Category Archives: Evolution

A white dwarf. Researchers have discovered a new star type, believed to be the result of the merging ... [+] of two white dwarfs.

Klaus Werner, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Tbingen, believes we are in a golden age of stellar astrophysics. And he has reason to, because he just helped uncover a pair of peculiar and exciting stars previously misclassified by astronomers.

In a recently published paper, Werner and colleagues announced their discovery of the previously unknown star type. Another paper published alongside the finding suggests the stars the researchers found were created by the merging events of two white dwarfs, a type of small, hot and dense star believed to be at the end of its life cycle.

This is a very rare event in nature, said Werner.

The stars, officially named PG1528+025 and PG1654+322, were first observed by astronomers in the 1980s. Revisiting the stars decades later to perform spectroscopic analysis a way to look at the objects chemical makeup Werner and his team realized that the stars werent the fairly normal dwarf stars mainly composed of helium that they were originally thought to be. Instead, the stars contained an unusual amount of carbon and oxygen.

Looking at the overabundance of carbon and oxygen in the object Werner thought, that is very strange, very peculiar. Then, he wondered, what can cause this chemical composition?

To help answer that question, Werners team sent their findings over to Marcelo Miller Bertolami, a theoretical physicist at the Institute of Astrophysics in La Plata. At the time, Miller Bertolami just happened to be working on a theoretical scenario involving the merging of two stars to explain some types of pulsating stars. When Miller Bertolami got Werners findings, he realized the strange new object fit his models even better than the pulsating stars did. I thought, Oh, this is beautiful, he said.

The chemical composition of the stars couldnt be explained by any current model of stellar evolution. Miller Bertolami, along with colleagues in La Plata and at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, believe the type of star found could be created by a helium-rich white dwarf spiraling into and merging with a less massive carbon- and oxygen-rich white dwarf.

They created a model which simulated how the merger would create a scenario where the carbon- and oxygen-rich star would end up on top of the helium-rich one. The less massive star would then tear the more massive helium-rich star apart. The result would be a helium burning star with an abundance of carbon and oxygen, just like the newly discovered stars.

Steve Kawaler, a professor of physics and astronomy at Iowa State University who was not involved in the research, invokes the Jamie Lee Curtis movie Freaky Friday to explain the event. Youre seeing a young star put on the guts of a senior citizen.

Youve got this formerly old star, which is evolutionarily younger, surrounded by a formerly young star, explained Kawaler. And its ripping that evolutionarily older star apart and wrapping it around its outside.

Miller Bertolami said the model he built is still primitive and that further research is needed to resolve remaining uncertainties.

Simon Jeffery, an astronomer with the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium who was also not involved in the research, said Werner and Miller Bertolamis combined research puts another piece in the jigsaw puzzle.

If [the research is] right, then it strengthens not only the theory for these stars, but it will strengthen the theory for other stars as well, said Jeffery.

Still, Jeffery agrees theres mysteries yet to be uncovered in the scientific communitys understanding of dwarf stars. For one, theres pulsating helium-rich dwarfs that appear not to be rotating at all. Thats a challenge because, if youve got two white dwarfs and they merge, you would expect the result to be rotating very fast.

Luckily, with all the data that will be coming in over the next decade from both recently launched and upcoming observatories, Werner believes there will be much for young scientists to discover. Just standard computer models alone will not be enough to wade through all the discoveries, he predicts.

[There will always be] freak stars and weird stars which cannot be analyzed by standard pipelines, said Werner. Theres always some human involvement that you need.

The rest is here:

Newly Discovered Freak Star Challenges Ideas Of Stellar Evolution - Forbes

Most of us think of sentience and cognition as propertiesof individual organisms, yet the authors of a provocative new study suggest that intelligence actually exists on a planetary scale and that all life on Earth acts as a unified conscious system.

Outlining their theory in the International Journal of Astrobiology, the researchers say that humankind is currently out of sync with the overall planetary intellect, and that our future survival may depend on our ability to harmonize our actions with the global mind.

In contrast to the classic view of evolution as a process of conflict and competition between individual species, the model proposed by the authors implies that life is in fact a singular, cooperative network. Rather than existing to compete against one another, therefore, each species emerges in order to play its role in maintaining the balance of the biosphere.

Our approach follows the recognition among researchers that the correct scale to understand key aspects of life and evolution is planetary, as opposed to the traditional focus on individual species, write the researchers.

The study of life from this perspective is referred to as Earth systems science a discipline seeking to illuminate howdifferent species work together rather than against each other to help sustain planetary systems.

Examples include the underground fungal networks enablingforest plants to communicate and exchange nutrients, ensuring the health of the overall ecosystem. Similarly, huge populations of microbes work together to regulate critical biospheric feedbacks, ensuring stable atmospheric conditions that are conducive to life in general.

However, such flawless cooperation takes time to develop, and species must evolve to integrate into this planetary consciousness. In a statement, study author Adam Frank explained that planets evolve through immature and mature stages, and planetary intelligence is indicative of when you get to a mature planet.

Expanding on this point, the researchers outline four stages of planetary evolution. The first is represented by an immature biosphere,involving the emergence of life forms that have not yet developed the ability to work together to regulate planetary systems.

