World News & Latest Information

Lacking in breast feeding costs billions of dollars

2010-04-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

If most new mothers feed their babies to breast feed during the first six months of life, would be an annual saving of about 1,000 lives and billions of dollars, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

"The United States 13 billion U.S. dollars of the cost of more than 911 per year to prevent suffering and deaths each year includes as our breastfeeding rates far below medical recommendations," the report said.

The World Health Organization says babies exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life "to achieve optimal growth, development and health to achieve." WHO is not alone in its recommendations.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention all agree that breast milk alone is sufficient for infants and children under 6 months old no.

However, a 2009 report card nursing by the CDC show that only 74 percent of women with breast milk, but 33 percent are still exclusively breastfed at three months and only 14 percent are still exclusively breastfed for six months.

Dr. Melissa Bartick, one of the new study co-authors, says most of the extra costs each year could be saved "as 80-90 percent of women exclusively breastfed for only four months, and if 90 percent of Women would sometimes up to six months to breastfeed. "Bartick landlady is a ruse - a doctor who specializes in treating hospitalized patients - Cambridge Health Alliance, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and mother of two children.

Bartick and his co-author Arnold Reinhold found that most of the extra costs due to premature deaths. Nearly all, 95 percent of these deaths are attributed to three causes: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), necrotizing enterocolitis, seen especially in premature babies and in which the lining of the gut dies and lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia.

Breastfeeding has been shown that the risk of these diseases and seven others studied by the authors of the study to reduce.

Bartick 10.56 million U.S. dollars estimated for each of the estimated 911 dead children. The researchers also direct health care costs and lost parental work time. They do not include the cost of formula, which is another additional cost to the mothers not breastfeed.

There are many factors that contribute to low rates of breastfeeding in the United States, and Bartick says that mothers should not be criticized because they receive conflicting messages, and often the lack of support since they were born Their children.

He says the top priority must be the performance of maternal health improvement. Bartick refers to the 2007 CDC survey of hospitals and birth centers, each marked structure to determine how well they comply with the recommendations to promote women to breastfeed.

According to this study, Bartick says, "Hospitals in the United States scored a 63 - that's a D."

Bartick said many hospitals delay urgent and immediate skin to skin contact between mother and child, who can make things difficult for the baby to act on his natural instinct to suck.

Mothers should also be better informed about the importance of breastfeeding and the need for appropriate support after leaving the hospital where the problems because the baby is not properly held on and still not enough to eat.

Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director for the March of Dimes, was not surprised by the findings of the report. Fleischman, who has worked on the study, says that as a new mother struggling with breastfeeding, you can go to a situation in which "suggests the grandmother of stupidity to stop in and Instead, the formula."

He believes that the mothers and grandmothers of young mothers should be educated on the benefits of breastfeeding, because for their generation, their children formula feeding was the norm.

TOYOTA sales gone up ...

2010-04-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

Toyota's U.S. sales in March and returned substantial discounts helped win back customers who were shocked by the amount of security companies, remember.
The Japanese carmaker has seen its U.S. sales jumped 40.7% last month from a year earlier. The sharp rise came after sales fell by 8.7% in February.
Ford and General Motors saw its sales increase last month, an increase of 39.8% and 20.6% respectively.
Chrysler, the third of the "Big Three" U.S. car manufacturers, saw its sales fall by 8.3%.
Toyota has sold over eight million cars worldwide recall because of problems with the 'accelerator and brakes.
"The strong March sales of Toyota performance of our customers have continued confidence in the safety and reliability of our vehicles reflects their confidence in the brand," said Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales USA.
"We are on our car, and we are grateful that our customers are from Toyota."
Toyota is the largest automaker in the world, both in terms of sales and marketing.
Nissan's U.S. sales increased by 43,3% in March, while 15,4% of Hyundai said.

YouTube is down due to relaunch

2010-04-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Now, those of us that are distractions to the Internet for a shot: If you tried to visit YouTube Wednesday night, chances are you've served with an error page. This came a week after another sharp drop in YouTube, Google said it was due to a technical problem.

No reason to panic. YouTube is a beautiful new road, according to an official blog post on YouTube.

YouTube, the video pages to change some new features including a revised interface and rating system library, a "/ dislike as a seaman on a star ranking system favors arrival.

This is a change of eight months in the process, according to Shiva Rajaraman, a senior product manager for YouTube. He says the new page is the result of a page of videos more and more disordered. "We have more features launched in 2009 compared to previous years combined, and the page got busy," said Rajaraman.

The change is intended to benefit not only consumers but also for video makers. "Uploaders began to complain about an experience that was not really suited to their content," said Rajaraman. Uploaders load a better experience with the new distribution.

But change can be scary, and YouTube is aware that making changes to a site that sees more than a billion page views per day can interfere. Chris Dale, a spokesman for YouTube said that evolution is relevant to the site. "We Have to keep the site fresh and keeps people busy, and I think if we sort of Blaze trails in the world of online video that we feel quite strongly that we want to maintain a new set of standards, and ensure that people used and to face new experiences, "he said.

