Category Archives: Evolution

Tedial Certifies Ebantic as Advanced Developer of Evolution MAM Platform

Malaga, Spain 21November 2019 Tedial, the leading independent MAM technology solutions specialist, has announced that it has certified Ebantic, a provider of solutions for the integrated management of audiovisual content, as Advanced Developer of its flexible and configurable Evolution MAM platform. Using Tedials Integration API, third-parties can develop tailored solutions and services for customers via the Tedial Evolution MAM platform, further highlighting the scalability and flexibility of the solution.

Tedial and Ebantic are currently working together on two important projects in the Spanish market. These projects include the management and distribution of content for FOX Network Group and the content and sales management platform of The Mediapro Studio.

Both projects have demanding integration requirements that have led Tedial, with the support of Ebantic, to further develop its Integration API for its content and management Evolution solution. As a result, Tedial has granted an Advanced Developer certification to Ebantic, in recognition of the company's in-depth knowledge of the Evolution integration layer. This enables broadcasters to expand their solutions using Ebantics services.

Carles Rams, CEO, Ebantic says, This certification further positions Ebantic as one of the leading strategic companies in our sector, which allows producers and broadcasters to integrate different solutions to achieve end-to-end automation of their value chain. We are delighted to receive this recognition from Tedial, a leading provider and MAM solution multi-award winner in honour of our hard work together.

Emilio L. Zapata, CEO, Tedial says This certification once again demonstrates the interoperability and the flexibility that Evolution offers. The platform has a powerful and flexible API, from which customers can develop their own integrations and provide services. Companies like Ebantic, who know our solution in-depth, are well positioned to carry out these developments.

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About Ebantic

Ebantic develops tailored software solutions for media companies incorporating a business management layer that improves productivity and facilitates operations.

Ebantic has deployed its solutions for strategic companies in the media industry, and also helps them analyze their business processes as part of the project. Its in-depth understanding of the industry and vast experience are the most highly-valued skills for Ebantics customers. Ebantics solutions are capable of closing any project, including functionalities that help meet the customers requirements, sometimes not included in out-of-the-box vendor solutions.

For more information: http://www.ebantic.com

Ebantic Contact:

Carles Rams

CEO

crams@ebantic.com

About Tedial

18 years of technology leadership

Tedial is a leading provider of Media and Content Management solutions designed to maximize business efficiency and profitability.

Its multi award-winning Media IT platform, Tedial Evolution, provides global media companies and broadcasters next-generation MAM and business driven media workflows. Tedial supplies the worlds only fully end-to-end IMF compliant MAM solution, marrying media preparation and logistics into a complete supply chain, and a single workflow, Version Factory, that delivers thousands of media versions from a single asset.

Tedials innovations include SMARTLIVE, a live sports and event solution that supports and extends production systems from industry leading vendors. Tedial Evolution is designed to reinforce a collaborative working environment on premises or in the cloud and drive workflows for linear, VOD/OTT and live event services. This provides customers with scalable tools that efficiently and cost-effectively allow them to meet their operational requirements and business objectives.

Tedial is global company that consistently and successfully delivers large and complex MAM/Content Management systems.

For more information: http://www.tedial.com

International PR Contact:

Kate Ford

Jump PR

Email: kate@jumppr.tv

Tel: +44 (0)1932 240001

Mob: +44 (0)7740 948065

US PR Contact:

Harriet Diener

Desert Moon

Email: harriet@desertmoon.tv

Tel: +1-845-512-8283

Cell: +1-914-263-0613

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Tedial Certifies Ebantic as Advanced Developer of Evolution MAM Platform - Broadcasting & Cable

Teaching Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution is not about changing beliefs. In the same way teaching students of all religions about the history of Christianity or Judaism, for example, does not inherently include preaching that religions beliefs, the theory of evolution can be taught without being sermonized.

Evolution is the change in organisms over generations. The theory of evolution is the idea that all organisms evolved from one original, single-celled organism nearly 4 billion years ago. Other ideas for the origin of life stem from religion, in which one or more god(s) created life. Though the theory of evolution contradicts the ideas of the origin of life in many religions, it should still be taught in science classes.

Evolution is a theory that is supported by an overwhelming amount of evidence. It is backed up by real-life examples, artifacts (fossils), research and observations. Not only do the facts offer beneficial information to students, but science teachers can use this example of research in explanations of the scientific method and how to conduct ones own research.

Educators are responsible not only for teaching students, but teaching them how to learn as well. After being in school for over 14 years, I have done quite a bit of learning how to be a learner. This includes applying material I learned in school to real life, especially in science courses. I would have been very confused in Advanced Placement biology if all of the evolution talk was cut from the curriculum, because I would have had no background information behind concepts such as why genetics are important or why humans are so similar to primates.

There are so many questions that come about in life that cannot scientifically nor factually be explained without the theory of evolution. The theory is not used to change peoples beliefs, but to explain biological and ecological processes. Physical, tangible evidence, such as fossils or a bacterias antibiotic resistance, makes it hard to deny that evolution plays a role in real life.

