Thursday, June 27, 2013

Turkish terrorist suspect arrested in Vienna

VIENNA (AP) ? Austrian and German authorities say a suspected member of a Turkish terrorist group has been detained in Vienna.

The German general prosecutor's office says the 39-year old suspect is strongly suspected of membership in the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front.

The unnamed suspect was arrested Wednesday and is awaiting extradition to Germany. Authorities say he is a suspected fund raiser for the left-leaning organization.

The group has its origins in the late 1970s and has claimed responsibility for numerous assassinations and suicide bombings. Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider it a terrorist organization.

Turkish police identified a man who blew himself up at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara earlier this year as a group member. A Turkish security guard was killed and several other people were wounded.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-terrorist-suspect-arrested-vienna-154526557.html

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US teen Keys beats No. 30 Barthel at Wimbledon

Madison Keys of the United States returns to Mona Barthel of Germany during their Women's second round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday, June 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Madison Keys of the United States returns to Mona Barthel of Germany during their Women's second round singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday, June 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

(AP) ? American teenager Madison Keys reached the third round in her Wimbledon debut by beating 30th-seeded Mona Barthel of Germany 6-4, 6-2 Thursday.

Keys, an 18-year-old who was born in Rock Island, Ill., saved the only break point she faced while converting 3 of 10 on Barthel's serve.

The 52nd-ranked Keys also defeated Barthel on grass in a tuneup tournament at Birmingham, England, two weeks ago.

It's the second time in the past three Grand Slam tournaments that Keys has made it to the third round. She lost at that stage at the Australian Open in January.

Bidding to reach the round of 16 for the first time at a major championship, Keys will face either 2012 Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska, who is seeded fourth, or Mathilde Johansson.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-06-27-Wimbledon-Keys/id-3a71d5db820d42799e1995162bd79c5b

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U.S. boss held hostage now free

BEIJING (AP) ? An American boss detained nearly a week by his company's Chinese workers left the Beijing factory Thursday after he and a labor representative said the two sides had reached agreement in a pay dispute.

Chip Starnes, who said he was "saddened" by the experience, told The Associated Press a deal was reached overnight to pay the scores of workers who had demanded severance packages similar to ones given to laid-off co-workers in a phased-out division, even though the company said the remaining workers weren't being laid off.

The workers at the medical supply plant in Huairou district, on the outskirts of Beijing, said that the company owed them unpaid salary, that they believed the entire factory was shutting down and that they saw equipment being packed and itemized for shipping to India.

Starnes said the workers' demands were unjustified. Neither he nor district labor official Chu Lixiang gave details of the agreed compensation. Chu said all the workers would be terminated, although Starnes said some would be rehired later.

"It has been resolved to each side's satisfaction," Chu told reporters at the plant. She said they had been sorting out paperwork until 5 a.m. and that 97 workers had signed settlement agreements.

Starnes, a co-owner of Florida-based Specialty Medical Supplies, had quietly departed the factory grounds by the time Chu spoke, returning to his hotel in Beijing.

"Yes!! Out and back at hotel," Starnes wrote in a text message. "Showered.. 9 pounds lost during the ordeal!!!!!!"

Police in Huairou district had made no moves to halt the labor action but guarded the plant and said they were guaranteeing Starnes' safety while local labor officials brokered negotiations.

It is not rare in China for managers to be held by workers demanding back pay or other benefits, often from their Chinese owners. Police are reluctant to intervene, as they consider it a business dispute, and local officials typically are eager to see the matter resolved in a way least likely to fuel unrest.

The labor action reflected growing uneasiness among workers about their jobs amid China's slowing economic growth and the sense that growing labor costs make the country less attractive for some foreign-owned factories.

About 80 workers started blocking all exits starting last Friday, and Starnes had spoken to reporters in recent days through the barred window of his factory office.

Earlier Thursday, he said in a telephone interview that he had been forced to give in to what he considered unjustified demands. He summed up the past several days as "humiliating, embarrassing." At the beginning of his captivity, workers had deprived him of sleep by shining bright lights and banging on windows of his office, he said.

"We have transferred our funds from the U.S.," he said. "I am basically free to go when the funds hit the account here of the company."

Starnes told the AP he planned to get back to business, and even rehire some of the workers who had been holding him.

