It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, May 09, 2020
Putin calls Russia'invincible'
Sea levels could rise 1.3 meters by 2100, scientists warn
Even if nations are able to limit warming, sea levels will still rise significantly, new research from Germany's Potsdam Institute shows. In a worst-case scenario, seas could rise 5.6 meters.
Global sea levels will probably rise by even more than currently predicted, scientists warned on Friday.
Even if nations are able to achieve their Paris-Agreement commitment to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the oceans will still rise by about 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) by the end of the century and as much as 2 meters by 2300, a new study found.
If nations fail to act, and current emissions lead to warming of 4.5 degrees, then sea levels are predicted to rise between 0.6 and 1.3 meters by 2100 and between 1.7 and 5.6 meters by 2300.
The predictions are based on a survey of 106 of the world's leading sea level researchers, carried out by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and co-authored by researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the Nature Partner Journal Climate and Atmospheric Science.
Mitigation is 'in our hands'
"What we do now within a few decades will determine sea-level rise for many centuries, the new analysis shows more clearly than ever before," PIK's Stefan Rahmstorf said. "But this is also good news: when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, we have it in our own hands how much we increase the risks for millions of people on the world's coasts, from Hamburg to Shanghai and from Mumbai to New York.
In September 2019, the UN climate science panel found that unmitigated climate change would lead to a sea level rise of between 0.61 meters and 1.1 meters by 2100. At the time it said the forecast could be conservative due to the speed at which Antarctic ice could melt.
Friday's report said the increased forecast came from better data and improved understanding of climate processes.
Data for decision makers
"The complexity of the sea-level rise projections and the sheer volume of relevant scientific publications makes it difficult for policy makers to gain an overview of the state of research," NTU's Benjamin Horton said in a statement.
"For such an overview, it is therefore useful to ask leading experts what kind of sea-level rise they expect — this gives a broader picture of future scenarios and provides policymakers with the information they need to decide on the necessary measures."
CATASTROPHES TRIGGERED BY WARMING OCEANS A California day at the South Pole In Antarctica, scientists measured temperatures on par with Los Angeles. In February, a record 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.9 degrees Fahrenheit) was measured at the Argentinean research station Esperanza Base in the north Antarctic. This was the highest temperature since measurements began there, according to NASA. The warm weather led to quickly developing melt ponds (pictured right).
An international study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists found that the global mean sea-level rise could exceed 1 meter by 2100 and 5 meters by 2300 if global targets on emissions are not achieved.
The study used projections by more than 100 international experts for the global mean sea-level changes under two climate scenarios—low and high emissions. By surveying a wide range of leaders in the field, the study offers broader assurance about its projections for the ranges of future sea-level rise.
In a scenario where global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the experts estimated a rise of 0.5 meters by 2100 and 0.5 to 2 meters by 2300. In a high-emissions scenario with 4.5 degree Celsius of warming, the experts estimated a larger rise of 0.6 to 1.3 meters by 2100 and 1.7 to 5.6 meters by 2300.
Professor Benjamin Horton, Acting Chair of NTU's Asian School of the Environment, who led the survey, said that sea-level rise projections and knowledge of their uncertainties are vital to make informed mitigation and adaptation decisions.
Prof Horton said, "The complexity of sea-level projections, and the sheer amount of relevant scientific publications, make it difficult for policymakers to get an overview of the state of the science. To obtain this overview, it is useful to survey leading experts on the expected sea-level rise, which provides a broader picture of future scenarios and informs policymakers so they can prepare necessary measures."
Published in Nature Partner Journals Climate and Atmospheric Science on 8 May, the projections of sea-level rise exceed previous estimates by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The NTU-led international study was a collaboration with researchers from The University of Hong Kong, Maynooth University (Ireland), Durham University (UK), Rowan University (U.S.), Tufts University (U.S.), and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Germany).
