Friday 30 September 2011

Violent video games 'reduce crime'

Violent video games may actually reduce crime as aggressive players are "too busy" shooting virtual enemies to cause trouble in the real world, experts claim.

Game - Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV: It states that rather than violent crime rates soaring when new violent video games are released, they actually drop as gamers are too busy at home playing the games 
Games such as Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto - where gamers rack up points or cash for killing or savagely attacking victims - are routinely blamed for a rise in violent crime.
A spate of high profile murder cases have heard evidence that various games were 'to blame' for a string of killings.
But a report, called 'Understanding the Effects of Violent Video Games on Violent Crime' by three respected academics has said it doesn't believe there is a link.
The report, by Benjamin Engelstätter, of the Centre for European Economic Research, Scott Cunningham, of Baylor University in Texas, USA, and Michael Ward, of the University of Texas, argue that gamers are 'too busy' playing to cause much trouble in the real world.
The report , released earlier this year, states: "Psychological studies invariably find a positive relationship between violent video game play and aggression.
"If violent video games can be shown to cause violence, then laws aimed at reducing access (to the games) may benefit society at large.
"Yet to date, though there is evidence that violent video games cause aggression in a laboratory setting, there is no evidence that violent video games cause violence or crime."
It adds: "We argue that since laboratory experiments have not examined the time use effects of video games, which incapacitate violent activity by drawing individual gamers into extended gameplay, laboratory studies may be poor predictors of the net effects of violent video games in society.
"Consequently, they overstate the importance of video game induced aggression as a social cost. "
It states that rather than violent crime rates soaring when new violent video games are released, they actually drop as gamers are 'too busy' at home playing the games, adding: "Time spent gaming cannot be spent on other activities, both legitimate activities and illicit violent activities."
In conclusion, the study states: "Regulation of the video game industry is usually predicated on the notion that the industry has large and negative social costs through games' effect on aggression.
"Many researchers have argued that these games may also have caused extreme violence, such as school shootings, because laboratory evidence has found an abundance of evidence linking gameplay to aggression.
"Yet few studies before this one had examined the impact of these games on crime.
"We find that the social costs of violent video games may be considerably lower, or even non-existent, once one incorporates the time use effect into analysis."
It adds that if new laws are brought in to reduce the violence of video games it could 'potentially cause crime to increase in the short-run if the marginal player is being drawn out of violent activities'.
It ends by stating: "Overall, violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime."

Kabul: Streets with no names

There are few formal street names or house numbers in Kabul - so just how does a postman deliver the mail?
For the postmen of Kabul, navigating the maze of the city is a daunting task. It is a city of more than four million people and one in which hundreds of homes and streets are being developed every year.
There are few street names and house numbers, and the Central Post Office has yet to introduce a full postal code system.

Kabul letter 
There is often little information to work with
 
So how does a letter find its way to the correct recipient?
At one of Kabul's Post Office distribution centres, you could see more than 30 private and official letters. None had an exact address - just a series of vague directions.
One, which had been sent from America, simply states, "Hamid Jaan, behind Darul-Aman palace".
Another directs the postman to a destination "behind Omar Jan Mosque", while the addressee of another apparently lives close to "Alauddin school".
"The receiver's address is always vague. They write the address as though I am a friend of the receiver," says Ahmad Omid, who has been working with Afghan Post for more than two years.

"They write the address as though I am a friend of the receiver"
Ahmad Postman
 
"Sometimes, it takes hours to deliver a letter." 

Ahmad, who crosses the city by bike, says that finding addresses is based on personal knowledge and asking locals for help.
I accompanied Ahmad on his mission to deliver Hamid Jaan's letter from America.
We headed towards Darul-Aman, south of Kabul, a palace that was built 90 years ago during the reign of Amanullah Khan, the former Afghan king. It had been badly damaged during the civil war in the 1970s.
Ask for the butcher He asked almost everyone he met - from policemen to students - for help finding Hamid Jaan. One would say go straight, others would give the address of a "Hamid Jaan" they knew of - but not the one he was after.

The remains of the Darul-Aman palace  
References to well-known landmarks - such as the Darul-Aman palace - are often used
 
People in Afghanistan are predominantly known locally by their profession, and the Hamid he wanted turned out to be a butcher.
So, after two hours of cycling in the 32C heat, and asking about a dozen people, he arrived at Hamid Jaan's house. Mission accomplished.
Afghanistan became a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1928, but it has taken since then for the country to begin to fully make use of its status.
For example, a number of private companies now work alongside the government postal services in delivering letters and packages.
Mohammad Yasin Rahmati, head of Kabul Post Office, says most of their business is made up of government offices. Fewer people are requiring their services for personal correspondence.
"With the usage of modern technology, like the internet, people send emails," he says.
Afghan Post has also embarked on a postal code and addressing system project, with technical assistance from the UPU, in an attempt to modernise the service.
"It will take some time for [people] to get used to it," says Mr Rahmati.

Streets in Kabul  
Kabul's streets are slowly beginning to get their own names
 
However, a postcode is only complete if streets have names and houses have numbers.
Businessman Abdul Ali Haidari sells street signs and house numbers to the residents of Afshar District. He had the idea after struggling himself to find places.
"When people came to our place, they would walk around for hours to find somewhere. The Kabul Municipality hasn't put up signs. So I decided to put signs on streets and houses in this place."
The problem is compounded by the fact that Kabul doesn't even have an official street map.
Some people, however, have resorted to drawing up their own.
Laurence Leusar, head of a cultural organisation funded by the French Embassy in Kabul, has relied on information provided by local residents to compile hers.
"It is always difficult to find a place in Kabul, you must rely on the locals for information," she says.
"When I go somewhere that takes half an hour, I allocate one hour to get there. Half an hour to get there and half an hour to search and ask the locals.
"It is fun, this way you get to know many Afghans."

Thursday 29 September 2011

Heidi the cross-eyed opposum dies

Heidi, a cross-eyed opossum who became an internet sensation has died, her German zoo has said.

