Spider Genome Advances

Happy Hallowe'en!  This is the velvet spider's best side (although, given the holiday, a shot of it's face wouldn't disappoint those who value the scary).
These findings come from recent publications in Science.  Silk genes, which code for extremely large proteins with stretches of amino acids that repeat many times, are themselves long and full of repetitive DNA that's hard to decipher. But the velvet spider genome, together with that of the orb weaver and the house spider, has exposed an unexpected variety of silk genes—“a lot more than we thought,” Coddington says. Researchers had already identified two genes for the class of silk known as major ampullate, which forms the superstrong dragline threads that anchor webs and are the inspiration for a major effort to make spider silk commercially. The social velvet spider's genome, however, revealed 10 genes just for that one kind of silk and nine other genes for additional silk proteins.

The newly deciphered genes help explain the molecular basis of spider silk properties. The silk genes contain short stretches of DNA called motifs that vary between species in number and in their exact sequence. By comparing the genetic differences with differences in silk properties, Hayashi's team has found that those motifs appear to influence strength, elasticity, and other features.

Sorting out this complexity may help bioengineers better understand and, ultimately, harness silk's remarkable strength and flexibility.  For example, silk glands contain nonsilk proteins that may serve as molecular chaperones to help with production of the fiber.  For researchers trying to make artificial silks, these findings are a gold mine.

Baby Driver (2017)

This is a very good chase movie, heavily populated by bad guys with a complicated moral compass.  Kevin Spacey is the baddest of the bad guys, and I really hope I see him in something that has him playing a less straight forward menace, because I think he has a great range, and is being narrowed over his career.  Jamie Foxx, on the other hand, is playing someone who I have rarely seen him cast as, and Jon Hamm is great as the love sick gangster who seeks revenge at a very high cost to himself.  The movie is essentially one long car chase, so if you like that sort of thing you are going to love this because it is so well done you can hardly believe it, and the music score is pitch perfect.  Highly diversionary, but great attention to detail.

Portuguese Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

• 1 Whole Chicken (3-4 lbs)
• 1 ½ lbs potatoes (yukon or reds), thinly sliced

 

• Marinade:
• 2 Dried Ancho Chilies-re hydrated
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Cilantro Sauce:
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 bunch Cilantro - finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• Cracked pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Rehydrate dried chilies in small pot of boiling water on the stove for 20 minutes.
3. Butterfly chicken: Rinse inside and out, removing innards. Pat dry. Place on a cutting board, breast down. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the spine, remove and discard. Turn the chicken over, and placing your hand on the breast bone, press down hard with the palm of your hand, to flatten.
4. Make the marinade by blending the marinate ingredients into a paste with a blender or food processor.
5. Brush a layer of marinade on the bottom of your baking pan.
6. Place the thinly sliced potatoes on top of the marinade and sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt.
7. Brush all sides and crevasses of the chicken with the marinade, coating fairly heavily. (You will add more marinade during cooking, so be sure to save the remaining.)
8. Place chicken, skin side down on the potatoes and place in the oven.
9. Turn chicken over after 15 minutes, and place back in the oven. After 10-15 minutes, brush more marinade all over the chicken on the skin side, really lathering it up. Return to the oven and bake until cooked through another 15-20 minutes, or until leg/ thigh reaches internal temperature of 180 F. To crisp the skin and get it deeply brown, broil for a few minutes. A little char is good here.
10. Remove chicken when done and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
11. While chicken is roasting, combine Cilantro Sauce ingredients together, either in a bowl- mixing by hand, or in a food processor.
12. Serve cilantro sauce on the side.
13. Cut chicken into pieces and serve.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Well, it has happened once again.  The book that won the Booker Prize is just really not my favorite one of the nominees.  The thing that I love is that many more of the long listed books are available to read before the prize is announced, and so I can more or less have an opinion ahead of time (although even now, I have had the experience of having read all the short listed books except for the one that won).
This year is no exception.  This book is very innovative, amongst a genre of books that seems to be popular with this prize.  It is a story told not just with prose written by the author, but also with quotes that are relevant to the story and which revolved around Abraham Lincoln and the death of his son William.  In addition to that tale, there is a fictionalized story that revolves around death, the meaning of death, and what the logistics of death are, for both those who die and those who are left behind.  It is interesting and well worth reading and thinking about.  Just not my pick to win.

The Big Sick (2017)

Jumpa Lahiri writes about the tension that exists for immigrants to the United States to both assimilate and marry their own.  Khalil Nanjiani does a magnificent job of bringing this home in the very best way that I have seen.
You could call this movie a romantic comedy and that would be accurate, because there are indeed elements of romance and comedy.  The film explores clashes across cultures and generations for laughs that are specific to Nanjiani’s experience but also resonate universally. The movie also functions as an astutely insightful exploration of how we live now with the Pakistan-born comic, starring as himself, enduring racism that’s both casual and pointed.
But the pivotal plot point in “The Big Sick” is a potentially deadly illness—hence the title—which provides not only drama and catharsis but also dark humor, and it allows the film’s characters to evolve in ways that feel substantial and real.  Nanjiani is horribly torn between losing his family and losing his girlfriend, and while he chose his family, once he is faced with Emily's potential death he realizes that he cannot lose her.  So he has a do over.  It is just fabulous, one of the best movies I have seen in a while.

Portuguese Roasted Pork

Having just spent some time in Portugal, we came home wanting to recapture some of the flavors.  One of the catches is of course that we are no where near an ocean and so making much of what we ate is completely out of the question.
This is an excellent choice, though, one which is easy and delicious.

Marinade

3 red peppers, roughly chopped

Some hot peppers, to taste (could be red chiles,)

½ can tomato paste

1 head garlic, roughly chopped

3 T paprika

Olive Oil 2-3 T

White wine 2-3 T

1 T Salt

Make paste in food processor

Spread paste on pork shoulder, punctured with knife

Ideally marinade for two days

Hot beef broth halfway up roasting pan

Roast uncovered at 400 for 1 hour, uncovered; 3.5 hours at 300

Wilton Diptych (1395)

Edmund holds the arrow which killed him. Edward the Confessor holds the ring which he is supposed to have given to a pilgrim who turned out to be Saint John the Evangelist. Richard was particularly devoted to Edward and prayed at his shrine in times of crisis. John the Baptist, holding the Lamb of God, touches the king’s shoulder.  The three saints are presenting Richard to the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and a company of 11 angels. The angels clearly display their allegiance to the king by wearing his white hart emblem. The Virgin, Christ, and angels are in the heavenly realm, while Richard and the saints are portrayed in the earthly realm.
The rest of the imagery is obscure. As well as the badge of the white hart Richard and the angels also wear collars made from pods of the broom plant. One theory is that the latin name for broom (planta genista) is a play on Richard’s family name of Plantagenet.
Many interpretations of the painting have been proposed. One is that Richard’s divine right to be king is being confirmed by the Child’s blessing. Another is that he is being accepted into heaven to join the company of angels. It is likely that the diptych was commissioned for private devotion, both in and as a reminder of, Westminster Abbey, where he was crowned and would later be buried.
The identity of the painter is unknown, but his technique is outstanding. From the style he is thought to be French, but is possibly English. The date of the painting is about 1395. It is painted in egg tempera with gold leaf on oak panels.

Going in Style (2017)

This is another elderly man buddy movie, with a great cast of age appropriate actors who loose their company pension and decide upon a bank robbery as the most reasonable option for funding their lifestyle.  I watched it on a plane when I was trying to get some sleep, so did not want a movie that was to complicated or too exciting, and this certainly fits that bill.  There are a number of things about a bank robbery movie that has you rooting for the robbers that is not ideal, and this movie does not really overcome that obstacle.  So while it is diversionary, the underlying issues that make three men in their 70's want to rob a bank are left largely untouched.  I don't think that movies have to solve or even address every issue they bring up, but I enjoy the ones that do more, and this is not one of those.

Two Stars Collide: A Game Changer

Four times in the past 2 years, physicists working with mammoth gravitational-wave detectors have sensed something go bump in the dark, sending invisible ripples through spacetime. This past week, they announced the detection of a fifth such disturbance—but this time astronomers saw it, too, at every wavelength of light from gamma radiation to radio waves. Just as physicists had predicted, the unprecedented view of the cosmic cataclysm—in which two superdense neutron stars spiraled into each other—brought with it a cornucopia of insights, each one of them a major scientific advance. The super-dense stars crashed together 130 million light years away, spewing out precious metals and other heavy elements like platinum and uranium – and experts say the event has kickstarted a "new chapter in astrophysics" and confirmed theories about the origin of the mysterious neutron stars.  The combined observation with gravitational waves and light showed, as predicted, that so-called short gamma ray bursts, among the most powerful events in the cosmos, spring from neutron-star mergers. It demonstrated a hypothesized new type of stellar object called a kilonova because it shines thousands of times brighter than an ordinary nova. And it revealed that half the elements heavier than iron are produced, perhaps exclusively, in neutron-star death spirals.