"We know that the planet will see additional sea-level rise in the future," says co-author Dr. Andra Garner, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Rowan University in the United States of America. "But there are stark differences in the amount of sea-level rise experts project for low emissions compared to high emissions. This provides a great deal of hope for the future, as well as a strong motivation to act now to avoid the more severe impacts of rising sea levels."
"This international study is based on the informed opinions of 106 sea-level experts and underlines the critical importance of pursuing a low emissions policy to limit sea-level rise," says Dr. Niamh Cahill, Assistant Professor in the Dept of Mathematics and Statistics at Maynooth University in Ireland.
The 106 experts who participated in the survey were chosen as they were among the most active publishers of scientific sea-level studies (at least six published papers in peer-reviewed journals since 2014) identified from a leading publication database.
In response to open-ended questions, the climate change experts identified the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets as the greatest sources of uncertainty. These ice sheets are an important indicator of climate change and driver of sea-level rise. Satellite-based measurements show the ice sheets are melting at an accelerating rate. However, the experts also noted that the magnitude and impact of sea-level rise can be limited by successfully reducing emissions.
Dr. Andrea Dutton, Professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is not involved in this study, says, "One of the key take-aways from this study is that our actions today can make a profound difference in how much our coastlines will retreat in the future. That knowledge is empowering because it means that we can choose a better outcome through our actions."
The paper, "Estimating global mean sea-level rise and its uncertainties by 2100 and 2300 from an expert survey," was published in Climate and Atmospheric Science on Friday, 8 May 2020.
More information: Benjamin P. Horton et al. Estimating global mean sea-level rise and its uncertainties by 2100 and 2300 from an expert survey, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41612-020-0121-5
Pangolin immune system may hold clues to COVID-19 treatment Research suggests the new coronavirus moved from bats to pangolins sold in a Chinese market, and jumped to humans. Photo courtesy of HealthDay News
They're small spiny mammals that look like anteaters with scales.
And pangolins -- which some credit with playing a role in the emergence of the new coronavirus -- might hold clues to fighting COVID-19.
Genetic research into the new coronavirus has suggested that it originated in bats, found its way into pangolins sold at Chinese "wet markets," and then migrated into humans.
In a new study, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria analyzed the genomic blueprint of pangolins and compared it to other mammals including humans, cats, dogs and cattle.
In most mammals, certain genes detect when a virus enters the body, triggering an immune response against the invader.
But pangolins lack two of these virus-sensing genes, the research team reported in the May 8 issue of the journal Frontiers in Immunology. Whether or not that difference shields the creatures from COVID-19 isn't known, but warrants further investigation. RELATED New bat species are close relatives of the one that carries COVID-19
The Austrian scientists believe their findings are important because it means that while pangolins can be carriers of the new coronavirus, they may have ways to keep its nastier effects at bay.
Learning more about this evolutionary advantage in pangolins may suggest possible treatments for coronavirus in humans, the team said.
"Our work shows that pangolins have survived through millions of years of evolution without a type of antiviral defense that is used by all other mammals," study co-author Dr. Leopold Eckhart said in a journal news release. RELATED Pangolin wanders into family's home in India
"Further studies of pangolins will uncover how they manage to survive viral infections, and this might help to devise new treatment strategies for people with viral infections," Eckhart added.
In humans, the new coronavirus can cause an inflammatory immune response called a cytokine storm, which results in more severe illness.
An overactivated immune system can be moderated, however, "by reducing the intensity or by changing the timing of the defense reaction," Eckhart said.
Drugs that suppress gene signaling might therefore be a possible treatment option for severe cases of COVID-19, Eckhart said. But there's a hitch: Any immune-suppressing drug could make patients more vulnerable to other infections.
So, "the main challenge is to reduce the response to the pathogen while maintaining sufficient control of the virus," Eckhart said.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19.
Copyright 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Is Philippines muzzling free press amid coronavirus lockdown?
