Looking for the
notes for the Beechmont Crest YouTube video GNP vs. GDP?
Click here.
June 29, 2008
AIDS immunity and the bubonic plague
Scientists have discovered that a small number of people of Northern
European ancestry have a natural immunity to AIDS. These individuals possess
a rare mutation of the CCR-5 receptor. This mutation disrupts the entryway
through which the HIV virus enters white blood cells. If a carrier of the
mutation is exposed to HIV, he or she will not develop AIDS symptoms---because
the virus cannot attack the person’s white blood cells.
Mutations of the CCR-5 receptor are most common among Northern European
populations. The mutation is less common among people of Southern European
descent; and it is almost entirely absent from Asians, Africans, and Native
Americans.
Scientists have traced the history of the mutation back to the Black Death
epidemics that swept through Europe in the 1300s. The mutation also provides
immunity to the plague. Modern carriers of the mutation are therefore the
descendents of those who survived the Black Death in Europe, thanks to this
lifesaving genetic abnormality.
June 1, 2008
Absolute zero is defined as a
temperature of −273.15 on the Celsius (centigrade) scale and −459.67 degrees
on the Fahrenheit scale. This is the coldest possible temperature. At
absolute zero, molecules stop moving, and no heat remains in a substance.
Hydrogen is known for its
simplicity. In fact, a hydrogen atom is the simplest kind of atom that can
possibly exist.
May 25, 2008
Coptic
boats
The English word “barge” is most immediately derived from
the Medieval Latin barga. But this Latin word has Greek origins. The
Greek baris means “Egyptian boat.” This word is an adaptation of the
Coptic word for boat, bari.
The Coptic language was prevalent in Egypt during in the late years of the
Roman Empire, following the birth of Christianity. Coptic is an evolved form
of the ancient Egyptian language (distinct from Egypt’s present-day national
language, Arabic). The written language of ancient Egypt employed
hieroglyphic symbols. Coptic makes use of a more accessible alphabet of
thirty-two letters. Twenty-five of these letters are borrowed from Greek;
the other seven are simplified forms of the old hieroglyphics.
In the third century A.D., Coptic was the most commonly spoken language in
Christian Egypt. (Many members of Egypt’s educated classes also spoke
Greek.) Coptic’s status in Egypt began to decline in 642, when Muslim armies
invaded, and Arabic became the language of political power. Pockets of
Coptic speakers continued to exist for centuries in Egypt; but the language
was eventually overwhelmed by Arabic. By 1700, Coptic was virtually extinct
as a spoken language.
Coptic is still the liturgical language of the Coptic Church, which is
headquartered in Cairo. The Coptic Church claims about seven million
members.
May 24, 2008
Zimbabwe has the world’s lowest life
expectancy---just 39 years.
May 23, 2008
What
ancient Athens and Survivor had in common
Beginning around 490 B.C., the Athenians began a practice known as
ostrakismos, from which the English “ostracism” is derived.
Ostrakismos was a bit like being “voted off the island” in the TV
reality show Survivor. Ostrakismos worked like this: Each member of
the Athenian assembly wrote the name of an individual who they believed was
harmful to the city on a small piece of pottery called an ostrakon. After
everyone had voted in this way, the ostrakons were counted. If a citizen
received a majority of the votes, he could be exiled from Athens for a
period of ten years.