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pressgavin42 · ScienceDaily (Jan. 31, 2012)

ScienceDaily (Jan. 31, 2012) ? Around 30 millions years ago, the Western Mediterranean basin opened as a result of the tectonic collision of the African and Eurasian plates. This geologic event, described in the scientific literature, was the starting point for the diversification of an endemic group of Western Mediterranean spiders, as has been demonstrated by a new study by Miquel A. Arnedo and Leticia Bidegaray-Batista, from the Department of Animal Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio).

The paper, published in BMC Evolutionary Biology, focuses on the genus Parachtes, a group of nocturnal ground spiders that spend daylight in silk retreats under stones or dead logs. The spiders of this genus are active hunters that only use silk to build intricate cocoons to protect themselves and their eggsacs. The genus, endemic to the Western Mediterranean, includes close to a dozen species distributed in the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia and the Iberian and Italic peninsulas. According to Miquel A. Arnedo, leader of the Arthropod, Systematic and Evolution Laboratory of the UB, "this is the first scientific work that proves that such an important tectonic event in the Mediterranean had a relevant impact on the diversification of the local fauna."

Examining hypotheses regarding Mediterranean geology

According to the expert Leticia Bidegaray-Batista, paper's first author, "so far it was assumed that the tectonic collision of the African and Eurasian plates originated the diversification of the fauna endemic to the Western Mediterranean. Nonetheless, no scientific study had confirmed that possibility. With this research, we prove for the first time that the distribution of the genus Parachtes is linked to the tectonic events that occurred in the Mediterranean more than 25 million years ago."

Spiders provide an interesting model for the study of biological and evolutionary processes, which allows for examining hypotheses not yet contrasted, within a temporal context well supported by geological studies. Utilizing molecular techniques to elucidate phylogenetic relationships (three nuclear and five mitochondrial genes), and with biogeographic and fossil points of external calibration, the experts have confirmed that the origin of the spiders diversification matches the geological changes undergone by the Mediterranean basin, an area particularly active during the Oligocene.

Following the shifting of the tectonic plates

"Most likely, the ancestor of the genus Parachtes -- explains Miquel A. Arnedo -- arrived to the Iberian Peninsula from the Middle East via Europe. From this point, the diversification of the different lineages in the Mediterranean can be followed through the movement of the tectonic plates, as a conveyor belt. However the temporal framework for the observed separation between Corsica and Sardinia was unexpected: according to the study, there was a quite early differentiation between the lineages of these islands, in spite of their geographic proximity."

Characterizing the factors that drive biodiversity is key to identify and understand the natural richness of the Mediterranean, a biogeographic region characterized by a high number of endemism. According to Leticia Bidegaray-Batista, "several alternative hypotheses could explain the distribution of the genus Parachtes in the Mediterranea. In this specific case, the tectonic dynamic of the Mediterranean was singled out as the main factor driving species diversification."

Moreover, this study also provides information regarding the rate of substitution in genetic markers commonly used in phylogenetic studies, which allows absolute time inferences using molecular clocks. The conclusions of this research contrast with other phylogenetic studies conducted in Mediterranean islands, where the dynamics of the colonization and diversification of the fauna are associated with the Messinian salinity crisis, a dramatic event that caused the drying of the Mediterranean Sea at the end of the Miocene.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Universidad de Barcelona, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Bidegaray-Batista, L.; Arnedo, M. A. Gone with the plate: the opening of the Western Mediterranean basin drove the diversification of ground-dweller spiders. BMC Evolutionary Biology, October 2011 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-317

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131121419.htm

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(Reuters) ? 888 Holdings Plc said a unit of private equity-owned Caesars Entertainment Corp extended its UK software licensing agreement with the British online gaming company to the United States.

888 said the agreement would see its arm, Dragonfish, power a selection of private poker brands of Caesars, one of the largest casino operators in the United States and owner of the famed Caesars Palace, once online gaming is permitted under the new regulatory regime.

"Utilising 888's state of the art poker platform, the agreement will allow the launch of a real money offering immediately as either Federal or state based regulation is finalized and upon licensing by gaming authorities," 888 said in a statement on Tuesday.

As U.S. states scramble for tax revenue, the potential for legalizing online poker has led casino and gaming companies MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming to unveil a plan to partner with online poker company Bwin.party Digital Entertainment.

Last month, 888 had said it expected core profit for 2011 to be significantly above market expectations, aided by strength in its casino and poker businesses.

888 shares, which have risen 41 percent in the last three months, closed at 47 pence on Monday on the London Stock Exchange, valuing the company at about 165 million pounds.

(Reporting by Tresa Sherin Morera in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/wr_nm/us888

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Intel quietly outs seven new Sandy Bridge CPUs to check we're pay attention

Intel opened its back door and shuttled out a refresh of its chips without so much as a phone call, typical! Three desktop Core i5 chips made their way into the big bad world, the i5-2550K replacing the i5-2500K, the i5-2450P replacing the i5-2400 and the i5-2380P replacing the i5-2320. There's a suspicion that the P that follows the two latter models means the GPUs have been disabled / removed to differentiate the price. The four Celerons, two low-voltage, two ultra-low voltage similarly replace older models, from the $70 B720 (replacing the B710) through to the $134 Celeron 867, supplanting the 857. If that list of numbers hasn't whetted your appetite for, erm, more numbers, then head on past for detail so comprehensive you'll have to make sure it's covered by your HMO.

