Science News: Plague may have caused die-offs of ancient Siberians

 The world has endured pandemics before like the one we're currently experiencing and archeologists and scientists uncovered evidence that an ancient plague may have caused die-offs of Siberians 4,000 years ago. Here's the interesting article from Science News:

(Map: Credit: Irkutsk.org) 

Plague may have caused die-offs of ancient Siberians

Bacterium DNA was found in two skeletons dating to roughly 4,000 years ago

By Bruce Bower Science News Jan 7, 2021 

 
Ancient people brought the plague to Siberia by about 4,400 years ago, which may have led to collapses in the population there, a new genetic analysis suggests. 

That preliminary finding raises the possibility that plague-induced die offs influenced the genetic structure of northeast Asians who trekked to North America starting perhaps 5,500 years ago. If the result holds up, it, along with other newly uncovered insights into human population dynamics in the region, would unveil a more complex ancestry among those ancient travelers than has usually been assumed. 

A team led by evolutionary geneticists Gülşah Merve Kilinç and Anders Götherström, both of Stockholm University, extracted DNA from the remains of 40 human skeletons previously excavated in parts of eastern Siberia. Among those samples, DNA from Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, was found in two ancient Siberians, the researchers report January 6 in Science Advances. One person lived around 4,400 years ago. The other dated to roughly 3,800 years ago. 

It’s unclear how the plague bacterium first reached Siberia or whether it caused widespread infections and death, Götherström says. But he and his colleagues found that genetic diversity in their ancient samples of human DNA declined sharply from around 4,700 to 4,400 years ago, possibly the result of population collapse. 

The new data coincide with evidence reported in June 2020 in Cell of Y. pestis DNA in two ancient individuals from eastern Siberia’s Lake Baikal region, dating to around 4,500 years ago. 

The plague may well have reached Siberia by roughly 4,500 years ago, at a time when Y. pestis infected people inhabiting other parts of Eurasia, says evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada who did not participate in the new study. 

But it’s possible that the ancient Siberians were infected with a version of Y. pestis that wasn’t virulent. If so, the bacterium wouldn’t have killed enough people to alter the genetic structure of Siberians. Genetic data from only two individuals provides too little evidence to confirm that they possessed a virulent strain of Y. pestis, Poinar says. 

DNA PROVIDES GLIMPSE INTO ANCIENT POPULATION EVENTS
The genetic findings do provide a glimpse of a series of previously unknown ancient population shifts in that region. Ancient individuals included in the new research dated from around 16,900 years ago, shortly after the last Ice Age peaked, to 550 years ago. The researchers compared those ancient Siberians’ DNA to DNA from present-day humans in different parts of the world and to previous samples of ancient human DNA — mainly from Europe, Asia and North America. The analyses showed that despite Siberia’s harsh climate, groups near Lake Baikal and regions further east mixed with various populations in and outside of Siberia from the Late Stone Age up to medieval times.

The two plague-carrying Siberians, in particular, came from regions that had experienced major population transformations during much of the sampled time period, the researchers say. Those events could have included migrations of plague-carrying people from outside Siberia. For instance, the 4,400-year-old skeleton was found just west of Lake Baikal, a region that witnessed the emergence of several distinct genetic groups — with roots mainly further to the west and southwest of Lake Baikal — between around 8,980 and 560 years ago.

Little Known History: 3 Dutch girls who seduced Nazis — and lured them to their deaths

I happened to be on BBC News and a 4 minute documentary video popped up about 3 girls from the Netherlands who became a killing force in the resistance to a takeover of their country by Nazis. It's an interesting story, and the NY Post covered the story in 2019. Part of their article appears below, with the BBC Video. The article noted there is also a book about the girls and their exploits. Sounds fascinating.

