The pygmy tarsier is not extinct

Scientists have found a wide-eyed primate -- a clawed fur ball that fits snugly in one hand -- in the first live sighting in more than 80 years of a creature that some thought was extinct.

Over a two-month period, scientists working in Lore Lindu National Park on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi caught and released three pygmy tarsiers. They bear a striking resemblance to the Furby, an electronic toy that spoke its own fantasy language and dominated children's wish lists in the late 1990s.

They caught two males and one female, said Sharon Gursky-Doyen, a Texas A&M University anthropology professor who led the expedition. The group spotted a fourth -- high in the tree canopy -- but were unable to catch it.

The species had not been observed alive in more than eight decades, since they were collected for a museum in 1921. Many scientists had believed them to be extinct until eight years ago, when two scientists trapping rats in Sulawesi accidentally trapped and killed one.
link

Bitter English apple extends life span

Scientists say certain compounds found in the bitter English apple can help improve one's general health and extend the life span.

According to a recent study, the high epicatechin polyphenol content of bitter apple boosts heart health and circulation, leading to longer life.

This compound can tackle arterial stiffness (atherosclerosis) and high blood pressure, and therefore lowers the risk of suffering cardiovascular events.
The study showed that epicatechin helps maintain blood circulation by relaxing the arteries and increasing the blood flow.

Findings revealed that adding epicatechin to the regular diet is associated with a 17-year reduction in an individual's vascular age.

Based on the findings of the present study, cientists have developed a red-fleshed apple called Evesse which is believed to be rich in epicatechin.

Bird Photography by Helge Sørensen

I have been a birdwatcher for most of my life.

My motives are limited to birds, and the few larger animals I meet on my way. All birds fascinate me, but I love the owls and hawks in particular. I see birdphotography as a way of documenting the birds life, more than an art-form. Therefore I strive with my photos, to show the birds behaviour and in particular I pursue action-photos.

Bird Photography by Helge Sørensen from Denmark.

camouflage

With respect

5 Reasons to Be Hopeful About Global Warming

1. Hope for the Rain Forests

2. Britain Goes All In

3. Coal Is on the Defensive

4. The U.S. Can Cut Energy Use 20%

5. Obama

reading here

Two-Faced Kitten Born in Australia

Twice as cute: The unnamed kitten born Nov. 19 near Perth, Australia.

A kitten with two faces that meows out of both mouths at the same time was born Wednesday near Perth, Western Australia.

The kitten was delivered in a vet's operating room after its mother had complications with the birth.

The two-faced feline was one of three in a litter and appears to be doing well.

It hasn't got a name yet, but the owner is thinking of calling it Quasi Modo, according to local news Web site inmycommunity.com.au.

Veterinarian George Huber and nurse Louisa Burgess delivered the kitten.

Burgess said that in her 12-year career' she had never seen a two-faced cat.

"I have seen cats with two tails and extra legs, but not this," she said.

Team Work

Tough Day On The Job

Sharing a Meal

The old man ordered one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. He unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife.He then carefully counted out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife.

He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them. As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the people around them kept looking over and whispering. You could tell they were thinking, "That poor old couple - all they can afford is one meal for the two of them."

As the man began to eat his fries a young man came to the table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple. The old man said they were just fine. They were used to sharing everything.

The surrounding people noticed the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink. Again the young man came over and begged them to let him buy another meal for them. This time the old woman said "No, thank you, we are used to sharing everything."

As the old man finished and was wiping his face neatly with the napkin, the young man again came over to the little old lady who had yet to eat a single bite of food and asked "What is it you are waiting for?"

The woman looked the young man straight in the eye and replied, "The teeth."
via

Indian teenager thrown under train for writing a love letter to a girl from a different caste

An Indian teenager was kidnapped, beaten and paraded through the streets before being thrown under the wheels of a speeding train - for writing a love letter to a girl.

Manish Kumar, 15, was tortured and killed because the youngster tried to woo someone from a different caste, police in the impoverished eastern state of Bihar revealed.

A mob from her group took offence and targeted the boy and pushed him under the train as his mother begged for mercy.
One man has so far been arrested and a policeman suspended.
The victim's mother Lalit Devi told police she had watched 'helplessly' as the wheels of the train passed over her son during the incident at Durgawati in Kaimur district. link

Woman given windpipe created in laboratory

In this undated photo released by the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008, Claudia Castillo, 30, the recipient of a windpipe transplant which used tissue grown from her own stem cells, poses for a photograph in Barcelona, Spain. European doctors have performed a windpipe transplant with tissue grown from the patient's own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs.

Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. "This technique has great promise," said Dr. Eric Genden, who did a similar transplant in 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. That operation used both donor and recipient tissue. Only a handful of windpipe, or trachea, transplants have ever been done.

If successful, the procedure could become a new standard of treatment, said Genden, who was not involved in the research.

The results were published online Wednesday in the medical journal, The Lancet.
The transplant was given to Claudia Castillo, a 30-year-old Colombian mother of two living in Barcelona, suffered from tuberculosis for years. After a severe collapse of her left lung in March, Castillo needed regular hospital visits to clear her airways and was unable to take care of her children. link

Kangaroo genes close to humans

Australia's kangaroos are genetically similar to humans and may have first evolved in China, Australian researchers said Tuesday.

Scientists said they had for the first time mapped the genetic code of the Australian marsupials and found much of it was similar to the genome for humans, the government-backed Center of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics said.

"There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that, but they are the same genes and a lot of them are in the same order," center Director Jenny Graves told reporters in Melbourne.

still loving you

click on picture for playing
Love, only love
Can bring back your love someday
I will be there, I will be there

If we'd go again
All the way from the start
I would try to change
The things that killed our love

Yes, I've hurt your pride, and I know
What you've been through
You should give me a chance
This can't be the end
I'm still loving you

Prehistoric 'nuclear family' discovered

Researchers said an ancient grave containing the remains of a father and mother with their two sons represents the oldest genetic evidence of a nuclear family. Scientists also say the family met a violent end. The burial site, one of four discovered in 2005 near Eulau, Germany, is thought to be around 4,600 years old.

A grave with the remains of a mother and father huddled together with two sons has been dated to 4,600 years ago and marks the oldest genetic evidence for a nuclear family, researchers say.The individuals were carefully arranged in their graves to denote they were part of a biological family, the researchers say. Wounds on the remains suggest the parents and kids were defending themselves against a violent raid, involving stone axes and arrows, at the time of their deaths. link

Sad story : Pregnant Anaconda Killed by Villagers

Set of photos show a killed aged pregnant Anaconda! The question here why it was killed? Maybe this Anaconda causes problems in this region but in the same time there is no wonder in this world there is some stupid careless persons. It’s really sad to see such as things like cutting down a tall tree just for fun.

Around The World In A Solar Powered Plane

A solar powered plane trip around the world may soon leave the realms of science fiction and become reality. 'Solar Impulse', a 1500 kilogram solar plane with a 61 meter wing span, will be undergoing its first test flight in April next year according to the team's project communication head Phil Mundwiller.

This will be followed by the round the world attempt in May 2011, commencing with a crossing of the US and the Atlantic. The plane is also expected to go into commercial production in 2011
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