This is followed by the mature biosphere, whereby all species on a planet cooperate seamlessly to maintain the perfect conditions for life to proliferate. Next, however, comes the immature technosphere, characterized by the development of technologies that influence the planet but are not integrated with the rest of the biosphere, and ultimately work against it.

It is this stage that humankind currently finds itself in, the authors say. Only by moving to a mature technosphere whereby our industrial activities begin to support the planet can we become part of the planetary intelligence and secure our future as a species.

We dont yet have the ability to communally respond in the best interests of the planet, says Frank. The million-dollar question is figuring out what planetary intelligence looks like and means for us in practice because we dont know how to move to a mature technosphere yet.

Extending their theory to other planets, the authors say the apparent scarcity of technologically sophisticated life elsewhere in the galaxy may reflect the fact that civilizations that fail to mature dont tend to last very long.

In other words, as Frank explains, the only technological civilizations we may ever see the ones we shouldexpectto see are the ones that didnt kill themselves, meaning they must have reached the stage of a true planetary intelligence.

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Planetary Intelligence May Drive The Evolution Of Life, Researchers Argue - IFLScience

There are a million ways to frame this. Nothing gold can stay, if youre feeling poetic. Turn! Turn! Turn! if youre feeling musical. A vibe shift is coming, if youre feeling like a particularly logged-on denizen of the internet this week. However you express it, the gist is the same: things change. Which brings us, of course, to sneakers.

The value of the sneaker resale market jumped from $6 billion to $10 billion between 2019 and 2021, according to research firm Piper Sandler, as reported by Grey Journal. It might grow to $30 billion by 2030, according to Cowen Equity Research. And as anyone with a SNKRS account knows, the boom time for limited-edition sneakers is still very much booming. Scoring a W on a particularly coveted release at retail remains rare, which sends people in droves to spots like StockX, eBay, and GOAT to buy those releases at a handsome markup.

But after a couple of pandemic years and the tentative feeling that were reemerging into a world thats fundamentally shifted, it should come as no surprise that some folks predict changes in the general cultureentertainment, food, fashionare not only coming but already underway. And when it comes to shopping, GOAT may just be showing us a glimpse of what the future of the secondhand marketplace will look like.

I think its really transcended the sneakerhead, honestly, says Eddy Lu, co-founder and CEO of GOAT. We dont even use that term in the office, because for us its about this new generation of shopper whos fashion forward. Hes forthright about the role sneaker resale plays in the platforms success; it was the foundation of the business when it launched, and still represents the lions share of revenue. But the idea now is to really tap into people who care about fashion and just care about what they wear.

Courtesy

Thats just plain good business. After all, as The New York Times reported, the secondhand clothing market could go from $36 billion in 2022 to $77 billion in 2025, according to ThredUp, a resale platform, and GlobalData, an analytics firm. But the move also represents, if not a major reappraisal of the way one of the biggest sneaker marketplaces out there does business, at least a blurring of the lines between two customer bases (sneakerheads and fashion fans) who were once considered separate. Lu points to game-changers like Virgil Abloh and the increasingly porous relationship between streetwear and high fashion as big influences. But it also might come down to something as simple as an evolving customer base thats finally realized, in defiance of peak NikeTalk-era jokes about poorly dressed sneakerheads, that putting together a whole fit is something worthwhile.

I mean, it's just so complementary, Lu says. Thats why we're seeing such quick growth because apparel completes the whole look. We don't just sell apparel. We sell accessories as well. So we're selling sneakers and we know what sneakers you buy, so it's like, Hey, this is the apparel that will look amazing with the sneaker that you buy.

Courtesy

That said, its not just sneakerheads flocking to GOATs seemingly endless scroll of items for inspiration. Its young heads newly enamored of 90s and 2000s fashion. Its people in search of an in-season item thats sold out at department stores. Its deal-hunters looking to save a few bucks (Lu says about 30-40 percent of GOAT transactions are for items below retail price). And more than anything, its people who, perhaps exhausted by digital homogeneity, want to put together a look that feels a little different, a little less cookie-cuttera little more like themselvesand want a platform that sells things both old and new, mass-market and rare, to help them put it together.

All the toys and all that stuff are digital now, Lu says. But when you go out, the stuff that you wear really represents who you are and what you're about.

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GOAT Is Showing Us the Next Evolution of Secondhand Fashion - Esquire

Representative Image.

Indian researchers have traced the tectonic evolution and the nature of the Greater Maldive Ridge (GMR)a very crucial geodynamic feature in the western Indian Ocean, whose origin has been the centre of many scientific debates.

The study can help reconstruct the original Gondwanaland break up and dispersal that led to the present-day configuration of continents, continental fragments, and formation of ocean basins in the Indian Ocean, a Science and Technology Ministry statement said on Thursday.

The Maldive Ridge is an aseismic ridge that is not associated with earthquake activities. This ridge, located in the western Indian Ocean, southwest of India, is not well investigated but is of paramount importance to gain knowledge on the structure and geodynamics of aseismic ridges (as it provides valuable inputs towards understanding the evolution of ocean basins).