Meet the Dutch girls who seduced Nazis — and lured them to their deaths

By Isabel VincentDecember 14, 2019 | 11:44am |

Truus Oversteegen, a freckle-faced teenager who was just three months shy of her 17th birthday when Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, was a newly minted member of the Dutch resistance. She had been mostly assigned to hide Jewish children, political dissidents and homosexuals in various safe houses throughout Haarlem, her hometown, which was about 12 miles west of Amsterdam.

When she came across a Nazi killing an infant by repeatedly swinging its tiny body against a brick wall, Truus didn’t flinch. But what she saw now forced her to act with a sudden, brutal energy. “He grabbed the baby and hit it against the wall,” Truus recalled years later of the horrifying scene. “The father and sister had to watch. They were obviously hysterical. The child was dead.”

Truus, her younger sister, Freddie, and law student Hannie Schaft were among a handful of young women who took on clandestine roles to destabilize Nazis during the Second World War. While women’s resistance work was largely confined to spying, code-breaking and typing, few actively dared to take on the work of the Dutch trio — as underground assassins.

That’s the theme of the recently published “Seducing and Killing Nazis: Hannie, Truus and Freddie: Dutch Resistance Heroines of World War II” (SWW Press), which documents the exploits of the three young Dutch resistance fighters whose dangerous work set them apart.

Although their roles in the underground were at first confined to stealing Dutch identity documents to help persecuted Jews, the girls quickly graduated to more ruthless duties.

Freddie, who was just 14 when she began to work for the resistance, was often mistaken for a schoolgirl and was dispatched as a courier delivering important messages during the occupation. But later, all three young women worked to seduce Nazis: applying makeup and bright red lipstick to pick up soldiers at bars and lure them to their deaths.

Truus Oversteegen (pictured with rifle) worked along side Hannie and Freddie. North Holland Archives Truus quietly pointed her gun in the direction of the Nazi and shot him dead.

BBC VIDEO (4 minutes) Three girls in resistance 14 JANUARY 2020|WORLD WAR TWO During WW2, the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands turned three teenage girls into fierce resistance fighters.

 VIDEO: https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0808hpm/the-teenage-dutch-girls-who-seduced-and-killed-nazis

A Beautiful Valentine's Message

What a beautiful, thoughtful thing to do. What a total difference from the last 4 years. This picture shows messages on Valentine's day hearts decorating the White House lawn this weekend. 

A Valentine from First Lady Jill Biden popped up overnight at the White House on Feb. 12. Per her office, “The First Lady is known for her sense of humor, love of surprises and celebrating traditions... This is her Valentine to the country.”

Idiot of the Week: NH Guy Bragged to TV Station He Drank at the Capitol Insurrection- then got Arrested

 When you're an Idiot, there's not much hope for you. Such is the case of this week's idiot, who obviously had to hear that the FBI was actively looking for people involved in the Insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, and arresting them. This Idiot decided to let people know how proud he was to be drinking a beer in the Capitol during that horrendous day... and well, of course he got arrested. Here's the story.

                                 (Image: Jason Riddle. –Screenshot via YouTube) 

A New Hampshire man told a local TV station about how he ‘chugged’ wine during the Capitol riot. Then he got arrested.

“I had to see it."

By

 

Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com Staff

February 9, 2021

Like many of the people involved in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol building, Jason Daniel Riddle wasn’t particularly shy about his role. 

 The 32-year-old Keene, New Hampshire, resident said he followed rioters into the Capitol, found an open bottle of wine inside an office, poured himself a glass, and “chugged it” as he watched the violent mayhem. In an interview several days after the riot, Riddle told NBC10 Boston that he had no regrets. 

 On Monday afternoon, he was arrested by FBI agents. The agency’s Boston division announced that they had taken Riddle into custody with the assistance of local Keene police without incident and charged him with illegal entry, theft of government property, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. No attorney was listed for Riddle in online court documents Tuesday afternoon.

