Kenyan elephant numbers plummet by 1000 in four years

Label:








































IT'S a case of up then down for Kenya's second largest population of elephants. After a promising growth spurt, the elephants are now dying faster than they are being born. The decline is being blamed on illegal poaching, driven by Asia's demand for ivory.












The Kenya Wildlife Service recently conducted a census of the Samburu/Laikipia population, the country's second largest. It found that the population lost over 1000 elephants in just four years, and now stands at 6361. Previous censuses in 1992, 1998, 2002 and 2008 had revealed a growing population, which appears to have peaked at 7415 in 2008.












Poaching is suspected. A July report by three conservation groups found that it has been on the rise across Africa since 2006. Poaching is also spreading eastwards from central Africa into countries like Kenya, says Richard Thomas of TRAFFIC in Cambridge, UK, one of the three groups that drafted the report. The July report found that more than half of all elephants found dead in Africa in 2011 had been illegally killed.












The rise in poaching appears to be driven by increasing affluence in China and Thailand, where ivory is often used to make religious sculptures and other decorations.












Organised criminal gangs have capitalised on this increased demand. "If it's worth someone's while to smuggle the ivory, they'll take the risk," Thomas says. There is evidence that gangs are moving into Kenya to hunt elephants.


















































If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.




































All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.


If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.








Read More..

Football: Evergreen Totti cheers Romans

Label:





ROME: A double strike from Francesco Totti helped push AS Roma into the top four in Serie A on Saturday, proving instrumental in an entertaining 4-2 home win over Fiorentina, who missed the chance to leapfrog Inter Milan into third.

Brazilian defender Leandro Castan gave Roma a seventh-minute lead but it was the sterling efforts of 36-year-old skipper Totti which had the home fans singing his praises as Roma moved onto 29 points, the same tally as Saturday's opponents as well as city rivals Lazio.

Juventus and Napoli may be setting the title pace but Roma proved they can aspire at least to be in the mix after their ninth win of the campaign while they handed Fiorentina a third loss.

Greek star Panagiotis Tachtsidis did the spadework for the opener in heading on a Totti freekick with Castan only having to walk the ball in.

Totti then provided the fireworks for the "Giallorossi," who have now netted a league-leading 38 goals in 16 games.

Facundo Roncaglia briefly levelled for the visitors from Florence in beating the offside trap on 14 minutes but five minutes after that Totti pounced following a superb interchange with Mattia Destro and then completed his brace in first half injury time with a shot from 20 metres for his 219th Serie A goal.

Mounir El Hamdaoui put the visitors back in the hunt a minute after the restart, the Moroccan substitute heading in a Borja Valero cross.

But Osvaldo made the points safe on 89 minutes - Totti providing another assist - as Fiorentina went down to their first league loss since the end of September.

Earlier, Atalanta thanked first-half goals from Denis and Peluso to edge out Parma 2-1.

On Sunday, Juve travel to Palermo with Napoli in for a tough test at Inter while AC Milan are away to Torino.

Lazio for their part are at Bologna on Monday.

- AFP/fa



Read More..

Handcuffs that give you an electric shock?

Label:


Progress?



(Credit:
Patent Bolt)


Sometimes an invention comes along that makes you excited about the future.


For a long time, it seems that handcuffs have been stuck in the movies of old. They restrain you, but, odd for our interactive world, that's all they seem to do.


Might I tempt you toward futuristic handcuffs that will offer you a small involuntary judder?



I am grateful to Gizmodo for discovering that Patent Bolt has lucked upon a patent that offers bound(less) excitement.


For these are handcuffs that offer surprises. Indeed, they might make the idea of being tased, bro, not quite so bad.


The patent is called "Apparatus and System For Augmented Detainee Restraint."


The augmentations it offers are truly quite something. You see, these handcuffs are "configured to administer electrical shocks when certain predetermined conditions occur."


These shocks might be "activated by internal control systems or by external controllers that transmit activation signals to the restraining device."


This progressive tool is the brainchild of Scottsdale Inventions.



More Technically Incorrect



And while you might be shocked or even excited by the idea of handcuffs with electric shock capabilities, might I move you further?


