 |
 |
| December 20, 2013 |
 Neanderthal genome shows early human interbreeding, inbreeding Berkeley CA (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - The most complete sequence to date of the Neanderthal genome, using DNA extracted from a woman's toe bone that dates back 50,000 years, reveals a long history of interbreeding among at least four different types of early humans living in Europe and Asia at that time, according to University of California, Berkeley, scientists. Population geneticist Montgomery Slatkin, graduate student Fern ... more |  |
 Oregano Oil May Help Sunflower Seeds Keep Longer Chicago IL (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - Sunflower seeds and sunflower oils have been shown to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease as well as have potential beneficial effects on obesity, bone health, and blood pressure. However their high protein and fat content mean they can have a short shelf-life. A study in the Journal of Food Science published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) showed that the addition of oreg ... more |  |
 A roly-poly pika gathers much moss Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - In some mountain ranges, Earth's warming climate is driving rabbit relatives known as pikas to higher elevations or wiping them out. But University of Utah biologists discovered that roly-poly pikas living in rockslides near sea level in Oregon can survive hot weather by eating more moss than any other mammal. "Our work shows pikas can eat unusual foods like moss to persist in strange envi ... more |  |
Sunlight adaptation of Neanderthal genome found in 65 percent of modern East Asians Oxford, UK (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - With the Neanderthal genome now published, for the first time, scientists have a rich new resource of comparative evolution. For example, recently, scientists have shown that humans and Neanderthals once interbreed, with the accumulation of elements of Neanderthal DNA found in up to 5 percent in modern humans. Are there any advantages to the retention of Neanderthal DNA that favors modern ... more |  |
 Geoengineering research, ethics, governance explored Seattle WA (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - Hacking the Earth's climate to counteract global warming - a subject that elicits strong reactions from both sides - is the topic of a December special issue of the journal Climatic Change. A dozen research papers include the most detailed description yet of the proposed Oxford Principles to govern geoengineering research, as well as surveys on the technical hurdles, ethics and regulatory issues ... more |  |
 | |
 Saving Fiji's coral reefs linked to forest conservation upstream Brisbane, Australia (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - The health of coral reefs offshore depend on the protection of forests near the sea, according to a new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society that outlines the importance of terrestrial protected areas to coastal biodiversity. In a study conducted by WCS and the University of Queensland evaluating the effects of terrestrial protected area designs on Fiji's coral reefs, it turns out th ... more |  |
 New actors in the Arctic ecosystem: Atlantic amphipods are now reproducing in Arctic waters Bremerhaven, Germany (SPX) Dec 20, 2013 - Biologists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have for the first time shown that amphipods from the warmer Atlantic are now reproducing in Arctic waters to the west of Spitsbergen. This surprising discovery indicates a possible shift of the Arctic zooplankton community, scientists report in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. The ... more |  |
 Democracy dream sours in China's Wukan two years on Wukan, China (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - After the Chinese village of Wukan rose up against its communist leaders, protest organiser Yang Semao was voted into office to reclaim the residents' stolen land - only to find it frustratingly unachievable. Two years since the uprising in the little community on China's southern coast drew worldwide attention, leading to free elections and inspiring talk of a "Wukan model" for tackling go ... more |  |
S.Africa rhino poaching toll approaches 1,000 Johannesburg (AFP) Dec 19, 2013 - South Africa has lost nearly 1,000 rhinos this year in a poaching surge to feed the black-market demand for their horns, the environmental ministry said Thursday. "The total number of rhino poached in South Africa since January 2013 has increased to 946," the ministry said in a statement. Asian demand for rhino horn - prized as a status symbol and wrongly thought to possess medicinal pr ... more |  |
New Zealand economy rebounds after drought Wellington (AFP) Dec 18, 2013 - New Zealand's economy grew 1.4 percent in the July-September quarter, led by a surge in agricultural production following a drought, official data showed Thursday. It was the biggest quarterly expansion in gross domestic product since December 2009 and took annual economic growth to 2.6 percent, Statistics New Zealand said. "Dairy farming has really bounced back from the drought this yea ... more |  |
 | |