Good Person of the Week: Meet Wales' COVID19 virus variant hunters

 There are so many good people in the world, especially those involved in trying to help the world get past the pandemic of COVID19. This week BBC News Wales did a feature story about some of the good people who hunt down variants of the deadly Coronavirus 19 so they can learn the genetic code of the virus, and Wales leads the way in that research. This week's Good people are from the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff:  Jess Hey, a research scientist and  Prof Tom Connor, PenGU's bio-informatic lead. Here's an excerpt of  their story

Meet Wales' virus variant hunters

By Owain Clarke
BBC Wales health correspondent

Meet Jess Hey, a Public Health Wales scientist who is working on hunting down new variants of Covid-19.

She is part of a team of 16, based in Cardiff, that has been able to sequence between 15 to 20% of all positive cases in Wales since Covid arrived, one of the highest rates anywhere in the world.

Ms Hey, who only started three months ago, prepares samples selected at random from positive Covid tests across and helps to look for tiny differences between the samples in the virus's genetic code.

She said her work is "very different" from when she was a zoology student but "exciting".

A Covid variant, first spotted in Kent in the autumn, spread quickly and is now the dominant form across Wales and much of the UK.

As viruses copy themselves within cells, and go on to infect others, tiny errors can occur. Prof Tom Connor, PenGU's bio-informatics lead, said: "Viruses change all the time - like making photocopies of an ordinary original document. Since the start of the pandemic, the team has been able to read and decipher the entire genetic code of almost 30,000 Covid samples.

More: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-56029034 

Discovery! Ancient mummies with golden tongues unearthed in Egypt

 There's been a new discovery in Egypt, and archaeologists found that some mummies were given golden tongues to speak with the God of the underworld. Here's the story from BBC News on Feb 2, 2021:

(photo: image caption   It is thought the dead were given the golden tongues so they could speak in the afterlife EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIES)

Ancient mummies with golden tongues unearthed in Egypt

Source:  BBC NEWS: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55902631 

Archaeologists have unearthed 2,000-year-old mummies with golden tongues placed inside their mouths in northern Egypt, the antiquities ministry says.

 An Egyptian-Dominican team working at Alexandria's Taposiris Magna temple discovered 16 burials in rock-cut tombs popular in the Greek and Roman eras.

 Inside were poorly-preserved mummies.

 It is thought the dead were given gold foil amulets shaped like tongues so that they could speak before the court of the god Osiris in the afterlife.

 Ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris was lord of the underworld and judge of the dead.

(ROB NOTE: Osiris is the Egyptian Lord of the Underworld and Judge of the Dead, brother-husband to Isis, and one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. The name `Osiris' is the Latinized form of the Egyptian Usir which is interpreted as 'powerful' or 'mighty'.)

(Image: Osiris by LarsRune on DeviantArt/Pinterest)

 The god was also pictured in gilded decorations on the cartonnage - a material made of layers of plaster, linen and glue - that was partially encasing one of the mummies, lead archaeologist Kathleen Martinez of the University of Santo Domingo was cited by the antiquities ministry as saying.

 The gilded decorations on the cartonnage around a second mummy's head depicted a crown, horns and a cobra snake, she added. On the chest, the decorations depicted a necklace from which hung the head of a falcon - the symbol of the god Horus.

 The remains of a cartonnage that encased a female mummy found in the tombs at Alexandria's Taposiris Magna temple

  Khaled Abo El Hamd, director general of the antiquities authority in Alexandria, said the archaeological mission at Taposiris Magna had also discovered the funeral mask of a woman, eight golden flakes of a golden wreath, and eight marble masks dating back to the Greek and Roman eras.

 The antiquities ministry said a number of coins bearing the name and portrait of Queen Cleopatra VII had previously been found inside the temple.

 Cleopatra VII was the last queen of the Greek-speaking Ptolemaic dynasty, ruling Egypt from 51-30 BC. After her death, Egypt fell under Roman domination.

