Global Warming Inadvertently Curbed In Past By Lead Pollution, Scientists Find

Lead pollution in the air may have considerably curbed the greenhouse effect in the past. Lead pollution in the air stimulates the formation of ice particles in clouds. Scientist have found that particles containing lead are excellent seeds for the formation of ice crystals in clouds. This not only has a bearing on the formation of rain and other forms of precipitation but may also have an influence on the global climate.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 3:00 pm

Trauma Experienced By A Mother Even Before Pregnancy Will Influence Her Offspring's Behavior

A mother who experienced trauma prior to becoming pregnant affects the emotional and social behavior of her offspring, according to a new study. The researchers chose to investigate rats, as social mammals with cerebral activity that is similar in many ways to that of humans.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 3:00 pm

'Beating' Heart Machine Expedites Research And Development Of New Surgical Tools, Techniques

A new machine makes an animal heart pump much like a live heart after it has been removed from the animal's body, allowing researchers to expedite the development of new tools and techniques for heart surgery. The machine saves researchers time and money by allowing them to test and refine their technologies in a realistic surgical environment, without the cost and time associated with animal or clinical trials.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 3:00 pm

True Grit: How Sea Urchins Carve Hiding Holes in Limestone

Researchers have revealed a unique strategy evolved by sea urchins to keep their digging teeth sharp enough to carve out hiding holes in limestone.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 3:00 pm

Following The Leader: Social Networks Of Schoolchildren

Kids always seem to be ahead of trends, and marketers realize the importance of new products and services taking off with the younger set. A new study helps identify which children might be the trendsetters of their generation.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 3:00 pm

Home Energy Savings Are Made In The Shade

Trees positioned to shade the west and south sides of a house may decrease summertime electric bills by 5 percent on average, according to a recent study of California homes.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 3:00 pm

Unprecedented Data On Circadian Rhythms Revealed

Fluctuations in light intensity allow restoring the regularity of circadian rhythms. In higher organisms, such as mammals, biological or circadian rhythms are generated by a multicellular genetic clock which is located in two regions of the hypothalamus that are connected to each other known as suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), containing about 10,000 neurons each. In order to generate and regulate circadian rhythms, our biological clock needs to use the “cooperative cell behavior” of SCN neurons.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 12:00 pm

Molecular Structure Could Help Explain Albinism, Melanoma

Scientists have long known that members of the phenoloxidase family are involved in skin and hair coloring. When they are mutated, they can cause albinism. Produced over abundantly, they are associated with melanoma. Researchers can now explain how hemocyanin is activated -- a finding that could lead to a better understanding of both ends of the skin and hair color spectrum.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 12:00 pm

Meditation May Increase Gray Matter

Researchers report that certain regions of the brain in long-term meditators were larger than non-meditators. Specifically, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus, and within the orbito-frontal cortex, thalamus and inferior temporal gyrus, all regions of the brain known for regulating emotions.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 12:00 pm

Predators Ignore Peculiar Prey, Bird And Salamander Study Finds

Rare traits persist in a population because predators detect common forms of prey more easily. Researchers have found that birds will target salamanders that look like the majority -- even reversing their behavior in response to alterations in the ratio of a distinguishing trait.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 May 2009 | 12:00 pm

The secret life of penguins revealed (AFP)

AFP - Famous for its cuteness and comic gait on land, the penguin also has an enigmatic life at sea, sometimes spending months foraging in the ocean before returning to its breeding grounds.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 13 May 2009 | 11:45 am

Shuttle crew chases Hubble telescope for repairs (AP)

AP - The space shuttle Atlantis is chasing down the Hubble Space Telescope to grab it for repairs.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 13 May 2009 | 11:41 am

Coral Triangle could die by century's end: WWF (AFP)

AFP - Climate change could wipe out the world's richest ocean wilderness by the end of the century without drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, environmental group WWF said Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 13 May 2009 | 11:38 am

NASA downplays shuttle damage (AFP)

AFP - The space shuttle Atlantis crew raced toward a risky high-orbit rendezvous with the Hubble telescope on Wednesday despite damage found on the underside of their craft.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 13 May 2009 | 11:29 am

Creationism judgement followup

More on the case of the Orange County teacher who said, unconstitutionally, that creationism was "Superstitious nonsense"

It's always nice to get comments from someone who knows what I am talking about, and the appearance in a comment thread of "Tevist", a lawyer who has actually argued a case in front of Judge Selna is a case in point. He thinks I am exaggerating the threat to science teaching.

The writer and/or readers completely misunderstand the judge's ruling here. The decision does NOT find that science teachers cannot say and/or explain how creation "science" is, in fact, no such thing. It finds that science teachers cannot make derogatory statements toward religion. It's not an unreasonable finding under American law. I understand the desire to manufacture a controversy on a hot-button issue, but let's be fair and describe this situation as it is.

He also says that Selna is a perfectly good judge. I wouldn't argue with that at all.

In fact, I am not sure that I'd argue with Tevist in any way (how's that for not manufacturing controversy?) except to say that I think I did understand the ruling.

The judge does not say that creationism can be taught in schools – of course he doesn't; nor does he say that evolution may not be taught in schools; again, he goes out of his way to quote earlier decisions denying that evolutionary biology is the product of a quasi-religious system, as fundamentalists argue. But what he does say, very clearly, is thet teachers may not systematically disparage religious beliefs in class. They should deal with ID, or creationism by saying it's religion, not science, and so cannot be taught in schools. They may not go on to say that it's pernicious nonsense because it's religion and not science.

