Pre-Historic Turtles had only Partial Shell

The mystery of the turtle shell evolution may be revealed with the discovery of the world's oldest turtle fossil, a 220 Million year old creature with only a partial shell.

The mystery of the turtle shell evolution may be revealed with the discovery of the world's oldest turtle fossil, a 220 Million year old creature with only a partial shell. The turtle fossil, found near Guangling in south-west China, is thought to be the ancestor of all modern turtles, although it differs markedly; it has teeth rather than a bony plate, the shell only covers its underside and it has a long tail. The fossil find helps to answer the key questions about the evolution of turtles.

The existing theories propose that the shell developed from plates on the skin, and was similar to the body armour found on ankylosaurs and some other dinosaurs. While another said that the shell was an extension of the backbone and ribs. The bone theory was supported by embryonic evidence; as turtles mature in the egg, their backbone expands outward and ribs broaden to meet and form a shell.

However, the latest research of the newly discovered fossil clinches in favour of the bone theory. Dr Olivier Rieppel, a researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago said that the animal's ribs are broad, but have not fused. A partial shell extends from its backbone. The bottom part of the shell is complete, but the top part isn't. Supporting the view, Dr. Wu and his colleagues, including Chinese researchers Chun Li, Li-Ting Wang and Li-Jun Zhao said this makes sense because it lived in the water, and predators would have probably attacked it from below. Hence, the discovery suggests that turtles may have first evolved in the water, rather than on land.

Dr Robert Reisz, a paleontologist at the University of Toronto said the fossil is a "really great discovery," and an important chapter in turtle history. The Paper on the find showing convincing evidence of how the protective covering evolved was published in the British journal, Nature.

Source: NGC

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Motorola Saved my life says a Louisiana resident

Motorola RAZR phones are thin, compact, and abounding of features. Now Motorola can accomplish addition affirmation to their accepted cell, it is bulletproof!

Or, at the actual least, ammo resistant. Apparently, Motorola subscriber and Louisiana citizen R.J. Richards was mowing his backyard and acquainted an odd sensation, and anticipation he was hit with a tiny rock. This consistently seems to appear to me if I mow my lawn. Mowers tend to draft pieces of bits and hit my legs all the time.

Richards again took out his RAZR phone, alone to accept it abatement afar in his hands. He anon apparent that it had been hit by a .45 ability bullet. Don’t worry, cipher approved to assassinate this man, but allegedly there was a “hunting accident”. Dick Cheney accept to accept been visiting Louisiana that day.

R.J. Richards attributes the cellular buzz bullet-block to all-powerful intervention. In all honesty, I’m not assertive what abroad to aspect this to. If you attending at the allowance of the cellular phone, additional the hunting accident, it does assume a little adjoin the odds.

This is bold the adventure is true, of course. I heard a agnate adventure about how an iPod blocked the aisle of a ammo a few years ago. Allegedly it adored the activity of a U.S. soldier based in Iraq.

So, what is the next adaptable accessory that will block a bullet? Better yet, can we get adaptable accessories to be so boxy that they could yield a bullet? Go advanced and bell in on this one with a comment.
Source: Gearlog

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Eco friendly Sprig Kinetic Toys

It gets rather harder these canicule aggravating to accumulate the apple blooming - don’t even attending at your barn for an archetype with a ample gas acquisitive SUV anchored inside, just yield a ankle in your kid-filled home and you’ll apperceive what I’m talking about. Toys, toys and added toys ample up the active room, and a lot of of them are fabricated out of artificial that will still be about a thousand years afterwards you and I accept alternate to our blessed hunting grounds. Yes, the affliction of artificial toys looks set to stay, but would you accede accepting environmentally-friendly toys if there were any in the market? I see a nod there, yes two added easily aloft up in the aback - good, I accept the abstracts now to allotment about the new Sprig Active Toys.

Made from a new ultra abiding bio-material alleged Sprigwood, these toys are absolutely recyclable already they accept accomplished the end of their accustomed lifespan, even the elastic are not spared. In accession to not communicable the ambiance already they’re torn or your kids accept outgrown it, this is one blooming section of carriage back it is kid-powered as well. Despite getting able to ablaze up and play sound, you can blow simple alive that there isn’t any charge to acquirement batteries to accumulate the Sprig Active Toys powered, back they await on able active advance and pump energy. for accouchement these canicule back they’re commonly hyperactive due to the sugar-rich foods in their diet, and there is no bigger way to bake off all those balance activity than powering their own toys.

