Monthly Archives: January 2023

Liberal may finally be shedding its political stigma | The Hill

Posted: January 27, 2023 at 8:38 pm

More than half of Democrats now identify as liberal, suggesting that the long-vilified L-word may be losing its potency as political kryptonite.

A generation of Democratic presidential contenders, from Michael Dukakis to Bill Clinton, ducked the liberal brand. Republicans disparaged liberals as weak-willed softies. Democratic candidates faced perennial accusations of closet liberalism.

In the millennial era, the L-word seems to be shedding its stigma. The share of avowed Democrats who describe themselves as liberal has more than doubled since 1994, reaching 54 percent in 2022, according to Gallup polling.

When you look at the way conservatives brand Democrats, theyve gone way past liberal, said Marc Hetherington, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Now, its socialist.

Presidents Obama and Biden both fended off the socialist tag. In 2021, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and other conservatives mockingly referred to Bidens economic recovery plan as Build Back Socialist.

The L-word has taken a circuitous journey through the annals of American politics. From FDR through JFK, liberalism was a positive term, politically, said Matt Dallek, a political historian at George Washington Universitys Graduate School of Political Management.

Liberals and liberalism helped save the country from the Great Depression, Dallek said. Liberal internationalists helped save the world from Nazi fascism.

In the 1960s, conservatives William F. Buckley Jr. and Barry Goldwater helped redefine liberalism as a philosophy of big government and overspending. By the Reagan 1980s, Republican strategists had painted the liberal as a lover of bureaucracy and criminals, whose hobbies are raising taxes, flag burning and gay marriage, Michael Kinsley wrote in a 1992 column.

In the 1988 campaign, Republican candidate George H.W. Bush branded his Democratic opponent, Dukakis, a card-carrying liberal, clearly implying that was bad. Dukakis waved off the label until the final days of the election, which he lost.

In the 1990s, Newt Gingrich and GOPAC instructed conservative candidates to wield liberal, welfare and taxes as defining terms against their opponents.

He had this list of words: These are the words that you should use to describe Democrats, said Alan Abramowitz, professor emeritus of political science at Emory University.

In the 1992 campaign, Clinton deflected the L-word by portraying himself as a centrist. Many rank-and-file Democrats followed suit. Gallup polls from that era show more than 40 percent of Democrats identifying as moderate, with smaller groups claiming to be conservative or liberal.

Over the next two decades, liberals gradually supplanted moderates as the largest group of Democrats. The conservative camp shrank away: 10 percent of all Democrats identified as conservative in 2022.

Both parties, it seems, have drifted toward the ideological poles. The share of Republicans identifying as conservative rose from 58 percent in 1994 to 72 percent in 2022. Most of that increase has come at the expense of moderates, who dwindled from 33 percent to 22 percent of Republicans in those years.

For Democratic politicians, some of the L-word stigma endures. Older pols may never forget the once-ubiquitous putdowns bleeding-heart liberal, tax-and-spend liberal and limousine liberal that invoke liberal clichs.

If you reviewed most of the advertising running from Democrats in the midterm elections or Joe Bidens campaign, I dont think youd find any touting themselves as liberal, Dallek said.

Left-leaning Democrats of the Biden era populate the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group formed in 1991, near the high-water mark of Republican attacks on liberalism.

Its the Progressive Caucus, Abramowitz said. Its not the liberal caucus.

The term progressive carries mostly positive connotations, at least to the Left, political scientists say. Bernie Sanders, the Independent Vermont senator, famously denies being a liberal but embraces the progressive label.

I would say most Democrats who fall more on the left end of the spectrum probably describe themselves as progressives now, said Mike Freiberg, a Democratic state representative in Minnesota. There are Democrats who self-identify as socialist now.

Research by Pew has uncovered an ideological split within the left. One group, Establishment Liberals, makes up roughly 23 percent of the Democratic tribe. Another group, the Progressive Left, represents 12 percent.

The groups agree on nearly every issue, from gun control to climate change to racial justice to abortion. But progressives support far-reaching changes to the establishment to effect those policies, Pew reports. Establishment liberals do not.

The term liberal is still associated kind of with the Establishment, in quotation marks, said Dru Dunn, 19, a sophomore at American University and president of the College Democrats.

The Establishment Liberal: It means youre kind of OK with how things are running right now.

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Overview | Earth’s Moon NASA Solar System Exploration

Posted: at 8:29 pm

Earth's Moon is the only place beyond Earth where humans have set foot.

