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Galaxy's centre tastes of raspberries and smells of rum, say astronomers

The hunt for chemicals in deep space that could seed life on other planets has yielded a large, fruity molecule

Ian Sample, science correspondent

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 21 April 2009 00.05 BST

Astronomers searching for the building blocks of life in a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have concluded that it tastes vaguely of raspberries.

The unanticipated discovery follows years of work by astronomers who trained their 30m radio telescope on the enormous ball of dust and gas in the hope of spotting complex molecules that are vital for life.

Finding amino acids in interstellar space is a Holy Grail for astrobiologists, as this would raise the possibility of life emerging on other planets after being seeded with the molecules.

In the latest survey, astronomers sifted through thousands of signals from Sagittarius B2, a vast dust cloud at the centre of our galaxy. While they failed to find evidence for amino acids, they did find a substance called ethyl formate, the chemical responsible for the flavour of raspberries.

"It does happen to give raspberries their flavour, but there are many other molecules that are needed to make space raspberries," Arnaud Belloche, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, told the Guardian.

Curiously, ethyl formate has another distinguishing characteristic: it also smells of rum.

The astronomers used the IRAM telescope in Spain to analyse electromagnetic radiation emitted by a hot and dense region of Sagittarius B2 that surrounds a newborn star.

Radiation from the star is absorbed by molecules floating around in the gas cloud, which is then re-emitted at different energies depending on the type of molecule.

While scouring their data, the team also found evidence for the lethal chemical propyl cyanide in the same cloud. The two molecules are the largest yet discovered in deep space.

Dr Belloche and his colleague Robin Garrod at Cornell University in New York have collected nearly 4,000 distinct signals from the cloud but have only analysed around half of these.

"So far we have identified around 50 molecules in our survey, and two of those had not been seen before," said Belloche.

The results are being presented today at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science at the University of Hertfordshire.

Last year, the team came tantalisingly close to finding amino acids in space with the discovery of a molecule that can be used to make them, called amino acetonitrile.

The latest discoveries have boosted the researchers' morale because the molecules are as large as the simplest amino acid, glycine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are widely seen as being critical for complex life to exist anywhere in the universe.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we find an amino acid out there in the coming years," said Belloche.

Previously, astronomers have detected a variety of large molecules, including alcohols, acids and chemicals called aldehydes.

"The difficulty in searching for complex molecules is that the best astronomical sources contain so many different molecules that their 'fingerprints' overlap and are difficult to disentangle," Belloche said.

The molecules are thought to form when chemicals that already exist on some dust grains, such as ethanol, link together to make more complex chains.

"There is no apparent limit to the size of molecules that can be formed by this process, so there's good reason to expect even more complex organic molecules to be there," said Garrod.

Source

So. The center of the galaxy tastes like a girly drink. I need to make something like this soon. What tastes like stardust? I need something to go with Chambord and rum.

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The implication is that he doesn't get anything done. It stands.

The point is, the guy couldn't get the supreme court to put an injunction on offshore drilling in the face of what is probably the world's biggest ecological disaster. He hasn't done shit. It's so bad that the Right Wing nutjobs are lambasting him for the same shit Bush did.

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Judge strikes down California's ban on same-sex marriage

By the CNN Wire Staff

August 4, 2010 6:59 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- A federal judge in California on Wednesday overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, saying the voter-approved rule violates the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians.

The 136-page decision, issued by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco, is an initial step in what will likely be a lengthy legal fight over California's Proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

At stake in the trial was whether California's ban on same-sex marriage violated the constitutional rights to equal protection and due process of two gay couples that want to marry.

The case was watched closely by both supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage, as many say it is likely to wind its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. If it does, the case could end in a landmark decision on whether people in the United States are allowed to marry people of the same sex.

"Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license," Walker wrote in his decision. "Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples."

He also granted supporters of Proposition 8 a stay, which will essentially stop his ruling from taking immediate effect. They had argued, prior to his ruling, that same-sex marriages would be performed soon after his decision and could be complicated by rulings and appeals further down the legal road.

Supporters of same-sex marriage who gathered outside the San Francisco courthouse cheered the judge's decision. They waved flags and carried signs that read, "We all deserve the freedom to marry." Rallies were planned for later in the day.

"We are thrilled with today's ruling, which affirms that the protections enshrined in our U.S. Constitution apply to all Americans and that our dream of equality and freedom deserves protection," said Geoff Kors, executive director for Equality California.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also welcomed the ruling.

"For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves," he said in a statement. "Today's decision is by no means California's first milestone, nor our last, on America's road to equality and freedom for all people."

Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier, along with Jeffrey Zarrillo and Paul Katami, are the two couples at the heart of the case, which if appealed would go next to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals before possibly heading to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Opponents of same-sex marriage have said their best bet lies with higher courts.

"Big surprise! We expected nothing different from Judge Vaughn Walker, after the biased way he conducted this trial," said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage. "With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians who voted for marriage as one man and one woman."

Proposition 8 is part of a long line of seesaw rulings, court cases, debates and protests in California over the hotly debated issue of same-sex marriage. It passed with some 52 percent of the vote in November 2008.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in five U.S. states and in the District of Colombia. Civil unions are permitted in New Jersey.

A step in the right direction but a long battle to come. Still, this can go long enough and if it does hit the Supreme Court, this could be our generations Roe V. Wade.

