'Starving' fat suppresses appetite

Peptides that target blood vessels in fat and cause them to go into programmed cell death (termed apoptosis) could become a model for future weight-loss therapies, say researchers.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pm

Older female cancer survivors have added health issues compared to their counterparts

As cancer survivors live longer, questions arise about what kind of care long-term survivors require. A recently study found 245 older married women who survived cancer had more health problems as compared to a sample of 245 married women without cancer.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pm

Argonautes: A big turn-off for proteins

Scientists believe they may have figured out how genetic snippets called microRNAs are able to shut down the production of some proteins.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pm

Bees recognize human faces using feature configuration

Bees can be trained to recognize human faces, so long as the insects are tricked into thinking that the faces are oddly shaped flowers, new research shows. The insects use the arrangement of facial features to recognize and distinguish one face from another.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pm

Hackers at the movies

Researchers in Ireland have analyzed 50 non-documentary movies from the last four decades featuring hackers and come to some intriguing conclusions about the hacker stereotype with implications for policy makers and education.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pm

Industrial cleaner linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease

Workers exposed to tricholorethylene, a chemical once widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 pm

Scientists identify first genetic variant linked to biological aging in humans

Scientists announced they have identified for the first time definitive variants associated with biological ageing in humans. The new discovery has important implications for the understanding of cancer and age-associated diseases.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Promising results shown for kidney cancer drug

The drug pazopanib (Votrient) slowed the progression of advanced renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer, in patients by 54 percent, according to a new study.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Transforming human fat into stem cells using virus-free technique

Tiny circles of DNA are the key to a new and easier way to transform stem cells from human fat into induced pluripotent stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, say scientists. Unlike other commonly used techniques, the method, which is based on standard molecular biology practices, does not use viruses to introduce genes into the cells or permanently alter a cell's genome.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

Virology: Some viruses use fats to penetrate a cell

SV40 viruses use an amazing means of communication, in order to be able to penetrate into a cell: fats, whose structure must fit like a key in a lock.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm

5 men, 1 woman aboard shuttle Endeavour (AP)

AP - The crew aboard space shuttle Endeavour includes an accomplished musician whose latest exploits are with the cello and steel guitar, an engineer who helped launch shuttles and a second-generation space program worker.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:14 am

Shuttle Endeavour blasts off for space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The space shuttle Endeavour bolted off its seaside launch pad on Monday on a voyage to install the last two main pieces of the International Space Station.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:09 am

Space shuttle blasts off on last night flight (AP)

AP - Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit Monday on what's expected to be the last nighttime launch for the shuttle program, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 3:02 am

The nation's weather (AP)

AP - A strong winter storm was expected to continue tracking east through the Central U.S. on Monday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 2:56 am

Shuttle Endeavour Soars in Predawn Launch (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The space shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky above Florida with a false sunrise early Monday as it soared into orbit like a brilliant, artificial star.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 2:48 am

Shuttle makes final night flight

The US space agency (Nasa) has launched its shuttle Endeavour on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 8 Feb 2010 | 2:17 am

Toyota readies global Prius recall (Reuters)

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp is preparing a recall of its new Prius hybrid car in Japan as early as Tuesday, followed by similar steps in the United States, Europe and other markets, a source familiar with its plans said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 8 Feb 2010 | 12:27 am

National Trust aims to make orchard festival a blossoming success

Full Bloom project will encourage nature lovers to celebrate blooming fruit trees throughout the countryside

In Japan, tracking the cherry blossom is a national obsession, while in the US pilgrims hunt for the brightest shows of autumnal colours.

Today the National Trust is revealing the British version: a festival to celebrate fruit tree blossom as it sweeps across the country.

Springtime may still feel a long way off, but the Trust is hoping to cheer people up with its Full Bloom project. Nature lovers will be encouraged to visit orchards as they come into bloom and send in images of what they find.

The festival will start in Cornwall's Tamar Valley, home of the Trust's mother orchard, in April. Planted in 2007, the mother orchard consists of 270 trees with 120 varieties typical to Cornwall and Devon, growing on an eight-acre plot. The idea is to grow these trees to adulthood to make sure they are not lost, and then create more trees from them and reintroduce the rare ones to orchards and gardens.

Some of the varieties here were down to their last few trees; others with glorious names like the Pig's Snout were thought to be extinct but were found hiding away in the corner of kitchen gardens.