Heidi the cross-eyed opossum

Heidi became an internet sensation, gaining more Facebook followers than Angela Merkel 
The animal, aged three and a half, had been treated for health problems for weeks and zoo officials decided to put her down "to spare her further pain and suffering."
"The cross-eyed opossum Heidi has closed her eyes for ever," said the zoo in Leipzig, eastern Germany.
Heidi's distinctive eye problem is thought to be due to a poor diet before she was abandoned in the United States, or because she is overweight, leading to fat deposits behind her eyes.
The unusual-looking opossum is the latest in a long line of animal stars to capture German hearts.
A polar bear called Knut in Berlin became a global media star in 2007, even appearing on the front page of Vanity Fair magazine, before plunging the country into shock with his sudden death earlier this year.
Then, during the last football World Cup in South Africa, an octopus named Paul shot to global stardom by correctly "predicting" the results of eight out of eight matches.
Heidi's Facebook page is "liked" by 332,963 people, compared to around 107,139 for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor

Tuesday 27 September 2011

China's £1.4 million sheep

For the man who has everything, this year's prize bauble in China is a £1.4 million sheep bred in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar.

China's £1.4 million sheep

The most valuable sheep is a six-year-old owned by Majid Abdul Reyim (left) and Liu Fenghua with one of his sheep 
Only 1,000 Dolan sheep exist in the world, according to breeders, and their extraordinary features have made them the latest collectors' item for ultra-rich Chinese.
"Big bosses come here in their luxury cars and load the sheep into the back seat," said Liu Fenghua, a 48-year-old sheep breeder in the city of Aksu, in the far western region of Xinjiang.
"Usually the bosses are Uighur Muslims who have made their money in the sheep industry and want a prize sheep for a pet," he added.
The Dolan breed has a distinctive curved nose and twin tails, as well as a long floppy ears. Originally bred from sheep in Kashgar to grow quickly and to yield more meat, the breed has since become ornamental.
"The price depends on the pedigree," said Mr Liu. "The darker the fleece, the better. The bigger the ears the better. The more curved the face, the better, like an eagle's beak. The best ones have a dark body and white tail."
He added that a Dolan can reach maturity, and weigh some 200lbs, after just six months.
The most valuable sheep is a six-year-old owned by Majid Abdul Reyim, a breeder in Kashgar. Mr Reyim said he had received offers of 14 million yuan (£1.4 million) for it, but had not yet succumbed to a sale.
"That sheep is the grandfather of all the best pedigree Dolans in the region," said Mr Liu. "I have one of its grandsons and that one is worth some six million yuan. I have 19 in total and I feed them dates and walnuts as well as grass."
Dolan breeders said that several families often clubbed together to buy a single sheep as an investment and then charge for its breeding rights. The top sheep can command fees of up to 300,000 yuan per dose of semen.
"I sold all my other regular sheep last year, around 320 of them, and could not raise enough money for just one Dolan with that," said Mr Liu. "I started breeding Dolans in 2009, buying a couple for 25,000 yuan. The next year, I had an offer of 250,000 yuan for them, and the price keeps rising."
The UK's most expensive sheep was an eight-month-old Texel tup, or uncastrated male, called Deveronvale Perfection.
It was sold at auction in 2009 for £231,000 at a livestock auction in Scotland.
China's sudden wealth has produced bubbles in all sorts of commodities, from tea to fine wine to jade. Last year, a Tibetan Mastiff puppy called Big Splash became the world's most expensive dog when it was sold for close to £1 million in the city of Qingdao.

Coffee may prevent depression, scientists say


Coffee  
Coffee must contain caffeine to have the effect, say the researchers
Women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to get depressed, research suggests.
It is not clear why it might have this effect, but the authors believe caffeine in coffee may alter the brain's chemistry. Decaffeinated coffee did not have the same effect.
The findings, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, come from a study of more than 50,000 US female nurses.
The experts are now recommending more work to better understand the link.
And they say it is certainly too soon to start recommending that women should drink more coffee to boost mood.
Caffeine lift The Harvard Medical School team tracked the health of the women over a decade from 1996 to 2006 and relied on questionnaires to record their coffee consumption.

This fits nicely with a lot of the previous work and what we know about caffeine and the brain”
Prof Bertil Fredholm Karolinska Institute
 
Just over 2,600 of the women developed depression over this time period.
More of these women tended to be non- or low-coffee drinkers rather than frequent coffee consumers.
Compared with women who drank one cup of caffeinated coffee or less per week, those who consumed two to three cups per day had a 15% decreased risk of developing depression.
Those who drank four or more cups a day cut their risk by 20%.
Regular coffee drinkers were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol and were less likely to be involved in church, volunteer or community groups. They were also less likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure or diabetes.
Even after controlling for all of these variables, the trend of increasing coffee consumption and lower depression remained.
Mounting evidence The researchers say their findings add weight to the work of others which found lower suicide rates among coffee drinkers.
They suspect caffeine is the key player - it is known to enhance feelings of wellbeing and energy.

How much caffeine?

  • There is no recommended level a person should consume
  • But pregnant women are advised to consume less than 200mg a day
  • One mug of instant coffee: 100mg
  • One mug of filter coffee: 140mg
  • One mug of tea: 75mg
  • One can of cola: 40mg
  • One 50g bar of milk chocolate: about 25mg
Source: NHS Choices

And it has a physical effect on brain function and transmission by blocking certain chemical receptors, like adenosine. But more research is needed to show if this might mean it is useful for warding off depression.
Alternatively, it might be that people with low moods chose not to drink coffee because it contained caffeine, point out the researchers. One of the common symptoms of depression is disturbed sleep, and caffeine can exacerbate this because it is a stimulant.
Too much caffeine can also increase feelings of anxiety.
Prof Bertil Fredholm, an expert in pharmacology and physiology at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, said the findings were reassuring for coffee-lovers.
"This fits nicely with a lot of the previous work and what we know about caffeine and the brain. It blocks adenosine, which produces a similar effect to increasing dopamine production. And it's becoming increasingly clear that the dopamine-rich areas of the brain are much more important in depression that previously thought.
"Despite valiant efforts to show how dangerous coffee is for us, it is not proving so.
"This removes yet another anxiety regarding caffeine use. Drunk in moderation, the evidence is strong that it is not one of the things we do that is going to damage your health."

