The 25-year-old troubled actress Lindsay Lohan appears to already be a big fan of cosmetic treatments.
Lindsay Lohan stepped out in New York ahead of her Saturday Night Live appearance, and showed off a very puffy “pillow face” – the term given to women who overuse facial fillers.
The young actress joins Madonna and Kylie Minogue as the most obvious examples of stars whose ever youthful glow suggests they may have had fat implants in their cheeks, causing the “pillow face effect”.
While Lindsay Lohan doesn’t appear to have gained weight, her face looked much rounder and the overall effect left her looking older than her 25 years.
Increasing numbers of celebrities are getting the plumped-up look, as opposed to the pinched back “wind tunnel” results of a face-lift or the “frozen” Botox look.
Lindsay Lohan stepped out ahead of the airing of a frank new interview with the Today show’s Matt Lauer in which she said she’s put the past behind her and is finally ready for a career comeback.
After a messy few years sprinkled with jail time, court appearances and house arrests, Lindsay Lohan swears she’s finally cleaned up her act and realizes she needs to prove herself.
Lindsay Lohan stepped out in New York ahead of her Saturday Night Live appearance, and showed off a very puffy “pillow face”
In the interview, which will be screened in the U.S. on Thursday, Lindsay Lohan says: “I think that’s gonna take time…and I think that it’s actions.
“Because people can say things all they want, but I think I still need to go through the process of proving myself with SNL, being on time, being, you know, keeping my – can’t say the word – but stuff together.”
Linday Lohan certainly looked well put together in a sophisticated LBD and elegant heels.
She appeared alert and coherent in a bid to prove herself.
Lindsay Lohan says: “I don’t want people to have that reason to be scared anymore. So being able to have this opportunity with SNL and the film, I’m gonna do what I’m supposed to do, and enjoy doing it, and do it as best as I can.”
She also promises that she’s not going out anymore, and claims she’s actually morphed into a “homebody”.
“It’s not my thing anymore,” she says.
“I went out, actually, a few months ago with a friend. And I was so uncomfortable.
“Not because I felt tempted, just because it was just the same thing that it always was before. And it just wasn’t fun for me.
“I’ve become more of a homebody. And I like that.”
Lindsay Lohan also confirmed her plans to play Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming biopic.
She reveals: “We’re in the middle of casting and figuring – we start production soon.
“I’ve been doing tons of research. But I’ve always kind of researched her. She’s always been a fascinating woman to me, so I’m really honored.
“And I will not let anyone down, especially myself.”
Lindsay Lohan is one court case away from putting the plethora of legal troubles she’s been plagued with since her 2007 arrest for drunk driving behind her.
The actress will host Saturday Night Live on March 3 for the fourth time and seemed excited today as she shot a promo for the hit NBC sketch show.
Cissy Houston blames Bobby Brown for Whitney Houston’s death and she reportedly hurled angry words to the singer’s ex-husband on the day before her funeral on February 18.
“I hate you! You killed my daughter by turning her on to drugs…The day she married you was the worst day of my life!” Cissy Houston said to Bobby Brown, according to the National Enquirer.
Family insiders reveal behind-the-scene details of what TV viewers didn’t see when Whitney Houston, who died on February 11 at the Beverly Hilton hotel, was remembered in an emotional going-home service at New Hope Baptist Church, the same where she sang as a young girl.
One of the most touching tributes came from Whitney Houston’s mother Cissy, who wrote in the funeral program: “I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years. Rest, my baby girl, in peace…Mommie.”
Just days earlier, a grief-stricken Cissy Houston, Bobbi Kristina and singer’s cousin Dionne Warwick chose a purple gown and spectacular jewelry for the singer to wear in her casket, said an insider.
“Cissy told me, <<Out of the nearly 300 gowns in Whitney’s closet, that purple dress was one of her favorites. We thought it was what she should wear when she sings for God>>”, the close source told the National Enquirer.
“Bobbi Kristina picked out a pair of gold slippers for her mother’s feet. Cissy said, <<She knew how much Whitney loved them>>.
“They also chose $500,000 worth of jewelry, including a $200,000 pair of diamond earrings Whitney bought for herself to celebrate her success in the film The Bodyguard.
“The ladies also selected a beautiful diamond brooch and a gold and ruby cross necklace.”
Cissy Houston blames Bobby Brown for Whitney Houston’s death and she reportedly hurled angry words to the singer’s ex-husband on the day before her funeral
Soon after that heartbreaking scene, Cissy Houston blew up at Bobby Brown, triggering the headline-making drama at Whitney’s funeral.
The spat began when Bobby Brown called to ask if he could attend the private, open-casket viewing of her body at the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey, on February 17, sources say.
“Cissy reluctantly agreed that Bobby could attend the funeral, but she flatly refused his request to come to the private viewing,” the source added.
“She told Bobby, <<It’s for family only. Whitney wouldn’t have wanted you there. None of us want you there.>> Then she added, <<And if you come to the church, you should know you’re not welcome.>>”
Cissy Houston, 78, was still haunted by her last phone call with Whitney. Just hours before she died, Whitney Houston blasted Bobby Brown for being a poor father to their 18-year-old daughter Bobbi kristina, according to the source.
“Cissy told Bobby, <<Whitney went to her grave hating you! You promised to see your daughter in Los Angeles, but after two days of waiting, you never showed up!>>” the source revealed.
“Cissy said, <<You brought nothing but misery and pain to my daughter’s life. If it hadn’t been for you, she’d be alive today. You as good as murdered Whitney…Marrying you was the biggest mistake of her life!>>”
Despite his former mother-in-law’s warning, Bobby Brown showed up for Whitney Houston’s funeral service at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church with nine people, including his three children from previous relationships, his fiancée and their 2-year-old son.
After security guards moved his group twice, Bobby Brown caused a ruckus before the Reverent Jesse Jackson and the Reverent Al Sharpton – both Houston family friends – calmed him down.
“Bobby was furious,” said the source.
“He walked up to Whitney’s coffin and kissed it dismissively. He tried to see his daughter, but security guards hustled him away.
“He returned to his group, angrily telling them: <<C’mon, let’s get out of here. We’re not welcome. I loved Whitney, and I know she wouldn’t have wanted her man treated this way!>>
“He told another friend, <<I know they don’t want me here. They all hate me. The Houstons are the reason my marriage to Whitney broke up. It wasn’t all my fault …they just didn’t want it to succeed.>>”
The day after the funeral service, Cissy Houston, Bobbi Kristina and other relatives watched as she was laid to rest alongside her father John Houston in a private ceremony at Fairview Cem-etery in Westfield, New Jersey.
“Before Whitney was lowered into the ground, Cissy kissed the casket one last time,” the source said.
“She later told a friend, <<I will think of my daughter every day that remains of my life. I can’t wait to be reunited with her in heaven.>>”
New details have been revealed after DNA analysis was performed on what could be described as the world’s oldest murder case of Otzi the “Iceman”, whose 5,300-year-old body was discovered frozen in the Italian Alps in 1991.
Otzi’s full genome has now been reported in Nature Communications.
DNA analysis reveals that Otzi had brown eyes, “O” blood type, was lactose intolerant, and was predisposed to heart disease.
They also show him to be the first documented case of infection by a Lyme disease bacterium.
Analysis of series of anomalies in the Iceman’s DNA also revealed him to be more closely related to modern inhabitants of Corsica and Sardinia than to populations in the Alps, where he was unearthed.