In addition to new features, post, says the general appearance and functionality of the page the video is' cleaner, simpler and easier to use

So relax - you're back watching the children dancing to Beyonce in no time.

World cup will miss David Beckham

2010-03-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

The surgeon who worked on David Beckham has said it will be four or five months before he can even walk again and, ending all hopes for a place in England's team for the final world cup.

Beckham flew to Finland on Monday for surgery after tearing the Achilles tendon at the end of Serie A with Chievo clash on Sunday.

The former England captain arrived in Turku on a private jet on Monday, leaving the floor with crutches and heading to the hospital Mehilainen.

Earlier on Monday, was Dr. Sakari Orava said that the faint hope that the midfielder would be fit in time for the World Cup.

However, after 50 minutes of continuous operation the surgeon has confirmed that Beckham had suffered a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon, which means that its focus will now be a part of the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer season.

And there was a push by England manager Fabio Capello, who would say that he hopes to have the player back to the start of qualifying for Euro 2012 in September.

LA Galaxy general manager and coach Bruce Arena has ensured that will welcome Beckham returns to Major League Soccer Club and that he is still a key player for them.

Arena said: "Injuries are an unfortunate part of our game and are even more disappointing when a player has happened so close to realizing his dream of representing his country in the world of football this summer.

"David, we will give our full support to ensure that he is able to return to full health before returning to the field. David remains an important player for the Galaxy and we look forward to welcoming him back to the Club and help him in his recovery.''

AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has assured Beckham could return to the Italian club after recovering.

Galliani said: "I gave him a hug in the locker room and I told him that if he wants, he will be with us next year.''

Galliani has sung the praises of the surgeon Sakari Orava, adding: "He is a genius in his field.''

Chelseas coach Carlo Ancelotti is another who believes it is too early to speculate on the future of Beckham in the game.

"I'm so sorry for him because I wanted to know how the World Cup,''said Ancelotti." He came to Milan last year, mainly to achieve this goal, the quality of the English team for the show.

"I'm so sorry for him. I hope he's a good, rapid recovery and return to play. It 'too early to say that his career is over. He had a bad accident, but I hope to return to play. So far, he had a fantastic career and well, has shown great professionalism.''

BLACK JACKS are rocking ...

2010-03-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

Described by Rolling Stone magazine as "Africa's best new band," BLK JKS (pronounced Jack Black), and have a tour of six months in the United States and Europe.
Last years debut album "After Robot" is registered in the United States and published on the American label. Received critical acclaim for its sound eclectic, mixing styles, from prog rock and dub, with traces of the traditional rhythms of South Africa.
While their music has a charm in the world, the band says its roots firmly in South Africa. BLK JKS drummer and bassist grew up in Johannesburg township of Soweto, while the drummer and singer of the band grew up in 30 minutes in the East Rand district.
Although their fusion of styles is a creation of a movement outside South Africa, it took a while to accept their music in their home country, where four black musicians playing rock music is still a rarity.
"South Africa is still separated, so you have a situation where they are committed to a white audience and the white public is confused, and us for an audience of black and the public is confused. So is no easy crossover.
MCAT music but said the band is ultimately conventional, with their rock sound, based on "old rhythms."
Ramoba agreed that the traditions of South Africa in the middle of the music of the band. "The last song of the album is called Tselane, a story that we used to say when we were young, before we went to bed," he said.
Although the band toured throughout Europe and the United States say that their most memorable concert was in Soweto itself, where the dance of South African Kwaito music reigns supreme.
"In Soweto, if not like you, not like you. They will throw bottles," said Ramoba.
"I know of Soweto, the fact that an appeal to us is a huge thing. When we started to play at all only suspended and danced. It was the best."

