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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Dinosaur footprints lifted from NASA site

A chunk of stone bearing dinosaur footprints has been carefully lifted from the grounds of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., scientists report.

The dino tracks, thought to have been left by three separate beasts more than 100 million years ago, were discovered by amateur paleontologist Ray Stanford in August 2012.

The feature that first caught Stanford's eye was a dinner-plate-sized footprint of a nodosaur, a tanklike dinosaur studded with bony protuberances that roamed the area about 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous period (the period from 145 million to 65 million years ago that was the end of the Mesozoic Era). This particular lumbering leaf-eater must have been moving quickly across the prehistoric mud, as its heel did not sink deeply into the ground.

A closer look at the site revealed two more prints. Stephen Godfrey, a paleontology curator at the Calvert Marine Museum, who was contracted to preserve the find, said he suspects one was left by an ornithopod, possibly from the iguanodontid family, which were large vegetarian dinosaurs with birdlike, three-toed feet that walked on its hind legs. Another smaller footprint found superimposed over the nodosaur track is thought to be from a baby nodosaur, perhaps trying to catch up to its parent, according to a statement from NASA. [ See Photos of the Dinosaur Footprints at Goddard ]

The stretch of ground containing the prints measured about 7 feet long and 3 feet across at its widest point (2 meters by 0.9 meters). After making a silicon-rubber cast of the dino tracks, the team covered the find in plaster-soaked burlap, much like an orthopedic cast, to reinforce the slab and protect it from damage during the big move. Altogether, the stone slab, the protective jacket and surrounding soil weighed about 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms), and it was successfully pulled out of the ground last month.

Space news from NBCNews.com
1. Canadian astronaut's artistry hits warp speed
  Updated 90 minutes ago 2/5/2013 2:01:25 AM +00:00 Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield's creative side seems to be firing up the warp drive ? thanks in part to Twitter, William Shatner and Barenaked Ladies.
2. Curiosity rover hammers first Mars rock
3. Updated 84 minutes ago 2/5/2013 2:07:36 AM +00:00 Earth safe from asteroid's close flyby next week
4. Updated 108 minutes ago 2/5/2013 1:43:53 AM +00:00 Balloon-borne telescope seeks out Big Bang signal

For now, the prints are being stored at Goddard until further scientific study is possible. The wonder of the discovery has not been lost on space scientists at Goddard, who often find themselves studying starlight as old as the dinosaurs.

"One of the amazing aspects of this find is that some of the starlight now seen in the night sky by astronomers was created in far-distant galaxies when these dinosaurs were walking on mud flats in Cretaceous Maryland where Goddard is now located," Jim Garvin, Goddard's chief scientist, said in a statement. "That starlight (from within the Virgo Supercluster) is only now reaching Earth after having traveled through deep space for 100 million years."

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook? and Google+.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50698154/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Solar development absorbing Calif. farmland

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2011 file photo, solar panels are seen at the NRG Solar and Eurus Energy America Corp.?s 45-megawatt solar farm in Avenal, Calif. There?s a land rush of sorts going on across the nation?s most productive farming region, but these buyers don?t want to grow crops. Instead developers are looking to plant solar voltaic cells to generate electricity for a state mandated to get 33 percent from renewables by the end of the decade. (AP Photo/The Sentinel, Apolinar Fonseca, File)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2011 file photo, a worker looks over solar panels at the NRG Solar and Eurus Energy America Corp.?s 45-megawatt solar farm in Avenal, Calif. There?s a land rush of sorts going on across the nation?s most productive farming region, but these buyers don?t want to grow crops. Instead developers are looking to plant solar voltaic cells to generate electricity for a state mandated to get 33 percent from renewables by the end of the decade. (AP Photo/The Sentinel, Apolinar Fonseca, File)

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) ? There's a land rush of sorts going on across the nation's most productive farming region, but these buyers don't want to grow crops. They want to plant solar farms.

With California mandating that 33 percent of electricity be generated from renewables by the end of the decade, there are 227 proposed solar projects in the pipeline statewide. Coupled with wind and other renewables they would generate enough electricity to meet 100 percent of California's power needs on an average summer day, the California Independent System Operator says.

