Supermassive black hole spins super-fast

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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Contact: Christine Pulliam
cpulliam@cfa.harvard.edu
617-495-7463
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Imagine a sphere more than 2 million miles across - eight times the distance from Earth to the Moon - spinning so fast that its surface is traveling at nearly the speed of light. Such an object exists: the supermassive black hole at the center of the spiral galaxy NGC 1365.

Astronomers measured its jaw-dropping spin rate using new data from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray satellites.

"This is the first time anyone has accurately measured the spin of a supermassive black hole," said lead author Guido Risaliti of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and INAF - Arcetri Observatory.

This research is being published in the Feb. 28 issue of the journal Nature, and featured in a NASA media teleconference on Feb. 27th.

A black hole's gravity is so strong that, as the black hole spins, it drags the surrounding space along. The edge of this spinning hole is called the event horizon. Any material crossing the event horizon is pulled into the black hole. Inspiraling matter collects into an accretion disk, where friction heats it and causes it to emit X-rays.

Risaliti and his colleagues measured X-rays from the center of NGC 1365 to determine where the inner edge of the accretion disk was located. This Innermost Stable Circular Orbit - the disk's point of no return - depends on the black hole's spin. Since a spinning black hole distorts space, the disk material can get closer to the black hole before being sucked in.

Astronomers want to know the black hole's spin for several reasons. The first is physical - only two numbers define a black hole: mass and spin. By learning those two numbers, you learn everything there is to know about the black hole.

Most importantly, the black hole's spin gives clues to its past and by extension the evolution of its host galaxy.

"The black hole's spin is a memory, a record, of the past history of the galaxy as a whole," explained Risaliti.

Although the black hole in NGC 1365 is currently as massive as several million Suns, it wasn't born that big. It grew over billions of years by accreting stars and gas, and by merging with other black holes.

Spin results from a transfer of angular momentum, like playing on a children's swing. If you kick at random times while you swing, you'll never get very high. But if you kick at the beginning of each downswing, you go higher and higher as you add angular momentum.

Similarly, if the black hole grew randomly by pulling in matter from all directions, its spin would be low. Since its spin is so close to the maximum possible, the black hole in NGC 1365 must have grown through "ordered accretion" rather than multiple random events.

Studying a supermassive black hole also allows theorists to test Einstein's theory of general relativity in extreme conditions. Relativity describes how gravity affects the structure of space-time, and nowhere is space-time more distorted than in the immediate vicinity of a black hole.

The team also has additional observations of NGC 1365 that they will study to determine how conditions other than black hole spin change over time. Those data are currently being analyzed. At the same time, other teams are observing several other supermassive black holes with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Christine Pulliam
cpulliam@cfa.harvard.edu
617-495-7463
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Imagine a sphere more than 2 million miles across - eight times the distance from Earth to the Moon - spinning so fast that its surface is traveling at nearly the speed of light. Such an object exists: the supermassive black hole at the center of the spiral galaxy NGC 1365.

Astronomers measured its jaw-dropping spin rate using new data from the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray satellites.

"This is the first time anyone has accurately measured the spin of a supermassive black hole," said lead author Guido Risaliti of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and INAF - Arcetri Observatory.

This research is being published in the Feb. 28 issue of the journal Nature, and featured in a NASA media teleconference on Feb. 27th.

A black hole's gravity is so strong that, as the black hole spins, it drags the surrounding space along. The edge of this spinning hole is called the event horizon. Any material crossing the event horizon is pulled into the black hole. Inspiraling matter collects into an accretion disk, where friction heats it and causes it to emit X-rays.

Risaliti and his colleagues measured X-rays from the center of NGC 1365 to determine where the inner edge of the accretion disk was located. This Innermost Stable Circular Orbit - the disk's point of no return - depends on the black hole's spin. Since a spinning black hole distorts space, the disk material can get closer to the black hole before being sucked in.

Astronomers want to know the black hole's spin for several reasons. The first is physical - only two numbers define a black hole: mass and spin. By learning those two numbers, you learn everything there is to know about the black hole.

Most importantly, the black hole's spin gives clues to its past and by extension the evolution of its host galaxy.

"The black hole's spin is a memory, a record, of the past history of the galaxy as a whole," explained Risaliti.

Although the black hole in NGC 1365 is currently as massive as several million Suns, it wasn't born that big. It grew over billions of years by accreting stars and gas, and by merging with other black holes.

Spin results from a transfer of angular momentum, like playing on a children's swing. If you kick at random times while you swing, you'll never get very high. But if you kick at the beginning of each downswing, you go higher and higher as you add angular momentum.

Similarly, if the black hole grew randomly by pulling in matter from all directions, its spin would be low. Since its spin is so close to the maximum possible, the black hole in NGC 1365 must have grown through "ordered accretion" rather than multiple random events.

Studying a supermassive black hole also allows theorists to test Einstein's theory of general relativity in extreme conditions. Relativity describes how gravity affects the structure of space-time, and nowhere is space-time more distorted than in the immediate vicinity of a black hole.

The team also has additional observations of NGC 1365 that they will study to determine how conditions other than black hole spin change over time. Those data are currently being analyzed. At the same time, other teams are observing several other supermassive black holes with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/hcfa-sbh022713.php

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PFT:?Rams' Jackson to opt out? |? Falcons suitor?

Getty Images

Last year, the Steelers cut quarterback Ben Roethlisberger?s base salary from $11.6 million down to the minimum of $900,000.? The $10.7 million became a guaranteed payment, with the cap hit spread equally over the four remaining years in Roethlisberger?s deal.

The move added $2.675 million in cap charges to each year of the contract, pushing this year?s cap number to a belt-bending $19.6 million.

As MDS pointed out earlier in the afternoon, the Steelers plan to do it again, without extending the deal.? But with only three years left on the contract, the Steelers can?t take as large a chunk out of Roethlisberger?s cap number this time around.