He previously said the company had been winding down its plastics division, with plans to move it to Mumbai. When he arrived in Beijing last week to lay off the last 30 people, workers in other divisions started demanding similar severance packages.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-boss-held-china-leaves-plant-payout-044656354.html

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Cats and Bird Populations | Adventure Sports Journal

While habitat loss as a result of human encroachment is a primary threat to birds and wildlife of all kinds, outdoor cats, counting both pets and feral animals, no doubt exacerbate the problem by killing up to 3.7 billion birds each year -- along with up to 20 billion other small mammals. Photo: iStockPhoto

While habitat loss as a result of human encroachment is a primary threat to birds and wildlife of all kinds, outdoor cats, counting both pets and feral animals, no doubt exacerbate the problem by killing up to 3.7 billion birds each year ? along with up to 20 billion other small mammals. Photo: iStockPhoto

I understand that pet cats prey on lots of birds and other ?neighborhood? wildlife, but isn?t it cruel to force felines to live indoors only? And isn?t human encroachment the real issue for bird populations, not a few opportunistic cats?
? Jason Braunstein, Laos, NM

While it is true that habitat loss as a result of human encroachment is a primary threat to birds and wildlife of all kinds, outdoor cats are no doubt exacerbating the loss of biodiversity as their numbers swell and they carry on their instinctual business of hunting.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute?s Peter Marra estimates that outdoor cats in the United States, counting both pets and feral animals, kill up to 3.7 billion birds each year?along with up to 20 billion other small mammals. Researchers estimate that roughly 114 million cats live in the contiguous U.S., 84 million of them pets and the rest feral?and that as many as 70 percent of pet cats spend some time roaming outside and hunting.

?Cats are a nonnative species,? reminds Marra, adding that they often target native species and can transform places that would normally harbor many young birds into ?sinks that drain birds from neighboring populations.? As a result of this ongoing predation, many environmentalists and animal lovers think cats should stay inside. ?The big message is responsible pet ownership,? Marra says. He acknowledges that feral cats may be the bigger problem, but pet cats still catch as many as two billion wild animals a year.

The non-profit American Humane Association reports that there are several ways to keep indoor cats happy even though they are restricted from chasing and hunting wildlife. Getting Fluffy a companion (another cat or even a dog) is a good way to provide an outlet for play. Likewise, interactive toys, scratching posts, cat perches and other amenities?check with any well-stocked local pet store?can make the indoor environment a stimulating yet safe one for housebound cats and should serve to prevent stir-crazy behavior.

Meanwhile, another non-profit, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), adds another reason why cat owners might want to think about restricting their pet?s territory to inside: Research shows that indoor cats live significantly longer lives than their free-roaming counterparts. ?Life for outdoor cats is risky,? reports the group. ?They can get hit by cars; attacked by dogs, other cats, coyotes or wildlife; contract fatal diseases, such as rabies, feline distemper, or feline immunodeficiency virus; get lost, stolen, or poisoned; or suffer during severe weather conditions.?

But the fact that feral cat populations have gotten so large in recent years makes the problem that much more vexing. Researchers concede that efforts to catch and either neuter or euthanize feral cats have proven ineffective given their booming populations, leaving cat owners wondering whether jeopardizing Fluffy?s mental health for the sake of saving a few birds is really even worthwhile.

CONTACTS: Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/; American Humane Association, www.americanhumane.org; American Bird Conservancy, www.abcbirds.org.

EarthTalk? is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E ? The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

Source: http://adventuresportsjournal.com/blogs/earth-talk/cats-bird-populations

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Bad weather hampering Indian flood rescue efforts

GAUCHAR, India (AP) ? Bad weather hampered efforts Sunday to evacuate thousands of people stranded in the northern India state of Uttarakhand, where at least 1,000 people have died in monsoon flooding and landslides, army officials said.

The army resumed helicopter flights to rescue stranded people late Sunday after rain stopped and dense fog lifted in the Himalayan region, Brig. Uma Maheshwar said.

Thousands of people were still stranded in high mountain passes in the temple town of Badrinath and rescue efforts were concentrated on getting them to safety.

Troops built makeshift bridges at several places, Maheshwar said.

Despite poor visibility, more than 2,000 people were transported by helicopter to relief camps in the state capital, Dehradun, said Priya Joshi, an air force spokeswoman.

India's national disaster response force used drone aircraft to locate survivors in remote areas that remained inaccessible.

Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus make a pilgrimage to Uttarakhand, visiting four of Hinduism's holiest shrines in the state during the summer months. The tourists usually head down to the plains before the monsoon breaks in July. But this year, early rains caught hundreds of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and local residents.

The crisis began when torrential rains washed away homes and roads and triggered landslides that cut off communication links with large parts of the state nearly a week ago.

State Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna told reporters late Saturday that the death toll had reached 1,000. The exact number of people who have died in the heavy downpours and flooding of the Ganges River and its tributaries won't be known until rescue efforts end, he said.

About 10,000 army and paramilitary troops, members of India's disaster management agency and volunteers have taken part in six days of rescue and relief efforts. The army has rescued more than 80,000 people by road and air, said Amit Chandola, a state government spokesman.

More rain was expected in the worst-hit Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts over the next few days, said Anand Sharma of the state's meteorological office.

Sharma said the rains in Uttarakhand were the heaviest in nearly 80 years.

In the small town of Gauchar, where the army has set up a camp for those rescued from the temple town of Kedarnath, anxious pilgrims waited for word about relatives yet to be rescued by army helicopters.

"I'm waiting to hear from my daughter and her husband," sobbed Indu Bal Singh, 65, who became separated from her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren. Singh was among a group of pilgrims who were rescued first because of her age.

Singh, who has waited two days, refused to return to her home in the eastern Jharkhand state until she is reunited with her family. "I won't move from here until I hear they are safe," she said.

Across India, volunteer groups and ordinary citizens were contributing clothes, food, blankets and money for residents of Uttarakhand whose homes have been washed away by the floods.

The United States will provide $150,000 in emergency relief to families living in remote areas of the state, U.S. Ambassador Nancy J. Powell said Sunday.

"We are deeply saddened by the tremendous personal loss and the damage to houses, public buildings, temples, roads, and bridges, as well as safe drinking water sources, livestock, and agricultural land," Powell said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bad-weather-hampering-indian-flood-rescue-efforts-100657869.html

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Ohio air show resumes after stuntwoman, pilot die

CINCINNATI (AP) ? An air show in southwestern Ohio reopened with a moment of silence Sunday, a day after a pilot and wing walker died in a horrifying, fiery crash in front of thousands of spectators.

The Vectren Air Show near Dayton closed after Saturday's crash but resumed Sunday in honor of pilot Charlie Schwenker and veteran stuntwoman Jane Wicker, both of Virginia.

The two were killed when their plane crashed suddenly in front of spectators who screamed in shock as the aircraft quickly was engulfed in flames. No one else was hurt.

Video of the crash showed their plane gliding through the sky before abruptly rolled over, crashing and exploding into flames. Wicker had been sitting atop the 450 HP Stearmans.

The decision to resume the show a day after the crash was an emotional one supported by Wicker's ex-husband, said air show general manager Brenda Kerfoot.

"He said, 'This is what Jane and Charlie would have wanted,'" Kerfoot said. "'They want you to have a safe show and go out there and do what you do best.'"

Wicker, 44, of Loudon, Va., was a mother of two boys and engaged to be married, Kerfoot said. Schwenker, 64, of Oakton, Va., was married.

The cause of the crash is unclear and the conclusion of an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board likely will take months.

Debris from the crash was cleared Saturday after investigators collected what they needed.

Wicker, a seasoned wing walker, was performing Saturday at the Dayton air show for the first time.

Wicker's website says she responded to a classified ad from the Flying Circus Airshow in Bealeton, Va., in 1990, for a wing-walking position, thinking it would be fun. She was a contract employee who worked as a Federal Aviation Administration budget analyst, the FAA said.

In one post on Wicker's site, the stuntwoman explains what she loved most about her job.

"There is nothing that feels more exhilarating or freer to me than the wind and sky rushing by me as the earth rolls around my head," says the post. "I'm alive up there. To soar like a bird and touch the sky puts me in a place where I feel I totally belong. It's the only thing I've done that I've never questioned, never hesitated about and always felt was my destiny."

She also answered a question she said she got frequently: What about the risk?

"I feel safer on the wing of my airplane than I do driving to the airport," she wrote. "Why? Because I'm in control of those risks and not at the mercy of those other drivers."

A program for the air show touted Wicker as performing "heart-stopping" feats and who did moves that "no other wing walker is brave enough to try."