And new applications for projects keep arriving.

Developers are flocking to flat farmland near power transmission lines, but agriculture interests, environmental groups and even the state are concerned that there is no official accounting of how much of this important agricultural region's farmland is being taken out of production.

""We've been trying to get a handle on the extent of this for quite a while now," said Ed Thompson of American Farmland Trust, which monitors how much of the nation's farmland is absorbed by development.

The California Department of Conservation, which is supposed to track development on privately held farmland, has been unable to do so because of staff and funding reductions, officials say.

"I'd love to say we have all of that information, but we really don't," said Molly Penberth, manager of the land resource protection division. "We're going to play catch up getting that information, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley."

Planning department records in four of the valley's biggest farming counties show about 100 solar generation plants already proposed on roughly 40,000 acres, or about the equivalent of 470 Disneyland theme parks. Planners in Fresno County say their applications for solar outnumber the ones they received for housing developments during the boom days.

Solar developers have focused on the southern San Joaquin Valley over the past three years for the same reason as farmers: flat expanses of land and an abundance of sunshine. Land that has been tilled most often has fewer issues with endangered species than places such as the Mojave Desert, where an endangered tortoise slowed solar development on federal land.

Much of the solar development is proposed for Kern, Tulare, Fresno and Kings counties, which are home to more than 400 crops that pump $30 billion into the economy and help sustain U.S. food security.

In January, the farmland trust released a report projecting that by 2050 more than 570,000 acres across the region could be lost to development as the Central California population explodes. Farmland losses due to housing, solar development, a warming climate, cyclical drought and ongoing farm water rationing to protect endangered fish, plus the state's signature transportation project ? the High Speed Rail ? are all issues the trust is trying to monitor.

"These are things that don't make headlines, but come under the category that you don't know what you've got until it's gone," Thompson said.

No statewide plan or policy exists to direct projects to areas where land is marginal for farming and power transmission lines exist or can be easily routed, though groups as diverse as the Defenders of Wildlife and the independent state oversight agency Little Hoover Commission have issued studies calling for one.

Projects are approved by elected county boards of supervisors, or if larger than 50 MW, the California Energy Commission.

"There's no consistent approach" county to county in deciding what gets approved on farmland, said Kate Kelly, a planning consultant who is studying the environmental impact of valley projects for Defenders of Wildlife.

While one of the nation's leading solar trade groups has not taken an official position on conversion of farmland to solar, Katherine Gensler of the Solar Energy Industries Association says more thought must go into location.

The largest solar facility operating so far covers 500 acres 60 miles northwest of Bakersfield and produces enough electricity for 36,000 homes.

Just three weeks into 2013, five valley farmers have told the Department of Conservation that they want to cancel low agriculture tax rate contracts to develop solar on their property. None takes advantage of a year-old law making it easier to cancel on marginal land, Penberth said.

County boards of supervisors are attracted to the promise of clean energy construction jobs. Some of the projects are on prime land as small as 20 acres, some on habitat shared by threatened or endangered species such as the kit fox, Swainson's hawk and blunt nose lizard. The 9,000-acre Maricopa Sun project in western Kern County is on prime land that the county says lacks a reliable water supply.

Almost always developers chose sites because there's a willing seller in the vicinity of existing transmission lines, experts say.

Transmission is the biggest reason for the holdup of a massive project that energy planners, agriculture interests and environmentalists agree is perfectly situated ? the Westlands Solar Park in remote Kings and Fresno counties. It's planned for 47 square miles of farmland fallowed because of high levels selenium in the soil.

Developers say the project ultimately could provide 2.7 gigawatts of electricity ? enough for 2.7 million homes. But the wait for approval from the California Independent System Operator to tap into transmission lines for a large project proved too long so they got out. For now.

"We realized it would be a seven-to-10 year process," said Joshua Martin, the solar company's chief financial officer. "We could easily have spent $7 million in fees to stay in line, but it doesn't make good business sense. It's a messy market right now and things need to calm down."

Ten years might be wishful thinking. An email the ISO sent to stakeholders on Jan. 18 said that it could be 12 years or longer before the needed upgrades in transmission infrastructure could be complete for solar projects currently waiting for transmission hookups in the Fresno area.