For example, antibiotic resistance is an issue that scientists are facing that affects everyone whether you believe in evolution or not. These super bugs, or antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are harder to treat because they have evolved to survive the drugs and treatment we have used in the past. The only scientific explanation for this change in strength is evolution, and rejecting that idea is ignorant and potentially harmful.

Adults who reject even being open to this theory are unable to truly understand or accept the facts of life today. Our youth should not grow up without this understanding of the world that is backed up by facts and evidence, especially at a time of climate crisis and other real-world problems that can be understood through evolution.

So many students are interested in STEM and going into a scientific field in the future. It is unfair to put any of these students behind others in this field due to a lack of coverage on one of the most fundamental aspects of life. By not teaching evolution in schools, future scientists are deprived of necessary knowledge and understanding of real scientific processes.

Students should be respected as learners and as free-thinking beings, and therefore should not be treated as if they cannot handle the idea of evolution or make their own educated decisions. Parents and educators alike should trust students to learn and apply the material to their lives however they choose.

Young people should not be taught to have a closed mind by omitting certain material from the curriculum solely because it does not align with personal beliefs. Instead, we should have faith that these students will use the information they gain in school to make informed decisions about the world.

If someone learns about the theory of evolution and still chooses to believe in their religion, which happens most of the time, then that is their choice as much as it is if they choose to change their beliefs. That is the beauty of living in a country where you have freedom of religion there is a separation of church and state.

The main reason people might oppose teaching evolution in schools is for religious reasons. In the United States, there is a separation of church and state therefore, by law, public schools cannot preach religion to students. Teaching the theory of evolution has nothing to do with preaching to students, it is simply stating facts about research and evidence that support a scientific theory.

From here, many will argue that if evolution is taught in schools, religion should be as well. Personally, I think thats a great idea. The history of various religions would not only expose students to different cultures and points of view, but help with ideas of acceptance in diversity.

Though the theory of evolution and ideas in religion may contradict each other, they are not totally exclusive to one another. Teaching evolution in schools should not even be a question.

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Evolution in Education - The Campus

As the turn of the year rears its head once again, it's time to look at what's set to change in the business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) industry over the next 12 months.

In 2020, we'll see the market shift with technologies like AI and blockchain becoming more mainstream. IT service management will also find environments will continue to grow in complexity, more companies and countries will adopt cloud-first mandates and vendors will turn their attention to simplifying the migration of applications to the cloud.

Here's how we see the year panning out:

Mick Bradley is VP EMEA Sales at Arcserve.

Investments from international brands such as FedEx and Walmart in 2019 are an indication that blockchain is being taken seriously as a means of achieving greater transparency and auditability. Facebook also announced its intention to launch its blockchain-based cryptocurrency in June, sparking widespread debate. As more big names funnel resources into blockchain-related R&D, we'll see a greater number of real-world and enterprise applications of the technology in active use.

However, claims that the technology is immune to compromise, and corruption should be taken with a pinch of salt. As more organisations adopt blockchain, well see an increase in data loss as many will believe that its inherently secure and not consider the varying levels of security and access control that comes with the technology. Without incorporating this factor into a BCDR plan, will leave organisations vulnerable to attacks and threats.

Organisations will also call for more than just the ability to store, process and keep data available in 2020. There will be an increase in data classificationthe process of organising data by category so that it can be used and protected more effectivelyin line with the continuing need to adhere to governance and regulations like GDPR. We'll also see a rise in automation, as organisations look to streamline complex processes and tedious, repetitive manual tasks.

The need to draw insight from data and extract higher value means AI-as-a-service is set to explode, which will allow organisations to unearth hidden patterns in massive datasets, making for better informed and therefore more intelligent decision making.

With "data management" becoming popular, due to its appeal to both users and solutions providers, its still yet to be widely adopted. More clarification is needed on its definition as it's often described in different ways. Ultimately, the key is to make sure that we're focusing on the IT needs of organisations, then turn to or create the solution that solves a problem.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cyber-attacks have become one of the most significant business risks and represent the most menacing threat to IT organisations across all sectors. The issue is spiralling, with costs associated with data breaches and hacks projected to reach $20 billion by 2021.

In response to the threat of cyber-attacks, including ransomware, MSPs must turn to an integrated threat prevention solution in 2020. IT professionals need to simplify their approach by deploying a multi-layered solution that integrates threat prevention technologies with onsite and offsite business continuity, which will increase IT resiliency due to the incorporation of backup, recovery and threat prevention.

The latest all-in-one offerings allow businesses to neutralise ransomware by combining disaster recovery, application availability and endpoint security protection solutions. They are also augmented by AI and deep learning techniques that detect both known and unknown malware, setting the foundation for a ransomware-free future for businesses so they can avoid ever having to pay a ransom.

True continuous data protection is journal-based, whereby byte-level changes to data and copied and replicated to a separate location in real-time. The ability to revert to a particular point in time, at which data is known to be good, will continue to be invaluable to businesses. This is especially useful in the case of a corruption event or physical system failure.

Continuous data protection and replication will continue to gain momentum in the new year. Mainly where cloud services and applications are used in mission-critical solutions, as with online retail and financial transactions.