Tyler has Bone Spurs in his Neck !- What it is, How we are Treating it

 In the past week, our 10 year old Dachshund Tyler has had 2 sets of X-rays to try and figure out why he can't go up and down stairs anymore without pain. We learned that he has bone spurs in his neck!  I never heard of bone spurs affecting a dog, so this is all new to me. In today's blog, you'll read what I learned, how they form, and how to treat it... 

HOW DO BONE SPURS FORM?  Bone spurs are usually caused by local inflammation, such as from degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) or tendinitis. This inflammation stimulates the cells that form bone to deposit bone in this area, eventually leading to a bony prominence or spur.

HOW TO MANAGE IT? Most patients with mild or moderate nerve compression and irritation from bone spurs can manage their symptoms effectively without surgery. The goal of nonsurgical treatment is to stop the cycle of inflammation and pain.

(Image: human neck showing a bone spur- looks the same in canines) 

METHODS TO TREAT IT - 

• 1) NSAIDS to reduce swelling, relieve pain and relax muscles for four to six weeks.
• 2) Physical therapy and manipulation of joints to restore flexibility and strength, improve posture and reducing the pressure on the nerves.
• 3) Rest.

(Image right: Tyler's neck x-ray revealed the bone spurs)

WHAT WE ARE DOING -

1)  Tyler is taking Gabapentin to reduce the swelling. This is a short term thing.

2)  We are carrying Tyler up and down stairs now, because ascending and descending stairs only irritate the bone spur against the neck muscles.

3)  Acupuncture - Tyler received his first acupuncture treatment this week to alleviate the pressure it was causing. 

      - Since surgery isn't often recommended, we're not considering it yet (after all, Tyler is 10 years old), but if it gets worse, it may be an option. 

Mistaking Vegetables for Body Parts

 It sounds like a joke, but something that was mistaken to be a human foot buried in the mud in England, turned out to be a potato. Of course if you shop for produce, you can also mistake some odd looking carrots and other vegetables for body parts. :)  At the end of the article I've added a LINK to a story of vegetables that resemble various parts of human anatomy.    

Here's the story from the BBC News:

Human foot' in Gateshead field turns out to be potato

BBC NEWS Jan. 8, 2021

A suspected human foot buried in a muddy field turned out to be a potato after a "large-scale" police search.

A dog walker in Gateshead sent officers a photograph of what appeared to be a toe poking out of the soil.

But after carrying out the search in the dark with specialist dogs, officers discovered it was a potato with a mushroom growing next to it. Police praised the woman for her "vigilance" and said the call had been made in "good faith". 

(Photo: This carrot resembles a wacky-shaped human foot)

Northumbria Police said the photograph, sent on Tuesday when the woman had returned home from her walk in the Winlaton area, "did show what appeared to be a human foot".

Insp Phil Hamlani said: "The person who called this in was very concerned and in the picture she sent to us the object did look like it could be human remains."It was already dark by the time we got a call and so we had to deploy search teams to track down the scene to rule out any foul play.

"The search team did have a chuckle when they realised it was a potato, but the call was made in good faith and we can only praise the vigilance of the woman who made the call." He urged anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to call police, adding: "If it does turn out to be a vegetable, our police dogs will thank you for the treat." 

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ARTICLE: Vegetables that resemble Human Anatomy: https://healthykingsport.org/foods-that-look-like-like-body-organs/ 

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Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The Associated Press Guide on the 2021 Impeachment: How It Happened Before When Someone Left Office

If you're confused or having a hard time finding information about Trump's 2nd impeachment, the Associated Press (One of THE BEST sources for any news- and totally unbiased). has put together these facts about. They also tell you HOW, WHAT, AND HISTORY of an impeachment done after someone left office. Here's are the details (unedited):  

2021 Impeachment -Associated Press

To help with coverage of the impeachment inquiry, The Associated Press has prepared a guide with key background, explanation and style points.