Feijoada with Sausage

We had fabulous bean based stews when we were in Portugal, and it is an easy meal to reproduce at home.  The key ingredient is beans, and typically it has sausage, although we had a fish one and a seafood one when we were there.
Delicious!

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10 oz smoked bacon, diced

1 pound smoked sausage (ideal chourico or linguica)

2 ham hocks, smoked

1 onion, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 peppers (sweet to hot as you wish)

1 T cumin seed

1 T paprika

1 T smoked paprika

½ can tomato paste

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 sick cinnamon

nutmeg

4 cups stock

1 can fava beans

1 can black beans

Crisp bacon, add sausage and ham hocks until brown

Add onions, when soft add garlic, 1 minute later degrease pan (pour off excess fat) and add peppers

(I had leftover mushrooms that I added here)

sprinkle cumin seeds and paprika

Add tomato paste, chopped roma tomatoes

Add cinnamon stick and fresh nutmeg

Add broth

Add cooked beans [or you’ve already removed the meat and are cooking dried beans in the broth

Simmer for an hour or so, make sure ham hock is cooked.

Zookeeper's Wife (2017)

Yes, this is another Holocaust movie.  So up front you know that it will be difficult.  The setting is occupied Poland, which is a different story than other parts of Europe for a couple of reasons.  The first is that they fought like crazy when the Germans invaded.  Warsaw was reduced to rubble.  They never stood a chance, but they fought bravely.  Poland at the time was 1/3 Jewish, and there were quite a few non-Jews who hid Jews throughout the long five-year war at great peril to themselves because they were saving neighbors and friends.  That is what this retelling of a true story is about.  A couple who had a zoo that was bombed in the early days of the war used their underground system of cages and pens to house Jews that they smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto before it was burned.  The logistics of successfully doing this involved not just the risk of hiding them, but having controlled interactions with the Nazis.  The thing that the movie does not demonstrate is how were they able to feed them all when food was increasingly scarce, but they did raise livestock for the German Army, so perhaps that was part of it.  In any case, this is emotionally intense, and at least in part, historically accurate. Well worth watching.

Ethan's Mac and Cheese

Slowly but surely son number four is dipping his toe into the realm of cooking, and this version of a classic dish was really very good.

1 lb. dried elbow pasta

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

2 cups half and half

4 cups grated medium sharp cheddar cheese divided

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese divided

1/2 Tbsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13").  Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When boiling, add dried pasta and cook about 1/2 time the package directs.  Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
3. While water is coming up to a boil, grate cheeses and divide into three sections.  Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
4. Melt butter in a large saucepan over MED heat.  Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine.  Mixture will look like very wet sand.  Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often.  Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth.  Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.
5. Continue to heat over MED heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency.  It should almost be the consistency of a semi thinned out condensed soup.
6. Stir in spices and half the reserved cheese sauce grated cheese, stirring to melt and combine.  Stir in remaining cheese sauce grated cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
7. In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully.  Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Top with reserved layer grated cheese, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
8. Sprinkle the top with the topping grated cheese and bake for 20+ minutes, until cheesy is bubbly and lightly golden brown.  

Big Grove Brewery, Iowa City, Iowa

I can't believe it has taken me this long to write a review of the brew pub, because it is a really nice place.  We recently has an out of town guest visit and we went not once but twice.
The first thing is that this place is huge, and it has something for everyone.  There are bar games, there is an area to sit and chat, there are tables, there are booths, there is a stage and live music on occasion, there is a great outdoor space, and there is a nice transition zone between these different environments.  The renovation of a big unattractive warehouse space is nothing short of spectacular.  Then there is the beer.  Which is very good, both in quality and selection.  The food, which you order at a counter and pick up, is modeled on street food, and while variable, there are excellent choices to be had.  The salad is terrific, as are the fries and the chicken sandwich.  The wings are top notch.  And when we went to Sunday Brunch, which they currently only do after home football games, was both delicious and a bargain.  Highly recommended.