Ivory and bluefin tuna, going to be banned for sale

2010-03-13T23:36:00.000-08:00

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species - will set a precedent, as the votes prohibit trading in a non-profit fish such as bluefin tuna.
The United States and the European Union back the proposal, but Japan is opposed.
Conservation groups are hoping for better protection of sharks, corals, polar bears, reptiles and amphibians.
Ivory and tuna are two potentially controversial issues.
International trade in ivory was banned in 1989.
But the countries that are considered well-managed stocks have elephants and reliable systems for monitoring the teeth three times been allowed to sell packages of securities.
But other African countries led by Kenya and Mali want a 20-year ban on all exports of ivory. They argue that the legal trade encourages poaching, which is increasing in recent years.
However, the organization Transportation - responsible for collecting data on illegal elephant ivory smuggling and murder - is proof that there is no evidence of a link.
Data from the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) shows that the rate of seizures of illegal ivory began to rise in 2004, well before the last-off sale of ivory is illegal in 2007.
And the precedent-off in sales in 1999, co-combined with the decline of the attacks.
ETI manager Tom Milliken argues that African governments want the ivory tide would do better to step up enforcement action against poachers and traders.
And China, the main market for illegal ivory, must continue to live on its promises to act against the gangs of smuggling, he said.
Otherwise, he says: "Arguments about the effects of the single sales will continue to focus away from the real issue, switching: to find a way to stop the flow of illegal ivory at the source."
The possibility of voting on the CITES ban on international trade in bluefin tuna increased significantly during the week, when - after months of disputes - the EU has decided to lend its support.
The block contains several nations with the fleet of tuna in the Mediterranean, the main motivation for fishing.
Conservation groups say the ban is necessary because the governments involved in the field has allowed overfishing to the extent that the survival of the species is in doubt.
They argue that a break in the fishery will ultimately lead to more catches.
"This is a crucial time to maintain - or the government here will vote for the conservation of tuna, or that commercial fishing interests to prevail, thus further overfishing and continuous decline of this iconic species,"
Japan has indicated that the log out of a trade ban, as it is right to do under the CITES regulations.
But, like any other nation fishing for tuna is gone with her, there would be no supply of tuna to be imported.
Conservation groups invite the European Union and the United States to ensure that other nations fishing for tuna, in particular the countries of North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea, not unsubscribe.
The CITES meeting will also consider a proposal by the United States' international trade in products derived from polar bears to prohibit.
Rapid melting of Arctic sea ice in recent decades has been the polar bear in the red list of endangered species.
Approximately 2,000 items are traded internationally each year, including the skin, skull, teeth and claws.
Although not considered the main threat to the species' survival, the United States considers the ban on trade would help and not violate the rights of indigenous peoples of a history of hunting polar bears and for meat skin.
Other proposals would see bans in some reptiles and amphibians, including three endangered iguanas from Mexico and seriously newt Luristan Iran.
Four species of sharks are also taken, such as red and pink corals from the Mediterranean Sea Corallium used in the trade of jewelry.

Apple's gonna release iPad

2010-03-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Apple iPad expected to be available in the United States on April 3, the company said Friday.
Wi-Fi models of the tablet-style computers up for sale, Saturday, while those with Wi-Fi and 3G will be released in the Mon
Customers can start pre-ordering of the iPad on the Apple online store on March 12.
"iPad is something completely new," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a posting Friday on the website of the company. "We are happy for customers to get their hands on this revolutionary and magical product and with their applications and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun than ever."
On January 27, the iPad is designed to act as a sort of "missing link" between your smartphone and laptop.
It is almost a 10-inch screen, runs existing applications from Apple Store applications and is available in 16-gigabyte, 32 gigabyte and 64 gigabyte versions. This is a half inch thick and weighs one pounds and half.
Rates start at $ 499 for a 16-gigabyte version, $ 599 for 32 gig and $ 699 for 64, Jobs said that the announcement of the glittering company in San Francisco, California.
The iPad will be released in late April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, Apple said in the post on his site.
The prices in these countries will be announced in April and iPad will be available in other countries by the end of the year.

Ice doesn't let ferries go ...

2010-03-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

Four ferries about 1,000 passengers have been freed from the heavy ice off the coast of Sweden and have returned to port Friday.

Arctic icebreakers winds hampered efforts "for the free ferry and at least 30 other ships from the clutches of the Baltic Sea on Thursday, according to Birger Knutsson, a spokesman for the Maritime Center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The area with the ice was worse bounded by the mainland of Sweden, the archipelago of Stockholm and the Finnish island of Aland, maritime navigation.

"It is much colder than normal in the southern Baltic Sea has been. But in the north, everything is normal, with normal levels of hockey," said Tommy Guard led the group at sea.

"However, the most affected areas, the icebreaker function normally were not able to handle the ice.

There was never any danger to the safety of the ship. But we have prepared us for the event, because the ice a lot of pressure on the sides of the ship port.

Effective diet plan by DNA test

2010-03-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

A simple DNA test can predict whether a person more likely to lose weight on a low-fat or low carbohydrate diet.

The results of the study of small size of 101 women showed that the best diet for their genes lost two to three times more weight than the rest.
The results are presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association.
Experts said the findings coupled with previous studies, but more work should be done.
The emerging field of "nutrigenomics" look at how food interacts with genes.
It is known that people react to certain nutrients differently based on their genetic make-up.
Lactose intolerance, for example, is more common in African and Asian people of northern European origin.
This study examined how people and got away with different genes at different weight loss diet.
The researchers, from Stanford University, analyzed data from 101 white Caucasian women who provided a DNA swab from their cheek cells.
The women had different diets for years. The diets were very low carb, low carbohydrate / high protein and low fat or very low.
The researchers divided the group into three genotypes, which they have described as a response to low-carbohydrate diet, diet low in fat and a balanced diet responsive genotype susceptible.
They found that a diet similar to their genotype lost 2-3 times heavier than 12 months compared to those of the 'wrong' food.
The researchers said their findings are preliminary and need much more confirmation before it can be used for commercial purposes.
British experts said that the study had looked at a very small number of people and it is unclear which genes were involved.
Professor Christine Williams, University of Reading, said: "This is a very interesting study - very small."
He said it would be helpful to a better understanding of what genes are involved to obtain.
"It fits pretty well with some of our studies show that some genotypes more than others react to certain types of fat, as diets high in omega-3 fatty acids.