The Philippine government's move to shut the nation's largest broadcaster is the latest affront to press freedom that has left millions of Filipinos cut off from access to vital information in the middle of a pandemic.
ABS-CBN television and radio operations went off-air on Tuesday after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a cease-and-desist order following the expiration of its legislative franchise on May 4. The station's cable news and digital operations continue to operate.
Vergel Santos, chairperson of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), told DW that the ABS-CBN shutdown was tantamount to a news blackout.
"The TV and radio programs of ABS-CBN reach millions of Filipinos in the most remote parts of the country. Where will they get their news now?" said Santos.
The veteran journalist also said the timing of the closure was problematic. "The government is taking advantage of this pandemic, which has all of us confined to our homes. Otherwise, we would be protesting on the streets," Santos added.
Media organizations and citizens widely condemned the government's move to shutter the network. Hours before the station aired its final news broadcast, people gathered outside the ABS-CBN headquarters in the capital of Manila, lighting candles and holding protest signs.
"The decision is unfair to the network and the thousands who depend on the network for their livelihood. It creates an unnecessary distraction for both the government and the private sector from focusing on saving lives and keeping people safe," the Philippine Broadcasters Guild (KBP) said in a statement.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque backed the NTC's decision to issue a closure order and said, "ABS-CBN is free to exhaust all legal remedies available to it."
Government suppression?
In 2017, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte accused ABS-CBN of swindling him for not airing his paid political ads during his presidential campaign. Since then, Duterte has consistently been threatening not to renew the network's legislative franchise.
"Your franchise will end next year. If you expect it to be renewed, I'm sorry. I will see to it that you're out," Duterte said last December.
Media outlets, electricity companies and cable TV providers are required by law to secure a legislative franchise to operate. Neng Juliano Tamayo, president of the national organization of cable TV operators, FICTAP, is opposing the renewal of the ABS-CBN's franchise because of the station's alleged anomalous charging for its cable programs.
ABS-CBN's 25-year legislative franchise expired on May 4. The renewal of its broadcast franchise is subject to a congressional review. However, both the Senate and the House of Representatives issued a resolution stating that ABS-CBN should be allowed to operate while their franchise renewal is pending in Congress.
Duterte has a long track record of cracking down on the media, especially those that exposed the brutality of the nation's war on drugs, his administration's centerpiece campaign. The Duterte government has threatened media outlets like the Philippine Daily Inquirer and online news network, Rappler, with closure.
Hours before the station aired its final news broadcast, people gathered outside the ABS-CBN headquarters, lighting candles and holding protest signs
When Katherine Bautista's son, John, was killed in the state-sanctioned drug war, she turned to the media for help. "The media was my only platform to let others know the truth about the war on drugs waged by the government," Bautista told DW.
Deteriorating press freedom
The Philippines was known to have one of the freest presses in Asia following years of media suppression under former dictator Ferdinand Marcos who was ousted in a peaceful people power revolt in 1986.
ABS-CBN was ordered to close in 1972 following Marcos' declaration of martial law. Its closure yesterday heightened fears of media suppression and harassment.
Just as the largest TV network signed off, radio reporter Cornelio Pepino was shot dead in Dumagete City, southern Philippines. "Aside from the media killings, there is a high level of intimidation and harassment against journalists, especially online. We may see less critical reporting as a result of all of this," Nonoy Espina, president of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), told DW.
Beyond the legal and political uproar, the closure of the network is an emotional loss for millions of viewers like Lina Bacalando, a 58-year-old community worker and grandmother.
When she turned on her TV earlier today and was greeted by a black screen, Bacalando felt "like something in me had died."
Bacalando told DW that her family tuned into ABS-CBN nearly 24 hours a day for news and entertainment. "The network's telenovelas entertain us and help make quarantine bearable." But Bacalando's sadness quickly turned to anger and fear. "This government is too much. Too oppressive. Too vindictive. They silenced a media giant. What more can they do to us ordinary people?"
