Global warming in bed
Contraception is a cheaper means of preventing climate change than conventional green technologies, The Daily Telegraph reports, according to research by the London School of Economics. "Every £4 [$7] spent on family planning over the next four decades would reduce global carbon-dioxide emissions by more than a ton, whereas a minimum of £19 [$34] would have to be spent on low-carbon technologies to achieve the same result, according to researchers. The report, Fewer Emitters, Lower Emissions, Less Cost, concluded that family planning should be seen as one of the primary methods of emissions reduction. The UN estimates that 40 per cent of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended."
Mice that fly
Scientists have successfully used magnetic fields to levitate mice, Charles Choi reports for Live-
Science.com. Researchers working on behalf of NASA built a device to simulate variable levels of gravity. It includes a superconducting magnet that produces a field powerful enough to levitate the water inside living animals, and a space inside at room temperature that is large enough, at 6.6 centimetres wide, for tiny creatures to float comfortably in during experiments. Repeated levitation tests showed the mice, even when not sedated, could quickly acclimate to levitation inside their cage. After three or four hours, the mice acted normally, including eating and drinking.
A tail that fakes
"A gecko's tail continues to flip, flop and wriggle long after it has dropped off the lizard's body," Jennifer Viegas reports for the Discovery Channel. "Now a new study proposes the tail is preprogrammed for random movement to foil predators while the rest of the gecko makes a speedy getaway. ... In the gecko's case, its tail is actually an extension of its spinal cord. No other animal, however, appears to be able to self-amputate a body part that can later move. It would be like a person dropping off one leg that continues to hop around while the rest of the person escapes." The study is published in the latest issue of the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.
A tongue that bites
A rare, sea-dwelling parasite that eats a fish's tongue and then takes the tongue's place in the fish was discovered off the coast of Jersey in Europe, BBC reports. The isopod is about 2.5 centimetres long and was first found by fishermen. "When we emptied the fish bag out there at the bottom was this incredibly ugly looking isopod," marine researcher Paul Chambers told the BBC. "Really quite large, really quite hideous - if you turn it over it's got dozens of these really sharp, nasty claws underneath ..." The fish, he said, doesn't experience "too much ill effect ... except it's lost its tongue." Experts said there have been similar sightings that dated back to 1996. The isopod doesn't bother humans, but don't try to touch it, Mr. Chambers advises. "They are vicious - they will deliver a good nip."
Source: Foxnews.com
Humans and robots
"A robot controlled by human brain cells could soon be trundling around a British lab," New Scientist reports. "Kevin Warwick and Ben Whalley at the University of Reading, U.K., have already used rat brain cells to control a simple wheeled robot." The team said that observing how their neuron culture - some 300,000 rat neurons grown in a nutrient broth - responds to stimulation could improve our understanding of neurological conditions such as epilepsy. "To make the system a better model of human disease, a culture of human neurons will be connected to the robot once the current work with rat cells is completed. This will be the first instance of human cells being used to control a robot."
Fantasy insurance
"Henry Olszewski was stoked in 2008 when he, along with millions of Americans, drafted New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to his fantasy football team," Eliott McLaughlin reports for CNN.com. "About eight minutes into the season, a 220-pound safety was blocked into Brady's knee, tearing two of the quarterback's ligaments. Brady's season ended, as did Olszewski's. 'That Monday, [Olszewski] came in the office and he was bummed out,' said Anthony Giaccone, president of Intermarket Insurance. 'He asked, 'Why can't we buy insurance for fantasy team players?' " Thus spawned the brainchild for Fantasy Sports Insurance, which guarantees that NFL players won't miss a certain number of games. FSI will reimburse a fantasy player's entry fee if they do."
Thought du jour
"The human condition is such that pain and effort are not just symptoms which can be removed without changing life itself; they are the modes in which life itself, together with the necessity to which it is bound, makes itself felt. For mortals, the 'easy life of the gods' would be a lifeless life."
- Hannah Arendt
