| Stephen Hawking talks to Brian Cox He tries not to think too much in the morning, but by night the problems of the universe keep Stephen Hawking awake. Fellow physicist Brian Cox asks him about the big issues facing scienceBrian Cox guardian.co.uk |
Today's mystery bird for you to identify A friend sent me his stunning capture of a common bird that I had to share with you (includes a couple challenging questions to keep you busy).Mystery bird photographed on the island of Anglesey, north-east Wales, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: Richard Carter, 8 September 2010. [larger view].Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This stunning picture depicts a mystery bird that is probably not mysterious to anyone, but I liked the picture and wanted to share it with you. Of course, since this bird is such an easy ID, that means I get to ask you challenging questions about it, so here are my questions: first, if you were walking around Anglesey and saw this bird in midsummer, what five other bird species would you expect to see as well? Which of those species would still be present in midwinter? Being a logolept, I am most interested to know the etymology for how the heck this bird got such weird common and scientific names?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 |
Light drinking during pregnancy 'does children no harm' Study reporting on group now aged five says none suffered as a result of their mothers having an occasional drink while pregnantLight drinking in pregnancy does babies no harm in the long run, according to a substantial new study which challenges the government's advice that women should abstain completely for nine months.The study showed that the children of mothers who drank one or two units of alcohol a week during pregnancy have suffered no ill-effects by the time they are five. They do not have behavioural difficulties and nor are they behind in their intellectual development.The work is published online today in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. It should help to give women credible information on which to base their choice, said joint author Dr Yvonne Kelly of University College London's department of epidemiology and public health."This isn't about heavy consumption or foetal alcohol syndrome in any sense or about binge-drinking," said Kelly. "It is about the occasional drink and whether that is associated with developmental problems."She did not want to comment on the current advice from government. "I'm not sure we're in the business of acting as advocates but if women have information, it is plausible that they can make informed choices," she said.The study is based on a large sample from the millennium cohort study – 11,500 children who were born between September 2000 and January 2002. The mothers were interviewed in person about their drinking patterns while they were pregnant.They were placed in one of five categories: teetotal; those who drank but not in pregnancy; light drinkers (one to two units per week); moderate (three to six units a week or three to five at one sitting); and binge or heavy drinkers (seven or more units a week or six at one sitting).Just under 6% of the women never drank and 60% abstained during pregnancy. Just under 26% said they were light drinkers, 5.5% were moderate drinkers and 2.5% were binge or heavy drinkers.The team have already published their results for children up to the age of three. The latest paper follows them to the age of five, to ensure there is no "sleeper" effect of the alcohol their mothers drank during pregnancy.They found that children whose mothers had been heavy drinkers were more likely to be hyperactive and have behavioural and emotional problems than those whose mothers abstained during pregnancy.But there was no evidence to suggest that the children of light drinkers, whose mothers had no more than the odd glass of wine a week, had been in any way harmed.Women who drank occasionally tended to be from more advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, which the authors took into account in their calculations.Their children were 30% less likely to have behavioural problems and had higher scores in mental development tests than those of women who abstained in pregnancy.But the government reiterated its advice that pregnant women should not drink at all."After assessing the available evidence, we cannot say with confidence that drinking during pregnancy is safe and will not harm your baby," said a spokesperson."Therefore, as a precautionary measure, our advice to pregnant women and women trying to conceive is to avoid alcohol."Dr Anthony Falconer, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said current evidence showed one to two units a week was acceptable. The key public health message is that "light drinking is fine but heavy and binge drinking should be avoided", he said."Anecdotally, the majority of women are responsible and tend to stop drinking once they find out they are pregnant," he said. "But with rising levels of binge drinking among younger women, we are concerned about those who find it difficult to wean themselves off alcohol, as heavy, sustained drinking will damage the foetus."These women should be given the support they need, not just during pregnancy but in the longer term."PregnancyWomenAlcoholChildrenHealthFood & drinkSarah Boseleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
National Theatre Wales at one – too young to master Welsh? Wales's new company has already set tongues wagging. But is it time it took on the bilingualism debate that divides the nation?What difference can a national theatre make? If the success of Wales's new nationwide institution is anything to go by, its impact can be huge. Seven shows in, all but one National Theatre Wales productions have sold out, critical interest in Welsh drama has never been higher and it has already put on one five-star spectacle in the form of The Persians. It has a first-rate team of creatives and has unearthed a wealth of new talent, but it is the theatre's remit – to "map" Wales theatrically, unite its theatrical community and engage new audiences – that has focused the company into such a game-changer for Wales. As Michael Billington commented on this very blog: "In redefining what a national theatre means in this day and age, it is raising our awareness of Wales itself."Curious, then, that the company has achieved all of this without ever really engaging with the Welsh language. In a country where one in five is bilingual, it seems like an extraordinary oversight. NTW has created relevant, community-focused and critically acclaimed work – but, in terms of Welsh language, its first-year programme barely contains so much as a bore da ("good morning"). This, in a country where everyone has an opinion on an interminable bilingualism debate, is quite an achievement.There are some very good reasons for NTW's approach to Welsh, as John McGrath, the company's artistic director, points out. "My job is to create a fantastic national theatre based on the brief I've been given," he said. "And the mission I've been given is to produce work in English in Wales." What's more, he added, "I think we need to be conscious of the fact that there's another [national] theatre company".Ah yes – the other, Welsh-language, national Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, which produces a mix of original and adapted Welsh theatre from its base in Carmarthen and has been without an artistic director since March. If this division of theatres seems superfluous – why not have one bilingual theatre? – it isn't all that uncommon. Belgium, Greece and others have multiple national theatres to represent different identities.In Wales, it's tempting to suspect that a single, bilingual national theatre would suffer from the bureaucratic balancing act that goes hand in hand with equal treatment of English and Welsh. And perhaps it's suicide for a creative company with limited funding to get bogged down in the language question and the political and ideological baggage that comes with it. You can't blame them for being apprehensive.The problem is that the divisive approach of having two theatres appears to have stalled NTW's exploration of bilingual identity – surely a topic this company should relish. You can't help but wonder whether the theatre could, given the opportunity, produce a definitive bilingual play as powerful as, say, Brian Friel's Translations. One of this year's outstanding Welsh productions was Dafydd James's play Llwyth, a poignant meditation on a generation of gay men in Cardiff. Despite being a lazy monoglot myself, I saw this as a clear example of how bilingualism can enhance a play and engage (rather than alienate) its audience.Interacting with the Welsh language could be about more than just box-ticking for National Theatre Wales. It could be key to producing a definitive Welsh play by exploring what it means to be a part of the bilingual communities that make up more than a fifth of the Welsh population. Our new national theatre's first-year programme has set tongues wagging. Perhaps now its time for them to speak a different language.TheatreWalesLanguageguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
ANU shines bright with new solar lab A new solar laboratory has been opened at the Australian National University in Canberra. abc.net.au |