Apparently, some chemicals make boys act like girls

In a recent study from the University of Rochester in New York, published in the International Journal of Andrology, Professor of obstetrics and gynaecology Shanna Swan found that some chemicals such as phthalates made boys who were exposed to them in utero behave as girls. Abstract

Prenatal phthalate exposure and reduced masculine play in boys

Correspondence to Shanna H. Swan, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 668, Rochester, NY 14624, USA.
E-mail: shanna_swan@urmc.rochester.edu

ABSTRACT
Foetal exposure to antiandrogens alters androgen-sensitive development in male rodents, resulting in less male-typical behaviour. Foetal phthalate exposure is also associated with male reproductive development in humans, but neurodevelopmental outcomes have seldom been examined in relation to phthalate exposure. To assess play behaviour in relation to phthalate metabolite concentration in prenatal urine samples, we recontacted participants in the Study for Future Families whose phthalate metabolites had been measured in mid-pregnancy urine samples. Mothers completed a questionnaire including the Pre-School Activities Inventory, a validated instrument used to assess sexually dimorphic play behaviour. We examined play behaviour scores (masculine, feminine and composite) in relationship to (log10) phthalate metabolite concentrations in mother's urine separately for boys (N = 74) and girls (N = 71). Covariates (child's age, mother's age and education and parental attitude towards atypical play choices) were controlled using multivariate regression models. Concentrations of dibutyl phthalate metabolites, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) and mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) and their sum, were associated with a decreased (less masculine) composite score in boys (regression coefficients −4.53,−3.61 and −4.20, p = 0.01, 0.07 and 0.04 for MnBP, MiBP and their sum respectively). Concentrations of two urinary metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) and mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) and the sum of these DEHP metabolites plus mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate were associated with a decreased masculine score (regression coefficients −3.29,−2.94 and −3.18, p = 0.02, 0.04 and 0.04) for MEHHP, MEOHP and the sum respectively. No strong associations were seen between behaviour and urinary concentrations of any other phthalate metabolites in boys, or between girls' scores and any metabolites. These data, although based on a small sample, suggest that prenatal exposure to antiandrogenic phthalates may be associated with less male-typical play behaviour in boys. Our findings suggest that these ubiquitous environmental chemicals have the potential to alter androgen-responsive brain development in humans.

Surely using type of play as a measure raises questions about judgmental assumptions about behaviour. The only scientific measure should only be of testosterone levels. Measuring behaviour such as play, based on stereotyped gender roles raises more questions about nature versus nurture.

Research findings were widely reported including by BBC, Time, etc. None of the media reports challenged the assumptions made about stereotyped behaviour.

corporate drivel

Some philosophers, particularly in France, misappropriate scientific concepts when they want to sound impressive about nothing. Alan Sokal knows all about this.

It doesn't stop there. It seems that physics concepts are now being misappropriated by marketers. See for example, this article in The Guardian

Metaphorically speaking, Pepsi's gibberish is hard to swallow

Ben Goldacre
Saturday 7 March 2009

An extraordinary document called The Pepsi Gravitational Field has been leaked on to the internet. The claim is that this 27-page wonder represents a successful $1.5m (£1.05m) pitch to make a slight modification to the Pepsi logo. Welcome to the science of PR.

"By investing in our history and brand ethos we can create a new trajectory forwards," they explain in the opening pages. This is entirely reasonable. A cognitive linguist by the name of George Lakoff has done some fascinating (and no doubt gruelling) empirical work on metaphors in English literature. He has shown, for example, that we often conceive of the abstract in terms of the concrete: anger is an overheated fluid in a sealed vessel, emotional states are locations, and fascinatingly, we don't just talk about things in this way, we may also reason using these metaphors.

How else can you explain the fact that "baby, we're riding in the fast lane on the freeway of love" is so instantly meaningful to us? Perhaps - and this is speculation - we think about abstract things using brain hardware that originally evolved to deal with more simple visuo-spatial manipulations.

I am open to new ideas. Lakoff may or may not be entirely correct, but he is not throwing words around at random: his ideas are often coherent and stimulating, and they may have explanatory force for real world phenomena. Let us return to the Pepsi document. It is gibberish. "The investment in our DNA leads to breakthrough innovation and allows us to move out of the traditional linear system into the future". This is accompanied by a helpful diagram, which is reproduced here for your delight. "The Pepsi DNA finds its origin in the dynamic of perimeter oscillations," they explain. There is talk of an "authentic geometry". "The breathtaking colour palette is derived," they explain, "using a scientific method of colour assignment based on the product's essence and primary features." They go on to discuss "attraction theory", and the "Pepsi proposition".

This involves the "establishment of a gravitational pull to shift from a 'transactional' experience to an 'invitational' expression." The accompanying diagrams show a "typical light path" being subjected to gravitational pull, and then the gravitational pull of Pepsi. The words "relativity of space and time" appear next to a curved light beam, but the diagram for Pepsi shows many Pepsi logos, distorting the human path through "typical shopping aisle".

Here we find further parallels with conventional physics. "The universe expands exponentially with f(x)=e^x (1 light year = 671 million miles per hour)." One light year is not - if I can anally interject - 671 million miles per hour. Maybe that works because "the Pepsi Orbits" "dimensionalise exponentially".

This might be a useful moment to mention that the new logo is basically the same as the old one, except one of the curves has been changed a bit to look more like a smile.

The Arnell agency has yet to comment on the veracity of the document, but Pepsi certainly announced a revamp in October last year, and from reading his work, Peter Arnell does quite like the word "dimensionalise". At a recent news conference, he also compared his advert for SoBe Lifewater to the achievements of Thomas Edison in inventing cinematography.

And even if this is an elaborate 27-page long spoof, the horror is that it's believable. Across huge swaths of the world, scientific reasoning is regarded as decorative: a rhetorical stance, or a speech in a white coat from a 1950s B-movie. We live in a world that has indulged these buffoons for so long that they think they are heroes, while nerds are regarded with contempt. Our only hope is that after the robot wars, you will all starve, cold and in the rain, wearing leaves and eating mud.

27 page document can be found here (6MB PDF, right click to save)

It's up there with French philosophical texts as amongst the most stupid ever written. Good for a laugh.

Incoherent gibberish enough and a physicist's joke.

listen or read?

The BBC recently published an article called 'Can you listen as well as you read?', which I found interesting.

I would rather read a speech than listen to it. I lose attention while listening, as my brain switches off from time to time. Besides, I read much faster than people can speak and am impatient.

Still, I think neuro-linguistic programming is a load of rubbish based on dodgy pseudo-science.

*************
Today was a busy day, but I managed a late afternoon nap.

Tonight, the ABC screened ITV's remake of A Room With A View. What a waste of a production. There was no point in making another version when the excellent Merchant Ivory production is timeless, and now a classic, and definitely one of my most favourite films of all time.

The original and the best

Eating as a sport?

More bizarre reading from The Independent

Not to be scoffed at: Competitve eating is the world's fastest-growing hobby

What compels a person to swallow 65 hard-boiled eggs in six minutes? The money? The danger? The adoration of fans?

By Tim Walker
Friday, 8 August 2008

What's the most dangerous thing you can do sitting down? It takes stamina and determination, and it tests your body to the limit. It brings fame and fortune to its top competitors, but claims as many lives as motorsport. Whitewater kayaking? Operating a crane? Or could it be competitive eating?

In the US, home of professional food consumption, the governing body Major League Eating (MLE) presides over a pastime that, it claims, is the world's fastest growing sport. Last month, 1.5 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch 23-year-old Joey "The Jaws" Chestnut defeat Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi in a tie-breaking eat-off at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, the biggest event on the eating calendar. Chestnut walked away – gingerly, no doubt – with $10,000 in prize money.

Chestnut and Kobayashi are the Federer and Nadal of competitive eating. Between 2001 and 2006, Kobayashi, 29, won the Fourth of July contest at Coney Island, New York, six years in a row. In 2007, Chestnut beat his rival for the first time, breaking the Japanese champ's world record by eating 66 hot dogs (and their buns) in 12 minutes. When, a few days before the competition, Kobayashi announced that his vigorous training regime had resulted in an arthritic jaw, the news was briefly the lead story on the New York Times website. He recovered in time to compete, but could only stomach a personal best of 63 dogs.

Kobayashi retains some of his records, like the 41 lobster rolls he put away in 10 minutes, or the 17.7lbs of cow brains he once poked down in 15 minutes. But the young Chestnut's CV already reads like Godzilla's weekly shopping list. In June 2006, he ate 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes. In October 2007, he ate 103 hamburgers in eight minutes. And in April this year he ate 8.8lbs of tempura deep-fried asparagus spears in 10 minutes, at the Asparagus Fest in Stockton, California. His pee must have smelled funny for weeks.

The queen of the women's circuit is the diminutive Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, holder of numerous world records including hard-boiled eggs (65 in six minutes, 40 seconds), baked beans (8.4lbs in two minutes, 47 seconds) and oysters (46 dozen in 10 minutes). Thomas, who weighs in at just 105lbs prior to competition, is living proof that you needn't be obese to be a champion eater. In fact, she believes that her skinny build allows her stomach to expand with less difficulty than if it were surrounded by constricting adipose tissue; this is known as the Belt of Fat theory. Even the legendary Kobayashi weighs a modest 160lbs pounds.