Dance in a Subterranean Roundhouse at Clear Lake, 1878

Trained in Paris, Jules Tavernier immigrated to the United States in 1871 where he devoted his skills to portraying Plains Indians in the American West before settling in San Francisco. In 1876, Tavernier went to Clear Lake, where he was able to obtain entry to witness the dance ritual, and was asked to commemorate this event in a major painting.
The artist spent two years creating his masterwork, developing a composition of nearly 100 figures, including the two young Pomo male dancers, who enact a coming-of-age ritual. The dancers are surrounded by the tribe and their white visitors, including Parrott and Rothschild. Thus, Tavernier captures the very moment when the white settlers laid claim to the tribal lands. With brilliant technical finesse, he renders the dimly lit interior using highly controlled tonal variation and flashes of color to enliven the scene. Upon its completion, Parrott presented the painting to Rothschild, where it remained in his family until its arrival at the Met. With the addition of this work, a new narrative is introduced—the ancient presence of the Native American on the land is disrupted by the settlers' belief in their right to ownership of that land.

Pork belly Burnt Ends

It does not take a genius to figure out why these taste so delicious.  Pork fat and butter, mixed with an intense smokiness.  Yum.  But I usually do not care for pork belly, it is just too fatty for me, but this method renders a lot of the fat in the course of smoking and it is melt in your mouth delicious and slightly addictive to eat.


8lb Pork Belly skin removed

½ cup BBQ sauce

1 ½ sticks Butter sliced

½ cup Brown Sugar

¼ cup Honey

Pork Belly Burnt End Glaze
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup Apple Juice
• ¼ cup Apple Jelly
• 1 Tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce

Instructions

1. Prepare charcoal smoker for indirect cooking at 250-275⁰. Add 2 chunks of Cherry Wood for smoke.
2. Remove pork belly from packaging and cube into 1 ½” x 1 ½” pieces.
3. Season all sides of the pork belly cubes with The BBQ Rub.
4. Arrange cubes onto a full size cooling rack and place on smoking grate.
5. Smoke pork belly for 2 – 2 ½ hours.
6. Place each Pork Belly Burnt End into an aluminum pan and cover with brown sugar and honey. Arrange butter in between the pork belly pieces.
7. Cover pan with aluminum foil and return to smoker for 1 ½ hours or until the pieces are tender.
8. Drain the liquid from the pan and add the Pork Belly Glaze to the burnt ends. Toss gently to coat each piece and return to the smoker to set the glaze for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Earthquake in Chiapas

 When a deadly magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck the coast of Mexico's Chiapas state on 7 September, the handful of scientists that study the region were stunned, but not altogether surprised. For more than a century, there had been little activity to study—precisely why they thought the area could be due for a big one. The epicenter of the quake, which struck just before midnight local time, was just southeast of the Tehuantepec gap, a 125-kilometer-long stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast that has been seismically silent since record-keeping began more than a century ago. Their first priority now is to figure out how much, if any, of the Tehuantepec gap slipped in last week's quake, which killed more than 90 people and destroyed or severely damaged the homes of 2.3 million more.

The region where the earthquake struck is one of the most active seismic zones in the country: this is where the Cocos Plate dives, or subducts, under the North American plate. “Earthquakes of this size are not uncommon at subduction zone boundaries,” notes Jascha Polet, a seismologist at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.
But this quake was different: it occurred within the Cocos plate as it warped or bent, not at the boundary with the North American plate.

Mexico’s seismology agency has registered at least 337 aftershocks, with the strongest reaching a magnitude of 6.1.

The Diving Elk, Sioux City, Iowa

I am not much for bars in general, beer specifically, and the food that generally goes with all of that, but this is an exception to that general rule.  The atmosphere is pretty standard, with a big central bar that dominates the room, with tables and benches around the room's perimeter.  The beer selection is excellent, and they have a sampler that is a lot of fun.  Any four beers of your choice, 5 oz. pour of each.  If a couple people get it, there is an opportunity to try a lot of options.  The food is really surprisingly good.  We had brisket nachos, which had good smoked brisket, and well distributed toppings.  The fried chicken sandwich is top notch, as was the elk burger.  I wouldn't go for dinner if I wasn't going to have beer, but it is an excellent choice if you want both.