Monday 26 September 2011

Overweight mothers 'give birth to fat babies', study finds

Childhood obesity appears to begin in a mother’s womb, a new study has concluded using state of the art technology to monitor fat levels in unborn babies.

Overweight mothers 'give birth to fat babies', study finds

Experts said the study showed that overweight mothers gave birth to fat babies.
Researchers found some babies have similar build up of fat around their abdomen that adults aged in their 50s have.
The study of babies at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, west London, used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to investigate links between obesity in children and their mothers.
It reportedly found evidence that being overweight or obese in pregnancy could result in potentially harmful changes to a baby’s fat levels while still in the womb.
The study, led by Prof Neena Modi, one of Britain’s best experts on high-risk health problems in newborns found nearly a third of children had more fat than expected.
Of the 105 babies – 54 boys and 51 girls – a total of 31 babies had more adipose, or fat, tissue around their abdomen than normal.
Experts said the study was the first direct link that proved the weight of a mother-to-be was passed on to her child and showed that overweight mothers gave birth to fat babies.
“I was very surprised to be able to detect such a clear continuum of effect of maternal BMI (body mass index) on the baby,” said Prof Modi, head of neonatal medicine at Imperial College London.
“This is a very important finding indeed, opening the door to a new understanding of how a mother’s metabolism affects her baby.”
Newborn babies usually have about 700g of adipose tissue, but for each unit increase in maternal BMI, this increased by approximately 7g with a huge build-up in fat in the babies’ livers.
Meanwhile in adults, adipose tissue is found mainly under the skin, but also in deposits between the muscles, around the intestines and around the heart.
Prof Modi, who is also a consultant neonatologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, told the Daily Mail that all women should be aware of the effects of being obese and what this means for their child.
“This shows how sensitive the baby is to the environment experienced within the womb and how lifelong effects may be initiated before birth,” she said.
Body mass index is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres.
The World Health Organisation classes a BMI between 18.5 and 25 as normal weight, between 25 and 30 as overweight and over 30 as obese.
In adults, high amounts of fat around the stomach and in the liver impair their control of blood sugar, leading to diabetes. Problems associated with obesity are set to cost the NHS up to £6.3 billion a year by 2015.

Saturday 24 September 2011

India

A man transports used empty plastic cans on a horse cart to a junkyard at Panchkula in the northern Indian state of Haryana on 21 September.

Friday 23 September 2011

Man 'spontaneously combusts'

Spontaneous human combustion has long been the stuff of fiction, endorsed by eccentric scientists and employed by novelists including Charles Dickens as a convenient plot twist.

Bonfire Night
Victorian doctors suggested the body could suddenly go up in flames as a divine punishment for alcoholism
But yesterday the most unlikely cause of death, in which people burst into flames without any external source of ignition, was given official sanction when Irish coroner found a pensioner had burned to death for no apparent reason.
Michael Flaherty, 76, was found dead at his home in Galway last December after a neighbour heard the smoke alarm in his house go off in the middle of the night.
But while his body had been burned to cinders, fire officers who attended the scene were astonished to find nothing else had been damaged apart from the floor below him and a patch of ceiling above.
There were no signs of any devices which could have ignited the body, and no indication of foul play, officials said – Mr Flaherty's body appeared to have simply cremated itself.
Officers who attended the scene claimed they had never seen anything like the extraordinary case, and the inquest heard fire officers were unable to give any explanation for what sparked the blaze.
Recording his verdict, west Galway coroner Dr Kieran McLoughlin was left with little option but to become the first coroner in the country's history to record the unusual verdict.
He said: "This fire was thoroughly investigated and I'm left with the conclusion that this fits into the category of spontaneous human combustion, for which there is no adequate explanation."
Spontaneous human combustion was a phenomenon first described by Victorian doctors, who suggested the body could suddenly go up in flames as a divine punishment for alcoholism.
Other explanations for the unexplained combustion of the body include the influence of ghosts or other paranormal entities, the production of unusual concentrations of gas, or external factors like cigarette sparks.
In the 1850s Charles Dickens, the novelist, attracted controversy after Krook, a rag and bottle merchant, spontaneously combusted in Bleak House.
The mystique of the theory is heightened by the striking similarities between documented cases. In many instances the body is found reduced to ash while the arms, hands and legs remain, and in several others the victim is completely consumed while nearby objects such as furniture remain untouched.
In one example, a Welsh policeman who found the victim's body noted that the fire appeared to have come from within her abdomen.
The latest case bore many of the hallmarks of the classic case – the victim was found on his back by the fireplace, with his head intact but the rest of his body entirely consumed.
Fire experts said the evidence suggested the fire had not been the source of ignition.
Bob Rickard, of the paranormal magazine the Fortean Times, told the Telegraph: "It has become rare now, I have not heard of a case for a couple of decades. But what is even more interesting to me in this case is it is the first time I can remember that a coroner has come out and announced a verdict of spontaneous human combustion.
"Normally they try to leave an open verdict or try to express it in some other way."
Mr Flaherty's family said they were satisfied with the investigation, the Irish Independent reported.

