| Villagers return to slopes of Indonesian volcano By BINSAR BAKKARA 2010-08-31T16:19:34ZTANAH KARO, Indonesia (AP) -- Thousands of villagers returned to their homes along the ash-covered slopes of an Indonesian volcano that exploded after four centuries of dormancy, even though officials warned they could be putting their lives at risk.... hosted.ap.org |
Europe plans large lunar lander Led by Germany, Europe is pressing ahead with plans to send a sophisticated, unmanned spacecraft to the surface of the Moon. bbc.co.uk |
Today's Mystery Bird for you to identify | GrrlScientist This widespread mystery bird's breeding plumage is dramatically different from its non-breeding plumage, yet these birds moult only once a year. How can a bird have two different plumages if it moults only once a year?Mystery Bird photographed at Dungeness RSPB reserve, Lydd, Kent, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: Adrian White, September 2010. [use your binoculars].Nikon D40x with a Tamron 70-300 lens.This widespread mystery bird's breeding plumage is dramatically different from its non-breeding plumage, yet these birds moult only once per year. How can a bird have two different plumages if it moults only once per year?Daily Mystery Bird Rules: 1. Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification, keeping in mind that more than one field mark is often necessary to distinguish between species. IDs without any supporting information are not valid and may be deleted by the moderators. 2. Expert and intermediate level birders: do NOT try to be the first to blurt out the mystery bird's ID. Instead, please provide helpful hints, such as descriptions, literary references, puns, personal anecdotes, and other forms of discussion and assistance for beginning birders and for those following on their iPhones without naming the species. Expert and intermediate birders are free to name the bird species 24 or more hours after it was first published.3. Each mystery bird is usually accompanied by a question or two. These questions can be useful for identifying the pictured species, but may instead be used to illustrate an interesting aspect of avian biology, behaviour or evolution, or may be intended to generate conversation on other topics, such as conservation. 4. Each bird species will be demystified 48 hours after publication. If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and appreciate audience, feel free to email them to me for consideration.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
A Conversation With David J. Weatherall: Studying Tropical Genetic Blood Diseases Sir David Weatherall, 77, an Oxford researcher-physician, was among the first to use the tools of molecular biology to understand thalassemia. feeds.nytimes.com |
Gulf corals in oil spill zone appear healthy By BRIAN SKOLOFF 2010-10-22T15:32:40ZON THE FLOOR OF THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) -- Just 20 miles north of where BP's blown-out well spewed millions of gallons of oil into the sea, life appears bountiful despite initial fears that crude could have wiped out many of these delicate deepwater habitats.... hosted.ap.org |