| Report: Climate science panel needs change at top By SETH BORENSTEIN 2010-08-30T21:37:46ZWASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists reviewing the acclaimed but beleaguered international climate change panel called Monday for a major overhaul in the way it's run, but stopped short of calling for the ouster of the current leader.... hosted.ap.org |
Jupiter making closest approach in nearly 50 years By MARCIA DUNN 2010-09-17T22:14:25ZCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Better catch Jupiter next week in the night sky. It won't be that big or bright again until 2022. Jupiter will pass 368 million miles from Earth late Monday, its closest approach since 1963. You can see it low in the east around dusk. Around midnight, it will be directly overhead. That's because Earth will be passing between Jupiter and the sun, into the wee hours of Tuesday.... hosted.ap.org |
Today's Mystery Bird for you to identify | GrrlScientist This lovely little African mystery bird has a much larger cousin that was endemic to Great Britain. Can you name this species and its British cousin?Mystery Bird photographed from a hot air balloon in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: Dan Logen, 19 January 2010 [look at this bird with binoculars].Nikon D300, 200-400 mm lens at 400 ISO 1250, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.This lovely little African mystery bird has a much larger cousin that was endemic to Great Britain. Can you name this species and its British cousin?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 |
Spanish inspectors seize 'cooked up' top-grade hams Cowboy trade suspected in meat wrongly sold as that of free-range, acorn-fed pigs, a delicacy across the countryIt is the delicacy Spaniards are most likely to spend outrageous sums of money on, but now warnings have been issued suggesting top-grade air-cured hams might not be all they pretend to be.Ham inspectors put 17 tonnes of pig meat into quarantine yesterday as they cracked down on what they suspected was a massive fraud involving Spanish hams that – purportedly – come from the haunches of free-range pigs that feast daily on acorns.Authorities in southern Andalucia said that, to provide the quantity of ibérico hams that now hang from supermarket meat counters, the region would need to double the number of locally bred, acorn-fed pigs. Andalucia already has half a million pigs roaming in the dehesa, or areas of open farmland dotted with holm oaks."There are cowboys in this business who harm the whole trade by selling hams that are not worth what they say," said Ricardo DomÃnguez, of the regional government of Andalucia.Last year Spaniards consumed about 4.5m legs of cured ham, or one for every 10 inhabitants. Much of this was the more common serrano ham, but about 800,000 cuts were labelled as pata negra, the much-prized "black leg" hams, as well as other ibérico hams that come from pigs fed on acorns. Valued hams are dried for three years.Prices can rise as high as €1,500 (£1,317) for a single pata negra ham. Pigs may enjoy as much as a hectare (2.5 acres) of dehesa a head, though some farms claim to give each free-range animal 11 hectares to forage across.The amount of top-grade ham Spain can produce is limited by its dwindling stock of acorn-producing holm oaks, many of which are hundreds of years old. There were more than 11m of these evergreen oaks at the beginning of the 20th century, but only 2.5m remain due to farmers chopping many down in the 1930s and 1940s. Of the trees that survived the felling, a 10th are now dying of disease.Officials insist, however, that fraud is decreasing as inspectors get tougher. "The rules are stricter and that helps clear up any doubts," Isabel Bombal, of Spain's agriculture ministry, told El PaÃs.SpainAgricultureGiles Tremlettguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Weil's disease: the cause, the symptoms and the precautions to take The death of Olympic rower Andy Holmes has highlighted the danger of infected animal urine in waterWeil's disease, believed to have caused the death this week of Olympic gold medal-winning rower Andy Holmes, is the acute human form of a bacterial infection with a raft of different names: mud fever, swamp fever, haemorrhagic jaundice, swineherd's disease, sewerman's flu. All are known as Leptospirosis, mild cases of which affect millions of people every year worldwide.The infection is caught through contact with infected animal urine (mainly from rodents, cattle or pigs), generally in contaminated water, and typically enters the body through cuts or scrapes, or the lining of the nose, mouth, throat or eyes. Only a very few patients experience the severe, life-threatening illness known as Weil's disease, thought to kill two or three people a year in Britain.After an incubation period that can vary from three days to three weeks, most patients suffer severe headaches, red eyes, muscle pains, fatigue, nausea and a temperature of 39C or above. In roughly a third of cases there is a skin rash; sometimes hallucinations.In very severe cases, symptoms include haemorrhaging from the mouth, eyes and internally. There is significant and rapid organ damage: liver and kidney failure can occur within 10 days, leading to jaundice (these are the only cases that can properly be called Weil's disease). Hospitalisation, followed by antibiotics and often dialysis, will be required if the patient is to survive. Recovery can take months.According to British Rowing, the risk of contracting Weil's disease from recreational water in the UK is "very small". Infection is logically more likely in slow-moving or stagnant water and areas where agriculture and rodents mix; lakes, ponds and canals are more likely to be contaminated than fast-running streams, although some activities – angling, for example, where minor cuts and nicks are common, and swimming, where some water will almost inevitably enter the mouth – could heighten exposure.Rowers and canoeists should cover all cuts and abrasions; avoid splashing themselves, or swallowing potentially contaminated water; wash their hands carefully and if possible shower afterwards; and wash all equipment and clothing regularly. Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms after contact with fresh water should see their doctor immediately.Health & wellbeingInfectious diseasesAndy HolmesRowingWater sports holidaysJon Henleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |