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Favor Assisted Suicide
Voters in Zurich, Switzerland have
rejected two measures that would
have banned assisted suicide.
One initiative to ban assisted
suicide completely was rejected
by 85% of 278,000 ballots cast
while a second initiative to ban it
for foreigners was turned down by
78%. Political and religious
conservatives had pushed the
measures.—Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (6/16/11)
Stop Execution Drug
Pentothal (sodium thiopental), the
only American-made drug used in
U.S. executions, will no longer be
produced. Manufacturer Hospira
Pharmaceuticals says it was afraid
it would be held liable if used in
Italy, where it has a plant,
because Italy bans capital
punishment. The drug is used to
put inmates to sleep before two
other drugs paralyze their hearts.
At least five states which allow
capital punishment are running
short of the drug.—livescience.
com (1/21/11)
Earth Always Had Water
Some scientists are reconsidering
the generally accepted idea that
the early earth formed as a hot
molten blob billions of years ago.
If that is true, it is difficult to
explain where water came from
under those conditions. Late last
year New Scientist published an
article titled “Earth May Have Had
Water from Day One.” Computer
studies have shown water was
present in the earth’s raw
materials.—Answers (April-June,
2011)
Voters in Zurich, Switzerland have
rejected two measures that would
have banned assisted suicide.
One initiative to ban assisted
suicide completely was rejected
by 85% of 278,000 ballots cast
while a second initiative to ban it
for foreigners was turned down by
78%. Political and religious
conservatives had pushed the
measures.—Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (6/16/11)
Stop Execution Drug
Pentothal (sodium thiopental), the
only American-made drug used in
U.S. executions, will no longer be
produced. Manufacturer Hospira
Pharmaceuticals says it was afraid
it would be held liable if used in
Italy, where it has a plant,
because Italy bans capital
punishment. The drug is used to
put inmates to sleep before two
other drugs paralyze their hearts.
At least five states which allow
capital punishment are running
short of the drug.—livescience.
com (1/21/11)
Earth Always Had Water
Some scientists are reconsidering
the generally accepted idea that
the early earth formed as a hot
molten blob billions of years ago.
If that is true, it is difficult to
explain where water came from
under those conditions. Late last
year New Scientist published an
article titled “Earth May Have Had
Water from Day One.” Computer
studies have shown water was
present in the earth’s raw
materials.—Answers (April-June,
2011)
Dogs Understand Us Better
Than Do Chimps
Despite the claim that
chimpanzees are the closest living
relative of humans, it turns out
that dogs are much better at
understanding people. After
examining dogs for 15 years,
canine researchers at Duke U.
have conclude that dogs “have
figured out how to read human
behavior and human gestures
better than any other species has,
even chimpanzees.”—Answers
(April-June, 2011)
Cat Sets New Record
For Loud Purring
London’s Smokey the Cat has
established a new record for the
loudest purr ever recorded.
According to Guinness World
Records, the 12-year-old tabby’s
purr was recorded as reaching
67.7 decibels, equal to the cooing
of an angry dove. Guinness also
said the pulses of blue and fin
whales which can reached 188
decibels are the loudest animal
sounds known while a typical
lawn mower emits 90 decibels.—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(5/10/11)
Saber-Tooth Animal
Was a Vegetarian
Scientists have been surprised by
the discovery of the remains of a
saber-toothed animal which was a
vegetarian. About the size of a
dog, the “mammal-like reptile”
(Tiarajudens eccentricus ) had
five-inch long upper canine teeth
which it likely used for fighting.
The research leader, noting how
rare saber teeth are in plant
eaters, complimented “nature” for
being so creative in providing a
single solution for several life
tasks.—My Way (3/24/2011)
Than Do Chimps
Despite the claim that
chimpanzees are the closest living
relative of humans, it turns out
that dogs are much better at
understanding people. After
examining dogs for 15 years,
canine researchers at Duke U.
have conclude that dogs “have
figured out how to read human
behavior and human gestures
better than any other species has,
even chimpanzees.”—Answers
(April-June, 2011)
Cat Sets New Record
For Loud Purring
London’s Smokey the Cat has
established a new record for the
loudest purr ever recorded.
According to Guinness World
Records, the 12-year-old tabby’s
purr was recorded as reaching
67.7 decibels, equal to the cooing
of an angry dove. Guinness also
said the pulses of blue and fin
whales which can reached 188
decibels are the loudest animal
sounds known while a typical
lawn mower emits 90 decibels.—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(5/10/11)
Saber-Tooth Animal
Was a Vegetarian
Scientists have been surprised by
the discovery of the remains of a
saber-toothed animal which was a
vegetarian. About the size of a
dog, the “mammal-like reptile”
(Tiarajudens eccentricus ) had
five-inch long upper canine teeth
which it likely used for fighting.
The research leader, noting how
rare saber teeth are in plant
eaters, complimented “nature” for
being so creative in providing a
single solution for several life
tasks.—My Way (3/24/2011)
Japanese Earthquake
Shortens Our Day
A day on Earth is now shorter
thanks to the massive Japanese
earthquake. But while the
tremblor has shifted the Earth’s
mass and accelerated the Earth’s
spin, it has shortened the day by
only 1.8 microseconds. A
microsecond is one-millionth of a
second. Another discovery was
that the Earth’s “figure mass” (the
axis around which the Earth’s
mass is balanced) moved 6 and a
half inches.—livscience.com
(3/13/11)
Greenland Sun Arrives Two
Days Early
Sitting above the Arctic Circle on
the coast of Greenland, the
western coastal town of Ilulissat in
western Greenland had not seen
the sun for much of the winter.
But then the sun seemed to peek
over the horizon—two days earlier
than its usual Jan. 13 arrival time.
Scientists are divided over the
cause for the phenomenon, citing
possible explanations including an
optical illusion caused by
atmospheric conditions. The
surprise appearance of the sun
was not repeated elsewhere.—
Yahoo News (1/18/11)
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