Once again, Roethlisberger?s base salary is $11.6 million.? The Steelers could drop it to the 10-year minimum of $940,000.? The $10.66 million difference would then be converted to a guarantee, with the amount spread out over the final three seasons of his contract.

This would create $7.1 million in cap space.? But it also would increase Roethlisberger?s cap number by $3.55 million in 2014 and 2015.? With last year?s restructuring, that?s another $6.225 million to be carried in each of the final two seasons of Roethlisberger?s deal.

And with a base salary of $12.1 million due in 2014, it converts to a minimum cap number of $18.325 million next year.

Whatever the Steelers do, they should wait until March 5 to finalize it.? If they reduce the deal before then, Roethslisberger?s cap number would drop out of the top five in 2013 ? and the exclusive franchise tender the Ravens would have to pay to quarterback Joe Flacco would drop again.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/26/steven-jackson-to-void-final-year-of-contract-test-free-agency/related/

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Fish oil component reduces brain damage in newborns, mouse study suggests

Feb. 20, 2013 ? Research conducted by a team of scientists from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Dr. Nicolas Bazan, Boyd Professor and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, found the novel use of a component of fish oil reduced brain trauma in newborn mice. The study reports that neonatal brain damage decreased by about 50% when a triglyceride lipid emulsion containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was injected within two hours of the onset of ischemic stroke.

The study compared the effectiveness of emulsions with two omega-3 fatty acids -- DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) -- as well as optimal doses and therapeutic window. The researchers found that DHA provided protection while EPA did not. The therapeutic window ranged from 90 minutes prior to several hours after with the optimal window for treatment 0 -- 2 hours. There was no protective effect at hour 4.

DHA is an essential omega-3-fatty acid and is vital for proper brain function. It is also necessary for the development of the nervous system, including vision. Moreover, omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold water fatty fish, including salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, shellfish, and herring, are part of a healthy diet that helps lower the risk of heart disease. DHA has potent anti-inflammatory effects. Since inflammation is at the root of many chronic diseases, DHA treatment has been widely demonstrated to have beneficial effects in patients with coronary heart disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, sepsis, cancer, dry eye disease, and age-related macular degeneration. Its potential benefit in stroke is now being documented.

EPA is also an omega-3 fatty acid found in coldwater fish. EPA can prevent the blood from clotting easily. Often paired with DHA in fish oil supplements, these fatty acids are known to reduce pain and swelling.

Ischemic strokes, representing about 87% of strokes, result from loss of blood flow to an area of the brain due to a blockage such as a clot or atherosclerosis. The damage includes an irreversibly injured core of tissue at the site of the blockage. The area of tissue surrounding the core, called the penumbra, is also damaged but potentially salvageable. The penumbra has a limited life span and appears to undergo irreversible damage within a few hours unless blood flow is reestablished and neuroprotective therapy is administered. A cascade of chemicals floods the tissue along with restored blood flow, including damaging free radicals and pro-inflammatory enzymes which can cause further damage and cell death.

Administering clot-busting drugs (thrombolysis) is currently the only treatment for ischemic stroke. But due to a narrow therapeutic window and complexity of administration, only 3-5% of patients typically benefit from thrombolysis.

Dr. Bazan's group at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence has increasingly shown that DHA is a potentially powerful treatment for stroke for nearly ten years. His study published in 2011 found DHA triggered production of Neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), a naturally occurring neuroprotective molecule in the brain derived from DHA and discovered by Dr. Bazan. Not only did DHA treatment salvage stroke-damaged brain tissue that would have died, its repair mechanisms rendered some areas indistinguishable from normal tissue by 7 days.

"Stroke is a brain attack that each year kills 130,000 Americans," notes Dr. Bazan. "Strokes can occur at any age, including in newborns, with long-term and devastating consequences. DHA is already widely consumed as a dietary supplement in the US, and from a therapeutic point of view, we can now see a light at the end of the tunnel."

The researchers conclude that the findings suggest a need for further studies to determine if acute injection of these emulsions could be neuroprotective after stroke injury in humans. They also suggest that the emulsion rich in DHA will prove to be a novel and important therapy to treat stroke and could decrease mortality and increase long-term functional recovery after stroke in humans of different ages. The paper's senior author is Richard Deckelbaum, MD, director of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 795,000 Americans have a stroke each year, and stroke causes 1 in every 18 deaths. Stroke is also a leading cause of long-term disability. Louisiana is among the states with the highest prevalence of stroke. It has been estimated that the direct and indirect costs of stroke in the United States totaled nearly $74 billion in 2010. In addition, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 2300 to 5000 births, stroke is more likely to occur in the perinatal period than at other times in childhood. Ischemic stroke in newborns is a disorder associated with significant long-term neurologic impairment. Twenty to 60% of survivors exhibit long-term detrimental neuropsychological consequences which include mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and behavioral disorders.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Jill J. Williams, Korapat Mayurasakorn, Susan J. Vannucci, Christopher Mastropietro, Nicolas G. Bazan, Vadim S. Ten, Richard J. Deckelbaum. N-3 Fatty Acid Rich Triglyceride Emulsions Are Neuroprotective after Cerebral Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury in Neonatal Mice. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (2): e56233 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056233

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/bwlXyO9dh0k/130220184943.htm

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PFT: Revis, Sherman have words on Twitter

AP

NFL officials are usually pretty tolerant about coaches yelling at them. Yes, a coach can get a penalty for going too far, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a coach in the NFL is nowhere near as common as an NBA coach getting a technical foul or a Major League Baseball manager getting the old heave-ho.

But that may soon change.

NFL executive V.P. of football operations Ray Anderson told Clark Judge of CBS that the league is ready to start cracking down on coaches who leave the sideline and step onto the field to yell at officials, and if coaches don?t learn, penalty flags are coming.