The study reveals the fuller genetic picture as laid out in the nuclei of Otzi’s cells.
This nuclear DNA is both rarer and typically less well-preserved than the DNA within mitochondria, the cell’s “power plants”, which also contain DNA.
Otzi’s mitochondrial DNA had already revealed some hints of his origins when it was fully sequenced in 2008.
Albert Zink, from the Eurac Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Bolzano, Italy, said the nuclear DNA study was a great leap forward in one of the most widely studied specimens in science.
“We’ve been studying the Iceman for 20 years. We know so many things about him – where he lived, how he died – but very little was known about his genetics, the genetic information he was carrying around,” Albert Zink said.
A reconstruction shows how Otzi the Iceman may have looked like before an arrow felled him
Otzi was carrying around a “haplotype” that showed his ancestors most likely migrated from the Middle East as the practice of formal agriculture became more widespread.
It is probably this period of transition to an agrarian society that explains Otzi’s lactose intolerance.
Prof. Albert Zink said that next-generation “whole-genome” sequencing techniques made the analysis possible.
“Whole-genome sequencing allows you to sequence the whole DNA out of one sample; that wasn’t possible before in the same way.
“This was really exciting and I think it’s just the start for a longer study on this level. We still would like to learn more from this data – we’ve only just started to analyse it.”
McDonald’s has taken ownership of France’s signature bread and decided to start dishing up burgers in baguettes.
McDo, as the French call it, is trying to appeal to more upscale diners by mixing their famous beef burgers with French-made Emmental cheese and mustard.
Starting in April, the 1,228 McDonald’s restaurants across France will feature the limited edition McBaguette.
McBaguette will replace McDonald’s current special menu in France, which is three limited-edition burgers featuring locally produced cheeses, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The introduction of the McBaguette is in line with the US company’s plan to ensure its restaurants appeal to a broader customer base.
In France, bread is served with many meals and a recent study showed that 65% of the two billion sandwiches sold each year in France are baguette-based.
By introducing McBaguette, McDonald’s France is trying to appeal to more upscale diners by mixing their famous beef burgers with French-made Emmental cheese and mustard
Yves Marin, a senior manager at consulting firm Kurt Salmon, said to the Wall Street Journal: “McDonald’s is trying to diversify and is aiming at more traditional or older customers.
“The company is willing to attract those who won’t eat the Big Mac.”
The McBaguette debut, could also give McDonald’s more pricing power.
McBaguette will be sold for 4.50 Euros ($6) – more than a euro above the average price of a sandwich in France, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The reaction from France remains to be seen, but one Parisian who was shown a picture of the sandwich as she left a bakery, told the Wall Street Journal:
“It doesn’t quite look like a baguette; a baguette isn’t square. But I would give it a try.”
“It looks good, and much healthier than McDo’s regular burger,” another added.
McDonald’s said it could introduce the baguette burger again if the initial six-week run is a success.
McDonald’s changing global cuisine
McDonald’s is trying to appeal to national culinary tastes and have come up with around 20 locally tailored menu items in 14 European countries including:
Finland: offers the Rye McFeast, a burger served on a rye bun.
Spain: sells the tomato-based soup Gazpacho.
Italy: McDonald’s worked with Gualtiero Marchesi, the country’s only three-star chef, to create three new recipes: two sandwiches called Adagio and Vivace.
The fast-food chain said it has similar plans to work in partnership in Germany and Austria.
In France, McCafés already are serving slices of baguette for breakfast, as well as macarons, sweet meringue-based confections that are riding a popularity wave of their own during the day.
It has emerged that Apple has already sent out invitations to the San Francisco launch of its new iPad 3 this week.
As expected, iPad3 will be unveiled on March 7 at a special even in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
Apple’s invitation says: “We have something you really have to see. And touch.”
The invitation shows a finger over an iPad screen, pointing to the Calendar app, which is set to March 7.
iPad3 is expected to offer a much higher resolution Full HD screen.
Bloomberg reports that iPad 3 processor will be a “quad-core” device, a step that would put Apple’s tablet ahead of competing devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in terms of computing power, and enable a new generation of high-powered apps.
Tech site MacRumors claims that iPad3 will also be more expensive.
“The iPad 3 costs $80 more for the equivalent Wi-Fi models, and $70 more for the equivalent 3G models,” said MacRumors, reporting on leaks from Chinese factories.
MacRumors claims that the device will be “near identical” to iPad 2, which tallies with other leaks from Apple accessory makers.
iPad3 will reportedly look similar to iPad, but with a higher-res screen, faster processor and Siri voice control
The device is expected to look similar to the current iPad 2, but offer a far sharper HD screen and a next-generation processor capable of impressive visual effects.
The tech blog iMore reported that iPad3 is also rumored to feature the anticipated 2048×1536 Retina display, and the quad-core Apple A6 chip to boost its speed and effectiveness.
Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research said last week that a March debut of the gadget was a “sure bet”.
Speaking to Computer World, Ezra Gotteil said: “It will have a higher-resolution screen.”
“That’s important to them because it means the iPad will work well with home cinema systems, since it will display full HD.”
Leaked images also hint at a casing that iPad3 looks similar to iPad 2. The validity of those pictures, could not be determined.
All Things D, a blog owned by Dow Jones, reported that the device will be introduced during a special Apple event in San Francisco.
The late Steve Jobs introduced the previous iPad there at about the same time last year.
Various Apple accessory companies were showing off iPad 3 cases behind closed doors at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, all of which hinted at a gadget broadly similar in shape to last year’s.
Popular Apple-watching website iLounge claimed to have seen a prototype behind the scenes at the show.
The site’s editor-in-chief, Jeremy Horwitz said: “From the front, the next iPad and iPad 2 appear to look basically the same – apart, of course, from the screen. That’s going to be Apple’s big focus when the new device is announced.”
Charla Nash, the woman who had a face transplant after she was badly disfigured and blinded by a rampaging chimpanzee three years ago, said that she would like to be able to see her own reflection.
Charla Nash, a 58-year-old single mother from Stamford, Connecticut, almost died after the mauling three years ago.
Travis, her friend’s pet, a 14-year-old male ape, tore off her hands, nose, lips and eyelids and left her blind.
Speaking at a rehabilitation center outside Boston, Charla Nash said she focuses on one day at a time and is glad to have survived.
Charla Nash told WABC this week: “I wouldn’t mind seeing what I look like.”
In an emotional and candid interview, Charla Nash revealed that she had been attacked by Travis the chimp before the near-fatal attack took place.
Charla Nash had avoided the 200-pound creature after it ripped hair from the back of her head.
She also revealed that she thought the relationship that her friend Sandra Herrold had with the primate was incredibly strange. Sandra Herrold died in 2010.
Charla Nash said Travis ate well and was allowed to drink wine by Sandra Herrold, who treated the chimp like a “companion”. The primate also allegedly slept in the bed with its owner which Charla Nash said was “bizarre”.
She had been helping Sandra Herrold lure her pet chimp Travis inside when the 200-pound animal ripped off her face.
On a harrowing 911 call, Sandra Herrold can be heard screaming that the chimp was “eating her”. The animal was later shot and killed by police.
At the time, Sandra Herrold speculated the pet was trying to protect her and didn’t recognize Charla Nash because she had changed her hairstyle.
Charla Nash after face transplant
Six months ago, Charla Nash underwent a 20-hour operation which left her with a new face, prosthetic eyes and new hands.