For Patent Bolt points out that this patent also allows for the idea of a substance delivery system. Yes, these handcuffs might also be used to, well, inject the detained with who knows what -- to achieve "any desired result."


Clearly, the desires of the detained and the detainer might differ. Yet, this patent allows for the possibility of the substance being in the form of "a liquid, a gas, a dye, an irritant, a medication, a sedative, a transdermal medication or transdermal enhancers such as dimethyl sulfoxide, a chemical restraint, a paralytic, a medication prescribed to the detainee, and combinations thereof."


Yes, you really did read the word "paralytic."


Naturally, some will be wondering whether, as in fine restaurants, the arresting officer will ask whether the detained has any allergies.


Some might be concerned, though that -- at least theoretically -- this creation might put quite some power into the hands of those who might not always be lucid or learned enough to use that power wisely.


Read More..

Plants Grow Fine Without Gravity

Label:

When researchers sent plants to the International Space Station in 2010, the flora wasn't meant to be decorative. Instead, the seeds of these small, white flowers—called Arabidopsis thaliana—were the subject of an experiment to study how plant roots developed in a weightless environment.

Gravity is an important influence on root growth, but the scientists found that their space plants didn't need it to flourish. The research team from the University of Florida in Gainesville thinks this ability is related to a plant's inherent ability to orient itself as it grows. Seeds germinated on the International Space Station sprouted roots that behaved like they would on Earth—growing away from the seed to seek nutrients and water in exactly the same pattern observed with gravity. (Related: "Beyond Gravity.")

Since the flowers were orbiting some 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the Earth at the time, the NASA-funded experiment suggests that plants still retain an earthy instinct when they don't have gravity as a guide.

"The role of gravity in plant growth and development in terrestrial environments is well understood," said plant geneticist and study co-author Anna-Lisa Paul, with the University of Florida in Gainesville. "What is less well understood is how plants respond when you remove gravity." (See a video about plant growth.)

The new study revealed that "features of plant growth we thought were a result of gravity acting on plant cells and organs do not actually require gravity," she added.

Paul and her collaborator Robert Ferl, a plant biologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville, monitored their plants from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida using images sent from the space station every six hours.

Root Growth

Grown on a nutrient-rich gel in clear petri plates, the space flowers showed familiar root growth patterns such as "skewing," where roots slant progressively as they branch out.

"When we saw the first pictures come back from orbit and saw that we had most of the skewing phenomenon we were quite surprised," Paul said.

Researchers have always thought that skewing was the result of gravity's effects on how the root tip interacts with the surfaces it encounters as it grows, she added. But Paul and Ferl suspect that in the absence of gravity, other cues take over that enable the plant to direct its roots away from the seed and light-seeking shoot. Those cues could include moisture, nutrients, and light avoidance.

"Bottom line is that although plants 'know' that they are in a novel environment, they ultimately do just fine," Paul said.

The finding further boosts the prospect of cultivating food plants in space and, eventually, on other planets.

"There's really no impediment to growing plants in microgravity, such as on a long-term mission to Mars, or in reduced-gravity environments such as in specialized greenhouses on Mars or the moon," Paul said. (Related: "Alien Trees Would Bloom Black on Worlds With Double Stars.")

The study findings appear in the latest issue of the journal BMC Plant Biology.


Read More..

Dallas Cowboys Player Arrested in Teammate's Death

Label:












Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Joshua Price-Brent was arrested on an intoxication manslaughter charge today after a single vehicle roll-over killed his passenger, Jerry Brown Jr., who had been a linebacker on the team's practice squad and his former teammate at the University of Illinois.


Price-Brent, 24, was allegedly speeding "well above" the posted 45 mph speed limit at about 2:21 a.m. when he hit a curb, causing his vehicle to flip at least one time before landing in the middle of a service road, Irving Police Department spokesman John Argumaniz said.


Authorities were alerted to the accident by several 911 callers, Argumaniz said. When police arrived, they found Price-Brent pulling Brown from his 2007 Mercedes, which had caught fire.


