with SCI maintain their independence and ability to function in community life."
A total of 60 spinal cord injured veterans will be recruited at three levels of recovery: less than 12 months, 12 to 24 months, and 2 to 5 years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. The research teams will interview service members in depth about their long-term goals, values and expectations for meaningful community reintegration and social participation.
"Traumatic spinal cord injury is severe and permanent, but it need not be a catastrophic disability," said Lysack. While researchers have learned a lot about how civilians with SCI reintegrate into family and community life, veterans and service members may approach it much differently.
"These are soldiers uber males and females whose role in the military has been to fight and protect," she said. "We need to learn how they make a successful transition to civilian life." The goal of this study is to support the development of innovative strategies and systems that will improve the long-term outlook for service members with traumatic injuries and their families. "This is not about managing a disability," Lysack said. "It's about rebuilding a life."
###
PR Contact: Cheryl Deep - cheryldeep@wayne.edu
The Institute of Gerontology researches the aging process, educates students in gerontology, and presents programs on aging issues relevant to professionals, caregivers and older adults in the community (www.iog.wayne.edu). The Institute is part of the Division of Research at Wayne State University, one of the nation's preeminent public research institutions in an urban setting. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/wsu--sfo112912.php
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Mid Day Buzzers: Green Mountain Coffee, Apple Inc, Yingli Green Energy, PVH Corp
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Ratan Tata positive, says India's outlook not as bad
Last updated on: November 28, 2012?17:43 IST
Tata Group head Ratan Tata has said that though India had many changes of government, the outlook 'might not be as bad' as one might think.
However, Tata, who was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Business from the University of New South Wales, said he feels that the fabric of Indian values and ethics was 'slowly deteriorating', especially in the business community.
He made it clear that his group, India's largest conglomerate, was based on strong ethics and would not participate in corruption and bribery.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: Ratan Tata addressing a gathering.
Photographs: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com
Last updated on: November 28, 2012?17:43 IST
"India (may have) had many changes of government, but the outlook 'might not be as bad as you might think . . . I would have hope'," The Australian quoted him as saying.
Tata said he expects China to move towards democracy.
He said many democracies would also have to find ways of 'enforcing what they want to do if they want to move forward'.
Tata said that Australia and India should step up bilateral trade ties, especially in high-technology areas, adding that there were good reasons for the countries to "do much more together than they have done".
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: Ratan Tata.
Photographs: Reuters
Last updated on: November 28, 2012?17:43 IST
"Australia is a vibrant economy," Tata said. There were areas of high technology where Australia was 'at the forefront' and India could benefit from this.
"India seeks some of the technology that Australia produces," the 74-year-old chairman of Tata Group said.
At the same time, he said India had a much larger population of some 350 million middle class consumers, which would grow as high as 600 million.
Trade between Australia and India has soared over the past decade, growing from $3.1 billion in 2000 to more than $21 billion in 2011.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: Ratan Tata.
Photographs: Reuters
Last updated on: November 28, 2012?17:43 IST
Demand for Australian commodities such as coal, wool and copper is driving the trade, but education is also a large and growing aspect of the relationship.
"It would be terrific to see Australian companies have products which could have access to a market of that scale," Tata said.
He said there needed to be more interchange between the people of Australia and India, including student exchanges and internships.
"There needs to be a greater bonding of people, which will come from such moves," he said.
Tata said he would like to see his company do more business with Australia. At the moment, its main business in Australia is buying iron ore and coking coal.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: Ratan Tata.
Photographs: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
Last updated on: November 28, 2012?17:43 IST
Tata said India was 'slowly deteriorating in the fabric of its values and ethics, especially in the business community'.
But he said the Tata Group was based on strong ethics and would not participate in corruption and bribery. Tata said India had had many changes of government, but the outlook 'might not be as bad as you might think'.
"I would have hope," he said. Tata expects China to move towards democracy. He said many democracies would also have to find ways of 'enforcing what they want to do if they want to move forward'.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: Ratan Tata.
Photographs: Reuters
Last updated on: November 28, 2012?17:43 IST
Tata Group is India's largest corporation with an annual turnover of more than $80 billion a year.
The group includes software, chemical and steelmaking operations.
It owns Jaguar and Land Rover, and produces India's small car, the Nano. Tata also owns the Taj hotel chain.
Vice chancellor Fred Hilmer described Tata as 'a brilliant businessman both in India and internationally' and a 'driving force behind the resurgence of India as an economic and world power'.
Image: Ratan Tata.
Photographs: Reuters
? Copyright 2012 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Black Friday record: Weekend sales up 13 percent
Black Friday record pushes spending to $59 billion over four days. By extending Black Friday, retailers made it easy to shop and drew in record numbers of shoppers.?
In this Friday file photo, Black Friday shoppers pour into the Valley River Center mall for the Midnight Madness sale, in Eugene, Ore. Some 247 million shoppers hit stores over the four-day weekend, setting a Black Friday record, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday.
Brian Davies/The Register-Guard/AP/File
EnlargeIf you make holiday shopping convenient, Americans will come in droves.