The brightest and largest object in our night sky, the Moon makes Earth a more livable planet by moderating our home planet's wobble on its axis, leading to a relatively stable climate. It also causes tides, creating a rhythm that has guided humans for thousands of years. The Moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized body collided with Earth.

Earth's Moon is the fifth largest of the 200+ moons orbiting planets in our solar system.

Earth's only natural satellite is simply called "the Moon" because people didn't know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610.

NASA currently has three robotic spacecraft exploring the Moon Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the twin ARTEMIS spacecraft (not to be confused with NASA's new Artemis program to send astronauts back to the Moon).

Explore Earth's Moon In Depth

1

If you set a single green pea next to a U.S. nickel, you'd have a pretty good idea of the size of the Moon compared to Earth.

2

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It goes around the Earth at a distance of about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers).

3

The Earth and Moon are tidally locked. Their rotations are so in syncwe only see one side of the Moon. Humans didn't see the lunar far side until a Soviet spacecraft flew past in 1959.

Viewing Copernicus

4

The Moon has a solid, rocky surfacecratered and pitted from impacts by asteroids, meteorites, and comets.

5

The Moon has a very thin and tenuous atmosphere called an exosphere. It is not breathable.

8

More than 105robotic spacecraft have been launched to explore the Moon. It is the only celestial body beyond Earth so far visited by human beings.

9

The Moon's weak atmosphere and its lack of liquid water cannot support life as we know it.

10

Apollo astronauts brought back a total of 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of lunar rocks and soil to Earth. We are still studying them.

Apollo 11 Bootprint

The Moon was the first place beyond Earth humans tried to reach as the Space Age began in the late 1950s. More than 100 robotic explorers from more than half a dozen nations have since sent spacecraft to the Moon. Nine crewed missions have flown to the Moon and back.

The former Soviet Union logged the first successes with its Luna program, starting with Luna 1 in 1959. NASA followed with a series of robotic Ranger and Surveyor spacecraft that performed increasingly complex tasks that made it possible for the first human beings to walk on the Moon in 1969.

Twenty-four humans have traveled from the Earth to the Moon. Twelve walked on its surface. The last human visited the lunar surface in 1972.

"That's one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind."

Now NASA is gearing up to set up a permanent lunar presence on the Moon. The Artemis program will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon and develop a sustainable human presence on the Moon and set the stage for further human exploration of Mars.

The program takes its name from the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology. Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

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During a lunar eclipse, Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the sunlight from falling on the Moon. There are two kinds of lunar eclipses:

During some stages of a lunar eclipse, the Moon can appear reddish. This is because the only remaining sunlight reaching the Moon at that point is from around the edges of the Earth, as seen from the Moon's surface. From there, an observer during an eclipse would see all of Earth's sunrises and sunsets at once.

Our lunar neighbor has inspired stories since the first humans looked up at the sky and saw its gray, cratered surface. Some observers saw among the craters the shape of a person's face, so stories refer to a mysterious "man in the Moon." Hungrier observers compared the craters to cheese and dreamed of an entire sphere made of delicious dairy products.

The Moon made its film debut in a 1902 black and white silent French film called "Le Voyage Dans la Lune" ("A Trip to the Moon"). And a year before astronauts walked on the Moon, "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) told the story of astronauts on an outpost on the Moon. Decades later, it is still widely regarded as one of the best science fiction movies ever made.

American astronauts have planted six American flags on the Moon. But that doesn't mean the United States has claimed it; in fact, an international law written in 1967 prevents any single nation from owning planets, stars, or any other natural objects in space.

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Moon Phases | Moon in Motion Moon: NASA Science

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Introduction

In our entire solar system, the only object that shines with its own light is the Sun. That light always beams onto Earth and Moon from the direction of the Sun, illuminating half of our planet in its orbit and reflecting off the surface of the Moon to create moonlight.

Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates. The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark, but how much we are able to see of that illuminated half changes as the Moon travels through its orbit.

Current Moon Phase

Lets take a look at the individual phases, and how the movements of the Moon and Sun appear to us as we watch from the Northern Hemisphere on Earth:

New Moon

This is the invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth. In this phase, the Moon is in the same part of the sky as the Sun and rises and sets with the Sun. Not only is the illuminated side facing away from the Earth, its also up during the day! Remember, in this phase, the Moon doesnt usually pass directly between Earth and the Sun, due to the inclination of the Moons orbit. It only passes near the Sun from our perspective on Earth.

