17 Dec 2008
The Real Great Depression

For those who don't think we're in serious trouble, I offer this historical review - and it's not about 1929.

As a historian who works on the 19th century, I have been reading my newspaper with a considerable sense of dread.

(link) [Chronicle of Higher Education]

22:33 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

Earth's original ancestor was LUCA, not Adam nor Eve

Fascinating stuff ...

An evolutionary geneticist from the University of Montreal, together with researchers from the French cities of Lyon and Montpellier, have published a ground-breaking study that characterizes the common ancestor of all life on earth, LUCA (last universal common ancestor). Their findings, presented in a recent issue of Nature, show that the 3.8-billion-year-old organism was not the creature usually imagined.

(link) [EurekAlert!]

21:43 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

Obama to tap ex-Iowa governor for Cabinet

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...

President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday will announce former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as his choice for agriculture secretary and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as his choice for secretary of the interior, sources tell CNN.

(link) [CNN.com]

21:41 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link