Marijuana Could Heal Bones, New Study

 

Marijuana has been a popular natural remedy around the world for hundreds of years. Studies do, in fact, show that the natural compounds of this plant can ease the symptoms of a variety of conditions.

But new research shows that this plant could possible help to heal bone fractures too.

This study shows that the non-psychotropic aspect of the plant—cannabinoid cannabidoil (CBD)—can actually help to heal mid-femoral fractures in rats. This supports older research which does suggest that cannabinoid receptors in our bodies that can stimulate bone formation and even help to stop bone loss.

“The clinical potential of cannabinoid-related compounds is simply undeniable at this point,” explains Yankel Gabet with the Bone Research Laboratory at the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at the Tel-Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Gabet continues, “While there is still a lot of work to be done to develop appropriate therapies, it is clear that it is possible to detach a clinical therapy objective from the psychoactivity of cannabis. CBD, the principal agent in our study, is primarily anti-inflammatory and has no psychoactivity.”

Gabet also says, “We found that CBD alone makes bones stronger during healing, enhancing the maturation of the collagenous matrix, which provides the basis for new mineralization of bone tissue,” noting, too, “After being treated with CBD, the healed bone will be harder to break in the future.”

Finally, Gabet adds, “Other studies have also shown CBD to be a safe agent, which leads us to believe we should continue this line of study in clinical trials to assess its usefulness in improving human fracture healing. We only respond to cannabis because we are built with intrinsic compounds and receptors that can also be activated by compounds in the cannabis plant.”

FEATHERED DINOSAUR DISCOVERED RELATED TO JURASSIC WORLD'S VELOCIRAPTOR

Jul 16 2015, 9:26am CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr, in News | Latest Science News

Scientists discovered fossil remains of the winged dinosaur, which is a close cousin of Velociraptor, which was made famous by the Jurassic franchise.
Suddenly dinosaurs have feathers. This is a rather new thing. Today the University of Edinburgh announced that a new feathered dinosaur has been discovered. The  newly identified species of feathered dinosaur is the largest ever discovered to have a well-preserved set of bird-like wings.

Palaeontologists working in China unearthed the fossil remains of the winged dinosaur, which is a close cousin of Velociraptor. The Velociraptor has been  made famous by the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies.

Researchers say that the Zhenyuanlong suni wings are very short compared with other dinosaurs in the same family. The wings consisted of multiple layers of large feathers. They found that the species' feathers were complex structures made up of fine branches stemming from a central shaft.

The Zhenyuanlong suni as envisioned by artist Chuang Zhao could have been a stunner. This is of course all guess work as the fossil is not revealing anything about the colors of the feathers.

Although larger feathered dinosaurs have been identified before, none have possessed such complex wings made up of quill pen-like feathers, the team says. Scientists have known for some time that many species of dinosaur had feathers, but most of these were covered with simple filaments that looked more like hair than modern bird feathers.

This latest discovery suggests that winged dinosaurs with larger and more complex feathers were more diverse than previously thought.

The species belonged to a family of feathered carnivores that was widespread during the Cretaceous Period, and lived around 125 million years ago, the team says.

The near-complete skeleton of the animal - which is remarkably well preserved - was studied by scientists from the University of Edinburgh and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences. The fossil reveals dense feathers covered the dinosaur's wings and tail.

The newly discovered Zhenyuanlong suni grew to more than five feet in length. Despite having bird-like wings, it probably could not fly, at least not using the same type of powerful muscle-driven flight as modern birds, researchers say.

It is unclear what function the short wings served. The species may have evolved from ancestors that could fly and used its wings solely for display purposes, in a similar way to how peacocks use their colourful tails, researchers say.

Dr Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who co-authored the study, said: "This new dinosaur is one of the closest cousins of Velociraptor, but it looks just like a bird. It's a dinosaur with huge wings made up of quill pen feathers, just like an eagle or a vulture. The movies have it wrong - this is what Velociraptor would have looked like too."