Waxing Crescent

This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet. It grows daily as the Moons orbit carries the Moons dayside farther into view. Every day, the Moon rises a little bit later.

First Quarter

The Moon is now a quarter of the way through its monthly journey and you see half of its illuminated side. People may casually call this a half moon, but remember, thats not really what youre witnessing in the sky. Youre seeing just a slice of the entire Moon half of the illuminated half. A first quarter moon rises around noon and sets around midnight. Its high in the sky in the evening and makes for excellent viewing.

Waxing Gibbous

Now most of the Moons dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky.

Full Moon

This is as close as we come to seeing the Suns illumination of the entire day side of the Moon (so, technically, this would be the real half moon). The Moon is opposite the Sun, as viewed from Earth, revealing the Moons dayside. A full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise. The Moon will appear full for a couple of days before it moves into

Waning Gibbous

As the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun, the opposite side of the Moon now reflects the Moons light. The lighted side appears to shrink, but the Moons orbit is simply carrying it out of view from our perspective. The Moon rises later and later each night.

Last Quarter

The Moon looks like its half illuminated from the perspective of Earth, but really youre seeing half of the half of the Moon thats illuminated by the Sun or a quarter. A last quarter moon, also known as a third quarter moon, rises around midnight and sets around noon.

Waning Crescent

The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve.

When we think of the way the Moon seems to change over the course of a month, we think of phases. But frequent Moon observers know that the Moon also appears to twist, nod, and roll slightly during its journey across the sky, allowing us to peek around the Moon's shoulder and catch glimpses of the farside. This phenomenon is called libration.

Because the Moon's orbit is not perfectly circular, its distance from Earth and its speed in orbit both change slightly throughout the month. The Moons rate of rotation around its own axis, though, always stays the same.

When the Moon is at its closest to Earth and moving most quickly along its orbital path, the Moon itself doesnt rotate quite fast enough to keep entirely the same side facing us, and we get to see a little more of the eastern side of the Moon. When the Moon is farthest from Earth and orbiting at its slowest, its rotation gets a little ahead, and we see a bit more of its western side. We call this motion libration in longitude.

The 5 degree tilt of the Moons orbit also causes it to appear to nod, as though it were saying yes. The tilt sometimes brings the Moon above Earths northern hemisphere, and sometimes below Earths southern hemisphere, allowing us to see slightly more of the northern or southern hemispheres of the Moon. We call this motion libration in latitude.

Finally, the Moon appears to tilt back and forth like a metronome. The tilt of the Moons orbit contributes to this, but its mostly due to the tilt of our Earth. Earth has a tilt of 23.5 degrees on its axis, which means that when we observe the Moon from Earth, its a little like were standing sideways on a ramp. If you look left, the ramp slopes up. If you look right, the ramp slopes down. In front of you, the horizon looks higher on the right and lower on the left. If you turn around, the horizon appears to tilt the opposite way.

The tilted ramp works the same as the tilted platform of the Earth beneath our feet. Every two weeks, we have to look in the opposite direction to see the Moon, and the ground beneath our feet is then tilted the opposite way as well.

Sometimes, when the Moon is in one of its crescent phases, we can still see the darkened area of the Moons nearside shining dimly. This effect is caused by the Suns light reflecting off Earths surface onto the face of the Moon. Because Earth at that point in its orbit is nearly full from the Moons perspective, the light it reflects, called earthshine, is bright enough to dimly illuminate the darkened surface.

Though the Moon is often thought of as a nighttime visitor, its also visible during the day as a faint, pale presence. The best times to see a daytime Moon are perhaps during the first and last quarter phases, when the Moon is high enough above the horizon and at about 90 degrees from the Sun in the sky. This helps make the Suns reflected light bright enough to see as it reflects off of the Moon. The Moon can be seen in the daylit sky at any phase except for the new moon, when its invisible to us, and full moon, when its below the horizon during the day. The crescent through quarter phases are high in the sky during the day, but the daytime gibbous phases can be glimpsed only just before the Sun sets.

Spend the next month getting to know the Moon and its phases by filling out your own observation journal.

Have you ever wondered when the next full moon will be? How about the first quarter moon? Put the dates and times for all the Moon's phases for the year at your fingertips by building your own Moon Phases Calendar and Calculator!

Moon phases can be hard to visualize. This simple activity uses a lamp, styrofoam ball and pencil to show how phases work.