A team of more than 30 surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, led by Dr. Bohdan Pomanhac, painstakingly rebuilt her face.
They took a donor’s skin, underlying muscle, nerves and upper palate and transplanted the whole face on to Charla Nash’s skull.
Although a serious infection meant the hands had to be removed, she can now smell again, eat solid food – and says her new face “has really given me a life back”.
Charla Nash had previously told the Today show of the family who donated the face of their loved one: “Words can’t even say enough. It’s really given me a life back. It’s such a wonderful thing. I cannot thank them enough.”
Her 20-year-old daughter Brianna, a college student, added: “I’m still waiting for some of the underlying bone structure to take some shape on her cheeks – but it’s my mom.”
Charla Nash had previously described her disappointment on finding out that her hands had been removed after contracting pneumonia, which affected her circulation.
“I was disappointed that I had them and they’re gone again,” Charla Nash said.
“But I’m hoping for in the future, that it can be done again.”
Healing will continue over the next year, and Charla Nash hopes she will be given new hands so she can get a seeing eye dog.
Charla Nash had hidden her face under a veil for two years, but bravely revealed the disfigured features in an interview with Oprah Winfrey just a few months after the attack.
At the time Charla Nash said: “I wear [the veil] so I don’t scare people. Sometimes other people might insult you, so I figure maybe it’s easier if I just walk around covered up.”
Sandra Herrold died of an aneurysm in 2010. Charla Nash’s family are suing her estate for $50 million and the state for $150 million, saying officials failed to prevent the attack.
In 2003, Travis had to be captured by police after he got loose and was spotted running through the streets of downtown Stamford, Connecticut.
The compensation would help Charla Nash to pay for her extensive medical and rehabilitation bills and also cover the cost of her long-term care.
Charla Nash and her family will find out in the next few weeks whether her lawsuit will be allowed to proceed through the courts.
The double transplant was the first of its kind in the U.S., and has only been performed once before in the world, in France.
It was paid for by the Department of Defense, through a contract it gave Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2009 to cover the cost of face transplants for veterans and some civilians, hospital officials said.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have welcomed their third child, a baby boy.
Jennifer Garner, 39, has given birth to a son who joins the couple’s daughters Violet, 6, and Seraphina, 3.
Few details have been released on the birth however a source confirmed the happy news to Us Weekly.
Jennifer garner and Ben Affleck, who have been married for 7 years, announced Jennifer’s third pregnancy in August 2011.
The actress did not use the opportunity to put her feet up and instead was seen running errands almost daily.
Jennifer Garner was last spotted out with her daughters just last week as she took them to a library.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have welcomed their third child, a baby boy
Earlier this month Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck revealed they had decided to let their daughters choose the name of their unborn child.
“Our girls are working on names. At first they were definitely Disney. It was like, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse Affleck. And then they’ve moved on. Then it was Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Smee.
“They’re coming up with lists and coming in and saying, <<Let’s have a baby-naming contest! Let’s have a baby-naming poll!>> They ask everyone, because they just want to know. But we’re not telling,” Jennifer Garner told E! Online.
The actress will also play a mother in her new film, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which will be released August 15.
In the movie, Jennifer Garner and co-star Joel Edgerton play a “childless couple who bury a box in their backyard, containing all of their wishes for an infant. Soon, a child is born, though he is not all that he appears”.
Angelina Jolie’s leg was the star of the Oscars, stealing the show with its attention-seeking antics.
But Angelina Jolie’s lithe leg was kept covered up yesterday as the actress snapped right back to motherly duties.
While the actress may be keen to move on from her overexposed limb, the rest of the world isn’t quite as ready to forget.
As Angelina Jolie, 36, was busy shopping with her twins Vivienne and Knox in Beverly Hills, hilarious spoof images of the star were going viral across the net.
Bloggers and artists were having some fun with Photoshop last night, circulating pictures of Angelina Jolie’s now-infamous right leg slotted into well known photographs and artwork and onto unlikely candidates.
Just 24 hours after the ceremony Angelina Jolie “legbombing” was a viral term with that very skinny leg appearing next to Darth Vadar, on the Statue of Liberty and countless others… with side-splitting results.
Even Brad Pitt was given the Photoshop treatment.
Brad Pitt’s character from Interview with the Vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac, getting a leggy makeover.
The limb also makes a stealth appearance on the cover art of The Beatles Abbey Road album.
Angelina Jolie’s attention-seeking leg on the red-carpet at the Oscars
Angelina Jolie is yet to comment on the attention her awkward red carpet pose has attracted, instead keeping her head down during her shopping trip with the twins and Brad’s mother Jane.
But countless other A-listers have chucked in their two pennies worth on Angelina Jolie’s now famous pose.
A-lister Joan Rivers branded her a “fool” while others remarked on the scrawniness of her leg.
Angelina Jolie’s hilarious spoof images went viral across the net
Comedian Adam Pally seethed: “Angelina Jolie has become of the children she adopts.”
“Angelina Jolie looked like a fool the way she posed,” Joan Rivers told RadarOnline. “She took herself right out of that super star category because you now realize she stands in front of a mirror to figure out [what she looks like].”
The night before, most of the Oscars headlines had been dominated not by the winners, but by Angelina Jolie’s leg-baring antics.
While Angelina Jolie sashayed down the red carpet before the ceremony, stealing the spotlight from Best Actor nominee Pitt with her leg-baring antics, social networking sites were quickly heating up with thousands of comments about “Angie’s right leg”.
As she posed at different points along the red carpet the actress was captured continuously adjusting her Atelier Versace gown to ensure the cameras caught the leg from every angle.
Brad Pitt’s character from Interview with the Vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac, getting a leggy makeover
The limb in question quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, with users debating over her enviably trim thigh, the slightly awkward and over-enthusiastic pose, and joking about the emphasis on her right leg in particular.
It wasn’t long before a parody Twitter account called “Angie’s Right Leg” had been set up, declaring: “I’m a leg, get a load of me!” and “You have to admit I’m one hell of a leg!”
So far the account has attracted over 28,000 followers.
And if fans thought they had seen the last of the limb when the awards ceremony commenced, they were certainly wrong.
Perhaps already informed of the hoopla by her people, or simply enjoying the attention, Angelina Jolie continued to pose up a storm when she took to the stage to present an award.
Walking onstage to present the gong for Best Adapted Screenplay, Angelina stopped at the microphone for several seconds with her hand on her hip and THAT leg on full display again.
With wolf whistles and cheering from the audience, Angelina Jolie giggled at the reaction before continuing with the presentation.
But not everybody was as taken with the actress. The screenwriters for The Descendants, who won the award, were quick to mock her as they accepted the award.
While Alexander Payne, who also directed and produced the film, made his speech, fellow screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash mimicked Angelina Jolie’s pose in an exaggerated fashion, drawing laughs from the audience.
Angelina Jolie’s father Jon Voight defended her antics during an appearance on Daybreak in the UK.
Asked what he thought of her posing, Jon Voight said: “She comes out and does this pose and waits until people get it, it was so great. The audience responded so wonderfully too, with whistles and everything.
“And then she laughed and took it in and went on with her speech. So who knows? You can never tell about these moments that pop up out of a show like this.”
Nicole Graham, a brave young mother from Australia, battled to keep her beloved horse calm as sea water closed in on the animal after he became trapped in mud “like quicksand”.
Exhausted and mud-splattered, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours keeping his head high in a race against the tide.