Despite the industry's ever-growing maturity, the lack of adequate, user-friendly tools to move applications to cloud storage of data will continue to hamper businesses looking to transition to the cloud swiftly and with minimal downtime. With that in mind, we'll likely see the emergence of offerings that can accelerate and simplify the migration process in the new year.

Also, well witness many organisations turning to alternative cloud models, such as hybrid and multi-cloud strategies rather than relying on a single cloud. As more organisations implement these cloud alternatives, they must ensure that they're not leaving data vulnerable to threats, as before taking off on a hybrid or multi-cloud journey, organisations must be taking the right steps to mitigate any risks.

It wont just be organisations making the switch to the cloud, with Bahrain introducing its cloud-first approach, its likely more countries will also be seeking to modernise their IT in the new year.

Already sprawling IT environments will continue to grow in complexity in 2020. Despite the complex nature of today's infrastructures, companies are resorting to using two or more backup solutions, further adding to the complexity they're attempting to unpick. A different approach is necessary going forward.

Hyperconverged infrastructure is being touted as one solution to the complexity question, but in many cases, it introduces new technology and concepts that require additional training. Only once the workforce has been equipped with the necessary knowledge will it begin to promote simplification and automation.

Also, IT buying decisions will increasingly spread horizontally across organisations due to line of business (LOB) executives frequently purchasing technology solutions independently from IT teams. According to research nearly half (48%) of UK channel partners surveyed are adapting their marketing strategies to target new buyers and 52% adopting a business outcome-based sales approach where the focus is on collaborating with both IT and LOB executives for procurement and implementation.

There we have it our predictions for the future of the BCDR industry in the new year. As ever, BCDR will shift in line with the evolution of IT environments, the threat landscape, and the ever-changing needs of businesses where data protection is concerned.

Businesses should, therefore, look to implement an all-in-one approach that prioritises both compliance and data security, as well as taking advantage of the benefits of emerging technologies to best protect and analyse business-critical data. This will put them in the best position to keep their data secure and capitalise on the opportunities available in 2020.

Mick Bradley is VP EMEA Sales at Arcserve.

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The evolution of disaster recovery - TechRadar

How to evolve Milcery into each of the different Alcremiecolours.

Milcrey and its second stage evolution, Alcremie, are both new Gen 8 that debuted in Pokmon Sword and Shield.

Depending on how you conduct Milcrey's evolution, Alcremie can take on a variety of different forms. This includes having different colour eyes, different cream decorations and even a completely different colour scheme.

Alongside Applin, Toxel and Yamask, Milcery has brought a new evolution method into the Pokmon franchise.

On this page:

Milcery can be found on Route 4 and within several sections of the Wild Area - Bridge Field and Giant's Mirror.

Keep your eyes peeled when searching for Milcery, because it's a random encounter in the long grass.

Here are the section of the Wild Area Milcery appears in and what weather must be occurring there:

Once you've caught a Milcery, it's time to track down a sweet, because, without one, you won't be able to evolve Milcery into Alcremie.

There are seven different types of sweets in total:

The type of sweet you give your Milcery will determine both the eye colour and the decorations your Alcremie will have in its cream.

You can earn these sweets by winning battles at the Battle Cafes in either Motostoke, Hammerlocke and Wyndon.

There is no guarantee, however, that you'll receive a sweet after defeating the cafe owner. He has a variety of rewards to give you, so don't be surprised if you have to battle him on multiple days to get the sweet you want.

You'll know when you receive a Milcery sweet, because the description for the sweet will include, 'When a Milcery holds this, it will spin around happily.'

If you don't want to battle for a sweet though, you can find a Strawberry Sweet on the ground in Hammerlocke.

Head up the staircase left to the entrance of the train station. At the top of these stairs immediately turn to your left and pick up the item on the ground by the closed gate. This will be a Strawberry Sweet.

Now that you have both a Milcery and a sweet, you can finally get an Alcremie for your Pokdex.

First, however, you need to give your Milcery a sweet to hold.

Open your Bag from the X menu and then scroll across to the 'Other Items' section of your bag. Here you'll be able to find any sweet you've collected.

Select the sweet you want to use to evolve the Milcery, pick the option 'Give to a Pokmon' and then select your Milcery.

With this done, you need to spin your in-game avatar around and around, until they begin to spin on the spot.

This is achieved by rotating the left-control stick to make the avatar run in circles. At some point, the avatar will spin in a circle, only spotting when you stop rotating the control stick.

The Alcremie form your Milcery evolves into depends on which direction you spin in, the duration of your spinning and at what time of day you spin.

If you're having trouble figuring out what the time of day is in Pokmon Sword and Shield, then head to the Wild Area.

Unlike the routes and cities, the time in the Wild Area is tied to the internal clock in your Nintendo Switch. This means that if your Nintendo Switch clock is claiming its daytime, then it will also be daytime in the Wild Area.

It's also important to know that if you're evolving a shiny Milcery, then they will only ever evolve into one form of Alcremie, which is considering the shiny Alcremie form. This evolution can be conducted at any time of done, with no conditions spent on the direction or duration of your spinning.