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Moon Phases | Moon in Motion Moon: NASA Science

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All About the Moon | NASA Space Place NASA Science for Kids

Posted: at 8:29 pm

Quick Facts:

Earth has just one moon a rocky, cratered place, roughly a quarter the size of Earth and an average of 238,855 miles away. The Moon can be seen with the naked eye most nights as it traces its 27-day orbit around our planet.

Explore the Moon! Click and drag to rotate the Moon. Scroll or pinch to zoom in and out. Credit: NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD)

This is the face of the Moon that we see from Earth. This image is based on data from NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Chances are that when you imagine the night sky, one of the first things that comes to mind is the Moon glowing in the darkness. The Moon has always held a special place in our imaginations and in daily life.

The Moon has inspired wonder and creativity for thousands of years. This image appeared in a 1902 French film called "Le Voyage dans la Lune" ("A Trip to the Moon").

Its no wonder that we are fascinated. The Moon is Earths only natural satellite and one that we can easily see most nights.

The Moon does not shine with its own light. It simply reflects light coming from the Sun.

From Earth, it might look like the Moon is changing shape each night from a tiny sliver to a half moon to a full moon and back again. Whats actually happening is that from our spot on Earth, we see different parts of the Moon lit up by the Sun as the Moon travels in its orbit.

As the Moon travels around Earth, different parts of it are lit up by the Sun. These changes in the Moon's appearance from our view on Earth are called moon phases. This graphic shows all eight moon phases we see as the Moon makes a complete orbit of Earth about every four weeks. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

No. The Moon rotates on its own axis at the same rate that it orbits around Earth. That means we always see the same side of the Moon from our position on Earth. The side we don't see gets just as much light, so a more accurate name for that part of the Moon is the "far side."

We only ever see one side of the Moon because as it orbits around Earth, it also rotates on its own axis at the same speed. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The "far side" of the Moon looks very different than the near side (see the first photo in this article). Notice how few dark areas the far side has. This image is based on data from NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

Scientists believe that the Moon formed early in the solar systems history after Earth and an object about the size of Mars smashed into each other. The impact sent chunks of Earth and the impactor into space that were pulled together by gravity, creating the Moon.

Even thousands of years ago, humans drew pictures to track the changes of the Moon. Later, people used their observations of the Moon to create calendars.

Today, we study the Moon using telescopes and spacecraft. For example, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the Moon and sending back measurements since 2009.

The Moon is the only other planetary body that humans have visited. On July 20, 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to set foot on the dusty surface of the Moon. Ten other American astronauts followed. They collected hundreds of pounds of lunar soil and rock samples, conducted experiments and installed equipment for follow-up measurements.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin set up several scientific experiments while on the surface of the Moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission. You can see the lunar module, Eagle, in the background. Credit: NASA

Today, we know that the Moon is covered by craters as well as dust and debris from comets, asteroids and meteoroid impacts. We know that the Moons dark areas, called maria which is Latin for seas are not actually seas. Instead, they are craters that lava seeped into billions of years ago. We know that the Moon has almost no atmosphere and only about one-sixth of Earths gravity. We even know that there is quite a bit of frozen water tucked away in craters near the Moon's poles.

There is no wind or air on the Moon to help erase craters, so the surface is covered with the remains of old and new impacts. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA

There are still many questions left to answer about the Moon. And the most exciting days of lunar activity may still lie ahead as NASA sends humans on the next missions to the Moon and eventually on to Mars!

NASA Solar System Exploration

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January 21, 2023: Closest New Moon Since the Middle Ages

Posted: at 8:29 pm

This Saturdays New Moon will be the closest New Moon to Earth in a period of 1337 years.

The New Moon of January 2023 coincides with the point in the Moons orbit where it is closest to Earth.

timeanddate

According to our calculations, on January 21, 2023, the New Moon will be at its closest distance to Earth for the last 992 years.

The next time the New Moon is this close to Earth will be 345 years from now, making this the closest New Moon in 1337 years.

Moon phases visualizedwhere is the Moon?

The Moons orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle. Instead, it has an elliptical shape, like a slightly stretched circle. This means the distance between the Moon and Earth changes over the course of a month.

The point on the Moons orbit that is closest to Earth is called perigee; the farthest point is called apogee.

If perigee or apogee coincides with a New Moon or Full Moonwhen the Earth, Moon, and Sun are in alignmentthe Moons closest and farthest distances become more extreme.

This leads to the phenomena of Supermoons and Micromoons, where the Moon is particularly near or far away.

