U.S. Moves Along North Afghan Border

Uzbekistan, get used to hearing about it, as the U.S. continues its buildup to respond in force to the 9-11-01 attack on America.

The 10th Mountain Division will move into the border area just north of Afghanistan as soon as an agreement is reached.

To set up the agreement, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield will be in Tashkent, Uzbekistan tomorrow. However, even before final agreements are settled, reports are that a large U.S. buildup is already underway in Uzbekistan.

Source:

• Daily Telegraph

Mosques Scouted for Attacks on U.S. in Europe

British mosques were scouted by a captured terrorist, Djamel Beghal, in a search for militants needed for an effort to blow up the U.S. embassy in Paris.

At least seven people have been arrested in regard to the Paris plot, purportedly backed by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Source:

• Sydney Morning Herald [link inactive]

Human Cave Paintings Now Dated as ~30,000 Years Old

Pictures of horses in a cave in Chauvenet, France, have been dated as being between 29,700 and 32,400 years old.

When compared to similar art in the Lascaux caves, dated as 17,000 years old, little variation is seen.

Quote from the article:

The prehistoric cave art found in France and Spain shows ancient man to be a remarkable artist. When Pablo Picasso visited the newly-discovered Lascaux caves, in the Dordogne, in 1940, he emerged from them saying of modern art, "We have discovered nothing".

Source:

• BBC

Scientists have discovered the first gene involved in the development of speech and language.

The discovery of the gene could provide an understanding of how speech, a unique human characteristic, developed by comparing the DNA in humans to the same stretch of DNA in chimpanzees.

The gene, FOXP2, was discovered by studying three generations of a family affected by a rare language impediment.

Sources:

• BBC
• CNN [link inactive]

Bubonic Plague Gene Decoded

The bubonic plague, killer of over 200 million in the 14th century, still poses a threat to modern humans, but now, thanks to scientific exploration, the complete genetic structure of the bacterium responsible has been unveiled.

The bacterium evolved by gaining and losing bits of DNA around 1,500 years ago.

The breakthrough will help ensure that the black plague does not reemerge naturally, and that one of the potential weapons of bio-terrorism can be conquered.

Sources:

• BBC
• ABC News / Reuters [link inactive]
• CNN [link inactive]

Reference:

• CNN - Bubonic Plague Details

New Birth Control Device

New birth control device?

NuvaRing, inserted once per month, removed after 21 days (just before the start of the menstrual cycle), releasing estrogen and progestin in lower doses than that delivered via the pill.

NuvaRing should be about the same price as name-brand birth control pills, which sell for about $30 a month.

Sources:

• ABC News [link inactive]
• CNN [link inactive]