A pregnant fossil fish at the Natural History Museum in London has shed light on the possible origin of sex. The fish species is Incisoscutum ritchiei and this specimen is one of the earliest examples of a pregnant vertebrate and shows that internal fertilisation, or sex, started far sooner than previously thought... [more]
Source : Natural History Museum
Icisoscutum ritchiei the first animals to have sex found on a fossilised pregnant fish
The invisible French town of EU on web searches
Type Eu into a French search engine and you are more likely to get the past participle of the verb avoir, to have, than the estimable château, hotels, restaurants and gardens of the ancient royal borough. For surfers, Eu predictably retrieves a long list of European Union websites. This has caused the town of 8,000 people to lose out on the tourist boom in northern Normandy because people depend increasingly on the internet for information and bookings, according to the council in Eu. The final straw came when the computers of the SNCF railways decided that Eu did not exist... [more]
Source : Timesonline
FTO Fat gene mystery responsible for obesity solved
Slight differences in a single gene may be responsible for suppressing the metabolism, making its carriers permanently sluggish and unable to burn calories as effectively. Scientists have long suspected that genetic differences were responsible for weight gain and singled out the FTO gene as the main culprit... [more]
Source : Telegraph
Trees absorb a fifth of carbon emissions by extra forest growth
A laborious study of the girth of 70,000 trees across Africa has shown that tropical forests are soaking up more carbon dioxide pollution that anybody realised. Almost one-fifth of our fossil fuel emissions are absorbed by forests across Africa, Amazonia and Asia, the research suggests. The study measured trees in 79 areas of intact forest across 10 African countries from Liberia to Tanzania, and compared records going back 40 years... [more]
Source : Guardian
The distance decay theory and island biogeographic theory to find Bin Laden scientifically
A research team led by geographer Thomas Gillespie of the University of California-Los Angeles used geographic analytical tools that have been successful in locating urban criminals and endangered species. The UCLA findings rely on two principles used in geography to predict the distribution of wildlife, primarily for the purposes of designing approaches to conservation. The first, known as distance-decay theory, holds that as one travels farther away from a precise location with a specific composition of species — or, in this case, a specific composition of cultural and physical factors —the probability of finding spots with that same specific composition decreases exponentially. The second, island biogeographic theory, holds that large and close islands have larger immigration rates and will support more species than smaller, more isolated islands... [more] & [more]
Source : UCLA & USA Today
Acinetobacter baumannii the new multi-drug-resistant gram-negative bug
Acinetobacter doesn't garner as many headlines as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the dangerous superbug better known as MRSA. But a January report by the Infectious Diseases Society of America warned that drug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii and two other microbes -- Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae -- could soon produce a toll to rival MRSA's. The three bugs belong to a large category of bacteria called "gram-negative" that are especially hard to fight because they are wrapped in a double membrane and harbor enzymes that chew up many antibiotics. As dangerous as MRSA is, some antibiotics can still treat it, and more are in development, experts say... [more]
Source : Los Angeles Times
Forensic molecular photofitting DNA sample may be enough to build an image of a face
Forensic experts will soon be able to reconstruct facial features and skin just by reading DNA, U.S. scientists said. 'Forensic molecular photofitting' maps the genes that are linked to skin pigmentation and facial structure which means a person's face could emerge from the analysis, Dr Mark Shriver... [more] & [more] & [more] & [more]
Source : Daily Mail & Irish Times & Science Blogs & Science Daily
New toilet tax in Australia householders to be charged for each flush of toilet
The scheme would replace the current system, which sees sewage charges based on a home's value - not its waste water output. It would encourage people to reduce their sewage output by taking shorter showers, recycling washing machine water or connecting rainwater tanks to internal plumbing to reduce their charges. Some people may go as far as not flushing their toilet as often because the less sewage you produce, the less sewage rate you pay... [more]
Source : Perth Now
The hair germ stem cells in hair follicles uncover general model of organ regeneration
Most people consider hair as a purely cosmetic part of their lives. To others, it may help uncover one of nature’s best-kept secrets: the body’s ability to regenerate organs. Now, new research from Rockefeller University gets to the root of the problem, revealing that a structure at the base of each strand of hair, the hair follicle, uses a two-step mechanism to activate its stem cells and order them to divide. The mechanism provides insights into how repositories of stem cells may be organized in other body tissues for the purpose of supporting organ regeneration... [more]
Source : Rockefeller University
British and French submarines armed with ballistic missiles collide in the Atlantic
The crash is believed to have occurred after state-of-the-art technology fitted in both vessels, which is designed to detect other submarines, apparently failed completely.
British and French submarines armed with ballistic missiles threatened a nuclear disaster after colliding in the Atlantic, it emerged last night... [more] & [more]
Source : Daily Mail & Ynet
Beta-blockers like propranolol erase and block emotion of fearful memories
Such findings could one day help individuals suffering from pathological anxiety disorders from the debilitating physiological effects of their fears. Yet many questions remain, experts note, such as how permanent the effect is, and whether it can affect traumatic memories that may be decades old. The researchers think beta-blockers work by changing the way the frightening memories are stored. Each time a memory is recalled it changes a little, and the new version is recorded in the long-term memory stash via brain chemical fluctuations in a process called reconsolidation. The beta-blockers could interfere with the brain chemicals, blocking reconsolidation of the emotional component of the memory, but leaving the rest of the memory intact, the scientists suggest... [more] & [more] & [more] & [more]
Source : Forbes & Science News & Telegraph & Daily Mail
Alan Boss One hundred billion trillion planets where extraterrestrial life exists
There could be one hundred billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy, a US conference has heard. Dr Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Science said many of these worlds could be inhabited by simple lifeforms. Dr Boss said: "We already know enough now to say that the universe is probably loaded with terrestrial planets similar to the Earth... [more] & [more]
Source : BBC & Telegraph
L115A3 Long Range Rifle That Killed Scores In Afghanistan
British Army snipers call it 'the Silent Assassin' and it is the weapon the Taliban fear the most.It is the British-made L115A3 Long Range Rifle which, in recent weeks, has killed scores of enemy fighters in Afghanistan...[more] & [more] & [more]
Source : Telegraph & New Zealand Herald & Daily Mail
Muzak Holdings filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
After a failed merger with one of its major creditors, the "sensory branding" company DMX last year, the firm which began life as Wired Radio Inc in the 1930s has been teetering on the brink of financial collapse. As companies such as EMI clamour for their money, many of the firm's 1,250 employees face redundancy. Clients of Muzak, it seems, which once accounted for 60 per cent of all background music in the United States, are looking for cheaper ways to keep customers satisfied... [more]
Source : Independent
Russian and US satellites collide in space
A satellite owned by the US company Iridium hit a defunct Russian satellite at high speed nearly 780km (485 miles) over Siberia. The impact produced a massive cloud of debris... [more] & [more]
Source : BBC & Timesonline
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