The most extreme Earth-Moon distances of all occur when Earth is near its closest point to the Sun, which is called perihelion. Currently, perihelion falls around the beginning of January.

We looked into the closest Earth-Moon distances at New Moon over a 2000-year period, and found three New Moons where the distance was less than 356,570 km (221,562 miles).

Our calculations used the best available figures for the Moons position over long periods of time. This is a set of data called DE431, which was produced by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.

Sources: JPL Ephemeris DE431, timeanddate.com

It should be noted that, according to this data, there is only a few kilometers difference between these distances. It can also be seen that the three dates fall close to perihelion (around December and January).

As a comparison, the farthest Earth-Moon distance is typically around 405,000 km (252,000 miles).

So this will be the closest New Moonand also, therefore, the largestsince the 11th century.

In practical terms, we wont be able to see anything, because the New Moon is known as the invisible phase: its where the Moon disappears from view for a few days.

Supermoons and Micromoons do have a small effect on tides. And, of course, anything to do with the Moon has the potential to fill us with wonder and curiosity.

In fact, this will be a weekend of astronomical close encounters.

On Sunday, January 22, Venus will appear to pass within 0.34 of Saturn. This is less than the width of a little finger held at arms length.

Venus and Saturn appear as a single star in this view from our Night Sky Map for New York City at 17:30 (5:30 pm) local time on January 22. Saturn will be much fainter than bright Venus. This image also includes the super-thin crescent of a one-day-old Moon.

timeanddate

Find Venus and Saturn on our Night Sky Map

In a session at last years Europlanet Science Congress in Granada, Spain, timeanddate highlighted this event as one of seven notable close approaches of planets between now and 2040.

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Demographics of Seychelles – Wikipedia

Posted: at 8:23 pm

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Seychelles, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Population pyramid of the Seychelles in 2020

About 90% of the Seychellois people live on the island of Mah. Most of the rest live on Praslin and La Digue, with the remaining smaller islands either sparsely populated or uninhabited.

Most Seychellois are descendants of early French settlers and East Africans who arrived in the 19th century. Tamils, along with other South Indians and Chinese (1.1% of the population) account for the other permanent inhabitants. About 1,703 (2000) expatriates live and work in Seychelles. In 1901, there were roughly 3500 Tamil speakers out of the country's population of 19,237. Tamil immigrants arrived in Seychelles as early as 1770 and were among the first settlers to the originally sparsely inhabited island nation.

Seychelles culture is a mixture of French and African (Creole) influences. The local Seychellois Creole (Kreol), a creole language derived from French and African tongues, is the native language of 91.8% of the people; but English and French are also commonly used. English remains the language of government and commerce.

About 91.9% of the adult population is literate, and the literacy rate of school-aged children has risen to well over 98%. Increases are expected, as nearly all children of primary school age attend school, and the government encourages adult education.

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.[6]

The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook[7] unless otherwise indicated.

Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 10.5% (Anglican 6.1%, Pentecostal Assembly 1.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.2%, other Protestant 1.7%), other Christian 2.4%, Hindu 2.4%, Muslim 1.6%, other non-Christian 1.1%, unspecified 4.8%, none 0.9% (2010 est.)

Seychelles has very little indigenous population and was first permanently settled by a small group of French colonizers, African, and South Indians in 1770. Seychelles modern population is composed of the descendants of French and later British colonizers, Africans, and Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern traders and is concentrated on three of its 155 islands the vast majority on Mahe and lesser numbers on Praslin and La Digue. Seychelles population grew rapidly during the second half of the 20th century, largely due to natural increase, but the pace has slowed because of fertility decline. The total fertility rate dropped sharply from 4.0 children per woman in 1980 to 1.9 in 2015, mainly as a result of a family planning program, free education and health care, and increased female labor force participation. Life expectancy has increased steadily, but women on average live 9 years longer than men, a difference that is higher than that typical of developed countries.[7]

The combination of reduced fertility and increased longevity has resulted in an aging population, which will put pressure on the government's provision of pensions and health care. Seychelles sustained investment in social welfare services, such as free primary health care and education up to the post-secondary level, have enabled the country to achieve a high human development index score, among the highest in Africa. Despite some of its health and education indicators being nearly on par with Western countries, Seychelles has a high level of income inequality.[7]

total population: 76.1 years. Country comparison to the world: 109thmale: 71.67 yearsfemale: 80.66 years (2022 est.)