Dubious programs that claim to "cure" LGBT+ youths have now been banned in Germany after parliament approved a new law. Failing to comply with the ban carries a one-year prison sentence.
"Homosexuality is not an illness," said Health Minister Jens Spahn, who is openly gay. "Therefore the term therapy is already misleading."
Under the new law, advertising or offering conversion therapy will be prohibited for children up to the age of 18. Violators can be fined up to up to €30,000 ($33,000) or sentenced to up to one year in prison.
Parents and guardians who force their children to undergo the programs can also be charged for violating their duty of care.
The practices have long been criticized for causing severe psychological and physical suffering.
Although the new law does not constitute a complete ban of the practice, it carries punishments as well if an adult consented to the therapy after being deceived, coerced or threatened.
Law sends 'a clear signal'
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners voted in favor of the ban, as well as the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP).
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) largely abstained, except for one vote against the law. The Left Party and the Greens also abstained from the vote, but argued that the law didn't go far enough to protect young adults.
Prior to the vote in the Bundestag, Spahn defended against criticism that the ban does not protect young adults between the ages of 18 and 26, saying he wanted the ban to be able to hold up in court if challenged.
Although Spahn did not specify his reasons for putting an age limit on the ban, it's easier to protect minors under German law, but the legal justification enters more of a gray area for adults when freedom of speech and conscience laws are taken into account.
"Young people are being forced into conversion therapies," he said, "and so it is very important that they should find support in the existence of this law: a clear signal that the state does not want this to happen."
rs/rt (dpa, Reuters, KNA) DW
Friday, May 08, 2020
To avoid the next pandemic, you need to know the difference between a black swan and a grey rhino Some disasters we never see coming, but others we should have seen all along A man wearing a protective mask walks past a mural depicting a nurse in Shoreditch, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain. REUTERS
Despite a chorus of financiers, politicians and self-satisfied pundits claiming that the Covid-19 pandemic is an unforeseen and even unforeseeable black swan, this crisis is a different beast entirely.
It is an obvious grey rhino – that is, a high-impact scenario that was always highly likely to occur. The pandemic was sending clear signals that it was getting ready to charge, and too many people with the power to head it off ignored those warnings for too long.
Unlike the black swan that appears only in hindsight, grey rhino theory is forward-looking. It is about actively seeing what’s in front of us and challenging ourselves to act.
A woman wearing a face mask walks past an advertisement of a hair shop at a shopping district in Seoul. AFP
The coronavirus crisis is a catalyst for an urgently needed reset of our global mentality, reminding us to hold both governments and ourselves as citizens responsible for stepping up to the clear and present dangers that threaten our survival.
As we move past the initial shock of the pandemic, many of us are thinking about how best to emerge from this global public health, economic and human catastrophe. We don’t want to get “back to normal” because what we accepted as normal is what got us into this mess. Rather, we should want to create a new and better reality.
How could so many leaders across society have turned such a blind eye to giant, red warning flags for so long? Once we understand that, how can we use our knowledge to switch from a passive, fatalistic mode to an active, problem-solving frame?
The alarm bells rung by experts about how poorly prepared the world has been for the pandemics have been well documented. The situation was predicted by the World Health Organisation and even gamed out in a scenario-planning exercise in the US under the Trump administration. In a widely shared TED Talk in 2015, Bill Gates made the point before carefully proceeding to outline what the world needed to do.
Those in policy circles will give you all kinds of knowing reasons why pandemic warnings went ignored: politics, “the problem is too big and expensive and complicated”, entrenched bureaucracies and so on and so forth. They’ll rub their chins to look thoughtful, but have no real answers. They are there to tell you how things are, not how to change them.
Pleading ignorance was particularly fashionable in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, when leaders became too eager to call out, “Black swan! Nobody could have seen it coming!” even though many elements of that crisis were predictable, too. Bill Gates, shown here in Berlin in 2015, warned the world that year of the dangers of a potential pandemic. AFP
Together, these attitudes have bred complacency and an accountability vacuum that have made it easy for everyone to dodge responsibility. But that is an explanation, not an excuse.