The focus of the festival will shift northwards, ending in May at Acorn Bank in Cumbria, which has a formal orchard within a walled garden and a large perry pear orchard.

As well as Cotehele and Acorn Bank, the Trust has spectacular orchards as far afield as Somerset, Kent and the Midlands but it is also involving groups such as the Common Ground campaigners, which has long fought for the future of orchards, and the increasing number of groups who are creating new community orchards.

Conservationists hope the blossom festival will also raise attention to the dire plight of the orchard in some regions. Last harvest-time environmental experts and campaigners warned traditional orchards could vanish from the British landscape by the end of the century unless action is taken to save them.

Natural England and the National Trust claimed 60% of England's orchards had disappeared since the 1950s, as they launched a £500,000 project aimed at halting the decline. The crisis has been even worse in some areas, such as Devon, which has lost almost 90% of its orchards.

In Japan the progress of the cherry blossom makes nightly television news. Merry knows the Trust's answer is unlikely to attract such attention, but "with all this wintery weather around, it's something to look forward to", she said.

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

Battered US east coast digs out, more snow coming (AFP)

AFP - Hundreds of emergency crews battled Monday to clear snow-clogged roads and restore power to thousands of homes across the US east coast before a new storm hits.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Feb 2010 | 11:12 pm

Beer May Be Good For Your Bones (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - If you downed one too many while watching the Super Bowl, here's at least one reason to hold your head high: Drinking beer can be good for your health.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Feb 2010 | 10:05 pm

Beer May Be Good For Your Bones

Beer contains lots of dietary silicon, which is good for your bones.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Feb 2010 | 10:01 pm

Drinking beer could help prevent weak bones

A new study claims that certain types of beer are a rich source of dietary silicon, and can help prevent osteoporosis

Beer is a rich source of a nutrient that can help prevent weak bones – but it depends what type you drink, claim researchers at University of California, Davis, today.

As one of the nation's favourite tipples, beer is a rich source of dietary silicon, which can help cut the chance of developing diseases like osteoporosis, they conclude.

However, not all beers are the same, with those containing malted barley and hops having higher silicon content than beers made from wheat.

Some light lagers made from grains like corn have the lowest levels of silicon while beers made from hops seem to come out on top, according to the study. The research, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, examined 100 commercial beers and their production methods.

The experts said beer was a major source of dietary silicon – roughly half of the silicon in beer can be readily absorbed by the body.

Charles Bamforth, lead author of the study, said: "Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon.

"Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element.

"While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort and much of this survives into beer."

Dr Claire Bowring, from the National Osteoporosis Society, said: "These findings mirror results from previous studies which concluded that moderate alcohol consumption could be beneficial to bones.

"However, while the National Osteoporosis Society welcomes measures to improve bone health we do not recommend anyone increases their alcohol consumption on the basis of these studies.

"While low quantities of alcohol may appear to have bone density benefits, higher intakes have been show to decrease bone strength, with an alcohol intake of more than two units per day actually increasing the risk of breaking a bone.

"There are also many other health concerns linked with alcohol which cannot be ignored."

Catherine Collins, a dietician at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust in London, said there was no recommended daily amount of silicon people should be consuming.

She said it was hard to prove deficiency in silicon because so little was needed.

"Sources of silicon do include beer – either alcohol-containing or alcohol-free – and it's also added as an anti-caking agent to powders such as baking powder.

"It is found in different amounts in water, so contributes to beer's total silica content.

"Silica may well contribute to bone health but in a minor way.

"It is not really significant compared with nutrients that we know are essential for bone health and are potentially deficient in the UK diet – such as calcium and vitamin D."

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

Scientists Spot Genes Tied to Aging (HealthDay)

HealthDay - SUNDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have discovered genetic variants that are associated with biological aging, a finding that could explain why some people seem to age faster than others.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Feb 2010 | 9:47 pm

Sea lion colony leaves Galapagos as waters warm

A group of sea lions have moved from the Galapagos Islands to the warming waters of northern Peru, experts say.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Feb 2010 | 7:11 pm

Genes reveal 'biological ageing'

Scientists say they have pinpointed gene variants that might show how fast people's bodies are ageing.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Feb 2010 | 5:23 pm

Twitpic of the Golden Gate Bridge

One astronaut is using Twitter to send some extraordinary pictures of Earth from on board the international space station

Once you've performed your systems check, goofed around with a ball of floating water and ­tried to go to the loo with some gravity-free dignity, what else is there to do when you're orbiting the earth in the international space station? Soichi Noguchi, a Japanese aeronautical engineer who has been in orbit since December, is entertaining his 50,000 followers with Twitpics sent from space. He's tweeted (@Astro_Soichi) some extraordinary snaps, including this one of the Golden Gate Bridge. He also describes life on board the space ­station: "De-gassing of the portable water bags complete. Now, on to the treadmill!"