"Wing riding is not for this damsel; her wing walking style is the real thing," the program said. "With no safety line and no parachute, Jane amazes the crowd by climbing, walking, and hanging all over her beautiful ... aircraft.

"Spectators are sure to gasp as this daredevil demonstrates in true form the unbelievable art of wing walking," it says.

On the video of the crash, an announcer narrates as Wicker's plane glides through the air.

"Keep an eye on Jane. Keep an eye on Charlie. Watch this! Jane Wicker, sitting on top of the world," the announcer said, right before the plane makes a quick turn and nosedive.

Some spectators said they knew something was wrong because the plane was flying low and slow.

Thanh Tran, of Fairfield, said he could see a look of concern on Wicker's face just before the plane went down.

"She looked very scared," he said. "Then the airplane crashed on the ground. After that, it was terrible, man ... very terrible."

In 2011, wing walker Todd Green fell 200 feet to his death at an air show in Michigan while performing a stunt in which he grabbed the skid of a helicopter.

In 2007, veteran stunt pilot Jim LeRoy was killed at the Dayton show when his biplane slammed into the runway while performing loop-to-loops and caught fire.

Organizers were presenting a trimmed-down show and expected smaller crowds at Dayton after the Air Force Thunderbirds and other military participants pulled out this year because of federal budget cuts.

The air show, one of the country's oldest, usually draws around 70,000 people and has a $3.2 million impact on the local economy. Without military aircraft and support, the show expected attendance to be off 30 percent or more.

___

Online:

Raw video of crash: http://bit.ly/11Vf7JA

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-air-show-resumes-stuntwoman-pilot-die-131204772.html

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

'Mad Men' stars in not-so-'60s roles

TV

16 hours ago

They look sleek, sexy and dapper in their 1960s finery, but the cast of "Mad Men" isn't always so polished. In fact, sometimes when the stars who bring Don Draper, Roger Sterling and the rest of the characters to life aren't playing the roles they're most famous for, they're barely recognizable.

Before you say "so long" to the Sterling Cooper & Partners gang for the season on Sunday night, take a look at our roundup of some of the (not-so-) familiar faces.

Image: Jon Hamm as Don Draper on "Mad Men" and Abner on "30 Rock."

AMC / NBC

Jon Hamm as Don Draper on "Mad Men" and Abner on "30 Rock."

Don Draper's made some serious mistakes on "Mad Men" this season, but thankfully, the look on the right isn't one of them. No, that's just John Hamm spoofing old-timey, distasteful comedies in an "Alfie and Abner" skit from a live episode of "30 Rock."

Image: John Slattery as Roger Sterling on "Mad Men" and Dr. Norman on "Arrested Development."

AMC / Netflix

John Slattery as Roger Sterling on "Mad Men" and Dr. Norman on "Arrested Development."

If it looks like Roger Sterling has seen better days in the second shot, that's because the actor who plays him, John Slattery, took on the part of a washed up, dirty doctor in the recent return of "Arrested Development."

Image: Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on "Mad Men" and Cynthia Parks on "Picket Fences."

AMC / CBS

Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on "Mad Men" and Cynthia Parks on "Picket Fences."

Peggy Olson's grown into quite the copywriter at Sterling Cooper & Partners, but way before that, actress Elisabeth Moss hit the small screen when she was still small. She made her first appearance in the quirky dramedy "Picket Fences" in 1992.

Image: Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell on "Mad Men" and Connor on "Angel."

AMC / 20th Century Television

Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell on "Mad Men" and Connor on "Angel."

Even Pete Campbell -- or rather Vincent Kartheiser -- had a fresh-faced look on TV back in the day. Long before joining "Mad Men," Kartheiser played Connor, the non-vamp son of the fang-bearing lead, on "Angel."

Image: Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris on "Mad Men" and Saffron on "Firefly."

AMC / FOX

Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris on "Mad Men" and Saffron on "Firefly."

If you're a fan of Joan Harris' just-so hair, tailored dresses and crimson lipstick, then Christina Hendricks' turn on "Firefly" might not interest you. But if you want to see Hendricks' range (and don't mind seeing her in far fewer clothes), then be sure to catch both of her decade-old episodes.

Image: Jessica Pare as Megan Draper on "Mad Men" and Jennifer on "Suck."

AMC / Capri Films

Jessica Pare as Megan Draper on "Mad Men" and Jennifer on "Suck."

