Rosetta Mission: Building Blocks Of Life Found

On May 27th 2016, scientists at the European Space Agency announced in an article published in the journal Science Advances, that the Rosetta spacecraft had detected the building blocks of life on comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The orbiter discovered the amino acid glycine, which living organism use to make proteins. The scientists believe that this could mean that the ingredients for life may have come to Earth from space.

This marks the second time that glycine has been detected on a comet. The first time was in 2006 when samples were brought back from a mission to comet Wild 2. That and the comet 67/P discovery have given the scientists reason to believe that it's possible that glycine is a common substance that is found where stars and planets are formed. Lead researcher, Kathrin Altwegg said, "Amino acids are everywhere, and life could possibly also start in many place in the universe."

The orbiter also detected the presence of phosphorus which is another key element found in all living organisms. Until now, phosphorus had never been found in the vicinity of a comet. This aligns with the scientific hypothesis that comets and asteroids brought organic molecules to Earth when they crashed into its oceans billions of years ago. Having completed its two year mission, the Rosetta orbiter will fly very close to comet 67/P before crashing onto its surface in September 2016.  

Streaming Changes The Grammys

On June 16th 2016, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that it will now accept streaming only songs toward the issuing of a Grammy Award. The move was one of five new rule changes that will take place immediately and will effect the make up the 2017 Grammy Award nominees. The revision will apply to both albums and singles that have been released on streaming service such as Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.

Under the new rules, albums and singles must be released from October 1st 2015 and September 30th 2016 to be eligible for the 2017 Grammy Awards Show. The 59th annual Grammy Awards will air on February 12th 2017, while the nominees for those awards will be announced on December 6th 2016. Bill Freimuth, senior vice president of the awards said, "We noticed that there were a number of higher-profile artists who were choosing to release through streaming-only, and we did not want to be exclusionary toward them."

Other rule changes include a decrease in the number of categories that Academy members can vote in, from 20 to 15, along with, album of the year, best new artist, record of the year, and song of the year. There will now be two Blues categories, best traditional Blues album and best contemporary Blues album. The best new artist will no longer have to release a full album to qualify. Those nominees need only release a minimum of five singles. And, the best rap/sung collaboration was changed to best rap/sung performance.

Microsoft Buys Linkedin

On June 13th 2016, Microsoft announced that it is buying Linkedin, the social networking site for professionals, for $26 billion. This is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's first major acquisition since he became the head of the company. Linkedin will be keeping its own brand as well as its independence. Current Linkedin CEO Jeff Weiner will stay on in that role, reporting directly to Mr. Nadella.

Both Microsoft and Linkedin view this deal as perfect for both companies. Mr. Nadella see it as the joining of the "world's leading professional cloud," with the "world's leading professional network." Each company could experience growth through the integration of such Microsoft tools as Office 365, Skype and Dynamics. Mr Nadella also mentioned giving its Cortana digital assistant access to data from Linkedin.

Meanwhile Lynda.com, a channel for training videos which was purchased by Linkedin for $1.5 billion in 2014, could be offered inside Microsoft software, such as Excell. In so doing, Microsoft could not only sell software products, but assist people in learning how to use them. The Linkedin acquisition is expected to close later in 2016, as the deal was unanimously approved by the board of directors of both companies.

Synthetic Human Genome Proposed

On June 2nd 2016, it was announced in the journal Science that a group of 25 scientists have proposed the building of a synthetic human genome. The meeting which took place at Harvard University, consisted of scientists who work at various academic and other institutions around the US. The project will be called the Human Genome Project-write (HGP-write) after the original Human Genome project which ended in 2003.

Jef Boeke of the New York University Langone Medical Center said, "The new project will include whole-genome engineering human cell lines and other organisms of agricultural and public health significance, or those needed to interpret human biological functions." The project would essentially synthesize the three billion letter chemical blueprint of human life.

Some concerns have been raised about the possibility of humans being made entirely in the laboratory. George Church, who is an organizer of HGP-write and a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, says that the project is not aimed at creating people. Church and his colleagues say that their hope is by synthesizing human genomes from scratch, they may spur rapid developments in human organ transplants and cancer resistance.

The project is still in the idea phase, but the scientists are hoping to get $100 million in public and private funds in order to begin HGP-write some time in 2016. They expect that the total cost of the project will be less than $3 billion, which is the actual cost of the original Human Genome Project.

Indus Valley Civilization Maybe 8,000 Years Old

On May 25th 2015, the journal Nature published evidence that the Indus Valley Civilization of India could be older than those of Egypt or Mesopotamia. A new study done by scientist at IIT-Kharagpur and Archaeological Survey of India has shown that the Indus Valley Civilization of India is at least 8,000 years old. They've also found evidence of a pre-Harappan civilization that existed for about 1,000 year before that.

The research team excavated an unexplored site in the Bhirrana area. There they found large quantities of animal remains. Those remains were put through Carbon 14 analysis to determine the antiquity and climate. The study revealed that a pre-Harrapan society began in an area along the Ghaggar-Hakra rivers, in a climate that favored human settlement and agriculture.

Based on the radio carbon dating, the settlement at Bhirrana is believed to be the oldest on the sub Indian continent. However, to check the validity of their findings, the research team dated pottery taken from two cultural levels using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). They investigated the interrelationship between the cultural levels and climate change that took place in the region. The team believes that a change in crop pattern and a declining monsoon, ultimately lead the the civilization's decline.