Local Involvement

I injected myself (probably unwanted and foolishly) into a debate about the value of local involvement at a family event not long ago, and at the time I was largely not supportive of it, feeling that being involved at a higher level was more important when things are as bad as they are right now.  I am not widely known for being this way, but I have come to change my mind.
A few things have happened.  One is that I see that while a measure that is widely unpopular, like the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, is driven not so much by what constituents want but what big donors want, and that means that I can have very little influence with my Congressional representatives.  They are all very much driven by things that are not in my control, even the one that I voted for.  So that is important to do, but it isn't going to bring about change in my lifetime.
The second thing is that I have noticed a big difference in how involved people are locally, and it can definitely make a difference.  We had a school election and bond measure that was hotly contested and I was for sure going to make it into the voting booth.  But I missed the couple of days of early voting, so I had to go the day of, and I was shocked by how crowded it was.  I had to park a block away, and then wait in a real line to vote.  And I went in the middle of the afternoon!  It was the largest turnout ever for a school board election, and one of the candidates got more votes than any previous candidate had ever gotten.  Amazing.  And the right things happened.  So we do have to energize our base, get people more involved, and that really helped me to see that it could make a difference.

Green Lentil Curry with Kale

While this is traditionally made with kale and green beans, I recently added a few peppers, just because they were in season, and a few carrots that were getting a bit unattractive.  It is a stew with kale as the backbone vegetable, but it can hold up other vegetables well.

• 1 1/3 cups green lentils
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• some green beans cut into 3/4-inch segments
•  kale, thick stems and veins discarded, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

For the curry paste

• 1 teaspoon peeled and finely grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped shallots
• tomatoes chopped

1. Put the lentils, turmeric, and 2 pints water into a medium pan and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the cayenne, beans, kale, coriander, carrots, and salt. Stir and bring to a boil again. Cover partially and cook gently for another 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the curry paste: combine the ginger, garlic, ground cumin, and coriander in a small bowl, then mix in 2 fl oz water.
3. Pour the oil into a medium frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the whole cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 5 seconds, then add the shallots. Stir and fry until lightly browned. Add the curry paste and fry until you can see the oil along the edges, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and fry for about another minute, until you see the oil along the edges.
4. When the lentils have finished cooking, add the contents of the frying pan. Stir and cook gently for another 5 minutes.

Emotional Words and Cancer

The challenge (well, one of the challenges) of having a very visible bout with cancer is that amidst all of this, I feel like I am being judged. I don;t mean that people are being unkind.  Quiet the contrary, other than having a boss who actively tried to remove me from office while I was in the ICU with a bout of sepsis, people were uniformly fabulous to me.  Strangers were kind to me.  I had a very rocky road for a while but at no time did I feel uncared for.  Being sick is lonely business but I did not have people close to me shy away from me (for the most part).
What I mean is that the words around illness in general and cancer in particular have to do with implying you have control over things that you really have almost no control over at all.  Cancer is neither a battle nor a journey.  It is life, on a different path than you might choose.  It may begin at Point A, but there really is no end to it, so long as you are alive to live it.  It is just different, that is all.

Commemorative Portrait of a Chief (Singiti)

 Through the inspired sculptural creations of master carvers, the deceased leaders of Hemba chiefdoms remained vitally present to their successors until the mid-twentieth century. This work belongs to that corpus of visual tributes to princely subjects from communities situated across the vast grass plains extending from the right bank of the Upper Zaire River to a branch of the Luika. Originally enshrined within darkened ancestral mausoleums positioned centrally within the community, where they were cared for by its living leadership, these profoundly contemplative figures signify their preoccupation with concerns of transcendent significance. Among the paradoxes of this artistic genre is that, despite the lengths to which Hemba masters strove to produce rarefied and nuanced likenesses, their achievements were generally removed from the line of vision of ordinary mortals. Instead, the originally intended audience for their idealized perfection was otherworldly.

The authors of Hemba ancestor figures typically focused on the bodily passages of the head and torso, whose respective epicenters are the eyes and navel. This male figure stands with hands held at either side. The gaze was privileged among all other senses as the principal means for visually acquiring knowledge, or ubatizha, a means of learning in-depth about a person, thing, or event through observation. This princely figure's eyes are closed and his expression deeply contemplative. The eyes are raised, semi-circular forms below the arc of the brow, the nose narrow at the bridge with flared nostrils; the semi-circular form of the raised lips is echoed by the beard that extends around the contour of the chin. While highly symmetrical, the head is turned ever so slightly. The summit of the head is crowned by an elaborate openwork coiffure. Such highly labor-intensive constructions reflected the wearer's ethnicity and elevated rank.