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It's estimated that U.S. shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday, setting a Black Friday record. They were attracted by retailers' efforts to make shopping easier, including opening stores on Thanksgiving evening, updating mobile shopping applications for smartphones and tablets, and expanding shipping and layaway options.
All told, a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the four-day weekend starting on Thanksgiving, up 9.2 percent of last year, according to a survey of 4,000 shoppers that was conducted by research firm BIGinsight for the trade group. Americans spent more too: The average holiday shopper spent $423 over the entire weekend, up from $398 last year. Total spending over the four-day weekend totaled $59.1 billion, up 12.8 percent from 2011.
Caitlyn Maguire, 21, was one of the shoppers that took advantage of all the new conveniences of shopping this year. Maguire, who lives in New York, began buying on Thanksgiving night at Target's East Harlem store. During the two-hour wait in line, she also bought items on her iPhone on Amazon.com. On?Friday, she picked up a few toys at Toys R Us. And on Saturday she was out at the stores again.
"I'm basically done," said Maguire, who spent about $400 over the weekend.
The results for the weekend appear to show that retailers' efforts to make shopping effortless for U.S. consumers during the holiday shopping season worked. Retailers upped the ante in order to give Americans more reasons to shop. Stores feared that consumers might not spend because of the weak job market and worries that tax increases and budget cuts will take effect if Congress fails to reach a budget deal by January.
Retailers, which can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue in November and December, were hoping Thanksgiving openings and other incentives would help boost what's expected to be a difficult holiday shopping season. The National Retail Federation estimates that overall sales in November and December will rise 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion. That's more than a percentage point lower than the growth in each of the past two years, and the smallest increase since 2009, when sales were nearly flat.
Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation, said retailers can be encouraged by the first weekend of the holiday shopping season.
"Retailers and consumers both won this weekend, especially on Thanksgiving," he said.
Here were the trends that emerged over the weekend:
? Online wave: According to comScore, which tracks online spending, online sales rose 26 percent to $1.04 billion on?Black?Friday?compared with a year ago. On Thanksgiving, online sales rose 32 percent from last year to $633 million. And online sales onBlack?Friday?were up 26 percent from the same day last year to $1.042 billion. It was the first time online sales on?Black?Friday?surpassed $1 billion.
? Thanksgiving shopping: Many stores, including Toys R Us and Target, opened on Thanksgiving evening this year. No data is out yet about how much shoppers spent on that day, but it appears that consumers took advantage of the earlier start: According to the National Retail Federation's survey, the number of people who shopped on Thanksgiving rose 23.1 percent. That compares with a 3.1 percent increase forBlack?Friday.
Linda and James Michaels of Portland, Ore., were among those shopping on Thanksgiving. They hit up the big sales on the day and got everything they were hoping for that night.
They picked up remote control cars and some Mickey Mouse items on sale at Toys R Us. Then they went a few doors down to Target and scored the last Operation game on sale for $7. They were even able to pick up some pajamas and shoes along the way for the kids. In total they spent about $300.
"I felt lucky that I caught the deals and there was no craziness, no fighting," said Linda Michaels. "I was nervous."
ShopperTrak, which analyzes customer traffic at 40,000 U.S. stores, plans to release sales data for Thanksgiving later this week, but the firm is estimating that retailers generated $700 million in sales on the holiday.
??Black?Friday?flop: It appears that the Thanksgiving openings may have hurt sales on the day after.
Black?Friday?is still expected to be the biggest shopping day of the year, but sales on that day slipped to $11.2 billion, down 1.8 percent from last year, according to ShopperTrak. That's below ShopperTrak's estimate that?Black?Friday?sales would rise 3.8 percent to $11.4 billion.
Karen MacDonald, a spokeswoman at Taubman Centers, which operates 28 malls across the country, said that Thanksgiving openings hurt business. Based on a sampling of 10 malls, sales growth was unchanged up to mid-single digits on?Friday, and unchanged up to low single digit on Saturday.
"It was a different feeling," she said. "It was a good?Black?Friday, but I don't think it was great."
The disappointing sales on?Black?Friday?may have been the result of shoppers like Miguel Garcia, a 40-year-old office coordinator.
"I can't deal with all that craziness," said Garcia, who was at a Target in the Bronx borough of New York City on Saturday. "Compared to what I saw on TV yesterday, this is so much more comfortable and relaxed. I can actually think straight and compare prices."
AP writers Rodrigue Ngowi in Watertown, Mass., Juan Carolos Llorca in El Paso, Texas, and Candice Choi in New York contributed to this report
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/zFkfkanzwEs/Black-Friday-record-Weekend-sales-up-13-percent
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UIC scientists find ancient microbes in salty, ice-sealed Antarctic lake
Public release date: 26-Nov-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Anne Brooks Ranallo
annebr@sbcglobal.net
312-355-2523
University of Illinois at Chicago
Shedding light on the limits of life in extreme environments, scientists have discovered abundant and diverse metabolically active bacteria in the brine of an Antarctic lake sealed under more than 65 feet of ice.