Westlands Solar Park is betting that environmental obstacles and connection costs will force many of the projects in the pipeline statewide to be abandoned. But what they're hoping in the meantime is that state regulators eventually will direct solar development away from prime farmland.

Next month the California Energy Commission is set to make a move in that direction with adoption of a report that will recommend a coordinated approach placing solar in "zones with minimal environmental or habitat value," near existing or planned electric system infrastructure. The agency would also collaborate with the Department of Conservation to identify areas of the state with marginal land.

Martin says the move likely is too late to help the projects that are stalled and in danger of missing out on federal tax incentives that expire in 2016.

"Someone needs to take a role and say what lines should be built and which aren't in the state's best interest," said Martin. "So far we have been underwhelmed."

____

Reach Tracie Cone on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/TConeAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-02-Solar%20Land%20Rush/id-aeffc0d7d88a4d03a50ed74d5206f680

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Sunday, February 3, 2013

Tech Help Drop-in Hours ? caleflibrary

Frustrated computer user gnawing on keyboard. Computer problem got you down?? Feel like your smart phone is a little too smart?

Or, maybe you?re thinking of taking your research to the next level, learning a new language, or picking up a new skill, and you want to know more about the library?s online classes to help you get there.

Whatever you want to do with technology, your librarian is here to help.? Drop by on Saturday from 10am-12pm for personal tech help.

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This entry was posted on February 2, 2013, 3:37 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://caleflibrary.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/tech-help-drop-in-hours/

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Grain Free Crockpot Recipe Roundup | Health, Home, & Happiness

Check out Heather's new book DIY Organic Beauty Recipes- this girl is amazing and has been going through testing hundreds of natural beauty recipes to find the ones that actually work for you. ?Awesome gift ideas too! Save money avoiding the pinterest recipes that don't work and making easy natural gifts your friends will love! Click here/a>!

Once you?re in the habit of using your crockpot, it?s a huge time saver and makes you feel so accomplished- you?ve got a hot dinner (or breakfast!) ready and waiting no matter what crazy things come up during the day. ?I often hear people say that they love the idea of using a crockpot, but aren?t sure what to do with it. Here is a collection of recipes to get you started!

Grain and Gluten Free Crockpot Recipes

This is a super simple way to make beautiful golden chicken stock.

Beef Stock by Our Nourishing Roots is beautiful! Often beef bones can be found very inexpensively, we used a lot of beef broth when starting GAPS.

Chicken Curry by Wellfed Homestead brings out new flavors from typical crockpot meals.

Cold Beet soup is made in the crockpot, it?s perfect for the summer (put the crockpot in the basement or on the back porch) because it?s delicious served cold and topped with kefir.

White bean chili is not only a nice different flavor, but it?s also less expensive since it?s loaded with protein rich but inexpensive navy beans.

Did you know Custard can be made in the crockpot? It makes beautifully steamed custard, without having to babysit the stove as you do with conventional custard. ?See Pumpkin Custard here.

Red chili is a great way to hide liver, and is a favorite for feeding a crowd.

An?Easy Crockpot Meal from Kelly the Kitchen Kop tells you exactly what to do when you have a frozen roast in the morning but need to not think about dinner!

Fennel Chicken with Orange is absolutely beautiful!

apple-pie-filling-gnowfglins Slow cooker Apple Pie Filling by Empowered Sustinance with a creamy coconut milk topping.

Lamb and Kale Curry, Saag Gosht, by The Polivka Family also explains what curry really means.

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Cook your butternut squash in the slow cooker as well. This hard winter squash is inexpensive and used often in the GAPS diet.

?Barbeque Slow Cooker Short Ribs by Homemade Mommy is a delicious take on BBQ!

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Perpetual broth by Nourished Kitchen is another way to do broth so you always have some warm and on hand. I like this especially if the kids have colds, it adds some steam to the air as well.

Slow cooker applesauce by Oh Lardy! is something the kids can help with and is sure to be a hit.

Crockpot Roast in Ancho Chili Sauce by Mommypotamus uses beautiful ancho chilis- they?re just?gorgeous!

Mama Baby Love has an entire freezer-to-crockpot e-book with free sample recipes available too!