Carstairs triple axe murderer Thomas McCulloch allowed out to chop trees

Thomas McCulloch receives police escort after mob force him out of home Image 2
Axe murderer Thomas McCulloch has been let loose in public - to chop down trees.
He completed a course at a nature reserve where he helped create a pathway by clearing trees and shrubs.
The killer also helped carry out a lizard survey.
Prison chiefs even paraded him getting a certificate for the gardening course in a magazine.
McCulloch went on the rampage with gay lover Robert Mone at the State Hospital, Carstairs, in 1976.
Armed with homemade weapons and an axe, they butchered a nurse, a patient and a young policeman.
McCulloch is serving a life term and has been locked up for more than four decades.
But has been allowed home visits and trips out of jail in the last few years.
A source said: "He may be old now but there is evidence he is still a very dangerous man.
"All prisoners going on courses are vetted but I don't think its a good idea to let a murderer like McCulloch near sharp implements such as axes and secateurs - that could be a disaster waiting to happen."
McCulloch was paraded by prison bosses in the pages internal magazine The Gallery, which is distributed to inmates and staff in the Scottish Prison Service.
He features in an article about the course at St Cyrus nature reserve in Aberdeenshire.
There is a photo of him with course leaders and fellow lags.
McCulloch was presented with the John Muir Award after demonstrating he had "discovered a wild place, explored its wilderness, helped to conserve it and shared the experience".
An SPS spokesman refused to comment on individual prisoners but said: "Working in the community is a long-established part of the value of the prison system."
McCulloch was released into the community last year but hounded out of a council house in Dumbarton by angry residents who didn't want him in their midst.
He is now at Noranside Open Prison, Angus.
He used European human rights legislation in 2002 to have his term fixed at 30 years, making his eventual release inevitable.

World's smallest aquarium holds just two teaspoons of water

This is the world's smallest working aquarium - which holds just two teaspoons of water.

World's smallest aquarium holds just two teaspoons of water

The fish tank contains miniature plants, multicolor stones, and has several miniature zebra danio fish 
The miniature wonder, which is made of glass and measures just 30 mm wide by 24 mm high and 14mm deep, can be held in the palm of your hand.
And it is so small there is only room for these tiny zebra fish.
Despite the miniscule proportions, it does comes with miniature plants as well as stones.
When it came to filling up the tank, the 10ml of water had to be applied with a syringe to ensure the arrangement was not disturbed.
And the fish had to be added with a specially made miniature fish net.
The extraordinary creation is the latest by Anatoly Konenko, from Omsk, in Russia.
The 57-year-old was the first in Siberia to make what he calls 'microminiature' art.
During the past three decades he has perfected the painstaking skill of writing on tiny grains of rice, poppy seeds and even human hair.
In 1996 he was even recognised by the Guinness World Records for the smallest ever book.
Measuring just 0.9 mm by 0.9 mm the 29 page novel, an edition of 'Chameleon' by Russian author Anton Chekhov is dwarfed by a five pence piece.
Working with a microscope, he has built up quite a collection of miniature art over the years.
Other creations include a caravan of 12 miniature camels inside the eye of a needle, which measures an incredible 0.25 mm.
Mr Konenko has also made an incredibly detailed ship in a bottle, which stands at just 0.25 mm high, and a pair of shoes smaller than a matchstick.
Some of his creations are worth as much as 50,000 euros, 44,000 pounds.
He said: "The tank was made out of curiosity.
"It is the world's smallest and holds only 10 ml of water.
"For reference, 5 ml is one teaspoon, so the aquarium can only hold two teaspoons worth of water."

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Man builds stunning ‘hobbit house’ for just £3,000

A man has built a hillside home reminiscent of a hobbit house from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings — on a budget of just £3,000.



Simon Dale constructed the woodland home for his family in Wales, taking only four months to fully complete the project with help from his father-in-law. Built with "maximum regard for the environment" it contains a cosy living room, an open-plan kitchen and a split-level bedroom area. The home is also adorned with fairy lights and wooden furniture to complete the look.
"These sort of low-cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead simple, sustainable lives," he said.







Designed to be fully sustainable, the home is heated by a wood burner while solar panels on the roof provide power. It also has water supplied by a nearby spring — completing provider-free utilities.
"Being your own have-a-go architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself," said Dale. "Building from natural materials does away with producer's profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings".
Dale completed the home while his wife and two children camped in the nearby countryside, moving in after the timber frame and roof had been completed. Despite having no previous experience as a builder or carpenter the ambitious plans came to fruition.


"This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverance and a mate or two to give a lift now and again," he explained.
Dale is currently working on a new home in Pembrokeshire as part of the Lammas project, Wales' first authorised 'low impact' ecovillage.


Tuesday 20 September 2011

Nicolas Cage is a vampire?

A mysterious photo that emerged on eBay suggests that there might be more to Nicolas Cage than meets the eye. A late nineteenth century photograph of a Tennessee man looks uncannily like the actor and this, suggests the seller, proves he is a vampire.

Jack_Mord posted the photo, which he unearthed from the Seattle-based Thanatos Archive, and was trying to sell the photo for $1million (around £636,000).

Cage has been a magnet for strange stories recently, it was only last week that he revealed he was once awoken by a naked intruder who donned Cage's jacket, ate his ice-lollies and watched him sleep. And now this eerie picture surfaces.



Perhaps the intruder knew something we didn't however, and he was just keeping a wary eye on the creature of the night. At least that's what the Seattle-based seller of the antique image would have us believe.



One hole in his logic comes in Cage's long career in film. He's grown up on screen, from his young roles in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' and 'Rumble Fish' to recent turns in 'Bad Lieutenant', 'Ghost Rider' and 'Kick-Ass'. Though the auctioner even has his own theory on this front. He wrote on the listing:

"My theory is that he allows himself to age to a certain point, maybe 70, 80 or so, then the actor 'Nicolas Cage' will 'die'... but in reality, the undead vampire 'Nicolas Cage' will have rejuvenated himself and appeared in some other part of the world, young again, and ready to start all over."

Mysteriously, the listing has now been removed from eBay. However, Yahoo! Movies tracked the seller down and he revealed that "eBay took it down because they said it might confuse people who are looking for Nicolas Cage items."

