Friday, August 21, 2020

Top Reasons why Google Stadia may mark a revolution in the gaming world

Top Reasons why Google Stadia may mark a revolution in the gaming world Make Money Online Queries? Struggling To Get Traffic To Your Blog? Sign Up On (HBB) Forum Now!Top Reasons why Google Stadia may mark a revolution in the gaming worldUpdated On 25/03/2019Author : Ram kumarTopic : GamingShort URL : https://hbb.me/2OrtPrX CONNECT WITH HBB ON SOCIAL MEDIA Follow @HellBoundBlogAfter much hype and anticipation, Google is set to shake the gaming industry with its new initiative called Stadia, evidently inspired by the notion of a collective appreciation of gaming skill. The major pitch is that the advantages that come with Google’s technology will interconnect developers, players, streamers, and viewers together. This connection which promises to be swift will be manifested in millions of interfaces to a global network of data centers.Google has also made Stadia so unique that it will be fully integrated with YouTube, where gaming content among others is the most popular on the site, watched by millions of people around the globe daily. A button that wi ll instantly allow users watch video game footage on YouTube was demonstrated by Google and Stadia will also allow for easy capturing and sharing of game clips. So here now are some of the reasons why this new gaming device might be a revolution for the gaming industry.SPEED RESOLUTION OF STADIAGoogle has dodged the issue of what this will mean in terms of overall usage, as well as with data-caps, arguing that internet service providers will increase caps to accommodate consumer’s behavior. Google has incorporated 720p as Stadia’s lowest resolution. Phil Harrison who happens to be the creator of Stadia said that Google is working on “very clever technology” that will protect game progress in case of sudden internet shutdown.STADIA CONTROLLERStadia has no box but a controller hence can be played on your tablet while out and on a TV screen when back home. The device is said to look pretty standard with the ability of connecting to the cloud via Wi-Fi. It also has a specific b utton which enables players to stream gameplay, and request developer-directed help using another button. Phil Harrison also made it known that “if a gamer owns a USB controller that uses the HID standard, it will work perfectly well with Stadia.”MULTI-PLAYER COMPATIBILITYAccording to Google, Stadia’s breaks through the limitations of older games by greatly increasing multiplayer options, including the Split-screen multiplayer between two people on a couch or online play without any noticeable latency issues or reduction in game graphics or quality. Cloud-based multiplayer games on Stadia will also offer real time and consistent world-altering events, like synchronized destruction. For instance, if a car is blown up by a player in an online game, every other player sees it happening, and the car stays blown up till the end of the gamingREADHow To Earn Money By Playing Casino Games On AndroidThere is heavy criticism on the technical aspects of Stadia like the lack of infrastruc ture making Stadia non-viable or useable in certain parts of the world, or over 20gb-per-hour streaming requirements decimating ISP data caps. These are fair concerns and important points to take into consideration, but they are merely technical, and they are sure to be eliminated eventually as technology progresses.Google entering the race of gaming is definitely a strong competitor to both PlayStation and Xbox. Add to this that they will eventually throw in combination deals, new Pixel phones and home hardware, YouTube TV subscriptions, and Google Drive service fees may certainly come with some Stadia handouts which should last for a considerable period of time. It is hereby predicted that Google will offer the Wi-Fi powered Stadia controller and the Chromecast Ultra for a cheap bundle as an easy entry point.In conclusion, Stadia could be the biggest shift in the world of gaming since the incorporation of online multiplayer in gaming. If Google doesn’t manage to get everyone ove rwhelmed, Stadia is still sure to emerge as a much-needed competitor to the current gaming market’s biggest rulers. Stadia with a little luck or handwork is an interesting bet to shake up the gaming industry in numerous exciting ways, especially with the next generation of consoles and the uproarious fan anticipation that comes with them worldwide. Google predicted it to arrive still this year, in late December. Great Christmas gift or a giant fiasco?