Instead of focusing mainly on why problems are not readily solvable, our priority needs to be on what it takes, from governments and civil society, to head off grey rhinos.
The solution begins with a reset of expectations. This requires building mutual trust between citizens and governments, beginning with two-way transparency involving governments sharing much more information and citizens consuming and using that information responsibly.
The uncomfortable truth is that governments often fail to make tough choices because citizens don’t want them to. People don’t want short-term pain even if it prevents something much worse down the road. They want to feel secure now. This toxic status quo encourages governments to drag their feet in the face of wicked problems, which in turn leads citizens to lower their expectations of what leaders expect them to do.
The coronavirus pandemic and its domino effect – the most wicked of wicked problems – has upended reality. It has exposed many other thorny and unaddressed challenges. Extreme inequality that puts the greatest burden on those who can least afford it. Deep financial fragilities, including dangerous levels of debt. Inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
When governments try to sweep problems under the rug for too long, they increase the chances of catastrophe when the dam finally breaks. That is why, as painful as it may be, it is better for governments to be open about challenges sooner rather than later.
We shouldn't want to get “back to normal” because what we accepted as normal is what got us into this mess.
The coronavirus also illustrates the power of regularly and publicly monitoring progress. Daily releases of epidemiological statistics provide a natural experiment in measuring how governments are doing in the fight to save lives. In every country, these figures are imprecise; because of test shortages, inconsistencies in counting and other technical challenges, they far understate the reality. But they give everyone a way to measure progress.
Contrary to the conclusions of some observers, differences in effectiveness are independent of whether a country’s political system is democratic or not. Rather, they depend upon how transparent and proactive governments are, and how much their populations both trust them to solve the problem and play their own roles in doing so.
Tracking focuses attention on issues while clarifying solutions and reassuring people that progress is possible. If a situation seems hopeless, citizens are less likely to do their part to help fix it or to approve of leaders expending resources to do so.
Hopelessness and a lack of information, moreover, leave the door open for citizens to make up their own, alternate realities. Social media has allowed everyone to become instant epidemiologists, market sages, economists and one-size-fits-all critics. Tribes assemble, picking and choosing the information that suits them.
Protesters in the US, for instance, have been endangering themselves and others by demanding that the government loosen stay-at-home orders. They see themselves as preserving their “liberty” to work and to be entertained.
Choosing one’s own reality is a way of asserting control over a situation when people feel they have none, and little in recent memory has made so many people feel so powerless as the coronavirus and the economic destruction it has wrought.
The key to confronting crises like coronavirus is for governments to communicate better with their citizens. EPA
Governments ought to recognise the benefits of being upfront about the nature of the problems they face, involving citizens in building solutions and then tracking their progress. Citizens, of course, must do their part, too. They ought to heed information and consume it responsibly, differentiating between what they need to hear and what they simply want to.
The rise of open-data projects and participatory budgeting have allowed governments to invite input from citizens more directly than ever before. Through these platforms, policymakers communicate the problem and the steps they are taking to fix it, then solicit feedback from citizen stakeholders. This can change citizens’ expectations of what can and should be done, making tough decisions easier.
Governments also are benefiting from comparing their own progress to that of their peers. Performance-tracking tools like Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index and the Programme for International Student Assessment (better known as PISA) all have helped to shape government policies for the better.
Similarly, the Sustainable Development Goals provide a powerful road map for tracking initiatives to address many of the grey rhino risks the world still faces: inequality, hunger, climate and 14 other worthy efforts.
There is one final benefit to these tools that ought to appeal to anyone in a position of power: they make it easier to give credit to leaders who work toward solutions to pressing policy problems, and hold accountable those who kick the crisis down the road.
