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Birds can 'see' the Earth's magnetic field 18:00 30 April 2008 NewScientist.com news service Catherine Brahic It has been debated for nearly four decades but no one has yet been able to prove it is chemically possible. Now good evidence suggests that birds can actually "see" the lines of the Earth's magnetic field. Klaus Schulten of the University of Illinois, proposed forty years ago that some animals – including migratory birds – must have molecules in their eyes or brains which respond to magnetism. The problem has been that no one has been able to find a chemical sensitive enough...

Does the Earth's magnetic field cause suicides? 13:39 24 April 2008 NewScientist.com news service Catherine Brahic Many animals can sense the Earth's magnetic field, so why not people, asks Oleg Shumilov of the Institute of North Industrial Ecology Problems in Russia. Shumilov looked at activity in the Earth's geomagnetic field from 1948 to 1997 and found that it grouped into three seasonal peaks every year: one from March to May, another in July and the last in October. Surprisingly, he also found that the geomagnetism peaks matched up with peaks in the number of suicides in the northern Russian city...

What's Behind ‘Cloverfield' Illness? Wave of Nausea Hits Moviegoers By Michael W. Smith WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD Latest MedicineNet News Jan. 22, 2008 -- Scan the news and blogs and not only do you see that Cloverfield had a record-breaking opening weekend, but there was an unforeseen side effect: nausea. And it didn't come from the popcorn, or the writing -- but the camerawork. In Cloverfield, a giant monster attacks Manhattan. The problem -- at least for those prone to motion sickness -- is that it's all filmed through a very jerky handheld camera. "I saw...

A set of simple silicon filters could dramatically improve the quality of X-ray images produced in hospitals and at airport checkpoints. The technique provides a more detailed picture of fractured bone and could help airport security scanners distinguish plastic explosives from harmless substances. X-ray images normally reveal the way different materials, including body tissue, absorb X-ray radiation. Strongly absorbing areas are white and weakly absorbing ones black. But finer details are often lost in a fog caused by areas with intermediate radiation-absorbing ability.

BAGHDAD — When one thinks of a police force, he may think of a two-man team, patrolling through a neighborhood in their white-Chevy Monte Carlo, with blue and red lights, and the word “police” written on the side. They move throughout talking with local citizens at the diner, coffee shop, or on the streets corners. No matter what community, country or religious sect, policemen are there to “protect and serve.” Take away the type of vehicle, re-write it in Arabic, from right to left, and an average policemen in Iraq is no different. One of the biggest areas of focus...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2007 – When troops stationed in the Middle East sit down to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, the turkey won’t come in a brown field rations pouch. Defense Supply Center Philadelphia's Subsistence Division is responsible for making sure each dining facility has all the food it needs to provide a traditional holiday meal like this one in 2006. Defense Department photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Thanks to the efforts of the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia’s efforts, troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Dubai and Djibouti will enjoy a traditional holiday meal. “Historically, Thanksgiving dinner is one...

Birds Can "See" Earth's Magnetic Field John Roach for National Geographic News September 27, 2007 To find north, humans look to a compass. But birds may just need to open their eyes, a new study says. Scientists already suspected birds' eyes contain molecules that are thought to sense Earth's magnetic field. In a new study, German researchers found that these molecules are linked to an area of the brain known to process visual information. In that sense, "birds may see the magnetic field," said study lead author Dominik Heyers, a biologist at the University of Oldenburg. Magnetic Orientation Human-made compasses...

YPRES, Belgium - The summer plowing season in Flanders Fields is a good time for Ivan Sinnaeve. Known as "Shrapnel Charlie," he keeps alive memories of one of history's bloodiest battles by melting down the World War I shells harvested by farmers and transforming them into toy soldiers which he calls "soldiers of peace." The 54-year-old Belgian history buff has a huge following among war pilgrims visiting Flanders Fields, the battleground of 1914-1918. Sinnaeve, a retired carpenter, is busier than usual this year, the 90th anniversary of the phase of fighting called the Battle of Passchendaele which saw some of...

500-year-old bronze disc is found in fieldJul 3 2007 By Mark Davison A HORSE harness decoration thought to have belonged to a lord of the manor at Bletchingley more than 500 years ago has been unearthed in a field. Chris Andre, a member of the Reigate-based Weald and Downland Metal Detecting Club, handed the artefact to an archaeological expert for identification. David Williams, Surrey County Council's finds liaison officer, has revealed that the small circular bronze disc may have been a personal belonging of Henry Stafford, who held the manor of Bletchingley in the late 15th century, or one of...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - X-ray images taken from a new international spacecraft show that the Sun's magnetic field is much more turbulent than scientists knew, NASA reported on Wednesday. They saw twisting plumes of gas rising from the Sun's corona and reacting with the star's magnetic field, a process that releases energy and may power solar storms and coronal mass ejections, which in turn affect the Earth. A turbulent magnetic field would, in theory, generate more energy than a steady-state field. "Theorists suggested that twisted, tangled magnetic fields might exist," Leon Golub, senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said...

