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Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Seven people on a motorbike in Brazil
I tried to post this yesterday, but something went amiss.
Update: And now it's been deleted.
You can see the video here.
Update: And now it's been deleted.
You can see the video here.
Man fined for killer slug attack
A 59-year-old man in western Sweden has been found guilty of harassment after dumping a bag full of killer slugs in a neighbouring woman's garden.
Alingsås district court said the man had engaged in a form of "adult bullying" when he emptied his sack of slugs. The 59-year-old was ordered to pay almost 15,000 kronor ($2,000) in fines and damages.
The woman whose garden was infested with the destructive Spanish slugs had previously taken out a restraining order against her neighbour. The man had taken to following her around and had on one occasion thrown a firecracker into her garden.
The 59-year-old denied behaving badly towards the woman or throwing anything onto her property. But his testimony was contradicted by witnesses who reported often having seen him hanging around outside the woman's house.
Alingsås district court said the man had engaged in a form of "adult bullying" when he emptied his sack of slugs. The 59-year-old was ordered to pay almost 15,000 kronor ($2,000) in fines and damages.
The woman whose garden was infested with the destructive Spanish slugs had previously taken out a restraining order against her neighbour. The man had taken to following her around and had on one occasion thrown a firecracker into her garden.
The 59-year-old denied behaving badly towards the woman or throwing anything onto her property. But his testimony was contradicted by witnesses who reported often having seen him hanging around outside the woman's house.
Meet Spider Goat - the DNA-enhanced web-flinging nanny that may one day knit bones
On a farm in Wyoming, USA, goats are being milked for their spider webs. And if that sounds bizarre, molecular biologist Randy Lewis claims that within two years, spider silk milked from goats could replace your body's tired or strained tendons and ligaments - maybe even bones. Professor Lewis and his team at the University of Wyoming have successfully implanted the silk-making genes from a golden orb spider into a herd of goats and are now, finally, producing one of nature's strongest products in useable quantities.
The technology is cutting edge, but the science isn't. Spider silk has been used for centuries to dress wounds with varying degrees of success, but the problem has until now been how to get it. "We needed a way to produce large quantities of the spider silk proteins," Prof Lewis said. "Spiders can't be farmed, so that route is out and since they make six different silks, even that would not work if you could."
Spiders also have a tendancy to eat each other, so milking one thread from six out of a solo spider was clearly never going to service the entire human race. Prof Lewis and his team singled out the "dragline" - the outer strand of the web - as the strongest of the six types of silk. They spliced the DNA that creates the silk into a female goat's DNA, then waited for it to give birth and start lactating.
"(The splicing) turned out to be relatively easy as there are known gene promotors that only produce expression in the mammary gland during lactation," he said. "Those were hooked up to our spider silk genes." After the milk is collected, it's taken back to a laboratory where the silk protein is filtered out. It solidifies when exposed to air and is wound onto a roller.
Prof Lewis said the team collects about four metres of silk for every four drops of protein they gather. The pure material had a wide range of medicinal applications as sutures and binding agents - including ligament replacement - but its use could extend well beyond our hospitals. "If it works, frankly one of the first applications is maybe fishing line," Prof Lewis said.
"I think we will be testing real world applications in less than two years (but) when they reach market is really beyond my control." Prof Lewis said there was no evidence to suggest the goats in the experiment behaved any differently to regular goats, in either physiology or "psychology".
The technology is cutting edge, but the science isn't. Spider silk has been used for centuries to dress wounds with varying degrees of success, but the problem has until now been how to get it. "We needed a way to produce large quantities of the spider silk proteins," Prof Lewis said. "Spiders can't be farmed, so that route is out and since they make six different silks, even that would not work if you could."
Spiders also have a tendancy to eat each other, so milking one thread from six out of a solo spider was clearly never going to service the entire human race. Prof Lewis and his team singled out the "dragline" - the outer strand of the web - as the strongest of the six types of silk. They spliced the DNA that creates the silk into a female goat's DNA, then waited for it to give birth and start lactating.