?We need to be much more disciplined about where our coaches go in terms of the box,? Anderson said, ?and venturing out on the field beyond traditional markers is something that is just not appropriate. It can interfere and it can be viewed as intimidating, and we really are going to rein that in.?

Anderson said that in the past the officials routinely gave coaches leeway, but not anymore.

?There are borders,? said Anderson, ?but, very frankly, they?re loosely enforced. But they will be more aggressively enforced going forward because we need to rein it in. . . . Coaches can be flagged. It?s about enforcement and point of emphasis. So coaches who, after appropriate warning, continue to venture out will pay the price with a penalty that potentially could hurt their team.?

For coaches who can?t control their tempers, a 15-yard penalty will serve as a swift reminder to stay on the sideline.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/20/darrelle-revis-richard-sherman-runs-his-mouth-like-a-girl/related/

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Google Nexus 7 Got Less Sales Than the Kindle Fire and iPad Mini, According to Analyst

Google didn?t offer official sales figures for the Nexus 7, but analysts can speculate on that using the data they have. Industry analyst Benedict Evans is one of the people speculating and he took statements from the ASUS CEO and various other sources to churn out some stats. And they don?t sound that good for both Google and ASUS?

Everyone sees the Nexus 7 as a success, everyone seems to love it and even we named it the tablet of the year 2012. However, Evans believes that 4.8 million units of the 7 inch tablets were sold last year. He also splits them into about 2.2 million units in Q3 and about 2.4 million units in Q4. Overall you should reach 4.6 million, but they are rounded up to a maximum of 4.8 million units. The Nexus 7 7 inch quad core slate had strong competitors like the iPad Mini and Amazon Kindle Fire, to name just two of them.

Apparently, the iPad Mini, that came months later after the Nexus 7 managed to move 10 million units last year and that?s a crazy number considering the product launched in November. Amazon Kindle Fire also outsold the Nexus 7, but we have no figures for that performance. Rumors say that soon we may be getting a Nexus 7 with a facelift soon and improved screen resolution, probably to tackle the iPad Mini 2 early.

If you like this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS Feed or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube for more interesting articles and video reviews!

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Updated Interactive: Payouts to Exonerated Texas Prisoners