The study by the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, has chalked the possible geological cross-sections along the GMR for the first time with the help of satellite-derived high-resolution gravity data.

"The researchers postulated that the GMR may be underlain by an oceanic crust. The results from their study can provide additional constraints in understanding the plate-tectonic evolution of the Indian Ocean, better," the statement said.

The research work, carried out by Dr Priyesh Kunnummal under the guidance of Dr S.P. Anand, provides the crustal architecture and the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust and mantle (isostasy) of the Greater Maldive Ridge segment of the larger Chagos-Laccadive Ridge (CLR) system.

Their study, based mainly on the interpretation of gravity anomalies (small differences in the pull of gravity caused by the lateral variations of density within the subsurface) with broadband seismic and refraction seismic data, provided, for the first time, a three-dimensional picture of the variation of Moho along the Greater Maldive Ridge and the adjoining ocean basins.

The depth to the boundary between the earth's crust and the mantle or the Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho) over the GMR was systematically mapped along with the finer variation of an effective elastic thickness (Te) at the place. The research related to the variations and isostatic compensation has been published recently in the journal Gondwana Research.

The IIG team found that Moho is deeper over the Maldive Ridge (MR) segment and shallows southwards in the Deep Sea Channel region (DSC). However, the effective elastic thickness (a proxy for the strength of the lithosphere) values were lower over the MR compared to the DSC region. Maldive Ridge and the Deep Sea Channel region may probably be oceanic in nature with the presence of under-plated materials associated with the Reunion hotspot volcanism.

The research suggests that Maldive Ridge might have formed in the close vicinity of the Mid-Oceanic Ridge (where the creation of a new ocean floor occurs due to divergent motion of lithospheric plates or spreading centre). Meanwhile, the DSC region was under a long transform fault (offset between the spreading centres, which neither create nor destroy lithosphere), which hindered melt production and gave rise to the gap between Chagos and Maldive Ridge during the Plume-ridge interaction.

Satellite-derived gravity anomalies are very helpful in deciphering the crustal architecture, where traditional ship-borne geophysical data are either not available or scanty.

"The study provides new insights into the crustal architecture, isostatic compensation mechanism, and the tectonic evolution of the Greater Maldive Ridge," said Dr Kunnummal.

**

The above article has been published from a wire agency with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

Originally posted here:

Indian Researchers Trace Tectonic Evolution and Nature of Greater Maldive Ridge in Western Indian Ocean | The Weather Channel - Articles from The...

Clevelands Museum of Contemporary Art, also known as moCa, has had a reputation for going against the grain for more than a half century.

When a racial reckoning spread across the country in the spring of 2020, moCa faced its own sort of reckoning.

We had various things that happened in moCa that were problematic, said Joanne Cohen,board co-president atmoCa.

Questions were raised about the museums past openness to its non-white staff and visitors. The museum canceled an exhibition depicting police violence against people of color. And its longtime director Jill Snyder resigned to make way for cultural change at moCa. Many museums are facing similar issues, here and across the country.

Art institutions, it goes without saying, they've had a reputation, said Stephen Sokany,board co-president atmoCa.

The museum is rolling out several changes to evolve its reputation.

Audra T. Jones, the moCa boards third co-president, said that the museum needs to promote a feeling of diversity and inclusion.

It's important for people to feel welcome in coming into these doors, she said. And how is that? What do we do? We make certain that people that are being exhibited in this space are representational of that in the community.

Criticism of moCa even hung from gallery walls, as part of an exhibition by former curatorial fellow La Tanya Autry, called Imagine Otherwise. Alongside a collection of paintings, film loops and other images were signs that read, in part:

Autry envisions possibilities beyond moCa Clevelands consistent antiBlack practices

and

Imagine Otherwise is a limited, yet hopefully, significant prodding for an authentic, community-led institutional reckoning of moCa Cleveland

Curator La Tanya Autry's "Imagine Otherwise" exhibition statement [David C. Barnett / Ideastream Public Media]

That critique was part of the concept of the show, said Megan Lykins Reich, executive director at moCa. And so to not have shared it would have been to not have offered the curators full vision.

Reich took on interim moCa director duties in the wake of Snyders departure and has since been officially named executive director.

She's such a quick study, super smart, said Joanne Cohen. She understands what it takes to be a leader. I mean, she had been doing that and illustrating that so well in the past 18 months.

Joanne Cohen,moCa board co-president [Jean-Marie Papoi / Ideastream Public Media]

Reich actually started at the museum as an intern in 2001, and she worked her way up through a variety of positions, culminating in her new appointment.

There was a fair degree of soul searching, to use a kind of cliched term, but also a lot of very hard, honest conversation among a variety of individuals to understand where we needed to go and how we might approach getting there, Reich said.

Antwoine Washington was one of the artists in the exhibition La Tanya Autry curated last year. He called his installation And Yeah, About That Seat at the Table.

LaTanya first believed in the work that I was doing as an artist, Washington said.

Washingtons piece was installed in an offsite gallery on Clevelands West Side. As it turns out, the work was the victim of a bit of controversyitself.

The piece explored the struggle of underrepresented artists to have a voice in the mainstream art world. The work was installed in a room painted white, with illustrations and personal objects from Washingtons life hanging on the walls. The centerpiece was a table with a single seat. That seat was covered with scattered $100 bills, carrying the message that only those with privilege get to sit down.

