ROMANCE: People tend to choose a spouse with similar DNA

Source: short-sharp-shock.blogspot.com

I find this result fascinating.  People tend to choose partners with similar DNA?  How do we do this?  Is it smell?  Appearance?  Some psychic connection?

Scientists already knew that people tend to marry others who have similar characteristics, including religion, age, race, income, body type and education, among others. Scientists now show that people also are more likely to pick mates who have similar DNA.  As the researchers state, "Individuals are more genetically similar to their spouses than they are to randomly selected individuals from the same population."

Thinks about this: if you've had a bad relationship that left you scarred, and that person was genetically similar to you, what does that tell you about yourself?  Do you also have the traits that led to the situation?  There is much to consider in this finding, something writers might consider in their personal lives and their fiction.

In the new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists show that people also are more likely to pick mates who have similar DNA. While characteristics such as race, body type and even education have genetic components, this is the first study to look at similarities across the entire genome.

Suggested reading
click on image

"It's well known that people marry folks who are like them," said Benjamin Domingue, lead author of the paper and a research associate at CU-Boulder's Institute of Behavioral Science. "But there's been a question about whether we mate at random with respect to genetics."

For the study, Domingue and his colleagues, including CU-Boulder Associate Professor Jason Boardman, used genomic data collected by the Health and Retirement Study, which is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging.

The researchers examined the genomes of 825 non-Hispanic white American couples. They looked specifically at single-nucleotide polymorphisms, which are places in their DNA that are known to commonly differ among humans.

The researchers found that there were fewer differences in the DNA between married people than between two randomly selected individuals. In all, the researchers estimated genetic similarity between individuals using 1.7 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms in each person's genome.

The researchers compared the magnitude of the genetic similarity between married people to the magnitude of the better-studied phenomenon of people with similar educations marrying, known as educational assortative mating. They found that the preference for a genetically similar spouse, known as genetic assortative mating, is about a third of the strength of educational assortative mating.

The findings could have implications for statistical models now used by scientists to understand genetic differences between human populations because such models often assume random mating.

The study also forms a foundation for future research that could explore whether similar results are found between married people of other races, whether people also choose genetically similar friends, and whether there are instances when people prefer mates whose DNA is actually more different rather than more similar.

*  *  *  *  *

Story Source: Materials provided by University of Colorado at Boulder. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Benjamin W. Domingue, Jason Fletcher, Dalton Conley, and Jason D. Boardman. Genetic and educational assortative mating among US adults. PNAS, May 19, 2014

CRIME: fMRI Brain scans: Far better than the polygraph

From the trailer for the movie, "Meet the Parents",
starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. 

fMRI brain scans are 99 percent accurate in identifying 

when a person is lying in response to questions.

If conventional lie detector machines, polygraphs, have been endlessly debunked and shown not to provide admissible nor even valid evidence, then the 21st Century tool of choice for reading the minds of witnesses and suspected criminals may be the brain scanner. More specifically, the kind of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that can seemingly probe our inner selves and reveal the flow of blood in the different regions of the brain that light up when we lie.

Suggested reading
click on image

In England and Wales, there have been legal experiments undertaken at the pre-charge stage using both conventional polygraphs with suspected criminals of low risk who have volunteered to be assessed using these technologies. The benefits for the police being that they might accelerate the charging process or more quickly dismiss a suspect for which evidence is scant and the questioning during an fMRI brain scan does not point to guilt. Research suggests that fMRI is 99 percent accurate in identifying when a person is lying in responding to questions.

Researchers point out that the use of fMRI in a legal context "is potentially groundbreaking," they note that it might be possible for witness testimony to be validated by fMRI. It could even be used to detect juror bias in a trial.

"The assistance to the defense that could be provided by neuroscientific evidence could further balance the equality of arms in an adversarial justice system," the team suggests. "There [now] needs to be consideration of how the results of neuroscientific analysis will be presented to the jury.

Science is moving at a great speed and these techniques are likely to become more refined and advanced in the future. As such, due regard must be paid to both the due process rights of defendants and the impact of this evidence on the adversarial notion of our criminal justice system.

