Only recently has it become possible to sequence Neanderthal genes. Scientists were able to obtain DNA from the remains of three Neanderthal women and sequence it. They then proceeded to compare the Neanderthal genome with five different modern people and have arrived at evidence of genetic influences on us.

We now have evidence for some gene flow from Neanderthals to all non-Africans. The most surprising part is that these same genes were not only found in a European, but also in a Han Chinese and a person from Papua, New Guinea.

Click here, and on that page click on the LISTEN NOW link.

Enjoy!

Recently two more of my photos made it into children's magazines, one of a genet cat into "NOCTURNAL ANIMALS" of the "Appreciating Amazing Animals" series, volume 1, Grassland & Jungle, page 7, of Malaysia, and one into the "bbluesky kids" (yes, double-b) magazine #1, 10.2009, page 34, of Hong Kong (see the page below).

Time-shift photos

The mouse pointer controls the time.
Der Mauszeiger steuert die Zeit.

Habe gerade ein kleines Programm fertiggestellt, Telly, mit dem man Telefonnummern in Wörter umwandeln kann, die man dann eintippen kann.

Manche Telefonnummern lassen sich gut durch Wörter darstellen, andere nicht. Nullen und Einsen haben leider auch keine Buchstaben und sind daher hierfür ungünstig. Manchmal lassen sich die Wörter besser merken. Jedenfalls viel Spaß!

Enjoy this choir. I think they are amazing.

After starting the video, you can enable "HQ" and full-screen display, if you like and if you have a fast Internet connection. And turn up your sound volume.

Read the travel report on my personal web site.

Philip Tetlock is a professor of organizational behavior at the Haas Business School at the University of California-Berkeley.

Which forecasters should you trust on the direction of the economy and the markets? Ask Philip Tetlock, who knows the kind of expert worth listening to—and what to listen for.

By Eric Schurenberg, Money Magazine
Last Updated: February 18, 2009: 4:10 PM ET

Danny Choo takes photos in Tokyo. He resides in Tokyo, and blogs about life in Japan and Japanese subculture. He also works part time for the empire.

• Tokyo Photo Walk 1
• Tokyo Photo Walk 2