9 Year old boy, youngest to reach the summit of Argentina's Aconcagua mountain

A nine-year-old boy has become the youngest person in recorded history to reach the summit of Argentina's Aconcagua mountain, which at 22,841 feet is the tallest peak in the Western and Southern hemispheres.

Tyler Armstrong - of Yorba Linda in Southern California in the US - reached the summit on Christmas Eve with his father Kevin and a Tibetan sherpa, Lhawang Dhondup, his team says.

When they climbed back down to the base camp, Tyler was much less tired than his father and their guide, said Nicolas Garcia, who handled the expedition's logistics from the city of Mendoza.

"It's a record. Never before has a child as young as nine reached the summit of Aconcagua," he said.

There was a younger boy who climbed the lower slopes of Aconcagua, Mr Garcia added. He said an Inca boy was sacrificed around 500 years ago at 16,400 feet on Piramide, one of the mountain's lower peaks. Scientific tests on the mummy, recovered in 1985, put his age at about seven.

Only 30% of the 7,000 people who obtain permits to climb Aconcagua each year make the summit, Mr Garcia said, and no one under 14 is usually allowed to attempt it.

The Armstrongs hired a lawyer to argue before an Argentine judge that Tyler could safely accomplish the feat. He had already climbed the 19,341-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at the age of eight.

With Aconcagua conquered, he is determined to reach all "seven summits", the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

Last year, three climbers died on Aconcagua, although no one died the year before that and no one has been killed so far this summer climbing season, Mr Garcia said.

Since the first climbers reached the top of Aconcagua in 1897, more than 110 people have died trying, he said.

"Tyler is a really happy kid, very open. And he's prepared for these climbs very carefully," Mr Garcia said.

"Neither he nor his father are in for 'adventure.' Their project is pretty conservative, with a guide who is very experienced, so from my perspective, their climb wasn't imprudent."

Describing the summit, Tyler said: "You can really see the world's atmosphere up there. All the clouds are under you, and it's really cold. It doesn't look anything like a kid's drawing of a mountain. It's probably as big as a house at the summit, and then it's a sheer drop."







#irishindependent

Bad Santa Claus robs a bank in Florida

On Monday, Santa was spotted on a cctv(above) inside the Volusia County SunTrust bank, where the bearded 6-footer made a bomb threat in exchange for cash from a teller.

According to Orlando Sentinel, the unidentified suspect approached the bank teller window around 3:15 in the afternoon and placed a gift-wrapped package on the counter.

A police spokesperson said Santa then made a gesture to imply the present contained explosive, and demanded for money.

The amount of cash that bad Santa made off with is unknown to us, only that he was wearing sunglasses and appeared to be in his 30s or 40s.

When the bomb squad arrived at the scene, they discovered the gift-wrapped package to be harmless.
No one was harmed during the incident.

Police pursuit continues...

Scientists discover potential drug to block AIDS

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified the precise chain of molecular events in the human body that drives the death of most of the immune system’s CD4 T cells as an HIV infection leads to AIDS.



Further, they have identified an existing anti-inflammatory drug that in laboratory tests blocks the death of these cells — and now are planning a Phase 2 clinical trial to determine if this drug or a similar drug can prevent HIV-infected people from developing AIDS.

Two separate journal articles, published simultaneously in Nature and Science, detail the research from the laboratory of Dr. Warner C. Greene, who directs virology and immunology research at Gladstone, an independent biomedical-research nonprofit.

His lab’s Science paper reveals how, during an HIV infection, a protein known as IFI16 senses fragments of HIV DNA in abortively infected immune cells.

This triggers the activation of the human enzyme caspase-1 and leads to pyroptosis, a fiery and highly inflammatory form of cell death.As revealed in Nature, this repetitive cycle of abortive infection, cell death, inflammation and recruitment of additional CD4 T cells to the infection “hot zone” ultimately destroys the immune system and causes AIDS.