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Former President Donald Trump faces an impeachment trial in the Senate beginning Feb. 9. The U.S. House impeached Trump on Jan. 13, one week before his term ended, on a charge of "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the deadly riot Jan. 6 at the Capitol. It was only the fifth time in U.S. history that a president has been impeached, and the only time a president has been impeached twice.

WHAT IS IMPEACHMENT AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Impeachment by the House is the first part of a two-step process set out by the Constitution for the removal of a federal official, up to and including the president. Though it is a political process, not a legal process, impeachment is the equivalent of an indictment — a determination that there is enough evidence to proceed to a trial, conducted by the Senate.

An official may be impeached for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." The Constitution does not define "high crimes and misdemeanors," but there is general agreement that they need not be criminal activities in a legal sense, and that "high crimes" are abuses of power.

Article 1, Section 3 says the Senate "shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments." The senators must take an "Oath or Affirmation," promising to consider the charges honestly and dutifully. Members of the Senate took that oath on Jan. 26.

The House has selected from among its members nine managers to present the case against Trump, while attorneys for the former president will present his defense. The Senate decides whether to call witnesses for the trial, in which both sides can examine and cross-examine.

The Constitution sets a high bar for conviction, requiring a supermajority of two-thirds of senators voting. By majority vote, the Senate can then vote to prohibit a convicted official from holding any federal office. If impeached and convicted, an official may face criminal prosecution as well.

DETAILS

The Democrats contend that Trump was "singularly responsible" for the Jan. 6 attack by inciting the crowd that attacked the Capitol. They say it's "impossible" to imagine the riot unfolding as it did without Trump's encouragement.

Trump's lawyers say he can't be responsible because he never incited anyone to "engage in destructive behavior." They concede there was an illegal breach of the Capitol that resulted in deaths and injuries. But they say the people who are "responsible" — the ones who entered the building and vandalized it — are being investigated and prosecuted.

Trump's lawyers don't dispute that he told supporters to "fight like hell" before the Capitol siege. But the defense says Trump, like any citizen, is protected by the First Amendment to "express his belief that the election results were suspect."

There was no widespread fraud in the election, as has been confirmed by a range of election officials across the country and by former Attorney General William Barr. Nearly all the legal challenges to the election put forth by Trump and his allies were dismissed — a fact Democrats mention in their brief for the trial.

House Democrats say the First Amendment is meant to protect private citizens from the government, not to allow government officials to abuse their power. And while a private citizen may have a right to advocate for totalitarianism or the overthrow of the government, "no one would seriously suggest" that a president who adopted those same positions should be immune from impeachment, the Democrats say.

Trump's conduct not only "endangered the life of every single Member of Congress," the Democrats wrote, but also "jeopardized the peaceful transition of power and line of succession." Those in the line of succession for the presidency — then-Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley — were all forced to flee for safety.

WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE HAS LEFT OFFICE?

The sides are at odds over whether a trial is permissible now that Trump has left office — and that issue could be key.

Trump's lawyers say the case is moot since he is no longer in the White House and the Senate therefore doesn't have jurisdiction to try him in an impeachment case. Many Senate Republicans agree, and 45 of them voted on that basis to end the trial before it began.

It is true that no president has faced impeachment proceedings after leaving office, but House managers say there's ample precedent. They cite the case of former Secretary of War William Belknap, who resigned in 1876 just hours before he was impeached over a kickback scheme. The House impeached him anyway, and the Senate then tried him, though he was ultimately acquitted. Democrats also note that Trump was impeached by the House while he was still president.

The framers of the Constitution intended for the impeachment power to sanction current or former officials for acts committed while in office — with no "January exception," Democrats wrote. Not only that, they point out that the Constitution explicitly allows the Senate to disqualify an official from holding public office again. Conviction could bar Trump from running for the White House again in 2024.

THE IMPEACHMENT RESOLUTION

The impeachment resolution from Democratic Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York draws from Trump's own false statements claiming fraud in his loss to Joe Biden.