McDonald and weight watchers

2010-03-05T23:05:00.000-08:00

Much to the dismay of nutritionists, meals approved by Weight Watchers would soon be going on sale in stores of McDonald's in New Zealand.

According to a joint statement the two companies, the agreement between each of the programs in the world, weight loss and the world's leading fast-food chain means that the Weight Watchers menu items at McDonald's will promote, like his fish sandwich and chicken McNuggets . McDonald's, in turn, receive the Weight Watchers logo on the menus.
"Our philosophy of Weight Watchers is that all foods can be part of a healthy and balanced diet that takes into account the frequency and portion control are," Emma Stirling, a Weight Watchers nutrition consultant, said in a statement. "We know that McDonald's is one of the largest New Zealand food and beverage vendors and a popular choice for New Zealanders, and we worked with them to humans when they eat out to help."

Nutrition information provided by showing that a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich has 380 calories and 18 fat grams. An order of six Nuggets Chicken contains 280 calories and 17 fat grams. But if a customer was tempted to add a large fries for one of the above items, of which 500 calories and 25 grams of total fat in the meal adds.

Own Weight Watchers Web 'site provides warnings on fast food, including a specific warning for sandwiches, such as the Filet-O-Fish.

"Avoid fish sandwiches, leaner sound, but in the hands of the fast-food restaurants, they soaked in fat unhealthy" their website states differently.

"It's all about sales," Jane Martin, senior advisor to the Australian Obesity Policy Coalition, told the Guardian. "It means that food is healthy ... where it is often high in fat and salt. Chicken McNuggets Chicken McNuggets as Weight Watchers or it does not. "

In the statement, Chris Stirka, director Weight Watchers "of the industry in Australia and New Zealand, called the partnership" unexpected ", but said the idea was part of a corporate philosophy that you can enjoy life and everything has to offer to reach your weight loss goals. "

Mark Hawthorne, CEO of McDonald's New Zealand, says the changes in the menu at fast-food chain has done business with Weight Watchers possible. "For example, the shift to a healthier cooking oil canola blend through the menu items, such as the Filet-O-Fish and Chicken McNuggets contain 60 percent less saturated fat they did six years ago.

'iShoe' dont let you fall

2010-03-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

Aiden had a nagging feeling that the death of his grandmother, who after a hard fall could have been avoided.
But the 30-year-old student at MIT and Harvard has more than fret. He tried to avoid something similar to other older people.
Lieberman-Aiden invented a high-tech soles with the elderly to help manage their balance before a catastrophic fall. His "Isho" sneaker soles track the patterns of the balance of a person with digital sensors. Battery insoles report data into the computer of a person walking and standing stability.
"The model of 'I'll go to my doctor every six months or once a year to get a check-up" is a kind of more the speed of a society in which people write long letters to each other for the three months to contact' he said. "Now the information can travel all over the place in real time. ... This model begins to affect even the medicine. "
Besides Ishoa, Lieberman Aiden was also awarded the prize for his work with colleagues to develop new technologies for 3-D models of the human genome, which he said was never done. Which does not end with search? Well, if you zoom in a bit, "he said, the genome resembles a twisted bundle of dough Ramen.
The 3 D modeling methods to help scientists understand why the cells with the same genetic sequence can function in different ways, he said. The answer lies in the macro-structure, allowing cells to certain parts of their genetic code and run.
As the Ishoa, Aiden Lieberman said he was frustrated after the death of his grandmother, but did not know what to do.
An internship brought him some answers soon. While working at NASA, Lieberman Aiden stumbled on a project in which NASA scientists trying to balance the astronaut in a low gravity environment analysis. Suddenly she made the connection. Maybe you can use a similar process to diagnose balance problems here on Earth.
The key to the balance of a person, it seems, is not so good on foot, but how well they stopped, he said. So Isho particular to take note of how much a person shifts his weight while standing. A person might well balanced weight shift every 40 seconds, he said, but a person with balance problems can be potentially dangerous weight-shift constantly, or every second.
The balance Isho spits out data that can be interpreted by physicians or by patients themselves can, he said. Using a Bluetooth connection to transmit information from the shoes of a person on one computer.
The invention is still search and development, but Aiden Lieberman said he expects the consumer to a product within a few years. He said he works with a company that manufactures the device, and that other manufacturers are exploring the idea, too.
Most of Lieberman-time Aiden these days has been busy working on his modeling of the genome project. He planned to graduate this spring with a degree in applied mathematics, health and science and technology. He also has a child on the street.

