| Microbes are eating BP oil without using up oxygen By SETH BORENSTEIN 2010-09-07T22:15:23ZWASHINGTON (AP) -- Government scientists studying the BP disaster are reporting the best possible outcome: Microbes are consuming the oil in the Gulf without depleting the oxygen in the water and creating "dead zones" where fish cannot survive.... hosted.ap.org |
World eyes Arctic oil reserves Climate change has focussed attention on the economic potential of the Arctic. bbc.co.uk |
Science Weekly: Bugs, bowels and bats Alok Jha is joined by Ian Henderson, professor of microbial biology at the University of Birmingham, and the Guardian's Ian Sample, in a programme devoted to germs.It's one of the major killers in the developing world, but could a vaccine for diarrhoea be around the corner? Professor Henderson is giving a talk on "Genome sequencing: The genetics of diarrhoea" in Birmingham tomorrow evening. He gave us a rundown of the underlying causes of diarrhoea and the prospects for prevention, which has the potential to save millions of lives.In the second strand of our microbiology special, Nell Boase speaks to Anthony Hilton, a reader in microbiology at Aston University, about his mission to educate the public about germs. How are food poisoning bugs spread around the home? How many household germs are truly dangerous? Can we really build up our immunity by NOT being hygienic?Plus, we look at the Ig Nobel awards, featuring those lusty fruit bats, using mini-helicopters to take samples from the blow holes of whales, and slime mould transport modelling ...On a much more serious note, the team discusses the swingeing cuts in research funding faced by UK scientists.Follow the podcast on our Science Weekly Twitter feed and receive updates on all breaking science news stories from Guardian Science. Email scienceweeklypodcast@gmail.com. Guardian Science is now on Facebook. You can also join our Science Weekly Facebook group. Listen back through our archive.Subscribe free via iTunes to ensure every episode gets delivered. (Here is the non-iTunes URL feed).Alok JhaIain ChambersIan Sample guardian.co.uk |
Mystery Bird: Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus There is one feature of this spectacular mystery bird that sets it apart from its relatives.Adult male Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus, photographed at Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary, Brazosport area, Texas, USA. Image: Joseph Kennedy, 29 September 2010 [with binoculars].Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/800s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400Question: There is one feature of this spectacular mystery bird that sets it apart from its relatives. What is that?Response: This is an adult male Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus. The feature that sets this spectacular little flycatcher apart from its relatives is what you see: the male's brilliant plumage. This species is unusual among flycatchers because the sexes are dichromatic (differently colored). 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 |
Reserve saves trees but not monarch butterflies ZITACUARO, Mexico (AP) -- This small patch of mountain fir forest is a model of sorts for the global effort to save trees and fight climate change. The problem is that saving trees has not saved the forest's most famous visitors: Monarch butterflies.... hosted.ap.org |