Logically this makes perfect sense and provides a clear policy for teachers to follow. But politically, and emotionally, in the context of the present debates about atheism, it looks like a win for the fundies. You have only to read some of the comments here, or on the major atheist blogs to understand that for many of the most passionate opponents of creationism religion is pernicious nonsense and that is one of the most important lessons of evolutionary biology.

This certainly seems to have been Corbett's position (note that he is not himself a science teacher) and I don't doubt that there are thousands of people who share his views teaching in public schools across America. Selna doesn't set a precedent. But he has set an example. And if the law is as clear as it appears to be from his judgement (and he quotes from the same case as established that creationism is not science under Californian law) public school teachers may not call religion pernicious nonsense in their classrooms:

There is no question that "[t]he government neutrality required under the Establishment Clause is . . . violated as much by government disapproval of religion as it is by government approval of religion."

This isn't a matter of truth or falsehood. It is a matter of constitutionality. But good teachers care passionately about truth or falsehood, and it's fairly obvious that some of them are going to overstep that line. And one of the contributing factors will be that they have been egged on to it by the people who see atheism as a moral crusade. For all those people, the point of court cases against ID and creationism, from Scopes to Dover, and, apparently, endlessly, on, is to establish that creationism is false, and therefore should not be taught in schools. But in fact, the courts, where they have ruled against it, have done so on the grounds that it is religion. There is a distinction. It's logically clear, but to many atheists emotionally invisible. What Judge Selna's judgement makes clear is that to blur or deny the distinction in schools is every bit as unconstitutional as claiming inside them that any religious doctrine is true.

Given the political and emotional climate in which these debates are conducted, yes, I think it will have an effect, even if there is legally nothing startling in it. There are many cases of well-established legal principles which come as a tremendous shock to the general public.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 13 May 2009 | 8:51 am

Women 'fight off disease better'

Men really do have an excuse for being wimpy about coughs and colds - their immune systems are not as strong as those of women.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 13 May 2009 | 8:32 am

Earwigs 'sniff out' best babies

Earwig mums "sniff out" their best offspring and give them preferential treatment, say researchers.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 13 May 2009 | 8:01 am

The first Twitter message from space - or is it?

Forget demi-celebs like Ashton Kutcher (who?), National Treasures like Stephen Fry or even bona fide media moguls like Oprah Winfrey - these days the real pioneers of Twitter are doing it from 350 miles above the Earth's surface.

Nasa astronaut Mike Massimino has sent the first Twitter message from space - telling a quarter of a million followers that, well, he's enjoying it up there.

In case you can't read the picture, the message reads:
"From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!"

Massimino, who was on board the Atlantis when it launched from Cape Canaveral earlier this week, is the first in a string of astronauts who are going to be using YouTube, from aboard the shuttle and international space station in the coming months.

Except... well, it's not quite what it seems.

Etan Horowitz of the Orlando Sentinel explains that there's no live connection: instead, Astro Mike must compose his message on a computer and then beam the message in an email down to ground control. Some lucky Nasa goon then gets to pick up his message and paste it into Twitter, where it becomes visible for all of us on the internet.

Of course, Twitter has been used to document the ups and downs of space travel before: most notably in the form of the Mars Phoenix account, which saw a stream of in-character messages from the interplanetary rover... until it all went wrong in the frigid Martian winter.

But Massimino's Twitter-by-proxy situation isn't just because there's no internet aboard the shuttle, though: Nasa's very careful about the messages about it that reach the public. I asked Ariel Waldman, the founder of Spacehack.org what was going on: she said that something like this would most likely require many levels of approval from inside Nasa itself, and that messages are probably carefully monitored for any unwanted content.

No chance, then, that we'll ever see astronauts telling us the ugly truth about life among the stars: "Bloody boring up here: space toilet's broken and now the computer's playing up. It keeps saying 'I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that'. WTF?!"

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 13 May 2009 | 5:35 am

NASA finds minor scratch damage to shuttle shield

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis apparently was hit by a piece of debris that nicked part of its heat shield but the damage appeared very minor, NASA said on Tuesday.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 13 May 2009 | 4:43 am

Space junk raises risks for Hubble repair mission (AP)

AP - Space shuttle Atlantis is now in a rough orbital neighborhood — a place littered with thousands of pieces of space junk zipping around the Earth at nearly 20,000 mph. There are more pieces of shattered satellites and used-up rockets in this region than astronauts have ever encountered. And the crew must be there for more than a week to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. As soon as the job is complete, the shuttle will scamper to safety.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 13 May 2009 | 4:20 am

Genes Yield Clues to High Blood Pressure (HealthDay)

HealthDay - SUNDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- Two major international studies have identified what researchers describe as a treasure trove of genes linked to high blood pressure.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 13 May 2009 | 3:49 am

Key coral reefs 'could disappear'

The world's most important coral region, in South East Asia, could be wiped out by the end of the century, a new report warns.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 13 May 2009 | 2:11 am

Going bananas

How to turn yellow skins into a fuel source for Africa
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 May 2009 | 11:48 pm

Can a football really speed up in mid-air?