"(The splicing) turned out to be relatively easy as there are known gene promotors that only produce expression in the mammary gland during lactation," he said. "Those were hooked up to our spider silk genes." After the milk is collected, it's taken back to a laboratory where the silk protein is filtered out. It solidifies when exposed to air and is wound onto a roller.
Prof Lewis said the team collects about four metres of silk for every four drops of protein they gather. The pure material had a wide range of medicinal applications as sutures and binding agents - including ligament replacement - but its use could extend well beyond our hospitals. "If it works, frankly one of the first applications is maybe fishing line," Prof Lewis said.
"I think we will be testing real world applications in less than two years (but) when they reach market is really beyond my control." Prof Lewis said there was no evidence to suggest the goats in the experiment behaved any differently to regular goats, in either physiology or "psychology".
Fruit bat fellatio gets Irish university lecturer in trouble
A university lecturer disciplined after he showed a female colleague an article about the sex life of fruit bats is demanding his sanctions be reversed.
Dr Dylan Evans, who lectures in behavioural science at University College Cork (UCC) School of Medicine, says the university president Professor Michael Murphy has imposed harsh sanctions on him for showing an article from a peer-reviewed scientific journal to a colleague.
Now, UCC is at the centre of an embarrassing international debate on political correctness.
The university refused to officially comment on his claim that a two-year period of intensive monitoring and counselling had been imposed. But a copy of the president's letter posted online confirms the sanctions.
A UCC spokesman agreed that an investigation had been held into an allegation of sexual harassment. The investigation was completed and the spokesman would not make any further comment.
The article about how fruit bats prolong copulation via oral sex was published last year, and Dr Evans said he showed it to more than a dozen colleagues on the same day, one of whom complained. He said he had been engaged in an ongoing debate about the relevance of evolutionary biology to human behaviour, and about the dubiousness of many claims for human uniqueness.
More here.
Dr Dylan Evans, who lectures in behavioural science at University College Cork (UCC) School of Medicine, says the university president Professor Michael Murphy has imposed harsh sanctions on him for showing an article from a peer-reviewed scientific journal to a colleague.
Now, UCC is at the centre of an embarrassing international debate on political correctness.
The university refused to officially comment on his claim that a two-year period of intensive monitoring and counselling had been imposed. But a copy of the president's letter posted online confirms the sanctions.
A UCC spokesman agreed that an investigation had been held into an allegation of sexual harassment. The investigation was completed and the spokesman would not make any further comment.
The article about how fruit bats prolong copulation via oral sex was published last year, and Dr Evans said he showed it to more than a dozen colleagues on the same day, one of whom complained. He said he had been engaged in an ongoing debate about the relevance of evolutionary biology to human behaviour, and about the dubiousness of many claims for human uniqueness.
More here.
Damian Aspinall's jungle reunion with playmate gorilla
Howletts Wild Animal Park owner Damian Aspinall is reunited with a gorilla he used to play with five years ago.
The 10-year-old silverback is fully integrated into the wilds of Africa and is regarded as dangerous, having attacked other humans.
But Mr Aspinall was determined to have a reunion with Kwibi, who was relocated from Howletts.
Mr Aspinall said: “I was a little concerned, but the moment I heard his deep rumbling love-gurgle I knew then that I was okay. “He looked into my eyes with such intensity and love. It was an incredible experience. We just sat there together sort of drunk with each other.
“He embraced me like a long lost friend and it was just beautiful. He slowly introduced his wives who had come to see me.”
As Kwibi hugged him, Mr Aspinall said: “I don’t know quite how I am going to get out of here.” The crew threw some raisins to lure Kwibi away and allowed Mr Aspinall to get back on to their boat.
The 10-year-old silverback is fully integrated into the wilds of Africa and is regarded as dangerous, having attacked other humans.
But Mr Aspinall was determined to have a reunion with Kwibi, who was relocated from Howletts.
Mr Aspinall said: “I was a little concerned, but the moment I heard his deep rumbling love-gurgle I knew then that I was okay. “He looked into my eyes with such intensity and love. It was an incredible experience. We just sat there together sort of drunk with each other.