Antwoine's installation 'And Yeah, About That Seat at the Table.' [Field Studio]

I wanted to tell a story about exactly what's going on, Washington said. It was me telling that story from such a personal standpoint and also just me like bearing the history of how Black folks have been able to, still, through all of these different roadblocks, we are still able to rise through it all. It doesn't matter if they don't let you in, go build your own damn table.

The exhibit was displayed in an apartment space that was occasionally used as an Airbnb. As the show was about to open, Washington stopped by to check on the installation and was shocked by what he saw.

Literally, it was socks, underwear, clothes, equipment, crumbs, napkins and just like someone ate at the table. And also, just threw the stuff all over the place.

The show was quickly relocated to an East Side gallery, where the exhibition finished its run.

After being vandalized, Antwoine Washington's exhibition was moved to Vince Robinson's East Side gallery[Antwoine Washington]

When Megan Reich heard about the incident, she reached out to Washington.

And so, we began talking about what it might look like to consider a partnership where they could program within our building, she said. And then we could collaborate on joint programing and learn from one another about the ways in which we approach making exhibitions, working with the community, supporting youth. So, it was it was a really organic process.

Megan Lykins Reich, moCa Cleveland executive director, and Antwoine Washington, MOCHA co-director, discuss their collaboration [Jean-Marie Papoi / Ideastream Public Media]

And it certainly was a new experience for Washington. He saidhed only stepped inside the museum a few times.

Nothing against the people who were curating shows before, but there was nothing to draw me as a Black person to come, he said.

In fact, that was one of the reasons he created his own arts organization, the Museum of Creative Human Art (MOCHA). He started the non-profit two years ago with longtime friend Michael Russell in order to give voice to underrepresented local artists and to mentor a new generation.

He said there has beensome confusion over the MOCHA nickname of his organization and moCa Cleveland.

"We've always called it MOCHA for short," he said."It was a coincidence.

Michael Russell and Antwoine Washington are co-directors of MOCHA [Antwoine Washington]

Washington and Russell were given full autonomy of their own space at the museum. They are curating the gallery with the work of other local artists and providing art education workshops for young people.

In addition to MOCHAs institutional stay on moCa's second floorand further residencies offered to individual artists around town, moCa is working to diversify the museums board of directors, including splitting the board presidency among three people. Development expert Stephen Sokanyfrom greater Clevelands LGBTQ+ community is one of them.

Stephen Sokany,moCa board co-president [Jean-Marie Papoi / Ideastream Public Media]

We're in this very critical time right now, he said. So, how do we develop programs that engage those historically overlooked constituencies to come in and feel welcome? With Megan's leadership, with the boards crystal focus on that, I think our best days are ahead of us.

The museum is focused on operating in a new world, Reich said.

A new world thats looking for more than a seat at the table. Board co-president Audra Jones said, for her, theres a lot more to diversity, equity and inclusion than rearranging furniture.

Just having a seat at the table doesn't always mean that you have the opportunity to make decisions and to have input into decision-making, Jones said. We find that in many areas, not just in the arts. And so just having a seat at the table doesn't mean you get to pick up the spoon and eat, okay? Being in a leadership role helps you get to the dessert phase.

Washington saidhis goal is to pay theresidencyexperience forward and exhibit the work of other local artists in his gallery. For Megan Reich, this MOCHA-in-moCa experience is part of a larger lesson that her 52-year-old museum is learning.

"Sometimes an institution needs to figure out how to get out of the way or back off, or step down or step away or get quieter, so that we can be realizing our mission and delivering on our values as best as possible," she said.

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Evolution of moCa includes making space for Cleveland artists to decide what's on the walls - ideastream

During his recent interview with the Wrestling Observer former AEW world champion Kenny Omega spoke about the evolution of top NJPW superstar Jay White, and how he would love to have a rematch against this version of the Switchblade after losing to him back in 2018. Highlights can be found below.

Thinks White was unfairly compared to himself and others when he got thrust into the main event scene in NJPW:

I really feel that he was sort of unfairly compared to me and or others when he was given this incredible responsibility of being a top guy when maybe it was really soon, too soon.

Says he would love to have a rematch with White:

He was able to transform his look, his character, his wrestling style to really be something unique and something that fits him. So I would love to have that rematch with Jay (White), but the current version of the new Jay.

(H/T and transcribed by Wrestling Purists)

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Kenny Omega Discusses Jay Whites Evolution In Wrestling: I Would Love To Have That Rematch - Wrestling Headlines

There are some wines whose reputations are so well-established that they exist in the realm of the iconic. Exploring them through the lens of a number of vintagesboth older and more modernis an important exercise: It allows us to work through the reputation thats built up over the decades and hope to understand what has made them so special in the first place. Back in the summer of 2020, I explored a deep vertical of the Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and wrote about it here. Next month, Ill be doing the same with the great Chappellet Pritchard Hill, and have another on Chateau Montelena coming up, too. Today, however, I want to look at Stags Leap Wine Cellars, specifically their S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine thats as inextricably tied to the history of Napa Valley as any.