Indian Potatoes, Banarasi Style

This is yet another recipe from Vegetarian India, which is replete with option (for example, I haven't even started on the 25 recipes for dal it contains).  This potato dish is a keeper.  Boil the potatoes ahead of time, then finish the dish when you are about to serve dinner.

2 lbs. potatoes, boiled until almost done, then cubed.
oil to fry 
1 tsp. mustartd seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1-2 hot chilis chopped
2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. garam masala
finish with salt to taste, chopped parseley, and lemon juice

Heat up the oil and add the seeds until they start to pop.  Then add the fresh chilis, then a minute later the spiced.  Add the potaotes and toss until they are warm and fried to taste, then finish with salt, herbs, and lemon juice.  Serve warm.

Christopher Columbus, 1451

Of course we know without a doubt that Columbus did not in fact discover America.  The Vikings were here first and foremost, but they apparently did not like it enough to stay put.  We also know without any doubt that China had the wherewithal to sail to North America almost a century before the Vikings did so, but after a brief foray around to Africa, went home and did not pursue either trade or colonization on another continent. 
So it was left to the shipping powers of the 15th century to find and colonize North and South America.  These folks were hungry for power and money and they found both in large abundance.  I think reading Charles Mann's companion books '1491' and '1493' are an easy way to think about what exactly happened when the Spanish rapidly colonized and conquered the Aztec and Incan civilizations and brought all that silver (and gold, but it was silver that changed world commerce) home with them.  It is hard to know what would have happened if our continent had been colonized earlier or later, but good to remember the time that changed the world irrevocably.

Monarch's in California--Odds Not Looking Good

Have to go with Science Sunday this week because tomorrow is a holiday.  So here is some sad news.
Global climate change has made things difficult, and occasionally deadly, for beings that migrate.  Times are tough for monarch butterflies across the United States, but a new study in Biological Conservation shows that the subset of the monarch population that overwinter in California are likely to be the first to disappear.   Based on a combination of historical data and citizen science, researchers conclude that there has been a 97% decline in the butterfly population over a 40 year period,  from 10 million to about 300,000, Sierra reports. If the current trend continues, the butterflies face an 86% chance of extinction over the next 20 years. The exact cause for the die-off is unknown, but researchers speculate that in addition to changes in climate, a combination of land-use changes and pesticides may be to blame.  As we humans face fire and water in unprecedented amounts this year, these monarchs have been telling us for quite some time that we need to change our ways to heal our planet.  Which is home to all of us.

Managing Reality

For some reason, the anxiety I have felt about my cancer relapsing has been harder to manage now,  two years out from my diagnosis, than it was at the very beginning.  As a trained scientist, I know that this is irrational.  My chances of not responding to treatment were very real in the beginning, as was the chance of relapse.  My odds are still no where near great, but the fact is that they were most decidedly worse quite recently, and I coped better.  Which goes to show that rationality does not play much of a role when it comes to worry. 
I often think that saying the thing that you fear out loud helps, and that has been a little bit true.  Face the worst and you can take some steps forward.  But it is definitely not a cure either, and so I have solidarity with all those who suffer from nagging doubts that can take over.  It will help me to prepare for the worst, while I hope for the best.

Paul Revere's House, Boston

 When driving in the North end of Boston and you know you need a parking space, you definitely take the first one that you see, regardless of how far it is to walk to you ultimate destination.  It is very cool to walk through this newly renovated space.
The fact that the Revere's had 16 children, not all of them under this roof at the same time, and not all of them surviving to adulthood, but still, that is a lot of people to share a relatively small space with.  He is an interesting man and craftsman and it is well worth seeing.

At 10 pm on the night of April 18, 1775, Revere received instructions from Dr. Joseph Warren to ride to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the British approach. Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Revere and his family lived in Watertown, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. During this time Revere printed paper currency for the Massachusetts government, and helped to acquire powder and ammunition for the colonial troops. Revere went on to serve as lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts State Train of Artillery and commander of Castle Island in Boston Harbor. Revere and his troops saw little action at this post, but they did participate in minor expeditions to Newport, Rhode Island and Worcester, Mass. Revere’s rather undistinguished military career ended with the failed Penobscot expedition in 1779.