at birth:1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years:1.06 male(s)/female15-64 years:0.95 male(s)/female65 years and over:0.70 male(s)/femaletotal population:1.07 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

noun: Seychellois (singular and plural), adjective: Seychelles

predominantly creole (mainly of East African and Malagasy heritage); also French, Indian, Chinese, and Arab populations

Seychellois Creole (official) 89.1%, English (official) 5.1%, French (official) 0.7%, Other 3.8%, Unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.)[8]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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Aldabra Atoll Seychelles cruise port schedule | CruiseMapper

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Aldabra Atoll is the world's second-largest coral atoll - after Kiritimati (Christmas Island). It is part of the Outer Islands (Seychelles) in the Indian Ocean. Aldabra Island is located 1120 km (700 mi) southwest of Victoria (Mahe Island). The Aldabra Atoll has 4 larger islands, plus 40 smaller ones, all inside its lagoon. There are also a few very small islets located between Grand-Terre Island and Picard Islands.

A scientific research station of SIF (Seychelles Islands Foundation) is based at La Gigi village, Picard Island. The permanent staff of 12 people conduct research to study the biodiversity of Aldabra.

Aldabra is not easy to access. No helipads, landing jetties or airstrips, have been permitted to be constructed on the atoll. The closest airfield on Assumption is 50 km (31 ml) south-east of Picard. Supply ships that operate from Mahe provide food and other essentials to the scientists and staff at the station once per 2 months.

Cruises are operated by several cruise lines along with dive boats that may call on Aldabra Atoll on expedition tours. Visits by people other than SIF scientists and staff are strictly controlled. Only guided tours are offered with prior permission and current numbers indicate that an average of 900 tourists are able to see the atoll per year. Within Aldabra, paved walking paths exist from La Gigi village which leads to premonitory from where views of the mangrove species and the large lagoon (during low tides) are seen.

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Aldabra Atoll Seychelles cruise port schedule | CruiseMapper

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After oxygen therapy for 5 years, Indian doctors help Seychelles woman breathe on her own again – The Indian Express

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After oxygen therapy for 5 years, Indian doctors help Seychelles woman breathe on her own again  The Indian Express

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After oxygen therapy for 5 years, Indian doctors help Seychelles woman breathe on her own again - The Indian Express

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Gene | Definition, Structure, Expression, & Facts | Britannica

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Summary

gene, unit of hereditary information that occupies a fixed position (locus) on a chromosome. Genes achieve their effects by directing the synthesis of proteins.

In eukaryotes (such as animals, plants, and fungi), genes are contained within the cell nucleus. The mitochondria (in animals) and the chloroplasts (in plants) also contain small subsets of genes distinct from the genes found in the nucleus. In prokaryotes (organisms lacking a distinct nucleus, such as bacteria), genes are contained in a single chromosome that is free-floating in the cell cytoplasm. Many bacteria also contain plasmidsextrachromosomal genetic elements with a small number of genes.

The number of genes in an organisms genome (the entire set of chromosomes) varies significantly between species. For example, whereas the human genome contains an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 genes, the genome of the bacterium Escherichia coli O157:H7 houses precisely 5,416 genes. Arabidopsis thalianathe first plant for which a complete genomic sequence was recoveredhas roughly 25,500 genes; its genome is one of the smallest known to plants. Among extant independently replicating organisms, the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium has the fewest number of genes, just 517.

A brief treatment of genes follows. For full treatment, see heredity.

Genes are composed of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), except in some viruses, which have genes consisting of a closely related compound called ribonucleic acid (RNA). A DNA molecule is composed of two chains of nucleotides that wind about each other to resemble a twisted ladder. The sides of the ladder are made up of sugars and phosphates, and the rungs are formed by bonded pairs of nitrogenous bases. These bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). An A on one chain bonds to a T on the other (thus forming an AT ladder rung); similarly, a C on one chain bonds to a G on the other. If the bonds between the bases are broken, the two chains unwind, and free nucleotides within the cell attach themselves to the exposed bases of the now-separated chains. The free nucleotides line up along each chain according to the base-pairing ruleA bonds to T, C bonds to G. This process results in the creation of two identical DNA molecules from one original and is the method by which hereditary information is passed from one generation of cells to the next.