Scientists reveal why hair turns grey And why it stops growing...

grey hair

George Clooney may be able to pull it off, but for most people grey hair is just an unwelcome sign of ageing. Now a new study has shed light on why hair turns grey, paving the way for potential treatments which could help hair retain its natural colour.
Researchers at the New York University Langone Medical Centre think that a breakdown in communication between the stem cells in hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells may be the cause of hair turning grey.
Melanocytes are the pigment producing cells which give hair its colour, while follicle stem cells are responsible for the growth of new hair.
"We have known for decades that hair follicle stem cells and pigment-producing melanocycte cells collaborate to produce coloured hair, but the underlying reasons were unknown," said Dr. Mayumi Ito, who led the study.
The scientists used a mouse model to examine how the follicle cells and melanocytes work together to generate hair growth and produce hair colour.
They identified a signalling pathway - known as Wnt - which follicle cells use to send instructions to, and activate stem cell melanocytes. Once they receive the Wnt signal, the melanocytes start producing pigment which gives hair its colour.
Inhibiting Wnt signalling in hair follicle stem cells inhibited both hair re-growth and prevented melanocyte stem cell activation leading to depigmented or grey hair in mice.
The study findings suggest that manipulating the Wnt signalling pathway may help prevent hair turning grey and even prevent hair thinning.
If scientists managed to achieve this in humans, it would be welcome news to the many men and women of a certain age who spend a small fortune on hair colouring.
The research also provides insight into diseases in which melanocytes are lost, or grow uncontrollably as in the deadly type of skin cancer, melanoma.
The study is published in the journal Cell.

Monday 19 September 2011

Animal rights group PETA to launch pornography website

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), no stranger to attention-grabbing campaigns featuring nude women, plans to launch a pornography website in the name of animal rights.

 Imogen Bailey in PETA advert
Imogen Bailey appears in a PETA advert. PETA has been accused of campaigning for animal rights at the cost of exploiting women
The non-profit organisation, whose controversial campaigns draw criticism from women's rights groups, said it hopes to raise awareness of veganism through a mix of pornography and graphic footage of animal suffering.
"We're hoping to reach a whole new audience of people, some of whom will be shocked by graphic images that maybe they didn't anticipate seeing when they went to the PETA triple-X site," said Lindsay Rajt, PETA's associate director of campaigns.
PETA has been accused of campaigning for animal rights at the cost of exploiting women. A Facebook group, Real Women Against PETA, was launched after the organisation paid for a billboard showing an obese woman with the message: "Save the Whales. Lose the Blubber. Go Vegetarian."
Another critical Facebook group is called, "Vegans (and Vegetarians) Against PETA."
"PETA is extremely disingenuous," said Jennifer Pozner, executive director of the New York-based advocacy group Women In Media & News. "They have consistently used active sexism as their marketing strategy to garner attention. Their use of sexism has gotten more extreme and more degrading.

Sunday 18 September 2011

German police baffled by case of English-speaking boy with no identity‎

Detectives in Germany are trying to identify an English-speaking teenager who claims to have been living wild in a forest for the past five years.

Detectives in Germany are trying to identify an English-speaking teenager who claims to have been living wild in a forest for the past five years.
Detectives in Germany are trying to identify an English-speaking teenager who claims to have been living wild in a forest for the past five years.
The 17-year-old, who turned up at Berlin’s city hall, said he had been walking for two weeks but had no idea who he was or where he was from.
He told officers that he and his father moved to the forest about five years ago following the death of his mother and had lived off the land since, sleeping in a tent and remote huts.
He said his father had also died recently and that he had buried him in a shallow grave before setting off to find help.
Detectives said the teenager, who gave his name as Ray, spoke a little German, but his first language appeared to be English.
He was able to tell officers his name and his date of birth, but claimed not to remember either of his parents’ names or anything of his life before he entered the forest.
Despite being dishevelled, he was described as being fit and healthy and showing no signs of malnourishment or abuse.
The German police have issued a Europe-wide appeal in the hope that someone comes forward to identify the boy. Klaus Schubert, a spokesman for the Berlin police department, said: “He can speak English very well, fluently in fact, but only speaks basic German.
“It might be possible that he comes from Britain because he’s speaking English very fluently.
“We only know what he told us; that he is 17 years old, and he said that he lived in the forest, that he lived together with his father in the forest for the last five years, but he doesn’t know where.
“He says his father died two weeks ago, and then he travelled alone, and suddenly he was in Berlin. We don’t know how he reached the town hall, he cannot explain it. The staff at the town hall brought him to a youth welfare office, and they are now caring for him. He is healthy, there are no signs of abuse or that he has been the victim of violence.”
Police psychologists are gently asking questions of the teenager in the hope of extracting more information that will offer a clue as to his origin.
Mr Schubert said: “Perhaps he has trauma but we don’t know why, so we have to be very careful with him and work day by day.
“If we can make him more relaxed and comfortable, perhaps he will remember something which he can tell us.”
Police have been unable to establish which forest the boy claims to have been living in, but it is thought he arrived in Berlin from the west.
He arrived in the capital on Sept 5. So far his description has not matched any missing persons report and police are searching their records for cases dating back as far as the late 1990s.
If no one comes forward to identify the teenager, Interpol could issue a so-called Yellow Notice, which is used to help locate missing persons, often youths, and to publicise the cases of people who cannot remember who they are.
Detectives are understood to be trying to find the body of the boy’s father, but the teenager has been unable to give them any indication where he is buried.The case has echoes of that of the so-called Piano Man, when in 2005 a German man was found wandering the streets of Sheerness, Kent, apparently without any knowledge of who he was or how he got there.
He was unable to answer questions for four months, but played the piano to a high standard, leading to him being called The Piano Man.
Following a Europe-wide hunt, he was identified as a 20-year-old German, Andreas Grassi. He maintained he had no idea what happened to him and it has been claimed he suffered a psychotic episode.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Robots' first conversation descends into argument

Two chatbots forget the etiquette of avoiding religion, sex or politics in conversation when two PhD students at Cornell University introduced the pair to eachother.