Monday, May 25, 2020

Alahmad and Murphy on Business Ethics Essay - 981 Words

The first two journal articles that were compared and contrasted were Ala Alahmad’s 2010 article on To Be Ethical or Not to Be: An International Code of Ethics for Leadership and Patrick Murphy’s 2009 article on The Relevance of Responsibility to Ethical Business Decisions. Some key findings of Alahmad’s writings were that ethics and leadership were closely tied together; they were found to be derivatives of one another. He mentioned that ethics is an individual thought process of making good or poor decisions. Alahmad described an international code of leadership that was heavily veiled with great moral fibers. Some notable characters of his code included honesty, respect, punctuality, humbleness, and great dignity. However, in†¦show more content†¦Finally, in comparison Murphy elicits empirical researchers to explore, examine, and refine his findings. In essence, he did not perform an extensive review of his results similar to Alahmad’s re sults. Alahmad and Murphy both shared similar ideas about the moral compasses be pointed in the right direction as it relates to ethics. Rather if it was a code for international ethics or an examination on responsible both cases proved to be win-wins for ethics. There were no major points of contrast that were note worthy. On some level, both writers were going for the same goal just in different way. The next two articles that were compared and contrasted were Peter Drucker’s 1981 article on What Is Business Ethics? and Milton Friedman’s 1970 article on The Social Responsibility of Business Is To Increase Its Profits. Drucker linked business ethics as a monitoring tool that called out businesses who received special ethical treatments. He noted that what we refer to as ethics should be called ethical chic. This turned out to be highly debated statement of that period. Drucker’s statement did not seem to be related to the core principles of what ethics was established for. Drucker’s main claim was that business ethics elevates businesses to a higher level than that of regular citizens. HeShow MoreRelatedEssay on Different Viewpoints of Business Ethics1997 Words   |  8 Pagesresponsibility and business ethics before concluding the paper. Four Articles All four articles center their focus on business ethics. Of the four articles, three are scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles and one, by Friedman, is an online periodical. The first article is â€Å"To be ethical or not to be: An international code of ethics for leadership† by Aja Alahmad. This article first states the importance of the topic issue. The author claims that there are no clearly defined codes of ethics that leadersRead MoreBusiness Ethics and Social Responsibility Essay2333 Words   |  10 Pagesinterpretations of four separate authors in respect to ethics and social responsibility as they apply to business. The four articles to be reviewed are; â€Å"The Social Responsibilities of Business is to Increase its Profits† by Milton Friedman, â€Å"The Relevance of Responsibility to Ethical Business Decisions† by Patrick E. Murphy, â€Å"What is ‘business ethics’† by Peter F. Drucker and â€Å"To Be Ethical Not To Be: An International Code of Ethics for Leadership† by Ala’ Alahmad. Each of these articles represents the author’s

