Knitters jump to it for slick penguins

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5 December 2011
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In Craft, Wildlife
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There has been an unusual response to October’s devastating oil spill in New Zealand, with many pulling out their knitting needles.

When the container ship Rena ran onto a reef in early October, spilling 350 tonnes of oil into the wildlife rich waters of the Bay of Plenty, the word went out for a dozen jumpers for little penguins.

The jumpers are often needed after oil spills to stop the birds from preening their feathers until they are properly cleaned, otherwise they ingest toxic oil which at best makes them sick and at worst kills them.

Maree Buskey, a local craft identity from a Napier yarn store organised what she thought was a small knitting circle.

Next thing you know it went quite viral and we now have 1,500 to 2,000 jerseys, she sais — via redwolf.newsvine.com

A wasp never forgets a face

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5 December 2011
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In Science, Wildlife
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Primates have a face recognition system that enables them to distinguish between individuals, and now it seems some wasps do too.

But the new study has also found wasps are likely to have evolved their ability quite separately and it may work in a different way.

Michael Sheehan, a PhD student at the University of Michigan in the USA, and his supervisor, Dr Elizabeth Tibbetts, report their discovery in the latest issue of Science — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Kawasaki Zephyr 750 / Sanctuary

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2 December 2011
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In Design
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Some 15 years ago, Kawasaki’s Zephyr range kickstarted the trend for retro naked motorcycles in Europe. The styling was loosely based on the original Z1, and although the Zephyrs were criticized for lacking the fearsome character of the Z1, they sold well. This Zephyr, however, is much closer to the spirit of the original super bike. It’s a resto-mod from Sanctuary in Japan, and as usual, the work is immaculate — via Bike EXIF

Turtle embryos can communicate across eggs

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2 December 2011
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River Murray Turtle embryos can adjust their developmental rate so that all the eggs in a clutch can hatch around the same time, a new study has found.

Young turtles face many challenges when they hatch and venture into the world. Synchronous hatching increases their survival chances, as predators are swamped by high numbers of prey. As a large group, hatchlings can also work together to dig their way out of the nest more easily.

Scientists investigated incubation and group hatching in the River Murray Turtle, which is a species restricted to the Murray-Darling River system in southeastern Australia. Although the temperature of the nest affects the developmental rate of eggs, researchers discovered another factor that influences their growth rate — embryo to embryo communication.

Turtle embryos are somehow communicating their developmental rates to each other so that they can emerge as a group, said Ricky-John Spencer, zoologist from the University of Western Sydney, and co-author of the study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society toda — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Inside the shadow world of commercialised spook spyware

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2 December 2011
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In Politics, Rights, Technology
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Western and Chinese high-tech companies are competing aggressively to sell, install and manage intrusive and dangerous internet surveillance and communications control equipment for the world’s most brutal regimes, a six-month investigation has found.

During 2011, investigators from Privacy International, a London-based NGO, infiltrated a circuit of closed international surveillance equipment marketing conferences, obtaining private briefings and technical product specifications from contract-hungry sales executives. The group will publish its data and document haul on the net today, in conjunction with other campaigners.

The scale and audacity of the proposals in many of the companies’ documents and hand-out DVDs is breathtaking. They describe and offer for unrestricted sale technologies which were in existence a decade ago, but which were held in utmost secrecy by major intelligence agencies such as the US National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain’s GCHQ — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Crack GCHQ’s code and become the next James Bond

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2 December 2011
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In Science
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GCHQ has launched a code-breaker challenge as part of its attempts to unearth fresh talent from unconventional sources.

The signals intelligence agency’s canyoucrackit challenge invites would-be codebreakers to crack a visual code at canyoucrackit.co.uk The campaign will be supported in social media channels, including blogs and forums.

GCHQ traditionally recruits graduates but it is also keen to employ talented self-taught codebreakers and those with an interest in ethical hacking too, an audience traditional recruitment schemes and advertising campaigns might miss. The agency has no interest in recruiting anyone who has even dabbled in criminal hacking — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Ducati 900SS / Baines Imola

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1 December 2011
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If you want a thoroughly modern Ducati with retro good looks, there’s an alternative to the Sport Classic range. It’s the Baines Imola, and this is the first one ever built. It’s the work of John Baines, the Silverstone-based Ducati racer and tuner. This bike is running a 1993 900 Supersport motor, and it’s also fitted with an original bevel Ducati fairing, seat and Conti-type pipes. The Baines Imola was produced for just four years, stopping when the Sport Classic hit the showrooms in 2005. Just 38 were made — via Bike EXIF

Anti-Gay Russian Lawmaker: ‘The Issue Of Same-Sex Love Is Somewhat Like The Jewish Problem’

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1 December 2011
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Elena Babich, a deputy of St Petersburg’s Legislative Assembly and a supporter of the city’s proposed anti-gay propaganda law, has suggested that rainbow flags and homosexuality will lead to national extinction. Now, the St Petersburg Times reports that Babich is linking the so-called gay problem to the Jewish problem, a term that is typically associated with Germany’s Third Reich — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Killer Mould Too Risky In US War On Drugs: Report

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1 December 2011
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In Politics, Science
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Using fungi to kill coca and other illegal drug crops would be a risky tactic, as there is not enough data about how to control these killer moulds and what effect they could have on people and the environment, according to a US study released Wednesday.

The US Congress asked scientists to look into whether some types of fungi, called mycoherbicides, could stem the flow of illicit drugs into the United States by killing the plants used to make cocaine, marijuana and opium.

But scientists from the National Research Council, one of the national academies of science that advises US policymakers, said evidence about the fungi was sketchy and incomplete — via redwolf.newsvine.com

HP LaserJet Printers Vulnerable to Attacks, Researchers Warn

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1 December 2011
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Millions of Hewlett Packard Co.’s LaserJet printers contain a security weakness that could allow attackers to take control of the systems, steal data from them and issue commands that could cause the devices to overheat and catch fire, according to two researchers from Columbia University.

Printers from other vendors likely have the same issue, leaving users of those devices exposed to similar threats, the researchers said — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Engineers pioneer use of 3D printer to create new bones

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1 December 2011
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In Health, Science, Technology
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A 3D printer is being used to create bone-like material which researchers claim can be used to repair injuries.

The engineers say the substance can be added to damaged natural bone where it acts as a scaffold for new cells to grow.

It ultimately dissolves with no apparent ill-effects, the team adds.

The researchers say doctors should be able to use the process to custom-order replacement bone tissue in a few years time

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