Astro, a 78-stone show horse, had sunk into quagmire-like mud and was facing the prospect of drowning as the water rose around them.
Nicole Graham had been out on an afternoon ride with her daughter along the coast near Geelong, south of Melbourne, when 18-year-old Astro suddenly sank into the mud.
Before the woman could shout a warning, the smaller horse her daughter Paris was riding was also partially swallowed up by the mud.
After dragging herself through the mire, Nicole Graham helped her daughter and the other horse on to firmer ground.
However, Astro was stuck fast and her efforts to pull him free only resulted in herself sinking deeper into the quagmire.
As Paris ran to their car and phoned for help, Nicole Graham stayed at her horse’s side. She courageously clung on to his neck, terrified that he would not be freed before the tide came in.
Exhausted and mud-splattered, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours keeping his head high in a race against the tide (photo Rex Features)
After three “terrifying” hours, rescuers managed to pull Astro and Nicole Graham from the mud.
Nicole Graham, who owns more than 10 horses and runs an equine dentistry business, told the Geelong Advertiser how a peaceful afternoon’s ride had turned to terror.
She said: “It was terrifying. It was also heartbreaking to see my horse exhausted and struggling.
“We went straight down and under. There was mud everywhere and every time I moved it sucked me back down. It wouldn’t let us go.”
After ensuring her daughter and her horse were safe, Nicole Graham returned to Astro and prayed that rescuers would arrive before the tide engulfed the horse.
The woman added: “I’ve been riding here for 20 years and never had a drama. I’ve never seen any signs and didn’t realize it was so boggy.
“When I saw the dust from the rescue trucks I was so relieved. I was starting to get overwhelmed.”
Fire lieutenant Roger Buckle, who was among a team of helpers, said: “It was like a quicksand.”
Fire crews worked with a local farmer, who provided a tractor, and a veterinary team. The firemen used hoses and a winch, but none of this equipment was successful.
A local helicopter was put on standby as a last resort at pulling Astro from the mud.
The combined rescue effort paid off. With minutes to spare before the water reached him, Astro – who had been sedated by vet Stacey Sullivan – was dragged from the mud with the aid of the farmer’s tractor.
“It was a race against the tide and fortunately we won,” said Lieut Buckle, who praised everyone efforts, including those of Stacey Sullivan whose work in sedating Astro made it easier to pull him free.
Stacey Sullivan said Astro was dehydrated but had coped well.
“A lot of horses don’t make it and I think without the owner there the chance of survival would have been a lot lower,” she said.
NASA has identified a 460 ft wide asteroid, 2011 AG5, soaring through space and calculated that it could potentially impact Earth on February 5th 2040.
The 2011 AG5 has already attracted the concern of the UN Action Team on near-Earth objects, which has begun discussing ways to divert it.
The UN Action Team has put the odds of it hitting us at one in 625, though that could change nearer the time.
Were the rock to land on a city it could cause millions of deaths, although mankind would live through it.
The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was 9 miles wide, compared to 460 ft for the 2011 AG5.
Scientists have not yet been able to work out much more about it than its size as they have only been able to observe it for half its orbit.
However, between 2013 and 2016 they will be able to monitor from the ground and will make a more detailed assessment.
In 2023 the rock will make a “keyhole pass” of Earth, which is an area it passes through on the orbit before it would hit Earth.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, this will be within a mere 0.02 astronomical units of our planet, or 1.86 million miles.
NASA has identified a 460 ft wide asteroid, 2011 AG5, soaring through space and calculated that it could potentially impact Earth on February 5th 2040
According to NASA, amongst the ways of deflecting it are putting a probe onto the rock and using the extra gravity the craft generates to steer the asteroid away over millions of light years.
Another option would be sending a probe into it so the impact would have the same effect.
Nuclear weapons have also been discussed, but this would create a shower of rocks instead of just one.
There are roughly 19,000 such “mid-sized” asteroids within 120 million miles of Earth, according to NASA’s latest sky-scans.
Mid-sized refers to asteroids in a size range between 330 and 3,300 feet wide, which could destroy a city-sized area were they to hit Earth.
NASA’s latest scan used the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and took two infrared scans of the entire celestial sky in a series of infrared photos between January 2010 and February 2011.
Much of the world’s attention on asteroids has been on the Aphophis asteroid, which is the size of two and a half football fields and is predicted to pass close to Earth in 2036.
If the forecasts are true it will come within 18,300 miles of Earth’s surface and will be visible from most of Europe, Africa and Asia.
In recent years it has not just been asteroids that have threatened Earth – falling satellites have also caused problems too.
In October Germany’s Roentgen satellite X-Ray telescope entered a 12,500mph death dive and split up into around 30 huge chunks when it was deliberated crash landed.
Experts however had no idea where it landed and could only say somewhere South of Berlin and North of Wellington in New Zealand.
The odds of being hit by one of the pieces was put at 2,000 to one, more likely than getting a hole in one in golf, though no injuries were reported.
Whitney Houston’s death is far from being settled and the media continues to speculate on this subject.
In the most recent issue, Globe magazine published a shocking theory: Whitney Houston was pregnant when she died.
More than that, Globe magazine suggests that Whitney Houston was murdered.
The magazine also published a photo of Whitney Houston in which the singer seemed to have a bigger belly, but, of course, nobody can confirm if the photo is real or not.
“Whitney’s autopsy will reveal explosive secrets. Many people from Whitney’s entourage are saying that she was pregnant and the autopsy will also reveal evidence that she was killed,”Globe also claims.
In the most recent issue, Globe magazine published a shocking theory, Whitney Houston was pregnant when she died and she was murdered by drug dealers
Globe magazine has an interesting and somewhat disrespectful take on the death of Whitney Houston. The tabloid is calling her death a cover up by drug dealers!
Like it wasn’t bad enough that Nancy Grace suggested that perhaps someone was in Whitney Houston’s hotel room with her and “let” her go under “her water”.
The tabloid suggests that Whitney Houston was murdered by drug dealers because she owed them a whopping $1.5 million! That’s the chilling scenario cops should be probing, say experts.
Globe magazine published a picture of Whitney Houston in which the singer seemed to have a bigger belly, suggesting she was pregnant, but nobody can confirm if the photo is real or not
Less than one in eight Google users has read the search engine’s new privacy policy, a poll found yesterday.
The great majority are in the dark about the way Google will use information about what they look for and what they do on-line, it said.
The findings came amid deepening concerns about the abuse of private information by internet companies.
At the weekend it was disclosed that people who download smartphone apps may be ignoring small print that allows large-scale intrusion into their lives by outsiders.
The rights they unwittingly hand over even include the legal power to make their camera phones take pictures and video on the command of a app company.
Less than one in eight Google users has read the search engine's new privacy policy, a poll found two days before the moment of changing
Google has been widely criticized for the way it handles information made available to it by the millions who turn to its search engines and other services.
Its new privacy policy, which comes into effect on Thursday, March 1, sets out how the search engine company will exploit detailed information on its users, down to the locations where they use their smartphones, and how it will distribute it to other organizations.
Google’s new policy replaces around 60 different existing privacy policies.
The poll, carried out by YouGov for the Big Brother Watch pressure group in UK, found that 92% of adults who use the internet go through a Google service at least once a week.
But only 12% of them have read the company’s new privacy policy, which Google has been advertising prominently for weeks.
Nearly half of the adult population said it did not know Google was bringing in a new privacy policy, and only 40% of Google users said they thought the new policy should be brought into operation.