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Feb 2010 | 5:05 pm

Letters: Transparency and trust in climate science

Your editorial on climate change (6 February) reveals a naivety about the nature of scientific truth. History shows from the trial of Galileo on, also illustrated in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, that in a scientific debate which has political implications truth rarely wins out. The winners are not necessarily those who "speak the truth" but those with the biggest guns. Total scientific transparency, while laudable, often means handing your guns to your political opponents. Whatever you say or reveal will be distorted intentionally and turned against you. In today's society where people are tried and executed by unmoderated blogs, climate scientists are in a no-win situation. Any discrepancy in information they reveal, however innocuous, will be blown out of proportion and used as evidence against them. The University of East Anglia correctly discerned the situation and the embarrassing emails show the extent of their concerns.

I am deeply dismayed that the Guardian, which promoted the 10:10 campaign and wrote such insightful articles on climate change, appears to be blowing with the prevailing political wind, also justifying unverified contrarian views about temperature data or curves. These complicated issues must be resolved by the scientific process, in a lab, not by newspaper editorial or blog. The public deserves to understand the context of the hacked emails and the harassment that climate scientists are subjected to on a daily basis, something lacking in your articles and editorials.

Paul Kieniewicz

Glass, Aberdeenshire

• Congratulations to Fred Pearce for his balanced and thoughtful articles on the climate email affair (5 February), and commiserations to Simon Jenkins (4 February) and Simon Hoggart (6 February) for having lost the plot so completely. Those who refuse to accept something despite a mass of evidence for it go far beyond genuine and constructive scepticism. And those who believe in something without a shred of evidence for it can only be called credulous. Scientists, who spend decades making observations and using evidence to test their theories, try hard not to fall into either of these categories. If our cars or our bodies need to be fixed, we seek out and only trust those who are trained and qualified to do the job. Why should we not do the same when it is the future of the world that is at stake?

Professor John Shepherd

Fordingbridge, Hampshire

• With reference to your article (Detectives question climate scientist over leaked emails, 5 February), I wish to make three points. First, we are in the middle of a police investigation. Detectives have taken formal statements from many of us in the school and university, including me. To my knowledge, Dr Dennis has not been singled out for attention, and he has publicly denied leaking any files, data, emails or other material. Second, the Climatic Research Unit is part of the School of Environmental Sciences, which has over 170 academic staff and researchers, working in many areas of science related to the environment.

We are not "beleaguered", as your journalists claim. As one of the world-leading departments in interdisciplinary research, we have always adhered to the highest standards in the production of academic knowledge. This includes promoting continuous, open debate among scientists from a wide range of academic disciplines in the natural and social sciences.

My colleagues were not gagged, as implied in your report. At a meeting on 18 November, they were asked to refrain from commenting to the media only until the university had established the immediate facts about the hack. Several colleagues were responding to press and broadcast media by 20 November, and have continued to do so.

Professor Jacquie Burgess

Head of the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia

• The freedom of information requests to UEA's Climatic Research Unit about contentious climate change data should never have been blocked. John Beddington, the government's chief scientist, rightly called on scientists today to share data freely (Chief scientist: climate researchers must be more open, 4 February) "so that people can do the challenging in an unhindered way". But he should apply his strictures to the government's own use of data about GM crops and food (which he supports), where the GM companies only publish data favourable to their cause and prevent researchers getting access to any data that undermines their commercial interests.

Indeed where scientific claims are being made, FoI transparency should be made as applicable in the private sector as in the public, especially in the field of pharmaceuticals. Recent cases about the use of injunctions to prevent disclosure, and moreover super-injunctions as in the Trafigura case, also reveal the need for strengthening the law to open up access where there is a clear public interest to do so.

But equally the opposite case – the unlawful interception of messages where no genuine public or scientific interest in disclosure exists – should be treated as a very serious offence. Most notably the apparent involvement of News of the World journalists in ­extensive phone hacking (Report, 2 February), plus allegedly unlawful requests by them and other news­papers for intimate details on an endemic scale (Report, 31 August 2009), is a serious invasion of privacy that should be stamped out by deterrent penalties.

Michael Meacher MP

Lab, Oldham West and Royton

• The climate change emails furore demonstrates that: scientists are as prone to skulduggery and infighting as any other group of professionals; people who feel their expansive lifestyles threatened will clutch at any straw, however feeble. Neither should cause us much surprise. Calm down, everybody!

Professor Alan Wenban-Smith

Birmingham

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Feb 2010 | 5:05 pm

Science Weekly: The future of human spaceflight

President Obama's latest budget proposals mean Nasa doesn't have enough money to go back to the moon. Kevin Fong from University College London discusses what this means for manned space travel.

In the newsjam we look at how doctors communicated with a man in a vegetative state, how protesters survived a homeopathy overdose, reaction times in gunfights, and why running is good for the brain.

Following a ruling from the General Medical Council against Dr Andrew Wakefield, the Lancet has retracted his paper on links between the MMR jab and autism. But is this really the end of the controversy?

The Observer's science and technology editor Robin McKie and Guardian science correspondent Ian Sample were on hand in the studio to share their wisdom.

Post your comments below.

Join our Facebook group.

Listen back through our archive.

Follow the podcast on our Science Weekly Twitter feed and receive updates on all breaking science news stories from Guardian Science.

Subscribe free via iTunes to ensure every episode gets delivered. (Here is the non-iTunes URL feed).

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Feb 2010 | 5:01 pm

Snowpocalypse Seen from Space

The storm dumped snow on Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia but largely spared New York City.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Feb 2010 | 4:09 pm

Toyota to announce action soon for Prius hybrids (AP)

AP - Toyota said Sunday that it will soon announce plans to deal with braking problems in its prized Prius hybrid amid reports it has decided to issue a recall for the vehicle in Japan, a possible new embarrassment for the world's biggest automaker.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Feb 2010 | 3:36 pm

The Most Awe-Inspiring Natural Wonders in America

Geologic wonders in America that are awe-inspiring for their beauty and the forces that shaped them.
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Feb 2010 | 3:36 pm

Spaceman

America ponders the options for a big rocket
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Feb 2010 | 2:03 pm

Public loses faith in climate change science after leaked emails scandal

Surveys show increase in number of people who believe claims are exaggerated

The number of Britons who believe the science of climate change has fallen over the last 12 months, according to recent polls. Although the vast majority of people still believe the planet is heating up, there has been an increase in those who believe climate change claims are exaggerated.

Public perception could have been influenced by the recent scandal of leaked emails between climate change scientists at the University of East Anglia. The emails, which appeared to encourage data to be kept from Freedom of Information requests, have been seized upon by climate change sceptics – although none of them dispute the science behind the "greenhouse effect" of gases such as carbon dioxide, which traps solar heat and warms the atmosphere.

A BBC poll, which surveyed 1,000 people, revealed that 25% of adults did not believe in global warming – a rise of 8% since a similar poll in November – and the percentage of those who thought climate change was a reality fell to 75%. Of those who believed, one in three felt climate change had been exaggerated. Only 26% of people thought climate change was "established as largely manmade".

Robert Watson, the chief scientific adviser for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said the results were "very disappointing". "The fact that there has been a very significant drop in the number of people that believe that we humans are changing the Earth's climate is serious," he told the BBC. According to an Ipsos poll of 1,048 people, the proportion of the public who believe in climate change has dropped from 44% to 31% in the past year.

It has been claimed most Tory MPs are sceptical about the party's focus on climate change policy. Tim Montgomerie, editor of the ConservativeHome website, said at least six shadow cabinet ministers were sceptical about the economic consequences of a low-carbon policy.

The polls come as Professor Phil Jones, the director of climate research at the University of East Anglia who is at the centre of the leaked emails scandal, said he had received death threats since the correspondence was published online. He told the Sunday Times: "There were death threats. I was shocked. People said I should go and kill myself."

Allegations about the accuracy of a 2007 report produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – including a claim that global warming could cut north African crop production by 50% by 2020 – could damage public perception further. The claim, used in a speech by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, has since been questioned.

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Feb 2010 | 1:36 pm

Even if you're careful, drugs can end up in water (AP)

AP - The federal government advises throwing most unused or expired medications into the trash instead of down the drain, but they can end up in the water anyway, a study from Maine suggests.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 7 Feb 2010 | 1:24 pm

First DNA link to human ageing found

Discovery of gene sequence could aid drug design for age-related illnesses

Scientists have isolated a gene sequence that appears to determine how fast our bodies age, the first time a link between DNA and human lifespan has been found.

