Louis whose study appears in the journal Science

The Lions have long existed outside the any given Sunday cliche, and slipped into their own variant: every given Sunday.It goes like this.On any given Sunday, any NFL team can beat any other team. But on every given Sunday, one NFL team will beat the Lions.No more.Now, games that once looked hopeless have an element of mystery to them.Does anybody believe the Chicago Bears are a lock to beat the Lions The struggling Steelers The schizophrenic PackersWill the Lions win all of those games Of course not. One win does not make the difference between an 0-16 team and playoffs, no matter how much Sundays victory felt like a playoff game.But they can win them You dont know I dont know, nobody knows. But this is a team capable of winning, and the only remaining question is who, when, and how often.Dont mistake me This is one win. They could win a few more games, maybe even against teams that should beat them handily.The point is, Lion fans no longer need that anxious feeling leading up to Sunday. The feeling that occupied every game in recent memory, the deep dread of how will they blow it this week, (dont lie, you know you felt it during Washingtons last drive) was turned aside for at least one day.In the place of that fear and dread, which was so mercifully lifted for one week, Lion fans can make room for a little more optimism for the future.That starts now.

Think the Bears have an easy victory next Sunday with golden boy Jay Cutler at the helmNot so fast.The Lions can win now.. Science HealthThey identified a gene that can help a cell slow down when oxygen levels get too low, protecting the cells from making fatal mistakes while starved of oxygen.Researchers hope that some day drugs can be designed to help human cells survive without oxygen."In stroke and heart attack, cells die because they lack oxygen," said Dr. Louis, whose study appears in the journal Science."We're trying to find novel approaches to understanding why cells die in low-oxygen conditions," Crowder said in a telephone interview.Crowder's team used genetic engineering techniques on worms called Caenorhabditis elegans to find genes that help them survive better with little oxygen.They identified a gene that they could "turn down" in the worms and help them survive with little oxygen. Normal worms all died when exposed to the same conditions.The researchers think interfering with this gene, found in the mitochondria, or powerhouse of the cells, may protect the cells by putting them into a kind of hibernation so they do not need as much oxygen.In a second experiment, the team also interfered with how genes fold proteins, making them into the shapes they need to function best. Improperly folded proteins can die, and low-oxygen environments have been linked with high levels of unfolded proteins.The researchers found that slowing down the cell also helps stop the damage caused by faulty proteins.The next step for the team is to see if the same approach can help protect nerve cells in mammals.

"If that happens, then I think there is hope that, eventually, we could target this process for therapy," Crowder said.(Editing by Maggie Fox) Science Health. ) Right at the All-Star break of this 2009 season, I took a break from doing my weekly summing up of baseball happenings.It became too exhausting because of work and after a few weeks of telling myself to start back up, I couldn't muster it up.Now with more time on my hands and not feeling so exhausted, I'm wishing to have that space back. I'd go through the four to five pages of notes I'd scribble throughout the week and put them into a coherent thought, rather than just "filthy Elvis play" under "6/15."I'm not sure what next year has in-store for me, but I know I want to keep up with the weekly happenings, so I'm going to return to my laboratory, also known as a quiet spot in the library where I get bored and think, and think of something easier for all parties involved.But it wouldn't be right to end the series of things that make me talk with no farewell tour. So one last time, in the old fashioned way I started doing this last season, here are the things in baseball that are making me talk. $10,000 Home Run BallI've got a soft spot for all minor league players, especially the journeymen who might never make the major leagues.Sure, I'll make fun of Vinnie Chulk every good once and awhile, but these guys work hard for what could potentially be a dead end.We've got Matt Carson, a seven year minor leaguer, hitting his first career home run this past week for Oakland. No doubt he's going to want the ball as a memory, as most players would.Well he can't have it unless he forks over $10,000 to the fan who caught the ball.Fan Given the situation, I'd be hard pressed to label this guy a fan.Carson obviously isn't giving into these demands and the Athletics’ policy isn't to pay for milestones, but rather trade for apparel and autographs. Why should a 28-year-old have to pay for a baseball that he hitI have a big problem in general with people demanding things for a measly baseball.

Given the Chris Coghlan situation touched up in Big League Stew's story, we've got people out there wanting more than they deserve.I get it, these are paying fans, they spent their hard earned money on those seats, and they definitely should get something in return But let's not get carried away here. I'd be happy just to meet whoever hit the ball, maybe that's my love for the game, but am I crazy for not expecting any more than a signed bat or ball in return for giving the milestone back to the playerThis type of stuff ticks me off the most. You've got players like Sal Fasano, fighting for just a few more years because of his son's medical bills. Then you have greedy fans holding these guys trying to make a living for ransom.Hey, you want to hold Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez ransom, I probably won't put up a stink about it. But you start trying to take advantage to a hard-working individual who's just looking for a break, I've got issues.Minor league players, the hard workers without the big bonuses at least, are out there trying to make a living for years.