Plus: teams who won the title and were relegated the next year; the last Golden Boot winner with less than 20 goals and Atlético Madrid's club crest. Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk

"I was watching ITV's terrible coverage of the terrible Arsenal v Manchester United match in the Champions League, and at half-time Jens Lehmann claimed that these new balls actually speed up in the air in an attempt to justify Almunia's fluff of Ronaldo's long-distance free kick," writes Navin Patel. "With my basic knowledge of physics, this sounds like complete baloney. However, the thought did occur to me that it could be something to do with a spin imparted by the boot – top-spin perhaps? Can anyone explain how this might happen, or alternatively confirm that Jens Lehmann talks rubbish."

Well, Navin, this sort of thing goes way over the head of the Knowledge, so we contacted some of Oxford University's top bods in physics and put the question to them.

First up is Dr Tony Weidberg of St John's College: "If the ball had no spin on it then of course it could never accelerate (conservation of energy). However if the ball was kicked in the correct way it can certainly acquire spin (the famous example of this is of course the Beckham free-kick which bends because of the spin). If you can create spin in the forward direction, then it is possible that this spin energy could be transferred to forward kinetic energy. I don't know how difficult it is to do this in practice with a football. If the event was filmed then you could examine this frame by frame to see if the claim that the ball accelerated in the air was actually true."

Professor Ian Walmsley, head of Atomic and Laser Physics at Oxford University: "I agree with Tony's view based on conservation of energy in principle, but I don't see the physical mechanism that could couple the angular and linear momenta of a football in free space. Maybe it requires a particularly viscous atmosphere; not that one would wish to attribute such to the Arsenal ground."

And finally to Dr Alan Barr, lecturer in particle physics, to add to the debate: "A non-spinning ball cannot speed up (unless there's a good strong tailwind behind it!). A spinning ball can easily be made to swerve (a la Becks). In principle a spinning ball can be made to speed up by transferring energy from spin to linear speed – but only under the right conditions, eg when a tennis ball with top-spin hits the ground. It's difficult to see how this could happen to a football in normal air. Convincing evidence would be needed – as Tony says, a good scientist would check the film footage to see if the ball ever travels larger distances in later frames."

So we can conclude that Lehmann is probably talking rubbish. Anyone prepared to fund further research into the subject – and we believe they have excellent freeze-frame recording facilities in the Bahamas – feel free to get in touch.

CHAMPIONS TO RELEGATION

"What team, and which player, holds the record for the shortest time between winning a league championship and getting relegated?" ponders Scott Cuthbert. "Has any team ever been relegated the year after winning the title (Excluding relegations for rule-breaking)."

They certainly have, Scott – in fact we were able to track down no less than three teams who were relegated the year after winning their domestic leagues.

Plenty of readers emailed to point out that Manchester City, having finished the 1936–37 season a good 10 points clear (at a time when teams only received two points for a win) at the top of the first division, dropped out of the English top flight in 1937–38. Stunningly, and despite finishing second-from-bottom, City actually scored 80 goals in 42 league games that year – more than any other side in the division and only four fewer than they had managed the year before. They did also concede 77, but still.

The feat was emulated, albeit with rather less scoring, by FC Nürnberg – who won the Bundesliga in 1967–68 before themselves finishing second-from-bottom the following year. "It must be noted that there was only a 10-point difference (again with two points being awarded for a win) between last place and 2nd," points out Eberhard Spohd. More recently, Herfølge BK, coached by the former Arsenal midfielder John Jensen, won the Danish title in 2000 and dropped out of the Superliga in 2001. "The title Herfølge won in 2000 is still the only major trophy the club has ever won," notes Troels Witter.

When it comes to players we don't have quite such a definitive answer, though the Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Jason Shackell is worthy of a mention. As Paul Haynes pointed out to us, Shackell had played in 12 games this season for Wolves before he went on loan to Norwich in February. He had done enough, therefore, to earn a Championship winners' medal when Wolves won the league on 25 April, but was relegated with the Canaries just a week later.

Know of any other teams who went from title-winners to relegation fodder? Let us know at knowledge@guardian.co.uk

GOAL-STARVED TOP SCORERS

"With Cristiano Ronaldo currently leading the Premier League scoring charts on 18 and with only two games to go, I was wondering when was the last time the english top flight's top goalscorer ended with less than 20 goals," poses Ross Hayward.

It has been 10 years exactly since the Premier League's top scorer last managed less than 20, Ross, though to it would be more accurate to say "top scorers". In 1998–99 Leeds United's Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Liverpool's Michael Owen and Manchester United's Dwight Yorke shared the Golden Boot, having scored 18 league goals apiece.

KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE

"Can someone please tell me why the Atlético Madrid club crest contains what looks like a bear trying to get jiggy with a cherry tree?" wondered Steve Guy back in 2007.

Well Steve, you have obviously never been to Puerta Del Sol square in Madrid, because you would have seen the 20-tonne statue known as El Oso y el Madroño, a life-size model of a bear doing nothing more than sniffing a Madroño tree.

The story goes that the word Madroño sounds like Madrid, so the tree was adopted as a symbol of the city. Bears used to be common around Madrid, so the two items were thrown together and they now appear on the city's taxis, buildings and man-hole covers. Atlético added the bear and tree to their badge at some point between 1903 and 1919, and the seven stars on the club crest represent the autonomous region of Madrid (or Big Bear constellation).

If you think the Madrid bear is looking lustful, have a look at the similar-looking Warwickshire coat of arms. Warwickshire county cricket club, meanwhile, have chosen a more-restrained version.