Brown, 25, was unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Argumaniz said.


It was not known where the men were coming from or where they were going, but Argumaniz said officers suspected alcohol may have been a factor in the crash and asked Price-Brent to perform field sobriety tests.








Kansas City Chiefs Player Jovan Belcher's Murder-Suicide Watch Video





"Based on the results of the tests, along with the officer's observations and conversations with Price-Brent, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated," Argumaniz said.


This is the second week in a row an NFL player has been accused of being involved in another person's death. Jovan Belcher of the Kansas City Chiefs killed his girlfriend early Dec. 1, then committed suicide while talking to team officials in the parking lot at Arrowhead Stadium.


Jovan Belcher: Police Release Dash-Cam Videos of NFL Star's Final Hours


Price-Brent was taken to a hospital for a mandatory blood draw where he was treated for minor scrapes, Argumaniz said. He was then booked on an intoxication manslaughter charge after it was learned Brown had died of injuries suffered in the crash.


It is expected that results from the blood draw could take several weeks, the police spokesman said.


Price-Brent is scheduled to be arraigned Sunday at 10 a.m., when bond will be set, police said.


The second-degree felony intoxication manslaughter charge carries a sentence of two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. It was not yet known whether Price-Brent had retained an attorney.


The 6-foot-2, 320-pound nose tackle left the University of Illinois as a junior for a career in the NFL. He was picked up by the Cowboys during the 2010 NFL supplemental draft and has played three seasons with the team.


The Cowboys are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Ohio on Sunday.



Read More..

Today on New Scientist: 9 December 2012

Label:






Climate talks stumbling towards a deal

As the Qatar climate summit looks set to run into the weekend, we look at some key issues, such as compensation for poor countries harmed by climate change



Twin spacecraft map the mass of the man in the moon

Two satellites called Ebb and Flow have revealed the fine variations in the moon's surface with the most detailed gravity map ever



Just cut down on fat to shed weight

A review of studies involving 75,000 people shows that simply eating less fat made them lighter



North-east Japan quake rattles same fault as last year

A new quake off Japan's Pacific coast revives memories of 2011 tsunami; Fukushima nuclear power station "undamaged"



YouTube reorganises video with automated channels

Software that automatically classifies video into channels catering to specific interests is YouTube's latest ploy to become the future of television



A mathematician's magnificent failure to explain life

An attempt to explain life was career suicide for mathematician Dorothy Wrinch, we learn from Marjorie Senechal's biography I Died for Beauty



Parasite makes mice fearless by hijacking immune cells

The Toxoplasma parasite does its dirty work by getting immune cells to make a chemical normally found in the brain



'Specialist knowledge is useless and unhelpful'

Kaggle.com has turned data prediction into sport. People competing to solve problems are outclassing the specialists, says its president Jeremy Howard



Feedback: Numerical value of 'don't know'

The value of indifference, carbon-free sugar, scientists massacred in the nude, and more



Friday Illusion: 100-year-old quilt reveals 3D vortex

See a mind-bending effect crafted into a recently discovered quilt that changes depending on its colours and dimensions



Space-time waves may be hiding in dead star pulses

The first direct detection of gravitational waves may happen in 2013, if new studies of pulsars affected by galaxy mergers are correct



2012 Flash Fiction shortlist: Go D

From nearly 130 science-inspired stories, our judge Alice LaPlante has narrowed down a fantastic shortlist. Story five of five: Go D by Michael Rolfe



Captured: the moment photosynthesis changed the world

For the first time, geologists have found evidence of how modern photosynthesis evolved 2.4 billion years ago



Commute to work on the roller coaster train

A Japanese train based on a theme park ride could make getting around cleaner - and more fun



BSE infected cattle have prions in saliva

The discovery of tiny levels of prions in cow saliva might pave way for a test for BSE before symptoms develop, and raises questions about transmission



Space bigwigs offer billion-dollar private moon trips

Robots aren't the only ones heading to the moon. The Golden Spike Company will sell you a ticket whether you want to explore, mine or just show off



Human eye proteins detect red beyond red

Tweaking the structure of a protein found in the eye has given it the ability to react to red light that is normally unperceivable




Read More..