[Thanks, Malek]

Continue reading Intel quietly outs seven new Sandy Bridge CPUs to check we're paying attention

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Russia's Evgeni Plushenko celebrates after performing in the Men's Free Skating program competition at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Russia's Artur Gachinski performs on his way to coming second in the Men's Free Skating event at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Florent Amodio of France performs in the Men's free skating event at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Amodio placed third in the competition.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Italy's Carolina Kostner celebrates on the podium after winning gold in the Women's free skating event at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Italy's Carolina Kostner, center, winner of the gold medal, laughs as she stands with silver medal winner Kiira Korpi of Finland, left, and bronze medal winner Elene Gedevanishvili of Georgia following the Women's Free Skating event at the European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) ? Defying his aching left knee and advancing age, Evgeni Plushenko had a career-best performance Saturday to win his seventh European figure skating title.

Throwing in an unexpected quadruple jump to a compelling routine to "Tango de Roxanne" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, the 2006 Olympic champion scored a personal-best 176.52 points in the free skate to total 261.23 ? his highest overall mark.

"I'm called the king by many people and I try to live up to that name. I want to remain the king for a long time to come," the 29-year-old Plushenko said.

If Plushenko is the king, then Carolina Kostner is surely the queen of European skating.

On a day to remember for a relative veteran of the women's competition, the 24-year-old Italian captured a fourth continental title in a six-year span by executing a flawless, if limited, free skate to build on her lead from the short program. Topping both segments, the elegant Kostner finished with 183.55 points, more than 16 clear of second-place Kiira Korpi of Finland.

With 18-year-old Artur Gachinski finishing second in the men's competition, Russia left the meet with seven medals out of a possible 12 ? two years before the country hosts the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

The spectators at Motorpoint Arena were already on their feet when Plushenko ? dressed in a glitter-lined black outfit ? finished his breathtaking routine in a blaze of glory, repeatedly pumping his fists in the direction of the judges.

Even with Gachinski, who led Plushenko by 0.09 points after the short dance, and three other rivals to come, the greatest male skater of his generation knew the gold was again his ? 12 years after winning his first continental title.

"I did a little bit of history in figure skating today," an overjoyed Plushenko said.

Gachinski couldn't match his mentor, idol and training partner.

The bronze medalist from last year's worlds scored 161.47 points in his free skate to total 246.27, a personal best too.

Defending champion Florent Amodio of France rallied from fifth place to take the bronze with an overall score of 234.18, ahead of Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic (229.30).

Plushenko hopped onto the podium to collect the 18th major medal of an illustrious career that he is set to stretch, amazingly, to Sochi. He started off in seniors in 1997.

"I felt like I did eight years ago out there," said Plushenko, the only living male skater with 3 Olympic medals to his name. In addition to his gold from Turin, Plushenko has silvers from Salt Lake City and Vancouver.

Plushenko has a history of back and knee problems: He is going to Germany in two weeks for surgery on his left knee, a procedure that will keep him out of the world championships. He said he didn't do a quad during his play-it-safe short program on Thursday because it would have taken three or four minutes for his body to recover.

Lo and behold, Plushenko opened the free skate with a quad toe loop ? which earned the maestro 11.59 points ? that set the tone for the rest of his joyous, near-flawless routine that had the crowd tranfixed.

The veteran skater denied he had played mind games with his rivals, insisting instead that his medical team had performed miracles.

"Today, the problems with my meniscus were overcome," he said. "Today, I skated at full capacity."

His intimidating score, which was nearly three points better than his previous best of 258.33 he achieved in winning Olympic gold in Turin, left him way clear of the field.

Gachinski, Javier Fernandez of Spain and Amodio were still to come but following Plushenko was virtually impossible.

Needing the skate of his young life, Gachinski opened up stylishly with a quad toe-double toe-double loop and another quad toe, but was marked down on his latter jumps.

"I am still happy," Gachinski said. "This is my second Europeans and I got a second."

Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic was third after the short program but flopped in the free, slumping to fifth and allowing Amodio to climb onto the podium despite the Frenchman not managing a quad.

"It was a difficult experience but I'm proud," Amodio said. "I started to feel like the real Florent Amodio again."

Consistency was the key to Kostner's victory.

After seeing Korpi ? her closest challenger after the short program ? botch her opening two jumps, wobbling at the end of a triple to-triple toe and placing her hand on the ice after a triple salchow, Kostner knew a safe routine would ease her to gold.

Nailing her jumps, she scored 120.33 points, comfortably the best of the night.

"I think I have done better programs this year but I'm happy how I dealt with the pressure I put on myself," Kostner said.

Korpi captured the silver with 166.94 points despite coming fourth in the free skate, to better her two bronzes from 2007 and '11. Elene Gedevanishvili took the bronze, 1.01 points further back, to bump the Russians off the podium for the first time this competition.

Kostner turns 25 next week, but don't expect her to last as long as Plushenko.