“Gladstone has showed how the body’s own immune response to HIV causes CD4 T cell death via a pathway triggering inflammation, and secondly by identifying the host DNA sensor that detects the viral DNA and triggers this death response,” said Dr. Robert F.Siliciano, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
“This one-two punch of discoveries underscores the critical value of basic science — by uncovering the major cause of CD4 T cell depletion in AIDS, Dr. Greene’s lab has been able to identify a potential new therapy for blocking the disease’s progression and improving on current antiretroviral medications.”



#vanguard

Update: Michael Schumacher in coma after brain operation as surgeons battle to save his life

Schumacher is still fighting for his life in an induced coma.
The seven-time F1 world champion has had one operation, which removed clots on the brain.
Doctors say they are working hour-by-hour and are unwilling to give any more information.
They did say, however, he wouldn't have survived without a helmet.

Let's put him in prayers and hope for the best!

Racing legend Michael Schumacher fighting for his life in intensive care following a horrific skiing accident

Formula I motor racing legend Michael Schumacher was fighting for his life in intensive care tonight following a horrific skiing accident.

The 44-year-old's head hit a rock following an off-piste fall in the French Alpine resort of Meribel on Sunday morning.

An emergency evacuation airlifted Schumacher off the slopes by helicopter while still conscious.

Tonight, respected local newspaper Dauphine Libere reported that the German's life was in danger.

A report filed at 7.20pm read: 'The state of health of the veteran driver has worsened and his condition is considered life-threatening, according to our information'.

The Dauphine is one of the most respected papers in the Alps, and has outstanding medical contacts.

An hour before, a surgeon specialising in brain and spinal injuries arrived at the hospital where Schumacher was being treated for a 'very serious' head injury.

Gerard Saillant, one of the leading neurologists in Paris and a friend of the star, was accompanied by police as he was rushed to the hospital in eastern France.

Olivier Panis, the former French F1 driver who lives in Grenoble, tried to visit his friend this evening but was turned away by the hospital authorities.

Schumacher fell while out skiing with his 14-year-old son, Mick, and other friends.

The driver's agent, Sabine Kehm, said: 'Michael fell on his head during a private ski trip in the French Alps.

'He was hospitalised and is receiving medical care. We ask for your understanding that we cannot give a running commentary on his state of health.

He was wearing a helmet and was not alone.' Schumacher, who was FI world champion seven times, was originally airlifted to nearby Moutiers following the accident, which happened just after 11am.

Christophe Gernigon-Lecomte, director of tourism in Meribel, said that two rescuers reached the sports star 'within six minutes and called a helicopter'.

The sports star was not unconscious, but clearly in a 'bad way', said Mr Gernigon-Lecomte. He said Schumacher's condition was 'not life threatening'.

He said Schumacher had been skiing 'just off piste', close to the Dent de Burgin (Tooth of Burgin) chairlift, between the Biche and Mauduit pistes.

Nobody else was involved in the accident, which is being investigated by gendarmes.

At around 1.30pm, Schumacher arrived at Grenoble hospital, which has better facilities for dealing with serious head injuries than Moutiers.

Professor Saillant is a close friend of both Schumacher and his former Ferrari team boss, Jean Todt.

Professor Saillant, an expert in brain and spinal injuries, oversaw Schumacher's medical care when the German broke his leg in the 1999 British Grand Prix.

Schumacher won the most championships race victories, fastest laps, pole positions and races in a single season.

He officially retired at the end of the 2012 season after a four-year break from the sport. He turned down the chance to drive for Lotus in the final two races of this year.

Schumacher, who turns 45 in January, has one son, and a daughter, Gina-Marie, with his wife, Corinna. The family own a chalet in Meribel.

Schumacher is a passionate and highly experienced skier. He has a piste named after him in the Italian ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio.

Conditions have been particularly dangerous in the Alps over the Christmas holidays, with a number of skiers dying in avalanches.

Mr Gernigon-Lecomte said: 'This accident is the proof that you can't do whatever you want. It's necessary to stay on the pistes, even when weather conditions are good.'

It was bright and sunny in Meribel this morning.






#mirror.co.uk