A sugar molecule linked to the origin of life was discovered in a potentially habitable region of our galaxy.

The molecule, called glycolaldehyde, was spotted in a large star-forming area of space around 26,000 light-years from Earth in the less-chaotic outer regions of the Milky Way. This suggests the sugar could be common across the universe, which is good news for extraterrestrial-life seekers.

“This is an important discovery as it is the first time glycolaldehyde, a basic sugar, has been detected towards a star-forming region where planets that could potentially harbor life may exist,” Serena Viti of University College London said in a press release.

Previously, glycolaldehyde had only been observed toward the center of the galaxy, where conditions are thought to be too extreme to host habitable planets.

Glycolaldehyde is a key ingredient for life. It helps to build Ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is thought to be the central molecule involved in the origin of life on Earth. Glycolaldehyde is a monosaccharide sugar, the basic unit of carbohydrates. It can react with the chemical propenal to form ribose, the building block of RNA.

“The discovery of an organic sugar molecule in a star forming region of space is very exciting and will provide incredibly useful information in our search for alien life,” said Keith Mason, chief executive of the England’s Science and Technology Facilities Council.

The finding, made with the IRAM radio telescope in France, was announced Tuesday and will be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

For all of you looking for that perfect Turkey Day beer, do not go to this guy for advice.

Pretty interesting read on the search for God and salvation.  To me, it seemed Dick borrowed a lot from Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land mantra of “Thou art God.”  You grok that?  To get that conclusion, you to go through a lot of psychotic babble.  This was written as a semi-autobiographical account of Dick’s psychotic break down due to heavy drug use or schizophrenia.  Or both.

One of his conclusions is that God has been reincarnated numerous times.  God went by the names of Apollo, Zoroaster, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad.  And from a religious outsider like me, that makes a lot of sense.  All religions serve a basic purpose of trying to explain the world around us.  give us a reason for why things are the way they are.  I see regional differences, but a connected conclusion.  This could be due to divine intervention, coincidence, or even a shared evolutionary history.

Or it could all be bullshit.  It’s crazy people and and prophet’s who have the ear of God.  Dick finally admits that he may be all wrong and this is just a continuation of a psychotic delusion.  What ever it is, he warns us to stay away from a deity’s followers.  Those people are crazy for sure.

As I was going through the mail today, I saw another one of those things and opened it up to destroy it. Then it occurred to me, I had no idea what they were trying to sell me or get me to do, but all I saw was Pay to the order of: ME

amount $500

and across the entire thing was written “THIS IS NOT A REAL CHECK”.

Do you think I can get away with that when paying the bills? Hey KCP&L, here’s your money…but it’s not a real check.

I want a real check!

fuckers.

This is an example of a photo post. In this particular photo (above), you can see TomQ feeding his face while Bill gives him the Evil Eye. Also note Bill’s choice of shirtwear in this pic. You, too, can have your very own Ripxoid shirt by simply visiting the Ripxoid Store and BUYING ONE (hint, hint). Sorry, no, we do not sell the Duff Beer trucker caps like Tom is wearing. You’ll have to ask him where he got that… Prolly Wal-Mart’s or something.