Below you'll find the nine different forms your Alcremie can take on, including the direction you have to spin in, how long you need to spin for and at what time of day you have to spin at to unlock that form.

Out of all the Alcremie forms, Rainbow Swirl Alcremie is by far the hardest to receive. This is because Milcery can only be evolved into this form during dusk, which is at 7pm / 19:00 in-game.

In Pokmon Sword and Shield, the clock in the towns and major routes is tied to where you in the story. This means that if your at a place in the story when it's set at night, then all of these areas will clocked into darkness.

The Wild Area, however, is tied to the internal clock of your Nintendo Switch, so whatever the time your Switch believes it to be, day or night, then that will be the time in the Wild Area.

This means that if you want a Rainbow Swirl Alcremie, you need to either wait until 7pm / 19:00 or mess with your Switch's internal clock.

To do this, enter the 'System Settings' on your Nintendo Switch and scroll down to 'System' at the bottom of the list.

Select this option and then scroll down again, until you reach 'Date and Time' and open this option.

Next, select 'Synchronise Clock via Internet' and switch to 'Off' if you haven't already done so.

Doing this will allow you to manually change the internal clock of your Switch to 7pm / 19:00.

Now that you've ensured its 7pm / 19:00 according to your Switch, start up Pokmon Sword or Shield.

Specifically head to the Meetup Spot in the Wild Area, which is directly outside the train station for the Wild Area.

This is the best place to evolve Milcery into Rainbow Swirl Alcremie, because its not affected by the different types of weather that flow through the Wild Area. Due to this, you'll easily be able to see the evening sky, allowing you to know that the Wild Area is set to the right time.

Now we can finally get down to the business of evolving Milcery.

Give Milcery the sweet you want it to hold and begin to spin in an anticlockwise direction.

To receive Rainbow Swirl Alcremie you need to spin for over 10 seconds.

Once you've down and got this very fancy Pokmon, you can head back into your Nintendo Switch System Settings and set the time back to normal.

Sword and Shield finally here! Our in-progress Pokmon Sword and Shield walkthrough and Pokmon Sword and Shield tips can help with the main adventure, and along the way you'll encounter a few new features - from the Wild Area and Pokmon Camp to strong-looking Pokmon, a ??? Pokmon and autosaving.After discovering the starters Sobble, Scorbunny and Grookey, we have a guide to the Pokmon Sword and Shield Turffield treasure riddle solution, lists of all Pokmon Sword and Shield TM locations new Gen 8 Pokmon, Sword and Shield Pokdex, version differences, Galarian forms and Sword and Shield Legendaries.Elsewhere, there a number of bonuses to unlock - including Sword and Shield Pikachu and Eevee Let's Go reward, Mew in Sword and Shield, a pre-order tracksuit, free gift Meowth and Double Pack Larvitar and Jangmo-o Dynamax Crystals.

Alcremie is a great Pokmon for taking out dragon-types, due to its own status as a fairy-type Pokmon making it immune to all dragon-type moves. This makes it a great choice for the final gym in Pokmon Sword and Shield, which is dragon-type themed.

It's also resistant to both fighting and dark-type moves, making it a good choice for the seventh gym, which is dark-type themed, and, if your playing Pokmon Sword, the fourth, fighting-type, gym.

Alcremie also has the ability to Gigantamax, changing its appearance once again and allowing it to become more powerful.

The issue with Alcremie, however, is that both Pokmon Sword and Shield contains a good selection of fairy-type Pokmon. Many of these Pokmon are dual-types too, making them a more interesting choice for team building.

This includes Hatterene, the final evolution of Hateena, which is a fairy and psychic-type Pokmon and also has a Gigantamax form.

If you're looking for more advice on the unique evolution methods for Gen 8 Pokmon, then check out our guides on evolving Applin, Toxel and Yamask.

Read more from the original source:

Pokmon Sword and Shield Milcery evolution method: how to evolve Milcery into Alcremie, including Rainbow Swirl Alcremie explained - Eurogamer.net

There's a pair of new Pokemon in town for Pokemon Sword and Shield, and they're cream-based. Meet Milcery and its evolution Alcremie, aka the dessert Pokemon, who are very demanding - and exciting - when it comes to evolution. Here's how to find them both, and how to evolve Milcery into Alcremie in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Milcery is available in two locations across the Galar region of Pokemon Sword and Shield, and thankfully can be found fairly early on in the game. You can find Milcery on Route 4, and in heavy fog just south of Bridge Fields or Giant's Mirror in the Wild Area. However, it's worth noting that Milcery will not appear walking around in the tall grass, but instead appears as an exclamation mark that you'll need to run into, so keep your eyes peeled.

Both Milcery and Alcremie are literally cream-based Pokemon, so developer Game Freak has turned evolving Milcery a bit of a game that plays into the idea of whipping cream. But first, you're going to need some sweets to give to your Milcery. These sweets define what form Alcremie will take when it evolves, so pick wisely.