Thursday, May 14, 2020

The Deployment Of Military Personnel - 847 Words

What happens to those left behind when a member of the U.S. military gets deployed? At the end of 2013, there were over 1.4 million active duty U.S. military personnel, of which approximately half have a spouse and/or children. Once deployment orders are received these servicemen and women must say goodbye to their loved ones for up to fifteen months. During this time of separation, the families will go through dramatic changes in an effort to make up for the absence of a spouse and/or parent. The deployment of military personnel adversely affects their families by causing negative emotional and/or behavioral changes, by continuously altering the framework of the family dynamic, and by increasing the risk factors for divorce upon their post-deployment reintegration. Deployment of a parent and/or spouse can cause a myriad of behavioral and/or emotional changes in the family members left behind. The stress of deployment on the spouse left at home can cause mental health issues that have a negative impact on their relationship with their child(ren) and their parenting practices (Swenson Wolff, 2011). Subsequently, a spouse left to parent and carry on alone for months on end may begin to feel the weight of their compounded responsibilities, the fear for their spouse’s safety, and the heartache of loneliness in such a deep way that depression, insomnia, and anxiety lead them to needing medication and/or therapy. The children in these families have no control over theShow MoreRelatedThe Deployment Of Military Personnel964 Words   |  4 Pagesthere was over 1.4 million active duty U.S. military personnel, of which approximately half have a spouse and/or children (Department of Defense, 2014). Once deployment orders are received, these servi cemen and women must say goodbye to their loved ones for up to fifteen months. During this time of separation, these families will go through dramatic changes in an effort to make up for the absence of a spouse and/or parent. The deployment of military personnel adversely affects their families by causingRead MoreThe Deployment Of Military Personnel Essay884 Words   |  4 Pages As of April 12, 2015, excluding the U.S. Coast Guard, there are nearly 1.2 million active duty U.S. military personnel (Demographics of Active Duty U.S. Military, 2015). Approximately half of these men and women have a spouse and/or children that they must say goodbye to once they are deployed and deployment can last four to fifteen months. The deployment of military personnel adversely affects their families by causing negative emotional and/or behavioral changes, continuously altering theRead MoreEssay On Post Service1011 Words   |  5 PagesChange in Cognitive Processes of Soldiers Post-Servic e in the Military It is estimated between 20% and 30% of soldiers report psychological symptoms after returning home from combat three to six months post-service (Dohrenwend, Turner, Turse, Adams, Koenen, Marshall, 2006). Following the Iraqi and Afghanistan conflicts, there has been a raise in question of the mental health statuses of service men and women post-deployment (Hoge, Castro, Messer, McGurk, Cotting, Koffman, 2004). Many of the mentalRead MoreA Research On Parenting Aspects Of Military Connected Families And Their Children With Preschool Children1144 Words   |  5 Pagesgenerating and systematically reviewing and analyzing original published studies on military families, their children’s behaviors, and parenting interventions. Key definitions and MeSH terms used were military personnel, parent, parenting, child-rearing, veteran, and parent-child intervention. Inclusion criteria for this review consisted the study needed to be original research addressing parenting aspects of mil itary connected families and their children with preschool children as the part or centralRead MorePreventing Ptsd And Depression And Reducing Health Care986 Words   |  4 PagesBoyd, N. D., Delaney, E. M., ... Johnston, S. L. (2016). Preventing PTSD and Depression and Reducing Health Care Costs in the Military: A Call for Building Resilience Among Service Members. Military Medicine, 181(10), 1240-1247. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-15-005. Retrieved from EBSCO; key words: Preventing PTSD Description: This case study presents data from a Post Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) questionnaire that completed by Soldiers after returning to the States from being deployed to OperationRead MoreThe Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Transition Disorder?911 Words   |  4 PagesDefence force personnel who complete their service – nominally veterans if they have been deployed overseas on at least one operation, are highly trained both upon entry into the military and throughout that career, however, they are released from service with varying degrees of preparation for entering back into civilian life. Currently, the NZDF provides a three day â€Å"Transition Seminar† that is the only active training programme for service personnel releasing from the military; moreover, thisRead MoreThe Psychological State of Peacekeeping Soldiers1351 Words   |  5 PagesRelation to Prevalence of Mental Disorders and Perceived Need for Mental Health Care that â€Å"Although military personnel are trained for combat and peacekeeping operations, accumulating evidence indicates that deployment-related exposure to traumatic events is associated with mental health problems and mental health service use.† He later did an observation involving some 8,000 active duty military personnel. Sareen used the World Mental Health version of the World Health Organization Composite InternationalRead MoreEmotional And Behavioral Disorders Among Children With A Military Parent1256 Words   |  6 Pagesher son, Stephen’s first experience with a military deployment. Stephen’s father, Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Moody, had been on a year-long deployment to Iraq when Stephen was only a toddler. Even now, after having endured four deployments, the fourth grader is still plagued with separation anxiety when his father leaves (Brooks Jones, 2016). Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common among children with a deployed military parent. Adolescents of military parents are facing adverse emotional andRead MoreThe Effects Military Deployment Has On Marital Relationships.1540 Words   |  7 PagesThe Effects Military Deployment has on Marital Relationships Meghan GaNung Indiana University of Pennsylvania Abstract This research paper provides a theoretical perspective on the effects that military deployment has on marital relationships. The background section investigates the five different military branches, what stressors are involved for those in military relationships, and a brief history of what military relationships were like in the past. In the literature review, readersRead MoreEssay On Alcohol Behavior1474 Words   |  6 Pagescorrelation between alcohol use by month and deployment into a combat area (Fink et al., 2017). The final suggestion was that factors outside of deployment as a whole are what change alcohol use. Although the findings did not strongly support the hypothesis, significant findings about post-deployment drinking behaviors were shown. According to the study, participants decreased their alcohol consumption by 7 drinks a month from 1 year to 2 years after deployment. In figures, the monthly drinking average

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Gender Roles And Inequality The Brief Wondrous Life Of...

