Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe ANOTHER STEP Tau proteins, it turns out, are indicators of the presence of Alzheimer's disease. A great deal of study has been devoted to isolating these proteins in autopsy results. The significance is that with a hallmark protein tests can be developed to detect the disease in its early stages. What's more, proteins can be genetically altered to behave differently. This is another step toward a cure. Advertisement PIX REDUX At about the 8,000-foot elevation on a mountain in Peru lies Incan stonework of ancient Machu Picchu (which was not a breed of dog about the size of a ladies handbag). The last tenants abandoned the place almost 500 years ago and it was pretty much hidden from the rest of the world until Hiram Bingham (of Yale University) was guided to the site by a local boy in 1911. Bingham took pictures for the world to see and gained considerable glory in the process for revealing the so-called "Lost City" to the world. Rutgers University folks have taken a good look at all those photos, compared them with what they know about the ancient Incas and are trekking down to Inca-land with the notion that Bingham might have "constructed" the original pictures and "framed" them to fit popular ideas about lost worlds rather than to provide scientific documentation. Advertisement To be at least a bit fair, the researchers are going to use the exact type of camera and film used by the Bingham expedition. Furthermore, they will use the same vantage points, or shooting angles, of the original 1911 expedition. Regardless of Bingham's credibility after the "location shoot," the resulting images will improve our knowledge of this fascinating civilization. Send your ideas and comments to [email protected]