Yikes! Megan Draper goes from Don's secretary to wife on "Mad Men," but actress Jessica Pare went from alive to undead in the movie "Suck."

Image: Alison Brie as Trudy Campbell on "Mad Men" and Annie Edison on "Community."

AMC / NBC

Alison Brie as Trudy Campbell on "Mad Men" and Annie Edison on "Community."

When actress Alison Brie isn't playing the part of Pete's long-suffering wife, Trudy Campbell, she's laughing it up as the brainy and beautiful Annie on the sitcom "Community."

Image: Jared Harris as Lane Pryce on "Mad Men" and Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."

AMC / Warner Bros. Pictures

Jared Harris as Lane Pryce on "Mad Men" and Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."

Rest in peace, Lane Pryce. Fans of the fallen character can see actor Jared Harris back in action in the 2011 film "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," playing the ultimate match for the sleuth -- the devious Professor Moriarty.

The season six finale of "Mad Men" airs Sunday at 10 p.m. on AMC.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/mad-men-stars-not-so-60s-roles-6C10411625

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Dot Earth Blog: Obama Previews an Upcoming Global Warming Speech

[unable to retrieve full-text content]President Obama plans to deliver a big global warming speech on Tuesday. Will action follow?
    


Source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/22/obama-previews-an-upcoming-global-warming-speech/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Oddest couple share 250 million year old burrow

June 22, 2013 ? Scientists from South Africa, Australia and France have discovered a world first association while scanning a 250 million year old fossilised burrow from the Karoo Basin of South Africa.

The burrow revealed two unrelated vertebrate animals nestled together and fossilised after being trapped by a flash flood event. Facing harsh climatic conditions subsequent to the Permo-Triassic (P-T) mass extinction, the amphibian Broomistega and the mammal forerunner Thrinaxodon cohabited in a burrow.

Scanning shows that the amphibian, which was suffering from broken ribs, crawled into a sleeping mammal's shelter for protection. This research suggests that short periods of dormancy, called aestivation, in addition to burrowing behaviour, may have been a crucial adaptation that allowed mammal ancestors to survive the P-T extinction.

The international team of scientists was led by Dr Vincent Fernandez from Wits University, South Africa and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. The other authors from Wits University include Prof. Bruce Rubidge (Director of the newly formed Palaeosciences Centre of Excellence at Wits), Dr Fernando Abdala and Dr Kristian Carlson. Other authors include Dr Della Collins Cook (Indiana University); Dr Adam Yates (Museum of Central Australia) and Dr. Paul Tafforeau (ESRF).

After many impressive results obtained on fossils, synchrotron imaging has led to revived interest in the studies of the numerous fossilised burrows discovered in the Karoo Basin of South Africa and dated to 250 million years ago. The first attempt to investigate one of these burrow-casts surprisingly revealed a world-first association of two unrelated animals.

The fossil was recovered from sedimentary rock strata in the Karoo Basin. It dates from 250 million years ago, at the beginning of the Triassic Period. At that time, the ecosystem was recovering from the Permo-Triassic mass extinction that wiped out most of life on Earth. In the Pangea Supercontinent context, what is now South Africa was an enclave in the southern half called Gondwana. It was the scene of pronounced climatic warming and increased seasonality marked by monsoonal rainfall. To survive this harsh environment, many animals, including mammal-like reptiles (mammal forerunners), developed a digging behaviour, attested by the numerous fossilised burrow casts discovered in the Karoo Basin. These casts have long been thought to enclose fossilised remains, triggering interest from palaeontologists. Early this year, an international group of scientists started to research the contents of these burrows using X-ray synchrotron computed microtomography.

Two burrow casts were selected from the collection at Wits to be scanned using the state-of-the-art facility at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Using the unique properties of the X-ray beam which enables non-destructive probing, the scan of the first burrow started to reveal the skull of a mammal-like reptile called Thrinaxodon, an animal previously reported in another burrow.

As the scan progressed, the three-dimensional reconstruction displayed results beyond expectations: the mammal-like reptile was accompanied by an amphibian Broomistega, belonging to the extinct group of Temnospondyl.

"While discovering the results we were amazed by the quality of the images," says lead author Fernandez, "but the real excitement came when we discovered a second set of teeth completely different from that of the mammal-like reptile. It was really something else."