Gender Roles and Inequality As a young girl, Malala Yousafzai faced the brutality of gender inequality that the Taliban enforced. Ever since she was a young child, Yousafzai had been an advocate for girls’ education and always eager to learn. On the devastating day of October 9th, 2012, Yousafzai was shot while returning home from school. To this day, nothing has stopped Yousafzai from continuing to speak out about the importance of girls’ education, despite the inequality that she and many other women and girls still must endure. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao written by Junot Diaz is an exemplary text that supports reader s understanding of gender roles that are faced daily in Middle Eastern countries. Diaz’s portrayal of gender inequality and gender roles helps inform one’s understanding of the Taliban’s attack on Malala Yousafzai because Maritza, Ana, and Yousafzai are disempowered due to their gender. Yousafzai is a typical girl in Pakis tan, yearning for educational and women’s rights. In Mingora, Pakistan on July 12th, 1997, she was welcomed into the world. Her hometown used to be full of tourists, but the area changed once the Taliban attempted to take control. As a young girl, Yousafzai formed her beliefs in gender equality and began her initial activism. Yousafzai attended her father’s school and was always supporting girls’ rights to education. Once the Taliban’s rules started to be enforced, Yousafzai knew it was time to speak up. The Taliban decided to

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Collabrative Working in Health and Social Care free essay sample

Using a model of reflection, reflect how you may effectively contribute to working with others and why this is important in health and social care This essay will describe the key policy drivers for collaborative working in health and social care and the importance of effective collaborative working. It will also relate to and discuss my personal experience of collaborative working. Also, it will outline the roles of different members within health and social care teams. Finally, how my own reflection on personal ability in collaborative working identifies the need for development. According to nursetogether. com (2007), collaboration implies working together for the greater good, but it actually encompasses far more. Community care. co. uk (2003) argues that, collaboration and multidisciplinary working are key drivers of the government’s health and social care policies. The department of Health (1992) has also highlighted the need for collaborative working to be incorporated into a National health strategy. This white paper places collaborative working in the centre reform. It defines collaborative working as a partnership of individuals and organisations formed to enable people to increase their influence over the factors that affect their health and wellbeing. The framework identified key areas for priorities targeted under the recognised health service. The collaborative ventures had to target certain high vulnerability groups in the community, such as women, certain socio- economic groups and ethnic minority groups, Targeting practice (Department of health 1993) identified aspects of good practice to be promoted within community health practice. This includes building health alliances within and beyond the health sector and providing quality service, good communication, good working relationships as well as shared aims and values, mutual respect between professional groups and shared learning. Policies such as the NHS PLAN (2000) have identified the need for collaborative working by looking at drivers and frameworks such as the National Service for children, young people and maternity services. The NHS plan mentions that frameworks and drivers have ‘expressed the need for joint working between health and social services to ensure a joined up or collaborative approach to patient care. The NHS PLAN (2000) has aimed to create a service designed around patient needs by encouraging health professionals to work together in collaboration to meet the needs of patients. The NHS plan (2000) mentions how it is important to involve inter education within the healthcare system. The need for this is mentioned in the plan that it promotes a more collective approach towards patient needs, by sharing of knowledge and information by healthcare professionals so that better decisions can be made regarding patient care. Turner and Palastanga (2005), state how different personalities can cause conflicts in collaborative working and how strategies to understand one’s own behaviour and to deal with difficult people is an important aspect of collaborative working as this enables effective service delivery. There are apparent barriers in communication and working patterns that can affect team work. This has been recognised within the media where health and social care organisations have lacked effectiveness in collaborative working. When a serious incident occurred due to the lack of effective collaborative working, Community Care (2010) reports how the social workers of Haringey council in 2007 failed to notice Baby Peters serious abuse and neglect inflicted from family members which lead to his death. There were missed opportunities by the social workers to save him from his abuse. The judge’s verdict was also delayed when OFSTED announced thousands of pages of undisclosed evidence which should have been passed on to other members of the team involved in Baby Peters case. The report says how there was poor communication between different NHS departments that lead to the failure of Baby Peters care. And how the Police and social workers involved in reviewing the case and practice in the health and social care organisations was poorly monitored. This clearly shows evidence of poor collaborative working by Haringey Council. The National Council for Volunteers (2012), an organisation that is a giving voice and Support to a Civil Society, Argue that in order for collaborative working to be successful, it is essential to discuss how you will work together, defining roles and responsibilities, contractual or other legal obligations. People working in collaboration also recognise the importance of values, such as trust in their relationships. Also to build on preparation planning and a written agreement can help avoid misunderstanding. Atkinson et al (2009, identified essential factors to successful collaborative working, such as, commitment from those involved at all levels, having common joint aims and objectives, a clear focus for the work and also good leadership. Collaborative working is a topic of interest in health and social care as it is vital that each team member understands and fulfils their role. Rafferty et al (2001) states teamwork is regarded by many stakeholders as key to the delivery of effective care. Leathard (2003) applies, individuals in a team are equally important to address issues and demands together. According to Turner and Palastang(2005) individuals in a team should have a flexible approach to working and clear communication channels as well as the importance of each individual in the team to make sense of themselves and the concepts within their own context. For the purpose of this essay partially being based upon my own reflective experiences, I will now talk in the first person. I showed effective collaborative working on a given task within a group of four people. The task was called â€Å"the egg drop task†. We were given a few pieces of material to create satisfactory protection for the egg, so that when it dropped from a certain height the egg would not crack. Reflecting on the task, According to Gibbs Model of reflection (1988) as part of a team member I performed well although initially I had mixed feelings as I took leadership, I later involved everybody in conducting the task and asked for each person’s overall opinion. We showed effective collaborative working as in the end we had a positive outcome because when the egg was dropped, covered in protection that we created as a team, the egg did not crack. According to Belbin team roles (2012) it is important to build mutual trust and understanding and also members of a team seek out roles that are most effective and natural to them. I believe my team trusted me to take leadership within the group, according to Belbin (2012) I am naturally a person who likes to take control. All of members in my group co-operated with each other and got along well. I felt as though all members of my team effectively contributed towards the task and gave their opinions accordingly. However, I did feel at times as though I took overall control of the group and was giving the instructions. According to Belbin (2012) test for assessing team roles, I have â€Å"Shaper â€Å"characteristics, which means I am highly motivated with a lot of nervous energy and have a great need for achievement. I am a sort of person who likes a challenge and to push others into action. I felt as though I had many weaknesses as a member of the team, as I felt I was too controlling and felt that my ways were correct most of the time and other group members methods were not. At times I became quite irritated when I was not being listened to or ignored; I would then instead talk over others and lose my patience. In conclusion, I learnt the importance of collaborative working within health and social care and from personal experiences. It is important for each member of the team to understand and fulfil their role and responsibility, also communicate effectively for a positive outcome. As poor communication, trust and co operation within the team overall contributes to poor collaborative working. Working within the health and social care sector, it is very important to have effective collaborative working as it has been demonstrated that without good collaborative working between different departments, communication and information can be misplaced and mistakes can be made as mentioned.