"I admire his courage and consistency so much, especially because I'm sure that coming back from time away from skating isn't easy," Kostner said. "This is already my 10th Europeans. I don't know if I'm going to skate that much longer."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-28-FIG-Europeans/id-5e1065f3e8de46ca8e3bc12a4d14f6d7

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By Lisa Richwine, Reuters

Survival story "The Grey" starring Liam Neeson in a battle against weather and wolves led the box office pack with a better-than-expected $20 million in ticket sales over the weekend.

"The Grey" knocked last weekend's winner, "Underworld: Awakening," to second place. The vampire and werewolf sequel starring Kate Beckinsale brought in $12.5 million from Friday through Sunday at domestic theaters, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday.

In "The Grey," Neeson returns to an action role as a man who leads a team of plane crash survivors who must fight harsh weather and a fierce pack of wolves in the Alaskan wilderness.

The movie played at 3,185 North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters and earned a per-theater average of $6,279, according to the box office division of Hollywood.com.

Liam Neeson stars as a survivor of a plane crash who must fight to survive not only against the wintry remote wilderness, but also a threatening pack of wolves. Opens Jan. 27.

Distributor Open Road Films acquired the film for about $5 million and had projected up to $12 million in debut weekend sales. The film beat that forecast because "it doesn't look like every other movie out there. In a crowded marketplace, I think it's important to be distinctive," said Open Road Films CEO Tom Ortenburg.

Katherine Heigl's new comedy, "One for the Money," finished in third place with $11.8 million, topping industry forecasts of less than $10 million for the film based on a best-selling book by Janet Evanovich. Distributor Lions Gate Entertainment said readers who loved the book helped the movie beat expectations.

"We think the audience that showed up are not frequent moviegoers. They're just huge fans of Janet Evanovich," said David Spitz, head of domestic distribution for Lions Gate.

In the film, Heigl plays a cash-strapped woman who joins a bail-bond business and must track down a wanted man who happens to be an ex-boyfriend. Audiences surveyed by exit polling firm CinemaScore game the movie a B-minus on average.

Oscar boost
The weekend's other new movie, crime drama "Man on a Ledge," landed in fifth place. The film was distributed by Lions Gate's newly acquired Summit Entertainment unit as release dates and marketing plans were set well before the studios combined earlier this month.

"Man on a Ledge" took in $8.3 million, within studio forecasts. The movie features "Avatar" star Sam Worthington as a fugitive who threatens to jump from a hotel ledge.

"Red Tails," a drama about black fighter pilots in World War?II, brought in $10.4 million to land in fourth place in its second weekend in theaters.

Also this weekend, a crop of films capitalized off last week's Oscar nominations.

"The Descendants," starring George Clooney as a father dealing with a family crisis, expanded to 2,001 theaters from 560 and gained 176 percent from last weekend. The movie took in $6.6 million, lifting its domestic tally to $58.5 million since its release last November. The movie has added $27 million in international markets for a worldwide total of $85.5 million.

Black-and-white silent film "The Artist" increased its weekend sales by 40 percent from a week earlier, bringing in $3.3 million after adding 235 more screens. To date, the film has grossed $16.7 million domestically.

Family film "Hugo," which led the Oscar nominations with 11, also jumped 143 percent to $2.3 million. Its total sales to date stand at $58.7 million domestically.

?

Open Road Films, a joint venture between theater owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc, released "The Grey." The film unit of Sony Corp distributed "Underworld: Awakening." "Red Tails" and "The Descendants" were released by divisions of News Corp's Fox Filmed Entertainment. Privately-held The Weinstein Co released "The Artist," and Viacom Inc unit Paramount Pictures distributed "Hugo."

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Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/29/10265655-weekend-box-office-awash-in-the-grey

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WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama, raising money for his campaign among tribal leaders, said Friday he wants American Indians to be "full partners" in the economy.

Obama met with 70 to 75 supporters from Native American tribes. Democratic officials said the fundraiser would benefit the Obama Victory Fund, a joint committee of the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Tickets started at $15,000.

Obama told participants that he has worked to include American Indians in his administration and wants Native Americans to be "full partners in our economy." The president noted that he had signed laws to improve health care for Native American tribes and pushed for better educational opportunities and more improvements to tribal economies.

"We want new businesses and new opportunities to take root on the reservations," Obama said. Attendees included Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman, and former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I.

Obama raised more than $220 million for his re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee in 2011. The president returned to Washington after completing a three-day, five-state trip following his State of the Union address.

When Obama ran for president in 2008, he visited Montana's Crow Indian reservation and was adopted into the nation during a private ceremony.

Obama quipped, "If my adoptive parents were here, I know what they'd say, "Kids just grow up so fast."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_el_pr/us_obama_fundraiser

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BEIJING (AP) ? A young man posts his photo with a leaflet demanding freedom for Tibet and telling Chinese police, come and get me. Protesters rise up to defend him, and demonstrations break out in two other Tibetan areas of western China to support the same cause.

Each time, police respond with bullets.

The three clashes, all in the past week, killed several Tibetans and injured dozens. They mark an escalation of a protest movement that for months expressed itself mainly through scattered individual self-immolations.

It's the result of growing desperation among Tibetans and a harsh crackdown by security forces that scholars and pro-Tibet activists contend only breeds more rage and despair.

That leaves authorities with the stark choice of either cracking down even harder or meeting Tibetan demands for greater freedom and a return of their Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama ? something Beijing has shown zero willingness to do.