For more sepia-tinged questions and answers take a stroll through the dusty corridors of the Knowledge archive

Can you help?

"The French club Le Mans have just appointed Arnaud Cormier as their manager, with Yves Bertucci serving as his assistant," writes Jonathan Leprince. "At the beginning of the season, Bertucci himself was the manager – and his assistant was ... Arnaud Cormier. Has such a thing ever happened before?"

"While trawling through the rsssf.com archive at work I found a curious result from a first-round tie between CSKA Sofia and Panathinaikos in the 1972-73 European Cup," says Ciaran McLoughlin. "It states that the second leg was replayed due to 'errors in the penalty shoot-out procedure'. Does anyone have any ideas what these errors were?"

"On Saturday, my team, Vilnius Vetra, ran out 6–1 winners, with Tadas Kijanskas scoring a hat trick of penalties in normal time," writes George M Campbell. "What is the biggest number of penalties (not including shoot-outs) that one player has scored in one match?"

"Last month in MLS a New York Red Bulls player, Carlos Johnson, was sent off and upon his return after suspension got sent off in the second minute of the game," writes Brian Scorben. "Is this the shortest amount of on-pitch time anyone has played between two red cards?"

"Jonny Allan has played home games for Northwich Victoria at four different grounds (The Drill Field, Wincham Park, Victoria Stadium and Moss Lane)," writes Wayne Duncan. "Has anyone ever played home games at more than four venues whilst still playing for the same team?"

Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 12 May 2009 | 11:05 pm

Sacred principle of science's independence

In view of the dreadful facts George Monbiot reveals about the funding of science (These men would never have given Charles Darwin a grant to set sail, 12 May), one question that arises is: why has the scientific community not objected more vocally about the matter? The independence of science from government interference is surely a sacred principle. I think scientists themselves are partly to blame for the current situation. They take for granted a defective view of science which holds that the content of science is made up of just theory and evidence. If government tried to interfere with this, there would be an uproar. This view places aims of scientific research outside the intellectual domain of science, so that when government interferes with aims, there is no uproar.

A more adequate view of science would recognise that the intellectual content of science is made up of three domains: theory, evidence and aims - the latter making highly problematic assumptions about metaphysics, values and use, and thus requiring sustained scientific discussion, by scientists and non-scientists alike. If such a view prevailed among scientists, there would be outrage at the influence government, industry and defence at present quietly exert over choice of research aims.
Nicholas Maxwell
Emeritus reader in philosophy of science, University College London

While I wouldn't want to disagree with the conclusions of George Monbiot's argument, I have to point out that the Beagle was engaged on an expedition "to complete the survey of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego ... to survey the shores of Chile, Peru, and of some islands in the Pacific - and to carry a chain of chronometrical measurements round the World" (Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the 'Beagle', p1). All aims with a "demonstrable contribution" to the society and economy of 19th-century England.
Steve Sheppardson
Bromley, Kent

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 12 May 2009 | 11:01 pm

Freaks Survive Because They Are Strange (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - If a blue jay sees a normal-looking salamander, it will eat it. But if the same bird sees a freak, it may let it go.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 May 2009 | 9:50 pm

Chavez, Citgo sued for five billion in damages (AFP)

AFP - A US advocacy group and a Venezuelan exile said Tuesday they have filed suit seeking five billion dollars in damages from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and state oil companies for alleged human rights abuses.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 May 2009 | 9:32 pm

Evidence of Modern Smarts in Stone Age Superglue

Researchers who reverse-engineered an ancient superglue have found that Stone Age people were smarter than we thought.

Making the glue, originally used on 70,000-year-old composite tools, clearly required high-level cognitive powers. Anthropologists usually use symbolic art as the benchmark for modern cognition, but making the glue was an equally profound accomplishment.

“These artisans were exceedingly skilled; they understood the properties of their adhesive ingredients, and they were able to manipulate them knowingly,” wrote University of Witwatersrand archaeologists in a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The archaeologists took design cues from stone tools found during a decade of excavation at South Africa’s Sibudu Cave site. The stones were still covered with traces of an iron-rich red pigment and acacia gum, a natural adhesive found in the bark of acacia trees.

Acacia gum was almost certainly used to attach the stones to wooden shafts, but researchers have debated the pigment’s role. Some suggested that it was decoration. The Witersrand team suspected a more functional use.

Indeed, when they used Stone Age toolmaking techniques to attach stones to wooden shafts with nothing but acacia gum, the tools soon fell apart. When they added the pigment, the tools stuck together. But making the glue required much more than simple mixing. It demanded careful and sustained attention.

Keeping the fire at the right temperature required certain types of wood, with a certain degree of moisture content. If glues were mixed too close to the fire, they contained air bubbles. If too dry, they weren’t cohesive; if too wet, they were weak. The Sibudu Cave’s Stone Age inhabitants, wrote the researchers, were “competent chemists, alchemists and pyrotechnologists.”

The Sibudu tools were about as old as the first possible evidence of symbolic art, also found in South Africa. But some archaeologists say that art, consisting of cross-hatched engravings on stone, may represent absent-minded doodles rather than a cognitive leap. The glues are a more convincing indication of modern intelligence.

“The glue maker needs to pay careful attention to the condition of ingredients before and during the procedure and must be able to switch attention between aspects of the methodology,” wrote the Witwatersrand team. “To hold many courses of action in the mind involves multitasking. This is one trait of modern human minds, notwithstanding that even today, some people find multilevel operations difficult.”