Thursday, April 9, 2020

The Princess I Am Essay Research Paper free essay sample

The Princess I Am Essay, Research Paper The Princess I am As a well-respected adult female of my clip, I would neer in my twenty-four hours talk up to my superior, but this clip things had gone excessively far and I had had plenty. I was tired of watching myself and other fellow adult females being treated like a piece of meat by the work forces that dominated our lives, and I decided that, with the aid of many others I would set an terminal to it. It all started the twenty-four hours I heard the Grand King Oric, ask for my manus in matrimony. It was a great award I thought to be a Queen, being pampered, waited on manus and pes and non holding to make a thing. However, to be married to an absolute King with all power and wealth was even a finer glorification. As I planned my epicurean nuptials with the aid of my maidens, I dreamed of what a all right life I would hold, but I shortly realized how incorrect I was. We will write a custom essay sample on The Princess I Am Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As the nuptials twenty-four hours shortly advanced, I still had non seen my suer. Of coarse I heard of him, but neer had I seen the adult male up near. I grew instead funny, and shortly my enticements got to the best of me. One dark when the sky was black as coal and the lone visible radiation I had was from the Moon, I ventured out, disguised as one of my servant misss, to seek to catch a glance of my boyfriend. I slinked along the twist river and shortly approached the King? s palace. It was tremendous, I did non believe I could happen him such a wide topographic point. Nevertheless I walked in, and began my hunt. There were many all right diggingss so in the palace, yet the 1 that caught my attending by far was the angry, austere voices coming out of what looked like to be a storage room. I drew nigher and the voices softened, so all at one time a big corpulent adult male scampered out, protesting how he demanded to see his bride, with his hireling behind him. I thought to myself, could this be my groom? I did non cognize for certain, so I took it upon myself to happen out. As I closely followed the two work forces, I overheard the plump King state his servile, that he needed a immature kept woman to raise and convey about his kids, since his last married woman was an old beldam, and was now beheaded for being so. Equally shortly as I heard this, I instantly thought to myself, make I hold to be with a adult male that will merely love me for bearing his kids? I did non believe so. I dashed out of the palace, and went back to my expecting bed. The following forenoon I awoke with a different position on work forces. Most work forces I realized at this clip were non at all the gentlemen we thought them to be. I decided to obtain many of the other adult females in the small town and mass meeting to set a halt to work forces like King Oric. However after a few months many of the adult females stopped beat uping and decided they liked the old government better. After I resolved that adult male were non all that wicked. I so married, despite the fact he was non of baronial blood and of no great worth, nevertheless, he did handle me like the princess I was. As I look back on how small I did for adult females sort, I did open up the thought, that adult females should be treated every bit every bit good as work forces.