Nick Pickles, of Big Brother Watch, said: “The impact of Google’s new policy cannot be understated, but the public are in the dark about what the changes actually mean.
“Companies should not be allowed to bury in legal jargon and vague statements how they may monitor what we do online, where we use our phones and even listen to what we say in calls.
“This change isn’t about Google collecting more data, it’s about letting the company combine what’s in your emails with the videos you watch and the things you search for.”
Nick Pickles added: “If people don’t understand what is happening to their personal information, how can they make an informed choice about using a service?
“Google is putting advertiser’s interests before user privacy and should not be rushing ahead before the public understand what the changes will mean.”
The pressure group has called for an inquiry into how the new Google policy complies with British data protection law.
Fasting two days a week could prevent your brain shrinking with age, suggests new research.
Fasting was a common medical treatment in the past, but now new research suggests there may be good reason for it to make a comeback. This is because it seems to trigger all sorts of healthy hormonal and metabolic changes.
Researchers have long known that cutting back animals’ calories over an extended period can make them live up to 50% longer – it’s been harder to prove benefits in humans because few people can stick to this restrictive regimen.
But there’s now emerging evidence to show occasional fasting – which is much more manageable – also carries benefits. Fasting days involve eating between 500 and 800 calories (the usual daily intake for a woman is 2,000 calories, for a man, 2,500).
This intake appears to cause a drop in levels of growth-factor, a hormone linked with cancer and diabetes, as well as a reduction in “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (fats) in the blood.
Meanwhile, free radicals – the damaging molecules linked to disease – are dampened down. Studies also suggest that levels of inflammation can fall. And now there is the suggestion that fasting protects the brain, too.
“Suddenly dropping your food intake dramatically – cutting it by at least half for a day or so – triggers protective processes in the brain,” explains Professor Mark Mattson, head of neuroscience at the U.S. National Institute On Ageing.
“It is similar to the beneficial effect you get from exercise.”
This could help protect the brain against degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Prof. Mark Mattson is one of the pioneers of research into fasting – a few years ago he made a breakthrough when he found rats could get nearly all the benefits of calorie restriction if the scientists only cut back their calories every other day. On the next day the rats could eat as much as they liked and yet they showed the same benefits as rats on a low-calorie regimen all the time.
Suddenly it looked as if humans could benefit from a form of calorie restriction regimen that, unlike daily restriction, is feasible to follow. Now results of other trials are revealing the benefits.
In one study, reported last year in the International Journal of Obesity, a group of obese and overweight women was put on a diet of 1,500 calories a day while another group was put on a very low 500-calorie diet for two days, then 2,000 calories a day for the rest of the week.
Both groups were eating a healthy Mediterranean-style diet.
“We found that both lost about the same amount of weight and both saw a similar drop in biomarkers that increase your risk of cancer,” says Dr. Michelle Harvie, a dietitian at Manchester University who led the research.
“The aim was to find which was the most effective and we found that the women in the fasting group actually had a bigger improvement in sensitivity to insulin.” Improved insulin sensitivity means better control of blood sugar levels.
Fasting two days a week could prevent your brain shrinking with age, suggests new research
Last year researchers at Newcastle University reported that they had reversed diabetes in a small number of overweight people by putting them on an 800-calorie diet for eight weeks.
It’s possible that eating small amounts of calories every other day, as Dr. Michelle Harvie’s study allowed, is not only more bearable, but may be particularly effective at getting diabetics’ blood sugar under control.
Now, Prof. Mark Mattson has been investigating the benefits of various fasting regimens on the health of our brain cells.
According to an article that will be appearing in the leading science journal Nature Neuroscience next month, calorie restriction can protect the cells from damage and make them more resistant to stress.
“Part of this effect is due to what cutting calories does to appetite hormones such as ghrelin and leptin,” Prof. Mark Mattson explains.
“When you are not overweight, these hormones encourage growth of new brain cells, especially in the hippocampus.”
This is the area of the brain which is involved in laying down memories. If you start putting on weight, levels of ghrelin drop and brain cell replacement slows.
“The effect is particularly damaging in your 40’s and 50’s, for reasons that aren’t clear yet,” he says.
“Obesity at that age is a marker for cognitive problems later.”
The good news is that this brain-cell damage can be reversed by the two-day fasting regime, although so far Prof. Mark Mattson has shown this only in rats. A human trial is starting soon. There is reason to think it should work. Fasting every other day had a striking effect on people with asthma in a small study he ran a few years ago.
“After eight weeks they had lost eight per cent of their body weight, but they also benefited from the ability of calorie restriction to reduce inflammation. Tests showed that levels of inflammation markers had dropped by 90%.”
“As levels came down, their breathing became much easier,” says Prof. Mark Mattson.
However, Prof. MarK Mattson cautions that patients have to stick to the diet, as symptoms began to return two weeks after giving it up.
Not everyone will find fasting intermittently is something they can manage.
In Dr. Michelle Harvie’s recent study of overweight women, more patients in the continuous dieting group (who had to stick to 1,500 calories a day) wanted to continue with it than those on the two-day fasting regimen.
“It’s going to suit some people more than others,” Dr. Michelle Harvie says.
“For some, being able to cut out 3,000-4,000 calories in two days and then eat normally for the rest of the time is much more attractive than cutting back a little every day; for others it’s too drastic. It gives us another option. My experience is men seem to adapt better to it than women.”
But Prof. Mark Mattson believes these new fasting regimes could help tackle our failure to live more healthily.
“This research shows that successful brain ageing is possible for most individuals if they maintain healthy diets and lifestyles throughout their adult life,” he says.
The trouble is that our diets are too high in calories and we don’t do enough exercise, which is why, he says, brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s are on the rise.
So is there any harm in trying a little intermittent fasting ourselves? As a result of his research, Prof. Mark Mattson now keeps his own calorie intake down.
“I aim for about 1,800 calories a day, nothing drastic,” he says.
“During the week I don’t have any breakfast or lunch but I have a good evening meal. I know it’s not what most dietitians would recommend but it works very well for me.”
A new therapy, developed by U.S.-based Uptake Medical, using steam to scald the lungs, may provide relief to patients with breathing disorders such as emphysema.
New research shows that the 30-minute procedure can improve lung function and reduce breathlessness, as a result patients are also able to exercise more easily.
Healthy lungs contain hundreds of millions of tiny air sacs called alveoli, which help in the absorption of oxygen into the blood as well as removing carbon dioxide.
In emphysema patients, these tiny air sacs become inflamed, and in many cases are damaged and destroyed, triggering coughing and breathlessness. This is frequently due to the effects of smoking, but the condition can also affect non-smokers, either through a genetic susceptibility, or exposure to workplace chemicals.
Emphysema is frequently due to the effects of smoking, but the condition can also affect non-smokers, either through a genetic susceptibility, or exposure to workplace chemicals
In more severe cases, surgery is used to remove the worst affected parts, cutting the size of the lungs. This reduces the strain on the organ because the air is inhaled into a smaller space, making breathing easier. However, many people with the disease are not generally well enough to undergo such extensive surgery, and hospital stays can last up to two weeks.
The new therapy also reduces the volume of the lungs, but uses steam, rather than surgery, in a procedure that requires just an overnight stay in hospital. First the lungs are scanned to identify the dysfunctional areas. An endoscope or tube is then inserted into the lungs through the airway.