Stir Fry Zucchini in Yogurt Sauce

I got Madhur Jaffrey's cookbook Vegetarian India, and I have been cooking my way through it a little.  My youngest son wants to eat more Indian food, and while this is certainly not what he wants to focus on (he loves the many breads that come from there), it is my chance to cook new vegetarian foods.  My first attempt at this was good, not exceptional, but I do think it has a place in a zucchini recipe arsenal.

2 lb. zucchini, sliced in about 1/4" slices
3 Tbs. plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/4 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. salt
ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
whole mustard and cumin seeds

Heat up a frying pan with oil and add seeds until they pop, then add zucchini and fry for several minutes, until it starts to soften a bit.  Mix the rest of the spices into the yogurt.  Lower the heat and add some of the yogurt, one tablespoon at a time, until the dish has the flavor and texture you are pleased with.  Serve either hot or room temperature.

Crown of the Andes (1660)

The "Crown of the Andes" is considered one of the most important surviving examples of goldsmith work from colonial Spanish America. Notable for its rarity, richness, and exquisite craftsmanship, the crown represents the most distinctive artistic achievement of a locale whose wealth derived from the mining of gold and emeralds.
The "Crown of the Andes" was made to adorn a sacred image the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception venerated in Popayán cathedral, in the former Spanish viceroyalty of New Granada (now Colombia). An attribute of Mary's divine queenship, the gold crown is encircled by scrolls of acanthus leaves set with emeralds in blossom-shaped clusters that symbolize the Virgin's purity. The diadem, made in the mid-seventeenth century, is surmounted by four imperial arches made a little more than a century later. Pear-shaped emerald pendants are suspended beneath them and they are topped by a cross-bearing orb that signifies Christ's dominion over the world. The crown is encrusted with nearly 450 emeralds, the largest one being a twenty-four-carat gemstone known as the "Atahualpa emerald."

Communing in a Barn

My group of friends just hosted our 10th annual party in a historic barn.  It is admittedly an extravagant event, where we do it with a number of people and even then, the cost is more than you would care to admit.  The good news is that for me, it is completely worth it.  The elements are all there.  We always have babies and we always have people in their 80's.  And everyone in between.  We invite people from all walks of life, so it is always easy to have an interesting conversation.  We provide the meat, the music, and the beverages, and the rest is a pot luck (get in line early if you want to good stuff, but there is always food left over at the end, and the desserts lasted well into the night).  It is just very fun, for one night a year, to have an event that literally everyone is welcome and most have a memorable time.

Papua New Guinea: Most Diverse People

This Science Monday comes from the journal Science.  You can't get much more sci ency than that.  Except for maybe Nature.
If you travel through New Guinea, it is apparent to the trained ear that people along the banks speak distinct languages. The island's remarkable linguistic diversity reflects real genetic differences.  The report in Science concludes that this genetic variation dates back just 10,000 to 20,000 years, rather than to 50,000 years ago or so, when humans first arrived.
The island's independent invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago did not wipe out the genetic differences, as it did in Europe or parts of Asia. With agriculture, you tend to get larger groups of people and genetically homogenized societies. In Europe, farmers from Anatolia replaced local hunter-gatherers and erased much of their genetic contribution. That did not happen on New Guinea .
The researchers analyzed variation among 1.7 million DNA markers across the genomes of 381 Papua New Guinea (PNG) residents, and they also compared the complete genomes of another 39. They concluded that the people of New Guinea were isolated from Asians for most of prehistory, and that highland and lowland dwellers separated from each other 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. In the highlands, people split into three very distinct clusters of social groups within the past 10,000 years, soon after they began cultivating plants. In the lowlands, two main clusters arose in the north and south.  Why the separation?  That is one for the anthropologists to answer, but it is not solely geographic separation.  Cool right?

Dr. Chipotle Sauce for Pulled Pork

For our annual barn party, we always do pork and someone else always does chicken.  Often a whole pig is involved, but not this year.  This year I had a delicious pork dish with adobo when I was briefly in Phoenix over the summer and had surprisingly good food from a food truck parked out back of my hotel.

The Sauce:
1 small can of chipotles, with adobo sauce
24 oz. Dr. Pepper
several cloves of garlic
2 small onions diced
2 c. pureed tomatoes
6 oz. pineapple juice
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. salt

Put the Dr. Pepper, the garlic, and the chipotles in a blender, and puree.  Saute the onions in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until soft, then add the pureed ingredients plus the brown sugar, pineapple juice, salt, and tomato puree.  Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until flavors are blended.  Makes enough sauce for about 4 pounds of pulled pork.