Archive by date | May 2009

Claude Allègre back in French government?

Strong rumours abound inside the Parisian Beltway that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is considering offering the former Socialist science minister, 72-year old maverick geophysicist and climate sceptic Claude Allègre, a ministerial post in his government — possibly a ministry of industry and innovation. (Financial Times).

Marvellous marmosets

Marvellous marmosets

Yesterday Nature published a paper heralding the birth of the first transgenic non-human primates.

Their birth offers to researchers the chance to use more human-like models for disease than the currently-favoured mice. The marmosets have been born expressing the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP). The neat thing about GFP is that it’s easy to spot – the marmosets have green feet under UV light.

Let the science begin!

Let the science begin!

The three astronauts that recently left our planet to hang around in orbit on the International Space Station will double the crew’s size. Once Belgian Frank De Winne, Russian Roman Romanenko and Canadian Robert Thirsk arrive on Friday, the crew will total six.

This move from three to six is a “milestone” according to this BBC report, saying that “A primary objective will be to assess how well such a large number of people live together in the cramped confines of the space station.”

On Nature News

Former shuttle pilot nominated as NASA head

Charles Bolden lined up to take over space agency.

Draft stem-cell guidelines criticized

Researchers complain that previously approved cell lines would not be covered.

Russia makes major shift in climate policy

Putin emphasizes the need for action on global warming.

African forests at risk from slow land reform progress

African countries are slow to address problems about who owns forested land, according to a report from the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) and the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI).

The report, which was presented at an ITTO and RRI-organised forestry conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, shows that “less than 2 percent of Africa’s tropical forests are owned by or designated for use by the region’s forest communities and indigenous groups compared to nearly one-third of all forests in Latin America, Asia and the Pacific.” (Press release).

Whale thievery

Whale thievery

These shadowy images are snapshots from a short film that shows a sperm whale stealing black cod from a fishing ship’s long line by tugging at one end until the fish comes off at the other. The film is part of a study from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, and is published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. In the video, the whale’s clicking can be heard quite clearly, and it is this, rather than any sneaky fish-nicking, that the scientists were interested in. “The sounds can be louder than a firecracker,” said Aaron Thode, Scripps  … Read more

Ones that got away

“The sunlight comes down and it actually goes back up – there is no greenhouse effect.”

Steven Chu, the US Secretary of Energy advocates painting roofs white to combat global warming, on a recent meeting in London. (Independent)

“For a vehicle that was designed to travel 1 km over its lifetime, going 16+ km is a pretty substantial accomplishment”

Steve Squyres, PI for the Mars rovers celebrates Opportunity reaching the 10 mile mark (Space.com)

“We can be confident that they held their heads upright.”

Roger Seymour explains his research that shows dinosaurs with long necks used those necks to hold their heads high. (BBC)

NIH head rumours run amok

It wouldn’t be Washington if the rumour mill weren’t spinning out of control. Just days after Barack Obama finally nominated Charles Bolden, a Marine Corps general, to head NASA (Nature), media reports are buzzing yet again about another long-anticipated science nominee: Francis Collins, supposedly to head the National Institutes of Health.  Read more