Dupree, Cornelius $2,472,083.33 $13,861.07 3/2/2011 Aggravated robbery 30 years, 7 months, 22 days 11,182 Woodard, James Lee $2,186,666.67 $13,615.94 9/30/2009 Murder 27 years, 3 months, 28 days 9,973 Green, Michael Anthony $2,186,666.67 $11,378.30 10/20/2010 Aggravated rape 27 years, 3 months, 5 days 9,950 Chatman, Charles Allen $2,160,000.00 $11,720.22 1/23/2008 Aggravated Rape 26 years, 11 months, 6 days 9,826 Pinchback, Johnny Louis $2,131,427.51 $12,680.92 6/8/2011 Aggravated sexual assault 26 years, 7 months, 11 days 9,711 Allen, Billy Frederick $2,073,333.33 3/5/2009 Murder 25 years, 10 months, 14 days 9,439 Phillips, Steven Charles $2,069,166.67 $11,601.90 10/1/2008 Aggravated sexual abuse, indecency with child, burglary of habitation 25 years, 0 months, 4 days 9,129 Morton, Michael $1,973,333.33 $12,287.55 10/12/2011 Murder 24 years, 7 months, 25 days 8,995 Wiggins, David Lee $1,933,333.33 $0.00 9/12/2012 Aggravated sexual assault 24 years, 2 months, 0 days 8,820 McGowan, Thomas Clifford $1,826,666.67 $10,242.20 6/11/2008 Aggravated sexual assault and Burglary of a habitation 22 years, 9 months, 7 days 8,307 Evans, Jerry Lee $1,820,000.00 $9,729.69 10/21/2009 Aggravated sexual assault 22 years, 8 months, 6 days 8,276 Jackson, Raymond $1,863,333.33 6/20/2012 Aggravated sexual assault 22 years, 7 months, 25 days 8,265 Miller, Billy Wayne $500,000.00 $11,022.69 12/12/2006 Aggravated sexual assault 22 years, 7 months, 17 days 8,257 Williams, James $1,758,333.33 6/20/2012 Aggravated sexual assault 21 years, 7 months, 5 days 7,880 Fuller, Larry Charles $1,752,811.03 $11,517.48 1/11/2007 Aggravated rape 19 years, 11 months, 6 days 7,271 Smith, Billy James $1,593,333.34 $9,921.37 6/15/2005 Aggravated sexual assault 19 years, 10 months, 30 days 7,265 Graves, Anthony $1,457,828.79 $7,597.09 10/27/2010 Capital Murder 18 years, 2 months, 4 days 6,634 Mumphrey, Arthur Merle $452,083.33 $7,787.89 3/17/2006 Aggravated sexual assault 18 years, 0 months, 11 days 6,581 Lindsey, Johnnie Eael $1,820,000.00 $11,332.78 4/24/2009 Aggravated rape 17 years, 11 months, 2 days 6,537 Wallis, Gregory Wayne $1,426,667.00 $7,864.92 2/5/2007 Burglary of a habitation 17 years, 9 months, 20 days 6,495 Lavernia, Carlos M. $435,416.65 $8,904.06 11/29/2000 Aggravated sexual abuse 17 years, 4 months, 27 days 6,352 Willis, Ernest Ray $429,166.66 $9,965.05 10/5/2004 Capital Murder 17 years, 1 months, 11 days 6,246 Waller, Patrick Leondon $1,300,000.00 $6,347.43 7/3/2008 Aggravated robbery and Aggravated kidnapping 16 years, 2 months, 24 days 5,924 Thomas, Victor Larue $391,666.64 $6,909.37 4/17/2002 Aggravated sexual assault / kidnapping 15 years, 7 months, 6 days 5,691 Fountain, Wiley Edward $387,499.98 $8,102.94 3/18/2003 Aggravated sexual assault 15 years, 5 months, 19 days 5,644 Miles, Richard $1,233,333.33 2/15/2012 Murder and attempted murder 15 years, 4 months, 26 days 5,621 Pope, David Shawn $385,416.65 $6,593.38 2/2/2001 Aggravated sexual assault 15 years, 4 months, 20 days 5,615 Hall, Tony $1,260,416.67 $6,478.48 2/16/2011 Aggravated sexual assault of a child 15 years, 0 months, 0 days 5,475 Washington, Calvin Edward $374,999.96 9/10/2001 Capital Murder 14 years, 11 months, 4 days 5,444 Duke, Dale $1,146,666.67 3/28/2012 Aggravated sexual assault 14 years, 3 months, 10 days 5,210 Taylor, Ron Gene $1,140,000.00 $6,185.67 6/13/2008 Aggravated sexual assault 14 years, 2 months, 6 days 5,176 Cole, Tim $1,060,000.00 3/1/2010 Aggravated sexual assault 13 years, 2 months, 21 days 4,826 Scott, Christopher Shun $886,666.67 $4,915.19 3/3/2010 Capital Murder 12 years, 6 months, 17 days 4,577 Simmons, Claude Alvin $1,000,000.00 $5,944.18 3/3/2010 Capital Murder 12 years, 6 months, 0 days 4,560 Harvey, John Michael $608,333.34 $5,002.88 12/8/2004 Aggravated sexual assault of a child 12 years, 1 months, 13 days 4,423 Webb, Mark Amos $289,583.31 3/20/2002 Aggravated sexual assault 11 years, 6 months, 24 days 4,219 Thompson, Stephen Craig $289,583.31 $5,212.16 1/12/2005 Aggravated sexual assault of a child 11 years, 6 months, 13 days 4,208 Waller, James Douglas $1,209,166.67 $7,039.32 3/9/2007 Aggravated sexual abuse 10 years, 11 months, 12 days 3,992 Sturgeon, Richard Glen $853,333.33 5/12/2009 Aggravated Robbery 10 years, 7 months, 25 days 3,885 Giles, James Curtis $1,164,583.33 $6,922.50 6/20/2007 Aggravated Rape 10 years, 0 months, 0 days 3,650 Robinson, Anthony Todd $245,833.30 $4,751.24 11/14/2000 Aggravated sexual assault 9 years, 9 months, 25 days 3,580 Harbin, Philip Alan $733,333.33 $3,815.89 2/4/2009 Failure to register as a sex offender 9 years, 1 months, 11 days 3,326 Brodie, Steven Matthew $877,546.98 $4,298.75 11/10/2010 Aggravated sexual assault of a child 8 years, 6 months, 18 days 3,118 Washington, Darryl $653,333.33 5/23/2012 Aggravated Robbery 8 years, 1 months, 2 days 2,952 Porter, Allen Wayne $613,333.33 $3,022.00 12/8/2010 Aggravated sexual assault 7 years, 7 months, 24 days 2,789 Gossett, Andrew William $375,000.00 3/21/2007 Aggravated sexual assault 7 years, 5 months, 15 days 2,720 Barbosa, Mary Ann $370,833.33 $5,208.99 12/5/2005 Aggravated sexual abuse 7 years, 4 months, 12 days 2,687 Amezquita, Gilbert $333,333.33 $2,475.16 8/17/2007 Aggravated assault 6 years, 7 months, 26 days 2,426 Karage, Entre Nax $158,333.32 $2,496.43 12/22/2005 Murder 6 years, 3 months, 20 days 2,300 Rachell, Ricardo $493,333.33 $2,816.76 2/9/2009 Aggravated sexual assault 6 years, 1 months, 19 days 2,239 Settle, Daniel Roy $540,416.67 6/29/2011 Delivery of controlled substance 5 years, 6 months, 18 days 2,023 Criner, Roy Wayne $130,208.33 $2,201.73 8/15/2000 Aggravated sexual assault 5 years, 4 months, 17 days 1,962 Robertson, Shakara $400,000.00 5/23/2012 Aggravated robbery 5 years, 1 months, 0 days 1,855 Sutton, Josiah Elijah $118,749.97 $1,726.56 5/14/2004 Aggravated sexual assault 4 years, 8 months, 30 days 1,730 Love, William Cash $106,249.99 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 4 years, 2 months, 9 days 1,529 White, Kizzy Rashawn $99,999.96 $1,461.04 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 11 months, 24 days 1,449 White, Kareem Abdul $135,772.74 $1,503.78 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 11 months, 22 days 1,447 Allen, Dennis Mitchell $97,916.63 $1,592.02 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 10 months, 24 days 1,419 Hall, Willie B. Jr. $97,916.63 $1,675.08 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 10 months, 24 days 1,419 Jackson, Christopher Eugene $97,916.63 $1,516.85 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 10 months, 24 days 1,419 Moore, Joe Welton $97,916.63 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 10 months, 24 days 1,419 Williams, Jason Jerome $97,916.63 $1,454.16 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 10 months, 24 days 1,419 Brookins, Freddie Wesley $83,333.32 $1,245.12 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 3 years, 4 months, 0 days 1,215 Turner, Keith Edward $81,249.99 $3,584.04 12/22/2005 Rape 3 years, 2 months, 6 days 1,161 Barber, Jason Glenn $77,083.33 $1,167.08 4/17/2002 Murder 3 years, 0 months, 17 days 1,112 Mata, Laura Ann $70,833.30 $1,200.26 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 2 years, 9 months, 6 days 1,006 Williams, Alberta Stell $68,833.30 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 2 years, 9 months, 5 days 1,005 Fields, Hilliard Eugene $459,583.33 $2,264.45 9/14/2011 Sexual assault 2 years, 8 months, 8 days 978 Smith, Yolanda Yvonne $64,583.31 $953.63 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 2 years, 6 months, 29 days 939 Montgomery, Patrick Logan $564,583.33 $3,286.80 11/24/2008 Indecency with a child 2 years, 5 months, 19 days 899 Contee, Darien $214,583.33 $1,015.28 8/5/2010 Possession of a Firearm 2 years, 5 months, 15 days 895 White, Michelle $62,499.98 $960.41 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 2 years, 5 months, 13 days 893 Williams, Joe Sidney $31,249.99 2/21/2002 Capital Murder 2 years, 5 months, 1 days 881 Ward, Nathaniel $58,333.32 10/29/2001 Aggravated robbery 2 years, 3 months, 6 days 826 McCray, Vincent Dwight $54,166.66 $926.64 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 2 years, 1 months, 6 days 766 Benard, Troy $52,083.33 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 2 years, 0 months, 6 days 736 Henton, Eugene Ivory $83,333.34 $1,036.62 2/15/2006 Sexual assault 1 years, 7 months, 10 days 585 Kelly, Denise Demeterise $37,499.98 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 1 years, 5 months, 24 days 539 Fry, Jason Paul $37,499.98 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 1 years, 5 months, 12 days 527 Wilson, Willa Finaye $16,666.64 $246.10 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 0 years, 7 months, 21 days 231 Kelly, Eliga Sr. $14,583.31 $429.79 8/22/2003 Delivery of controlled substance 0 years, 6 months, 28 days 208 Fredrick, Sherrie $40,000.00 9/28/2011 Possession of Controlled Susbstance 0 years, 5 months, 28 days 178 Shelton, Joseph Dean $6,249.99 $404.27 8/13/2003 Failure to register as a sex offender 0 years, 3 months, 0 days 90

Source: http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/texas-exoneree-payouts/?utm_source=texastribune.org&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=Tribune%20Feed:%20Main%20Feed

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CSU-themed bookstore getting makeover, bringing new sports bar to Fort Collins

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20130218/NEWS01/302180016/-1/rss08

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Sony promotes the Xperia Z with Make Magic video ads in Japan

The latest flagship smartphone from Sony has been the star of the season so far with its amazing feature set. Sony Xperia Z is setting up for a globally release and the company has kicked off its marketing campaign.

Sony has launched its Make Magic video promos for its Sony Xperia Z smartphones in its homeland. The promo videos lasts for about 30 seconds each and focus on the emotions when using the Xperia Z smartphone.

If you are wondering about the specifications, features and the performance of the smartphone, check our detailed review.

Source

Source: http://blog.gsmarena.com/sony-promotes-xperia-z-smartphones-with-make-magic-video-ads-in-japan/

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New Pregnancy Disability Leave Regulations Take Effect in California

From Stoel ? World of Work
by Tony DeCristoforo

California law requires employers with five or more employees to provide pregnancy disability leave (PDL) to employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. New revisions to the PDL regulations have taken effect and include some notable substantive changes, including the following:

• Expansion of definition of ?disabled by pregnancy.? The regulations now define the term ?disabled by pregnancy? to include needing time off for prenatal or postnatal care, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, post-partum depression, and loss or end of pregnancy. The regulations indicate that the list of conditions is intended to be non-exclusive and illustrative only, so employers should take a broad view of the term ?disabled by pregnancy.?

• Prohibition of discrimination based on ?perceived pregnancy.? It is now unlawful to discriminate or harass an employee based on ?perceived pregnancy,? which the regulations define as being regarded or treated by an employer as being pregnant or having a related medical condition.

• Clarification of definition of ?four months.? An employer must grant up to four months of leave to an employee disabled by pregnancy. The new regulations specify that ?four months? means one-third of a year, equaling 17 and one-third weeks.

• Expanded accommodation and reinstatement rights. The revised regulations provide examples of how an employer can reasonably accommodate employees affected by pregnancy, including modifying work schedules to permit earlier or later hours, providing furniture such as stools or chairs, acquiring or modifying equipment or devices, and providing a reasonable amount of break time for lactation or trips to the restroom. Additionally, the regulations expand the right of an employee to reinstatement to the same or comparable position. An employer can now be liable for transferring an employee over her objection to another position, unless the transfer is for legitimate operational needs unrelated to the employee?s pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, for requiring an employee to take a leave of absence because of pregnancy or perceived pregnancy when the employee has not requested leave, and for retaliating, discharging or otherwise discriminating against an employee for opposing employment practices forbidden by law.

• New forms and notices. The PDL law has always required employers to provide written notice to employees about their rights and responsibilities relating to PDL. The state has provided sample form notices for employers with less than 50 employees (Notice A) and employers with 50 or more employees (Notice B). These notices have been revised and updated in the new regulations.

The revisions to the California?s PDL regulations should compel employers to review their handbooks, policies and practices to ensure compliance with the law.

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Source: http://oregonbusinessreport.com/2013/02/new-pregnancy-disability-leave-regulations-take-effect-in-california/

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Paralyzed representative to make gun victims visible

Rep. Jim Langevin smiles in his congressional office as he confidently demonstrates the robotics of his wheelchair, popping upright on the front two wheels of his iBOT 4000 to bring himself eye-to-eye with ABC News' chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl.

As a 16-year-old, Langevin was critically injured while working with the Warwick Police Department in the Boy Scout Explorer program. A veteran officer handling a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, not realizing a round rested in the chamber, pulled the trigger, bouncing a bullet off a metal locker and striking the teenager in the neck, severing his spinal cord.

When President Obama prepares to begin his State of the Union address and looks out to his Cabinet, the Supreme Court and a sea of lawmakers tonight, he'll likely notice the seven-term Democrat off to his right sitting up front in a wheel chair. But Langevin won't be the only reminder in the House chamber of how guns can change the course of history.

Langevin, the first quadriplegic to serve in the House of Representatives, is leading an effort to persuade lawmakers to give their guest pass to a victim of gun violence. Since the president is expected to address gun violence during his speech, Langevin told Karl that he wanted to be sure there was a "heavy presence" of people who have been directly affected by gun violence in order "to really put a human face on the tragedy of gun violence."