A small balloon is fed down this tube and inflated in the lungs to block off the area being treated, so that steam does not flow backwards into healthy parts of the lung. Then steam is fired through the tube into the targeted lung tissue, scalding the tissue. Each vapor blast lasts between three and ten seconds.
Over the following weeks, scar tissue forms which shrinks the tissue – in the same way that a scar pulls the skin around a wound tight. This reduces the volume of the lungs, making breathing easier.
Results from international trials of more than 50 patients show the therapy leads to significant improvements in lung function (measured as a reduction in breathlessness), and increases the amount of physical activity they could perform, which was gauged by the distance they could walk in six minutes. There were also improvements in overall quality of life.
Dr. Felix Herth, head of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, who led one of the studies, said: “A procedure that shows an 83% improvement when looking at several end points [such as lung capacity and level of physical activity] should provide new optimism for patients who are living with emphysema.”
The treatment has recently been approved for use in Europe and in the past few weeks has been used to treat patients in Germany.
Meanwhile, scientists have developed a new smoke-free electronic cigarette to help smokers quit the habit. Smoking is linked to breathing problems such as emphysema.
The device contains nicotine yet produces no smoke and none of the carbon monoxide, tar or toxins that makes smoking tobacco such a health risk.
The hand-held device consists of a rechargeable lithium battery that powers a vaporiser. This instantly turns a nicotine solution that is held in the device into a vapour that the user then inhales.
The manufacturer of the device, known as Nicadex, says many users report using it produces a similar sensation to smoking.
This device is now being submitted to clinical trials in order to be classified as a prescription nicotine replacement product, similar to nicotine patches.
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has classified Greece as in “selective default” following the deal the country made with its creditors to reduce the debts.
S&P rating agency says the terms of that deal triggered the latest downgrade. Greek debt already had a “junk” grade rating from the agency.
Separately, the European Central Bank (ECB) said it was suspending the eligibility of Greek bonds as collateral for loans to commercial banks.
It said this would run until mid-March.
The ECB explained that by the middle of next month it would start to accept the bonds again, because a programme for eurozone nations to provide supplementary collateral to insure the ECB against losses is due to come into effect.
Banks and other financial firms are being asked by Greece’s government to take a 53.5% loss on their Greek sovereign bonds.
Austerity measures have prompted mass demonstrations in Greece
The plan was agreed by the Greek parliament last week, and, if backed by Greece’s creditors, it would wipe out 107 billion Euros ($142 billion) of the country’s debt.
S&P said that when the debt exchange was complete it would assess Greece again and possibly raise its rating.
The Greek government said S&P’s move had been expected and added it would not hurt the banking industry.
“This rating does not have any impact on the Greek banking system since any likely effect on liquidity has already been dealt with by the Bank of Greece,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
Last week, rival credit rating agency Fitch also downgraded Greece’s debt.
Sleeping pills appear to be linked with a higher death risk, US doctors warn.
The US study, published in BMJ Open, compared more than 10,000 patients on tablets like temazepam with 23,000 similar patients not taking these drugs.
Death risk among users was about four times higher, although the absolute risk was still relatively low.
Experts say while the findings highlight a potential risk, proof of harm is still lacking.
Researchers say patients should not be alarmed nor stop their medication, but if they are concerned they should discuss this with their doctor or pharmacist.
The latest study looked at a wide range of sleeping pills, such as benzodiazepines (temazepam and diazepam), non-benzodiazepines (zolpidem, zopiclone and zaleplon), barbiturates and sedative antihistamines.
Sleeping pills appear to be linked with a higher death risk, US doctors warn
The investigators, from the Jackson Hole Centre for Preventive Medicine in Wyoming and the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Centre in California, found that people prescribed these pills were 4.6 times more likely to die during a 2.5-year period compared to those not on the drugs.
Overall, one in every 16 patients in the sleeping pill group died (638 out of 10,531 in total) compared to one in every 80 of the non-users (295 deaths out of 23,674 patients).
This increased risk was irrespective of other underlying health conditions, such as heart and lung diseases, and other factors like smoking and alcohol use, which the researchers say they did their best to rule out.
The researchers say it is not yet clear why people taking sleeping tablets may be at greater risk.
The drugs are sedating and this may make users more prone to falls and other accidents. The tablets can also alter a person’s breathing pattern as they sleep and they have been linked to increased suicide risk.
In this latest study, those taking the highest doses of sleeping tablets also appeared to be at greater risk of developing cancer.
The researchers say: “The meagre benefits of hypnotics, as critically reviewed by groups without financial interest, would not justify substantial risks.”
They say even short-term use may not be justifiable.
Kim Kardashian shared a picture of her dressed-down look on her Twitter page.
Kim Kardashian, 31, is seen baring her washboard stomach in a pair of loose jogging bottoms and cropped sports top as she poses and pouts for the camera.
The reality star accompanied the shot with the caption: “Sweatpants hair tie chillin with no make up on (sic)!”
And despite looking less than red carpet ready in the outfit, Kim Kardashian still managed to look as picture perfect as ever in the shot, taken in her bathroom.
Kim Kardashian shared a picture of her dressed-down look on her Twitter page
In a previous interview, Kim Kardashian said that she doesn’t like to rely too much on make-up to look good.
Kim Kardashian said: “Make-up is fun, but it’s just another accessory. I’m happy with myself, and this is who I am.
“As much as it’s fun to glam up, the most important thing is to be comfortable in your own skin- with or without make-up.”
Kim Kardashian’s sexy dressed-down photo came after she spent the evening with sisters Kendall, Kylie and Khloe.
Kim Kardashian's sexy dressed-down photo came after she spent the evening with sisters Kendall, Kylie and Khloe
Earlier in the night, Kim Kardashian had tweeted a picture of the family group, writing: “Family dinner tonight! I love my sissy’s!!!”
One person missing from the shot, however, was the pregnant sister Kourtney, with Kim Kardashian later tweeting her: “You were late to dinner! LOL.”
Costa Allegra, the Italian cruise ship left adrift in the Indian Ocean near Seychelles with more than 1,000 people on board following a power failure, has been taken in tow.
A French fishing vessel is taking the Costa Allegra to a small island in the Seychelles, where it is expected to arrive on Wednesday.
A fire in the ship’s generator room on Monday caused it to lose all power.
Costa Allegra is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia, which capsized off the Italian coast in January, killing 32.
The ship is being towed to Desroches island, near Alphonse island, at the south-west end of the Seychelles.
Once there the passengers will be disembarked to the one hotel on the island, and then await transfer by air to the main Seychelles island of Mahe.
That process could prove lengthy, since only planes with a capacity of 20 passengers can land on Desroches.
Tugs sent from Mahe were due to meet the Costa Allegra at around 09:00 GMT.
A French fishing vessel is taking the Costa Allegra to a small island in the Seychelles, where it is expected to arrive on Wednesday
The vessel has no air-conditioning or cooking facilities and an emergency generator powering the radio “could fail at any minute”, the Italian coast guard says.
Earlier, Commander Cosimo Nicastro, from the Italian coast guard, confirmed that the French-registered ocean-going trawler had reached the ship.
The ship’s owner, Costa Cruises, has stressed that the Allegra – which had been drifting about 32 km (20 miles) from Alphonse island – is steady and conditions are safe. No-one has been injured, officials said.
Costa Cruises says it is liaising with passengers’ families via their emergency contact numbers, and has reached two-thirds of them. Contact has been made with the relatives of all the crew.
Italian authorities have directed three merchant ships and another fishing vessel towards the stricken cruise ship.
Authorities in the Seychelles earlier said that a plane had flown overhead and reported that the ship did not appear to be in danger.
Costa Allegra is at the southern end of the seas that are vulnerable to attacks by Somali pirates.
The ship sailed with nine armed guards on board, and more are stationed on the French fishing vessel. Pirates in the area have never seized a cruise ship.
A government plane is also patrolling overhead.
Costa Cruises said that the ship sent out a distress signal when the fire broke out, and all passengers and crew not involved in fighting the fire assembled at the muster stations.
Most electric lights on board the ship are off as the batteries are being used to keep essential machinery going.
A spokesman said the situation on board was calm.
There are 636 passengers and 413 crew on board the Costa Allegra, which left Madagascar on Saturday.
It was due to arrive in the Seychelles on Tuesday.
Further destinations on its itinerary include Alexandria and Naples.
A facility on Costa Cruises’ website allowing people to track the Allegra’s position says that “data transmission is temporarily suspended”.
The company says the Costa Allegra received its regularly scheduled maintenance in dry dock in October 2011.
The Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio on 13 January.
The Concordia’s captain, Francesco Schettino, has been accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all those aboard were evacuated. He denies any wrongdoing.
Cissy Houston is said to be planning to visit the Beverly Hilton Hotel room 434 where her daughter Whitney died.
Cissy Houston, 78, apparently wants to see the scene of Whitney’s death in a bid to get closure.
Whitney Houston’s mother will make the pilgrimage to room number 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles where the singer was found dead on February 11 in the bathtub.
TMZ reports that Cissy Houston wants to make a “spiritual connection” with her daughter in the hope of coming to terms with her sudden death.
Cissy Houston will apparently pray while she is there and spend some “quiet, contemplative time”, TMZ claims.
Cissy Houston wants to make a “spiritual connection” with Whitney in the hope of coming to terms with her sudden death
A source said: “[She] won’t be at peace until she gets closure.
“It’s unclear when Cissy plans to return to the hotel room – but we’re told the visit will be soon … she’s currently planning out the logistics.”
Meanwhile, Whitney Houston’s cause of death is still under investigation pending toxicology reports.
Whitney Houston was laid to rest in her homeland of Newark, New Jersey, a week after she was found dead.
As a Certified Nutrition Specialist, I usually shock people with this fact… it’s true that there is a type of healthy natural trans fat that actually helps you to burn off abdominal fat.
Sounds far fetched, but it’s true.
First of all, as I’m sure you’ve heard a million times by now, artificial trans fats in our food supply from hydrogenated oils are one of the most unhealthy foods (if you can actually call it suitable to eat) you can put in your body. Artificial trans fats cause everything from obesity to various cancers to heart disease, and more. They are pure evil, and everyone knows by now that this is a fact.
Stay away from artificial trans fats from hydrogenated oils at all costs!
However, what most people don’t know is that there is a specific type of natural trans fat (yes, it occurs naturally) that can actually stimulate fat loss and lean muscle building.
This specific type of natural trans fat actually occurs in the meat and milk from ruminant animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, venison, bison, kangaroo, etc. It is called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and is not only known to help prevent cancer, but is also a potent fat burner.
CLA is highest when these animals are grass-fed instead of grain-fed.
Now before you think that you can just buy the CLA supplements that you’ll see most supplement stores selling…
WARNING: Do not buy CLA supplements! The only form of healthy CLA is from grass-fed ruminant animals such as grass-fed beef, bison, lamb, etc. The CLA that’s found in CLA pills is an artificially created form that is a different isomer than the natural CLA isomer found in grass-fed meat or dairy. The CLA isomer in the pills is NOT a healthy form, and will not benefit you.
Only the CLA that you get naturally from grass-fed ruminant meats actually has health benefits and can help increase fat burning (particularly from stomach fat) and building lean muscle, which helps increase your metabolism.
While most trans fats (the artificial ones) will just make you unhealthy and fat, now you know that there actually is such a thing as a healthy natural trans fat that makes you burn fat instead!
If you liked this unique tip to burn belly fat with grass fed meats, I have tons more Fat Burning Tips here to give you a leaner, healthier body.
Enjoy… and good luck on your lean healthy body!
Mike Geary Author of the best-seller: The Truth about Six Pack Abs
A new study suggests that Neanderthals were already on the verge of extinction in Europe by the time modern humans arrived on the scene.
The study used DNA analysis which revealed most Neanderthals in Western Europe died out as early as 50,000 years ago – thousands of years before our own species appeared.
A small group of Neanderthals then recolonized parts of Europe, surviving for 10,000 years before vanishing.
The work is published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.
An international team of researchers studied the variation, or diversity, in mitochondrial DNA extracted from the bones of 13 Neanderthals.
This type of genetic information is passed down on the maternal line; because cells contain multiple copies of the mitochondrial genome, this DNA is easier to extract from ancient remains than the DNA found in the nuclei of cells.
The fossil specimens came from Europe and Asia and span a time period ranging from 100,000 years ago to about 35,000 years ago.
The scientists found that west European fossils with ages older than 48,000 years, along with Neanderthal specimens from Asia, showed considerable genetic variation.
But specimens from western Europe younger than 48,000 years showed much less genetic diversity (a six-fold reduction in variation compared to the older remains and the Asian Neanderthals).
A new study suggests that Neanderthals were already on the verge of extinction in Europe by the time modern humans arrived on the scene
In their scientific paper, the scientists propose that some event – possibly changes in the climate – caused Neanderthal populations in the West to crash around 50,000 years ago. But populations may have survived in warmer southern refuges, allowing the later re-expansion.
Low genetic variation can make a species less resilient to changes in its environment, and place it at increased risk of extinction.
“The fact that Neanderthals in Europe were nearly extinct, but then recovered, and that all this took place long before they came into contact with modern humans, came as a complete surprise,” said lead author Love Dalen, from the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.
“This indicates that the Neanderthals may have been more sensitive to the dramatic climate changes that took place in the last Ice Age than was previously thought.”
Neanderthals were close evolutionary cousins of modern humans, and once inhabited Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. The reasons behind their demise remain the subject of debate.
The appearance of modern humans in Europe around the time of the Neanderthal extinction offers circumstantial evidence that Homo sapiens played a role. But changes in the climate and other factors may have been important contributors.
“The amount of genetic variation in geologically older Neanderthals as well as in Asian Neanderthals was just as great as in modern humans as a species,” said co-author Anders Gotherstrom, from Uppsala University.
“The variation among later European Neanderthals was not even as high as that of modern humans in Iceland.”
The researchers note that the loss of genetic diversity in west European Neanderthals coincided with a climatic episode known as Marine Isotope Stage Three, which was characterized by several brief periods of freezing temperatures.
These cold periods are thought to have been caused by a disturbance of oceanic currents in the North Atlantic, and it is possible that they had a particularly strong impact on the environment in Western Europe, note the researchers.
Over the last few decades, research has shown that Neanderthals were undeserving of their brutish reputation.
Researchers recently announced that paintings of seals found in caves at Nerja, southern Spain, might date to 42,000 years – potentially making them the only known art created by Neanderthals. However, this interpretation remains controversial.
808 Pureview, the 41-megapixel Nokia smartphone using Symbian, was among the new technology on show during the opening day of Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.
