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Sunday, April 4, 2010

New species of gecko discovered in Cambodian mountain range

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Discovery: The Cnemaspis neangthyi gecko has been found in an unexplored part of Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains


Blending perfectly into the green of the tree underneath him, this new species of exceptionally well-camouflaged gecko has been discovered by a team of scientists in a previously unexplored part of Cambodia.

The species, named Cnemaspis neangthyi, was discovered during a reptile and amphibian survey in the rocky foothills of the Cardamom Mountains.

Its unique combination of colour pattern and scale characteristics mean it is almost undetectable when it blends in to the rock crevices and trees on which it lives.
It was found during a reptile and amphibian survey led by Dr Lee Grismer, La Sierra University and conservation charity Fauna & Flora International (FFI).

A statement from the FFI said: 'Cnemaspis geckos have a relatively ancient body plan characterised by a broad flattened head, large forward and upward directed eyes, flattened body, long widely-splayed limbs and long inflected digits that help them to climb trees and hide within crevices.'

There are now 75 species of Cnemapsis known to science, of which 30 live in Southeast Asia.


Funny Basketball Mascot Swallows Pretty Cheerleader

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This is a very funny video from America, showing a “normal” pre-match cheer-leading programme on the basketball court. The funny thing is that the team’s mascot was just bumbling around and cheering the crowd. All of a sudden, it decided to start annoying the pretty cheerleader, and lo and behold, the mascot swallowed the entire cheerleader. After the stunning act which surprised the entire crowd, the mascot round off. It is really funny and good and has apparently became viral, spawning copycat acts across the country.


'Super-Taser' shotgun bullet that can knock down criminals from 100ft assessed by Home Office


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Threatening: The electronic Taser bullet is fired from a regular shotgun and can incapacitate criminals from 100 feet

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Under consideration: Amnesty International claim 334 people in the US died between 2001 and 2008 after being targeted by the stun gun
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The bullet hooks into the target's skin before administering a 20-second shock


The bionic-arm of the law: Police unveil new metal detector glove to fight knife crime

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Halt! PC Craig Porter reveals the new palm sized metal detector which is being used for stop and search operations

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The detector, which measures 2.5in by 3in, is kept inside a leather mitt which officers wear on one of their hands

Police have unveiled their latest weapon in the fight against knife crime - a metal detecting glove which can identify blades hidden under clothing.

The £100 e-Glove fits inside the palm of the hand and silently vibrates when it passes over anything containing the tiniest trace of metal.

Officers from Leicestershire Police are the first in the UK to be given access to the gizmo full-time following successful trials at forces elsewhere in the country.

So far around 20 have been handed out to officers and there are plans to give them to every policeman in the UK within the next few years.

The detector, which measures 2.5in by 3in, is kept inside a leather mitt which officers wear on one of their hands.

Officers say the devices are speeding up the process of searching suspects in the street and helping them detect hidden weapons, drugs and needles.

Once the device is triggered the officer knows to conduct a more thorough search without alerting the suspect.


Scientists discover 'missing link between man and apes'

Scientists believe they have discovered the missing link between humans and the ape-like creatures we evolved from.

The homonid, the evolutionary branch of primates that led to humans, will be revealed when a two million-year-old skeleton of a child is unveiled this week.

The skeleton was discovered in the Sterkfontein region of South Africa - an area knows as 'the Cradle of Humanity' - by Professor Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Prof. Berger and his colleagues have remained silent about the significance of their find, but anticipation is high among the scientific community ahead of an official announcement on Thursday.

It's hoped the story of human evolution might be re-written should the discovery fill in crucial gaps in the chain of evolution.

Remnants of the species have been discovered previously, but previous finds were seldom more than a few bone fragments.

Experts who have seen the skeleton have reported that it shares features with Homo habilis, and revealed that it could shed light on when our ancestors began walking on two legs.

Prof. Phillip Tobias, a human anatomist and anthropologist who was one of the first to identify Homo habilis as a human species in 1964, has celebrated the 'wonderful' and 'exciting' discovery.

'To find a skeleton as opposed to a couple of teeth or an arm bone is a rarity,' he told The Telegraph. 'It is one thing to find a lower jaw with a couple of teeth, but it is another thing to find the jaw joined onto the skull, and those in turn uniting further down with the spinal column, pelvis and the limb bones.
It is not a single find, but several specimens representing several individuals.'

The skeltons were discovered in a limestone cave, which is believed to have shielded them from the elements and allowed them to remain intact.

They are said to link Australopithecus - from 3.9million years ago - with Homo habilis, which began appearing 2.5million years ago.


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Link: Homo habilis lived about 2.5million years ago
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Evolution: The latest discover could fill in a missing piece of the puzzle explaining how apes changed over millions of years to become humans
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Pregnant mom Family Albump: The mothers-to-be queuing up to 'do a Demi'... but would you dare to hang it in the living room?

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Meet the androids who could clinch the Robo World Cup for Scotland

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Fair play: Robots from Android FC created by the University of Edinburgh, are posed up for a photocall. Academics hope the team will reach the RoboCup finals

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The ultimate aim of RoboCup is to create a team of robotic footballers by 2050 that can beat humans

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The androids are able to move autonomously. They have been under development since last autumn

The Scottish football team may have missed out on playing in the World Cup this year, but their robotic counterparts are hoping to have better luck.