Twitter on BlackBerry now

2010-03-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

BlackBerry has submitted its official application Twitter offers users the most popular brand smartphones running on an iPhone-rival that now can only wish for.
The official blog, Research In Motion, BlackBerry, which has said it has already started to send some to try out Twitter for BlackBerry.
"The demand for Twitter for BlackBerry smart phones is designed to leverage the BlackBerry platform to a user experience that will be familiar both Twitter and BlackBerry smartphone users to create," reads the official blog Inside Blackberry.
The application will immediately inform the users of direct messages, send photos to TwitPic directly and twittering while reading the updates, rather than to another screen.
It will also provide direct shortening bit.ly URL filtering function and feeds based on searches and display the user's location.
While applications are not official, like Seesmic, Twitter and Twitter Uber Berry existence for a while ', this is the first official offer BlackBerry and early reviews suggest that a more complete package than what's on the market today.
"Exchange TwitterBerry for Uber Twitter was one of the best decisions I've ever done in my life, but also has its shortcomings," wrote blogger Kat Hannaford for the technology blog Gizmodo. "BlackBerry App Twitter neighbor looks heaps better, from design to actual usability."
The application is still in beta form, according to the blog BlackBerry. Only people who have received the invitation, can now use. But users interested in a part of its full beta-test you can apply for a part.
Research In Motion emphasis on the Twitter blog that the application at an early stage and asked for user feedback on what other features they want to see. Among those taken into account is geotagging, the ability to create lists and update user profiles and the ability to access multiple accounts.
According to Internet researcher ComScore, Research In Motion BlackBerry operating platform had a healthy advantage in the U.S. market in December, on nearly 42 percent of smartphones in the United States.
Apple, the iPhone has been a second place at 25 percent, followed by Microsoft at 19 percent, 6 percent of the Palms and the system Google Android to 5 percent.

Self empowered car --- amazing

2010-03-01T11:29:00.000-08:00

A car can run only on the power that the material on the roof or door, sustainable alternative to other eco-friendly driving solutions, say the researchers.
Scientists from Imperial College London working with the car maker Volvo on a draft of 4.6 million U.S. dollars to develop a new material that can store and discharge electricity in future hybrid vehicles.
"The car of the future could be attracted from its roof, bonnet or even the door, with our composite material," said Dr Emile Greenhalgh, project coordinator of the Imperial College London Department of Aeronautics and.
The prototype is made of fiberglass and carbon fiber material that allows you to store and discharge large amounts of energy. When the device is plugged into an electrical outlet, creating a flow like a normal battery would be. In essence, the machine operates as its own battery.
The material is a Supercapacitor, similar to those used in electrical circuits - and only in 10 to 15 seconds fully charged, according to scientists.
Has the weight reduction, the performance of future hybrid vehicles to improve. "If we total the weight of a car can reduce shall be possible to increase its top speed and accelerate faster," said Bismarck.
He added that the material in the future be used in other objects. "This is a phone that is as thin as a credit card, because it no longer needs a large battery or a portable computer that can draw energy from the package.
Current hybrid cars are in need of a large number of the batteries of the electric motor power, which means using more energy and batteries often need regular recharging.
This invention was also held good news for the environment. A lighter vehicle means "fuel cut reduces our carbon footprint," said Bismarck.
He added that the United States and British soldiers are "interested" in how the material can be applied to high power, reactive armor and weapons.
The university also plans to take the project further - looking at how the material can be applied to aircraft.

Gmail box in colours

2010-02-28T12:01:00.000-08:00

Box in red indicate e-mails from friends. Bright green labels to messages from e-mail lists. Notes of his family are encoded in gold. And leave the gray? Well, that is, of course.
Knichel is an engineer with Gmail, free email program from Google. And this system of color-coded messages is something he invented to save himself and the time to organize the 100 or e-mail he receives in a typical workday.
Until Wednesday, the color system was ranked by Google as a beta-phase feature in Gmail Labs, a company that refers to "a test of the experimental features that are not yet ready for prime time."
But now, along with five other features, the system Knichel graduated color fully a part-time Gmail. Meanwhile, Google has also declared a "funeral" for five Wednesday Gmail Labs features that were not popular in e-mail users.
The search engine such Gmail killed characteristics: snout, hidden messages with friends online, fixed width font, e-mail addict, which allows users the power to take a break, the position of the signature and the signature arbitrary.
This is not the first time that Google Labs graduate and a slew of features to test, because Gmail Labs was launched in June 2008 but the event did not emphasize the concept that Google says is the key to his success as an innovative company: to build products people create "D U.S. itself, such goods to the public as soon as possible, and make consumers feel that it is OK to break things.
"At Google, in general, philosophy is quickly things for our users and great promise," Leicht said Ari Berg, another Google engineer who developed the products of Gmail Labs. "Gmail is a beta app for a while, 'and that in itself kind of company we like is not too worried about getting something that can ruin a once in a while."
This is a bit 'in contrast with two recent releases of the Google products, Buzz and Wave, who met with an unusual amount of criticism.
Gmail users should choose to include the functionality of Gmail Labs, but Buzz is a social networking features that users of Google have been imposed.
Some feel their privacy has been violated, and a class action was filed against the company because of privacy concerns.
Todd Jackson, Gmail product manager, told Buzz should be treated differently from Gmail Labs, because the whole social fabric of a person should use the Twitter-like service that they are at work. Google has listened to feedback from users on the Buzz and some changes, Jackson.
In telephone interviews, three engineers at Google Labs in Gmail highlighted as an example of innovation agile.
Some features of Gmail Labs to take a couple of days, others months. Jackson said that the ideas often presented by a person, based on a particular e-mail problem they face, or in response to comments about online Gmail. And there is a limited process of approval, he said, which allows creative and controversial ideas to be tested.
Knichel, the engineer with the colorful in-box, said it has the automatic filters that most of its color-coded messages, as they are received.
He was glad to hear that your Gmail would be suitable full-time - even if only took a couple of weeks to create.

Earthquake in Chile

2010-02-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

The mortality rate has risen to 710 in 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile is a disaster, "unthinkable"
Thirty-six hours after the earthquake of magnitude 8.8, the distribution of electricity has remained a major challenge, said the president.
The earthquake hit before dawn Saturday, the fall of thousands of homes, 2 million people who treated a serious blow to one of the most stable economies in Latin America.
The Chilean Red Cross has reported that about 500,000 homes suffered significant damage from earthquakes.
More than 90 aftershocks were, ranging in size from 4,9-6,9.
Sunday morning, the growing fear of looting in some areas, including affected Concepcion, located about 70 miles (115 km) from Santiago de Chile central coast.
Desperate residents scrounged for water and supermarkets empty and damaged. Sunday morning, authorities have resorted to teargas and water cannons, in some cases distribute looters.
But there were not enough police to all people seeking food and supplies warehouses control. Some consumers are desperate, because the supermarkets were closed, and no fuel was available.
Looting is not only can be done by desperate residents, but by others who saw the chance to steal.
Besides food and essential goods, looters were taking electronics and appliance stores, "said Van Rysselberghe.
"This is the steal of everything," he said, advocating a strong military response to his city to restore calm.
Some small business owners resort to protect their stores with rifles and shotguns, and the current police was inadequate, he said.
For its part, the city government was distributing water from the main square, "said Van Rysselberghe.
The earthquake generated a tsunami that rode around the world, but initial fears that it would be as devastating as the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean not materialize.
Saturday earthquake is 700-800 times stronger than magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti in January, with 212,000 dead and more than one million displaced.
It happened at a depth of more - 21.7 miles - compared with 8.1 miles of shallow earthquake Haiti, which has contributed to much of the damage.
Coast of Chile has a deadly history of earthquakes, with 13 temblors of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1973, the U. S. Geological Survey said. As a result, experts say, the newer buildings are built to withstand the shocks to help.
Yet the damage from the earthquake in Chile on a large scale. A 15-story skyscraper near Concepcion collapsed, major north of the country, the highway to the south has been cut in several places, and the airport of the capital were closed after the terminal suffered severe damage.
Buildings in ruins, bridges and highway overpasses and roads were destroyed bent as crumpled paper. Battered cars were scattered on the roads, many of them rest on the roof.
Vivanco said he was waiting until the shaking stops out of 17 stairs at his home. At his house, like many others in the capital, is the exterior of the building low, where appropriate, the signs of damage, while the inside, things were a disaster.
In Concepcion, the sides of entire buildings were sheared off, and at least two structures caught fire. Emergency crews rescued 30 people from a collapsed building.
In the city of Constitucion, more than 60 bodies were found and placed in a makeshift morgue in the gymnasium of a local school, a federal official said the police.
Saturday epicenter was a few miles north of the largest recorded earthquake in the world: a magnitude 9.5 earthquake in May 1960 that killed 1655 and led to a tsunami that crossed the Pacific Ocean.
Bachelet said that the areas of disaster, like an emergency, making it the support areas. He noted that two of the largest hospitals in the nation had suffered structural damage, and patients to other facilities.
Two airlines, LAN and Cencosud, announced the temporary suspension of service.

Don't kill whales, scientists warn

2010-02-26T12:04:00.000-08:00

A century of hunting can be published more than 100 million tons - and deserves a large forest's - of carbon in the atmosphere, scientists say.

Whales store carbon in their huge body and when she died, much of this carbon could be released.

U.S. scientists have demonstrated their estimates of carbon released from whaling in Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, United States.

Dr. Andrew Pershing, University of Maine describes whales as forests "of the sea".

Dr. Pershing and his colleagues from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute has calculated that the annual carbon storage capacity of whales, as they developed.

"Whales, like all other animals or plants on the planet, are made of a sack of coal," he said.

"And if we kill and remove the whale from the sea, which is the removal of carbon from this system of storage and possibly to send into the atmosphere."

He stressed that, especially in the early days of whaling, the animals are a source of lamp oil, which was burned, releasing carbon into the air directly.

"This marine system is unique, because if the whales die [naturally], their bodies sink, so the Take That of carbon on the bottom of the sea.

"If you die where it is deep enough, will be [saved] from the atmosphere, perhaps hundreds of years."