US expects oil boom from oil shale extraction

Label:





WASHINGTON: The United States is set to become the largest producer of crude oil by 2030, according to a recent forecast by the United Nations (UN).

The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts the US will overtake Saudi Arabia and Russia in production amid a boom in unconventional drilling.

In Colorado, and other western US states, oil shale is one of the resources that could help make the US a net energy exporter in the foreseeable future.

According to the oil industry, the rock found in Colorado's Piceance Basin could hold the key to America's energy future.

Glenn Vawker, who heads the National Oil Shale Association, said: "There are estimates by our federal government that we could be producing up to one million barrels a day in twenty to thirty years."

Colorado's oil shale is often described as one of the richest hydrocarbon deposits in the world. The problem is that it takes a lot of money and resources to get the oil out of the rock.

Oil companies have set up multi-million-dollar pilot programs here, trying to figure out how to turn a profit.

To extract the oil, the companies have to cool the rock - a process the latest technologies do deep underground.

Roger Day, who is vice president of operations at American Shale Oil Corporation, said: "We're working on what you call in-situ technology, which would heat the oil in the ground and produce the oil without bringing the rock to the surface. And our project - it will take about another five years to perfect this technology."

China, Brazil and Estonia are also researching technologies to develop oil shale potential.

China is currently the largest producer in the world, with huge resources primarily in Fushun and Maoming but scientists said the US is in a position to take over that top spot.

Jeremy Boak, director at the Centre for Oil Shale Technology and Research, said: "We have the largest single resource in the world here. China has a very large resource and it is moving aggressively. It is currently, as far as I can tell, the largest single producer of oil from oil shale. But the total amount in still very tiny - about 30,000 barrels a day or so. Nevertheless, it's being produced and they are ramping up."

Industry insiders predict a shale boom in Colorado that would be immensely profitable for the state and help the US become energy independent. But some people are worried about the possible environmental impact of such a boom in the industry."

Environmental advocates said the oil shale industry uses water that's in short supply in the drought stricken western US.

David Abelson, who is an oil shale policy advisor at Western Resource Advocates, said: "Large-scale oil shale is predicted to consume vast quantities of water. The high-end estimates would be roughly 45 per cent more than Denver water supplies to its 1.3 million customers every year."

This part of Colorado was producing large volumes of oil from shale during the 1970s fuel crisis, but industry was largely shutdown during the early 1980s.

But that earlier exploration involved what is now outdated technology. Figuring out how to tap into the rock in the most efficient AND environmentally-responsible way is the challenge currently facing America's oil shale industry..



Read More..

DoorBot wireless doorbell cam lets you see visitors

Label:


Smile, you're on camera.



(Credit:
DoorBot)


When my doorbell goes ding dong and the dogs go crazy, the last thing I want to do (aside from shushing my beasts) is actually talk to the person at the door who I probably didn't even want to talk to in the first place. Unless it's the pizza guy.


Fortunately, a Wi-Fi-enabled doorbell called DoorBot could make the mystery of a random household visitor a thing of the past. The $169 high-tech door device features a built-in camera (with infrared for nighttime support) that captures live video of the person who presses the button. From there, a notification pops up on the owner's device that gives the option to display the video feed on the app (works with iOS and
Android
tablets and smartphones).




The DoorBot user can speak to a visitor through the app, and even unlock the door if necessary courtesy of the additional support for Lockitron. Four AA batteries keep DoorBot powered up for about a year.


I asked a DoorBot representative about the possibility of someone stealing the fancy doorbell and whether it packs any sort of anti-theft capabilities, and the rep told me there wasn't any way to stop someone from stealing it, nor can it capture footage of a person doing so. The rep reminded me that people commonly populate the front of their homes with expensive outdoor items -- such as lighting and other home accessories -- that carry the same risk of theft.


Regardless of that risk (and the possibility of being hacked), the DoorBot costs much less than most traditional home automation systems with similar answering capabilities.


