TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Nasa booster rocket passes test One of the giant booster rockets intended to power the first stage of flight on Nasa's next rocket has been tested in the US. bbc.co.uk |
G Force High performance plane used to simulate effects of land speed record attempt bbc.co.uk |
Letters: Captive Dolphins (1 Letter) A letter to the editor. feeds.nytimes.com |
Mystery Bird: Dark chanting goshawk, Melierax metabates | GrrlScientist This African species closely resembles Saturday's mystery bird but it is actually a different species!Dark chanting goshawk, Melierax metabates, also known as the chanting goshawk, photographed at Serengeti National Park, northeastern Tanzania, Africa. Image: Dan Logen, 20 January 2010 (a glimpse through binoculars).Nikon D300, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender, ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/500 sec.Question: This species closely resembles the bird I showed as yesterday's daily mystery bird, but it is actually a different species. What distinguishes these two species?Response: This is a dark chanting goshawk, Melierax metabates. It is distinguished from the eastern (pale) chanting goshawk, Melierax poliopterus, by two features: its cere and tarsi (legs) are red or bright pink, and its undertail coverts (alas, not visible in this picture) are barred.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 |
Notorious malaria mosquito strains evolving New research finds two malaria mosquito strains could become immune to effects to control themTwo strains of Africa's most notorious malaria mosquito are evolving into new species, research has shown.The discovery has implications for combating malaria, since it means the insects could become immune to control strategies.Scientists studying the mosquito anopheles gambiae, which is chiefly responsible for spreading malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, found two strains were rapidly diverging in their genetic make-up, despite appearing physically identical.Dr Maria Lawniczak, a member of the team from Imperial College London, said: "From our new studies, we can see that mosquitoes are evolving more quickly than we thought and that unfortunately, strategies that might work against one strain of mosquito might not be effective against another. It's important to identify and monitor these hidden genetic changes in mosquitoes if we are to succeed in bringing malaria under control by targeting mosquitoes." Genetic differences between the two strains, known as M and S, were scattered throughout the insects' DNA, said the researchers, writing in the journal Science.The changes had occurred in areas likely to affect development, feeding behaviour, and reproduction.A further study comparing the two strains showed they seemed to be evolving differently.This was thought to be in response to different environmental factors such as larval habitats, infectious agents and predators.Co-author Professor George Christophides, also from Imperial College, said: "Malaria is a deadly disease that affects millions of people across the world and amongst children in Africa, it causes one in every five deaths. We know that the best way to reduce the number of people who contract malaria is to control the mosquitoes that carry the disease. Our studies help us to understand the makeup of the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, so that we can find new ways of preventing them from infecting people."MalariaBiologyImperial College Londonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |