News Snippets

>> On August 5, colourful beach umbrellas along Italy’s sun-soaked coast were kept closed in protest against a government plan to auction patches of seafront. Although it is state property, access to much of the Italian coast has long been controlled by beach clubs. The beach clubs say the plan favours multinational companies and will put 30,000 beach business and 600,000 workers at risk.

No mermaid fairytale

A loud “oooooph” was heard as the giant surfaced, the sound loud enough to capture the attention of people across the shoreline. They saw a mermaid-shaped body gently skimming the surface of the water. A loud splash, and the animal disappeared into the deep blue, leaving a quizzical look in the eyes of the people.

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Astrophysics Star-eating monsters

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Technology Instant repair

Dwarfed by climate change

IF YOU thought climate change causes only sea level rise and intensifies natural disasters, think again. Several species of plants and animals are getting smaller over generations due to rising global temperatures and shifting weather patterns, according to a compilation of fossil records and studies by scientists of National University of Singapore. Though humans are not growing shorter, the trend could profoundly affect food security in years ahead, they warn.

Origin of child birth

THE mystery of what separated mammals that nurture their young ones for nine months from the marsupials and egg layers has finally been uncovered.

Science and Technology - Briefs

HEALTH Why you puke

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ZOOLOGY The real cost of bat loss

Earth on verge of mass extinction

THE earth is heading towards mass extinction if researchers at University of California (UC), Berkeley, are to be believed. The last time plant and animal species became extinct on a mass scale was 65 million years ago when dinosaurs perished.

Hit and run

HIGHWAYS passing through the protected areas of Bandipur in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu have been closed to night traffic in the past year. Reason: wild animals crossing the road are often hit by speeding vehicles. Theories abound on the effect roads have on animals: larger and more mobile species are said to be at higher risk as they use roads more often; species with lower reproductive rate and long life spans are more susceptible as once their populations dwindle, it takes longer for them to recover.