Eric Booker, left, and Sonya Thomas compete in a ham biscuit eating contest in 2006. Thomas ate 60 to Booker's 42

Ryan Nerz is a spokesman for MLE, and the author of the competitive eating chronicle Eat This Book. As a non-competitor, he's still unsure of the motivations of most professional eaters. "America will make a sport out of anything," he says. "A lot of college fraternities and Wall Street banks hold eating contests, where they take bets on how many Big Macs they can eat in 10 minutes. Guys like to claim they're big eaters the same way they claim they're big drinkers.

"At the big eating events you have normal guys who get up and do this thing well, beat a bunch of people, and all of a sudden they have a camera shoved in their face. They get a whole new group of friends, a blog, a MySpace page, fans. It very quickly becomes their identity, and it transcends their former identity as a waiter at a pizza restaurant, an accountant or whatever."

The profile of a typical competitive eater has changed in recent years, from the overweight, blue-collar champions of old, such as Eric "Badlands" Booker, who has released two competitive-eating-themed hip-hop albums (Hungry and Focused and Hungry and Focused II: The Ingestion Engine) to a younger, slimmer, more middle-class competitor. There are now even two women in the world top 10, including Sonya Thomas.

MLE has made attempts to take the sport global, including holding a mince pie eating contest in Somerset in 2006, and a chicken satay eating contest at the first MLE Asia event in Singapore last week. Lup Fun Yau, 35, holds UK records for the eating of sugared doughnuts without licking one's lips (six in three minutes), and full English breakfasts (five and ¾ platefuls of fried food in 12 minutes). "It's a US sport," he says. "They take it far more seriously and the prize money is much bigger. The Black Widow and Joey the Jaws have made millions from it; they're in it for the money. But for people in England it's just about having a laugh, getting in the newspaper and having your 15 minutes of fame."

Kobayashi's jaw condition was a rarity, but intestinal injuries are expected to become more common as eaters develop training regimes as rigorous as an athlete's. Some top competitors regularly knock back large amounts of liquid (water, milk, or cola) to teach their stomachs to stretch. As well as the ever-present threat of gastric rupture, such treatment may damage their stomachs' digestive capabilities in the long term. "They're very close-lipped (pun intended) about their training methods," says Nerz. "They have to work on their stomach capacity. They have to work on being able to swallow large, barely chewed chunks of food. And some of them simply have natural talents – Joey Chestnut just has a really big mouth."

MLE maintains strict safety standards at all of its events, including the presence of emergency medics, and a lower-age limit of 18. But no one can legislate against unsanctioned competitions. Such episodes have led to a number of deaths. Adam Deeley, a graphic design student from Swansea, recently died after eating five fairy cakes in an impromptu contest. In January, a woman in California died after drinking almost two gallons of water in a competition sponsored by local radio – the prize on offer was a Nintendo Wii. And in 2002, a 14-year-old schoolboy from Japan choked to death after challenging his friends to a bread-eating race.

"Something like that happens every couple of years," says Nerz. "And we think that bolsters our whole reason for existing. Eating contests will occur whether or not they're organised by a governing body like MLE. So you may as well make sure they're organised with an emergency medical technician at every contest, and with a group like us who'll monitor the safety of each contest. The reason each of our events is only about eight to 12 minutes long is that, not only will the audience and the media reach a limit of what they want to watch, but also the competitors won't cause themselves any distinct damage."

It says something about the decadence of the developed world that we should celebrate the swallowing of 47 glazed doughnuts in eight minutes (by Eric Booker), while the world food crisis rages just outside the stadium gates. Then again, as Nerz argues, motorsport also has an ethical case to answer: "[But] people don't complain about Nascar wasting gas."