"Indeed, for the sake of our adversarial criminal justice system, it is important for the law to keep up," the team concludes.

*  *  *  *  *

Story Source: Materials provided by Inderscience. Edward Johnston, Daniel Jasinski. Neuroscientific evidence: a criminal justice dream, or an adversarial nightmare? International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry, 2013

Favored by God in warfare? How WWI sowed seeds for future international conflicts

World War I -- the “war to end all wars” -- in fact sowed seeds for future international conflicts in a way that has been largely overlooked: through religion, says a historian and author. Widespread belief in the supernatural was a driving force during the war and helped mold all three of the major religions -- Christianity, Judaism and Islam -- paving the way for modern views of religion and violence, he said.

World War I -- the "war to end all wars" -- in fact sowed seeds for future international conflicts in a way that has been largely overlooked: through religion, says a Baylor University historian and author.

As the 100th anniversary of the war's beginning approaches, Philip Jenkins, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor, says that attitudes prevalent then have influenced how global powers see each other today, often viewing themselves as favored by God.

Recommended reading
click on image

During World War I, which began on July 28, 1914, Germany saw itself as a religious force on a "messianic mission," while Russia saw itself not just as "a" Christian state, but as "the" Christian state, Jenkins said in a recent interview with Interfaith Voices, a public radio religion news magazine. Jenkins is the author of "The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade."

Those seeing the war as a religious crusade were "not just elite thinkers or a few crazy bishops and pastors . . . Religion dominated propaganda messages and the way people thought about the war, wrote about the war, made films about the war," Jenkins said. "Religion was part of the air they breathed . . . The enemy was an evil satanic foe."

He noted that angels and the Virgin Mary were reported as appearing regularly on battlefields, and the apocalypse was on the minds of many during the war, in which more than 9 million soldiers were killed.

"If you don't see this, and if you don't treat it seriously the way people of the time did, you're not going to get a sense of what people really were fighting about" and why they stayed in a "long, horrendous war" that initially was expected to last only a few months, Jenkins said in the interview.
Widespread belief in the supernatural was a driving force during the war and helped mold all three of the major religions -- Christianity, Judaism and Islam -- paving the way for modern views of religion and violence, he said.

"Jihads and holy wars broke out after the war across the world, and most of that movement came out of World War I," Jenkins said.

The notion of being part of a holy war "cast a very long shadow" into the 1920s, the 1930s and even into the 1940s, when popular secular movements such Nazism, fascism and communism used similar rhetoric, he said.

But if Germany saw itself as fighting a holy war in World War I, they had to ask themselves why they lost, Jenkins said.

"Their answer was that the devil's agents were among them. That goes a long way to explaining the vicious and homicidal anti-Semitism."

Jenkins is co-director of the Program on Historical Studies of Religion in Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion. He also is the author of "Laying Down the Sword" and "Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years."

*  *  *  *  *

Story Source: Materials provided by Baylor University."Favored by God in warfare? How WWI sowed seeds for future international conflicts." ScienceDaily.

Were our ancestors stoners? Could be. Or not.

Unlike most modern humans, the prehistoric people of Europe did not use mind-altering substances simply for their hedonistic pleasure. At least, that is the theory of Elisa Guerra-Doce of the Universidad de Valladolid in Spain based on her research.

The use of alcohol and plant drugs -- such as opium poppies and hallucinogenic mushrooms -- was highly regulated and went hand-in-hand with the belief system and sacred burial rituals of many preindustrial societies.

Guerra-Doce contends that their use was an integral part of prehistoric beliefs, and that these substances were believed to aid in communication with the spiritual world. Guerra-Doce's research appears in Springer's Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory.

Despite the fact that the consumption of these substances is as ancient as human society itself, it is only fairly recently that researchers have started to look into the historical and cultural contexts in which mind-altering products were used in Europe.

Guerra-Doce systematically documented the cultural significance of consuming inebriating substances in these cultures.  In the research, four different types of archaeological documents were examined:

• the macrofossil remains of the leaves, fruits or seeds of psychoactive plants; 
• residues suggestive of alcoholic beverages; 
• psychoactive alkaloids found in archaeological artifacts and skeletal remains from prehistoric times; and 
• artistic depictions of mood-altering plant species and drinking scenes.