"By not responding constructively when it was faced with peaceful one-person protests, the (Communist) party has created the conditions for violent, large-scale protests," said Robbie Barnett, head of modern Tibetan studies at New York's Columbia University.

This is the region's most violent period since 2008, when deadly rioting in Tibet's capital Lhasa spread to Tibetan areas in adjoining provinces. China responded by flooding the area with troops and closing Tibetan regions entirely to foreigners for about a year. Special permission is still required for non-Chinese visitors to Tibet, and the Himalayan region remains closed off entirely for the weeks surrounding the March 14 anniversary of the riots that left 22 people dead.

Video smuggled out by activists shows paramilitary troops equipped with assault rifles and armored cars making pre-dawn arrests. Huge convoys of heavily armored troops are seen driving along mountain roads and monks accused of sedition being frog-marched to waiting trucks.

For the past year, self-immolations have become a striking form of protest in the region. At least 16 monks, nuns and former clergy set themselves on fire after chanting for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

China, fiercely critical of the Dalai Lama, says Tibet has been under its rule for centuries, but many Tibetans say the region was functionally independent for most of that time.

In a change from the individual protests, several thousand Tibetans marched to government offices Monday in Ganzi prefecture in Sichuan province. Police opened fire into the crowd, killing up to three people, witnesses and activist groups said.

On Tuesday, security forces opened fire on a crowd of protesters in another area of Ganzi, killing two Tibetans and wounding several more, according to the group Free Tibet.

On Thursday in southwestern Sichuan province's Aba prefecture, a youth named Tarpa posted a leaflet saying that self-immolations wouldn't stop until Tibet is free, the London-based International Campaign for Tibet said. He wrote his name on the leaflet and included a photo of himself, saying that Chinese authorities could come and arrest him if they wished, group spokeswoman Kate Saunders said in an email.

Security forces did so about two hours later. Area residents blocked their way, shouting slogans and warning of bigger protests if Tarpa wasn't released, Saunders said. Police then fired into the crowd, killing a a 20-year-old friend of Tarpa's, a student named Urgen, and wounding several others.

The incident, as with most reported clashes in Tibetan areas, could not be independently verified and exact numbers of casualties were unclear because of the heavy security presence and lack of access. The topic is so sensitive that even government-backed scholars claim ignorance of it and refuse to comment.

The government, however, acknowledged Tuesday's unrest, saying that a "mob" charged a police station and injured 14 officers, forcing police to open fire on them. The official Xinhua News Agency said police killed one rioter and injured another.

"The Chinese government will, as always, fight all crimes and be resolute in maintaining social order," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in comments on the incident.

The harsh response points to a deep anxiety about the self-immolations, said Youdon Aukatsang, a New Delhi-based member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.

"They're worried that there is an underground movement in Tibet that is coming to the surface," she said.

Tibetan desperation has been fed both by the harsh crackdown ? security agents reportedly outnumber monks in some monasteries ? along with a deep fear that the Dalai Lama, probably the most potent symbol of Tibet's separate identity, will never return.

The 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate handed his political powers to an elected assembly last year. That was intended to ensure the Tibetan cause would live on after him, but was met with considerable anxiety among many Tibetans who saw it as a sign he was giving up his role as leader of their struggle.

Dibyesh Anand, a Tibet expert at London's University of Westminster, said resistance to Chinese rule is likely to grow more fierce.

"Protests will get more radicalized since the Tibetans in the region see no concession, no offer of compromise, no flexibility coming from the government," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-AS-China-Tibet-Spiral-of-Violence/id-eff7f9cfff0b4d36b9d3bc3d2732bb0d

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It's been far too long since Taylor Armstrong bashed her late husband in public.

But, don't worry, the latest issue of Us Weekly contains excerpts from the reality star's disgusting upcoming memoir, "Hiding from Reality."

In the book, Taylor describes Russell as a paranoid stalker, someone who constantly asked her about past sexual partners and even posed as a potential employer in order to run a background check on his wife with her alma mater.

She even found a tape recorder under her home office desk once.

"For the next nearly six years, I always assumed I was being recorded in the car and at home," Taylor writes. "I was always careful to make sure the content of my conversations was very clear."

Russell supposedly defended his actions by saying he had "been burned before" and just wanted to get to know his wife as well as possible.

Years after that discovery, Armstrong added, "I went into my email settings and found that he had set it up so that all of my emails were forwarded to him the moment I received them."

Taylor says she never changed the setting or asked Russell about this issue, and it's not like we can get his take on the allegations.

What a sad, pathetic, money-hungry woman.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/taylor-armstrong-accuses-late-husband-of-spying-paranoia/

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Iridescence ? a lustrous rainbow-like play of color caused by differential refraction of light waves ? has just been detected in the fur of golden moles.

Aside from the ?eye shine? of nocturnal mammals, seen when a headlight or flashlight strikes their eyes, the discovery marks the first known instance of iridescence in a mammal. The findings, published in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters, reveal yet another surprise: The golden moles are completely blind, so they cannot even see their gorgeous fur.

PHOTOS: New species discovered in Borneo

?It is densely packed and silky, and has an almost metallic, shiny appearance with subtle hints of colors ranging between species from blue to green,? co-author Matthew Shawkey told Discovery News.

