“If you feed CAPE to mice daily, their tumors will stop growing. After several weeks, if you stop the treatment, the tumors will begin to grow again at their original pace,” says Richard B. Jones, senior author of the study investigating the cancer-fighting properties of a compound isolated from honeybee hive propolis. (Credit: Van & Twinkle/Flickr)
U. CHICAGO (US) — An over-the-counter remedy derived from honeybee hives stalls the growth of prostate cancer cells in mice.
Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE, is a compound isolated from honeybee hive propolis, the resin used by bees to patch up holes in hives.
Propolis has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for conditions ranging from sore throats and allergies to burns and cancer. But the compound has not gained acceptance in the clinic due to scientific questions about its effect on cells.
In a paper published in Cancer Prevention Research, researchers from the University of Chicago combined traditional cancer research methods with cutting-edge proteomics to find that CAPE arrests early-stage prostate cancer by shutting down the tumor cells’ system for detecting sources of nutrition.
Read more HERE.
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BBC: Human Body and Mind “Find out about your brain, organs, nervous system, muscles and skeleton and get to know yourself better with our psychological tests.”
Supermoon 2012 comes on May 5. The ‘supermoon’ is when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth. The supermoon will be 16 percent brighter than a normal full moon. – Provided by Christian Science Monitor
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Huss and Dalton Monticello
WHEN THOMAS JEFFERSON PLANTED a tulip poplar on his Virginia estate, Monticello, sometime in the early 1800s, he could have scarcely imagined that it would one day be transformed into a guitar. For many years, guests at Monticello admired the robust tree, which ascended to more than 100 feet. But in 2008, having been in failing health for a decade, the tree was felled, and the wood was reserved for artistic purposes, including decorative bowls and a series of guitars by the state’s own Huss and Dalton Musical Instruments.
Since 1995, Jeff Huss and Mark Dalton, along with a small crew of craftspeople, have been building fine steel-string acoustic guitars and banjos in their Staunton, Virginia, shop. A docent at Monticello (and Huss and Dalton guitar owner), Betsy Baten was instrumental in getting the luthiers access to wood from Jefferson’s tulip poplar through the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.
The Monticello Edition guitar shown here is based on Huss and Dalton’s OO-SP model, which has a 14 1/8-inch wide body, 24.9-inch scale, 12-fret neck, and slotted headstock. Where the standard OO-SP has rosewood back and sides, the Monticello Edition OO-SP has its back and sides and headstock overlay fashioned from Jefferson’s poplar. And instead of mahogany, the Monticello’s neck is made from native Virginia black walnut, as are the neck and body bindings. The instrument’s other tonewoods were harvested in that state as well; the red spruce top and bracing is from White Top Mountain and the fingerboard and bridge are from persimmon grown on country singer Ricky Van Shelton’s farm.
Just past the 14th fret, the fingerboard displays its only adornment, a wood-burned depiction of Monticello and the tulip poplar atop Jefferson’s signature, rendered in magnificently fine detail by the Tennessee-based artist Kenny Farmer—a subtle indication of the guitar’s special provenance.
From HERE.
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Cinco de Mayo (This day in 1862)
Cinco de Mayo, the “Fifth of May,” is a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Mexican army’s unexpected victory over invading French troops at the Battle of Puebla. It is widely observed in Mexico and the US, particularly as a celebration of Mexican culture. However, it is distinct from Mexico’s Independence Day, which is held annually on September 16 and commemorates Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule in 1810. What became of the French after the Battle of Puebla? More…
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Just who exactly is Sarah Phillips? An investigation into the mysteriously messy career of a former ESPN columnist suspected of being the Internet’s biggest scammer.
From here: deadspin
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Facebook Launching Organ Donor Status Feature
Dozens die every day while waiting for organ transplants, and executives at the social networking giant Facebook have decided to do something to try and change this. They have announced that the site will begin allowing users in the US and UK to volunteer as potential organ donors and share their decision with friends, who will then be given the option to share their own donor status. Though the Facebook pledge is not necessarily legally binding, the site will also include links to official registries. More …
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Elizabeth Cochrane, AKA Nellie Bly (Born on this day in 1864)
Cochrane was a pioneering female journalist who wrote under the pseudonym Nellie Bly. She wrote investigative articles on topics such as the plight of female factory workers, and as a young woman worked as a foreign correspondent in Mexico. She later feigned insanity to gain access to an asylum and wrote an exposé that prompted much-needed reforms. In 1889, she circumnavigated the globe in 72 days, besting the fictional feat conceived by Jules Verne. What famous figure did she meet on the way? More…
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U.S. soldier returning from Kuwait surprises his father-in-law….
This is another one of those great moments where a father-in-law literally starts crying as soon as he sees his son-in-law back home:
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