“He embraced me like a long lost friend and it was just beautiful. He slowly introduced his wives who had come to see me.”
As Kwibi hugged him, Mr Aspinall said: “I don’t know quite how I am going to get out of here.” The crew threw some raisins to lure Kwibi away and allowed Mr Aspinall to get back on to their boat.
German police to use 'sniffer' vultures
German police are planning to use vultures to locate dead bodies that sniffer dogs can't reach.
They will attach global positioning system tracking devices to birds and get them to find the corpses of people who have disappeared in remote areas.
Policeman Rainer Herrmann said: "It was a colleague of mine who got the idea from watching a nature programme.
Photo from here.
"If it works, time could be saved when looking for dead bodies because the birds can cover a much vaster area than sniffer dogs or humans."
Vultures have a keen sense of smell and are able to detect the scent of rotting flesh from 3,000ft up in the air. They can even trace remains in woodland or in thick undergrowth and cover vast tracts of land.
The first bird, Sherlock, is currently being trained to love the putrid smell of dead human flesh.
They will attach global positioning system tracking devices to birds and get them to find the corpses of people who have disappeared in remote areas.
Policeman Rainer Herrmann said: "It was a colleague of mine who got the idea from watching a nature programme.
Photo from here.
"If it works, time could be saved when looking for dead bodies because the birds can cover a much vaster area than sniffer dogs or humans."
Vultures have a keen sense of smell and are able to detect the scent of rotting flesh from 3,000ft up in the air. They can even trace remains in woodland or in thick undergrowth and cover vast tracts of land.
The first bird, Sherlock, is currently being trained to love the putrid smell of dead human flesh.
Shelter asking for Viagra donations to save Ingrid, a pit bull with a heart condition
A Long Island shelter is looking for donations of Viagra to save a pit bull with a life-threatening heart condition. Six-year-old Ingrid is dependent on two daily 50-mg. doses of the libido-revving meds, but her supply of the drug is just 30 days from running out. Caregivers at the shelter are appealing to Viagra users to share their coveted pills to give the much-loved pooch the gift of life.
"She's the first, and the only, dog that I've ever known that needs Viagra," said Jodi Record, spokeswoman for the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington. "If she didn't have it, she'd most likely go back into heart failure." The shelter launched its first ever Viagra drive two years ago when they first took charge of Ingrid and donations poured in from around the country. But now the well has nearly run dry.
Anonymous letters arrived by mail with a single pill enclosed. Doctors' donated whatever they could spare. And one woman gleefully handed over her husband's stash of Viagra, believing he was using the pills to fire up an extramarital affair. "She was happy to be giving it to Ingrid," Record recalled. "As long as her husband wasn't getting it, she was happy."
Another donor walked in and gave Ingrid a month's supply. "When I asked if he wanted to see Ingrid to see how it helped her he replied: 'Oh, you don't have to tell me. I know how it works.'"
"She's the first, and the only, dog that I've ever known that needs Viagra," said Jodi Record, spokeswoman for the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington. "If she didn't have it, she'd most likely go back into heart failure." The shelter launched its first ever Viagra drive two years ago when they first took charge of Ingrid and donations poured in from around the country. But now the well has nearly run dry.
Anonymous letters arrived by mail with a single pill enclosed. Doctors' donated whatever they could spare. And one woman gleefully handed over her husband's stash of Viagra, believing he was using the pills to fire up an extramarital affair. "She was happy to be giving it to Ingrid," Record recalled. "As long as her husband wasn't getting it, she was happy."
Another donor walked in and gave Ingrid a month's supply. "When I asked if he wanted to see Ingrid to see how it helped her he replied: 'Oh, you don't have to tell me. I know how it works.'"
Dog blown five stories off balcony survives fall
“I call him my miracle dog,” Sarann Lindenauer said as she held her 4-year-old terrier Alfie, careful not to put pressure on his bruised chest and bandaged leg. “I’m just so thrilled he’s okay.”