The competitive eaters' hall of fame

Mayonnaise: Four 907g bowls in 8 minutes - Oleg Zhornitskiy

Mince pies: 6 pies at the Wookey Hole Big Eat in Somerset in 10 minutes - Sonya Thomas, 29 November 2006

Nigiri sushi: 141 pieces in six minutes - Timothy Janus, 11 April 2008

Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches: 42 sandwiches in 10 minutes - Patrick Bertoletti, 8 August 2007

Spam: 2.72kg of Spam in 12 minutes - Richard LeFevre, 3 April 2004

Pork ribs: 3.81kg in 12 minutes - Joey Chestnut, 16 July 2006

Pigs' trotters: 1.31kg of pigs' trotters in 10 minutes- Arturo Rios Jr, 23 June 2007

Peas: 4.31kg in 12 minutes - Eric Booker

Shrimps: 2.26kg of spot shrimps in 12 minutes - Erik Denmark, 22 September 2006

Jalapeños: 177 pickled jalapeño peppers in 15 minutes - Patrick Bertoletti

Waffles: 29 waffles in 10 minutes - Patrick Bertoletti, 7 October 2007

Lobster: 44 Maine lobsters (5.13kg of meat) from the shell in 12 minutes - Sonya Thomas, 13 August 2005

As I've mentioned previously, simply vulgar. Some people in the world can barely eat enough to survive, others are able to eat for pleasure, but eating wastefully for a sport is immoral.

********************
Monday. I even got into work earlier today.

an eating hero?

The hot-dog eating contest was on again. Reported by Associated Press

Chestnut wins hot dog contest after eat-off

By ADAM GOLDMAN – 4 July 2008

NEW YORK (AP) — Joey Chestnut reclaimed the top spot at the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island on Friday after first tying with archrival Takeru Kobayashi in a 10-minute chow-down and then beating him in a five-dog eat-off.

The men tied at 59 frankfurters in 10 minutes, before being made to gobble another five dogs in a last-minute tiebreaker. They consumed 64 hot dogs total and were looking quite peaked after the competition.

Kobayashi had hoped to reclaim the throne after a disappointing three-dog loss last year shattered his six-year winning streak.

"He wanted it, but I needed it," Chestnut said of his diminutive Japanese rival.

Thousands gathered at Coney Island on the Fourth of July to watch the glutinous gladiators compete in the annual event. Chestnut emerged victorious for the second year in a row, beating 20 others who had only 10 minutes to scarf down as many hot dogs as possible, two minutes less than in previous years.

The regulation time was changed after it was revealed that the original competition in 1916 was just 10 minutes long, instead of the 12-minute limit used in more recent years. The switch made for a tense competition.

Chestnut quickly pulled ahead, with cheeks puffed as he crammed hot dogs into his mouth. At one point, the 24-year-old Californian led Kobayashi 14 to 11. Kobayashi fell to third place, but ate his way back and the two went dog-to-dog in the final stretch. After a frankfurter photo-finish, the judges decided it was a tie.

Richard Shea, one of the founders of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, said it was the first time in his memory the contest went into overtime.

As usual, Kobayashi's strategy was to eat all the dogs first, then dunk the buns and eat them. A pause while swallowing the soggy buns meant defeat.

"He should've won it, it was his to win," said judge Gersh Kuntzman said of the diminutive 30-year-old of Nagano, Japan.

The 128-pound legend in the competitive eating circuit told Brooklyn papers that he wasn't feeling 100 percent, and while he was improving, the tooth problem and sore jaw that hampered last year's performance were still something of a problem.

"If I put one more mouthful in, I could've won (in regulation)," Kobayashi said through a translator.

Their competitors also included a pizza cook from New York City, a fishmonger from Chicago and a 110-pound mother of two from Maryland.

Chestnut, who topped out at 210 pounds, downplayed his win, which includes $10,000 and the coveted mustard-yellow belt.

"It was crazy. I'm just a normal guy eating hot dogs on the Fourth," he said. "You can't overcomplicate it."

Chestnut said he was mentally prepared to eat 70, but his body was pushing back during the competition; it didn't want to swallow fast enough.

And it shouldn't want to. In fact, it's downright bad for your health, says Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor at New York University School of Medicine.

"Hot dogs are extremely unhealthy, especially when eaten at high volume," he said. "They're really processed, they have high cholesterol and too much salt."

And thanks to the quantities the competitors ate, they'll likely suffer nausea, bloat, headache, and possibly high blood pressure for several days as the body slowly digests the food.

"One is bad for you, five's worse and 50 is terrible," he said.

Luckily for the svelte first and second-place winners, being in better shape helps in digesting the food.

And any gastrointestinal woes won't deter Kobayashi. He says he'll be back for a rematch next year. Before that, the two will face off again at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship Sept. 28 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Joey Chestnut, centre, and his arch rival, Takeru Kobayashi, left, battle to eat the most hot dogs at the annual hot dog eating contest in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Photo: AP

And reported by CNN



Yes, there are food shortages worldwide. Eating contests are simply vulgar.

Joey Chestnut a hero? More like a glutton.

****************
Today was a busy day (see Kane's tails).

13 year old corrects NASA, but it's bad news...