Ocean trees

In their first calculation, the team that worked 100 years of whaling an equal amount of carbon combustion 130000 km squares in temperate forests, or 128,000 Humvees released for the continuous striving for 100 years.

Dr. Pershing noted that this is a relatively small amount compared to the billions of tons produced by human activities each year. But he said the whales an important role in the preservation and transport of carbon have played in the marine ecosystem.

Simply by leaving large groups of whales to grow, he said, could "sequester" the greenhouse gases at a level comparable with some of the schemes of afforestation which earn and sell carbon credits.

He suggested that such a system of carbon credits can be applied to whales and rebuild their stocks.

"The idea would be to a full accounting of carbon stocks can be stored in a warehouse fully populated with fish and whales, and which countries their share of fish, such as selling carbon credits," he explained.

"You can use these credits as an incentive to reduce fishing pressure or the maintenance of some of these species to promote."

Other scientists said it was an exciting and interesting question raised.

Professor Daniel Costa, a marine researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told BBC News: "There are many groups looking at the importance of these large animals in the carbon cycle.

"And it is one of those things that if you look, you think: 'This is so obvious, why do not we think that?". "

It is bigger better?

Dr. Pershing said that whales, with their enormous size, are more efficient than smaller animals to store carbon.

He used the analogy of a small dog than a big dog.

"6 pounds (2.7 kilograms of my wife) toy poodle eats one cup of food per day and my dog - a standard poodle 60 pounds - eat five cups a day to eat," he said.

"It is five times more food, but my dog weighs ten times as much."

Said that the idea of marine carbon credits can be applied to other large marine animals, including endangered bluefin tuna and white sharks.

Dr. Pershing said: "These are huge and they are top predators, so unless they are caught, they would probably take their biomass to the bottom of the sea

Microsoft shuts down global spam network

2010-02-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has won court approval to shut down a global network of computers which it says is responsible for more than 1.5bn spam messages every day.

A US judge granted the firm's request to shut down 277 internet domains, which it said were used to "command and control" the so-called Waledac botnet.

A botnet is a network of infected computers under the control of hackers.

The firm said that closing the domains would mean that up to 90,000 PCs would stop receiving orders to send out spam.

A recent analysis by the firm found that between 3-21 December "approximately 651 million spam e-mails attributable to Waledac were directed to Hotmail accounts alone".

It said it was one of the 10 largest botnets in the US.

Machines in a botnet have usually been infected by a computer virus or worm. Typically, users do not know their machine has been hijacked.

Microsoft said that although it had effectively shut down the network, thousands of computers would still be infected with malware and advised people to run anti-virus software.

The court order was part of what was called "Operation b49".

Along with intelligence organisation Shadowserver, the University of Washington and security firm Symantec, Microsoft managed to get a court in Alexandria, Virginia, to force Verisign, which manages the .com domain, to temporarily switch off the domains.

Microsoft said it was the result of months of investigation and described it as a legal first.

"This action has quickly and effectively cut off traffic to Waledac at the .com or domain registry level, severing the connection between the command and control centres of the botnet and most of its thousands of zombie computers around the world."

Hummer's demise a sign of the times

2010-02-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

Hummer's suffering is about to be ended.

The lumbering giant is being put down by patriarchal General Motors, the American motoring giant 61%-owned by the US government.

It is a sign of the times.

The former favourite of Moscow's moneyed, and the wheels once favoured by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, has been hit by a double whammy of tighter belts in some of its markets and a dramatic shift in public opinion in others.

Large gas-guzzlers are increasingly being shunned by frugal, environmentally aware, or simply fashion conscious punters eager to downsize their modes of transport.

As a symbol of conspicuous consumption, or of a lack of regard for the environment, the Hummer makes its owners look distinctly out of touch with the current public mood.

It seems even the Chinese authorities are steering clear of the beast.

"The brand proposition of Hummer itself goes against the strategic outline of the Chinese government, which is mainly that they want to produce energy-efficient vehicles," explains Klaus Paur, North Asia director for market research company TNS.

Which might go some way to explain why Chinese firm Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines pulled the plug on an earlier agreement to buy the brand, having failed to gain clearance from Chinese regulators.

The Hummer is arguably the most aggressive looking vehicle there is, and no wonder given that the original H1, launched 18 years ago, was based on the US Humvee military vehicle.

Later versions were less macho, but only marginally so. Its butch looks were key to the marque's image.

Driving a Hummer down the broad streets of Detroit is an experience, though what you get out of it depends on the strength of your nerves.

Seated high and mighty in a seat resembling a throne above a the Hummer's humming engine gives you a powerful feeling of being King of the Road.

Unless you are a mere journalist in a borrowed test car, that is, in which case the fear of hitting something, or even rolling straight over the odd low-slung Mustang, can easily make you sweat.

By the time you have managed to find a parking place wide enough you will resemble a genuine Desert Rat.

But as Hummer production seems destined to end it is also clear that the truck will be missed by its loyal crowd of fans.