The discovery could have a profound impact on public health and raises the best hope yet for drugs that prevent the biological wear and tear behind common age-related conditions such as heart disease and certain cancers.

The work is expected to pave the way for screening programmes to spot people who are likely to age fast and be more susceptible to heart problems and other conditions early in life. People who test positive for the gene variant in their 20s could be put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and encouraged to exercise, eat healthily and avoid smoking.

The breakthrough is unlikely to lead to drugs that dramatically extend lifespan, but doctors say it may help prolong the lives of patients whose genes make them susceptible to dying young.

The research gives the kind of insight into the biology of ageing that has not emerged from work on other strategies that claim to extend lifespan, such as consuming vast quantities of antioxidants or pursuing a severely calorie-restricted diet.

"This may help us identify patients who are at a greater risk of developing common age-related diseases so we can focus more attention on them," said Professor Nilesh Samani, a cardiologist at the University of Leicester, who led the research.

The research highlights the difference between chronological age and biological age, the latter of which is determined by our genetic makeup and lifestyle factors, such as diet and smoking. Two people of the same age can have biological ages that differ by more than 10 years.

A team led by Samani and Professor Tim Spector at King's College, London found a common sequence of DNA was strongly linked to a person's biological age. In a study of nearly 3,000 people, around 38% inherited one copy of the gene variant and were biologically three to four years older than those who did not carry the sequence.

A minority of 7% inherited two copies of the DNA sequence and were on average six to seven biological years older. The majority of the population, 55%, do not carry any copies of the variant.

The study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, was prompted by the huge variability in the age at which people develop medical problems that are often considered diseases of the elderly.

"I see patients in their 80s with high blood pressure who have healthy coronary arteries and I see people in their 40s who don't seem to have any risk factors yet have advanced heart disease," Samani said. "We think this kind of variability must have something to do with premature ageing."

Most of the cells in our bodies contain long molecules of DNA called chromosomes that have protective caps at either end called telomeres. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres shorten, like plastic tips fraying on a shoelace. When the telomeres become very short, the cell starts to malfunction and show signs of ageing.

From blood samples, Samani and Spector found a particular gene sequence was more common in people who had unusually short telomeres for their age. The section of DNA was found on chromosome three, next to a gene called TERC, which makes an enzyme that repairs telomeres when they shorten.

People who carry one or two copies of the genetic sequence probably make less of the enzyme, called telomerase, when they are growing in the womb. This means they are born with shorter telomeres, and so are prone to ageing more quickly.

"The effect may be built in at a very early stage in life. If you're born with shorter telomeres, there's evidence you will be prone to heart disease and other age-related diseases," Samani said.

Scientists are unlikely to reverse the ageing process by boosting telomerase in people's bodies. Telomerase is almost completely deactivated after birth, but is switched back on in cancer cells so they can divide endlessly without dying. "Introducing telomerase might protect you from heart disease, but if you turn it on willy nilly you could cause cancer instead," Samani said.

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Feb 2010 | 12:55 pm

The Future of Internet Passwords

Is there an end in sight for having to create so many different logins?
Source: Livescience.com | 7 Feb 2010 | 11:32 am

Race is on to save Roman chariot track

Residents need to find nearly £1m to safeguard unique find and build visitor centre for 2nd century racetrack

When the white handkerchief dropped, the Ben Hurs of Colchester would have set off down Circular Road North, past the banked tiers of seats, turning left at Napier Road, their iron tyres gouging a deep rut in the track,and back up past St John's gatehouse towards the water-spouting dolphin marking the end of the first lap.

Colchester, it seems, was the Formula One track of Roman Britain, with the only chariot racing circus ever found on the island, and the first found in northern Europe for 20 years. Now modern residents have less than a month to raise the money to save a unique monument and create a visitor centre to reveal the site's history.

Wendy Bailey, chairwoman of Destination Colchester, said a campaign had received a boost with a £30,000 council contribution. "This has really caught the imagination of ordinary local people," she said.

"We're doing a fund raiser at the local football ground, where one man said 'this was like their football to the people of those days'. We're extraordinarily grateful to the council - but I still don't think the authorities charged with protecting it really get how important this heritage is to local people.."