Shawkey, an associate professor in the Integrated Bioscience Program at the University of Akron, was first inspired to study golden moles after an undergraduate student of his, Holly Snyder, wrote her honors thesis about iridescence. Snyder is lead author of the paper.

VIDEO: Researchers study how fleas jump

For the study, the scientists pulled hairs from specimens of four golden mole species. Using high-tech equipment, such as scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, the researchers analyzed the structure of the hairs, down to their smallest elements.

The researchers determined that the hairs are indeed luminescent. They further discovered that each hair has a flattened shape with reduced cuticular scales that provide a broad and smooth surface for light reflection. The scales form multiple layers of light and dark materials of consistent thickness, very similar to those seen in iridescent beetles.

Optical modeling suggests that the multiple layers act as reflectors that produce color through interference with light. The sensitivity of this mechanism to slight changes in layer thickness and number explains color variability.

What remains a mystery is why blind animals would have such eye-catching fur.

Ancestors of the moles were sighted, so it?s possible that the iridescence is a carryover from those times. ?However, the moles have diverged considerably from these ancestors so there had to be some selection pressure other than communication to keep their color intact,? Shawkey said.

More science news from msnbc.com
1. Strange new species found in Suriname
  Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Scientists catalog the biodiversity of one of the world's last pristine tropical forests ? and come upon some strange-looking new species.
2. Black adorned feathers of winged dinosaurs
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4. Magnetic soap created, could cleanup oil spills

Another possibility is that the fur somehow wards off the mole?s sighted predators. But Shawkey said shiny fur ?would seem to make them more conspicuous,? doing just the opposite. The moles are not poisonous, so the coloration does not serve as a warning to other animals.

The researchers instead think that iridescence may be a byproduct of the fur?s composition, since the structure also streamlines the mole?s profile and creates less turbulence underground, permitting the animals to move more easily through dirt and sand.

?Many of the nanostructures producing iridescent colors have non-optical properties like enhanced rigidity (think mother of pearl) or enhanced water repellency (such as seen in Morpho butterflies),? Shawkey explained. ?In the former case, the color, like in the moles, clearly has no communication function and is a byproduct.?

PHOTOS: Top 40 nature photos of all time

Iridescence has been around for at least 50 million years, since beetles from that time with the unique coloration have been unearthed. An ancient, iridescent bird feather dating to 40 million years ago has also been documented, as have early shells. Now peacocks, hummingbirds, sunbeam snakes, birds of paradise, the rainbow skink, and many fish flash their iridescence.

Daniel Osorio, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Sussex, has studied iridescence in birds.

Surprisingly, one of the most beautiful examples may belong to the common feral pigeon. The pigeon?s neck feathers shift from green to magenta, but often look drab gray to human eyes. Osorio told Discovery News, ?In fact, this gray may be a remarkable and very unusual color to birds that can probably see more colors than us.?

In the future, Shawkey and his team hope to study the phenomenon more, to better understand the function of iridescence in the moles and other species.

Image of Cape golden mole: Copyright H.G. Robertson, Iziko Museums, www.BiodiversityExplorer.org. Used with permission.

? 2012 Discovery Channel

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46124232/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Web Exclusives | More Science

A nanostructure inspired by the natural world repels water droplets and could prevent icing on airplane wings and other structures

By Gary Stix ?| January 26, 2012?|

Image: Need Credit

Joanna Aizenberg's muse is the whole of the natural world. The Harvard University materials scientist takes her inspiration from creatures that suggest engineering of substances in unexpected ways. Ocean creatures in particular have proved inspirational. The brittle star, a relative of the starfish and the sea urchin, has a shell coated with lenses, which may furnish ideas for new types of optical communication systems. There is also the deep-sea sponge with a crown composed of optical fibers.

Aizenberg's early life in Russia and her brilliant, creative career as an engineer that followed at Harvard ~~the Massachusetts Institute of Technology?~~ are the focus of a question-and-answer feature in the February 2012 Scientific American.

Her laboratory has mustered a basic understanding of the physics of water to design a finely structured polymer coating that resists every attempt to accrete a layer of ice at temperatures as low as 30 degrees Celsius. The material, or some analogue thereof, might one day find its way into aircraft, power-transmission towers and building roofs.

Watch this incredible video of a droplet of water pinging off Aizenberg's no-icing, super-hydrophobic surface. For comparison, the video starts with two other surfaces?one hydrophilic and the other merely hydrophobic.

?

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BUCHAREST, Romania ? Romania's prime minister on Tuesday used a national holiday to call for unity as thousands of protesters angry at the government's failure to reverse falling living standards turned their ire toward state media.

Emil Boc addressed Parliament in a special session on the country's Day of Unity, urging Romanians to work together to overcome economic hardship. The government has been battling to contain 12 days of demonstrations fueled by frustration pent up since the country's troubled transition to democracy after its 1989 revolution.

In his first public remarks about the protests, President Traian Basescu accused opposition figures and the press of indulging in what he called "the joy of destruction," and of undermining and ignoring his government's achievements.

"They want the resignation of the president, the resignation of the government, the resignation of Parliament, that's to say a Romania that is not governed," he said.

Some 5,000 people jeered the government in the northeast city of Iasi, calling for early elections. Thousands also massed outside the government in the capital Bucharest to rally against harsh austerity measures, and marched to the headquarters of the public television station, which they accused of having a pro-government bias.