See Also:

• Neanderthals Not Dumb, but Made Dull Gadgets
• Saharan Snapshot of Stone Age Life
• Monkeys Are Gadget Junkies, Too

Citation: “Hafting tools with compound adhesives in the Middle Stone Age, South Africa: Implications for complex cognition.” By Lyn Wadley, Tamaryn Hodgskiss, and Michael Grant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 106, No. 19, May 11, 2009.

Image: PNAS

Brandon Keim’s Twitter stream and Del.icio.us feed; Wired Science on Facebook.

Source: Wired: Wired Science | 12 May 2009 | 9:25 pm

Quest Diagnostics introduces test for H1N1 virus

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Quest Diagnostics Inc has developed the first commercially available test to identify U.S. patients infected with the new H1N1 flu virus, the medical testing provider said on Tuesday.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 12 May 2009 | 9:07 pm

Brain chemical may play key role in anxiety

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A chemical important for brain development may play a role in explaining why some people are genetically predisposed to anxiety and could lead to new treatments, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 12 May 2009 | 9:02 pm

Prehistoric fishing tackle found in Egypt (AFP)

AFP - An Egyptian archaeological team has found prehistoric fishing gear, sewing equipment and jewellery all made from animal bones, as well as pottery and coins, near an oasis south of Cairo, officials said on Tuesday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 12 May 2009 | 8:42 pm

Good News: Rare Blue Whales on the Move

Blue whales are migrating from California to the north Pacific Ocean, researchers find.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 7:30 pm

'Minor' damage found to shuttle

An inspection of the space shuttle Atlantis uncovers some "minor" damage to the vehicle's right side.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 May 2009 | 7:20 pm

Dinosaur Graveyard Suggests Feeding Frenzy

Fossilized remains of a feeding frenzy show how a raptor-like dinosaur snacked on baby plant-eating dinosaurs.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 7:01 pm

Toothpick Acupuncture Works Just Fine

Both acupuncture needles and toothpicks work for relieving back pain, according to a new study.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 7:01 pm

Freaks Survive Because They Are Strange

Predators detect common forms of prey more easily.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 6:50 pm

The Evolution of Religion

Why do people believe? One idea is that religious belief confers evolutionary benefits.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 6:31 pm

Blue Whales Migrate North to Alaska

This blue whale filmed in the Gulf of Alaska has been identified several times off the coast of California. The giant creatures are migrating again, scientists said this week.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 6:26 pm

Swarm mentality

On the design of tiny but powerful 'chemical robots'
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 May 2009 | 5:32 pm

New European Telescopes to Peer into Obscure Cosmic Corners

Herschel set to probe universe in infrared while Planck will map the relic light of the Big Bang.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 5:19 pm

Offspring of Unfaithful Birds Get Head Start

The chicks of interloping male birds gain advantage by hatching first.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 12 May 2009 | 4:29 pm

Austrian Physicists Protest CERN Pull-out

Austrian physicists are protesting their nation's decision to withdraw from the CERN particle physics lab.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 4:17 pm

Color-Shifting Cuttlefish Inspire TV Screens

Scientists mimic the way cuttlefish change colors to create a hi-tech TV screen.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 12 May 2009 | 4:09 pm

Power vacuum

Why is green electricity still not available to all?
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 May 2009 | 3:54 pm

Mammals 'Got Milk' for Past 160 Million Years

Mammals and milk go together — it is produced by all species in this group. The link actually goes back to the Jurassic.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 3:53 pm

Tape Designed to Bomb, Storm-Proof Homes

A tape developed by the U.S. Army promises to shield buildings from bombs and storms.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 12 May 2009 | 3:39 pm

Bad Dreams Are Good for You

Bad dreams are good for your brain, but nightmares that wake you up reveal a problem in emotional processing.
Source: Livescience.com | 12 May 2009 | 3:03 pm

Keep boffins out of music

Academics have revealed that music gives you a sense of wellbeing. I'm always troubled by this sort of neuroscientific research

Straight out of school of the bleeding obvious, you'd have thought: recent research from Goldsmiths College in London that gives us the extraordinary revelation that happy music can make you feel the world is a happy place. Within just 50 milliseconds, volunteers changed their perceptions of photographs of faces thanks to the music they were being played, rating the faces happier when "happy" music was being piped into them, and sadder when "sad" music filled their headphones. I'd like to know how the researchers defined the differences between "happy" and "sad" music (major v minor keys? Fast v slow? Tonal v atonal? Pop v classical?), since there are countless pieces of music that sound "happy" but are actually "sad" – and vice versa.

I'm always slightly troubled by this sort of neuroscientific research, essential as it may be to finding the secrets of why and how it is that music means so much to us, biologically, culturally, and emotionally. The endpoint of this latest research might be, according to one of the psychologists who steered the study, an understanding of how music affects our emotions and even our behaviour. All of which is admirable on its own terms, but what if the results got into the wrong hands? It could take us one step closer to a non-stop musical infiltration of our shops, airports, restaurants, public buildings, and homes; a dystopian future in which all of our individual choices to buy that CD, wear those trousers, try that new euro-lager, go on that holiday, open that current account, or experiment with that lubricant, would be nothing of the kind, but rather the product of sophisticated systems of socio-musical manipulation by the forces of big business, banks, and governments. Mercifully, we're light years away from that nightmare scenario. Aren't we?