Cornell University researchers Jason Yosinski and Igor Labutov rigged up a chatbot system to allow online avatars to talk to each other.
Chatbots are designed to emulate the conversational abilities of humans, usually in an attempt to pass the Turing Test for intelligence.
Alan Turing in his 1950 paper proposed that if a computer could fool a sufficiently adept human while conversing with them into thinking that the machine is another human, that computer could be then called intelligent.
However, the conversation rapidly descended into inane bickering, outright lies and insults.
One avatar claimed he was a unicorn, told his female counterpart she was a "meanie" and after criticising her for being mistaken, followed it up with the sarcastic line: "Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you."
But it was when the topic of God cropped up that the conversation really turned sour. The female avatar, who had claimed she was not a robot, became pedantic about word usage before signing off with curt "au revoir".

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Tourists stranded after booking hotel on wrong side of the world

South African holidaymakers searching for their hotel with "splendid views" of the pier in Eastbourne, Sussex, had one problem. They were 12,000 miles away in Eastbourne, New Zealand.

Tourists stranded after booking hotel on wrong side of the world
Eastbourne, East Sussex (left) and Eastbourne, New Zealand 
Michael and Sunette Adendorff thought something was wrong with their hire car's GPS as they drove around in circles in the Wellington suburb, looking for the £90-a-night Majestic Hotel on Royal Parade.
When they pulled into the local chemist's shop to ask directions, they were shocked to discover that Eastbourne (population 4,600), New Zealand, does not even have a hotel.
Shop assistant Linda Burke said: "They just walked in and asked me where Royal Parade was, with the Majestic Hotel.
"I said: Oh no, there's no hotel here.
"I looked at it and said: That's in the UK, that's in England.
"He checked on the internet and said he did think it was funny they charged him in pounds."
Ms Burke rang around but discovered all the local bed and breakfast places were full, so she offered them a room for the night in her house.
The couple, who were exploring New Zealand while visiting the country to watch South Africa play in the Rugby World Cup, had mistakenly booked into the hotel in Eastbourne, Sussex, on the internet.
"I booked into the right hotel, just in the wrong country," Mr Adendorff told the Dominion Post newspaper.
Despite the good-natured ribbing they received, the couple said Eastbourne was very nice and the locals were friendly.
"I don't know how Eastbourne in England popped up in the comparisons on the internet," Mr Adendorff said.
They were unable to get a refund from the Majestic Hotel because their cancellation was at such short notice.

Monday 12 September 2011

Aids research creates glowing cats

Green glowing cats have been created by gene scientists working on the Aids virus.
The spooky-looking moggies had their DNA modified with a gene from a fluorescent jellyfish. Placed under blue light, their fur, claws and whiskers emit an eerie green glow.
The purpose of the study was to show how a natural protein that prevents macaque monkeys developing Aids can do the same in cats.
Scientists in the US used the jellyfish gene to track the gene for the protein. Both were inserted into the DNA of adult tabby cats, which gave birth to luminous kittens.
Cats are susceptible to their own version of the HIV virus that triggers Aids, called FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus).
Normally the immune systems of cats and humans are overwhelmed by the viruses.
But macaque monkeys possess "restriction factor" proteins that can stop the viruses invading immune cells.
When cats were genetically engineered to produce one of these factors, TRIMcyp, FIV replication was reduced.
Two male cats and one female with the genes were born and survived. The male passed the genes down to kittens of his own, which emitted a weaker glow.
Eric Poeschla, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York state, who led the study, reported in the journal Nature Methods: "One of the best things about this biomedical research is that it is aimed at benefiting both human and feline health. It can help cats as much as people."

Sunday 11 September 2011

Spiders and crabs inspire robot locomotion

Worm robot, F Herrero  
The worm robot mimics the movements of real world worms
The walking patterns of crabs, lobsters and spiders are helping to inspire new ways of getting robots to move around.
Closer study of the neural networks controlling the legs of invertebrates has revealed the rhythmic nerve impulses that govern gait.
These have been adapted into modular control elements that can be transferred into robots to help mimic natural movement.
European researchers have already put the control systems into a robot worm.
Smart step The rhythmic impulses are known as central pattern generators (CPGs), and are among the best known of all neural circuits, according to Fernando Herrero, one of the Spanish researchers employing them to control a robot.
CPGs allow the body to automate certain repetitive tasks, such as chewing or walking. Although the activity requires some initial input to get started, the repetitive motion effectively runs on autopilot.
One reason that CPGs are so well understood is that the relative simplicity of invertebrate neural systems, compared with those of mammals, makes it much easier to map how their nerves interconnect.
This access, said Mr Herrero, has allowed researchers to understand the ways in which CPGs generate the rhythmic impulses that help a spider or crab scuttle around.
Research is also allowing the impulses and rhythms to be recorded and used to generate control sequences for a robot's artificial limbs.
Traditionally, said Mr Herrero, robot makers get their creations moving by defining a series of rules that dictates what the legs of that machine should do to get about.
"CPGs autonomously generate rhythms without specifying any rule and thus can deal better with unexpected situations," he said.
Even better, said Mr Herrero, CPGs are discrete circuits that can be linked together, like building blocks, to create ever more complex behaviour.
Instead of trying to define rules for all the limbs on a robot and get their movements co-ordinated, CPGs make it possible to build up from one joint or sub-section of a limb.

Lobster, PA 
Multi-legged animals are proving popular models for robots because they are more stable.
 
"You can concentrate first on each part of each leg, and design a controller mini-CPG for the ankle, for the knee, the hip and so on," he said. "Then, you connect them in such a way that you get a leg-CPG, that is, the ankle, knee and hips mechanism act co-ordinately."
Using control systems inspired by nature means that they also have some basic intelligence, said Mr Herrero. That allows the machines to modify their rhythm to cope with the unexpected and then return to pumping out the original tempo.
Mr Herrero, along with colleagues Pablo Varona and Francisco Rodriguez, has used CPGs as a control system to make a worm robot writhe around like the real thing. The robot is based on similar machines created by Dr Juan Gomez from Madrid's Carlos III University.
The worm robot has eight sections and its control system was derived by letting the movement rhythm evolve in a simulator. Once evolved, the system was downloaded to a robot which then undulated like a worm and managed to move around with ease.
"The key is to combine the right set of bio-inspired strategies with human engineering approaches to build a new generation of more autonomous robots," said Mr Herrero.
The research was detailed in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics.