You can get Sweets by going to the Battle Cafes that are dotted around the map, beating the cafe owner behind the counter and getting your reward - although it's worth noting they won't always give you a Sweet as a reward. You can do this once per day, at each of the Battle Cafes in Galar. Here are their locations

1. Motostoke2. Hammerlocke3. Wyndon

There are seven types of sweet available in the game - Berry Sweet, Clover Sweet, Flower Sweet, Love Sweet, Ribbon Sweet, Star Sweet, and Strawberry Sweet. However, it seems like it doesn't matter which Sweet you give your Alcremie, but rather how you spin and at what time of day.

Yes, that's right, you'll need to make sure Milceryis in your party with Sweet in hand, and then spin your in-game character in order to make it evolve into Alcremie. But the time of day, spin direction and duration all play a factor into what Alcremie variation you get. You spin by turning your left analogue stick until your character stars to pirouette.

So far we've found nine Alcremie variations, which work as follows:

1. Vanilla During the day, spin clockwise until your character spins on their own and strikes a pose.

2. Caramel SwirlDuring the day, spin clockwise until your character is spinning on their own, and then keep spinning for at least 10 more seconds.

3. Ruby CreamDuring the day, spin counterclockwise until your character spins on their own and strikes a pose.

4. Ruby SwirlDuring the day, spin counterclockwise until your character spins on their own, and then keep spinning for at least 10 more seconds.

5. Matcha CreamAt night, spin clockwise until your character spins on their own and strikes a pose.

6. Lemon CreamAt night, spin clockwise until your character spins on their own, and then keep spinning for at least 10 more seconds.

7. Salted CreamAt night, spin counterclockwise until your character spins on their own and strikes a pose.

8. Mint CreamAt night, spin counterclockwise until your character spins on their own, and then keep spinning for at least 10 more seconds.

9. Rainbow SwirlAnd now the trickiest one. Between 7pm - 8pm in your local timezone, spin either clockwise or counterclockwise for at least 30 seconds.

However, it's worth noting that when you combine the flavours and the toppings - made by the sweets themselves - there are actually 63 different Alcremie variations.

Of course, thanks to your journey battling all the Pokemon Sword and Shield Gym Leaders, you'll know that there's a Gigantamax Alcremie variant to unlock. Well, it's possible to nab yourself one by participating in Max Raid Battles in the Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area.

Read more from the original source:

How to evolve Milcery into Alcremie in Pokemon Sword and Shield - GamesRadar

When brain tumours are treated with radiation or chemotherapy their cells evolve in a way that appears to be random, according to research published today in Nature.

The findingshelp explain why diffuse glioma is one of the most difficult cancers to treatand could help to identify more effective treatment strategies for patientsworldwide.

Diffuse gliomais the most common malignant brain tumour in adults, with 2,500 adultsdiagnosed in the UK every year.

Aninternational team of 87 researchers and clinicians have published the largest timeseries database of glioma tumour profiles to date, with samples from 222patients at 35 hospitals across Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA.

Tumour samples weretaken at multiple time points during treatment so that scientists could try tounderstand how the tumours evolved in response to therapy.

The database could help predict how effective new cancer treatments might be at tackling brain tumours, enabling us to prioritise development of those that are most likely to succeed.

Co-author DrLucy Stead, from the University of Leeds School of Medicine, said: Thesefindings show why gliomas are so hard to treat. In other cancers, cells with certainmutations were found to resist treatment, and discovering those mutationsallowed new drugs to be developed. Unfortunately, in glioma, where tumourregrowth after treatment is almost universal, we have not found any suchmutations.

However, thisdatabase can now act as a reference for researchers and clinicians to studyglioma evolution in response to treatment.

The database couldhelp predict how effective new cancer treatments might be at tackling braintumours, enabling us to prioritise development of those that are most likely tosucceed.

Glioma invariablyreturns despite surgical, radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic interventions.But while the initial molecular characteristics have been well described ingliomas, their subsequent evolution under treatment remained unknown.

To address thisproblem, an international community of clinicians and researchers establishedthe Glioma Longitudinal Analysis (GLASS) Consortium, which is investigating thedynamics of molecular changes in gliomas over time.

Lead researcherDr Roel Verhaak, from The Jackson Laboratory in the USA, said: More data areneeded to fully understand glioma evolution, but the GLASS resource provides anexcellent foundation to more effectively study both evolution and treatmentresponse.

Collectively,these findings will help us determine what treatment approaches will result inthe greatest removal or killing of glioma cells possible.

Untilrelatively recently, cancer was viewed as a single disease with sub-types basedon where in the body it arose.

The advent ofdetailed molecular analysis has shown that the situation is far morecomplicated, and that there can be many sub-clonal cell populations even withina single tumour.

That creates asignificant problem for effective therapy: eradicating one type of cancer cellmay leave another unaffected, and it may actually confer a competitiveadvantage to it.

Pilot grants like that given to support Dr Stead are extremely important to support the world-class research that takes place here in Leeds.

In their newstudy, the international GLASS Consortium found that when glioma cells werestressed by cancer therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy, they did notevolve in a consistent manner.

They did findsome common features between patient samples, such as hypermutation - a veryhigh rate of mutation in the genome - and aneuploidy - in which entirechromosomes were lost or acquired through cell division errors.