A miracle indeed. Just a few bruises, a sore paw and a cut lip were all that Alfie suffered recently when a heavy wind apparently blew the dog off of Lindenauer’s 11th floor terrace in Tribeca's Independence Plaza and onto the roof of a townhouse in the complex, five stories below and some 30 feet to the east.
Lindenauer said Alfie usually avoids the terrace and only goes onto it briefly when it’s thundering or otherwise noisy outside. “Then he’ll bark and run back in," she said. "I’m thinking that wind just took him because he doesn’t jump.” Had the wind not whipped Alfie towards the townhouse, he would have landed on the concrete plaza, three stories farther down.
A vet determined that Alfie had no broken bones. Bruises on a leg and underside indicated that he probably landed on his stomach. “At the vet, they called him Alfie the Aviator,” Lindenauer laughed. Alfie has recovered, his owner said, though he may still be traumatized by his harrowing flight. A few days after the incident the wind blew hard again and Alfie became frightened. “I couldn’t stop him from shaking,” Lindenauer said. “I closed the window so he couldn’t hear the wind and then he calmed down.”
A miracle indeed. Just a few bruises, a sore paw and a cut lip were all that Alfie suffered recently when a heavy wind apparently blew the dog off of Lindenauer’s 11th floor terrace in Tribeca's Independence Plaza and onto the roof of a townhouse in the complex, five stories below and some 30 feet to the east.
Lindenauer said Alfie usually avoids the terrace and only goes onto it briefly when it’s thundering or otherwise noisy outside. “Then he’ll bark and run back in," she said. "I’m thinking that wind just took him because he doesn’t jump.” Had the wind not whipped Alfie towards the townhouse, he would have landed on the concrete plaza, three stories farther down.
A vet determined that Alfie had no broken bones. Bruises on a leg and underside indicated that he probably landed on his stomach. “At the vet, they called him Alfie the Aviator,” Lindenauer laughed. Alfie has recovered, his owner said, though he may still be traumatized by his harrowing flight. A few days after the incident the wind blew hard again and Alfie became frightened. “I couldn’t stop him from shaking,” Lindenauer said. “I closed the window so he couldn’t hear the wind and then he calmed down.”
Rest in not so much peace in Singapore
Death need not be a grim affair, especially for the living, and at a new columbarium in Singapore, the deceased can depart, rock concert style. Unlike most traditional Buddhist funeral ceremonies that follow cremation, there is no incense and no monks offering prayers at the Nirvana Memorial Garden columbarium, where the urns holding the remains of the dead are stored. Instead, curtains draw automatically to reveal the deceased's urn which is placed atop a pedestal, machine-generated smoke fills the prayer hall and a booming recorded voice, accompanied by chants, speaks words of comfort and talks about death.
The columbarium boasts a $2 million (£1.4 million) sound and light system. Its resident Buddha statue pulsate gently with LED lights and, as a final touch, a ray of bright white light shines on the urn of the deceased symbolising the ascent to heaven. "This is just 60 percent of what we can offer," said Jessie Ong, who works for Nirvana Memorial, the company that runs the columbarium. "We are still fine tuning the laser lights." Most columbariums are dark, eerie places, with floors littered with incense ash and urns piled high to the ceiling in tiny pigeonholes, each adorned with a picture of the deceased. But in Nirvana Memorial, luxury and space are aplenty.
"This is not a place for people to come only once a year to visit their parents or relatives, we want to create an environment to encourage them to come as often as possible," Jeff Kong, director of Nirvana Memorial Singapore, said. The so-called "six star" columbarium is Singapore's first luxury final resting place and the brainchild of Malaysian-based NV Multi Corp which has other similar projects in south east Asia. The 11,200 square metre (120,600 sq ft) columbarium is fully air-conditioned and carpeted, with a skylit lobby and an indoor car park. After it is fully opened in 2011, the $22 million facility will host up to 50,000 niches for urns spread across 11 suites designed with feng shui elements in mind.