Michele Wucker is a Chicago-based strategist and author of international bestseller The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Dangers We Ignore
Updated: April 23, 2020 07:28 PM
Astronomers find black hole just 1,000 light-years from Earth An artistic rendering shows a star system centered around a totally invisible black hole. Photo by ESO
May 6 (UPI) -- Scientists have discovered the closest black hole to Earth, located just 1,000 light-years away.
Astronomers were able to pinpoint the black hole by tracking the trajectories of its two companion stars using a 2.2-meter telescope in Chile, managed by the European Southern Observatory and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.
"We were totally surprised when we realized that this is the first stellar system with a black hole that can be seen with the unaided eye," Petr Hadrava, an astronomer at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, said in a news release.
The newly discovered black hole is part of the star system that forms the constellation Telescopium. On a clear night in the Southern Hemisphere, the black hole's companion stars can be seen with the naked eye.
Astronomers set out to study the two Telescopium stars -- officially the HR 6819 system -- as part of a broader survey of binary star systems. The orbital pattern of the two stars revealed the presence of a third object, a black hole. Observations showed one of the two stars orbits the black hole once every 40 days, while the second star orbits the star-black hole pair at a large distance.
The stellar-mass black hole boasts a mass roughly four times that of the sun. It isn't violent enough to affect the surrounding environment, and so it is truly black. Most of the two dozen or so black holes found inside the Milky Way strongly interact with the gas and dust that surround them.
(ADD TO THE PILE OF EVIDENCE PROVING EINSTEIN'S GENERAL THEORY RIGHT, THAT'S WHY ITS A GENERAL THEORY AND NOT SPECIFIC) "An invisible object with a mass at least 4 times that of the Sun can only be a black hole," said ESO scientist Thomas Rivinius, lead author of the new study.
The discovery of a quiet, totally invisible black hole so close to Earth suggests there are a massive population of black holes scattered throughout the galaxy and the cosmos.
"There must be hundreds of millions of black holes out there, but we know about only very few. Knowing what to look for should put us in a better position to find them," said Rivinius.
Scientists unveil fossil fuel-free jet propulsion that uses microwave air plasmas
Researchers at Wuhan University have demonstrated a prototype jet engine that uses microwave air plasmas for propulsion instead of fossil fuels. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
May 6 (UPI) -- Engineers in China have developed a fossil fuel-free jet propulsion prototype design that uses microwave air plasmas. If scientists can figure out a way to turn their design into a working engine, the technology could dramatically shrink the carbon footprint of the transportation industry.
"The motivation of our work is to help solve the global warming problems owing to humans' use of fossil fuel combustion engines to power machinery, such as cars and airplanes," study author Jau Tang, professor at Wuhan University in China, said in a news release. "There is no need for fossil fuel with our design, and therefore, there is no carbon emission to cause greenhouse effects and global warming."
Plasma, a mix of charged ions, is the fourth state of matter. Plasma can be found in lightning bolts and on the surface of the sun, but it can also be generated on Earth's surface. The new prototype produces plasma by compressing air under high pressures and exposing the air to microwaves, which ionize the pressurized air stream.
This isn't the first time scientists have demonstrated a thruster engine prototype fueled by microwave air plasmas. NASA's Dawn space probe uses a similar concept, but the space agency's engine relies on xenon plasma. In outer space, xenon plasma will work just fine, but on Earth's, xenon ions are unable to overcome friction to reach jet propulsion speeds.
The new design relies only on a high-temperature, high-pressure treatment combined with injected air and electricity -- no special gas. The new prototype design uses microwaves to ionize compressed air and create jet-like thrust. Photo by Jau Tang and Jun Li
The prototype design features a thin quartz tube through which high-pressure air is pushed before being converted into a plasma jet by a microwave ionization chamber. Simulations showed the miniature thruster can lift a two pound ball over an inch-long tube -- scaled up, the equivalence of the thrusting pressure generated by a commercial airplane jet engine.