You will be able to accept from a ambit of toys, including the athletic cavernous Discover Rig (£39.95). Getting push-powered, it is accompanied by its actual own Adventure Guide accepted as Captain Faraday - a chic little bung ‘n’ play appearance pre-loaded with tales of his Secret Safari. Pushing the car about will accumulate abundant activity to accompany Captain Faraday to life, as he starts to absorb the addition with stories, absorbing them by singing songs and pointing the way with his aglow hardhat. Other cars cover the Rally Racer and Baja Scout (£19.95 each), all accompanied by their own Adventure Guide.

Source: Firebox

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keychain with built-in universal remote

Keychains rarely have useful, much less multiple useful functions. However, this little guy may be small but he is packed full of all kinds of useful items. First of all is the universal tv remote, which makes it so that you can turn the volume up or down as well as change channels and shut the tv off entirely. Yes, it has its devious benefits of screwing with a friends TV. Yet it also could be used as a back up when you manage to lose the remote. Which we all have from time to time, I’ve even managed to find mine in the kitchen and on one occasion set down in the fridge. So needless to say a universal remote keychain would come in handy.

Beyond that it also has the obligatory flashlight, which of course comes in just about every keychain that is trying to pass itself off as useful. The final extra that comes built into this flashlight is a bottle opener. Which makes it easier to go to a friend’s party, drink yourself silly and drive them insane by making them watch the most tedious things on tv or just turning the volume down just low enough to annoy them. You can pick this keychain up for $5.99 on Sourcing Map.

Source: TeeChee

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Michael Jackson has converted to Islam

Pop singer Michael Jackson has converted to Islam and changed his name to Mikaeel.

The 50-year-old star, pledged his allegiance to the Koran in a ceremony at a friend's mansion in Los Angeles, the Sun reported.

Jackson sat on the floor wearing a tiny hat after an Imam was summoned to officiate -- days before the singer is due to appear at London's High Court where he is being sued by an Arab Sheik, the paper said.

The star decided to adopt the new religion while he was recording a song at the home of his friend where a Jehovah's witness was brought up to help him through the ceremony.

Apparently the star of hits like 'the Way You Make Me Feel-was convinced by his producer and songwriter friends David Wharnsby and Phillip Bubal.

"They began talking to him about their beliefs, and how they thought they had become better people after they converted. Michael soon began warming to the idea.

"An Imam was summoned from the mosque and Michael went through the shahada, which is the Muslim declaration of belief," the source revealed.

Mikaeel is the name of one of Allah's angels.

"Jacko rejected an alternative name, Mustafa meaning "the chosen one", the source added.

The singer, who rarely ventures out without a mask, is due to give evidence on Monday in a 4.7 million pound lawsuit brought by Prince Abdulla Al-Khalif of Bahrain for defaulting on an exclusive recording contract.

Source: ptinews.com

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Gremlins are alive

Everyone should know about Gremlins. They are those little furry creatures that if you get them wet, they multiply and if you feed them after midnight, they turn pretty evil.

Well I cannot say for sure that the food and water part are real, but apparently a Gremlin, mouse-sized primate called a Pygmy Tarsier, has been found alive for the first time in 85 years.

Hiding in the mountaintops of a cloud forest in Indonesia, these little Gremlins weigh about 2 ounces, have large eyes, claws instead of fingernails, and are covered in fur to keep warm in the damn and cool environment.

Last seen in 1921, the Gremlins were thought to be extinct until this recent discovery.

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A gift for your kids this Christmas

Trossen Robotics will be making available its new MechRC Humanoid Robot to the masses in the US, and parents can breath easy since this Christmas present won’t break the $1,000 barrier in terms of pricing. That doesn’t mean it is affordable for everyone though, since it is still pretty pricey at $599.99 - definitely not an impulse purchase considering how everyone else is tightening their wallets to weather the current global economic meltdown.

High torque metal gear servos, LiPo batteries for longer run times, a fluid 3D visual software programming interface for easy custom motions, and a remote control unit are included. Everything you need to have you own walking robot is included in this ready-to-walk kit! With over a hundred pre-installed motions and sounds you can get this robot throwing some dance floor shapes or some killer fighting moves straight from the box.

Kids will definitely love this, but it remains to be seen whether this $599.99 device is able to offer as engaging an experience compared to a cheaper games console.


Source: Trossen Robotics

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Get Cash in a futuristic style

At the iEXPO 2008 trade show in Japan, a new robot was unveiled. Actually, this really isn’t really a robot, because it is really only designed to stay in one place and do only one job.