The racetrack is still buried under roads, gardens and old army buildings, but campaigners want to buy a large Victorian garden covering the key part of the circuit. Under the grass lies eight stone enclosures, originally with double wooden doors like giant greyhound racing traps. Each would have held a nervous driver standing in a chariot as fragile as a bentwood chair, reins wrapped around his waist so if he crashed he would probably be dragged to his death, and his four horses waiting for the race marshal on the open balcony above to start the race.

The land is the garden of a listed but derelict sergeants mess, which will become an exhibition, and home to community groups, if the campaign succeeds. If it fails the building will become apartments, the garden private land again.

Digs suggest the circus was built in the early 2nd century, and lasted about 150 years before falling out of use, possibly because local grandees could no longer afford the high cost of day-long races – with not only free admission but the crowd expecting gifts.

Nothing remains above ground except stones taken for later building, but for almost 2,000 years the 350m outline has remained remarkably intact, under fields and 19th-century army land. The stable blocks that held up to 2,500 horses for a day's racing may lie under derelict Victorian cavalry stables and barracks.

All memory of the circus was long lost, when Colchester Archaeological Trust began excavating after the Ministry of Defence sold most of the barracks for housing. They first hit foundations of a straightbuttressed wall, then an identical wall 75m away - baffling because it was ludicrously wide for either a road or a building.Philip Crummy, director of Colchester Archaeological Trust, had his eureka moment when a visitor said flippantly it would be more fun if he found a chariot. "It's a circus!" Crummy roared. "It's not a road, it's a Roman circus!"

Since then CAT has traced long stretches of the perimeter, which had banked seats holding up to 15,000 people. In the central reservation they found bases of start and finish posts, and water pipes proving the circus was grand enough to have the elaborate fountain lap markers shown in Roman mosaics.

They also found scraps of beautifully decorated carriage harness right up against the wall – evidence of an F1 style crash when a driver lost control of his team and spun off into the barrier.

All the fragile remains were buried again for protection, but the site is now a scheduled ancient monument. The campaign is backed by historians, archaeologists and celebrities including Tony Benn, Dan Cruickshank, and Tony Robinson, who as Baldrick in the last Blackadder Goes Forth, trained yards away on the Colchester parade ground.

Robinson, presenter of the archaeology series Time Team, called the circus a fantastic find: "I hope local people, politicians and businesses will all play their part in ensuring as much of it as possible, including the starting stalls, is made secure and accessible for future generations."

The campaigners need £200,000 by the end of February to buy the garden and have the site taken off the market. The building, which they hope will be bought by the archaeology trust and a consortium of community groups and businesses, will cost a further £550,000. Even before the council rowed in, more than £120,000 was raised in a few weeks, almost entirely in small donations from the public. Money came from a couple who asked family and friends to give instead of buying them 60th wedding anniversary presents, and from relatives of a man whose last outing was to the excavation site.

Colchester United flashed up the campaign poster on their giant screens during a recent match. Taylor Wimpey, the house builders, have already changed the layout of the development to protect the underground remains, knocked £10,000 off the asking price - and named the closest development "Quadriga" after the four horse racers.

"This is only the start," warned Wendy Bailey, chairwoman of the campaign group Destination Colchester. "The fabulous Roman walls of Colchester are falling down. The circus is only the beginning of saving our whole fantastic Roman heritage."

Source: Science news, comment and analysis | guardian.co.uk | 7 Feb 2010 | 11:28 am

A Farewell to Ice

Sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean grew by an average of 13,000 square miles a day last month. Great news, right? Well, not so much. For one thing, it was January. Mid-winter. Sea ice cover is supposed to grow. ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 7 Feb 2010 | 11:27 am

Scientists find gene variant link to ageing cells

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found specific genetic variants which may explain why some people age earlier than others and say their findings have important implications for understanding cancer and age-related diseases.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 7 Feb 2010 | 11:02 am

Mystery "X" Stands For "X-traterrestrial" to Some Believers

When Hubble Space Telescope first photographed the strange comet-like object p/2010 a2 I just knew it would get attention among the X-Files crowd. The "X" pattern of dust debris, presumably from an asteroid collision, is simply arresting. Last week's release ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 7 Feb 2010 | 8:50 am

L.A. Foothills Dig Out After Mudslides

Heavy rains caused mud and water to overflow basins and flood streets and homes north of Los Angeles.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 7 Feb 2010 | 6:33 am

Climate scepticism 'on the rise'

The British public has become increasingly sceptical about climate change, a poll for BBC News suggests.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 7 Feb 2010 | 5:02 am