Notes where Samuel Ward translated the King James Bible (Image courtesy of Maria Anna Rogers)
Earliest King James Bible draft discovered in university in England.
The first known draft of one of the world’s most famous bible, the King James Bible, was recently discovered by Jeffrey Alan Miller, an American scholar conduct, at the University of Cambridge. This was a crucial discovery for historians, as it revealed the process of how the bible was written and assembled. The King James Bible was produced by forty-seven translators and scholars, and was published in 1611. It was first started in 1604 by King James I who wanted to strengthen political power with a new version of the bible. For more than 400 years, it influenced modern literature and culture in many ways.
Source and more information can be found here.
Jurors deciding if Boston bomber will be sentenced to death.
Guideline questions to help jurors decide on their position for an appropriate sentence (Image courtesy of BBC news)
The death sentence is something that must be decided by careful thought and consideration to multiple sides of the story. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was 19 years old at the time, placed bombs at the Boston Marathon in 2013, which killed and injured many people of different ages. Now, jurors have to decide on an appropriate sentence, aided by moral and legal guidelines put together by officials. After considering many factors, including family background and motivation, they will decide whether or not to impose the death penalty or to sentence him to life in prison. Judge George O’Toole Jr told jurors not to provide a “numerical count” as number of votes cannot simply decide whether or not someone will live. The case will resume on Monday, and at some point, the jurors will summarize their views to the judge, who will then decide the fate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Source and more information can be found here.
Estonia’s project to collect its citizens’ DNA samples to improve healthcare.
Estonian Genome Center’s biobank (Image courtesy of Katharine Schwab / The Atlantic)
In 2000, Estonia started a national biobank to collect DNA samples from a quarter of its population. So far, more than 52,000 samples (about 5% of the population) have been collected and stored at the University of Tartu. These samples are used for research, as is part of a plan to provide more personalized healthcare. They plan to make this data available to citizens and their doctors by the end 2015. Worldwide, there are more than 120 biobanks, however they are used mostly for research, and are not entirely trusted. Using this data, scientists can find out more about hereditary diseases and allows researchers to analyze samples and trends.
Source and more information can be found here.
Research determines that modern life changes sleeping patterns
Those who live by a more primitive lifestyle have different sleeping patterns. (Image courtesy of Jake Warga / Corbis)
Many think that the internet, mobile devices, and energy-boosting drinks are to blame for the reduction in the amount of time we sleep, but the major flaw in this argument is that no one knows how long our ancestors slept. Jeremy Siegel, of the University of California, and Gandhi Yetish, of the University of New Mexico have monitored different factors in 94 volunteers and have collected all this data to provide an answer in a recent study called, Current biology. Volunteers were taken from Hadza of northern Tanzania, the Ju/’hoansi San of the Kalahari Desert, in southern Africa, and the Tsimané in Bolivia. Many live off hunting and gathering, which is very different from the lifestyle of those in busy cities.
Source and more information can be found here.
Europe and Russia plan to set up a base on the dark side of the Moon.
European and Russian space agencies are to send a lander to explore untouched areas of the Moon’s south pole (ESA)
On of a series of missions that will prepare for humans to once again return to the surface of the moon, they plan to look at the possibility of permanent settlement. The spacecraft will look for water, and raw materials to make fuel and oxygen. Luna 27, the name of the mission, is set to launch in five years and is led by Russian federal space agency, Roscosmos. These explorations were held off by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, according to Prof Igor Mitrofanov, of the Space Research Institute in Moscow, who is one of the lead scientists in this mission. Unlike the 1960s, where the Soviet Union was competing against other nations, they are working together with international colleagues.
Source and more information can be found here.