The sequence of bases along a strand of DNA determines the genetic code. When the product of a particular gene is needed, the portion of the DNA molecule that contains that gene will split. Through the process of transcription, a strand of RNA with bases complementary to those of the gene is created from the free nucleotides in the cell. (RNA has the base uracil [U] instead of thymine, so A and U form base pairs during RNA synthesis.) This single chain of RNA, called messenger RNA (mRNA), then passes to the organelles called ribosomes, where the process of translation, or protein synthesis, takes place. During translation, a second type of RNA, transfer RNA (tRNA), matches up the nucleotides on mRNA with specific amino acids. Each set of three nucleotides codes for one amino acid. The series of amino acids built according to the sequence of nucleotides forms a polypeptide chain; all proteins are made from one or more linked polypeptide chains.

Experiments conducted in the 1940s indicated one gene being responsible for the assembly of one enzyme, or one polypeptide chain. This is known as the one geneone enzyme hypothesis. However, since this discovery, it has been realized that not all genes encode an enzyme and that some enzymes are made up of several short polypeptides encoded by two or more genes.

Experiments have shown that many of the genes within the cells of organisms are inactive much or even all of the time. Thus, at any time, in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, it seems that a gene can be switched on or off. The regulation of genes between eukaryotes and prokaryotes differs in important ways.

The process by which genes are activated and deactivated in bacteria is well characterized. Bacteria have three types of genes: structural, operator, and regulator. Structural genes code for the synthesis of specific polypeptides. Operator genes contain the code necessary to begin the process of transcribing the DNA message of one or more structural genes into mRNA. Thus, structural genes are linked to an operator gene in a functional unit called an operon. Ultimately, the activity of the operon is controlled by a regulator gene, which produces a small protein molecule called a repressor. The repressor binds to the operator gene and prevents it from initiating the synthesis of the protein called for by the operon. The presence or absence of certain repressor molecules determines whether the operon is off or on. As mentioned, this model applies to bacteria.

The genes of eukaryotes, which do not have operons, are regulated independently. The series of events associated with gene expression in higher organisms involves multiple levels of regulation and is often influenced by the presence or absence of molecules called transcription factors. These factors influence the fundamental level of gene control, which is the rate of transcription, and may function as activators or enhancers. Specific transcription factors regulate the production of RNA from genes at certain times and in certain types of cells. Transcription factors often bind to the promoter, or regulatory region, found in the genes of higher organisms. Following transcription, introns (noncoding nucleotide sequences) are excised from the primary transcript through processes known as editing and splicing. The result of these processes is a functional strand of mRNA. For most genes this is a routine step in the production of mRNA, but in some genes there are multiple ways to splice the primary transcript, resulting in different mRNAs, which in turn result in different proteins. Some genes also are controlled at the translational and posttranslational levels.

Mutations occur when the number or order of bases in a gene is disrupted. Nucleotides can be deleted, doubled, rearranged, or replaced, each alteration having a particular effect. Mutation generally has little or no effect, but, when it does alter an organism, the change may be lethal or cause disease. A beneficial mutation will rise in frequency within a population until it becomes the norm.

For more information on the influence of genetic mutations in humans and other organisms, see human genetic disease and evolution.

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Gene | Definition, Structure, Expression, & Facts | Britannica

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New gene therapy delivers treatment directly to brain

Posted: at 8:18 pm

When Rylae-Ann Poulin was a year old, she didnt crawl or babble like other kids her age. A rare genetic disorder kept her from even lifting her head. Her parents took turns holding her upright at night just so she could breathe comfortably and sleep.

Then, months later. doctors delivered gene therapy directly to her brain.

Now the 4-year-old is walking, running, swimming, reading and riding horses just doing so many amazing things that doctors once said were impossible, said her mother, Judy Wei.

READ MORE: Gene therapy was a boys last chance to stop leukemia. And it worked.

Rylae-Ann, who lives with her family in Bangkok, was among the first to benefit from a new way of delivering gene therapy attacking diseases inside the brain that experts believe holds great promise for treating a host of brain disorders.

Her treatment recently became the first brain-delivered gene therapy after its approval in Europe and the United Kingdom for AADC deficiency, a disorder that interferes with the way cells in the nervous system communicate. New Jersey drugmaker PTC Therapeutics plans to seek U.S. approval this year.

Meanwhile, about 30 U.S. studies testing gene therapy to the brain for various disorders are ongoing, according to the National Institutes of Health. One, led by Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz at Ohio State University, also targets AADC deficiency. Others test treatments for disorders such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Huntingtons.

Challenges remain, especially with diseases caused by more than a single gene. But scientists say the evidence supporting this approach is mounting opening a new frontier in the fight against disorders afflicting our most complex and mysterious organ.

