| October 20, 2006 |
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our time will build eternity |
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West Australian Fossil Find Rewrites Land Mammal Evolution Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Oct 20, 2006 
A fossil fish discovered in the West Australian Kimberley has been identified as the missing clue in vertebrate evolution, rewriting a century-old theory on how the first land animals evolved. Monash University PhD students Mr Erich Fitzgerald and Mr Tim Holland were part of the research team, led by Museum Victoria's Head of Science Dr John Long, that made the spectacular discovery by studying a 380 million-year-old fossil fish called Gogonasus, or Gogo fish, named after Gogo Station in Western Australia where it was found. The fossil skeleton shows the fish's skull had large holes for breathing through the top of the head but importantly also had muscular front fins with a well-formed humerus, ulna and radius - the same bones are found in the human arm. |
'I miss breathing': Delhi protesters demand action on pollution
All aboard! Cruise ships ease Belem's hotel dearth Taliban govt protests no invitation to UN climate summit Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines Spanish PM 'surprised' by former king's memoirs Over 1 million evacuate as deadly Super Typhoon Fung-wong nears Philippines Spanish PM pushes back on former king's memoirs Dam reservoir levels drop below 3% in Iran's second city: media Philippines evacuates one million, woman dead as super typhoon nears Philippines evacuates hundreds of thousands as super typhoon nears 
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Elephants Trample Five To Death - Bangladesh
Chittagong (AFP) Oct 19, 2006Five people including two children have been trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants who attacked their home in dense forest in southeastern Bangladesh, police said Thursday. The elephants attacked two houses on a hill-top late Wednesday in the forest of Banshkhali, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the city of Chitttagong, said local police chief Jahirul Islam. Slower Aging On The Horizon 
Washington (UPI) Oct 19, 2006New studies on the aging process may lead to preventions that could improve quality of life and reduce healthcare costs for those over 65, researchers say. In the last century the average lifespan has increased by about 30 years. Most people spend the last years of their lives in a fragile state, Anna McCormick, director of the biology of aging program at the National Institute on Aging, said at a recent conference on Capitol Hill. "We're trying to stretch the mid-life, not trying to add 15 years of very frail life at the end," McCormick said. Australia Condemns Iceland's Decision To Kill Whales 
Sydney (AFP) Oct 19, 2006Australia has condemned Iceland's decision to resume commercial whaling, saying it makes a mockery of the country's claims to care about the environment. "I think it will raise doubts right around the world about Iceland's commitment to environmental issues," Environment Minister Ian Campbell told national radio late Wednesday. |
NASA And NOAA Announce Ozone Hole Is A Double Record Breaker
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 20, 2006NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists report this year's ozone hole in the polar region of the Southern Hemisphere has broken records for area and depth. The ozone layer acts to protect life on Earth by blocking harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. The "ozone hole" is a severe depletion of the ozone layer high above Antarctica. UN Says Growing Pollution Threatens Recovery Of Damaged Reefs 
Nairobi (AFP) Oct 19, 2006Coastal pollution from land development may be obstructing the recovery of coral reefs damaged by rising sea temperatures, the United Nations said Thursday, warning of new threats to the world's oceans. The UN Environment Programme said in a report that "land-based pollution, reclamation, clearing of coastal vegetation and poor sewage control can damage reefs." Greenland Ice Sheet On A Downward Slide 
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 20, 2006For the first time NASA scientists have analyzed data from direct, detailed satellite measurements to show that ice losses now far surpass ice gains in the shrinking Greenland ice sheet. Using a novel technique, NASA scientists report that Greenland's low coastal regions lost 155 gigatons of ice per year between 2003 and 2005. |
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Expect A Warmer, Wetter World This Century
Boulder CO (SPX) Oct 20, 2006Recent episodes of deadly heat in the United States and Europe, long dry spells across the U.S. West, and heavy bursts of rain and snow across much of North America and Eurasia hint at longer-term changes to come, according to a new study based on several of the world's most advanced climate models. Indonesian Rain-Making Stymied As Haze Lingers Over Region 
Jakarta (AFP) Oct 19, 2006Indonesian efforts to chemically induce rains to douse illegal land-clearing fires which have enveloped the region in haze were being stymied by a lack of clouds, officials said Thursday. The annual environmental nightmare has this year shut down airports and schools on Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra and also spread to neighbours Malaysia and Singapore, irking governments and residents there. Resistant Bug Battle Stepped Up 
Washington (UPI) Oct 19, 2006Federal officials released new voluntary guidelines Thursday urging health care facilities to boost efforts to quell antibiotic-resistant infections.The recommendations come amid rising rates of in-hospital infections with bacteria invulnterable to common antibiotics. Experts warn that resistant bacteria force physicians to use stronger--and sometimes more toxic--antibiotics to quell infections. Studies estimate that one in twenty patients acquire infections during a hospital stay. |
Despite Popular Belief, The World Is Not Running Out Of Oil
Philadelphia PA (SPX) Oct 20, 2006If you think the world is on the verge of running out of oil or other mineral resources, you've been taken in by the foremost of seven myths about resource geology, according to a University of Washington economic geologist. "The most common question I get is, 'When are we going to run out of oil.' The correct response is, 'Never,'" said Eric Cheney. "It might be a heck of a lot more expensive than it is now, but there will always be some oil available at a price, perhaps $10 to $100 a gallon." Silicon Valley Eyes Solar Energy 
Los Angeles (XNA) Oct 20, 2006As demand for clean energy rises around the world, Silicon Valley firms in Northern California are looking to develop solar energy, a report said on Tuesday. The region's venture capitalists, chip makers and entrepreneurs bet on sun power, which also relies on silicon, said the report on the Los Angeles Times website. British-Dutch Letter To EU Leaders Urges Climate Security Action 
London (AFP) Oct 19, 2006British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Dutch counterpart, Jan Peter Balkenende, said the world is close to "catastrophic tipping points" in an open letter released Thursday, on the eve of an EU leaders' meeting in Finland. The pair say that climate change and energy security should be treated as two parts of the same issue -- "climate security" -- in order to address it. "We have a window of only 10-15 years to take the steps we need to avoid crossing catastrophic tipping points," the letter says. |
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