"I was so affected by the tragic shootings that took place in Newtown, Connecticut, as we all were," Langevin, D-R.I., said as he explained the impetus behind his idea. "My concern was that the news cycle moves on after a period of time and we're on to other things and I don't want us to lose focus on the tragedy of Newtown, the tragedy of these mass shootings that have taken place over the last several years."

More than two dozen lawmakers have taken Langevin up on his appeal. Attending the president's address will be victims or family members of victims from some of the nation's deadliest shootings, including Virginia Tech, Aurora, Tucson and Newtown. Each member of Congress is entitled to one guest ticket for the State of the Union while the White House and members of congressional leadership get additional guest passes.

"When I asked them to give up their one ticket to someone who has been affected by gun violence, or have been a victim of gun violence themselves, so many of them were ready to embrace the idea right away," he said.

Langevin invited one of his constituents, Jim Tyrell, to attend the president's address as his guest. Tyrell's sister, Debbie, was murdered in 2004 during a robbery at a convenience store she owned in Providence, R.I. The shooter has never been caught.

Langevin, 47, is at the forefront of a growing constituency in Congress calling for a makeover of the nation's gun laws. Among the proposals, he wants to reinstate an assault weapons ban, limit high-capacity ammunition magazines, crack down on gun trafficking and pass a law requiring universal background checks for every firearm purchase in the country.

"I want members of Congress to know as they're looking up in the gallery and seeing all the people there that?they are waiting for the Congress to take up meaningful gun control legislation," Langevin said. "These are human lives, these are real people."

Langevin recalls the moment in 1980 that forever changed the course of his life.

"I was a 16-year-old police cadet getting ready to go onto my shift. I had dreams of becoming a police officer, going on to the FBI as a FBI agent and it was an exciting time in my life," he said. "Two police officers were looking at a weapon that one of them had purchased and didn't realize that the gun was loaded and the gun went off and the bullet ricocheted off of the locker, went through my neck and severed my spinal cord and I have been paralyzed ever since."

While Langevin concedes that the new gun measures under consideration in Congress wouldn't have prevented his accident, he wants to ensure that all guns are kept out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them, especially criminals and the mentally ill.

"Even though what should have been the safest [of] environments, in my situation being in a police station with trained police officers, my accident happened at the hands of two weapons experts on the police SWAT team," he said. "If an accident can happen there, an accident can happen anywhere."

But with lawmakers deeply divided over congressional action, Langevin says he is fearful there will be another mass shooting that could have been prevented if Congress fails to act.

"I don't want someone else to go through and live through the life that I have had to live through in terms of the challenges that I face," he said.

House Speaker John Boehner has said he will wait to see how the Senate responds before considering any gun-related legislation in the lower chamber. House Democrats have already unveiled more than a dozen measures to address gun violence and Langevin does not want any further delay.

"I want to vote. I'm asking the Speaker of the House to bring up a bill. Let us have an up or down vote," Langevin said. "I'd like to see a comprehensive gun control bill brought to the floor, but if we have to do it in several votes that's fine too. But give us the vote. Let us make our case to our colleagues on the floor and have a vote."

"We have to do something to try," he said. "This is the effort, this is the time. If not now, when?"

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/langevin-showcase-gun-victims-state-union-131322344--abc-news-politics.html

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WWE?s most dateable Superstars and Divas

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

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Mardi Gras ball 1st Superdome event since blackout

FILE- In this Jan. 21, 2013, file photo, singer Kelly Clarkson performs at the ceremonial swearing-in for President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The glitzy Mardi Gras Krewe of Endymion rolled its parade and super float through the Superdome on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, and Kelly Clarkson performed amid purple, green and gold lights in the first major event at the Superdome in New Orleans since the Super Bowl blackout. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE- In this Jan. 21, 2013, file photo, singer Kelly Clarkson performs at the ceremonial swearing-in for President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The glitzy Mardi Gras Krewe of Endymion rolled its parade and super float through the Superdome on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, and Kelly Clarkson performed amid purple, green and gold lights in the first major event at the Superdome in New Orleans since the Super Bowl blackout. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? This time, the lights stayed on in the Superdome.

The glitzy Mardi Gras Krewe of Endymion rolled its parade and super float through the Superdome on Saturday night and Kelly Clarkson performed amid purple, green and gold lights in the first major event at the venue since the Super Bowl blackout.

While the black tie ball was nowhere near the size of the championship game a week ago, it was a test for dome officials and the stadium's electricity provider, Entergy, which has come under scrutiny since the lights went dark for more than a half hour.

The bright stadium lights were dimmed for the ball, but there were no signs of any electrical problems.

Darin Coker and his wife, Jeannine, wondered whether the ball would be affected in any way after the outage.

"I got my dress six months ago," she said. "I was hoping they would get it fixed before tonight, and I was glad to hear they did."

The couple, both former New Orleans residents, drove in for the weekend from their home in Ruston, La., to attend the ball and catch other parades with friends and family. Darin Coker said he loved the sight of the dome's exterior, all aglow in purple, green and gold lights ? traditional colors of Mardi Gras ? and hoped outsiders wouldn't see the blackout as a black eye for a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

"I was watching the game from home, and I was like, oh no, we were doing so good. The city looked so good," he said. "The city has come so far, and I hate to hear people say, 'Oh look at them, they just can't get it together.'"

Entergy said the blackout appeared to have been caused by a problem with a device the company installed to prevent power outages. It's still unclear whether the device had a design flaw or a manufacturing defect, causing an outage to about half of the stadium during the NFL's championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

Entergy removed the equipment that failed, "and we're looking forward to hosting the Endymion ball," said Eric Eagan, spokesman for the Superdome.

The dome looked much different than a week ago, set up for a crowd of more than 30,000. The turf was covered with a floor and tables were set up where the field usually is.