Step forward Android FC - a three-player squad created by academics at the University of Edinburgh.

The robots were put through their paces in front of the cameras today to kick off their campaign to reach the RoboCup finals in Istanbul.
The two-foot high striker, defender and goalkeeper are fully autonomous. They play the beautiful game using artificial intelligence and have sensors that detect other players and the ball.

The only human allowed on the pitch after the coin toss is the referee.

Edinburgh university's School of Infomatics hope their squad will eventually reach the humanoid finals in Turkey in 2011.

The international competition was founded in 1997. Last year it attracted 407 teams from 43 different countries.

The ultimate goal of the RoboCup project is to develop a team of humanoid robots by 2050 that can play and win against the human world champion football team.

Dr Sethu Vijayakumar who helped build the bots - said: 'RoboCup is a key challenge in robotics research.

'We first looked at the various animation techniques that have been used in the latest computer games and in films like Avatar.

'What we have to do to try to make a real robot do the same kind of things, so that it responds like a human being to sound and movement, and has a sense of balance, motion and sensitivity.'

The research team has been working on the project since autumn last year. They will show off the squad's silicon skills at the Edinburgh International Science Festival this weekend.
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Monster of the deep: Shocked oil workers catch TWO-AND-A-HALF-FOOT 'woodlouse'


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From head to toe, I'm two and a half feet long (30 inches). This giant isopod was found clinging to a submarine being used by oil contractors
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The unexpected visitor hitched a ride on a submarine sent from a rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The creature is a cousin of the humble woodlouse (above) who measures a mere 0.6 of an inch.What you lookin' at? The bathynomus giganteus, seen head on

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The creature is a cousin of the humble woodlouse (above) who measures a mere 0.6 of an inch

This deep sea creepy-crawly gave oil workers a fright, after the unexpected visitor hitched a ride on a submarine sent from a rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

The beast normally lives 8,500ft under water and this specimen is thought to be the largest giant isopod ever found at this depth.

Questions were raised over its authenticity because of the release date of pictures - April Fool's Day. However experts have been quick to verify the find.
I've seen the pictures, and they are real, and they really do get that big,’ said Craig McClain, assistant director of science for the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in North Carolina. 'It's definitely not an April Fool's joke.

'It's an isopod,' McClain explained. 'It's like the rolypolys or pillbugs that you find in your garden. It's the same group of animals.

'They're really common in the deep water in the Gulf of Mexico,' he added.

Called the Bathynomus Giganteus, it is a super-sized cousin of the humble woodlouse.

The one in this picture purports to be 2.5ft long - an astonishing figure considering the average specimen if half that length.

Its legs are arranged in seven pairs, and its front two are able to manipulate and bring food to its four sets of jaws. It is a scavenger that feeds on dead whales, fish and shrimp.
The species is abundant in the cold, deep waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is a good example of deep-sea gigantism.

Many deep-sea crustaceans and invertebrates tend to be larger than their shallow-water counterparts.

It is not yet known whether this is due to the colder temperature, higher pressure or scarcer food resources.

‘I've seen the pictures, and they are real, and they really do get that big,’ said Craig McClain, assistant director of science for the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in North Carolina. 'It's definitely not an April Fool's joke.

'It's an isopod,' McClain said. 'It's like the rolypolys or pillbugs that you find in your garden. It's the same group of animals.

'They're really common in the deep water in the Gulf of Mexico,' he added.


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Walking, talking living doll: Japanese scientists unveil female android

Japanese professor Hiroshi Ishiguro yesterday unveiled a female android that can laugh and smile as it mimics a person's expressions.

Using a motion-capture system, the robot, called Geminoid TMF, can move its rubber face to imitate a smile, a toothy grin, and a grim look with furrowed brows.

Prof Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University, developed the android with a team of researchers together with Japan's robot maker Kokoro.
Geminoid TMF was modelled on a young Japanese woman, who was present at the unveiling today.

'I felt like I had a twin sister,' the woman said afterwards.

The developers said they expected the robot to be eventually used in real-life situations, such as in hospitals.

'We've already got some data showing that the robot gave patients psychological security by nodding and smiling at them, when patients were checked on by doctors,' Satoko Inoue, spokeman for Kokoro, told Dawn.com. new technology always creates some fears and negative opinions,' but the researchers wanted to make robots that could express something similar to human emotions, said Prof Ishiguro.

Geminoid TMF is equipped with 12 actuators, powered by air pressure, and her motion can be synched to imitate that of a real human being.

Prof Ishiguro has designed several robots made to look like humans in the past - even building one in his own image.

The professor has said that one day robots could fool us into believing they are human.

'An android could get away with it for a short time, 5-10 seconds. However, if we carefully select the situation, we could extend that, to perhaps 10 minutes,' he said.





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A model pokes the face of Geminoid-F, which was designed and built by Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro.Prof Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University, developed the android with a team of researchers together with Japan's robot maker Kokoro

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Using a motion-capture system, the robot, called Geminoid TMF, can move its rubber face to imitate a smile, a toothy grin, and a grim look with furrowed brows

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Professor Ishiguro with the android he built in his own image

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