Monday, March 9, 2020

Science Breakthroughs (2002-2013) Essays

Science Breakthroughs (2002-2013) Essays Science Breakthroughs (2002-2013) Essay Science Breakthroughs (2002-2013) Essay Nueva EciJa University of Science and Technology Laboratory High School Gen. Tinio St. , Cabanatuan City Science Breakthroughs (2002-2013) Submitted to: Maam Arlene Gonzales Submitted by: Euna Rastyne T. Mejia Ill-Argon In 2002, U. S. scientists at the State University of New York at Stony Brook have created the first synthetic virus. Using directions downloaded from the Internet and chemicals obtained from a mail-order company, they built an apparently identical copy of the poliovirus. When injected into lab mice, the synthetic virus caused paralysis and then death. The scientists, who published their findings in the online journal Science Express in July 2002, said that they undertook the experiment to prove the alarming fact that a functional pathogenic virus could be constructed without access to a natural virus. Is this small step for biochemistry a great leap for bioterrorism? Scientists say that few people now have the skill to build a synthetic virus, much less one that could be an efficient bioweapon. The genome of the highly contagious smallpox virus is about 25 times as long as that of the poliovirus and has a more complex process of replication. But its synthesis may one day be possible. This being so, the experiment raises questions about the wisdom of ceasing vaccination when a natural virus has been eradicated. In 2003, the Hubble telescope has detected the oldest known planet†and it appears to have been formed billions of years earlier than astronomers thought possible. Nicknamed Methuselah after the aged biblical patriarch, the planet is an astonishing 12. 7 billion years old. In contrast, all other known planets (including our own) were created about 8 billion years later, roughly 4. 5 billion years ago. Methuselahs age is causing stronomers to reevaluate the prevalent theory of planet formation, which argues that the early universe did not contain sufficient heavy elements (e. g. , carbon, silicon, and oxygen) to allow for planets to form. But Methuselah defies this theory, having debuted when the primordial universe had only one-thirtieth of the heavy elements existing when our own solar system was born. In 2004, celebrated physicist black holes. Whats more, his error cost him a long-standing bet, obliging him to present a baseball encyclopedia to John Preskill of the California Institute of Technology. On the bright side, Hawkings black hole recantation had a rather exciting side-effect: l think, he ventured, l have solved a major problem in theoretical physics. Formed from a collapsed star, a black hole is a cosmic vacuum cleaner, whose gravitational pull is so strong that it sucks up everything in its way. In 1976, Hawking theorized that black holes emit random radiation (later named Hawking radiation) and lose mass until they eventually evaporate without a trace. All the matter sucked into a black hole, and all information about it (its quantum mechanical properties), would then be lost forever. But Hawkings theory contradicts an essential principle of quantum physics: no information can ever be truly destroyed. Black holes, if Hawking was right, defy the laws of the universe as we know it. This radical theory, according to Preskill, precipitated a genuine crisis in fundamental physics. Preskill resisted accepting what became known as the black hole information paradox, and in 1997 Hawking (along with another colleague) bet him that information swallowed by a black hole is forever hidden from the outside universe and can never be revealed, even as the black hole evaporates and ompletely disappears. Seven years later, Hawking claims to have solved the very paradox he created. According to his revised theory, black holes eventually open up, revealing information about what went into them†the information remains firmly in our universe, Hawking asserted. Preskill was pleased enough at having won the bet, but acknowledged, Ill be honest, I didnt understand the talk. Neith er did most others in the audience of the 17th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation in Dublin, leaving a stunned group of 800 scientists not sure what had hit hem. Hawkings published proof of his revolutionary findings will follow, but in the meantime, he has paid off his bet to Preskill. The bettors had agreed upon an encyclopedia, which, unlike a black hole, is something from which information can be recovered at will. In 2005, paleontologists discovered the existence of soft tissue in a 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil. An unprecedented find in a prehistoric creature†scientists had assumed no such tissue could