Theres a lot of exciting times ahead of us, said Bankiewicz, a neurosurgeon. Were seeing some breakthroughs.

The most dramatic of those breakthroughs involve Rylae-Anns disease, which is caused by mutations in a gene needed for an enzyme that helps make neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, the bodys chemical messengers. The one-time treatment delivers a working version of the gene.

At around 3 months old, Rylae-Ann began having spells her parents thought were seizures her eyes would roll back and her muscles would tense. Fluid sometimes got into her lungs after feedings, sending her to the emergency room. Doctors thought she might have epilepsy or cerebral palsy.

Around that time, Weis brother sent her a Facebook post about a child in Taiwan with AADC deficiency. The extremely rare disorder afflicts about 135 children worldwide, many in that country. Wei, who was born in Taiwan, and her husband, Richard Poulin III, sought out a doctor there who correctly diagnosed Rylae-Ann. They learned she could qualify for a gene therapy clinical trial in Taiwan.

Though they were nervous about the prospect of brain surgery, they realized she likely wouldnt live past 4 years old without it.

WATCH: Researchers look for link between air pollution and brain disease

Rylae-Ann had the treatment at 18 months old on November 13, 2019 which her parents have dubbed her reborn day. Doctors delivered it during minimally invasive surgery, with a thin tube through a hole in the skull. A harmless virus carried in a functioning version of the gene.

It gets put into the brain cells and then the brain cells make the (neurotransmitter) dopamine, said Stuart Peltz, CEO of PTC Therapeutics.

Company officials said all patients in their clinical trials showed motor and cognitive improvements. Some of them, Peltz said, could eventually stand and walk, and continue getting better over time.

Bankiewicz said all 40 or so patients in his teams NIH-funded study also saw significant improvements. His surgical approach is more involved and delivers the treatment to a different part of the brain. It targets relevant circuits in the brain, Bankiewicz said, like planting seeds that cause ivy to sprout and spread.

Its really amazing work, said Jill Morris, a program director with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which helped pay for the research. And he has seen a lot of consistency between patients.

One is 8-year-old Rian Rodriguez-Pena, who lives with her family near Toronto. Rian got gene therapy in 2019, shortly before her 5th birthday. Two months later, she held her head up for the first time. She soon started using her hands and reaching for hugs. Seven months after surgery, she sat up on her own.

When the world was crumbling around us with COVID, we were at our house celebrating like it was the biggest party of our lives because Rian was just crushing so many milestones that were impossible for so long, said her mom, Shillann Rodriguez-Pena. Its a completely different life now.

Scientists say there are challenges to overcome before this approach becomes widespread for more common brain diseases.

For example, the timing of treatment is an issue. Generally, earlier in life is better because diseases can cause a cascade of problems over the years. Also, disorders with more complex causes like Alzheimers are tougher to treat with gene therapy.

When youre correcting one gene, you know exactly where the target is, said Morris.

Ryan Gilbert, a biomedical engineer at New Yorks Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said there can also be issues with the gene-carrying virus, which can potentially insert genetic information in an indiscriminate way. Gilbert and other researchers are working on other delivery methods, such as messenger RNA the technology used in many COVID-19 vaccines to deliver a genetic payload to the nucleus of cells.

Scientists are also exploring ways to deliver gene therapy to the brain without the dangers of brain surgery. But that requires getting around the blood-brain barrier, an inherent roadblock designed to keep viruses and other germs that may be circulating in the bloodstream out of the brain.

A more practical hurdle is cost. The price of gene therapies, borne mostly by insurers and governments, can run into the millions. The one-time PTC therapy, called Upstaza, costs more than $3 million in Europe, for example.

But drugmakers say they are committed to ensuring people get the treatments they need. And researchers are confident they can overcome the remaining scientific obstacles to this approach.

So I would say gene therapy can be leveraged for many sorts of brain diseases and disorders, Gilbert said. In the future, youre going to see more technology doing these kinds of things.

The families of Rylae-Ann and Rian said they hope other families dealing with devastating genetic diseases will someday get to see the transformations theyve seen. Both girls are continuing to improve. Rian is playing, eating all sorts of foods, learning to walk and working on language. Rylae-Ann is in preschool, has started a ballet class, and is reading at a kindergarten level.

When her dad picks her up, she runs to me just gives me a hug and says, I love you, Daddy. he said. Its like its a normal day, and thats all we ever wanted as parents.

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New gene therapy delivers treatment directly to brain

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