It was their 1973, after all, that won the red-wine category at the Judgment of Paris, the 1976 wine tasting competition that pitted the best of California against the top wines of Franceand that, famously, was swept by the Americans. (The winner among the white wines was the Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 1973; that legendary producer, as I mentioned, will also be the focus of an upcoming deep dive.) Ever since, the Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. has been considered a benchmark among Napa Valley Cabs.

And with good reason: Over the course of a remarkable six-vintage tasting that I attended this past October at Stags Leap Wine Cellarsit was part of the activities around the Judgment of Napa that I covered here late last yearI was beyond impressed with the expressiveness, longevity, accuracy, and flat-out deliciousness of these wines. The vertical was led by winemaker Marcus Notaro, who has been at the helm since 2013, and the wines ranged from the magnificently age-worthy 2018 all the way back to the floral, savory, haunting 1987.

The Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon is a legend among Napa Cabs, often capable of ... [+] aging gracefully for decades.

On March 10ththough online bidding for the Heritage Auctions Signature Fine and Rare Wine Auction starts today, February 18thconsumers will have the chance to acquire wines from a stunning selection of approximately 4,000 bottles pulled from more than 40 vintages, part of what Stags Leap Wine Cellars calls their Legacy Collection. Wine from between 1972 and 2017 will be represented, including, according to their press materials, Almost all the vintages Stags Leap Wine Cellars has ever made of its Estate-Grown Cabernet Sauvignons (FAY, S.L.V. and CASK 23), as well as ARTEMIS Cabernet Sauvignon and the Napa Valley Merlot. Some of the highlights of this auction include CASK 23 from 1979 to 2017; S.L.V. from 1972 to 2017; FAY from 1990 to 2017; ARTEMIS from 2001 to 2015; and Napa Valley Merlot from 1977 to 2005. Lots will include 12 bottles of 750ml, six 1.5L magnums and a handful of 6L, 12L and 18L wines.

In other words, this is an unprecedented opportunity to acquire and experience some of the most important wines that have been produced in Napa Valley in the past several decades. In addition, one of the most historically important bottles in modern American history will be on the block: One bottle of the 1973 Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon, the red that was judged to be the the best at the now-famous Judgment of Paris in 1976, topping such icons as Chteaux Haut-Brion, Mouton Rothschild, and more. This wine is so special, the press materials note, that the Smithsonian Institutes NationalMuseum of American History has a bottle in its permanent collection. And because all of the bottles up for auction come directly from the cellars at Stags Leap, their provenance cant be questioned.

These caves at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars hold highly sought-after wines.

When I personally had the opportunity to taste through a vertical of S.L.V. last autumn, it was an opportunity to not just savor some fantastic wines, but also to contextualize them each in relation to one another, and to their neighbors. There are countless benefits to tasting through multiple decades of a single wine, not least of which is the ability to understand how a particular vineyard site expresses itself over the years and through all kinds of vintage conditions, as well as how the guiding philosophy of a particular producer does or does not change over the years and decades. In the case of this wine, experiencing these specific vintages accomplished both with exuberance and profundity.

I found the S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon, across vintages, to be appealing in their youth and have the ability to age with grace. Theres an old clich that says you should never meet your heroes, because disappointment often ensues. In the case of this particular winecertainly a hero in the American wine firmamenttasting through these incredible vintages had the opposite effect: If anything. it raised my level of respect. I had been fortunate enough to enjoy a glass or three of older S.L.V. over the years, but considering these half-dozen wines side by side threw everything that makes it so extraordinary into shimmeringly sharp relief. Here are my impressions.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

All of the generosity and grace Ive come to expect of this spectacular vintage is on display here, with cassis and crushed blueberry aromas joined by a subtly floral lift before rich, energetic flavors of cassis, blueberries, vanilla, caramel, cedar, and cafe mocha. The long, mineral-flecked finish is ever-so-subtly lifted with the suggestion of candied violets. Enjoy this one now with air, or lay it down for the next 30 years.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

The ripe, rich nose here is more exuberantly spiced than the 2018: Allspice, star anise, and clove dust brambly berry aromas and set the stage for a palate layered with blackberries, cherries and cherry pits, woodsy spices, cigar tobacco, and a hint of brown sugar. At more than six years of age, this is really starting to resolve nicely, and promises to keep on deepening for the next 20 years.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

The spice and energy of the Stags Leap Vineyard shimmers through on this wonderfully subtle expression, the flamed orange oils, cedar, and tea framed by slightly more savory tannins that will benefit from a bit more time, or a good stint in the decanter. With air, the wine gains weight, texture, and lift, as well as notes of cocoa powder, sappy cherries, black currants, and flowers, all of it riding through the graphite-kissed finish. If you can wait, this wine will continue to offer greater and greater rewards through the early-2050s.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Too often, its tempting to hold onto a wine until the end of the recommended drinking window provided by whatever review youre referencing. But thats not necessarily a good idea unless you prefer fully mature wines. Deciding when to pop the cork from an older bottle is just as much about personal preference as it is about the potential longevity of a particular vintage. I kept on think about that while savoring this 2003, a wine that, while it certainly has another 15 years of life in it, is drinking so brilliantly right now that I wouldnt recommend waiting. Its at a beguiling phase of evolution nearly 18 years on, with a concentrated yet silky palate that carries notes of blackberries and brandied cherries as well as more balsamic notes, singed sage, cigar tobacco, and a floral and cedar lift hovering above it all. The fruit is still singing yet the more mature characteristics have really come through, making this a fantastically balanced, uniquely delicious wine right now.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 1993