survive more than 100,000 years†the soft tissue included cells and blood vessels. The discovery was a erendipitous one. Because this T. rex fossil was located in a remote part of Montana (the Hell Creek formation, where about two dozen species of dinosaurs have been found) the fossil had to be removed by helicopter. According to paleontologist Jack Horner, who participated in the excavation, we actually had to split the thighbone into two pieces to get it into the helicopter. When his colleague Mary Schweitzer later examined the hollow cavity of the broken bone in her North Carolina State University lab, she discovered the pliable tissue. Scientists predict the soft tissue will rovide a gold mine of information about the physiology of dinosaurs. Examination of the soft tissue has already yielded several exciting revelations. The tissue included medullary bone, a calcium-enriched substance temporarily present when birds are ready to produce eggshells and lay eggs. Not only does the presence of medullary bone reveal that this particular T. rex was female (paleontologists have never before determined the sex of a dinosaur), but the existence of medullary tissue also According to Schweitzer, it links the reproductive physiology of dinosaurs to birds very closely. It indicates that dinosaurs produced and shelled their eggs much more like modern birds than like modern crocodiles. Horner commented that this is another piece to the puzzle and there are a lot of them. Anyone who would argue that birds and dinosaurs are not related†frankly, Id put them in the Flat Earth Society group. In 2006, paleontologists revealed the discovery of a 375-million-year-old transitional species whose anatomical traits bridge the gap between fish and tetrapod (four-legged vertebrate). Nicknamed the fishapod, its formal name is Tiktaalik roseae, from the Inuit name for a large shallow-water fish. Tiktaalik Joins several other significant transitional fossils†the most famous of which is Archaeopteryx, the part-bird, part-reptile considered the missing link between birds and dinosaurs, which was discovered in 1860, Just two years after Darwin published The Origin of Species. The transformation of aquatic creatures into land animals took place during the Devonian period, about 410 to 356 million years ago. But before the discovery of the 375-million-year-old Tiktaalik fossils, there had been no actual fossil evidence to illustrate this crucial evolutionary moment. According to paleontologist Neil Shubin of the University of Chicago, We are capturing a very significant transition at a key moment of time. What is significant about the animal is that it is a fossil that blurs the distinction between two forms of life†between an animal that lives in water and an animal that lives on land. Tiktaalik resembles a huge scaly fish with a flat, crocodile snout. What amazed scientists was its pectoral fins, which contain bones forming the beginnings of a shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, and even nascent fingers. Shubin describes the fin as basically a scale-covered arm, asserting hat heres a creature that has a fin that can do push-ups. Tiktaalik could pull its own weight, dragging itself along in shallow water and onto dry land, much like a seal. Tiktaalik also distinguishes itself from a fish by the existence of a primitive neck and ribs. As Harvard University paleontologist Farish A. Jenkins explains, Out of water, these fish encountered gravitational forces very different from the relative buoyancy they enjoyed in an aquatic setting. Restructuring of the body to withstand these forces is evident in the ribs, which are plate-like and overlap like shingles, orming a rigid supporting mechanism for the trunk. And while a fish has no need of a neck†in water, its entire torso easily falls into place behind its head when changing directions†Tiktaaliks developed neck allowed it to move its head while its body, constrained by the stronger pull of gravity on land, remained stationary. According to Edward Daeschler of the Academy of Natural Sciences, the combination of these radically new anatomical features with classic fishlike traits demonstrates that evolution proceeds slowly in a mosaic pattern with some elements changing hile others stay the same. In 2007, scientists reported that they could use human skin cells to create embryonic stem cells. Stem cells have the remarkable ability to grow indefinitely, serving as a sort of repair system for the body. They can potentially divide without limit into any one of the 220 types of cells in the body to without embryonic destruction, which would eliminate the ethical controversy and limited funds for research. With ethical problems out of the way, more resources will become available for stem cell