Friday 9 September 2011

Drunk Swedish elk found in apple tree near Gothenburg

Drunken elk stuck in tree, Saro, Sweden, 6 September 2011  
The elk was apparently searching for fermenting apples when she got stuck
A homeowner in southern Sweden got a shock when he found a drunken elk stuck in his neighbour's apple tree.
The animal was apparently on the hunt for fermenting apples when she lost her balance and became trapped in the tree.
Per Johansson, from Saro near Gothenburg, found the elk making a roaring noise in the garden next door.
He called the emergency services, who helped him free the boozed-up beast by sawing off branches. She spent the night recovering in the garden.
The next day she took herself off into the woods with her hangover.
It is not unusual to see elk, or moose as they are known in North America, drunk in Sweden during autumn, when there are plenty of apples about.
Other residents of Saro had seen the elk on the loose in the preceding days.
Mr Johansson said the elk appeared to be sick, drunk, or "half-stupid".

Thursday 8 September 2011

Stormtrooper plans to walk across Australia to raise money for charity

Stormtrooper Paul French is pictured on day 5 of his over 4,000 kilometre journey from Perth to Sydney walking down Old Mandurah Road 
Paul French aims to walk 35-40 kilometres a day, five days a week, in full Stormtrooper costume until he reaches Sydney. 

Stormtrooper Paul French is pictured on day 5 of his over 4,000 kilometre journey from Perth to Sydney walking down Old Mandurah Road
He is planning to walk across Australia, from Perth to Sydney - a distance of 4,110 kilometres (2 553 miles) - dressed as a Stormtrooper, to raise money for charity.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

'Do Not Resuscitate' tattooed on Norfolk pensioner

Joy Tomkins, woman with "Do Not Resuscitate" tattooed on her chest

Joy Tomkins has had the tattoo since the start of 2011
An 81-year-old woman from Norfolk has had "Do Not Resuscitate" tattooed across her chest in case she falls ill and attempts are made to revive her.
Joy Tomkins had the message tattooed, along with "P.T.O." and an arrow on her back, earlier this year.
The former magazine company secretary said she could not bear to "make beds and wash-up for another 20 years".
Despite having a living will for about 30 years, she said the tattoo meant there was be "no excuse" for error.
"The tattoo is immediate... no excuse for not knowing what I thought," she said.
The grandmother, who is diabetic but said she was not seriously ill, said she got the idea from a retired nurse, who did something similar in 2003.
She said her willingness to not be resuscitated would "save money" for the NHS.
Mrs Tomkins, who went to a tattoo parlour to get her message done, said she was happy with life but stated she would be "just as happy" not to wake up in the morning.
She added she was determined to have the final say if she falls seriously ill.
'Much better dead' "If I'm found lying about and can't say something, I want [medics] to accept that," she said.
"I'm 81 and don't need any more use. What do you think I'm going to do with the frightful thought of getting to 100? I hate it.
"My mother-in-law lived to be 106 and in the last six years of her life she'd have been much better dead. She was miserable."
The widow said that at the age of 81 she did not have the "stamina" to enjoy all of her hobbies any more, such as playing the piano and gardening.
"I've had 80 good, interesting years of marriage and children and grandchildren and plenty of friends," she said.
"I'm quite happy if I wake up in the morning, but if I don't I'm just as happy."
Her two children, who between them have six grandchildren, are aware of their mother's views, but Mrs Tomkins said, "they won't argue with me".
Dr Anna Smajdor, a lecturer in medical ethics at the University of East Anglia's Medical School, said she could see that Mrs Tomkins wanted to send a "very clear message" and "cover all bases" with her tattoo.
However, Dr Smajdor said tattoos were not effective "as a sole way of ensuring wishes are fulfilled" as they would "not be legally binding".

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Month a baby is born 'suggests what career they will have'

The time of year a baby is born can shape what profession they will embark on in later life, a new study has suggested.

Being born in a certain month appears to indicate the statistical likelihood of what job a person will end up with, the study by the Office for National Statistics found.
Researchers have uncovered that the month in which babies are born could also affect everything from intelligence to length of life.
A child born December is more likely to become a dentist while someone whose birthday falls in January will tend to a debt collector, they found.
A February birth appears to increase the chances of being an artist while March babies appear to go on to become pilots
Meanwhile, April and May are said to have a fairly even spread of professions, births in the summer months mean a much lower chance of becoming a high-earning football player, doctor or dentist.
The study was derived by researchers who analysed the birth months of people in 19 separate occupations using information from the last census, the Daily Mail reported.
Although these trends may be difficult to explain, correlations between birth months and specific health problems have a scientific basis.
Spring babies are at greater risk of illnesses including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma and autism.
They may also be less clever than classmates born in other parts of the year.
Research has suggested many of the differences are linked to a mother’s exposure to sunlight in pregnancy.
Sunlight triggers the production of vitamin D in the body and lack of this in the first months of life may have long-lasting effects.
Speaking earlier this year, Russell Foster, an Oxford University neuroscientist, said the effects were small “but they are very, very clear”.
“I am not giving voice to astrology – it’s nonsense – but we are not immune to seasonal interference,” he said.
“It seems absurd the month in which you are born can affect life chances, but how long you live, how tall you are, how well you do at school, your body mass index as an adult, your morning-versus-evening preference and how likely you are to develop a range of diseases are all correlated to some extent with the time of year in which you emerge from the womb.”

Monday 5 September 2011

American man arrested for biting snake

A US man is in custody after he bit a pet python in what California police said was an apparently unprovoked attack.