AFP (16 April) has reported about a school boy correcting NASA calculations:

German schoolboy, 13, corrects NASA's asteroid figures: paper

BERLIN (AFP) — A 13-year-old German schoolboy corrected NASA's estimates on the chances of an asteroid colliding with Earth, a German newspaper reported Tuesday, after spotting the boffins had miscalculated.

Nico Marquardt used telescopic findings from the Institute of Astrophysics in Potsdam (AIP) to calculate that there was a 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth, the Potsdamer Neuester Nachrichten reported.

NASA had previously estimated the chances at only 1 in 45,000 but told its sister organisation, the European Space Agency (ESA), that the young whizzkid had got it right.

The schoolboy took into consideration the risk of Apophis running into one or more of the 40,000 satellites orbiting Earth during its path close to the planet on April 13 2029.

Those satellites travel at 3.07 kilometres a second (1.9 miles), at up to 35,880 kilometres above earth -- and the Apophis asteroid will pass by earth at a distance of 32,500 kilometres.

If the asteroid strikes a satellite in 2029, that will change its trajectory making it hit earth on its next orbit in 2036.

Both NASA and Marquardt agree that if the asteroid does collide with earth, it will create a ball of iron and iridium 320 metres (1049 feet) wide and weighing 200 billion tonnes, which will crash into the Atlantic Ocean.

The shockwaves from that would create huge tsunami waves, destroying both coastlines and inland areas, whilst creating a thick cloud of dust that would darken the skies indefinitely.

The 13-year old made his discovery as part of a regional science competition for which he submitted a project entitled: "Apophis -- The Killer Astroid."

The reporting in German is much more interesting...

From the original report in Potsdamer Neuester Nachrichten

Apophis im Anflug

Bestätigung durch die NASA: Der Potsdamer Schüler Nico Marquardt berechnete die Aufschlagswahrscheinlichkeit eines Asteroiden auf die Erde neu (12 April)

„Es könnte knapp werden“, sagt Nico Marquardt. Und wirklich, nur ein paar Zentimeter mehr und das tonnenschwere 70-Zentimeter-Teleskop hätte die kleine mobile Holztreppe gestreift. Das meterlange Fernrohr wird durch die spanische Doktorandin Ada Nebot aus der Ruheposition zur Kuppelöffnung gedreht. Für das Fotoshooting mit dem 13-jährigen Astronomie-Genie aus Potsdam soll es in die Richtung zeigen, aus der die Gefahr kommt. Nach oben.

Es ist das Instrument des Astrophysikalischen Institutes Potsdam (AIP) in Babelsberg, mit dem der Potsdamer Schüler selbst Aufnahmen machte von jenem Brocken im All, von dem die US-Weltraumbehörde NASA kurzzeitig sogar annahm, er werde im Jahr 2036 mit einer Wahrscheinlichkeit von ein zu 37 auf die Erde aufschlagen. Zum Vergleich: Bei Russisch-Roulette mit einem Revolver knallt es mit einer Wahrscheinlichkeit von eins zu sechs.

Mit der genaueren Beobachtung des erst 2004 entdeckten Asteroiden Apophis aber senkten die hochbezahlten US-Astronomen die Impact-Wahrscheinlichkeit auf eins zu 45000. Apophis war fortan nicht mehr der Star am Firmament, für den ihn viele Hobby-Astronomen und vor allem Apokalyptiker hielten.

Doch dann betrat Nico Marquardt vom Potsdamer Humboldt-Gymnasium die Weltbühne der Astro-Zunft – und mit ihm kommt nun das Comeback von Apophis als sehr ernstzunehmenden Erdbahnkreuzer. Der Gymnasiast kam, sah durchs Fernrohr, rechnete mit einem Faktor, den die NASA-Spezialisten nicht auf dem Schirm hatten – und siegte. Bei seinen Berechnungen kam er auf eine Einschlagswahrscheinlichkeit von eins zu 450 – und die NASA ließ der Europäischen Raumfahrt-Agentur ESA ausrichten, der Junge aus Potsdam habe recht. Beim Regionalausscheid von „Jugend forscht“ erhielt er mit seinem Thema „Der Killerasteroid Apophis“ einen Sonderpreis und gewann auch gleich den Wettbewerb im Fachgebiet Physik.

Der vielleicht „spannendste Moment der Menschheitsgeschichte“, wie Nico Marquardt verspricht, vollzieht sich ausgerechnet am Freitag, den 13. April 2029 um 22.45 Uhr Mitteleuropäische Zeit. Dann fliegt die aus Eisen und Iridium bestehende Weltraum-Kartoffel, 320 Meter im Durchmesser und 200 Milliarden Tonnen schwer, in lediglich 32 500 Kilometer an der Erde vorbei. In kosmischen Dimensionen ist das nichts, selbst der Mond ist zehn Mal weiter weg. Durch die hohe Geschwindigkeit von 50 000 Kilometer pro Stunde wird Apophis, aufgeheizt durch Atmosphäre-Teilchen der Erde, hell aufglühen und zehn- bis zwölf Mal größer erscheinen als der Mond.

Doch kaum ist Apophis durch, beginnt das große Zittern: Nico Marquardt glaubt, dass die großen Institute etwa zwei Stunden für die Berechnungen brauchen. Dann werden Professoren und Direktoren vor Kameras und Mikrofone treten – und die Weltbevölkerung wird den Atem anhalten. Steht die Menschheit im Schach – oder geht der Kelch an ihr vorüber?

Denn nach weiteren sieben Jahren – wieder so eine Schicksalszahl – kehrt Apophis, der in 323 Tagen die Sonne umkreist, zur Erde zurück, wieder an einem 13. April. Die Wissenschaftler werden anhand der dann möglichen genauen Flugbahnberechnungen sagen können, ob er am 13. April 2036 den blauen Planeten treffen wird oder nicht. Ein Aufschlag wäre verbunden mit einer Katastrophe biblischen Ausmaßes. Die freigesetzte Energie entspräche der von 65 000 Hiroshima-Bomben. Die NASA – und auch Nico Marquardt – glauben, dass Apophis, bezeichnet nach dem ägyptischen Gott der Auflösung, Finsternis und Chaos, im Atlantischen Ozean aufschlagen wird. Riesige Tsunami-Wellen wären die Folge und selbst der Aufschlag im Meer könnte nicht verhindern, dass große Staubmassen in die Atmosphäre gelangen und den Himmel für Jahre verdunkeln.

Doch was beachtete der Schüler des Humboldt-Gymnasiums, was die NASA übersah? Er erkannte die Gefahr der Kollision eines der etwa 40 000 geostationären Satelliten mit Apophis bei dessen Erd-Passage im Jahr 2029. Diese Kommunikations- und Wettersatelliten umkreisen in 35 880 Kilometer die Erde mit einer Geschwindigkeit von 3,07 Kilometer pro Sekunde. Kollidiert einer der Satelliten mit dem Asteroiden, könnte das der entscheidende Schubs sein. Der Klumpen könnte genau so abgelenkt werden, dass er sieben Jahre später die Erde trifft.

Später will Nico Marquardt Astrophysik studieren und – wenn sie ihn nehmen – bei der NASA arbeiten. Seine erste Bewerbung war schon vielversprechend.

From Der Tagesspiegel (13 April)

Nico und der Weltuntergang

Ein Potsdamer Schüler hat die Gefahr eines Asteroideneinschlags richtig berechnet und damit die Nasa blamiert. Was der 13-Jährige für das Jahr 2036 voraussagt, ist alles andere als beruhigend.


Der 13-jährige Nico Marquardt aus Potsdam. - Foto: Klaer

„Es könnte knapp werden“, sagt Nico Marquardt. Und wirklich, nur ein paar Zentimeter mehr und das tonnenschwere 70-Zentimeter-Teleskop hätte die kleine mobile Holztreppe gestreift. Das meterlange Fernrohr wird durch die spanische Doktorandin Ada Nebot aus der Ruheposition zur Kuppelöffnung gedreht. Für das Fotoshooting mit dem 13-jährigen Astronomiegenie aus Potsdam soll es in die Richtung zeigen, aus der die Gefahr kommt. Nach oben. Es ist das Instrument des Astrophysikalischen Institutes Potsdam (AIP) in Babelsberg, mit dem der Potsdamer Schüler selbst Aufnahmen machte von jenem Brocken im All, von dem die US-Weltraumbehörde NASA kurzzeitig sogar annahm, er werde im Jahr 2036 mit einer Wahrscheinlichkeit von eins zu 37 auf die Erde aufschlagen. Zum Vergleich: Bei Russisch-Roulette mit einem Revolver knallt es mit einer Wahrscheinlichkeit von eins zu fünf.

Mit der genaueren Beobachtung des erst 2004 entdeckten Asteroiden Apophis aber senkten die hochbezahlten US-Astronomen die Impact-Wahrscheinlichkeit auf eins zu 45 000. Apophis war fortan nicht mehr der Star am Firmament, für den ihn viele Hobby-Astronomen und vor allem Apokalyptiker hielten.

Doch dann betrat Nico Marquardt vom Potsdamer Humboldt-Gymnasium die Weltbühne der Astro-Zunft – und mit ihm kommt nun das Comeback von Apophis als sehr ernstzunehmenden Erdbahnkreuzer. Der Gymnasiast kam, sah durchs Fernrohr, rechnete mit einem Faktor, den die Nasa-Spezialisten nicht auf dem Schirm hatten - und siegte. Bei seinen Berechnungen kam er auf eine Einschlagswahrscheinlichkeit von eins zu 450.

Eine Sensation: Die Nasa ließ der Europäischen Raumfahrt-Agentur ESA ausrichten, der Junge aus Potsdam habe recht. Beim Regionalausscheid von „Jugend forscht“ erhielt er mit seinem Thema „Der Killerasteroid Apophis“ einen Sonderpreis und gewann auch gleich den Wettbewerb im Fachgebiet Physik.

Der vielleicht „spannendste Moment der Menschheitsgeschichte“, wie Nico Marquardt verspricht, vollzieht sich ausgerechnet am Freitag, den 13. April 2029 um 22 Uhr 45 mitteleuropäischer Zeit. Dann fliegt die aus Eisen und Iridium bestehende Weltraum-Kartoffel, 320 Meter im Durchmesser und 200 Milliarden Tonnen schwer, in lediglich 32 500 Kilometer Entfernung an der Erde vorbei. In kosmischen Dimensionen ist das nichts, selbst der nahegelegene Mond ist zehn Mal weiter weg. Durch die hohe Geschwindigkeit von 50 000 Kilometer pro Stunde wird Apophis, aufgeheizt durch Atmosphäreteilchen der Erde, hell aufglühen und zehn bis zwölf Mal größer erscheinen als der Mond.

Doch kaum ist Apophis durch, beginnt das große Zittern: Nico Marquardt glaubt, dass die großen Institute etwa zwei Stunden für die Berechnungen brauchen. Dann werden Professoren und Direktoren vor Kameras und Mikrofone treten – und die Weltbevölkerung wird den Atem anhalten. Steht die Menschheit im Schach – oder geht der Kelch an ihr vorüber?

Denn nach weiteren sieben Jahren kehrt Apophis, der in 323 Tagen die Sonne umkreist, zur Erde zurück, wieder an einem 13. April. Die Wissenschaftler werden anhand der dann möglichen genauen Flugbahnberechnungen sagen können, ob er am 13. April 2036 die Erde treffen wird oder nicht. Ein Aufschlag wäre verbunden mit einer Katastrophe biblischen Ausmaßes. Die freigesetzte Energie entspräche der von 65 000 Hiroshima-Bomben. Die Experten glauben, dass Apophis, bezeichnet nach dem ägyptischen Gott der Auflösung und der Finsternis, im Falle einer Kollision im Atlantischen Ozean aufschlagen könnte. Riesige Tsunami-Wellen wären die Folge und selbst der Aufschlag im Meer könnte nicht verhindern, dass große Staubmassen den Himmel für Jahre verdunkeln.

Doch was beachtete der Schüler des Humboldt-Gymnasiums, was die Nasa übersehen hatte? Er erkannte die Gefahr der Kollision eines der etwa 40 000 geostationären Satelliten mit Apophis bei dessen Erdpassage im Jahr 2029. Diese Kommunikations- und Wettersatelliten umkreisen in 35 880 Kilometer die Erde mit einer Geschwindigkeit von 3,07 Kilometer pro Sekunde. Kollidiert einer der Satelliten mit dem Asteroiden, könnte das der entscheidende Schubs sein. Der Klumpen könnte genau so abgelenkt werden, dass er sieben Jahre später die Erde trifft.

Später will Nico Marquardt Astrophysik studieren und bei der Nasa arbeiten.

Wenn sie ihn nehmen.

(Erschienen im gedruckten Tagesspiegel vom 13.04.2008)

A photo from Bild:


Gymnasiast Nico Marquardt (13) aus Potsdam hält einen Eisenklumpen in der Hand. Im Hintergrund die „3-Körper-Formel“, mit der er die Annäherung des Asteroiden
an die Erde errechnete

NASA should pay him and give him a scholarship.

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I had a day at home today to try and shake off a mild case of the virus going around. In hindsight, an outing to the markets in the afternoon was probably not a good idea, more in terms of bumping into people from work. It did happen with a remark of "I thought you were sick and not at work today" to which I replied "I still have to get food for the dog". Hehehe...

POFT or pointless?

I really like this article by Bryan Appleyard in the Sunday Times (UK) of 30 December 2007. I think he was too kind.

Twilight of the greats?