This is starting to approach its fullest aromatic expression of maturity, the black plums anchored by scorched earth and licorice before flavors of brambly berries, currants, cocoa powder, pencil shavings, and a deep cut of mineral. The tannins, while mature, are still surprisingly present, and the core of acidity keeps every sip fresh and vibrant. This is another S.L.V. that can certainly age a bit more, but that is so balanced and long right now that, if I had a bottle in my collection, Id consider opening it in the short-term.

Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 1987

This is wonderfully generous as soon as you smell it, with wild strawberries, graham crackers, and flowers shimmering with a hint of camphor. That lift serves as a beguiling counterpoint to the fabulously generous palate, whose plums and sappy cherries are both impeccably spiced and anchored by a serious tug of umamimeat, soy saucethat, as the finish resolves, finds a counterpoint in the subtle lift of springtime flowers. The acid is still so fresh and balanced here! This wine, even at close to 35 years after the grapes were harvested, is a true testament to the vineyard, to the winery, and to the ability of the best producers to produce wines that stand the test of time, and that stand as testaments to the greatness that animates them.

After the formal vertical tasting, I also had the opportunity to enjoy the Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 from a five-liter bottle. Larger-format wines tend to age far slower than wines in standard 750ml bottles, but far fewer of them are generally made. This, then, was a rare opportunityand a thoroughly profound one when I took my first sip: The wine rolled over the tongue with expansive, expressive fruit, despite its age. Precise notes of cedar and cocoa powder flashed through flavors of cassis and candied violets, all of it carried along by balanced, brilliant tannins.

Large-format bottlings, like these from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, tend to age far more slowly than ... [+] their standard 750ml counterparts.

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Tasting History: The Evolution Of Stags Leap Wine Cellars, And An Auction Of Its Legacy Collection - Forbes

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Almost daily now we are seeing how the "traditional" central authority system is responding to the spread of the "decentralized" crypto-system and observing how the evolution of money is taking place.

The creation and production of cryptoassets have reached epic proportions and the growth and spread of the different forms they take have just been amazing.

The thing is, the cryptoassets, especially Bitcoin (BTC-USD), were created in order to take money and the creation of money away from central authority systems.

Satoshi Nakamoto has written,

The real problem with conventional currencies is all the trust that's required to make it work.

The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust.

So, Mr. Nakamoto created Bitcoin.

And Mr. Nakamoto created Bitcoin to exist without any reliance on a central authority.

In doing this, Mr. Nakamoto "bifurcated" the existing monetary system and sent it on its way to generate the new frontier of money.

But, as has been seen many times in the past, using new technologies to disrupt the old structure so as to build something different, something better, and something cheaper does not always end up where one thinks it might.

The creation of Bitcoin has disrupted the monetary system and has caused many other people to search for improvements, to create new alternatives, and to open up even new avenues to the new possibilities that exist.

And, as with any complex system facing a new disruption, the chaotic path that is followed is unchartable. And the disrupted system responds and generates its own pathway to the future structure.

That is exactly what is going on.

The new system must be tested for its security.

Bitcoin was supposed to be secure.

But, as we have just seen, Bitcoin has been subject to a $3.6 billion theft.

Two individuals have how now been caught attempting to launder the 119,754 Bitcoin stolen in the 2015 hack of Bitfinex, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Hong Kong.

This case represents, to the U.S. Justice Department, the largest financial seizure that the department has ever been involved in.

This case is not only a large one, but it is also quite complex, and the Justice Department is learning a lot about the "new" world of information technology and what it means to not only the workings of money but also to even the definition of money.

Next, we take a little step over and we find that the Securities and Exchange Commission has achieved a settlement of $100 million related to an enforcement action on cryptocurrency lending connected with BlockFi.

BlockFi had been offering interest-bearing accounts without registering them as securities.

Three notes on this result.

First, the Securities and Exchange Commission has been battling with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission about the definition of securities and commodities and which agency should be regulating what.

The Commodities Futures Trading Commission has gotten permission to regulate many cryptoassets because they are being defined as "commodities" and, here, in this case, the Securities and Exchange Commission has gotten permission to work with interest-bearing accounts because they are more closely connected with "securities."

So the "traditional" central authorities are working out how the "new" assets are to be handled.

Second, the SEC's chairman Gary Gensler is moving strongly into the crypto space, because he sees a real need for the government to do something in this area, something it has taken too long, in Gensler's eyes, to take on.

Third, BlockFi is intentionally pushing issues like this so as to force the regulators to act and define what the future is going to look like.

Zac Prince, BlockFi's chief executive officer, stated after the decision,

Today's milestone is yet another example of our pioneering efforts in securing regulatory clarity for the broader industry and our clients, just as we did for our first product--the crypto-backed loan.