research. Generating stem cells could lead to new isease treatments by taking skin cells from a person with an illness and generating more stem cells that could be observed from the earliest stages of development. By watching a disease as it develops, scientists could potentially design drugs to not only treat it but also prevent it. With stem cells produced from a patients own skin cells, it is possible to create tissue that would not be rejected by their immune system†the same result would require cloning with embryonic stem cells. In 2008, California became the first U. S. state to ban the use of trans fats by restaurants nd food retailers. Trans fats, or hydrogenated oils, are used in processed foods to increase their shelf life. Trans fats are also linked to coronary heart disease. California has 88,000 restaurants that will be affected when this law goes into effect by 2010. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the new law was a strong step toward creating a healthier future. Any restaurant violating the new law will incur fines from $25 to $1,000. In 2009, the Human Epigenome was decoded. The decoding of the human genome nearly a decade ago fueled expectations that an nderstanding of all human hereditary influences was within sight. But the connections between genes and, say, disease turned out to be far more complicated than imagined. What has since emerged is a new frontier in the study of genetic signaling known as epigenetics, which holds that the behavior of genes can be modified by environmental influences and that those changes can be passed down through generations. So people who smoke cigarettes in their youth, for example, sustain certain epigenetic changes, which may then increase the risk that their childrens children will reach puberty early. In October, a team led by Joseph Ecker at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif. studied human skin and stem cells to produce the first detailed map of the human epigenome. By comparing this with the epigenomes of diseased cells, scientists will be able to work out how glitches in the epigenome may lead to cancers and other diseases. The study, which was published in the journal Nature, is a giant leap in geneticists quest to better understand the strange witches brew of nature and nurture that makes us who we are. In 2010, researchers from the J. Craig Venter Ins titute reported the successful construction of first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell. They copied and modified an entire genome of a small bacterial cell, inserted it into a living cell of another species, and by doing so created a new, synthetic life. This is the first self-replicating species that weve had on the planet whose parent is a computer, U. S. scientist Craig Venter who led the team said. It also is the first species to have its own website encoded in its genetic code. This is the first self-replicating species that weve had on the planet whose parent is a computer, U. S. scientist Craig Venter who led the team said. It lso is the first species to have its own website encoded in its genetic code. Scientists hope to patent the organism, called Mycoplasma laboratorium and engineer it to manufacture cheap biofuels, medicines and other useful compounds. In 2011, NASAs Kepler Mission scientists, who are charged with discovering Earth-like planets in the so-called habitable zone of stars in the Milky Way, announced the Tatooine); located the first two known Ea rth-sized exoplanets; quadrupled the number of worlds known to exist beyond our solar system; and spied Kepler-22b † the most Earth-like planet weve encountered yet. And heres the really exciting bit: Kepler is Just getting warmed up. In 2012, for the first time in history, researchers at Kyoto University created a mouse by using eggs derived from stem cells alone. The achievement once again shows the remarkable possibilities presented by regenerative technologies like stem cells, while raising pressing ethical questions about the potential for human births in which parents might not be required. In 2013, the idea of taking someone elses poop and giving it a new home in your own colon may sound repulsive, but the treatment has proven emarkably effective in curing infections of C. ifficile†a nasty bacteria that kills 15,000 people each year. Take heart: The digested food waste in feces isnt itself the cure. Youre simply gaining some of the helpful bacteria living in the donors gut†like a farmer choosing the hardiest crops to seed next years fields. The bacteria produce proteins that are involved in a lot more diseases than we realized, says Roizen. Still grossed out? Researchers in Canada have developed a method to deliver Just the bacteria†no feces†via an oral pill, skipping the need for a poo enema.