Following earlyevents that drove cancer initiation and progression, the researchers found thatthe evolution of tumours often appeared to be random instead of proceeding downpredictable paths.

The researchersalso assessed how immune activity can shape glioma evolution.

Immunotherapy,which uses the bodys own immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells,is an exciting new field, and understanding immune interactions in the tumourmicroenvironment and glioma immune evasion is an important step for possibleimplementation.

The researchshowed that immune activity doesnt vary in glioma over time, though there werepatient-to-patient differences, and more work is needed to fully understand thevariability and what immunotherapy strategies might be most effective forgliomas.

The researchersidentified a particular mutation in the gene IDH1 that produces a neoantigen - apotential immune system target - and persists through recurrence. The findingprovides a possible opening for vaccine treatment at both initial and recurrentstages of glioma.

Dr Stead added:Other researchers are currently trying to develop IDH1 vaccines and clinicaltrials are underway.

Our resultssuggest we can have more confidence that these trials may succeed, which isparticularly important given that survival for brain tumours has not increasedfor decades.

The research carriedout at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust wasfunded by Leeds Cares and the PPR Foundation.

Kevin Gerrie, Directorof Fundraising at Leeds Cares, said it was vital that the charity was able toinvest in research like this. He said: Pilot grants like that given to supportDr Stead are extremely important to support the world-class research that takesplace here in Leeds.

Our donors andsupporters will be delighted to know that this work will provide crucialinsights for the treatment of those with malignant brain tumours.

Further information

Header image shows glioma cancer cells. Credit:Castro Lab, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor

For interviewrequests please contact Simon Moore, Press Officer at the University of Leeds,on 0113 34 38059 or s.i.moore@leeds.ac.uk.

The paper,published in the journal Nature, istitled Longitudinal molecular trajectories of diffuse glioma in adults andwill be available online here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1775-1

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News > Health > Unpredictable evolution in brain tumours - University of Leeds

Homosexual and bisexual activity between animals has been well documented, with more than 1,500 species recorded in engaging in same-sex sexual behaviour.

But despite the large body of evidence, evolutionary biologists have struggled to explain what has become known as the Darwin Paradox why are these behaviours so common when they result in no opportunity for species to reproduce.

And why, when animals have evolved over millennia, has same-sex sexual behaviour repeatedly evolved and persisted?

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Researchers from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies suggest instead of examining the issue as a conundrum in need of a solution, the question ought to be reframed from why do animals engage in same sex behaviour to why not?

Writing in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, the authors suggest that these behaviours may actually have been part of the original, ancestral condition in animals and have persisted because they have few if any costs and perhaps some important benefits.

Overall winner of the competition

Csaba Daroczi/NPOTY 2019

Winner in the Underwater category

Alexey Zozulya/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Mammals category

Jose Juan Hernandez/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Man and Nature category

Tom Svensson/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Mammals category

Marcio Cabral/NPOTY 2019

Winner of the Youth category

Giacomo Redaelli/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Man and Nature category

Britta Jaschinski/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Other Animals category

Wei Fu/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Landscapes category

Brandon Yoshizawa/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Man and Nature category

Pedro Narra/NPOTY 2019

Overall winner of the competition

Csaba Daroczi/NPOTY 2019

Winner in the Underwater category

Alexey Zozulya/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Mammals category

Jose Juan Hernandez/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Man and Nature category

Tom Svensson/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Mammals category

Marcio Cabral/NPOTY 2019

Winner of the Youth category

Giacomo Redaelli/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Man and Nature category

Britta Jaschinski/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Other Animals category

Wei Fu/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Landscapes category

Brandon Yoshizawa/NPOTY 2019

Finalist in the Man and Nature category

Pedro Narra/NPOTY 2019

We argue that the frequently implicit assumption of [different-sex sexual behaviour] as ancestral has not been rigorously examined, and instead hypothesise an ancestral condition of indiscriminate sexual behaviours directed towards all sexes. By shifting the lens through which we study animal sexual behaviour, we can more fruitfully examine the evolutionary history of diverse sexual strategies.

Lead author and F&ES doctoral candidate Julia Monk said: We propose a shift in our thinking on the sexual behaviours of animals.

Were excited to see how relaxing traditional constraints on evolutionary theory of these behaviours will allow for a more complete understanding of the complexity of animal sexual behaviours.

In the past, the researchers say research into species sexual behaviours has rested on two assumptions.

The first is that same-sex behaviour has high costs because individuals spend time and energy on activities offering no potential for reproductive success.

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And the other assumption has been that same-sex behaviours emerged independently in different animal species and evolutionary lineages.

If any trait other than homosexuality had been observed in such a diverse array of species it would be widely accepted as being part of our ancestral DNA rather than something that evolved later, said Ms Monk.

Put simply, the authors write, we are proposing a shift from asking Why engage in SSB? to Why not?

They argue a combination of same-sex sexual behaviours (SSBs) and different-sex sexual behaviours (DSBs) is an original condition for all sexually producing animals and that these tendencies likely evolved in the earliest forms of sexual behaviour.

The authors suggest not only that same-sex behaviours are often not costly, but can in fact be advantageous from a natural selection perspective because individuals are more likely to mate with more partners.