Besides the pristine preservation of the two skeletons, the team focused on the reasons explaining such an unusual co-habitation. Fernandez explains: "Burrow-sharing by different species exists in the modern world, but it corresponds to a specific pattern. For example, a small visitor is not going to disturb the host. A large visitor can be accepted by the host if it provides some help, like predator vigilance. But neither of these patterns corresponds to what we have discovered in this fossilised burrow."

The scientists gathered all the information to try to reconstitute the events that led to this incredible fossil aggregation, testing scenarios one after another. "It's a fascinating scientific question: what caused the association of these two organisms in the burrow? One of the more obvious possibilities is a predator-prey interaction, but we inspected both skeletons looking for tooth marks or other evidence implying predation, ultimately finding no support for one having attempted to feed on the other," says Carlson.

His colleague, Cook, adds that the consecutive broken ribs resulted from a single, massive trauma. The amphibian clearly survived the injury for some time because the fractures were healing, but it was surely quite handicapped. According to Fernandez this Broomistega is the first complete skeleton of this rare species that has been discovered. "It tells us that this individual was a juvenile and mostly aquatic at that time of its life," he says.

The scientists eventually concluded that the amphibian crawled into the burrow in response to its poor physical condition but was not evicted by the mammal-like reptile.

Numerous Thrinaxodon specimens have been found in South Africa, many of them fossilised in a curled-up position. Abdala says: "I have always been fascinated by the preservation of Thrinaxodon fossils in a curled-up position that show even tiny bones of the skeleton preserved. It's as if they were peacefully resting in shelters at the time of death."

The shelters prevented disturbance of the skeletal remains from scavengers and weathering. "We also think it might reflect a state of torpor called aestivation in response to aridity and absence of food resources," Abdala says.

Piecing all the clues together, the team finally elucidated the enigmatic association, concluding that "the mammal-like reptile, Thrinaxodon, was most probably aestivating in its burrow, a key adaptation response together with a burrowing behaviour which enabled our distant ancestors to survive the most dramatic mass extinction event. This state of torpor explains why the amphibian was not chased out of the burrow," says Rubidge.

Both animals were finally entrapped in the burrow by a sudden flood and preserved together in the sediments for 250 million years.

Tafforeau says: "Thanks to the unique possibilities for high quality imaging of fossils developed during the last decade at the ESRF, these unique specimens remain untouched, protected by their mineral matrix. Who knows what kind of information we'll be able to obtain from them in the future and which would have been completely lost if the specimen had been prepared out of its burrow cast?"

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/n3CQsxObqJs/130622154602.htm

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What Piece of Technology Would You Put Inside a 100-Year Time Capsule?

What Piece of Technology Would You Put Inside a 100-Year Time Capsule?

As I've mentioned before, time capsules typically don't have the most interesting things in them. You'll usually be lucky to find a handwritten note and a couple of photos. But every once in a while, a time capsule will emerge with some cool, decade-defining technology inside.

Our technology ? as much as any handwritten letter or newspaper clipping ? helps establish who we are and what we value as a generation. Sometimes time capsules will have a telephone, a typewriter, or even an entire car from the era. You'll occasionally find movie projectors, audio cassettes, cameras, and Game Boys stuffed inside the time capsules of generations past. One time capsule in Aspen even contains an early Apple mouse, buried by Steve Jobs himself (though no one has found it yet).

If money were no object, what technology from the early 21st century would you put in a time capsule that was scheduled to be opened in the year 2113?

Image: Getty Images, JK Rowling buries a time capsule in 2011

Source: http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/what-piece-of-technology-would-you-put-inside-a-100-yea-531795849

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Southwest resumes takeoffs after computer glitch

DALLAS (AP) ? A spokesman for Southwest Airlines says planes are taking off again after a computer glitch grounded an estimated 250 flights.

Brad Hawkins tells The Associated Press that service resumed early Saturday, albeit far slower than usual because of lingering computer problems. Hawkins says some cancellations are expected due to the late hour, but he wasn't sure how many.

The system-wide computer problem affected the airline's ability to do such things as conduct check-in, print boarding passes and monitor the weight of the aircraft. Flights in the air were unaffected.

Hawkins says around 250 flights were grounded, some when they were on the taxiway preparing for takeoff. Most of the disrupted flights were out of West Coast airports.

The Dallas-based airline conducts on average 3,400 flights a day.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/southwest-resumes-takeoffs-computer-glitch-061945754.html

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