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Judge strikes down California's ban on same-sex marriage

By the CNN Wire Staff

August 4, 2010 6:59 p.m. EDT

(CNN) -- A federal judge in California on Wednesday overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, saying the voter-approved rule violates the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians.

The 136-page decision, issued by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco, is an initial step in what will likely be a lengthy legal fight over California's Proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

At stake in the trial was whether California's ban on same-sex marriage violated the constitutional rights to equal protection and due process of two gay couples that want to marry.

The case was watched closely by both supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage, as many say it is likely to wind its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. If it does, the case could end in a landmark decision on whether people in the United States are allowed to marry people of the same sex.

"Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license," Walker wrote in his decision. "Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples."

He also granted supporters of Proposition 8 a stay, which will essentially stop his ruling from taking immediate effect. They had argued, prior to his ruling, that same-sex marriages would be performed soon after his decision and could be complicated by rulings and appeals further down the legal road.

Supporters of same-sex marriage who gathered outside the San Francisco courthouse cheered the judge's decision. They waved flags and carried signs that read, "We all deserve the freedom to marry." Rallies were planned for later in the day.

"We are thrilled with today's ruling, which affirms that the protections enshrined in our U.S. Constitution apply to all Americans and that our dream of equality and freedom deserves protection," said Geoff Kors, executive director for Equality California.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also welcomed the ruling.

"For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves," he said in a statement. "Today's decision is by no means California's first milestone, nor our last, on America's road to equality and freedom for all people."

Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier, along with Jeffrey Zarrillo and Paul Katami, are the two couples at the heart of the case, which if appealed would go next to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals before possibly heading to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Opponents of same-sex marriage have said their best bet lies with higher courts.

"Big surprise! We expected nothing different from Judge Vaughn Walker, after the biased way he conducted this trial," said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage. "With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians who voted for marriage as one man and one woman."

Proposition 8 is part of a long line of seesaw rulings, court cases, debates and protests in California over the hotly debated issue of same-sex marriage. It passed with some 52 percent of the vote in November 2008.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in five U.S. states and in the District of Colombia. Civil unions are permitted in New Jersey.

A step in the right direction but a long battle to come. Still, this can go long enough and if it does hit the Supreme Court, this could be our generations Roe V. Wade.

Epic. Fucking. Win. And on the birthday of my gay marriage hatting friend who pissed me off recently. Universe, You win again.

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U.S. hands over control of Iraq combat operations

Iraqi commandos showed off skills they learned from U.S. military forces, who Saturday formally handed over control of combat operations to Iraqi security forces.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Raymond Odierno, was on hand to watch the final American combat team, the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, tender responsibilities to the 6th Iraqi Army Division.

President Barack Obama has ordered the current 64,000-strong U.S. presence to be down to 50,000 by September 1.

Six U.S. brigades will remain to provide support to Iraqi soldiers and police.

Saturday's ceremony, attended by Iraq's minister of defense, included a mock detention of insurgents and an ordnance disposal team blowing up a bomb.

The handover comes during a time of increased violence and political intransigence in the country, but Odierno said in an interview with CNN that the Iraqis have improved their capability.

"We're still very committed to Iraq," Odierno said. "We're still going to have 50,000 troops on the ground for a significant period of time to continue to help them [iraqi forces] build that confidence."

Asked if he felt his mission was accomplished, Odierno replied, "I think we've come a long way, having been here through the very bad times, the progress that we made is encouraging, the fact that we're getting down to 50,000 -- how we've executed that, I think we've executed that extremely well. I think we're set up now to finish the mission here. But for me it's not final, there is still work that has to be done here by those that are to follow me."

The general also paid tribute to the sacrifice of U.S. soldiers and those who were killed or wounded.

"We call it our Army family," he said. "You know you have your biological family and then you have your Army family and we suffer through all this together."

Odierno also told CNN that people need to remember that the U.S. mission aims to improve the life of Iraqis.

"They were under this tyranny for a very, very, long time. I believe they want to move forward, they want a new life. They suffered an awful lot over the last seven years for a lot of different reasons," Odierno said. "I think we have to remember we owe them to try to get them a way forward for what they have endured."

http://us.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/08/07/iraq.combat.handover/index.html

One down, one to go.

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Maybe it's my general low opinion of most people, but that just comes off to me like a petty cry for attention. Of course her "friend" would put them on the internet. That's why she did it.

With that kind of professionalism, I'm not really shocked she doesn't have another job ready.

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I think the guy said it wrong, that's why she put the two question marks behind it and had the letters jumping around in the following image.

As funny as that is, she might have shot herself in the foot. I mean, who's going to hire someone who so publicly and rudely quit?

(Also, I think she was hotter before the 32nd picture.)

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I think the guy said it wrong, that's why she put the two question marks behind it and had the letters jumping around in the following image.

That makes sense.

As funny as that is, she might have shot herself in the foot. I mean, who's going to hire someone who so publicly and rudely quit?

(Also, I think she was hotter before the 32nd picture.)

See, the thing is, lets be honest. That's funny for what, two minutes? Then I stop caring about her, and she becomes an afterthought, she did fuck up doing this though.

Doug the NC did the same thing at his job, but he waited until he felt he could make a living off of TGWTG. This girl was just an idiot.

Also, yeah, definitely hotter before 32.

If that was someone I knew, and actually cared about in real life. I would call them an idiot.

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