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Czornobaj found guilty of two motorists’ deaths after stopping car to save ducks [w/video]

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Emma Czornobaj

Sometimes being an animal lover can get you into serious trouble, especially if you’re not thinking of your fellow man. In 2010, Emma Czornobaj stopped her car in the left lane of a Canadian highway south of Montreal to rescue a group of ducklings. However, a motorcyclist riding with his daughter as a passenger crashed into the back of Czornobaj’s car while it was stopped, killing them both.

The case went to trial, and the story has dominated Canadian news for some time now. On Friday, Czornobaj was convicted of two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death in a Canadian court. According to the CBC, her explanation in court was that she saw the ducklings along the side of the road without their mother in sight. As an animal lover, she decided to stop her car to rescue the birds and take them home with her.

Her punishment for the deaths isn’t yet known, but according to the Montreal Gazette, sentencing is scheduled for August. Czornobaj’s lawyer is trying to make sure she gets no jail time because this is a first offense and there was no criminal intent in the fatalities. Regardless of the sentencing outcome, it’s a tragedy all around. Scroll down for a video with commentary about the jury’s decision.

Continue reading Czornobaj found guilty of two motorists’ deaths after stopping car to save ducks [w/video]

Czornobaj found guilty of two motorists’ deaths after stopping car to save ducks [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jun 2014 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shubham Banerjee Brings Braille To The White House Maker Faire

1921217_294116430741166_1511636514_o  Shubham Banerjee, a 7th grade inventor,is  seen here with his incredible NXT braille printer called the Braigo. This fantastic invention that puts braille printing into the hands of people who typically couldn’t have afforded it, has earned him an invitation to the White House Maker Faire. Banerjee, currently 13 […]

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Balancing Water To Save Lives

Photograph by Jonathon Kambouris

The Challenge

Maintaining a perfect cellular water balance is crucial for our bodies to function as they should. That’s the job of tiny proteins known as aquaporins, which channel water across cell membranes. Recently, scientists discovered that aquaporins are present in tumors and may accelerate the growth of certain cancers. Researchers have also discovered that Devic’s disease, an incurable autoimmune disorder that can lead to paralysis, is caused by antibodies that attack aquaporins.

The Big Idea

Multiple labs are targeting aquaporins as they work to develop new treatments for disease. For cancer, that means identifying a molecule that can block aquaporins in tumor cells. It’s a difficult challenge. “Water always finds a way in,” says Dr. Alan Verkman, professor of medicine and physiology at the University of California at San Francisco. The leading inhibitors are heavy metals, like mercury. While too poisonous now, they are still fertile ground for researchers and may be viable in the future. Closer to realization may be a therapy for Devic’s disease, which in addition to paralysis can cause rapid blindness and loss of bladder and bowel control. Verkman’s lab has identified a molecule that can block the antibodies targeting aquaporins, and it has shown promise in preclinical trials. Water gives life, as the saying goes, but understanding and manipulating how it moves through cells may prove to be a hallmark of 21st-century medicine.

This article originally appeared in the June 2014 issue of Popular Science.

Read the rest of Popular Science’s Water Issue.




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Cosmic Coffee: The ISS Is Getting an Espresso Machine

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will soon wake up to a stellar view of Earth while sipping an invigorating cup — or, actually, a pouch — of gourmet espresso.
Italian companies Lavazza, a coffee brand, and Aerotec, an aerospace firm, teamed up to create a coffee machine capable of brewing eye-opening beverages in zero gravity. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will deliver the device, appropriately named the “ISSpresso,” and in so doing will also become the first I

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