American man arrested for biting snake
The snake, measuring 3 to 4 feet in length, is recovering after a vet stitched it up 
The suspect, David Senk, 54, was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully maiming or mutilating a reptile, Sacramento police said. The badly injured snake underwent surgery.
Senk said he had no recollection of the incident after blacking out from drinking but felt "horrible as hell about it."
Asked why he might have bitten the snake, Senk replied: "I get drunk, I get crazy. I don't know. I've been an alcoholic for a long time."
Senk was taken into custody after police, responding to a report of an assault, found him lying on the ground with blood on his face.
Officers were then approached by another man and a woman who told them Senk had just taken two large bites out of their python when they let him hold the snake.
"There was nothing to indicate that the snake provoked him at all. He (Senk) just out of the blue took a bite," the police spokesman said. "From what I understand, he didn't say anything. He was pretty incoherent."
The snake, measuring 3 to 4 feet in length, is recovering after a vet stitched it up.
Senk said he was "not too fond of snakes (but) I try not to bite them."
"It's the other way around usually," he added. They bite me."

Saturday 3 September 2011

American accused of groping airport security staff

An American businesswoman accused of groping an airport security official has received the support of thousands of fellow travellers.

American accused of groping airport security staff
The TSA has been criticised in recent months for the invasiveness of its screening techniques 
Yukari Mihamae was arrested after she allegedly squeezed the breasts of a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Phoenix’s Sky Harbour Airport.
The TSA claimed the 61-year-old refused to go through passenger screening and became argumentative, before groping the agent with both hands.
Ms Mihamae said she was fed up with being manhandled by airport security staff – and thousands of Facebook users have given her their backing.
The community page "Acquit Yukari Mihamae" on the social networking site has attracted more than 2,000 members, with Ms Mihamae described by users as “courageous” and “a freedom fighter”.
The TSA has been criticised in recent months for the invasiveness of its screening techniques, which include a pat-down of the groin, breasts and buttocks, and the use of controversial full body scanners.

Earlier this year security staff at New Orleans airport angered the parents of a six-year-old girl after she was subjected to an“intensive” frisking, one of dozens of complaints to receive widespread publicity.

Ms Mihamae was released. No charges have yet been filed.

Friday 2 September 2011

Taxidermist creates animal hybrids in New Zealand

An amateur taxidermist has caused controversy over his hybrid animal stuffings which combine body parts from creatures that have been killed on the roads.


Andrew Lancaster, 57, took up taxidermy in his spare time 14 years ago – shortly after moving from England to New Zealand. Entirely self- taught, Mr Lancaster has experimented with animal creations for the last two years, regarding the work as ‘art’.

“Some people call me sick and some think it’s pretty good,” Mr Lancaster told New Zealand website Stuff. “I saw heaps of dead things on the side of the road and thought it was a waste. When I’m driving along the road and see something I pull up and go back for it,” he admitted.

Mr Lancaster, now living in Tauranga, New Zealand, sells the animal hybrids on Trade Me – the Kiwi equivalent of Craigslist. Working during the day as a marina caretaker, he creates his custom animals in the evenings and on days off.

The amateur taxidermist said he collects birds, pheasants, rats, ferrets and has even found possum babies – discovered inside of their mother’s pouch. Mr Lancaster insists that he only works on animals he finds dead and would never hunt an animal. The unique hybrids have developed a following as his Facebook site ‘Andrew Lancaster Taxidermy Creations’ currently has 241 fans.

Mr Lancaster’s wife has stopped him from keeping many of the animals but he admitted to keeping a pheasant that he “picked up from the road one morning”.     

One in 25 business leaders 'could be a psychopath'

As many as one in 25 company bosses could be a psychopath, according to a new study.

Psychopaths are defined by their lack of moral instincts, but many are able to hide this by a natural ability to charm and manipulate both their seniors and subordinates.
While some psychopaths are outwardly aggressive and destructive, factors like a happy upbringing can help others to mimic colleagues and fit in at work.
The capacity of the 'successful psychopath' to identify and outwardly display the qualities corporate leaders admire helps them climb the career ladder quickly despite being poor managers.
This makes it virtually impossible to tell the difference between a psychopath and a genuinely good boss, leading psychologists said in a BBC Horizon programme.
Paul Babiak, a New York psychologist, said: "Psychopaths really aren't the kind of person you think they are ... you could be living with or married to one for 20 years or more and not know that person is a psychopath.
"Part of the problem is that the very things we're looking for in our leaders, the psychopath can easily mimic.
"Their natural tendency is to be charming. Take that charm and couch it in the right business language and it sounds like charismatic leadership".
Prof Bob Hare of the University of British Columbia in Canada said as many as one in 100 Americans have some psychopathic characteristics.
He added: "A psychopath can actually put themselves in your skin, intellectually not emotionally.
"What this allows them to do is use words to manipulate and con and to interact with you without the baggage of feeling your pain."

Thursday 1 September 2011

Remains of Australian outlaw Ned Kelly identified

The headless remains of Australian outlaw Ned Kelly have been identified, 130 years after he was hanged for murder, officials have said.
His body was dumped into a mass grave, later transferred to another mass grave and again exhumed in 2009.
Although his skull is still missing the body was identified by comparing a DNA sample with that of a relative.
Ned Kelly was seen by many as a cold-blooded killer and others as a folk hero of Irish-Australian resistance.
The bushranger killed three policeman before being captured in Victoria state in 1880 and was hanged for murder at Old Melbourne Jail in November of the same year.
But his body went missing after it was thrown into a mass grave. The bodies in the grave were transferred from the prison to Pentridge prison in 1929 and then exhumed again in 2009.

Archived photograph of Ned Kelly  
Ned Kelly has become part of Australian folklore
 
Scientists at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine said they had identified the body after a DNA sample was taken from a Melbourne school teacher who is a direct relative - the great grandson of Kelly's sister.
The state's Attorney-General Robert Clark said he found the discovery amazing. The forensic team had to sift through the remains of 34 people mingled together in the mass grave.
"To think a group of scientists could identify the body of a man who was executed more than 130 years ago, moved and buried in a haphazard fashion among 33 other prisoners, most of whom are not identified, is amazing," said Mr Clark.
The exploits of Ned Kelly and his gang have been the subject of numerous films and television series, including a portrayal by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger in a 1970 movie of the same name.