Each of the suites also feature lounges furnished with sofas and rosewood furniture for families to rest when they visit. To access the niches, families are given electronic keycards. The company plans to open a restaurant in the columbarium as well as set up a system to send electronic reminders to families to pay their respects to their relatives on death anniversaries and birthdays. The price of such luxury, however, does not come cheap. Compared to a state-run facility which costs close to $360 for a single niche, prices here start at $22,000 for a double niche in the Royal Suite and $93,000 for a cubicle that stores up to 32 urns in the Family Suite. There are also "economy" class niches that range from $2,200, and the facility accepts payment in instalments.
The columbarium boasts a $2 million (£1.4 million) sound and light system. Its resident Buddha statue pulsate gently with LED lights and, as a final touch, a ray of bright white light shines on the urn of the deceased symbolising the ascent to heaven. "This is just 60 percent of what we can offer," said Jessie Ong, who works for Nirvana Memorial, the company that runs the columbarium. "We are still fine tuning the laser lights." Most columbariums are dark, eerie places, with floors littered with incense ash and urns piled high to the ceiling in tiny pigeonholes, each adorned with a picture of the deceased. But in Nirvana Memorial, luxury and space are aplenty.
"This is not a place for people to come only once a year to visit their parents or relatives, we want to create an environment to encourage them to come as often as possible," Jeff Kong, director of Nirvana Memorial Singapore, said. The so-called "six star" columbarium is Singapore's first luxury final resting place and the brainchild of Malaysian-based NV Multi Corp which has other similar projects in south east Asia. The 11,200 square metre (120,600 sq ft) columbarium is fully air-conditioned and carpeted, with a skylit lobby and an indoor car park. After it is fully opened in 2011, the $22 million facility will host up to 50,000 niches for urns spread across 11 suites designed with feng shui elements in mind.
Each of the suites also feature lounges furnished with sofas and rosewood furniture for families to rest when they visit. To access the niches, families are given electronic keycards. The company plans to open a restaurant in the columbarium as well as set up a system to send electronic reminders to families to pay their respects to their relatives on death anniversaries and birthdays. The price of such luxury, however, does not come cheap. Compared to a state-run facility which costs close to $360 for a single niche, prices here start at $22,000 for a double niche in the Royal Suite and $93,000 for a cubicle that stores up to 32 urns in the Family Suite. There are also "economy" class niches that range from $2,200, and the facility accepts payment in instalments.
Kilt voted world's favourite traditional item of clothing
Scotland's kilt has been confirmed as the most popular traditional garment in the world.
In a poll of international traditional clothing, 67 per cent of respondents put the kilt in top position, with many women describing it as "very attractive" on a man.
The Japanese kimono came second in the international attire list, while the Hawaiian grass skirt was third.
The survey of 2,034 people also found the Mexican sombrero was popular. However, German lederhosen was considered "very unfashionable" by 87 per cent of people. As many as 24 per cent thought the shell suit best represented England's national dress.
In a poll of international traditional clothing, 67 per cent of respondents put the kilt in top position, with many women describing it as "very attractive" on a man.
The Japanese kimono came second in the international attire list, while the Hawaiian grass skirt was third.
The survey of 2,034 people also found the Mexican sombrero was popular. However, German lederhosen was considered "very unfashionable" by 87 per cent of people. As many as 24 per cent thought the shell suit best represented England's national dress.
Man killed by heat from cannabis farm inside his home
Luke Holmes died in bed after being overcome by the heat from a cannabis farm inside his home.
Holmes, 28, set up three foil-lined tents each containing marijuana plants cultivated under a battery of halogen lamps.
The powerful lights sent the temperature in his home soaring to more than 100°F (38°C), an inquest heard.
Holmes died in his sleep and was found three days later when friends broke into his house in Halifax, West Yorks.
Police almost fainted from the heat when they entered the property on a warm day last June.
The inquest in Bradford heard that Holmes was a drug user, although no drugs were found in his system. He died from hyperthermia, or excessive heat. Verdict: Accident.
Holmes, 28, set up three foil-lined tents each containing marijuana plants cultivated under a battery of halogen lamps.
