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Biography
George Albert Smith
George Albert Smith (Film pioneer, 4 January 1864 – 17 May 1959) was an English stage hypnotist, psychic, magic lantern lecturer, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, inventor and a key member of the loose association of early film pioneers dubbed the Brighton School by French film historian Georges Sadoul. He is best known for his controversial work with Edmund Gurney at the Society for
  • 2.0K
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Hadrosaurid
Hadrosaurids (Greek: ἁδρός, hadrós, "stout, thick"), or duck-billed dinosaurs, are members of the ornithischian family Hadrosauridae. This group is known as the duck-billed dinosaurs for the flat duck-bill appearance of the bones in their snouts. The family, which includes ornithopods such as Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus, was a common herbivore in the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now Asia, Europe, Antarctica, South America, and North America. Hadrosaurids are descendants of the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous iguanodontian dinosaurs and had a similar body layout. Like the rest of the ornithischians, these animals had a predentary bone and a pubic bone which was positioned backwards in the pelvis. Hadrosaurids are divided into two principal subfamilies: the lambeosaurines (Lambeosaurinae), which had hollow cranial crests or tubes, and the saurolophines, identified as hadrosaurines in most pre-2010 works (Saurolophinae or Hadrosaurinae), which lacked hollow cranial crests (solid crests were present in some forms). Saurolophines tended to be bulkier than lambeosaurines. Lambeosaurines included the aralosaurins, tsintaosaurins, lambeosaurins and parasaurolophins, while saurolophines included the brachylophosaurins, kritosaurins, saurolophins and edmontosaurins. Hadrosaurids were facultative bipeds, with the young of some species walking mostly on two legs and the adults walking mostly on four. Their jaws were evolved for grinding plants, with multiple rows of teeth replacing each other as the teeth wore down.
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  • 14 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Ficksburg
Ficksburg is a town situated at the foot of the 1,750 meter high Imperani Mountain in Free State province, South Africa . The town was founded by General Johan Fick in 1867 who won the territory in the Basotho Wars. He laid out many erven and plots that could be bought at a reasonable price. The town was later proclaimed a municipality in 1891. The last Governor-General of the Union of South Africa and the first State President of South Africa, Charles Robberts Swart was imprisoned here by the United Kingdom in 1914 and released one day before his scheduled execution.
  • 2.0K
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Structuralism
Biological or process structuralism is a school of biological thought that objects to an exclusively Darwinian or adaptationist explanation of natural selection such as is described in the 20th century's modern synthesis. It proposes instead that evolution is guided differently, basically by more or less physical forces which shape the development of an animal's body, and sometimes implies that these forces supersede selection altogether. Structuralists have proposed different mechanisms that might have guided the formation of body plans. Before Darwin, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire argued that animals shared homologous parts, and that if one was enlarged, the others would be reduced in compensation. After Darwin, D'Arcy Thompson hinted at vitalism and offered geometric explanations in his classic 1917 book On Growth and Form. Adolf Seilacher suggested mechanical inflation for "pneu" structures in Ediacaran biota fossils such as Dickinsonia. Günter P. Wagner argued for developmental bias, structural constraints on embryonic development. Stuart Kauffman favoured self-organisation, the idea that complex structure emerges holistically and spontaneously from the dynamic interaction of all parts of an organism. Michael Denton argued for laws of form by which Platonic universals or "Types" are self-organised. Stephen J. Gould and Richard Lewontin proposed biological "spandrels", features created as a byproduct of the adaptation of nearby structures. Gerd B. Müller and Stuart A. Newman argued that the appearance in the fossil record of most of the current phyla in the Cambrian explosion was "pre-Mendelian"[lower-alpha 1] evolution caused by physical factors. Brian Goodwin, described by Wagner as part of "a fringe movement in evolutionary biology", denies that biological complexity can be reduced to natural selection, and argues that pattern formation is driven by morphogenetic fields. Darwinian biologists have criticised structuralism, emphasising that there is plentiful evidence both that natural selection is effective and, from deep homology, that genes have been involved in shaping organisms throughout evolutionary history. They accept that some structures such as the cell membrane self-assemble, but deny the ability of self-organisation to drive large-scale evolution.
