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Probe's powerful camera spots Vikings on Mars 12:29 05 December 2006 NewScientist.com news service David Chandler The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spots Spirit's backshell and parachute (Image: NASA) After three decades lost on the Red Planet, Viking 2's backshell is spotted from space (Image: NASA) It is a feat millions of times more impressive than finding a needle in a haystack. The new Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted about a dozen spacecraft on the Martian surface and, incredibly, taken pictures of such sharpness that scientists have been able to identify individual rocks that were first photographed by the Viking landers in...

This lawnmower commercial is too funny not to share: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fBbp4-fQNls

Viking landers may have missed Martian life 22:19 23 October 2006 NewScientist.com news service Mark Buchanan and David L Chandler Viking-like studies of the sediment in Spain's Rio Tinto, which contains microbes, found no signs of life (Image: Rafael Navarro-González)The trace amount of organic matter in soil from the Atacama desert in Chile did not decompose into smaller molecules when heated to the temperatures used in Viking's GCMS experiment (Image: Rafael Navarro-González) NASA’s twin Viking spacecraft may have missed signs of life during their examination of the Martian surface 30 years ago. Researchers now say that the landers’ experiments were...

Viking ship found in Larvik Archaeologists found the remains of a ship from the Viking Age on Tuesday, in a burial mound on a farm outside the coastal city of Larvik.Knut Paasche, shown here with the famous Oseberg Viking ship, is among the archaeologists who found another Viking ship near Larvik on Tuesday. PHOTO: JAN TOMAS ESPEDAL The discovery was made during archaeological examinations of the Nordheim Farm, which is near the Hedrum Church in Larvik. The examinations were ordered in connection with the pending expansion of the cemetery around Hedrum Church, which is located a few hours' drive south...

With his vicious fangs on display and weight firmly on his back legs, this tabby looks set to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. But it is not mice, birds or any other small animals he is after. It is not even the other pet cats he has already savaged in his neighbourhood. They were deemed too 'small' a target to terrify, so he decided to turn his attention to a much larger prey - humans. The pet cat, who has been named Grumpy because of his exploits, started entering all the cat flaps on one street in the search for...

Chinese to steer Viking long ship By Christopher Hope, Industry Editor (Filed: 16/08/2006) The world-famous Rover name has been sold to the Chinese, 18 months after the Longbridge plant stopped making Rover and MG cars in the west Midlands. In March BMW chief executive Helmut Panke admitted the Rover name was up for grabs BMW, the German car maker which owns the historic brand, is understood to have agreed to sell the marque - which features the iconic Viking long ship - to Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation for more than £11m. The two companies are planning to announce the transaction...

On an idyllic beach where necklaces of white sand and coconut trees ring a half-moon bay, tourists can find prostitutes ranging from young women to even younger boys. They pay anything from $15 for a quick tryst in a beachside shack to $60 for rooms in brothels and $100 for the more upscale women who work the town's discos and dress well enough to slip into luxury hotels. "Put enough money on the table and you can get anything you want right here, right now," said Jessica, a 20-year-old "manicurist" who reels off her prices soon after introducing herself at...

WAUKEGAN — A cat saved his disabled owner's life during a fire in his home this week. John Campbell, 37, who is disabled, sleeps in a hospital bed and walks with a cane, was awakened before dawn Wednesday by his 6-year-old cat, Pepper. "He was jumping up and down on me at 4 in the morning," Campbell said. "I tossed him off three or four times. He started walking all over my face til I got up. When I did, I could smell smoke. I saw flames in the back of my house." Campbell grabbed Pepper and some clothes and...

Can genes unravel a Viking mystery?DNA tests could shed new light on remains found in longboat Scanpix / Reuters A1904 image shows the Oseberg Viking ship after its recovery in southern Norway. Scientists say DNA tests could yield new information about a queen and another woman whose remains were found in the ship. OSLO, Norway - The grave of a mysterious Viking queen may hold the key to a 1,200-year-old case of suspected ritual killing, and scientists are planning to unearth her bones to find out. She is one of two women whose fate has been a riddle ever since...

USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, At sea (NNS) -- During their current deployment with USS Theodore Roosevelt’s (CVN 71) embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, the “Scouts” of Sea Control Squadron (VS) 24 have taken the capabilities of the S-3B Viking to a new level. Since late October, in addition to performing their normal missions of conducting in-flight refueling for CVW-8 and surveillance operations for Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and maritime security operations (MSO), the Scouts have also been flying intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in support of British-led coalition...

Cool, the first OFST of the new year. My only standing resolution was to make no more resolutions and I've already broken it. *shrugs*

Devon treasure hunters strike a rich seam 12/17/2005 12:33:49 AM EST WESTERN DAILY PRESS This is the hoard of treasure dug up around Devon - and it's set to earn a windfall for the metal detector enthusiasts who found it. The Viking gold ingot, silver gilt dress hook, silver huntsman's whistle and medieval gold and sapphire ring have all been officially declared treasure and have become the property of the Crown. The finders will now be rewarded for handing over the items at 'market value', which has yet to be decided. The Viking cast gold ingot, found in Wembury, was...

Furry housepets—especially felines—have long been blamed for allergies and breathing problems in people. But now researchers at an animal hospital in Scotland say the discomfort can also work the other way around: Humans can trigger asthma attacks in cats. Cigarette smoke, human dandruff, household dust, and certain types of litter create inflammation in cats' airways and worsen asthma, the veterinarians say. Feline asthma is a common disease, with about 1 in 200 cats suffering from the condition. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Cats between the ages of one and five are most likely to develop asthma. Asian...

A suspended Minnesota Vikings player is the defendant in a civil suit filed today in Hennepin County District Court. A 21 year old Richfield woman is accusing Onterrio Smith of sexual assault in another Viking’s apartment on June 12, 2004. In an exclusive interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the woman’s attorney spoke about the case and the victim. “I think she’s a credible person. I’ve talked to her family members who saw her the night that it happened. I’ve seen the medical records. I think she’s believable,” said attorney Lori Peterson. The victim alleges that she was drinking with Smith...

A former Hollywood stunt man now living in the Netherlands launched his greatest project to date Tuesday: a 45-foot replica Viking ship made of millions of wooden ice cream sticks and more than a ton of glue. Rob McDonald named the ship the "Mjollnir" after the hammer of the mythic Norse god of thunder, Thor. After the 13 ton boat was lifted into the water by crane, "Captain Rob," as he is known, stood calmly on the stern as a team of volunteers rowed the apparently sturdy vessel ... "I have a dream to show children they can do anything,"...

Why do we sit behind our computers? Why not enroll? Who is with me? The real message we can send to the left is to enroll in the military. Who's coming with me? I am going this afternoon. Stand up for your President and this country. Stop being an armchair supporter. Lets mobilize. Who's with me?

DNA shows Celtic hero Somerled's Viking roots IAN JOHNSTON SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT A HISTORIC Celtic hero credited with driving the Vikings out of western Scotland was actually descended from a Norseman, according to research by a leading DNA expert. According to traditional genealogies, Somerled, who is said to have died in 1164 after ousting the Vikings from Argyll, Kintyre and the Western Isles, was descended from an ancient royal line going back to when the Scots were living in Ireland. But Bryan Sykes, an Oxford University professor of human genetics who set up a company called Oxford Ancestors to research people’s...

One minute you are enjoying a tender moment petting your purring cat and then, suddenly, your lovey-dovey kitty whirls around and attacks you. Cat lovers pull away wondering, "What just happened?" "Most of these problems can be linked to people who acquire kittens too young in the belief that they'll develop a closer bond with the cat," explains Carolyn Osier, a breeder of cats for more than 30 years and an all-breed judge for the Cat Fancier's Association. Having watched almost 300 litters of kittens develop, Osier notes that, just like children, certain feline social skills develop at different times....

Have you heard of Norway's Gamalost (Old Cheese)? It was originally made by the Vikings over 1000 years ago, who believed it had many medicinal properties.But we'll let Janice Nieder tell you what else she discovered:"Phewww! That stuff is nasty -- smells like my dog's bed, but my Grandpa loves it!" was a typical answer when I asked some teens in Balestand, Norway, if they ate Gamalost cheese.I had just heard about this cheese originally made by Vikings over 1000 years ago. They believed it had many medicinal properties and would nibble on it during long voyages to provide energy...

Need Vet advice on sick freeper kitty.