The finding, described in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is surprising because previous studies indicate that the brine has been isolated from the surface environment -- and external sources of energy -- for at least 2,800 years, according to two of the report's authors, Peter Doran and Fabien Kenig, both professors of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"This provides us with new boundary conditions on the limits for life," said Doran. "The low temperature or high salinity on their own are limiting, but combined with an absence of solar energy or any new inputs from the atmosphere, they make this a very tough place to make a living."
The researchers drilled out cores of ice, using sanitary procedures and equipment. They collected samples of brine within the ice and assessed its chemical qualities and potential for sustaining life.
They found that the brine is oxygen-free, slightly acidic, and contains high levels of organic carbon, molecular hydrogen, and both oxidized and reduced compounds. The findings were unexpected because of the extremely salty, dark, cold, isolated ecosystem within the ice.
"Geochemical analyses suggest that chemical reactions between the brine and the underlying sediment generate nitrous oxide and molecular hydrogen," said Kenig. "The hydrogen may provide some of the energy needed to support microbes."
"We'd like to go back and find if there is a proper body of brine without ice down there," said Doran. "We'd also like to get some sediment cores from below that to better establish the history of the lake. In the meantime, we are using radar and other geophysical techniques to probe what lies beneath."
The research was conducted with Alison Murray and colleagues at the Desert Research Institute and scientists at other institutes.
###
Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation and NASA.
UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.
NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 26-Nov-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Anne Brooks Ranallo
annebr@sbcglobal.net
312-355-2523
University of Illinois at Chicago
Shedding light on the limits of life in extreme environments, scientists have discovered abundant and diverse metabolically active bacteria in the brine of an Antarctic lake sealed under more than 65 feet of ice.
The finding, described in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is surprising because previous studies indicate that the brine has been isolated from the surface environment -- and external sources of energy -- for at least 2,800 years, according to two of the report's authors, Peter Doran and Fabien Kenig, both professors of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"This provides us with new boundary conditions on the limits for life," said Doran. "The low temperature or high salinity on their own are limiting, but combined with an absence of solar energy or any new inputs from the atmosphere, they make this a very tough place to make a living."
The researchers drilled out cores of ice, using sanitary procedures and equipment. They collected samples of brine within the ice and assessed its chemical qualities and potential for sustaining life.
They found that the brine is oxygen-free, slightly acidic, and contains high levels of organic carbon, molecular hydrogen, and both oxidized and reduced compounds. The findings were unexpected because of the extremely salty, dark, cold, isolated ecosystem within the ice.
"Geochemical analyses suggest that chemical reactions between the brine and the underlying sediment generate nitrous oxide and molecular hydrogen," said Kenig. "The hydrogen may provide some of the energy needed to support microbes."
"We'd like to go back and find if there is a proper body of brine without ice down there," said Doran. "We'd also like to get some sediment cores from below that to better establish the history of the lake. In the meantime, we are using radar and other geophysical techniques to probe what lies beneath."
The research was conducted with Alison Murray and colleagues at the Desert Research Institute and scientists at other institutes.
###
Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation and NASA.
UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.
NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/uoia-usf112612.php
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Is DIY In Your DNA? | Fast Horse
I grew up in a very DIY family. My parents built our first home, and I mean they actually built it. There was no hiring out of tough jobs or allowing others to oversee the process; they built a two-story, three-bedroom home from the ground up. My mother hung sheet rock and laid tile all while nine months pregnant with me. She?s a brute.
When I was 10, we moved to town and lived in a home that was built in 1877. My parents gutted the entire thing and, you guessed it, started from scratch so they could DIY. By this time I was accustomed to falling asleep to my father pounding nails or sanding floors, but after a while I just wanted a ?normal? house without an inch of?sheet rock?dust under my feet. I always swore to my parents that I would NEVER live in an unfinished home when I grew up, and would always hire other people to do the work.
My actual floor.
Ha! Fast forward to today and guess what I did all weekend ? sanded our hardwood floors so we could re-stain them. Yep, the DIY bug was not something I could escape from and now I live in a ?fixer upper? and can honestly say that I am proud to be a DIYer.
I have to give props to my ?rents for doing all this DIYing before there was an arsenal of tips and tricks available at their fingertips. When my boyfriend and I encounter a problem, we have the option of quickly looking up a how-to on YouTube or a quick search in Google to help us solve the issue. My favorite way of acquiring information is a good ol? DIY/home improvement blog. I love a good blog. A step-by-step guide to how the average Joe attacks a home improvement project, along with real-life tid bits of information that you only get from messing it up yourself first.
I am such a fan of a certain DIY blog that I recently stood in line for four hours to catch a glimpse of the real people behind my favorite blog, Young House Love. I?ve followed this blog religiously well before I had my own home to renovate, but fell in love with their quirky style and funny home improvement tips enough to check their blog daily (sometimes multiple times a day).
So whether you fancy yourself a?die-hard?home improvement buff like my parents or maybe you reach your limit at painting an accent wall, in today?s DIY-world you will always have a place to find inspiration and guidance. Maybe you will even become so inspired (see Young House Love, I swear you will get hooked) that you will completely change your mind, like me, and decide doing it yourself?isn?t?so bad after all.
Source: http://fasthorseinc.com/blog/2012/11/27/is-diy-in-your-dna/
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