This year saw the death of so many big names. Perhaps it saw the end of greatness, too. So, where do we go from here to find the artists that matter?

It was a year in which a certain type of person died — Michelangelo Antonioni, Ingmar Bergman, Norman Mailer, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Jean Baudrillard. These were intellectually pungent, culturally potent individuals, angrily dismissed as often as they were called “great”, “seminal” or “genius”. And with Luciano Pavarotti dead, another type of greatness vanished from the planet.
...
The death of Baudrillard left a gaping hole in the cultural landscape. Suddenly, we lack a great POFT — a Pointlessly Obscure French Thinker. Baudrillard, like Kristeva, Foucault, Lacan and many others, was a poseur and rhetorician. But, like some of the others, though certainly not Foucault, he was also a very brilliant man. His insights into the constructed nature of contemporary reality were, while usually buried beneath pointless obscurity, scintillating. If the French could shake off the posturing that has disfigured their post-war thought, they could perhaps recover their role as the great essayists of the world. We need a new Pascal, a new Montaigne.
...

Pointlessly obscure? I think pointless would be a more apt description. As is much of post-modernism.

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Today was a work day, though most of the office was empty. Just like Christmas Eve, we were allowed to go home after lunch time. Woohoo! Except it was very hot in the middle of the day when I walked home.

I went over to Tim and Toni's for a barbeque dinner, but left to walk Kane2.

I should go back to Tim and Toni's now, but there is an interesting program on tv now - a telecast of the 2006 V Festival (squeezed into one hour). Maybe later. So much good music coming out of the UK. I know most of it. Unfortunately, they aren't as popular in Australia.

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(edit 11pm - new post in my music blog)

the artery clogging sound track

From UK Guardian music blog

The KFC Hitmaker: Knowing Foul Cynicism

KFC is 'giving back' to its consumer fanbase by releasing an album. This is more than a gimmicky publicity stunt - it's downright dangerous

James Donaghy

November 16, 2007 4:00 PM

A Pizza Hut! A Pizza Hut! Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut! Photograph: Getty

We know how KFC likes to take the definition of soul food literally. Marlena Shaw wasn't complaining about the royalty cheque when they adopted California Soul in one of their adverts and they have aggressively targeted the black community in their recent campaigns. Their latest scheme should give everyone pause for thought, though.

They have released an album, available for download here, that's a compilation of the best entrants from their Pride 360° competition, a scheme they ran in the summer to unearth musical talent as part of Black Music Month.

Intriguingly, the aspiring urban artists were instructed to record a song creatively incorporating the words "individual", "family", "community", "heritage" with KFC, the winner getting a recording opportunity and some publicity. Hip-hop blogger Byron Crawford comments on the irony of an album featuring "nothing but black people singing about fried chicken". He's got a point.

And it's got to be said that no matter what the winner D Mawl (who hails from Kentucky) does with the rest of his career he will forever be known as The Fried Chicken Guy. While it's a nice idea for KFC to throw a half-gnawed bone back to its black customer base, it's difficult see the exercise as anything other than a gimmicky publicity stunt, and I hope this doesn't set a precedent. Commercial sponsorship of the arts is inevitable - but there have got to be limits. And KFC don't got none.

Robert Cialdini, in his book Influence, identifies association as one of the most powerful and successful principles in advertising and compliance. Weaving those positive concepts ("individual", "family", "community", "heritage") with KFC is an act of breathtaking cynicism and you've almost got to admire the brass balls it takes to pull it off, all the while posing as a benefactor.

So apart from offering patronage to a crappy rapper who's sold out before he's even got a contract, what exactly is KFC promoting in the black community? The high fat, high cholesterol, high sodium KFC diet, of course.

Ebony magazine calls heart disease "the ultimate destroyer in the black community, killing more people than Aids and cancer combined". The American Heart Association concurs.

Hypertension, obesity, clogged arteries and an hour-long commercial masquerading as talent scouting is KFC's legacy to black America. You don't have to be Chuck D to ask "how low can you go?"

And all the tracks are free.



Yeah right. A free gift from KFC - songs about KFC. Just give away free chicken.

It's a good article by the Guardian and the links provided are theirs too.

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Today, I cleaned the rest of the house including the bathroom. Aside from that, I did nothing.

first borns...

The Washington Post and others have reported on the advantages of being first-born.

First-born children possess IQs that are 2.3 points higher, on average, than their younger siblings, a new study contends.

The article then tries to explain why this might be.

What a load of crock!

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Tonight I went with Margaret and Mary to the Dumpling Inn up the road for dinner. Hadn't seen them for ages.