Health Nut Nation?s Buttery Pepper encrusted Pot roast looks delicious!

Crock Pot Applebutter- When you find inexpensive apples, allow your applesauce to cook down into apple butter, this is a pleasant no-sugar-added spread for pancakes or waffles.

Pork and?Sauerkraut?over Cauli Mash by Holistic Squid is an all-in-one dish that sounds delicious!

Baked Apples are a perfect desert or breakfast for harvest time.

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Source: http://www.healthhomehappy.com/2013/02/grain-free-crockpot-recipe-roundup.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=grain-free-crockpot-recipe-roundup

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Friday, February 1, 2013

'Entering an Unseen World: A Founding Laboratory and Origins of Modern Cell Biology 1910-1974'

'Entering an Unseen World: A Founding Laboratory and Origins of Modern Cell Biology 19101974'

Public release date: 31-Jan-2013
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Contact: Rita Sullivan King
news@rupress.org
212-327-8603
Rockefeller University Press

A new book presents the in-depth story about the men and women who created a new science

In 1974, the Nobel Prize was awarded to three pioneering scientists for discoveries that linked structures inside cells to their functionsdiscoveries that led to the new science of cell biology. Entering an Unseen World, a new book published by The Rockefeller University Press, presents the human story behind these breakthroughs.

Entering an Unseen World describes how one laboratory contributed to creating modern cell biology. The story begins in 1910 in a laboratory devoted to studying cancer at The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Editor and contributor Carol L. Moberg tells a compelling story about the early years of this laboratory. She focuses on five aspects of how modern cell biology unfolded through time: the hundreds of scientists involved, a nurturing environment, the experimental procedures developed, the instruments devised and mastered, and the discoveries made in a previously unseen world.

First-person chapters by 22 scientists associated with the laboratory follow. They recount the exploration of the intricate and fascinating world inside living cells. Their stories show what it takes to create a science while revealing in detail what we now take for granted: the cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. Nearly 150 classic illustrations and photographs document the evolution of their discoveries. Entering an Unseen World conveys the excitement of the process and progress as this science came to life.

###

Entering an Unseen World: A Founding Laboratory and Origins of Modern Cell Biology 1910 is 499 pages, published by The Rockefeller University Press. Available in hardcover ($40) and eBook ($20) at books.rupress.org and Amazon.com. ISBN (Print) 978-0-87470-0633. ISBN (eBook) 978-0-87470-1050.

Carol L. Moberg, Editor and Contributor

Carol L. Moberg is on the faculty of The Rockefeller University. She has a PhD from Columbia University in comparative literature. Her articles on scientists, science history, and biomedical science have been published in Scientific American, Science, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, and Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. She was co-editor and contributor to Launching the Antibiotic Era and is the author of Ren Dubos, Friend of the Good Earth.

Contributors

Entering an Unseen World includes first-person chapters by these 22 scientists. Their affiliations are at the time of writing:

1. Vincent G. Allfrey, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

2. Gnter Blobel, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

3. Mary Bonneville, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

4. Samuel Dales, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

5. Christian de Duve, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

6. Marilyn G. Farquhar, University of California, San Diego, CA

7. Walther F. Goebel, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

8. Rollin D. Hotchkiss, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

9. James D. Jamieson, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

10. James A. Lake, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

11. Guido Majno, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA

12. Mikls Mller, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

13. George E. Palade, University of California, San Diego, CA

14. Sanford L. Palay, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

15. George D. Pappas, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

16. David D. Sabatini, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY

17. Peter Satir, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY

18. Philip Siekevitz, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

19. Maya Simionescu, Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology, Bucharest, Romania

20. Ralph M. Steinman, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

21. Walther Stoeckenius, University of California, San Francisco, CA

22. William Trager, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

About The Rockefeller University Press

The Rockefeller University Press publishes three journals: The Journal of Experimental Medicine, founded in 1896; The Journal of General Physiology, founded in 1918; and The Journal of Cell Biology, founded in 1955 under the title The Journal of Biophysical and Biochemical Cytology. The Press is committed to quality and integrity in scientific publishing. The Press is a department of The Rockefeller University in New York, NY. For more information, please visit www.rupress.org.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