So, some of the firms in this area realize that they are going to have to give into the "central regulatory authority" and, therefore, are trying to work together with the authority rather than fight it.

This is a big step to the new regulatory and industry structure that is now in the process of emerging into the next era.

The last subject I would like to bring up today is about the global effects of the rise of cryptoassets.

One of the "givens" of the evolving information technology is the fact that information grows and spreads. You might be able to slow the spread from time to time, but it always seems to get back in gear and begin to spread again.

The economist Eswar Prasad writes,

The emergence of digital currencies, both private and official, is shaking up domestic and international finance.

Consider international payments, which are inherently complicated. They involve multiple currencies, payment systems operating on diverse protocols and institutions governed by varying regulations.

So, cross-border payments tend to be slow, expensive, and difficult to track in real time.

New technologies spawned by the cryptocurrency revolution are making cheaper and practically instantaneous payment and settlement of transactions feasible.

This will alleviate payment-related frictions in international trade.

Economic migrants sending remittances" back home will also benefit.

Changes are afoot in foreign exchange markets, too.

The proliferation of digital currencies and new technologies is bringing on greater cross-border coordination of regulation and supervision.

The technologies are binding the world's economies and financial markets close and closer together.

In fact, Mr. Prasad believes that the global world may actually accelerate the move to bring on the regulations and organizations that are needed to move into this new world smoothly.

The conclusion I draw from this discussion is that the digital world of finance is spreading throughout the world and will, in one way or another, bring on the new world of money and finance we are waiting for.

Information is made up of zeros and ones. Information is going to spread. More than almost anything else, money and finance are going to become global.

But the integration of money and finance is also going to become global, and for this to be accomplished, the spread of digital money and finance is going to have to draw on international organizations and international regulation.

This is one area where the world needs to work together and grow together.

Money and finance, because of this, should also draw the world together.

The future is going to have to be some of the past and some of the future. What emerges from the "chaos" of the transition is unknown and will be for some time. But it will be some combination.

Bitcoin, as we know it, may become less of an issue in this future, but I think the picture is clear that the future we are heading toward could not have ended up the way it will end up without the pathway plowed by Bitcoin and other cryptoassets.

Here is the original post:

The Evolution Of Crypto Continues - Seeking Alpha

Its been 164 years since Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace jointly announced their theory of descent with modification, or what we understand today as evolution by natural selection. Despite the near unanimous agreement among the scientific community that the theory of evolution is true, according to Pew Research Center, about one-in-five U.S. adults reject the basic idea that life on Earth has evolved at all. Opposition primarily comes from adherents to the Abrahamic religions, for whom evolution conflicts with belief in Biblical creation.

Over the past century, many attempts have been made to reconcile the theory of evolution with religious teachings, and into this arena steps computational biologist S. Joshua Swamidass with his 2019 book, The Genealogical Adam and Eve: The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry. Swamidass makes his goal clear from the first page:

[T]o make room for our differences, even as we maintain our own beliefs and practices. We all come from different starting points. Some are certain Adam and Eve are a myth. Some are certain evolution is a myth. Whatever the truth of the matter, let us travel together for a moment, seeking a common good.

In other words, Swamidass thinks scientists who believe in evolution and Christians who believe in Creation ought to get along and respect one another. A nice enough sentiment, but he insists theres more than just goodwill to motivate the seeking of some mutual understanding. Ultimately, what Swamidass proposes is that the Creation account of Genesis, in so far as Adam and Even are concerned, is perfectly compatible with evolutionary theory. How can this be?

According to Swamidass, whom I must credit for acknowledging this claim may or may not be true:

[I]t is possible that Adam was created out of dust, and Eve out of his rib, less than ten thousand years ago. Leaving the Garden, their offspring would have blended with those outside it, biologically identical neighbors from the surrounding area. In a few thousand years, they would become genealogical ancestors of everyone.

This genealogical hypothesis posits that all humankind shares ancestry in Adam and Eve, but the DNA of our ancestors comes from the Pre-Adamite humanoids with whom Seth and Cain intermingled. In this way, supposedly, one can simultaneously believe in both the Genesis account of Creation while also believing that Homo sapiens share a common ancestry with primates.

What exactly is genealogical ancestry, and how does it differ from genetic ancestry? Understanding this is crucial to Swamidass argument. According to Mathieson and Scally, genealogical ancestry is defined in terms of identifiable ancestors in your family tree or pedigree, and as such reflects the most common and intuitive understanding of the term ancestry. By contrast, genetic ancestry refers not to your pedigree but to the subset of paths through it by which the material in your genome has been inherited. Because parents transmit only half their DNA to offspring each generation, an individuals genetic ancestry involves only a small proportion of all their genealogical ancestors.

There are Most Recent Common Ancestors (MRCA) that we genetically all share. This is not controversial; its a fact, and understanding why this is so will help us understand why our MRCA were nothing like the biblical Adam and Eve that Swamidass is defending.

We all have mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in our cells, which could only have been passed to us from our mother, and from our maternal-grandmother, and so on. Likewise, you could only have received a Y-chromosome from your father, and from your paternal-grandfather, and so on. By tracing the unbroken chain of mtDNA back far enough within a given population, we arrive at the mitochondrial MRCA, or if you like, Mitochondrial Eve. Similarly, if you trace the chain of Y-chromosomes back, you find the Y-chromosomal Most Recent Common Ancestor, or Y-chromosomal Adam.