"We have had enough of the government," said Teodor Ciodariu, a 58-year-old retired interior ministry officer. "The news they (Romanian public television) broadcast does not reflect reality."

Protesters then marched downtown to University Square, which has been a focal point for protests since the anti-communist uprising against the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Romania signed up for a euro20-billion ($26 billion) loan with the IMF, European Union and World Bank in 2009 to help pay salaries and pensions, when the economy shrunk by more than 7 percent.

In 2010, the government hiked sales tax from 19 to 24 percent, and cut public workers salaries by one-fourth to reduce the budget deficit. Romanians are also angry over cronyism, widespread corruption and a perception that the government is not interested in the problems of ordinary people in this nation of 22 million.

A 21-year-old Romanian Army officer became a symbol of the protest late Monday. Lt. Alexandru Gheorghe's call for the nation's dignity to be restored attracted widespread attention because it is illegal for army members to protest publicly.

Gheorghe said he traveled some 500 kilometers (312 miles) to Bucharest from his military base to join the protesters.

"I can no longer bear the way we are insulted" by the current government, he said in comments broadcast on Antena 3 TV.

"I saw old people beaten (in the protests) and said to myself that we, the officers, who could die tomorrow in a mission in Afghanistan, must have the courage to fight and tell the truth here in our country," Gheorghe said.

Romania has about 1,700 troops serving in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led force there.

The defense ministry said it was investigating what action to take against Gheorghe.

Boc also appointed a new foreign minister to replace Teodor Baconschi, who was fired Monday for making insulting comments about the protesters. Cristian Diaconescu, a lawmaker and supporter of Basescu, previously served as foreign minister in 2009.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/romania-protests_n_1228525.html

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LONDON (Reuters) ? A weaker sun over the next 90 years is not likely to significantly delay a rise in global temperature caused by greenhouse gases, a report said Monday.

The study, by Britain's Meteorological Office and the university of Reading, found that the Sun's output would decrease up until 2100 but this would only lead to a fall in global temperatures of 0.08 degrees Celsius.

Scientists have warned that more extreme weather is likely across the globe this century as the Earth's climate warms.

The world is expected to heat up by over 2 degrees Celsius this century due to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Current global pledges to cut carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions are not seen as sufficient to stop the planet heating up beyond 2 degrees, a threshold scientists say risks an unstable climate in which weather extremes are common.

"This research shows that the most likely change in the sun's output will not have a big impact on global temperatures or do much to slow the warming we expect from greenhouse gases," said Gareth Jones, climate change detection scientist at the Met Office.

"It's important to note this study is based on a single climate model, rather than multiple models which would capture more of the uncertainties in the climate system," he added.

During the 20th century, solar activity increased to a maximum level and recent studies have suggested this level of activity has reached, or is nearing, an end.

The scientists used this maximum level as a starting point to project possible changes in the sun's activity over this century.

The study also showed that if the sun's output went below a threshold reached between 1645 and 1715 - called the Maunder Minimum when solar activity was at its lowest observed level - global temperature would fall by 0.13 degrees Celsius.

"The most likely scenario is that we'll see an overall reduction of the sun's activity compared to the 20th Century, such that solar outputs drop to the values of the Dalton Minimum (around 1820)," said Mike Lockwood, solar studies expert at the university of Reading.

"The probability of activity dropping as low as the Maunder Minimum - or indeed returning to the high activity of the 20th Century - is about 8 percent."

(Reporting by Nina Chestney, editing by William Hardy)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/sc_nm/us_sun_global_warming

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Feeling cheeky!

In Hawaii on Thursday, Rihanna ditched the full-body wetsuit and hit the waves, surfboard in tow, while rocking a slinky black g-string bikini.

PHOTOS: Rihanna's sexiest, craziest outfits

But the 23-year-old clearly had no intention of catching some surf and instead, put her assets on full display while lounging on her stomach atop the surfboard, done up in a cherry red lipstick, large gold hoop earrings, layers of matching necklaces and bracelets, and her hair styled in a messy 'do.

PHOTOS: Rihanna, then and now!

The Barbados beauty has been showing some major skin since arriving on the island last Saturday. Case in point: the "We Found Love" singer proudly shared a Twitpic of her working out on an elliptical machine while wearing just a tiny white bikini.

Perhaps the scantily-clad singer is showing off her dangeous curves in hopes that her ex-beau Chris Brown, who she's been seretly seeing, will see them?

PHOTOS: Rihanna and Chris' controversial romance

In the latest issue of Us Weekly, on stands now, a confidant of Brown's tells Us that the two have been known to "meet up casually," adding, "She comes to see him anytime she's in L.A."

"Rihanna loves to live dangerously, and talking to and hooking up with Chris is all part of that," adds a Rihanna insider.

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_rihanna_sunbathes_surfboard_black_thong_bikini212055814/44257332/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/rihanna-sunbathes-surfboard-black-thong-bikini-212055814.html

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PARK CITY, Utah, Jan 22 (TheWrap.com) ? "Beasts of the Southern Wild," the narrative film that has stirred up the most attention at Sundance to date, was awarded the inaugural Sundance Institute Indian Paintbrush Producer's Award at a luncheon on Sunday.