 Pollution shrouds Tibetan capital, grounding flights Beijing (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - China's pollution reached new heights on Friday, as the Tibetan capital of Lhasa was shrouded in a cloud of dust that halted flights and rendered one of its most-recognisable landmarks nearly invisible. Lhasa, which at 3,700 metres (12,000 feet) above sea level is one of the highest cities on the world, was named by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection last month as one of 10 cities ... more |  |
 New volcanic island off Japan could be permanent, scientists say Greenbelt, Md. (UPI) Dec 19, 2013 - NASA says satellite photos of a brand new volcanic island that sprang from the ocean near Japan show it has grown in size and may survive for a long period. The tiny island dubbed Niijima breached the surface of the Pacific Ocean in a volcanic eruption in late November about 600 miles south of Tokyo in waters considered part of Japanese territory. Cameras on NASA's Earth Observin ... more |  |
Power-hungry Washington's soft spot for wounded wildlife Washington (AFP) Dec 19, 2013 - Washington is synonymous with power, majestic buildings and ruthless ambition. But it also has a cuddly side, nurturing orphaned baby squirrels and lame turtles. City Wildlife, which opened a year ago, is the US capital's first clinic to tend to injured wildlife. Director Alicia DeMay, a former veterinary assistant, explained that the privately funded facility can look after 1,500 anima ... more |  |
Prismatic social network follows interests San Francisco (AFP) Dec 19, 2013 - Prismatic chief Bradford Cross believes that online social networks should go beyond following people to pursuing interests. To that end, the San Francisco-based startup on Thursday released a Prismatic app that lets users of Apple mobile gadgets tap into the latest news based on what they like rather than who they know. "When you only get things via people, you end up getting boxed into ... more |  |
 China's Yinren buys world's second biggest diamond bank Brussels (AFP) Dec 19, 2013 - Belgian bank-insurer KBC said Thursday it has sold Antwerp Diamond Bank - the world's second biggest such bank - to Chinese group Yinren for an undisclosed sum. The Antwerp bank provides financing to the diamond trade and has 75 years of experience in the industry. With the acquisition, Yinren would be able to leverage on the bank's expertise, network and reputation in its bid to devel ... more |  |
| ADVERTISEMENT + A Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison Report  Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison The Temperflow? uses a patent pending technology that allows body heat to ventilate out the mattress, while cooler air can flow back into the mattress. See www.Temperflow.com for more information about how their technology works. Or read our comparison report on two different memory foam mattress products.+ Buy a Temperflow? bed today and sleep better tonight! | |
Haiyan to hit Philippine coconut oil exports: industry official Manila (AFP) Dec 20, 2013 - Global coconut oil supplies will likely fall next year, an industry official said Friday, after the killer typhoon that struck leading exporter the Philippines last month destroyed millions of trees used to produce the commodity The Philippines provides more than 40 percent of the world's coconut oil and the areas hit by Super Typhoon Haiyan account for 10-15 percent of the country's output, ... more |  |
China to build two new Antarctic bases: state media Beijing (AFP) Dec 19, 2013 - Chinese workers are on their way to build the country's fourth Antarctic research base and a fifth is being planned, state-run media said Thursday as the country expands its imprint on the icy continent. Construction on the main building of the fourth camp, named Taishan, will be completed next year, the state-run China Daily reported. It will be used during the summer season for resear ... more |  |
 Lavish funerals go up in smoke as China orders frugality Beijing (AFP) Dec 19, 2013 - Chinese officials have been ordered to tone down their increasingly extravagant funerals, state media said Thursday, as Beijing made clear its sweeping austerity crackdown applies even in death. With concerns mounting that official funerals had become a "platform to show off wealth and connections", party members and officials have been instructed to "set an example with simple, civilised" c ... more |  |
Study: Kids understand multi-digit numbers as early as age 3 East Lansing, Mich. (UPI) Dec 18, 2013 - Children as young as 3 years old can grasp large numbers and may be ready for more direct math instruction when they enter school, U.S. researchers say. The finding in a study funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences has implications for U.S. students who are losing ground internationally in mathematics performance, they said. "Contrary to the ... more |  |
 Tropical forests mitigate extreme weather events Panama City, Panama (SPX) Dec 19, 2013 - Tropical forests reduce peak runoff during storms and release stored water during droughts, according to researchers working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Their results lend credence to a controversial phenomenon known as the sponge effect, which is at the center of a debate about how to minimize flood damage and maximize water availability in the tropics. Durin ... more |  |
| ||||
| ||||||||
No comments :
Post a Comment