So yes, its true that we all share a single common male and female ancestor, but theres a catch. As evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins explains, they never met and were separated from each other by probably many thousands of years. There does seem to be some debate on the question of when mt-Eve and Y-Adam may have lived, and whether or not those timelines overlapped. As Michael Hammer, a population geneticist from the University of Arizona in Tucson explains, Because of the random nature of genealogy, two different genetic lineages are unlikely to have common ancestors who lived in the same population at the same time.

Ultimately, the designations of mt-Eve and Y-Adam are purely conceptual and do not in any way suggest the biblical Adam and Eve of the Creation narrative. Theres a further problem in The Genealogical Adam and Eve that Swamidass readily admits, that there is no scientific evidence for or against them (Adam and Eve). Swamidass dismisses this lack of evidence by claiming:

Adam and Eve could have been de novo created or chosen from a larger population. They could have been in the Middle East, or some other part of the world. They could have been in a supernaturally created Garden, free of death, or in an environment much like our own. Those outside the Garden could be in the image of God, or not.

Sure, and maybe Adam and Eve were extraterrestrials, as ancient astronaut proponents claim. This list of possibilities covers any potential objections to a lack of evidence and the believer is free to pick and choose among them. In this way, proponents of the genealogical hypothesis would be able to claim Adam and Eve are not incompatible with evolution without having to bother producing any actual evidence that Adam and Eve existed.

The question isnt whether the biblical Adam and Eve are impossible, but are the Biblical Adam and Eve probable? Is it reasonable to believe in the existence of the biblical Adam and Eve? Our beliefs should always be provisional, subject to revision, and in proportion to the best available evidence. Theres no genetic or archaeological evidence that Adam and Eve, or any such place as the Garden of Eden, ever existed.

If someone wants to argue, Well of course not, theyre supernatural, then it doesnt work to say, Science doesnt say they cant exist, or, Science doesnt say theyre incompatible with evolution, because youve already moved the question beyond the scope of scientific inquiry. The supernatural, by definition, is that which is beyond the purview of science to understand or explain.

Biologist Ken Miller also points out that the genealogical hypothesis is needlessly complex. If the natural process of evolution can give rise to human beings, why would God need to specially create Adam and Eve, de novo? How did Pre-Adamite humans fit into the Divine Plan? The assumption of Pre-Adamite humans is a theologically controversial idea on its own, which isnt scripturally supported by either the Torah or the Bible, though it is implied. After all, who else would Seth and Cain have been able to mate with?

The genealogical hypothesis is needlessly complex.

While its true that science cant disprove the existence of Adam and Eve, its difficult to prove a negative in most any case. The burden of proof is typically on the claimant, and saying that something cant be disproven is a not-so-clever way of shifting that. The Genealogical Adam and Eve is not the apologetic triumph it sets out to be, although it certainly tries. It is neither a better way forward nor a better story to tell, and no, evolutionary science is not making space for Adam and Eve.

Every February, to help celebrate Darwin Day, the Science section of AIPT cranks up the critical thinking for SKEPTICISM MONTH!Skepticism is an approach to evaluating claims that emphasizes evidence and applies the tools of science. All month well be highlighting skepticism in pop culture, and skepticism *OF* pop culture.

AIPT Science is co-presented by AIPT and the New York City Skeptics.

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'The Genealogical Adam and Eve': showing evolution and Creation are compatible? - AIPT

The Heythrop Association is offering an online lecture by Dr Christopher Corbally SJ and Dr Margaret Boone Rappaport, Co-founders of the Human Sentience Project LLC, Tucson, Arizona, on Wednesday 23 February 2022 at 7pm. They will speak about 'Cultural, Moral, and Religious Capacities - How important are these and in what order did they evolve?'

A Q&A session will follow the lecture and the discussion should be lively. Here is a synopsis of the lecture:

In recent years, the analysis of genetic and neurological findings on early members of the genus Homo has led to new understandings of prehistoric religion. The first part of this presentation is the rationale for a recently published book, The Emergence of Religion in Human Evolution, Routledge, 2020, where the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis lays a foundation for a model of the emergence of moral capacity in Homo erectus and religious capacity only in Homo sapiens. The scientific models are used later in the book to analyse some of the issues and tests for artificial intelligence - seen as the latest member of the genus Homo, an inorganic one! The speakers ask: Can AI have moral and religious thinking? The talk is rounded out by a presentation of 12 Key Innovations on the evolutionary line to modern humans, and then an informal "factor analysis" of core features. The presentation winds up with questions about what we might expect from other ETIs (extra-terrestrial intelligences) if these features produced sentience in humans.

The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81502513987?pwd=anlMU2pNa1FGMzBIdFh4YXArL2NOUT09

Meeting ID: 815 0251 3987

Passcode: 968504

All very welcome!

Tags: Evolution, Heythrop, Morality, Dr Christopher Corbally SJ, Dr Margaret Boone Rappaport, Human Sentience Project

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