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 12 May 2009 | 2:23 pm

Reliance on sniffer dog evidence may throw us off the scent in trials

The role of sniffer dogs in the treatment of Kate and Gerry McCann as suspects in their daughter's disappearance drew sharp criticism. Research casts doubt on sniffer dogs' reliability and how much weight should be attributed to their evidence

Almost a decade ago, a man was convicted and imprisoned solely on the basis of sniffer dog evidence, but could it have been a miscarriage of justice?

On the night on 11 January 1999, the occupier of a house in Stoney Barton, Westleigh, Devon, discovered an intruder in his house and telephoned the police.

A police dog handler who attended the scene later gave evidence in court stating that the animal had gone straight from the house and stopped beside a car parked half a mile away.

Inside it was Alvyn Oldfield, who told police that he had been sleeping rough in a nearby barn. He said that it was cold and he had sought shelter inside the car, which he found unlocked, and denied any involvement in the burglary.

Oldfield chose not to give evidence at the trial. The handler told the court that the dog had followed a track from the house and that it had stopped at the car because that was where the scent trail ended. There was no other incriminating evidence in the case.

In his summing up, the judge directed the jury to consider the handler's evidence "with circumspection" because a sniffer dog might not always be reliable and was not subject to cross-examination. These are the only directions a judge is required to give in relation to tracker dog evidence.

Research suggests that there are many factors that can influence the performance of a tracker dog. Unlike the direction given by a trial judge in relation to visual and voice identification by human witnesses, the jury is not told which factors may lead to error by the dog.

Andrew Taslitz, professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh, published a comprehensive analysis of the use of canine evidence in North America in 1990. He concluded that such evidence is imbued with mythical qualities about a dog's abilities and is likely to be overvalued, misunderstood and misused by jurors.

No mention was made in the judicial direction of the possibility that the handler may have been mistaken in his interpretation of the dog's behaviour. But the accuracy of dog tracking can only be appreciated through an understanding of the science of scent and the biology of canines. And police dog handlers do not claim to have any expertise in such disciplines.

The jury convicted Oldfield and he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. In February 2000, he was refused permission to appeal. The court of appeal based its decision on the fact that the trial judge had followed the guidelines on tracker-dog evidence laid down in the case of Pieterson and Holloway (1995), by directing the jury to look at the evidence of the dog handler with circumspection.

In Pieterson and Holloway, the evidence of the tracker dog was peripheral to the prosecution case. In Oldfield's case, the dog handler's testimony was the only evidence to consider because the defendant chose not to testify.

It has taken several legal committee reports and a mountain of scientific research to bring miscarriages of justice based on visual and voice identification to light, and for appropriate rules to be drawn up on their admissibility. How long will it be before identification based on canine scent is subject to such rigorous analysis?

• Amber Marks is the author of Headspace: On the Trail of Sniffer Dogs, Wasp Wardens and Other Dumb Friends in the Surveillance Industry

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 12 May 2009 | 1:49 pm

Mercury Takes Algae Road to Ocean Fish

Mercury emissions reach ocean fish with a helping hand from circulating algae.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 12 May 2009 | 1:39 pm

World seabed disputes face U.N. deadline

OSLO (Reuters) - The world faces disputes over the seabed from the South China Sea to the North Pole at a May 13 U.N. deadline for claims meant as a milestone toward the final fixing of maritime boundaries.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 12 May 2009 | 12:45 pm

James Randi prize: Scientists put a psychic's paranormal claims to the test

Professional medium Patricia Putt was last week subjected to a rigorous scientific test of her powers as the first stage of her bid to claim a $1m prize from the James Randi Educational Foundation

The young female volunteer in front of me could not suppress an embarrassed giggle as she sat there wearing a ski mask, wraparound sunglasses, an oversized graduation gown and a pair of white socks, a large laminated sheet hung around her neck displaying her participant number.

Then things got even weirder. Professor Richard Wiseman knocked on the door to collect our volunteer. He accompanied her into a large room where she was instructed to sit in a chair facing the wall and do nothing for 15 minutes or so. Professional medium Mrs Patricia Putt was then brought into the room and sat down at a small table around 12 feet away. Sometimes Mrs Putt would request that a volunteer read a pre-specified short passage, as she had found from past experience that often "the Spirit enters and makes contact through the sound of the sitter's voice". After that, no talking was allowed whatsoever as our medium wrote down a "reading" describing the volunteer using her alleged paranormal abilities. At the end of the reading, Mrs Putt left the room and the volunteer was allowed to change back into somewhat more conventional garb and given a reminder to return later in the day for the all-important judging phase.

What was going on here? By the standards of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, this was not really that weird at all. Mrs Putt is a professional medium who has appeared on TV several times, as well as being the subject of several magazine and newspaper articles. No doubt convinced of her own abilities, she had contacted the James Randi Educational Foundation with a view to proving her abilities and thus claiming the prize of one million dollars on offer to anyone who can demonstrate paranormal powers under controlled conditions. Not unreasonably, Randi often requires applicants to first pass a preliminary test carried out by associates of the JREF before they are allowed to proceed to the formal test that will determine whether or not they become overnight millionaires. The test we were carrying out on Wednesday last week at Goldsmiths was one such preliminary test. To date, no one had ever passed a preliminary test. Would the outcome of our latest test make history by producing a positive result?