These remnants include bits of the opium poppy in the teeth of a male adult in a Neolithic site in Spain, charred Cannabis seeds in bowls found in Romania, traces of barley beer on several ceramic vessels recovered in Iberia, and abstract designs in the Italian Alps that depict the ritual use of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Because Guerra-Doce mainly found traces of sensory-altering products in tombs and ceremonial places, she believes such substances are strongly linked to ritual usage. They were consumed in order to alter the usual state of consciousness, or even to achieve a trance state.

The details of the rituals are still unclear, but the hypothesis is that the substances were either used in the course of mortuary rites, to provide sustenance for the deceased in their journey into the afterlife, or as a kind of tribute to the underworld deities.

She adds that the right to use such substances may have been highly regulated given that they were a means to connect with the spirit world, and therefore played a sacred role among prehistoric European societies.

"Far from being consumed for hedonistic purposes, drug plants and alcoholic drinks had a sacred role among prehistoric societies," says Guerra-Doce. "It is not surprising that most of the evidence derives from both elite burials and restricted ceremonial sites, suggesting the possibility that the consumption of mind-altering products was socially controlled in prehistoric Europe."

*  *  *  *  *

Story Source: Elisa Guerra-Doce. The Origins of Inebriation: Archaeological Evidence of the Consumption of Fermented Beverages and Drugs in Prehistoric Eurasia. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 2014

The World’s Most Connected Man

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. wearable [WAIR-uh-buh l] (adj.) – referring to something that is suitable to wear

Example: Google glass is one of the latest wearable devices.

2. real-time [REE-uh l tahym] (n.) – the actual time during which an activity occurs

Example: The news program broadcasts updates on the search and rescue operation for the missing plane in real-time.

3. plethora [PLETH-er-uh] (n.) – overabundance of something

Example: A plethora of reviews have been written about the latest gadget.

4. numerous [NOO-mer-uh s, NYOO-] (adj.) – having great quantity or number

Example: Numerous models of the new phone are now available in the market.

5. start-up [STAHRT-uhp] (adj.) – describes something that has just begun or started

Example: The start-up company will celebrate its second anniversary.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A 45-year-old man from Denver uses various forms of wearable gadgets and applications to monitor his own body and everything he does. Labeled as “the most connected human” in the world, Chris Dancy utilizes 700 systems simultaneously. To gather information about himself and his surroundings in real-time, he uses a range of sensors and monitoring devices connected to his own body. For him, body and mind can be hacked the same way people hack computers and any type of data. He said that whenever he touches something, he makes sure that he can acquire information from it – information which he can track, search, visualize, and share with others. To help him track all information he needs, Dancy wears a plethora of gadgets including Pebble smartwatch, a Google Glass, a BodyMedia arm band, and a Blue heart rate monitor. He also makes use of numerous devices in his house to collect data about his sleep. Furthermore, Dancy also collects information about his dogs by using Tagg, an application that helps people monitor their pets’ activities. Dancy’s connected lifestyle has helped him know himself better than anyone else. He became more aware of simple activities in his life such as eating, drinking, sleeping, and waking up. This habitual monitoring has even allowed him to lose 100 pounds (45kg). Both major and start-up companies all over the world have also begun to seek Dancy’s help in developing smarter products. He gives advice and spends time creating good solutions for businesses.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         Would you be willing to follow Dancy’s way of monitoring his body and the environment? Why or why not?

         Do you agree that mind and body can be hacked the same way people hack computers? Why or why not?

Discussion B

         How important is information in this day and age? Explain.

         Why do we need to be aware about our own selves?

この記事が気に入りましたか？

Anti-Social App Lets You Avoid People

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. antithesis [an-TITH-uh-seez] (n.) – the equal but complete opposite of something

Example: Insecurity is the antithesis of self-confidence.

2. run into [ruhn IN-too] (idiom) – to briefly meet someone accidentally or unexpectedly

Example: He was a little uncomfortable when he ran into his boss in the bar.

3. geolocation [jee-uh-loh-KEY-shuh n] (n.) – the way of locating a person or a device through information provided on the Internet

Example: The app’s geolocation identifies where the user’s friends are. 