Many species arent inherently monogamous but instead try to mate with more than one individual. In many species it can be difficult for individuals to even discern between different sexes.

So, if youre too picky in targeting what you think is the opposite sex, you just mate with fewer individuals. On the other hand, if youre less picky and engage in both SSB and DSB, you can mate with more individuals in general, including individuals of a different sex, said co-author Max Lambert, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California-Berkeleys Departmental of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.

He added: So far, most biologists have considered SSB as extremely costly and, consequently, something that is aberrant.

This strong assumption has stopped us as a community from actively studying how often and under what conditions SSB is happening. Given our casual observations suggest that SSB seems to happen pretty commonly across thousands of species, imagine what we would have learned if we had assumed this was something interesting and not just a rampant accident.

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Homosexuality and bisexuality commonplace in thousands of animal species and may play key role in evolution, research finds - The Independent

At first, Carolina Concha and her fellow researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute worried that every mutant butterfly would die. They were attempting to deactivate a crucial wing-patterning gene known as wntA, and they aimed to make this genetic change not in just one variety of butterfly, but in 22 types. Fortunately, the mutant insects developed normally, from egg to caterpillars to chrysalises to full-fledged butterflies. And when the butterflies finally unfurled their wings, they contained a lesson in evolutionjust like navigating a car through a web of city streets, there are many routes to get to the same evolutionary destination.

Concha says the research, newly published in Current Biology, investigates several broad evolutionary questions, among them, How is convergent evolution achieved?

When different species independently develop traits that closely resemble each other, thats convergent evolutionit means that the same evolutionary solution boosted their chances of survival. Butterflies provide good case studies of this phenomenon because theyre impressive mimics. Some types of butterflies can produce cyanide-like toxins, making them very unpleasant prey. A bird will eat a butterfly and learn, after one, or two, or three experiences, not to eat it anymore, explains Concha. The bird remembers that butterfly from its wing patterns and avoids it. Other species, poisonous and harmless alike, that live in the same area have evolved lookalike wings for protection.

Basically, we were asking whether the butterflies use the same developmental networks to color and map their wings in different species, Concha says.

To investigate this big evolutionary question, researchers at STRI and partner institutions focused on something miniscule: the scales on butterfly wings, so small the naked eye cant distinguish them. The scales, overlapping like tiles on a roof, as Concha describes them, form the black-and-brightly-hued patterns adorning butterfly wings. In the butterfly genus Heliconius, known for their varied wing appearance, four genes strongly influence wing pattern, including the pre-patterning gene wntA.

Wings start out as wing disks towards the end of the caterpillar stage of metamorphosis. Pre-patterning genes like wntA activate and communicate with different molecules and genes, more or less outlining the master plan for wing pattern. Eventually, these signals determine the identity and position of each wing scale, which develop colorless in the chrysalis at first before pigments get made. (Yellow, white and red are the first colors to emerge; black and darker pigments appear later.)

To better understand how wntA shapes wing pattern under normal conditions, Concha and her team had to create mutants, deactivating the gene using CRISPR, a genetic editing tool that was introduced in 2012.

In an interview with Vice, biologist Michael Perry from the University of California, who has studied the genetic basis of butterfly wing color, noted the innovative technique. Eight or nine years ago, I wouldve never believed you if you said that it would be possible to make targeted mutations in 12 different species of Heliconius. But with CRISPR, the STRI researchers reared more than 100 modified butterflies from 12 species and 10 sub-types.

By disrupting the wntA gene in the mutant butterflies, researchers wanted to see how wing pattern changed. If two different species with mirror-image wings under normal conditions both had the gene knocked out, would the mutated patterns look similar across species, or would the genetic mutation lead to different end results for separate species?

As it turned out, diverse species responded differently to the deactivated gene. Scientists noticed what Concha describes as a boundary shifting, often color bleeding into areas that had previously been black. Normally, Heliconius hewitsoni and Heliconius pachinus, whose habitats overlap in western Costa Rica and Panama, share three yellowish-white stripes and a central flare of red. But in the wntA mutants, H. hewitsoni had off-white coloring spread almost throughout its forewing and developed a patch of gray in its hindwing. H. pachinus, in contrast, still had a bold black stripe through its forewing and no gray.

The discrepancy told the scientists that wntA has evolved to act differently in these distantly related species. If evolution is a maze where the exit is optimal survival, its like the species figured out two separate twisting-turning pathways through the genetic labyrinth to arrive at the same color patterna result Concha calls a bit unexpected. People would more frequently expect that they would share a common pathway, she says, especially because these creative genetic pathways cropped up in a relatively short time span; the species diverged between 14 and 10 million years ago.

The researchers then zoomed in, using a microscope that creates close-ups 15,000 times bigger than their actual size, to look at the texture of individual scales. Different color scales have unique topography, and this closer look confirmed, Concha says, the gene is controlling the identity of that scale.

In these particular butterflies, evolution had happened more speedily and less predictably than scientists tend to expect. In the Current Biology paper, Concha and her co-authors note that evolution is too complicated for generalizations. Still, she says, if evolution took two starkly different paths to pattern near-identical butterfly wings, It could happen more than we think.