  • 2.0K
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Reuse of Excreta
Reuse of excreta refers to the safe, beneficial use of animal or human excreta, i.e. feces and urine. Such beneficial use involves mainly the nutrient, organic matter and energy contained in human excreta, rather than the water content (as is the case for wastewater reuse). Reuse of human excreta can involve using it as a soil conditioner or fertilizer in agriculture, gardening, aquaculture, or horticultural activities. Excreta can also be used as a fuel source or as a building material. Human excreta contains resources that can be recovered: plant-available nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium as well as micronutrients such as sulphur and organic matter. These resources which are contained in human excreta or in domestic wastewater (sewage) have traditionally been used in agriculture in many countries. They are still being used in agriculture to this day, but the practice is often carried out in an unregulated and unsafe manner in developing countries. The WHO Guidelines from 2006 have set up a framework how this reuse can be done safely by following a "multiple barrier approach". There are several "excreta-derived fertilizers" which vary in their properties and fertilizing characteristics: urine, dried feces, composted feces, faecal sludge (septage), sewage, sewage sludge, and animal manure. However, reuse of animal and human excreta can cause health risk and environmental problems because of pathogen, pharmaceutical residues and nitrate pollution. Reuse of human excreta is the final step of the sanitation chain which starts with collection of human excreta (by use of toilets) and continues with transport and treatment all the way to either disposal or reuse.
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  • 18 Oct 2022
Biography
Ewan Birney
John Frederick William Birney (known as Ewan) (born 6 December 1972)[1][2][3][4] CBE FRS FMedSci[5][6] is joint director with Rolf Apweiler of the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI),[7][8][9] part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire. He also serves as non-executive director of Genomics England, chair of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (
  • 2.0K
  • 08 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Thalattosaur
Thalattosauria (meaning "ocean lizards") is an extinct order of prehistoric marine reptiles that lived in the middle to late Triassic period. Thalattosaurs were diverse in size and shape, and are divided into two superfamilies: Askeptosauroidea and Thalattosauroidea. Askeptosauroids were endemic to the Tethys Ocean, their fossils have been found in Europe and China, and they were likely semiaquatic fish eaters with straight snouts and decent terrestrial abilities. Thalattosauroids were more specialized for aquatic life and most had unusual downturned snouts and crushing dentition. Thalattosauroids lived along the coasts of both Panthalassa and the Tethys Ocean, and were most diverse in China and western North America. The largest species of thalattosaurs grew to over 4 meters (13 feet) in length, including a long, flattened tail utilized in underwater propulsion. Although thalattosaurs bore a superficial resemblance to lizards, their exact relationships are unresolved. They are widely accepted as diapsids, but experts have variously placed them on the reptile family tree among Lepidosauromorpha (lizards and their relatives), Archosauromorpha (archosaurs and their relatives), ichthyosaurs, and/or other marine reptiles.
  • 2.0K
  • 25 Nov 2022
Biography
Leslie Coleman
Leslie Charles Coleman (16 June 1878 – 14 September 1954) was a Canadian entomologist, plant pathologist and virologist who worked as the first director of agriculture in Mysore State in southern India. He conducted pioneering research on the pests and diseases affecting agriculture in the region and was instrumental in establishing several agricultural research institutions including the Univ
  • 2.0K
  • 09 Dec 2022
Biography
Jonathan Downes
Jonathan Downes (born 1959) is a naturalist, cryptozoologist, author, editor, film-maker, poet, novelist, activist, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology. His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T. Downes (1925–2006), wrote several books on a wide range of subje
  • 2.0K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Cristatusaurus
Cristatusaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now Niger, 112 million years ago. It was a baryonychine member of the Spinosauridae, a group of large bipedal carnivores with well-built forelimbs and elongated, crocodile-like skulls. The type species Cristatusaurus lapparenti was named in 1998 by scientists Philippe Taquet and Dale Russell, on the basis of jaw bones and some vertebrae. Two claw fossils were also later assigned to Cristatusaurus. The animal's generic name, which means "crested reptile", alludes to a sagittal crest on top of its snout; while the specific name is in honor of the French paleontologist Albert-Félix de Lapparent. Cristatusaurus is known from the Albian to Aptian Erlhaz Formation, where it would have coexisted with sauropod and iguanodontian dinosaurs, other theropods, and various crocodylomorphs. Originally proposed to be an indeterminate species of Baryonyx, the identity of Cristatusaurus has been subject to debate, in part due to the fragmentary nature of its fossils. Some argue that it is probably the same dinosaur as Suchomimus, which has also been found in Niger, in the same sediment layers. In that case the genus Cristatusaurus would have priority, since it was named two months earlier. Others have concluded, however, that Cristatusaurus is a nomen dubium, considering it indistinguishable from both Suchomimus and Baryonyx. Some distinctions between the fossils of Cristatusaurus and Suchomimus have been pointed out, but it is uncertain whether these differences separate the two genera or if they are due to ontogeny (changes in an organism during growth).