The following are breakdowns of the current and potential candidates for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations in 2008. The lists for each party are divided into the following categories: officially announced candidates, possible candidates who have formed “exploratory” campaign committees, political figures frequently mentioned as likely or possible candidates, and potential candidates who have officially announced that they will not run for president. The lists will be updated promptly as developments warrant. Read the latest 2008 Presidential Developments Democrats Officially announced (date of announcement) • Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) ( Feb. 10, 2007) • Delaware...

TOPEKA, Kan. - Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record), R-Kan., began a long-shot bid for president on Saturday, hoping his reputation as a favorite son of the religious right can help him outdistance better known rivals. "My family and I are taking the first steps on the yellow brick road to the White House," Brownback said, returning to his home state to declare his intention to seek his party's nomination in 2008. The two-term senator said he will fight to renew the nation's cultural values and pledged to focus on rebuilding families. "Search the record of history. To walk...

Mugabe moves to seize British diamond field By Peta Thornycroft in Marange Last Updated: 2:10am GMT 08/12/2006 A British-listed mining company, the first to invest in bankrupt Zimbabwe since the political crisis began, was ordered off its valuable diamond claim yesterday. Dirk Benade: watched diggers While President Robert Mugabe has seized thousands of white-owned farms since 2000 he has, up until now, left mining property alone. The claim, an extraordinary chunk of ancient tribal land in south eastern Zimbabwe, may be one of the richest diamond fields found in recent years. And the Zimbabwe government wants it. African Consolidated Resources...

Senior Israel Defense Forces officers expressed dissatisfaction yesterday with the announcement by Chief of Staff Dan Halutz that he had recently instructed the Field Security Directorate at the General Staff to keep track of their telephone conversations. According to a report in Haaretz yesterday, Halutz instructed the Field Security Directorate to provide him with the telephone logs of the generals, their department heads and their secretaries, in order to crosscheck whether they have had contacts with journalists. [ . . . ] According to the disgruntled officers , the chief of staff's action "stinks of McCarthyism" . . .

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (June 28, 2006) -- When many people think of a field hospital, often scenes from the popular sitcom “M.A.S.H.” come to mind. For the sailors of Bravo Surgical Co., 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, a field hospital is serious business. “We are setting up an mock (Surgical/Shock Trauma Platoon) you would see set up as a quick reaction force,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael D. Whaley, the lead petty officer for Bravo Surgical Co. “This SSTP can provide everything from surgical to basic care and ancillary services such as X-ray and...

Batboys usually don't get much glory. But Nate Reese has experienced, albeit briefly, the adulation that comes with completing a great play that gets shown again and again on television, sometimes in slow motion. On Wednesday night, the crowd at the Metrodome leapt to their feet with a roar when Reese leveled a fan who had scampered in from left field, done a head-first slide into home plate and was getting up to resume a rabbit run from security guards. "Play of the game," Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Joe Nathan said. In the aftermath of the tackle, Reese sat in...

INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. (Army News Service, May 18, 2006) - Soldiers can serve on the battlefield with confidence knowing the world’s best medics are there to help if they become injured. The best of the best of these Soldiers wear a badge that identifies them as the cream of the Army's medical crop - the Expert Field Medical Badge. Only 18 of 250 candidates earned the badge at the Army’s largest EFMB testing session, which took place May 12 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. The low number might seem alarming, but it is a testament to the badge's demanding criteria....

U.S. Marines assigned to the 4th Provisional Security Company, stationed with Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa in Djibouti, work together to clean and rebuild a soccer field outside Camp Lemonier. Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa photo U.S. Marines Help Rebuild Djiboutian Soccer Field The project, which involved removing trash, smoothing and marking the field and adding nets to goal posts, was time well spent, according to the Marines. By U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Omar Villarreal Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti, May 18, 2006 — Fifty U.S. Marines with the 4th Provisional...

3/28/2006 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- "I wanna be on something that shoots," said retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey. That's exactly what the host of the History Channel's "'Mail Call" got when he and his crew spent two days at Hurlburt Field filming for an upcoming show. Best known for movie roles such as the hard-as-nails basic training drill instructor in "Full Metal Jacket," "Gunny" Ermey attracted a crowd wherever he and the film crew went. The Airmen of the 16th Special Operations Squadron got a kick out of having a bona fide movie star...

  U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aurelia Garza Senior Airman Patricia Maghanoy Sisters Share Career Field, Squadron, Flight By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., March 9, 2006 — Twins obviously have a lot in common, but for Senior Airmen Patricia Maghanoy and Aurelia Garza, twins, the similarities don't end there. These 20th Component Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion journeymen also share the same career field, squadron and flight. Born Jan. 30, 1984, in Yakima, Wash., the twins began their Air Force career together Jan. 18, 2002. "They didn't know (we were...