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What Butterflies' Colorful Wing Patterns Can Teach Us About Evolution - Smithsonian.com

The Big Event a Christian conference nestled beside Lake Champlain and inviting students from all over New York and New Jersey changed my confusing experience in faith, but also highlighted the challenge of choosing to be a Christian on a secular campus. When put in a room with a bunch of people who shared my same belief, it was not difficult for me to get immersed and feel God working. It was almost overwhelming how much the energy changed. The most honest prayer I can pray is the one I pray when I am heartbroken, and heartbreak doesnt begin to cover what I was feeling.

Despite being Christian all my life, I truly fell in love with Christ and His personality at Big. But I wish it was as easy as it sounds. Take it this way, falling in love with God is remarkably similar to falling in love with someone theyre so interesting and attractive, but you will never know how they feel since you talk to them (maybe) twice a week. The only way to know who He is, is to talk to him and get to know Him, and sometimes it is not all rainbows and sunshine because as long as youre human, no relationship can be perfect but heres the catch, God is perfect love.

I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I served at my churchs worship team, became an usher and helped with their youth group. But going abroad, I conveniently left my faith at the steps of my small church in Bandung, Indonesia. Christianity no longer became a banner I waved with pride, especially when it was associated with certain points of views, practices and beliefs that even I could not wrap my head around and tolerate. Finding my own identity in the culture of the world, I left my identity as a Christian. I felt like a stranger in my own skin, not entirely sure where I stand in matters of my belief.

Throw away all your preconceived notions of a Christian conference. Now imagine a room with a live band, hip-hop music blaring from the speakers, 375 college students from across New York and New Jersey all talking amongst each other, having dance-offs, singing, praying that kind of atmosphere flooded The Big Event.

The most memorable moment that I had at the Big Event was when I felt like I was wrestling with God during worship. I realised that I was disillusioned about the idea of God. If He is so perfect and all-knowing and if He loves me, its easy to ask why didnt He do this one thing I really wanted Him to? Why did God read my message and leave me on read? If He really wants what is best for me, why didnt He make my prayers a reality? And to all those questions, Gods response was You cannot change hearts, only I can. I love you, thats why I need you to wait, for I know whats best for you. And to that, I broke down, and all the anger and jealousy that overflowed in the pits of my chest were gone, and my burden was lifted and exchanged with a cross I chose to take up.

Walking by the shoreline of Lake Champion, the first thing I realised was how light my heart felt. Pride, jealousy, anger- emotions that I never knew I felt had been replaced with a feeling of tranquillity. It was like being embraced by your best friend who you have not seen in so long. During Big Event, I was reminded that there was no certain mold of what an ideal Christian looks like (Hint: it is definitely not Bible-beaters in their high castles, twisting the Word to fit their personal and political agenda).

I can be whoever I am now, with all my imperfections, guilt, and shame. And as a college student, I still can glorify God through what I like to do: academic endeavours, extracurricular activities, and work. I dont have to fit any mold because jars of clay look different, and God still set treasures in them.

Youve always been like that, my mom told me over a Skype call from a thousand miles away. I told her about how I found a perfect Christian analogy about how being close to God was a lot like tuning in a radio. The world was noise a bunch of little dots on your screen that dont really make a lot of sense until you tune in to a channel. When you tune in to Gods channel, life starts to make sense. You start to see images, and colour, and stuff that has the potential to be beautiful.

When I realized that everything I do at Skidmore can be something that shows Gods character, being a Christian became something that I didnt need to hide anymore. This remains the challenge: when the spiritual high dies down and when the worlds noise starts to get to you, that is when you realise that being a Christian in a secular campus is an active choice you are making, and that is a liberating experience- and I know Im not alone. Worship and change do not only start in a camp in the middle of the Catskills, but it was a catalyst for me.

Christian Fellowship meets every Friday at 7pm in the ICC and every Wednesday at 6pm in the Joto Penthouse, if youre interested.

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Glorious Burdens: "The Big Event" and One Student's Evolution of Faith - Skidmore News

While Pidgey has been around throughout the years, each new Pokemon generation has introduced a main Flying type bird that is available very early in the game. Rookidee was that Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield, who evolves to Corvisquire, but that is not its only evolution. This other evolution will come a good bit later and this guide will detail how you can evolve it.

After getting your Corvisquire, its going to be awhile before you end up evolving the Pokemon. Just like in the evolution from Rookidee, all you have to do to evolve Corvisquire is raise its level high enough, which in this case is level 38.

Unlike a lot of other final evolutions in Pokemon Sword and Shield, Corviknight is one you likely have seen already in the game. However, not from trainers, but instead you have seen it by using the Flying Taxis in the game, which are literally Corviknights.

Corvikinght also comes with a brand new move upon evolution due to it gaining an additional typing, which is Steel Wing. This is a good move to add to Corviknights repertoire as a now Flying/Steel type, as it is very useful to add to your types to use in battle.

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Pokemon Sword and Shield - How To Evolve Corvisquire Into Corviknight - Attack of the Fanboy