Producer Josh Penn and Dan Janvey accepted the award for "Beasts," a raucous drama set in an isolated southern Louisiana community. Since its premiere on Friday, the film has been one of the most talked-about narrative features at the festival, with a number of exhibitors circling the film but admitting that it could be a tough sell in the marketplace.

The Indian Paintbrush Producer's Award is a collaboration between the Indian Paintbrush production company and the Sundance Institute, and is open to any filmmakers who have participated in one of the Institute's labs.

This is the first year the award has been given out. It carries with it a $10,000 grant.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/media_nm/us_sundance_award

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By msnbc.com staff

Chadil Deffy posted photos of his dead bride on Facebook.

Hopeless romantic or macabre publicity hound?

A Thai television director?s decision to marry his dead girlfriend and post photos and video of the event to Facebook and YouTube is drawing mixed reaction from the public.

Chadil Deffy, also known as Deff Yingyuen, married his girlfriend of 10 years, Sarinya ?Anne? Kamsook, early this month as she lay in a coffin in a wedding-cum-funeral at a temple in Surin Province, the Pattaya Daily News reported.

?During the ceremony, the 28-year-old groom, wearing a black tuxedo, placed a ring on the finger of his late girlfriend, whose body was lying on a raised platform, dressed in a white bridal dress.

He put photos of himself and his dead bride on his personal Facebook page under an album titled "Corpse Bride." He also uploaded a video to YouTube.

The couple met while studying at Eastern Asia University 10 years ago and had planned to get married for a while but Kamsook died in a car accident on Jan. 3, according to media reports. She was 29.

A friend of Deffy, Onsiri Pravattiyagul, wrote in an opinion column this week in The Bangkok Post:

The "wedding" was his attempt to right a wrong, however belated the gesture might have been.

As expected, the initial public reaction was an outpouring of sympathy for the "groom" and a wave of sentimental remarks. The romantically inclined were moved by this expression of "true love," however unconventional. It seemed to hit a nerve with many people. The offline media picked up on the buzz, too, and went to town with the story. Chadil found himself under a spotlight, experiencing an unexpected 15 minutes of fame.

Also as expected, within days, the backlash began ? and it wasn't at all kind. In a heartbeat, Chadil went from being viewed as a hopeless romantic to being vilified as a publicity-hungry opportunist.

Pravattiyagul said Deffy was heartbroken and ?wasn't thinking about the possibility of fame when he decided to put a ring on her cold finger. He merely wanted to make things right, however small or inadequate the gesture might seem.?

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/21/10206889-till-death-do-us-part-marriage-to-dead-girlfriend-draws-mixed-reaction

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WASHINGTON ? Vilified by the Republicans who want his job, President Barack Obama will stand before the nation Tuesday night determined to frame the election-year debate on his terms, using his State of the Union address to outline a lasting economic recovery that will "work for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

As his most powerful chance to make a case for a second term, the prime-time speech carries enormous political stakes for the Democratic incumbent who presides over a country divided about his performance and pessimistic about the nation's direction. He will try to offer a stark contrast with his opponents by offering a vision of fairness and opportunity for everyone.

In a preview Saturday, Obama said in a video to supporters that the speech will be an economic blueprint built around manufacturing, energy, education and American values.

He is expected to announce ideas to make college more affordable and to address the housing crisis still hampering the economy three years into his term, people familiar with the speech said. Obama will also propose fresh ideas to ensure that the wealthy pay more in taxes, reiterating what he considers a matter of basic fairness, the officials said.

His policy proposals will be less important than what Obama hopes they all add up to: a narrative of renewed American security with him at the center, leading the fight.

"We can go in two directions," Obama said in the campaign video. "One is toward less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

That line of argument is intended to tap directly into concerns of voters who think America has become a nation of income inequality, with rules rigged to help the rich. The degree to which Obama or his eventual Republican opponent can better connect with millions of hurting Americans is expected to determine November's presidential election.

Obama released his video hours ahead of the South Carolina primary, where Republican candidates fought in the latest fierce contest to become his general election rival.

The White House knows Obama is about to get his own stage to outline a re-election vision, but carefully. The speech is supposed to an American moment, not a campaign event.

Obama didn't mention national security or foreign policy in his preview, and he is not expected to break ground on either one in his speech.

He will focus on the economy and is expected to promote unfinished parts of his jobs plan, including the extension of a payroll tax cut that is soon to expire.

Whatever Obama proposes is likely to face long odds in a deeply divided Congress.

More people than not disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy, and he is showing real vulnerability among the independent voters who could swing the election. Yet he will step into the moment just as the economy is showing life. The unemployment rate is still at a troubling 8.5 percent, but at its lowest rate in nearly three years. Consumer confidence is up.

By giving a sneak peek to millions of supporters on his email list, Obama played to his Democratic base and sought to generate an even larger audience for Tuesday's address. He is unlikely to getter a bigger stage all year.

More people watched last year's State of the Union than tuned in to see Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination in Denver in 2008.

The foundation of Obama's speech is the one he gave in Kansas last month, when he declared that the middle class was at a make-or-break moment and he railed against "you're on your own" economics of the Republican Party. His theme then was about a government that ensures people get a fair shot to succeed.

The State of the Union will be the details to back that up.

But even so, the speech will still be a framework ? part governing, part inspiration.