Design think tank Edison Jr. created the DoorBot, which touched down yesterday on crowdfunding site Christie Street and has already obtained nearly $20,000 in funding -- a very strong start, but still a long way to go from the $250,000 goal (with 44 days left).



Read More..

Pictures: Timbuktu Under al Qaeda

Label:








































































































');



































































































































































 $'+ doc.ngstore_price_t +'';
html += ' $'+ doc.ngstore_saleprice_t +'';
} else {
html += ' $'+ doc.ngstore_price_t +'';
}
html += '
';

$("#ecom_43331 ul.ecommerce_all_img").append(html);




o.totItems++;

}// end for loop
} // end if data.response.numFound != 0

if(o.totItems != o.maxItems){
if(o.defaultItems.length > 0){
o.getItemByID(o.defaultItems.shift());
} else if(o.isSearchPage && !o.searchComplete){
o.doSearchPage();
} else if(!o.searchComplete) {
o.byID = false;
o.doSearch();
}
}// end if
}// end parseResults function

o.trim = function(str) {
return str.replace(/^\s\s*/, '').replace(/\s\s*$/, '');
}

o.doSearchPage = function(){
o.byID = false;

var tempSearch = window.location.search;
var searchTerms ="default";
var temp;

if( tempSearch.substr(0,7) == "?search"){
temp = tempSearch.substr(7).split("&");
searchTerms = temp[0];
} else {
temp = tempSearch.split("&");
for(var j=0;j 0){
o.getItemByID(o.defaultItems.shift());
} else if(o.isSearchPage){
o.doSearchPage();
} else {
o.doSearch();
}

}// end init function

}// end ecommerce object

var store_43331 = new ecommerce_43331();





store_43331.init();









































































































































































Read More..

Supreme Court to Take Up Gay Marriage Cases

Label:











The Supreme Court today decided to take up two major cases regarding gay marriage, one of which could ultimately lead the court to decide whether there is a fundamental right to same-sex marriage.


The justices announced that the court would hear a challenge to Proposition 8, the controversial California ballot initiative that passed in 2008 that restricted marriage to opposite-sex couples, as well as a challenge to a federal law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.


Check Out Same-Sex Marriage Status in the U.S. State By State


A divided three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down "Prop 8" in February, ruling that it "serves no purpose , and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California and to officially reclassify their relationship and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples."


It was a narrow ruling, specific to California and its history with Prop 8. The court did not reach the broader question of whether there was a fundamental right to gay marriage.


Supporters of Prop 8 are asking the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of that ruling. Gay marriages have been put on hold in California until the Supreme Court decides the issue. The cases will likely be argued in March.






David Paul Morris/Getty Images







Opponents of Prop 8 are represented by David Boies and Theodore Olson, two lawyers who argued on opposite sides in the historic Bush v. Gore case that resulted in Bush's election as president.


Get more pure politics at ABCNews.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com


They contend in court briefs that the question about whether the states might discriminate against gay men and lesbians in the provision of marriage licenses could be the "defining civil rights issue of our time."


The court will also hear a challenge to a key section of a federal law, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. At issue in this case is not whether there is a fundamental right to gay marriage, because the same-sex couples are legally married in states that allow gay marriage, but that the gay couples alone are denied federal benefits such as the Social Security survivor assistance.


There were eight DOMA petitions filed with the court. One involved Edith Windsor, who, in 2007, married Thea Spyer, her partner of more than 40 years. The couple were married in Canada, but resided in New York until Spyer died in 2009.


Windsor was forced to pay $363,000 in federal estate taxes. She applied for a refund believing she was entitled to a marital deduction, but she was denied the claim on the grounds that she was not a "spouse" within the meaning of DOMA.


In briefs filed with the court, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. writes, "Although Section 3 of DOMA does not purport to invalidate same-sex marriages in those States that permit them it excludes marriage from recognition for purposes of more than 1,000 federal statutes and programs whose administration turns in part on individuals' marital status."


Recent ABC News-Washington Post polls say that 51 percent of Americans support gay marriage, which is legal in nine states and the District of Columbia.


ABC News' Sarah Parnass contributed to this report.



Read More..

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)