Scientists in Florida have genetically engineered a yeast fungus to enable it to live ten times longer than its natural life-span. By removing two genes which are responsible for the aging process in yeast, and by putting the organism on a calorie-restricted diet, scientists enabled the fungus to live for up to ten weeks rather than the usual one week. Scientists hope that this discovery will help mankind find a way to prolong the life of people.

Quote: "There is, of course, a huge difference between yeast cells and people, but that hasn't stopped Longo and his colleagues suggesting that the work is directly relevant to human ageing and longevity. "We're setting the foundation for reprogramming healthy life. If we can find out how the longevity mechanism works, it can be applied to every cell in every living organism," Longo says. "We're very, very far from making a person live to 800 years of age. I don't think it's going to be very complicated to get to 120 and remain healthy, but at a certain point I think it will be possible to get people to live to 800. I don't think there is an upper limit to the life of any organism."

Research into human longevity is also being carried out on the process of cell division. The strands of DNA in each of our cells are held together at the ends by a sequence of repetitive code called a Telomere. Because DNA replication can only work on a 5>3 basis, every time a cell divides, it loses a small part of its DNA sequence at each end of the strand. The Telomere sequence at each end of the DNA strand acts as a disposable buffer, ensuring no genetic code is lost in the replication process. Cells can divide only so many times before they run out of Telomere. Therefore it is thought that Telomere affects longevity in humans, and that we are genetically programmed to die after a certain length of time. Scientists think that if we could lengthen these strands of Telomere, we may be able to prolong human life.

There are many factors affecting the life-span of man. Telomeres and our genetic code are just two of these. It is also believed that the environment and diet play a significant part in the aging process. The Bible states that men and women once lived life-spans of hundreds of years. Methuselah was the oldest man who ever lived, reaching 969 years old (Genesis 5:27). At one time men ridiculed the Bible, saying people could never live that long. Not only has science proven the Bible to be 100% accurate, but men are now seeking ways in which they can live to see these great ages. So once again man is seeking for the "tree of life". But in Genesis chapter 3, God barred the way to the tree of life so that mankind could not live forever in his fallen state (Genesis 3:22-24). It seems to me that was an act of mercy, rather than of judgement. Following the destruction of the antediluvian world, the life-span of man continued to decline until it reached "threescore years and ten", Psalm 90:10. But the Bible says we can have eternal life, by looking to the One who hung upon the tree of Calvary. Jesus Christ came into this fallen world, and died upon the cross for you and me. He bore the punishment for our sins, so that we could have eternal life in heaven (John 3:16). And as Jesus Christ Himself said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends", John 15;13. And as John later writes, "these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name", John 20:31. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Source Independent, Wikipedia

It looks more like the latest in saucepan technology than the future of crime fighting. But police are confident that this miniature remote-controlled helicopter will be an invaluable weapon in the war against wrongdoers. The Microdrone, measuring only 2ft between the tips of its eight rotor blades, was originally designed for military reconnaissance. When it takes to the skies above Liverpool this summer, it will be the first time such a device has been put to civilian use in this country.

With four stubby arms carrying the rotors, a miniature camera and a pair of landing skids, the near-silent drone is designed to hover above crime scenes and send footage to officers on the ground. It can take off and fly in all weathers and has a maximum speed of 15mph. Planned targets will be everything from youths riding motorbikes in a park to clashes between rival football fans and armed sieges where it might be unsafe for officers to come too close. Merseyside Police hope it will fulfil many of the roles of their existing manned helicopter at much lower cost while supporting their mobile CCTV vans on routine patrols.

The cost varies depending on the level of equipment - options include thermal imaging cameras to enable night-time filming and a loudspeaker so officers can shout instructions to those on the ground - but ranges from £10,000 to £15,000 per drone. Battery-powered and with a range of more than 500 yards, the mini-helicopter can be flown by an officer on the ground wearing goggles which enable him to see what the camera is filming, or it can be put on autopilot and follow a programmed route. With its military background, police are confident it will prove yob-proof, and even if someone is skilful enough to take a successful pot-shot it can still limp home with half its rotors disabled. The good news is that so far there are no plans to fit it with speed cameras.

The drone was unveiled the day after Hampshire Deputy Chief Constable Ian Readhead said the sheer number of CCTV cameras operating today was creating an "Orwellian" society. But officers in Liverpool say that while they accept some people have concerns, surveillance cameras have the public's support.People clamour for the feeling of safety which cameras give," said Assistant Chief Constable Simon Byrne. "Our drone will be used primarily to support our anti-social taskforce in gathering all-important evidence to put offenders before the courts. "Other uses may include monitoring public disorder, crowd control during large- scale events, and dealing with traffic congestion. "We're also looking at its potential during firearm operations.

"For us, this is a cost-effective way of helping to catch criminals which supports similar technology we're already using in our CCTV vans and helicopter." The drones are imported from Germany by Stoke-on-Trent-based MW Power. Business development manager Alistair Fox said: "We believe they are ideal for police use -they can be up in the air in just three minutes, they are relatively easy to fly, and they can provide high-quality images back to officers on the ground. "They don't need clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority because as they weigh less than 7kg they are officially classified as toys." If the three-month, Home Office supported trial is considered a success, Merseyside hopes to buy more Microdrones, and other forces could follow suit.

This link from my friend Frank. Craig Venter, a DNA researcher who has been involved in deciphering the human genome, is expected to announce within days that he has successfully engineered a life form from laboratory chemicals. Under Venter's direction, a team of twenty geneticists examined the gene sequence of a bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium. They then painstakingly reconstructed much of its genetic code using laboratory chemicals. The next step involves the transplantation of this manufactured chromosome into a living bacterium. The chromosome should then take control of the cell, and be able to replicate itself, making it the first synthetically produced life form on earth.

Quote: "The new life form will depend for its ability to replicate itself and metabolise on the molecular machinery of the cell into which it has been injected, and in that sense it will not be a wholly synthetic life form. However, its DNA will be artificial, and it is the DNA that controls the cell and is credited with being the building block of life. Mr Venter said he had carried out an ethical review before completing the experiment. "We feel that this is good science," he said. He has further heightened the controversy surrounding his potential breakthrough by applying for a patent for the synthetic bacterium. Pat Mooney, director of a Canadian bioethics organisation, ETC group, said the move was an enormous challenge to society to debate the risks involved. "Governments, and society in general, is way behind the ball. This is a wake-up call - what does it mean to create new life forms in a test-tube?"

I have no doubt this news will be championed by the evolutionists, who will boldly proclaim that mankind has proven that the creation of life is not dependent upon a Creator God. But in reality, what this news proves is that not only was God involved in the creation of life on earth, but that without an intelligent designer, life itself would not exist. Craig Venter boasts in this article that not only can we read our genetic "code", but now we have the technology to write it. What the evolutionists cannot answer is, where did this "code" come from? It did not come from the chemicals themselves. The order of proteins in DNA is independent of the properties of the chemicals of which they consist. The order of DNA in living things parallels that of language, where the information is not contained within the ink, or even the letters. The information comes from the complex arrangement of letters, which make up words, which make up sentences, which make up paragraphs, which make up chapters, which make up books, which make up volumes, which make up libraries. God is the architect of you. And as His creation, you will one day have to give an account to Him of the life you have lived. The book of Amos warns us, remember now your Creator in the days of your youth. Turn to Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-2
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

Source Guardian