The powerful lights sent the temperature in his home soaring to more than 100°F (38°C), an inquest heard.
Holmes died in his sleep and was found three days later when friends broke into his house in Halifax, West Yorks.
Police almost fainted from the heat when they entered the property on a warm day last June.
The inquest in Bradford heard that Holmes was a drug user, although no drugs were found in his system. He died from hyperthermia, or excessive heat. Verdict: Accident.
18-month-old boy survives 30ft fall without a scratch
A toddler who fell three storeys from a window on to the pavement survived without a mark on his body. Hassan Aljadid was playing near the windowsill, which was just a foot off the floor, when he plummeted 9m (30ft) and landed on his back on the concrete below. The 18-month-old stopped breathing for about a minute but tests later showed he had suffered no external or internal injuries.
‘It’s amazing, he’s absolutely fine,’ said Elham Aljadid and her husband Osama. ‘There isn’t a single mark on him at all – we couldn’t believe it and can’t understand how it happened. It’s a miracle.’ Hassan’s Libyan family only recently moved into the flat in Bournemouth.
Hassan’s mother, 26, had been feeding his seven-month-old sister Njwan in the living room when he went behind the curtains near a window. By the time she noticed he was gone, Hassan was being looked after by horrified passers-by on the street outside. He was treated at Poole hospital where he was given X-rays and tests but he was found to have no external or internal injuries.
Hahmed Faal, a 27-year-old university student, was one of the first people to spot Hassan lying on the ground. ‘I heard a large bang and the baby was outside,’ he said. ‘He was conscious – he stopped breathing for a minute then started again. I just put my jacket on top of him. There were no external injuries. It was just unbelievable. He is very lucky.’
‘It’s amazing, he’s absolutely fine,’ said Elham Aljadid and her husband Osama. ‘There isn’t a single mark on him at all – we couldn’t believe it and can’t understand how it happened. It’s a miracle.’ Hassan’s Libyan family only recently moved into the flat in Bournemouth.
Hassan’s mother, 26, had been feeding his seven-month-old sister Njwan in the living room when he went behind the curtains near a window. By the time she noticed he was gone, Hassan was being looked after by horrified passers-by on the street outside. He was treated at Poole hospital where he was given X-rays and tests but he was found to have no external or internal injuries.
Hahmed Faal, a 27-year-old university student, was one of the first people to spot Hassan lying on the ground. ‘I heard a large bang and the baby was outside,’ he said. ‘He was conscious – he stopped breathing for a minute then started again. I just put my jacket on top of him. There were no external injuries. It was just unbelievable. He is very lucky.’
Girl grows two new kidneys after old ones fail
A girl left seriously ill when both her kidneys failed astounded medical experts by growing two new ones. Angel Burton from Louth, Lincolnshire, suffered from painful kidney infections from birth to the point where she required surgery at the age of five.
But surgeons were amazed to discover the little girl had four kidneys, with two new fully formed organs sitting on top of her old ones. And the new ones had taken over the role of the others, meaning she was effectively 'cured' of kidney failure.
Now, three years on, Angel, now eight, is fighting fit and her family are still thankful for the miracle that changed her life. She has an rare condition known as 'duplex kidney' - common to just a handful of people in Britain.
A duplex kidney is fused to the other at the centre and may share or have an independent ureter draining urine to the bladder. In Angel's case both her kidneys are 'duplex' and fused to the other. Each has a separate ureter, meaning that she has four kidneys and four ureters.
But surgeons were amazed to discover the little girl had four kidneys, with two new fully formed organs sitting on top of her old ones. And the new ones had taken over the role of the others, meaning she was effectively 'cured' of kidney failure.
Now, three years on, Angel, now eight, is fighting fit and her family are still thankful for the miracle that changed her life. She has an rare condition known as 'duplex kidney' - common to just a handful of people in Britain.
A duplex kidney is fused to the other at the centre and may share or have an independent ureter draining urine to the bladder. In Angel's case both her kidneys are 'duplex' and fused to the other. Each has a separate ureter, meaning that she has four kidneys and four ureters.
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