The details will be rolled out in full over the next several weeks, as part of Obama's next budget proposal and during his travels, which will allow him more media coverage.

On national security, Obama will ask the nation to reflect with him on a momentous year of change, including the end of the war in Iraq, the killing of al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and the Arab Spring protests, with people clamoring for freedom. He is expected to note the troubles posed by Iran and Syria without offering new positions about them.

Despite low expectations for legislation this year, Obama will offer short-term ideas that would require action from Congress. For now, the main looming to-do item is an extension of a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, both due to expire by March.

His travel schedule following his speech, to politically important regions, offers clues to the policies he was expected to unveil.

Both Phoenix and Las Vegas have been hard hit by foreclosures. Denver is where Obama outlined ways of helping college students deal with school loan debt. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Detroit are home to a number of manufacturers. And Michigan was a major beneficiary of the president's decision to intervene to rescue the American auto industry.

Republican leaders in Congress say Obama has made the chances of cooperation even dimmer just over the last several days. He enraged Republicans by installing a consumer watchdog chief by going around the Senate, which had blocked him, and then rejected a major oil pipeline project the GOP has embraced.

Obama is likely, once again, to offer ways in which a broken Washington must work together. Yet that theme seems but a dream given the gridlock he has been unable to change.

The address remains an old-fashioned moment of national attention; 43 million people watched it on TV last year. The White House website will offer a live stream of the speech, promising extra wrinkles for people who watch it there, and then invite people to send in questions to administration officials through social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Obama's campaign is also organizing and promoting parties around the nation for people to watch the speech.

__

AP deputy director of polling Jennifer Agiesta and Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

__

Online:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

___

Follow Ben Feller at http://twitter.com/BenFellerDC

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_state_of_the_union

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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich aren't electable because they've both supported policies too similar President Barack Obama's health care plan.

In Thursday night's GOP debate, Santorum says the health care plan Romney helped implement when he was governor of Massachusetts was an "abject disaster." Santorum says it is the basis for Obamacare and will make it impossible for Romney to debate Obama on the issue.

Santorum says Gingrich repeatedly supported "the core" of Obama's health care plan before disavowing it later.

Santorum says he's the only candidate who can stand up to Obama on the issue.

Gingrich and Romney are both defending themselves and say they can stand up to the president and vow to repeal Obama's health care plan.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gop_debate_santorum_healthcare

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in JOBS by Tirzah Clerc ? January 19, 2012 at 2:50 pm

?

Manchester United Methodist Church, a large progressive congregation in suburban St. Louis, MO, is seeking a dynamic, professional individual to serve as its Director of Communications.? The Director of Communications is responsible for all aspects of internal and external communications, including the development and execution of a comprehensive communications plan, composing and submitting all press releases, and coordinating and insuring quality and timely execution of all digital communications.

General Function:
Responsible for the coordination of all digital and print media; including the Friday E-
News and website publicity updates, as well as all other communications strategies and
media for Manchester UMC.

Entry Requirements/Qualifications:

Minimum educational requirements of a Bachelors degree in Communications or Journalism, and two years of related experience.
Effective written and oral communications skills
Experience with project management; including scheduling, planning, prioritizing,and executing projects with firm deadlines.
Must demonstrate expertise with computer applications such as MS Publisher, Adobe Photo Shop, Microsoft Word, and other applications as appropriate.

?

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

?All aspects of internal and external communications, including:
Create and execute a comprehensive communications plan
Follow-up with staff to ensure compliance with production timeline
Composing and submitting press releases and other news articles
Coordinating and insuring quality and timely execution of all digital communications (web, e-mail, video, etc.) with MUMC?s web and graphic design companies, the Director of Outreach & Missions, and other staff
Developing, coordinating, and executing all internal & external communications (including special events, special holiday/seasonal services, and year-round communications of Manchester UMC?s mission, vision, and identity
Collaborate with Manchester UMC?s Communications Team in developing and executing a thorough communications plan for internal and external communications.
Work with the Director of Outreach & Missions to establish and adhere to a yearly budget for communications.

?

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of the
work being performed.? This list is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of all
duties, skills, and responsibilities required. This is a full-time position, with benefits.

For a complete job description, please visit http://www.manchesterumc.org/employment.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume by February 10, 2012 to
employment@manchesterumc.org or Job Search, Manchester UMC, 129 Woods Mill Rd.
Manchester, MO? 63011.

Tags: Director of Communications jobs JOBS st. louis marketing jobs

Author: TirzahClerc

?

Source: http://adsaint.com/jobs/director-of-communications-manchester-umc/

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New submitter 9re9 writes "The NY Times describes what may be the beginning of an actual cyberwar between a pro-Palestinian group and Israeli companies, third edition by the editors of the old glory banner heritage? dictionary. copyright ? 2003 El Al and the Tel Aviv stock exchange. From the article: 'A hacker analyze himself as oxOmar, already red hot for posting the details of more than 20,000 Israeli credit cards, sent an overnight warning to Israel's Ynet news outlet that a group of pro-Palestinian cyberattackers called daydream planned to bring down the sites in the morning.' Though the article is skimpy on operose details, the group appears to have engaged merely in a DDOS attack. Hamas praised the attack as opening 'a new fight front against Israel.' Is this the first acknowledged cyberwar?"

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