'Entering an Unseen World: A Founding Laboratory and Origins of Modern Cell Biology 19101974'

Public release date: 31-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Rita Sullivan King
news@rupress.org
212-327-8603
Rockefeller University Press

A new book presents the in-depth story about the men and women who created a new science

###

Carol L. Moberg, Editor and Contributor

Contributors

Entering an Unseen World includes first-person chapters by these 22 scientists. Their affiliations are at the time of writing:

1. Vincent G. Allfrey, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

2. Gnter Blobel, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

3. Mary Bonneville, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

4. Samuel Dales, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

5. Christian de Duve, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

6. Marilyn G. Farquhar, University of California, San Diego, CA

7. Walther F. Goebel, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

8. Rollin D. Hotchkiss, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

9. James D. Jamieson, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

10. James A. Lake, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

11. Guido Majno, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA

12. Mikls Mller, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

13. George E. Palade, University of California, San Diego, CA

14. Sanford L. Palay, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

15. George D. Pappas, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

16. David D. Sabatini, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY

17. Peter Satir, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY

18. Philip Siekevitz, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

19. Maya Simionescu, Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology, Bucharest, Romania

20. Ralph M. Steinman, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

21. Walther Stoeckenius, University of California, San Francisco, CA

22. William Trager, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

About The Rockefeller University Press

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/rup-eau013113.php

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Scientists unveil a superbug's secret to antibiotic resistance

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Worldwide, many strains of the bacterium Staphyloccocus aureus, commonly known as staph infections, are already resistant to all antibiotics except vancomycin. But as bacteria are becoming resistant to this once powerful antidote, S. aureus has moved one step closer to becoming an unstoppable killer. Now, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have not only identified the mechanism by which vancomycin resistance spreads from one bacterium to the next, but also have suggested ways to potentially stop the transfer.

The work, led by Matthew Redinbo, professor of chemistry at UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, addresses the looming threat of incurable staph infections ? a global public health problem that has mobilized scientists across disciplines to work together to identify the Achilles heel of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

"We used to live in a world where antibiotics could readily cure bacterial disease," said Redinbo. "But this is clearly no longer the case. We need to understand how bacteria obtain resistance to drugs like vancomycin, which served for decades as the 'antibiotic of last resort.'"

In his work, Redinbo and his team targeted a bacterial enzyme known as Nicking Enzyme in Staphyloccoccus, or NES. The enzyme has long been known to interact with plasmids, circular pieces of double-stranded DNA within bacteria that are physically separate from the bacterial chromosome. Plasmids commonly contain antibiotic-resistance genes, and can make the machinery necessary to transfer these genes from an infected bacterium to an uninfected one.

By revealing the crystal structure of NES, the researchers found that this enzyme nicks one strand of the plasmid at a very specific site?and in a very specific way. It turns out that NES forms two loops that work together to pinch one strand of the plasmid at a particular groove in the DNA to cut it. This strand is now free to leave its host and transfer to a nearby bacterium, making them resistant to vancomycin.

Moreover, Redinbo was able to capture a snapshot of the enzyme bound to the plasmid. "As a structural biologist, it's all about the pictures for me," said Redinbo. "And it was this picture that confirmed the precise location on which NES works."

With this information, Redinbo knew the groove on the DNA that the enzyme recognize and could design a small synthetic molecule that would sit on this groove and block NES. Teaming up with colleagues at the California Institute of Technology, Redinbo did just that. The molecule prevented NES from nicking the DNA, which could prevent the resistance genes from spreading.

According to Redinbo and colleagues, this small synthetic molecule could help guide future research aimed at developing effective therapies for strains of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus.

"This is really exciting for us," said Redinbo, who is also a professor at UNC's School of Medicine and a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. "It opens the door for potentially stopping the spread of antibiotic resistance?and that's exactly what we need in this post-antibiotic era."

The work was published this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

###

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://www.unc.edu

Thanks to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126555/Scientists_unveil_a_superbug_s_secret_to_antibiotic_resistance

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Wispelwey: Loneliness of the long-distance cellist

LEIDEN, Netherlands (Reuters) - Dutch cellist Peter Wispelwey has recorded the haunting, delightful and soul-uplifting Bach Six Suites for Solo Cello three times and still he's not finished.