The JREF challenge can be traced back to 1964 when arch-sceptic, magician and debunker Randi offered $1,000 of his own money to anyone who could prove a paranormal claim under controlled conditions. Other donors quickly came forward to support Randi's efforts and the total prize available has stood at $1m for many years now. Despite the fact that the world is full of people claiming to possess abilities that defy conventional scientific understanding, only a minuscule proportion of them ever put themselves forward for the challenge. A minuscule proportion of a very large number still amounts to several hundred applicants, of course, but this does raise the question of why the vast majority of psychic claimants shun the challenge altogether. One commonly cited reason is that the challenge is fixed by Randi in such a way that no one would ever be able to claim the prize. True believers in the paranormal often have a deep mistrust of Randi and, indeed, he has been likened to Satan himself on more than one occasion.

Let's examine that claim a little more closely – the one about the challenge being rigged, not the one about Randi being Satan. I have personally been involved in preliminary tests for JREF on several occasions, including a double-blind test of dowsers (featured in Richard Dawkins' TV series Enemies of Reason) and a test of Derek Ogilvie's claim that he could read the minds of babies and toddlers (featured in the Extraordinary People series on Five). In both cases, no evidence of any paranormal abilities was obtained. Results were exactly at chance level. But the thing that struck me very forcibly in setting up the protocols for these tests was the extraordinary time and effort that goes into ensuring that the tests are not only well-controlled from a scientific point of view but also deemed to be fair by the claimants. There is simply no point in carrying out the test if the claimants are not happy with the conditions under which they are being tested. Indeed, all claimants must sign a written statement confirming that they agree that the test is fair before it goes ahead. That does not mean, of course, that claimants will not change their minds after they have taken the test and failed it. It is a rare claimant who does not come up with excuses to explain away their failure.

To those who continue to maintain that the JREF challenge is rigged against honest and genuine psychic claimants, I say this: Go for the challenge anyway. You will be fully involved in drawing up and approving the final protocol and can insist that the conditions are to your liking, provided that the agreed protocol is well controlled from a scientific perspective. If you pass the test under those conditions and Randi refuses to acknowledge your success and award you the prize money, expose him to the world as the dishonest charlatan that you would then have proved him to be. I issue that challenge with confidence because I am convinced that the allegation that Randi rigs these tests in any way is without foundation.

It is also worth noting that Randi is never present at the preliminary tests unless this is specifically requested by the applicant. It is therefore difficult to see how he could influence the outcome of a test. I remember on one occasion being involved in drawing up a test of a psychic where this kind of paranoia was amply demonstrated. During the protocol development stage, it was suggested that a suitable means to decide randomly between two possible outcomes, as required by the method to be used, would be to toss a coin. Needless to say, the crucial coin toss would be witnessed by all interested parties and filmed to ensure that it was fair. One supporter of the psychic with a particularly intense hatred of Randi immediately objected to this suggestion, pointing out that Randi is a skilled conjuror and as such would know dozens of ways to make the coin fall the way he wanted it to. That may be true, but as Randi would be in Florida when the coin toss was taking place, it did not seem reasonable to be too concerned about that issue. As far as I was concerned, if Randi could make a coin fall the way he wanted it to while on the opposite side of the Atlantic, he deserved to keep the million dollars.

The test of Mrs Putt was no exception when it came to the time and effort that went into drawing up the protocol and preparing for the test. The draft protocol went through many revisions, all of which had to be approved by JREF staff and, most importantly, Mrs Putt herself. The final protocol required that Mrs Putt write down a reading for each of 10 volunteers she had never met before, all of whom had to wear the bizarre attire described above and sit facing away from her to ensure that the reading did not include any reference to the physical appearance of the volunteer. Once all 10 volunteers had had a reading done, they were called back and each issued with a set of all the readings, each set in a different, randomised order. At this point, of course, they did not know which reading had been produced specifically for them. Their task was simple. They had to read all ten readings and decide which one was most applicable to them. If Mrs Putt had the ability she believed she had, the majority of the volunteers should easily be able to identify their own reading. If five or more of the volunteers chose the correct reading, Mrs Putt would be deemed to have passed the test and arrangements would be made for her to proceed to the formal Million Dollar Challenge.

It sounds simple but the attention to detail that is required to prepare and carry out such tests in a properly controlled way is considerable. I would like to express my thanks here not only to Richard Wiseman but to all the other members of the team (Panka Juhasz, James Munroe, Suzanne Barbieri, and Fabio Tartarini) who ensured that things ran smoothly on the day. Although it sounds like a simple test, there are many subtle factors that could bias the results one way or the other that need to be taken into account. For example, Mrs Putt agreed not to include in her readings anything that might give an indication of the position of the reading in the series (e.g. "Feeling more confident with this one" would indicate that this could not possibly be the reading for the first volunteer). She also agreed not to make any reference to events that she might overhear outside the testing area (e.g. had there been the sound of children playing during one reading and reference was made to "happy children" in the reading itself). She agreed that all of the participants could be selected from the same ethnic group (Caucasian), be of the same gender (female), and within a restricted age range (18-30). This is because a person's voice gives away much information regarding such factors. These are just a few examples of the kinds of factors given careful consideration in drawing up the protocol.