It also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to "find" him more votes, as well as his White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters to "fight like hell" and march to the building.

The mob overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalizing Biden's victory over Trump in the Electoral College.

The resolution passed the House by a vote of 232 to 197 on Jan. 13, with 10 Republicans voting with all Democrats in favor.

MORE (Source): https://www.apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent

Novelization of DC Comics "Countdown 52" Series by Greg Cox

Today's blog is about a novelization I just read, based on a large series of comics.   In 2011,
DC Comics ran a weekly series for 1 year called, appropriately, Countdown 52.

MY TAKE ON THE STORY:   Although I bought the comics in 2011 and read them at the time, I thought they were okay. The series focused on 5 main characters that have always been "second rate" characters. The most recognizable to everyone is Jimmy Olsen (everyone knows Superman's pal). The other three were a lot more obscure. Regardless, I was excited to find a novelization of the series, so I bought it. It only reminded me why I sold that batch of 52 comics. 

 Two of the other characters were killed off in previous DC Comics storylines and found themselves alive with the Multiverse rebooted: 1) Wonder Girl (Donna Troy) and 2) The 2nd of Batman's Robins - Jason Todd. After he was resurrected he became the violent hero known as the "Red Hood."  The fourth character was a woman who filled in for Selina Kyle when she wasn't being Catwoman for a time. Again, not well known characters... The fifth character was Mary Marvel, Shazam's sister- who winds up going bad and angry with bad energy. 

BOTTOM LINE - The story dragged. It was hard to get interested in these characters. The only saving grace of the story was the search for the superhero known as the Atom (That part of the comics I kept and still have). But, I would skip it... unless you like these characters. - Rob 

  BOOK SUMMARY: Five unlikely superheroes must defend Earth against the machinations of Darkseid and the New Gods of Apokolips.

An Amazon Book Review I Like: Pets and the Afterlife 3

 My newest book "Pets and the Afterlife 3" (by Rob Gutro) has already received some reviews, and I'm grateful that people are finding it helpful and comforting. Here's one of the reviews on Amazon. 

To order the book visit: tinyurl.com/5acr6deg

Check Your Cupboards! A Stolen 500 year old Painting was Found in a Naples Cupboard

(Photo: Recovered painting with Italian Police back in the Doma Museum. Credit  BBC News) 

The COVID19 Pandemic has closed museums and some churches around the world, and apparently someone was "working in" or "visiting" the Doma collection in the San Domenico Maggiore church, when it was closed. Then they walked off with a 500 year old painting and hid it in their apartment's cupboard (before they could sell it). Somehow the Polizia (Police) in Italy found out about it, broke in, found it, and arrested the thief. 

Here's a summary of the story I put together from news stories (BBC News and others) 

A painting of Salvator Mundi was found in a bedroom cupboard in Naples on Saturday, January 17, 2021.  The 36-year-old owner of the apartment (known as a flat in Italy) was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods. "The painting was found on Saturday thanks to a brilliant and diligent police operation," Naples prosecutor Giovanni Melillo told the AFP news agency. The artwork is usually part of the Doma Museum collection at the San Domenico Maggiore church in Naples. 

 Officials were not aware it had been stolen because "the room where the painting is kept has not been open for three months" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It is not known who actually painted it, but some experts believe Leonardo DiVinci's student Giacomo Alibrandi may have done so in the early 1500s. It's a painting of Christ with one hand raised, with the other holding a glass sphere (and no one knows what that's supposed to symbolize, either). I will say that when I first looked at it, it looked like a woman, because of the low-cut clothing... 

Photo: San Domenico Maggiore church. Credit: www.visitnaples.eu)  

 

I checked the internet and found out that the last time it sold was 2017, and the buyer apparently donated it to the Doma Museum. When it was sold in 2017, the painting became the most expensive ever sold when it was auctioned for a record $450m (£341m) in 2017.

ORIGINAL STORY:  

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55719685