Professor Junchang Lü, of the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, who led the study, said: "The western part of Liaoning Province in China is one of the most famous places in the world for finding dinosaurs. The first feathered dinosaurs were found here and now our discovery of Zhenyuanlong indicates that there is an even higher diversity of feathered dinosaurs than we thought. It's amazing that new feathered dinosaurs are still being found."

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Original Tiny Houses were Gypsy wagons.

Serena Williams is a national treasure

Serena Williams is a national treasure … it’s time we all regard her as one

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Marcus Thompson

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Marcus Thompson

Serena Williams is already the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, apologies to Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. But the dominance Serena is displaying now is taking her to new heights.

Serena might be the greatest female athlete of all time. Surely, such is a tough case to make next to the resumes of Jackie Joyner Kersey and Babe Didrickson Zaharias. But on the Mount Rushmore of women greats, the only question regarding Serena is whether her likeness should features beaded braids.

This kind of greatness doesn’t come around often. There aren’t many more women, no matter the sport, who can leave viewers in awe like Serena. Few female athletes have men shaking their head in amazement like they would for LeBron James or Madison Bumgarner.

Serena is a beast of beasts. A physical specimen, no doubt. But she’s reached this level — capturing her 21st Grand Slam title on Sunday — because her skill and IQ are incredible. And she’s got a killer instinct worthy of a nod from hard hats with cold beers.

Unfortunately, our nation’s appreciation of her doesn’t match her greatness.

Sure, she is the subject of adoration in tennis circles and urban barbershops. But people spend more time talking about her outfits and mannerisms than her dominance and social impact. Her appeal is more about her looks and personality than her unstoppable serve and epic shotmaking.

Serena’s status should be at old Tiger Woods’ level. She is LeBron James with a racket. Messi on a tennis court.

But from a beloved perspective, in her own sport she trails Maria Sharapova by a mile, just as she did Anna Kournikova.

By winning Wimbledon, Serena holds four Grand Slam titles dating back to last year’s U.S. Open — the second time in her career she’s pulled off this rare feat. If she wins this year at Flushing Meadows, she will have swept the 2015 Grand Slams and tied Graf for most titles in the open era.

Doing so would silence those who can’t bring themselves to anoint Serena as G.O.A.T.

Yet, her legacy is, in the mind of many, cat suits and celebratory dances and debates about whether she’s too bootylicious.

Unfortunately, Serena’s status speaks to how the country at large views women athletes. No matter the feats accomplished, no matter the quality of the play, the female professionals can’t get half of the love men receive. That was just evident in the women’s world cup, where they played on turf and split a pot that could fit in FIFA’s bribe suitcase of choice.

Unless a female athlete fits the cookie-cutter vision of beauty celebrated in this country, and are willing to milk it, she will be fighting for just desserts.

Serena has the added burden of being African-American — playing a sport known for petite princesses in pretty skirts — so that’s two strikes.

To be sure, Serena can’t cry poor mouth. She doesn’t know the plight of women soccer studs and basketball stars. Women’s tennis is a lucrative sport for women and Serena has made quite a bit of money.

But while Serena’s dough comes from winning, Sharapova had double the endorsement money in 2014, per Forbes. That’s right, Sharapova couldn’t beat Serena if Venus gave her the cheat codes. But Sharapova’s $22 million bounty in endorsements and sponsorships dwarfed Serena’s $11 million.

Here is the odd part: Serena is the American dream. She came from humble beginnings. She worked on her craft to become great. She plays the right way. She steers clear of drugs and jail.

She is on her second stint of dominance, much like Jordan.

Serena was a child prodigy — at 19, she won the US Open by beating a hitters row: Kim Clisters, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis, all Grand Slam winners — who maximized her potential.

She has overcome injury, critics who questioned her passion for the game, by resurrecting her career. Now, at age 33 — which makes her a senior citizen in tennis — the only player who can beat Serena is Serena.

And while men’s tennis hasn’t produced a world No. 1 since Andy Roddick over 10 years ago, Serena routinely represents American exceptionalism by dominating on a global scale.

She should be a national jewel. Does she have some quirks? Absolutely. But what great doesn’t? We usually like our superstars with texture.

If collectively we can get past the gaudiness of her muscles. If critics can just relax on the occasions her cultural tendencies violate the status quo (like when she did a hood dance to celebrate her Olympic gold). If we can focus more on her immense talent and the way she competes.

Then Serena will find her way to the pedestal she deserves.

MARCUS THOMPSON

Jurassic my assic, no more Spielberg lizard dinosaurs! The Age of Dinosaurs was really the Age of Flightless Birds with teeth

No more lizard, snake eyed T-Rexes and Velociraptors. They were Birds with round bird eyes. And they moved like large flightless birds do, perhaps even bobbing their heads but not moving like reptiles and certainly not moving enormous body parts around fast like the Jurassic movie dinos move. 

The Age of Dinosaurs was the Age of flightless birds with teeth instead of bills which are more handy for flying birds. When birds have no predators they stop flying and lose their wings evolved primarily to get them away from predators. Or perhaps tsunamis too..or the little mammal rats stealing eggs from ground nests..

FEATHERED DINOSAUR DISCOVERED RELATED TO JURASSIC WORLD'S VELOCIRAPTOR

Are Animals getting mad at Humans for screwing up the planet?

Bison attack two more Yellowstone visitors

By Katia Hetter, CNN

Updated 10:03 AM ET, Fri July 3, 2015

(CNN)Bison attacked two more visitors at Yellowstone National Park over the past week, for a total of four attacks in the park so far this season.

A 68-year-old Georgia woman remained hospitalized Thursday after encountering a bison while hiking Wednesday on Storm Point Trail, according to the National Park Service.

As she passed the bison, it charged and gored her. A witness reported the attack to a nearby ranger leading a hike, who called for help. Due to the serious nature of the woman's injuries, she was taken by helicopter ambulance to a hospital outside the park. Her condition was unknown Thursday.

The other incident happened on June 23, when a 19-year-old Georgia woman and three friends who work at nearby Canyon Village were walking to their car after a late-night swim at the Firehole River. They saw a bison lying about 10 feet away, and one friend turned and ran. But the animal charged the teen and "tossed her in the air," the park service said.

After the teen went to bed, she awoke a short time later feeling ill and called for medical help. She took an ambulance to a hospital outside the park and "was released with minor injuries later that day," the park service said.

Bison can sprint three times faster than humans can run, park officials say.

Four incidents in less than two months is a lot more than usual, Yellowstone spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said. "We usually have one to two incidents per year," she said.

Almost 5,000 bison live in Yellowstone, located mostly in Wyoming and the only place in the United States where the animals have lived continuously since prehistoric times.

With July 4 approaching, the nation's national parks are entering their busiest season, and park officials are urging tourists to take extra care around wild animals.

Yellowstone's regulations require visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from all large animalsand 100 yards away from bears and wolves. "Bison can sprint three times faster than humans can run and are unpredictable and dangerous," park officials warn.

Some tourists may provoke animals by getting too close to them. The consequences of treating wild animals like they're domesticated or in a zoo can be deadly, officials say.

Bears chase tourists at Yellowstone. 01:00

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On June 2, a 62-year-old Australian man visiting Yellowstone was seriously injured after getting too close to a bison near Old Faithful Lodge.

The man was reportedly within 5 feet of the bison while taking pictures when the animal charged him and tossed him into the air several times, according to park reports. The man was taken to a hospital for further medical treatment.

On May 15, a 16-year-old Taiwanese girl was gored by a bison while posing for a photo near Old Faithful, Yellowstone's famous geyser. She had been hiking near the bison, which was grazing next to a trail.

The girl suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries from the attack, the parents said."

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Sharks biting people, bisons attacking, bears attacking, are animals finally getting p.o'd by all the crap human beings have been doing to them and life of the planet?