The only hiccup Saturday occurred when the Endymion float had trouble negotiating a turn along its parade route on the way to the dome. The 330-foot float ? the largest-ever for Mardi Gras ? had to be separated and then re-attached to resume its journey.

The parade has 25 floats that roll through the dome, as revelers aboard them toss beads and trinkets to ball attendees gathered at tables and lower-level stadium seats.

Clarkson, the first winner of TV's "American Idol," was the parade's celebrity grand marshal. Her hits include "Because of You" and "Since You've Been Gone." She is one of several stars serving as celebrity riders in this year's Carnival parades.

On Sunday, actor G.W. Bailey of TNT's "Major Crimes" and the "Police Academy" movies is scheduled to reign as the king of the Bacchus parade.

On Monday, actor Gary Sinise and New Orleans musicians Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Harry Connick Jr. will ride in the Krewe of Orpheus parade with Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Mariska Hargitay.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-10-Super%20Bowl-Power%20Outage/id-62df1dba53f943a7a1e615ec56edd95b

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Support grows for U.S. "drone court" to review lethal strikes (reuters)

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Ashley Judd mocked in GOP ad. Will it scare her off Kentucky Senate run? (Christian Science Monitor)

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Gov. Cuomo's grand plan post-Sandy: give some of New York back to nature

New York Gov. Cuomo is proposing creation of an undeveloped coastal buffer zone by spending $400 million to buy and demolish up to 10,000 homes destroyed by superstorm Sandy.

By Husna Haq,?Correspondent / February 4, 2013

Beachfront homes are damaged after a storm surge from superstorm Sandy in the Staten Island borough of New York, Nov. 2012. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to spend up to $400 million to buy and demolish homes wrecked by Superstorm Sandy and permanently preserve the land as undeveloped coastline.

John Minchillo/AP/File

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Following through on his post-Sandy assessment that protecting New York state from coastal flooding would be a ?massive undertaking,? Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is proposing the return of some flood-prone parcels of land to Mother Nature, spending $400 million to buy and demolish as many as 10,000 homes destroyed by the October superstorm.

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Officials from Governor Cuomo?s office met with federal officials in Washington late Friday to present the ambitious hurricane recovery proposal, which would convert the purchased properties into an undeveloped buffer zone that would protect coastal communities from future storms.

The plan, which requires federal approval, would be funded in part from the $51 billion disaster relief package Congress approved in January, as well as from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, an agency Cuomo once headed.

In the wake of the Oct. 29 storm that damaged or destroyed more than 300,000 housing units in New York state, Cuomo has issued controversial warnings about climate change and has led efforts to find long-term solutions against future storms and floods.

?Climate change is a reality, extreme weather is a reality, it is a reality that we are vulnerable,? Cuomo said at a Sandy-recovery briefing in October. ?Protecting this state from coastal flooding is a massive, massive undertaking. But it?s a conversation I think is overdue.?

In more recent speeches, Cuomo has suggested residents should abandon flood-prone areas. ?There are some parcels that Mother Nature owns,? he said in his January State of the State address. ?She may visit once every few years, but she owns the parcel and when she comes to visit, she visits.?

As part of his plan to return parcels of land to nature, Cuomo has proposed using federal and disaster relief funds to purchase and raze roughly 10,000 homes destroyed by Sandy in the 100-year floodplain, a zone that has a 1 percent chance each year of experiencing greater than normal flooding.

Under the proposal, the state would offer homeowners the pre-storm full market value of their house. Those in severe flood-prone areas would receive a 10 percent bonus above market value as an added incentive to sell. In extreme-risk areas, the state would offer an additional 10 percent bonus if every homeowner on a block signed up for the buyout.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/4SBnf6DFTwY/Gov.-Cuomo-s-grand-plan-post-Sandy-give-some-of-New-York-back-to-nature

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Scientists turn toxic by-product into biofuel booster

Feb. 4, 2013 ? Scientists studying an enzyme that naturally produces alkanes -- long carbon-chain molecules that could be a direct replacement for the hydrocarbons in gasoline -- have figured out why the natural reaction typically stops after three to five cycles. Armed with that knowledge, they've devised a strategy to keep the reaction going. The biochemical details -- worked out at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of February 4, 2013 -- renew interest in using the enzyme in bacteria, algae, or plants to produce biofuels that need no further processing.

"Alkanes are very similar to the carbon-chain molecules in gasoline. They represent a potential renewable alternative to replace the petrochemical component of gasoline," said Brookhaven biochemist John Shanklin, who led the research, which was conducted in large part by former Brookhaven postdoc Carl Andre, now working at BASF Plant Science in North Carolina, and Xiaohong Yu of Brookhaven's Biosciences Department. "Unlike the process of breaking down plant biomass to sugars and fermenting them to ethanol," Shanklin said, "biologically produced alkanes could be extracted and used directly as fuel."

Recent discovery of an enzyme known as aldehyde-deformylating oxygenase (ADO), which naturally makes alkanes from precursors in certain bacteria, stimulated interest in harnessing this enzyme's action to make liquid biofuels. But early attempts to install ADO in laboratory-based alkane "factories" produced disappointing results.

Likewise, the Brookhaven team's experiments in test tubes -- using substrates synthesized with the help of Sunny Kim in Brookhaven's Radiotracer and Biological Imaging group -- yielded the same result others had observed: The enzyme mysteriously stopped working after three to five "turnovers" and alkane production would cease.

Biochemical curiosity and ADO's remarkable resemblance to a group of enzymes the Brookhaven scientists were familiar with drew them deeper into the mystery of why the enzyme stopped working.

"We set to work to try to understand the biochemistry of ADO because it is so similar to the desaturase enzymes that we study, but performs a very different and interesting reaction," Shanklin said.

The key discovery -- that the alkane-producing system creates a by-product that's toxic to the ADO enzyme -- was unexpected. It was also the key to solving the turnover problem.