4. vicinity [vi-SIN-i-tee] (n.) – the area that surrounds a particular place

Example: He just drove away when he couldn’t find a parking space in the vicinity.

5. operating system [OP-uh-rey-ting SIS-tuh m] (n.) – the program controls the computer and its functions

Example: The computer was completely useless because its operating system was malfunctioning.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A new app designed to help users avoid unwanted encounters with other people has been recently released in the Apple App Store. Created by programmers Brian Moore [BRAHY-uh n mohr] and Chris Baker [kris BEY-ker], ‘Cloak’ can be considered as the antithesis of social networking sites. The main function of this app is to keep users from running into people. Cloak is the latest among Baker’s anti-social applications. He is well-known for developing software that helps users avoid people in a fun way, such as the plugin ‘Rather.’ With Cloak, users will have the chance to completely avoid people they do not want to see in real life. The app uses geolocation that allows the user to see if any of the people they want to avoid are within the user’s vicinity. It also displays the photos of the user’s friends on a map. Those who the user does not want to bump into will be flagged. However, the app only works if the people the user wants to avoid are dedicated users of certain social networking sites, particularly those that trace the users’ geolocation. This is because Cloak uses this information to constantly keep track of each person’s location. According to Baker, anti-social applications are necessary because they let users avoid people who they do not want to meet. The need for anti-social apps also increases as the social media becomes more crowded. Cloak is currently available only to Apple devices. However, the creators plan to expand it to other operating systems if the app proves to be successful. They are also planning to add more features to the app in the future.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         Would you use the Cloak app? Why or why not?

         What do you think are disadvantages of using anti-social applications?

Discussion B

         What are the good ways and bad ways in which social networking sites have changed the way people treat their friends?

         Why do you think some people are obsessed with making lots of online friends they don’t know in real life?

この記事が気に入りましたか？

Universal Studios to Build a Theme Park in Beijing

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. establish [ih-STAB-lish] (v.) – to build or set up something

Example: A new amusement park was established near the city.

2. demolition [dem-uh-LISH-uhn, dee-muh-] (n.) – the act of destructing or demolishing something

Example: The government announced the demolition of the buildings.

3. advertisement [ad-ver-TAHYZ-muhnt, ad-VUR-tis-muhnt, -tiz-] (n.) – a paid public announcement

Example: I saw my favorite actor’s clothing advertisement yesterday.

4. expand [ik-SPAND] (v.) – to increase or spread the scope

Example: The company expanded its services to all parts of Asia.

5. feature [FEE-cher] (v.) – to include or to be composed of something

Example: The roller coaster features a 5400-feet track that goes around the whole theme park.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Universal Studios plans to build its third Hollywood movie-themed park in Asia. In partnership with Beijing Tourism Group, Universal Studios is set to establish another theme park in Beijing. This new Hollywood movie-inspired theme park will be located in the south of Tongzou [TAWNG-JOH] District, covering over 51 acres of land. The facility will be made available to public by 2018. This project is backed by the country’s National Development and Reform Commission, which has filed an application to start the project. According to reports, demolition of buildings has already started in Tongzou in preparation for the theme park’s construction by the last quarter of the year. Universal Studios will be the one responsible for the branding, intellectual property, technology, and management of the theme park. According to reports, the company also posted advertisements to hire Mandarin-speaking Chinese staff. The Beijing Tourism Group, on the other hand, will provide the land to establish the theme park. This local tourism group will also invest an unspecified amount to start the project. According to the news, Beijing’s local government would like to create a monorail that will connect the theme park to China’s capital city. Aside from Universal Studios, Disney also plans to expand in China. The Walt Disney Company will be opening a $4.4-billion resort in Shanghai. News reports say the resort will feature a theme park, two hotels, and transportation hubs. This will be the first Disney Resort in mainland China and second only to Hong Kong Disneyland.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         Would you go to Universal Studios Beijing? Why or why not?

         What do you think would be the impact of this new theme park to China?

Discussion B

         Why do you think many companies expand their businesses abroad?

         What are the positive effects of globalization?

この記事が気に入りましたか？