His next, he says, is his "Lost in Translation" version, referring to the Bill Murray movie about an actor coming to terms with an alien culture in Tokyo.

Wispelwey is doing the same, flying into the Japanese capital for recording sessions in the early morning hours.

When it is released, he wants to strew CDs of portions of the Bach suites around Tokyo for people to find them, he told Reuters over a three-course dinner served during intervals as he performed in this Dutch university town.

"That's my ideal," he said. "I want the Tokyo preludes, the Tokyo gigues, the Tokyo allemandes."

At this stage in his career, the 50-year-old Wispelwey who first fell in love with the cello's growling sound at the age of two while listening to an amateur quartet in which his father played violin, can be indulged.

Growing up in a small country at a time when it did not have much of an established conservatory tradition, he more or less is a self-made cellist, though he has had several of the world's best teachers, among them compatriot Anner Bylsma.

He made his name in the Netherlands by putting on recitals in his late teens of all the mainstream repertoire for solo cello, renting the hall himself, getting the tickets distributed and playing it all from memory.

He got his international credentials with his first 1990 recording of the Bach suites, for the Channel Classics label, which became one of the gold-standard versions.

His latest, and third version, is unique for tuning his baroque cello, with gut rather than modern steel strings, to a much lower pitch than A at 440 hertz, or slightly higher, which is the standard for modern orchestras, pianos, wind instruments and pretty much everything.

Wispelwey has done it at 397 hertz, a full tone below the modern A tuning, and a semitone, or half tone, below the usual baroque A which is 415 hertz.

There are theoretical reasons, including evidence it was the pitch Bach would have known. But more importantly, the sound world is different.

"If the general public comes in to hear the Bach suites on a baroque cello they need almost an hour just to adjust to that sound world and it's not surprising," he said, between gulps of food and before taking a shower to refresh for the continuation of one of the most demanding recital programs, for soloist and audience alike.

"We're used to a steely, projecting laser beam of a sound and this has shades, it has color and it has the overtones. That's why we can hear it. It has this very particular shine. but it's a shine of nobility."

Here's what else he had to say about Bach's appeal today, the mystical "Black Sarabande" and why it can sometimes seem a bit lonely being a cello soloist:

Q: What is it about Bach's music, written in the early 18th century, that speaks to us three centuries later with such power, if not to say God-like authority?

A: "One is the magic of Bach. Even in the sparse notes of the cellos suites there is a narrative and it becomes more hypnotic the less you hear and the less you hear it filled in. It's the hypnotic element of being carried away by so little. That said, the concentration of the listener is tunneled and first there's an emotion of being narrowed but then the opposite happens.

"After an hour that tunnel gives suddenly way to the biggest panorama you'd ever want to see. It starts meaning everything, the small world becomes the big world and everything starts shining and becoming meaningful...Bach's brain was all over the place all the time. That's why we're so eternally intrigued at what kind of creativity was at work there."

Q: In the Suite No. 5, there's a movement you call the "Black Sarabande". Why?

A: "It's painful, not nice. There is comfort in it but death is there. It's about blackness, about dust and with the gut C string it sounds like dust, it sounds like throwing something into the grave or a last breath - it's all there. The first four bars are a sort of solar system, all those notes hanging in space but they are somehow related...It's dark and light and death and life. It's so simple that its meaning expands in space. The simpler it is the more meaningful it seems to be."

Q: Of course you don't play only Bach - though you play these suites a lot. Two days from now you are doing a Schubert program and you also play modern composers like Ligeti and Crumb. Is it hard finding sufficient repertoire for an instrument which, let's face it, has never been as big a crowd pleaser as the violin?

A: "It (Bach) does sound like you are playing really serious, profound music, so that's good, and the other thing of course is the cello repertoire is so small that when we have six pieces by the greatest composer of all time, well, then, of course... There are 15 great cello concertos against 40 great violin concertos. The cello was emancipated (from its accompaniment role) late. Then look at the 20th century. We have Mstislav Rostropovich and suddenly we get this tsunami by the great composers..."

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wispelwey-loneliness-long-distance-cellist-112127988.html

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