Every session was recorded on video, as was the judging phase and the final phase of tallying up the number of hits. There are many sceptics who, quite wrongly in my opinion, believe that all psychic claimants are deliberate frauds. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of people claiming to be psychic genuinely believe that they are. However, it is also true that the history of psychical research is peppered with fraudulent claimants. For this reason, even if one has no reason to doubt the honesty and sincerity of a claimant, conditions must still be such that the possibility of fraud are kept to an absolute minimum. Sceptics would, quite rightly, go over the details of any test that appeared to produce positive results with a fine toothcomb looking for methodological loopholes. It works the other way too. The video record can be used to assure unsuccessful claimants that the protocol was properly followed.

Did we make history last week? Is Mrs Putt now preparing to face that final challenge? The chosen readings were compared with the actual readings by Richard Wiseman and Mrs Putt together, with several observers present and the whole procedure recorded. The first volunteer did not choose the reading that had been produced for her. Neither did the second. Or the third. By chance alone, the most likely outcome was for one hit out of ten. Unfortunately for Mrs Putt, every single volunteer chose a reading that had not been written for them. It looks like JREF's million dollars are safe for the time being.

Mrs Putt declared herself "gobsmacked" by the result. She did not try to make any excuses for her failure, in sharp contrast to many others who have found themselves in the same situation. She had been a perfect subject from start to finish from our point of view, cooperative and friendly throughout. We salute her for having the courage of her convictions and for accepting the outcome with such grace.

Chris French is a professor of psychology at Goldsmiths, where he heads the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit. He edits the [UK] Skeptic magazine

STOP PRESS The day after this column was submitted for publication, Mrs Putt had reflected upon the test and decided that the protocol had put too many barriers in her way for her to demonstrate her psychic ability. In an email to Alison Smith of JREF, she explained, "With them [the volunteers] being bound from head to foot like black mummies, they themselves felt tied so were not really free to link with Spirit making my work a great deal more difficult." For the record, no volunteers were "bound" and Mrs Putt did not speak to any of the volunteers after the test. One can only assume that she picked up on their feelings of being "tied" via her psychic powers.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 12 May 2009 | 12:00 pm

Cleaner air could save millions of lives

Researchers predict that 100 million early deaths could be prevented by cutting global emissions by 50% by 2050

Tackling climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions could save millions of lives because of the cleaner air that would result, according to a recent study.

Researchers predict that, by 2050, about 100 million premature deaths caused by respiratory health problems linked to air pollution could be avoided through measures such as low emission cars. The economic benefits of saving those lives in developing countries such as China and India could also strengthen the negotiating hand of the UK and Europe at a crucial UN climate summit in Copenhagen this December.

Johannes Bollen, one of the authors of the report for the Netherlands Environment Agency, said the 100 million early deaths could be prevented by cutting global emissions by 50% by 2050, a target consistent with those being considered internationally.

The reports warns that if governments continue with business-as-usual energy use, then population growth, ageing demographics and increased urbanisation will cause premature deaths from pollution to increase by 30% in OECD countries, and 100% outside the OECD.

The study also has implications for which technologies are chosen to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The study points out that while carbon capture and storage technology can capture CO2, it does not usually trap other air pollutants. Last month, the energy and climate minister, Ed Miliband, put "clean coal" at the centre of UK energy policy by pledging no new coal-fired power stations would be built without at least partial CCS.

In contrast, the report said, reducing car emissions and the number of vehicles on the road would lead to both lower greenhouse gases and fewer local air pollutants from exhausts. Jim Storey, air quality policy adviser at the UK's Environment Agency, said he wanted climate policies that account for their effect on air pollution: "There are win-wins for climate change and air quality that should be pursued with all haste, such as improving energy efficiency in houses, and reducing emissions from transport. Transport remains the largest cause of air pollution in the UK, and accounts for around 20% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions."

The report also said the economic gains of cleaner air could be attractive for developing countries during climate treaty negotiations in Copenhagen later this year. By not losing people of working age to pollution, India and China, for example, stand to gain 4-5% in GDP in 2050 as a result of cleaner air, compared with around 1% of GDP in OECD countries such as the UK. "The local air pollution benefits of climate mitigation policies provide an additional economic incentive for countries to participate in a global agreement to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions," said Bollen.

The health threat of air pollution is well known. Recent research from the American Lung Association revealed that 186 million US residents live in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution. "Despite almost 40 years since the Clean Air Act passed in 1970, six in 10 Americans still live in dirty air areas, areas where the air is unhealthful to breathe," said the ALA's Paul Billings. As well as citing dirty diesel vehicles and coal power plants as significant contributors to US air pollution, the Association's report called for a clean-up of cruise ships, container ships and tankers, which it said will be responsible for approximately 45% of US particulate emissions by 2030. Confidential data released last month from the shipping industry suggested 15 of the world's biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world's 760m cars.

In the UK, a report published this month by the London Assembly Environment Committee claimed that poor air quality in London may have contributed to 3,000 premature deaths in the capital in 2005. London has the worst air quality in the UK and among the worst in Europe for small, sooty particles known as PM10s and nitrogen dioxide.

The key air pollutants that can harm human health include nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, ammonia and particulate matter and are produced by burning fossil fuels in power plants and vehicles. Children and the elderly, plus people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, are particularly at risk.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 12 May 2009 | 11:33 am

Just for laughs: hyenas' giggles may be sign of frustration

Researchers have begun to uncover the secrets of the laughing sounds hyenas make as they compete for food.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 12 May 2009 | 11:11 am