Nokia 808 Pureview offers enhanced low-light performance as well as sophisticated image compression designed to help users share pictures.
Nokia hopes to regain ground lost to Google and Apple in the mobile market.
However, some have criticized Nokia’s decision to use its own operating system, Symbian, on the device.
Nokia’s other smartphones typically run on Microsoft’s Windows Phone software.
Symbian, which first appeared on Nokia phones in the 90’s, is widely regarded as inferior to the app and social media-driven Windows Phone system.
“The Pureview 808’s Symbian Belle operating system might detract from its appeal to a broader market, where it deserves recognition,” said Tony Cripps, a principal analyst with Ovum.
“It’s a pity that Nokia was unable to combine the photographic prowess of the PureView 808 with the style of the Lumia 900.
“Such a device may well have been the first smartphone to truly deserve the title of <<superphone>>.”
Nokia claims the 808 Pureview sets a “new industry standard” in mobile imaging devices.
“People will inevitably focus on the 41 megapixel sensor,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice-president of Nokia smart devices.
“But the real quantum leap is how the pixels are used to deliver breathtaking image quality at any resolution and the freedom it provides to choose the story you want to tell.”
Nokia 808 Pureview offers enhanced low light performance as well as sophisticated image compression designed to help users share pictures
Also on show were new models in the company’s Lumia range – including the 610, a cheaper device aimed at a “younger audience”.
Nokia also announced it plans to make the Lumia available in China “in the coming months”.
Nokia’s chief executive Stephen Elop said that introducing the cameraphone and entry-level smartphone were “the actions necessary to improve the fortunes of Nokia”.
Once the mobile world’s dominant player, Nokia has struggled to compete as sales of Google and Apple devices have soared in recent years.
Last month Nokia announced it was to stop manufacturing mobile phones in Europe, instead relocating to Asia at a cost of 4,000 jobs.
Jessica Simpson stepped out in Beverly Hills, California, wearing a long dress with a pair of very high heels and showed no signs of slowing down despite preparing for the birth of her first child.
Heavily pregnant Jessica Simpson, 31, needed her assistant to carry their bags as she shopped at Saks Fifth Avenue for a few items before heading home.
Dressed in a long red dress Jessica Simpson wore a pair of brown peep-toe platform shoes as she strutted down the street.
The mother-to-be said last year that she has no intention of taking the weight off her feet and vowed to continue wearing high heeled shoes whenever she could.
Jessica Simpson stepped out in Beverly Hills with a pair of very high heels and showed no signs of slowing down despite preparing for the birth of her first child
Jessica Simpson joked to Us Weekly: “I’m probably going to deliver my baby in these [4-inch YSL heels].”
However, even with the dangerously high footwear, Jessica Simpson seemed comfortable as she continued handing her assistant her shopping bags.
Jessica Simpson is engaged to NFL player Eric Johnson and the pair is due to tie the knot later this year.
They are excited about welcoming their first child into the world, and are no doubt wondering when that exact day will be.
Costa Allegra, an Italian cruise ship owned by Costa Cruises, with more than 1,000 people on board is without power in the Indian Ocean following a fire.
The Costa Allegra is adrift in the dark more than 200 miles southwest of the Seychelles, near Alphonse Island.
The ship is from the same fleet as the Costa Concordia, which capsized off the Italian coast in January, killing 32.
Costa Cruises said in a statement that the fire broke out in the electric generators’ room. It did not spread and there were no injuries or casualties.
Inspections of the state of the engine room are on-going, the company says.
Tugs and “other naval and aerial units” will reach the ship, which has sent out a distress signal, Costa Cruises says.
Commander Cosimo Nicastro of the Italian coast guard said that it took the crew a few hours to extinguish the fire.
Costa Allegra, an Italian cruise ship owned by Costa Cruises, with more than 1,000 people on board is without power in the Indian Ocean following a fire
Although the ship is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, there are “no problems for the passengers”.
However the ship probably needs to be towed to a Seychelles port, Cosimo Nicastro said.
There are no electric lights on board the ship as the batteries are being used to keep essential machinery going.
The Italian authorities have directed three merchant ships and two fishing vessels towards the stricken liner.
The authorities in the Seychelles say they have sent two tug boats, a coastguard ship and an aircraft to the scene.
The closest vessel to the ship is likely to reach the Costa Allegra at around 2300 GMT, according to AFP.
The first tug boat will not reach the location until 15:00 GMT on Tuesday, the agency reports.
There are 636 passengers and 413 crew on board the Costa Allegra, which left Madagascar on Saturday.
It was due to arrive in the Seychelles on Tuesday.
Further destinations on its itinerary include Alexandria and Naples in the Mediterranean.
Somali pirates are known to operate in the rough area where the ship is adrift, though they have never seized a cruise liner.
A facility on Costa Cruises’ website allowing people to track the Costa Allegra’s position says that “data transmission is temporarily suspended”.
Sean Young spent four hours in a police station after allegedly fighting with a security guard at the Governor’s Ball, the official Oscar party, last night.
Sean Young, 52, who hasn’t been in a major film since 2008, is said to have argued with a guard at the Governor’s Ball in Los Angeles.
The actress was placed under citizens’ arrest by another member of the security team then taken away by police and booked for battery.
And the divorced mother-of-two still appeared to be recovering from the partying as she gave a rambling interview after her release from custody.
Sean Young spent four hours in a police station after allegedly fighting with a security guard at the Governor’s Ball
Sean Young, who shot to fame in Blade Runner playing opposite Harrison Ford, has seen her career fade of late – to such an extent that she recently agreed to appear in the reality show Skating With The Stars.
Sadly her comeback did not last long as she was eliminated in the second show of the ABC series in November after falling onto the ice twice.
Sean Young was seen leaving a police station in Los Angeles at 1:45 a.m. on Monday and said the incident began as she was waiting to enter the party.
“I’m OK,” Sean Young told TMZ on being released from the police station.
“The Academy’s lawyer recommended that a private person’s arrest be made.
“I was standing outside the cord, waiting and seeing friends that were going up to the Governor’s Ball,” the actress told TMZ.
Sean Young said she was “carted off to spend four hours at the Hollywood police”, adding “shame on you (the Academy) for that”.
Los Angeles Police Sergeant Enrique Mendoza confirmed the arrest but wouldn’t give details about the incident or the alleged victim.
The Governor’s Ball is the official Oscar party and is held above the film award show’s venue, the Hollywood & Highland Theatre.
Sean Young posted bail of $20,000 early on Monday morning. An Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences spokesman did not immediately comment.
The incident is not her first issue at an Oscars after party. Sean Young tried to get into a Vanity Fair party by sneaking in behind Jennifer Aniston in 2006.
But she was escorted out by four guards when spotted by security.
Sean Young said of the incident in a recent interview: “It was degrading. But when you have nothing to lose, it’s really not that big of a deal.”
The actress shot to fame in 1982 in the sci-fi thriller Blade Runner. She then starred in hit films including No Way Out and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Sean Young, of Louisville, Kentucky, also had roles in TV shows including One Tree Hill and more recently daytime show The Young and the Restless.
She married Robert Lujan in 1990 before divorcing him 12 years later in 2002 – but they had two boys together, named Quinn and Rio.
One famous incident was in 1992 when Sean Young arrived at the Batman Returns set in a homemade Catwoman suit after she lost out on playing the part.
SeanYoung voluntarily went into rehab for treatment of an alcohol problem in January 2008, after she had struggled against addiction for many years.