Currently, the team of engineers is working to improve the technology's efficiency. Moving forward, researchers plan to built and test actual real life thrusters with high-power microwave sources. The technology could ultimately be scaled up to a full-sized jet.
"Our results demonstrated that such a jet engine based on microwave air plasma can be a potentially viable alternative to the conventional fossil fuel jet engine," Tang said.
( Beredak برضاك) LIVE Concert at Cairo Opera House - 20 December 2015 -
Subscribe to Cairo Steps official YouTube channel: https:bit.ly/CairoSteps
MARWA NAGY YOU TUBE CHANNEL https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfmgqr9mwpDmuFrMikyqKsQ Idea & Concept : Basem Darwisch ( Oud )
Matthias Frey ( Piano )
Rageed William Duduk
Max Klaas Percussions
Hani Al Sawaf Req
Stefan Hergenröder Bass
Sebastian Müller- Schrobsdorff Keys
Wolfgang Wittemann Saxophone
Ahmed AbdelKader Stage Monitoring Engineer
Mafdy Thabet Sound Engineer
Andrew Dawood TV Air Mix
Listen to Cairo Steps ft. Sheikh Ehab Younis in Gnossienne No.1 : https://youtu.be/FOpblB88D18#CairoSteps#Orchestra#برضاك
Cairo Steps merges and combines traditional Egyptian and oriental grooves with modern jazz improvisation, classical music and contemporary sounds. The music is influenced by spiritual ethnic music as well as European music traditions and alternates between strong unison rhythms, virtuoso solos and meditative soundscapes. The result is a unique music style and an exciting blend of various cultures. The ensemble has played numerous concerts in Egypt and Europe with musicians and artists from around the world including performances at Cairo Opera House in Egypt, Frankfurt „Alte Oper“ in Germany as well as international festivals and live TV shows.
Neanderthals preferred bovine bones for leather-making tools
Though the bones of deer were more readily available, Neanderthals preferred to make leather-making tools with the rib bones of bison. Photo by Naomi Martisius/UC Davi
May 8 (UPI) -- When it came to selecting bones for leather-making tools, Neanderthals were surprisingly choosy. New archaeological analysis shows Neanderthals preferentially selected bovine rib bones to make a tool called a lissoir.
Neanderthals used lissoirs, made from animal rib bones, to soften up animal hides and transform them into workable leather. Most lissoirs are so worn smooth that it is impossible to tell what animal the rib bones were sourced from.
For the new study, published this week in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers used highly sensitive mass spectrometry to analyze collagen protein residues on ancient lissoirs.
The technique -- called ZooMS, short for zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry -- involves the breakup of fossil samples into tiny fragments. By measuring the mass to charge ratio of each fragment, scientists can reconstruct their molecular origins.
Instead for drilling holes in fragile Neanderthal tools, scientists were able to collect tiny bone fragments from containers that were used to store lissoirs in museum collections.
The results of the novel analysis showed Neanderthals mostly made lissoirs from the ribs of animals belonging to the cattle family, including bison or aurochs, a wild relative of modern cattle that went extinct just a few hundred years ago.
The use of bovine bones is noteworthy because deer bones were much more plentiful. Archaeological remains suggest Neanderthals more frequently killed deer for food. The rib bones of cattle were heftier and more rigid.
"I think this shows that Neandertals really knew what they were doing," lead study author Naomi Martisius, research associate in the department of anthropology at the University of California, Davis, said in a news release. "They were deliberately picking up these larger ribs when they happened to come across these animals while hunting and they may have even kept these rib tools for a long time, like we would with a favorite wrench or screwdriver."
The latest findings add to the growing body of research that suggests Neanderthals were not the bumbling brutes they're sometimes depicted to be. Studies have shown Neanderthals developed burial traditions, harvested seafood, produced art and utilized a variety of primitive technologies. They were also, apparently, exacting tool makers.
"Neandertals knew that for a specific task, they needed a very particular tool," Martisius said. "They found what worked best and sought it out when it was available."
