Free Republic

A US court on Friday shot down orders to slap graphic anti-tobacco messages on cigarette packs, saying the government overstepped its authority by trying to "browbeat" smokers into quitting. In line with campaigns in several other nations, the United States planned from September 22 to require images on cigarette packs including a man smoking through a hole in his throat and a body with chest staples on an autopsy table. In a 2-1 decision, the US Court of Appeals in Washington said that the images planned on cigarette packs were not necessarily false but they went beyond "pure attempts to...

5000-year-old anthropomorphic figures found in Huaura, Lima 5000-year-old anthropomorphic figures found in Huaura, Lima Lima, Jun. 08 (ANDINA).- In the last days, a team of archaeologists headed by Ruth Shady has discovered a number of anthropomorphic figures believed to be some five thousand years old near the district of Vegueta in the province of Huaura on the coast north of Lima. These relics have been unearthed in the archeological site of Vichama, or "hidden city", a place that belongs to the same civilization of Caral and which is located 159 kilometers north of Lima. Caral is considered the oldest city...

When sagebrush is damaged by insects, it broadcasts the predator's presence by releasing odors into the air. Other sagebrush pick up on the smells from their wounded brethren and get their defenses going. Turns out wild tobacco plants eavesdrop on these signals. The tobacco uses the knowledge to fortify its own defenses. Then it waits to deploy the arsenal if and only if the insect attacks. By holding off on deployment, the tobacco retains vital energy for other important tasks. The proteins and chemicals used for defense contain nitrogen and carbon, which also are needed to produce seeds. It's a...