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A colossal squid has been filmed in its natural environment for the first time since the species was discovered 100 years ago. The 30cm-long (11.8in) juvenile was caught on camera at a depth of 600m (1,968ft), near the South Sandwich Islands in the south Atlantic Ocean. A team of scientists, led by a University of Essex academic, recorded the footage in March during a 35-day quest to find new marine life. Experts believe colossal squid can grow up to 7m (23ft) in length and weigh up to 500kg (1,100lb) - making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet.

First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat Image credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute Behold: a live colossal squid in all its glory. After a century of searching, the extremely elusive cephalopod has been caught on camera alive in its natural habitat for the first time (and, for once, not inside the belly of a whale or washed up dead on a beach). The juvenile squid was filmed on March 9 at a depth of 600 meters (1,968...

Something strange is happening to the oceans. As coral reefs wither and fisheries collapse, octopuses are multiplying like mad... cephalopods—squids, octopuses, cuttlefish—are booming, and scientists don’t know why. An analysis published today in Current Biology indicates that numerous species across the world’s oceans have increased in numbers since the 1950s. “The consistency was the biggest surprise,” said lead study author Zoë Doubleday of the University of Adelaide. “Cephalopods are notoriously variable, and population abundance can fluctuate wildly, both within and among species.”

Jimmy Carter Vs. Guinea Worm: Sudan Is Last BattleJimmy Carter Racing Guinea Worm To Its Death; Remote And Wild Sudan Disease's Last Stronghold Dec. 26, 2010 (AP) ABUYONG, Sudan (AP) - Lily pads and purple flowers dot one corner of the watering hole. Bright green algae covers another. Two women collect water in plastic jugs while a cattle herder bathes nearby. Samuel Makoy is not interested in the bucolic scenery, though. He has an epidemic to quash. Makoy points out to the women the fingernail-length worm-like creatures whose tails flick back and forth. Then a pond-side health lesson begins on...

Just breaking on ap...PARIS (AP) -- A French police spokeswoman says eight officers have been suspended after a young man was beaten in a Paris suburb.

It is the ethical dilemma that for decades has troubled the rich and aspiring the world over: when you place a live lobster in a pot of boiling water, does it feel pain? Norwegian scientists were asked to investigate pain, discomfort and stress in invertebrates and claim now to have discovered that the answer is no. Their conclusion applies also to crabs and to live worms on a fish hook. None of these feel a thing. Which is good news for Norwegian fishermen at least. Their government was considering a ban on live worms as fish bait under revisions to...

Dear Editor, the Tribune: OK, I have had enough. I read every day in the paper about political signs being stolen from front yards. Recently, at 10:45 p.m., a sign was stolen from my front yard. I heard the jerks pull up and stop in front of my house. A car door opened, male voices were heard, the car door closed and the car drove away. My sign is gone. I think a little Zell Miller is appropriate here. I am just one little, mild-mannered, middle-aged guy, but I don’t like my property stolen and my rights violated. Here it...

Republicans were handed the perfect opportunity to lead last week. They ran instead. Then they claimed victory. Is this a grand old party or what? Senate Democrats have spent the last four years thumbing their noses at the Constitution. Instead of offering its "advice and consent" on judicial nominees, the minority party has employed parliamentary tactics to deny floor votes and the certain will of the majority. But Senate Republicans are not without culpability. They repeatedly have shown deference to this band of political picaroons. Despite weak threats, the GOP has refused to use the simple majority it holds to...

In the ongoing battle to nominate experienced, capable, and, dare we say, diverse candidates to the judiciary that will interpret the Constitution and not attempt to re-write it, the Bush administration and Republicans in the Senate have gone only half way to completing the process. Democrats led by Charles Schumer and Ted Kennedy blocked and filibustered the nomination of Miguel Estrada (an Hispanic American) over a 22 month span, to the point where he removed himself from the nomination. Now, a similar battle is looming for the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown (an African American). President Bush should be commended...