The FeLiCa is a robot designed by NEC to be a payment terminal. Think of it as an ATM for virtual cash. The arm is equipped with a reader to check your bank account for a cellular phone. The screen on its chest is a full touchscreen that allows you to chose the e-money application that you need.

FeLiCa is also equipped with face recognition technology, and if I were NEC, I would put that right in the face of the android.

This is normally the part where I say that the FeLiCa is still concept technology and is not available at this present time. However, NEC has said just the opposite, and FeLiCa is actually available now. I don’t have any word on how to order one, or the price.

Still, I can’t help but wonder what the future will bring FeLiCa. They should really make them walk and talk, and be available at places where you really need cash. Then again, I can see muggers bashing these things just so they can get the real green inside. Maybe they can equip FeLiCa robots with guns.

Okay, my imagination is escalating again. However, if you want to give it a try, leave a comment on the future of FeLiCa.

Source

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Space Invaders Alarm Clock - Geekastic

Being woken up by an alien invasion force doesn't sound like much fun, does it? But when the invasion force in question is a bunch of original Space Invaders, it's positively geektastic!

Those who grew up in smoke-filled, dank arcades will definitely remember the challenge of Space Invaders as you attempt to save the earth from a horde of ever advancing aliens who are absolutely ruthless, stopping at nothing until our home is reduced to mere rubble and ash. Of course, the addictive musical ditty that speeds up as they approach nearer to the earth’s surface makes it all the more exciting, and will probably remain fresh in the minds of many for years to come.

Firebox has a brand new retro alarm clock known as the Space Invaders Alarm Clock. This officially licensed piece of merchandise will light up in a bunch of zany colors when it is time to wake up, and you’ll be greeted by a cacophony of familiar sound effects. Choose from black and white colors for £24.95 a pop.

Source: Firebox

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EA Wants People to be fit

Following in the footsteps of Nintendo's popular "Wii Fit," the video game publisher known for the "Madden" football games is jumping into fitness software targeted mostly at women.

Electronic Arts Inc. was set to announce Thursday a new line, EA Sports Active, that runs on the Nintendo Wii console and aims to complement, not compete with, Nintendo's "Wii Fit" exercise title.

Peter Moore, president of EA Sports, called the Active brand, whose first title, "Kickstart Fitness," launches next March, a "somewhat radical departure from the normal game experiences we provide customers."

EA's sports audience has been mostly young men, who have flocked to football, soccer, basketball and hockey titles to make the company the world's dominant player in sports video games.

But to stay competitive with rivals such as Activision Blizzard Inc., whose success with games like "World of Warcraft" and "Rock Band" seems to be weathering the recession, EA needs to continue to expand its audience.

The company's new brand seeks to take advantage of the popularity of the Nintendo console and of exercise games. While the "Wii Fit" is already enormously popular, Moore, a former physical-education teacher, said EA's sports software will run people through an exercise routine with a more Western approach than the Japanese company's product.

"Wii Fit" includes activities like running, skiing as well as yoga, and it emphasizes balance as well as fitness. EA's products will include exercises like running and lunges, as well as simulations of sports such as tennis.

The games use straps to attach the Wii's controller and "nunchuk" attachment to a player's body, so the fitness routines can be performed without holding the controls. EA also plans to include peripherals such as resistance bands. Titles in the line will cost about $60, the same as a regular video game.

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Eating fish Reduces diabetic kidney disease

Eating fish twice a week may reduce the risk of kidney disease in diabetics.



A British research institute found that eating fish twice a week will actually reduce the diabetic kidney disease. This was studied from 22,000 adults and of which 517 are diabetic. Eating fish twice a week reduces the protein in the urine which is the early stage to the kidney disease.

The "unique nutrient composition of fish" may benefit kidney function by enhancing blood glucose control and improving plasma lipid profiles. In addition to eating fish, people can reduce the risk of albuminuria -- protein in the urine -- by controlling glucose, lowering blood pressure, smoking cessation and following a diabetic diet as prescribed by a doctor.

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Frozen Mouse cloned - Whats Next ?

Japanese Scientists have successfully cloned a mouse which has be frozen for 16 years. taking a step in the long impossible dream of bringing back extinct animals such as mammoths.

Scientists at the government-backed research institute Riken used the dead cell of a mouse that had been preserved at minus minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit -- a temperature similar to frozen ground.

The scientists hope that the first-of-a-kind research will pave the way to restore extinct animals such as the mammoth.

The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States.

Source: ABCnews

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