Japan: Scientists: World’s oldest fossil bird eggshells found
Researchers say they have found the world’s oldest fossilized bird eggshells--120 million years old--that could provide insight into how dinosaurs evolved.
“We’ve now got a clue into ascertaining the mating process of species that were evolving into modern birds,” said Yoichi Azuma, 64, one of the researchers and a professor of paleontology at Fukui Prefectural University’s Dinosaur Research Institute. “ ... (Read more)
The Asahi Shimbun
Norway: Norway launches ’reality TV with wild birds’
Norway’s ever-creative NRK network has come up with yet another strange but surprisingly compelling ’slow TV' experiment -- Piip Show, described by its creator as a “reality TV show with wild birds”.
The show, the brainchild of the photographer Magne Klann, follows the lives of a small cast of birds, including a nuthatch, a blue tit, and a bullfinch, over three months in the specially constructed ‘Piip Show’ house. ... (Read more)
The Local
Mexico: Mexico’s Pyramid of the Sun in Danger of Collapsing
In a recent study from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) lead by physicist Dr. Arturo Menchaca, it was discovered that the soil beneath the south side of Mexico’s largest pyramid was severely dry, putting it at risk of collapse like a sandcastle lacking enough water.
Originally, Menchaca and colleagues set out to find and record a series a secret underground tunnels in the pyramid ... But, what they found was shocking.
“Our scans show that the pyramid is dryer on one side than in the other,” said Menchaca, “the dry part is very large, with about 10 percent of its volume exceedingly dry due to an excessive exposure to the sun’s rays.” The pyramid has actually not been expose to the sun that long... (Read more)
Banderas News
Australia: Chronic pain relief: Scientists trial non-addictive drug from snail venom
A new drug extracted from snail venom could provide a breakthrough in treating severe chronic pain without the risk of addiction and dangerous side effects, researchers have found.
The venom - considered 100 times stronger than morphine - could lead to the development of a new class of oral drugs used to relieve nerve pain associated with injury, cancer, AIDS and other diseases. ... (Read more)
The Sydney Morning Herald
Canada: ‘Friends for hire’ service rents fake buddies out to lonely folk
Have you ever been in the mood for a fun night out, only to find that all of your buds are busy? Been left in lurch by a bro who bailed on bowling night? Had an extra concert ticket to see an artist your amigos can’t stand?
Scotland, UK: Wind farms damage tourism, say climbers
The expansion of wind farms in Scotland’s mountain areas is damaging the country’s tourism sector, according to climbers and hill walkers.
More than two-thirds surveyed said parts of Scotland are now “less appealing” because of wind farms developments, according to the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS). ... (Read more)
The Scotsman
Siberia, Russia: Painter of the ‘End of the World’
Through his extraordinary photographs, Sergey Anisimov has done more than most to show real Siberia to the world. ...
His work has featured all around the globe - notably in National Geographic - and he is the organiser and president of the International Photography Contest Global Arctic Awards, which unites leading photographers of polar regions. While he has chronicled other kingdoms of cold, it is the Yamal peninsula in in Siberia, on his doorstep in Salekhard, that he is most famous for photographing. ... (Watch more)
The Siberian Times
*Image of Russian North via Shutterstock.