  • 2.0K
  • 29 Sep 2022
Biography
Amir Taheri
Amir Taheri (born 9 June 1942 in Ahvaz) is an Iranian-born conservative[1] author based in Europe. His writings focus on the Middle East affairs and topics related to islamic terrorism. He has been the subject of many controversies involving fabrications in his writings, most notable of which was the 2006 Iranian sumptuary law controversy. He is the current Chairman of Gatestone Institute in Eur
  • 2.0K
  • 08 Dec 2022
Biography
Olavo de Carvalho
Olavo Luiz Pimentel de Carvalho (born 29 April 1947)[1] is a Brazil ian journalist and essayist. His interests include historical philosophy, the history of revolutionary movements, the traditionalist school[2] and comparative religion.[3][4] He is known for his conservative and right-wing political stance, and for being a critic of the political Left.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] He is an advocat
  • 2.0K
  • 21 Nov 2022
Biography
Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano
Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano (born 11 May 1955) is an Italian quantum physicist. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Pavia, where he is the leader of the QUIT (Quantum Information Theory) group.[1][2] He is a member of the Center of Photonic Communication and Computing at Northwestern University;[3] a member of the Istituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere; and a mem
  • 1.9K
  • 16 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Atriplex Portulacoides as Functional Food
The halophyte Atriplex portulacoides (syn. Halimione portulacoides) occurs in habitats that are exposed to seawater inundations, and shows biochemical adaptations to saline and oxidative stresses. Its composition includes long chain lipids, sterols, phenolic compounds, glutathione, carotenoids,and micronutrients such as Fe, Zn, Co and Cu. The productivity of A. portulacoides in natural environments, and its adaptability to non-saline soils, make it a potential crop of high economic interest. This plant is suitable to be exploited as a functional food that is potentially able to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory processes in humans and animals. This plant offers a valuable example of valorisation of the biodiversity for promoting the sustainability and diversification in agriculture.
  • 1.9K
  • 26 Nov 2020
Biography
Maria Goeppert-Mayer
Maria Goeppert Mayer (June 28, 1906 – February 20, 1972) was a German-born American theoretical physicist, and Nobel laureate in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus. She was the second woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics, the first being Marie Curie. A graduate of the University of Göttingen, Goeppert Mayer wrote her doctoral thesis on the theory of possible
  • 1.9K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Biography
Arthur Gordon Webster
Arthur Gordon Webster (November 28, 1863 – May 15, 1923), physicist, was a founder and president of the American Physical Society. Arthur Gordon Webster was born on 28 November 1863 at Brookline, Massachusetts to William Edward Webster and Mary Shannon Davis. On 8 October 1889 he married Elizabeth Munroe Townsend, daughter of Captain Robert Townsend and Harriett Munro of Albany, New York.[1
  • 1.9K
  • 27 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Postbiotics
Postbiotics include any substance released by or produced through the metabolic activity of the microorganism, which exerts a beneficial effect on the host, directly or indirectly. As postbiotics do not contain live microorganisms, the risks associated with their intake are minimized. Postbiotics play a vital role in the maturation of the immune system, affect barrier tightness and the intestinal ecosystem, and indirectly shape the structure of the microbiota. Postbiotics display pleiotropic effects, including their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties. As such, postbiotics may be useful in treating or preventing many disease entities, including those for which effective causal therapy has not yet been found.
  • 1.9K
  • 05 Nov 2020
Biography
Fernando Holiday
Fernando Silva Bispo, better known as Fernando Holiday (September 22, 1996) is a Brazilian politician affiliated with Democratas (DEM) and councilor of the city of São Paulo.[1] He was elected with 48,055 votes in the 2016 elections,[2] and became the first openly gay councilor.[3] He is the national coordinator of the Free Brazil Movement (MBL) and a law student.[4][5] Holiday became known fo
  • 1.9K
  • 07 Dec 2022
Topic Review
SLIDE and Apocrine Sweat Sampling
We designed a concept of 3D-printed attachment with porous glass filter disks—SLIDE (Sweat sampLIng DevicE) for easy sampling of apocrine sweat. By applying advanced mass spectrometry coupled with the liquid chromatography technique, the complex lipid profiles were measured to evaluate the reproducibility and robustness of this novel approach. Moreover, our in-depth statistical evaluation of the data provided an insight into the potential use of apocrine sweat as a novel and diagnostically relevant biofluid for clinical analyses. Data transformation using probabilistic quotient normalization (PQN) significantly improved the analytical characteristics and overcame the ‘sample dilution issue’ of the sampling. The lipidomic content of apocrine sweat from healthy subjects was described in terms of identification and quantitation.
  • 1.9K
  • 11 Aug 2021
Biography
Ash Carter
Ashton Baldwin Carter (born September 24, 1954) is an American politician, physicist and former Harvard University professor of Science and International Affairs who served as the 25th United States Secretary of Defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He was nominated by President Barack Obama in December 2014 and confirmed in February 2015 by the Senate to replace Chuck Hagel as Secretary o
  • 1.9K
  • 28 Nov 2022
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