To simplify the analysis of ADO, the scientists tested whether they could substitute hydrogen peroxide for the electron transfer proteins and oxygen normally required for the alkane-producing reaction -- an approach that had worked for a related enzyme. But instead of stimulating alkane production, no alkane at all was produced, and in control experiments containing all the components plus hydrogen peroxide, alkane production was also blocked.

"It turns out one of the electron transport proteins was interacting with oxygen to produce hydrogen peroxide, and the buildup of hydrogen peroxide was 'poisoning' the ADO enzyme, completely inhibiting its activity," Shanklin said.

To confirm that hydrogen peroxide buildup was the problem and to simultaneously test whether its depletion might enhance alkane production, Shanklin and his team tried adding another enzyme, catalase, which metabolizes hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and water.

"When we added both enzymes, instead of the reaction turning over three times before stopping, it ran for more than 225 cycles," Shanklin said.

So the scientists decided to make a "bi-functional" enzyme by linking the two together.

"We reasoned that with the ADO and catalase enzymes linked, as the hydrogen peroxide concentration near the enzyme increases, the catalase could convert it to oxygen, mitigating the inhibition and thereby keeping the reaction going," he said.

Living cells often contain levels of hydrogen peroxide sufficient to cause ADO inhibition. So there was a question about whether the dual enzyme would increase alkane production under these natural conditions.

Results to date have been encouraging: In experiments in test tubes and pilot studies in bacteria, the bi-functional enzyme resulted in at least a five-fold increase in alkane production compared with ADO alone. And, in addition to removing hydrogen peroxide as an inhibitor of ADO, the combo enzyme actually helps drive the alkane-producing reaction by producing oxygen, one of the key components required for activity.

"This bi-functional enzyme simultaneously decreases the concentration of the inhibitor and increases the concentration of a needed reaction component by converting an inhibitor into a substrate," Shanklin said.

Now the scientists are working to install the combo enzyme in algae or green plants.

"While ADO-containing bacteria convert sugar that we feed to them into alkanes, it would be much more efficient to produce alkanes in photosynthetic organisms using carbon dioxide and sunlight," Shanklin said.

The scientists also suggest that the general approach of strategically designing fusion enzymes to break down small molecule inhibitors could be used to improve the efficiency of a wide range of reactions. Defeating natural inhibition, a process they describe as "protection via inhibitor metabolism" (PIM), would allow such bifunctional enzymes to function more efficiently than their natural counterparts.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/F9tQb89hEvM/130204153859.htm

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Monkey business? US unsure of Iran's space claims

CAPTION CORRECTION, REMOVES SECOND SENTENCE AND ADDS NEW INFORMATION THAT THE MONKEY DEPICTED IN THE PHOTO IS NOT THE SAME ONE THE IRANIANS SENT INTO SPACE - In this picture obtained from the Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, scientists surround a monkey ahead of a space launch in an undisclosed location in Iran. One of two official packages of photos of Iran's famed simian space traveler depicted the wrong monkey, but a primate really did fly into space and return safely to Earth, a senior Iranian space official confirmed Saturday. One set of pictures showed a relatively dark-haired monkey. Another showed a different monkey, the one shown in this photo, strapped in a pod, that had light gray hair and a distinctive red mole over its right eye. State TV pictures seen by AP show the dark-haired monkey before and after the space flight, but a package of still pictures released by authorities showed the above monkey with the mole. (AP Photo/ISNA, Mohammad Agah)

CAPTION CORRECTION, REMOVES SECOND SENTENCE AND ADDS NEW INFORMATION THAT THE MONKEY DEPICTED IN THE PHOTO IS NOT THE SAME ONE THE IRANIANS SENT INTO SPACE - In this picture obtained from the Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, scientists surround a monkey ahead of a space launch in an undisclosed location in Iran. One of two official packages of photos of Iran's famed simian space traveler depicted the wrong monkey, but a primate really did fly into space and return safely to Earth, a senior Iranian space official confirmed Saturday. One set of pictures showed a relatively dark-haired monkey. Another showed a different monkey, the one shown in this photo, strapped in a pod, that had light gray hair and a distinctive red mole over its right eye. State TV pictures seen by AP show the dark-haired monkey before and after the space flight, but a package of still pictures released by authorities showed the above monkey with the mole. (AP Photo/ISNA, Mohammad Agah)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The United States expressed doubt on Monday about Iran's claim that it safely returned a monkey from space, saying it is questionable that the monkey survived ? or if the flight happened at all.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said a lot of questions remained "about whether the monkey that they reportedly sent up into space and reportedly came down was actually the same monkey, whether he survived."

"The Iranians said they sent a monkey, but the monkey that they showed later seemed to have different facial features," Nuland told reporters. "He was missing a little wart."

Tehran blames the confusion on Iranian media for initially using a photo of a backup monkey. It says the monkey orbited and returned safely, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad added Monday that he would consider being Iran's first astronaut in space.

Nuland described Ahmadinejad's proclamation as an "interesting choice," but was more diplomatic than Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who joked about Ahmadinejad's ruminations earlier Monday.

"Wasn't he just there last week?" McCain said in a tweet and linked to a story about the space-orbiting monkey.

Faced with criticism, McCain said in another tweet, "lighten up folks, can't everyone take a joke." But it wasn't funny to Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican, who tweeted, "Maybe you should wisen up & not make racist jokes."

Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard astronomer who tracks rocket launchings and space activity, backed up Iran's claim that monkey space flight was real. However, he had a slightly different explanation for the photo mix-up, saying the simian with the mole died during a failed space mission in 2011.

Iran has never confirmed that a monkey died in 2011, or that there was a failed mission that year.

Tehran says its goal is a manned space flight.

Washington and its allies worry the program may be cover for ballistic missile technology development.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-04-US-Iran-Space%20Monkey/id-b08d6a1ac3344a84a73a99b419f8f631

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