Indeed, there are still people out there who are convinced the vehicle has a future and that a market remains for it.

And GM is still eager to hear from anyone who wants to buy the brand.

"In the early phases of the wind-down, we'll entertain offers and determine their viability," says GM spokesman Nick Richards.

So although it might be time to prepare for Hummer's funeral, it may well be premature to carve out its tombstone.

Whale attacked on its trainer

2010-02-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

The recent attack by a captive orca on its trainer at a SeaWorld facility in Orlando, Florida, has again raised questions about our relationship with these top marine predators.

No-one knows what triggered the latest incident, and experts agree that it is almost impossible to determine why the orca, called Tilikum, reacted as it did.

But it does highlight the tensions that occur when we choose to interact closely with these huge animals.

It is also debatable what to do with those orcas, also known as killer whales, that remain in captivity.

"They are highly social animals that tend to live in cohesive groups, so it's quite an artificial environment to capture them and put them in a small area," says Dr Andrew Foote, an expert on wild orcas from the University of Aberdeen, UK

"The tragic events are a reminder that orcas are wild, strong and often unpredictable animals," says Danny Groves, of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS).

Reports differ, but there have been up to 24 attacks by captive orcas on people.

Contrary to popular perception, attacks by wild orcas on people have also been recorded, though no-one has been hurt.

Researcher Chris Pierpoint of the Marine Mammal Observer Association was working in Antarctica when he once subjected to a rather sophisticated, planned attack by a group of orcas.

Wild orcas in the region cooperate to hunt by swimming together towards seals resting on ice floes.

As they do so, they create a bow wave that washes the hapless seal from the ice and into the water.

"Chris Pierpoint had that done to him when in a rib in Antarctica," says Dr Foote, though he wasn't thrown overboard.

"A famous incidence occurred in the 1960s when a surfer was knocked off his board, but he was fine, the whale didn't bite."

A couple of years ago in Alaska, a child swimming in the sea also described how an orca made a bee-line toward him, before aborting a supposed attack at the last minute.

One idea is that air bubbles in neoprene wetsuits can confuse the echolocation of orcas, so they do not realise that they are approaching a person.

But the scarcity of such attacks underlines the difficulty in pinpointing their cause.

"It's really isolated incidences. Killer whales live in cold water so they don't overlap with people much," says Dr Foote.

What the latest attack by a captive orca reveals is just how little we still know about the animals, in captivity and in the wild.

For example, we are only just glimpsing how intelligent orcas really are and the complexity of their society.

However, few insights come from studying captive whales, though some have helped reveal their acoustic behaviour.

"The science doesn't justify the captivity. One thing I would hope is that this unfortunate incident might lead to a considered discussion on phasing out these marine parks."

Giant predatory shark fossil unearthed in Kansas

2010-02-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

The fossilised remains of a gigantic 10m-long predatory shark have been unearthed in Kansas, US.

Scientists dug up a gigantic jawbone, teeth and scales belonging to the shark which lived 89 million years ago.

The bottom-dwelling predator had huge tooth plates, which it likely used to crush large shelled animals such as giant clams.

Palaeontologists already knew about the shark, but the new specimen suggests it was far bigger than previously thought.

The scientists who made the discovery, published in the journal Cretaceous Research, last week also released details of other newly discovered giant plankton-eating fish that swam in prehistoric seas for more than 100 million years.

But this new fish, called Ptychodus mortoni, is both bigger and more fierce, having a taste for flesh rather than plankton.

It may even have been the largest shellfish-eating animal ever to have roamed the Earth.

Dr Kenshu Shimada of DePaul university in Chicago, Illinois, US found the fossilized remains of the shark in rocks known as the Fort Hays Limestone in Kansas.

"Kansas back then was smack in the middle of an inland sea known as the Western Interior Seaway that extended in a north-south direction across North America," says Dr Shimada.

But this new fish, called Ptychodus mortoni, is both bigger and more fierce, having a taste for flesh rather than plankton.

It may even have been the largest shellfish-eating animal ever to have roamed the Earth.

Dr Kenshu Shimada of DePaul university in Chicago, Illinois, US found the fossilized remains of the shark in rocks known as the Fort Hays Limestone in Kansas.

"Kansas back then was smack in the middle of an inland sea known as the Western Interior Seaway that extended in a north-south direction across North America," says Dr Shimada.

Along with a piece of jaw, Dr Shimada and colleagues uncovered a piece of jaw, teeth and scales.

"Although it represents a fraction of the entire body of the shark, the jaw fragment is gigantic. The estimated jaw length was almost 1m long, and that would suggest that the shark was likely at least 10m in length," says Dr Shimada.

Due to the lack of a complete skeleton, it is difficult to gauge the physical appearance of the shark.

But Dr Shimada suspects it had a body shaped much like that of a modern nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), with a broad rounded head and stout body.

Actor Charlie Sheen enters rehab

2010-02-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

Actor Charlie Sheen has entered rehab and will be taking a break from filming his popular TV series, Two and a Half Men, his publicist has said.

It comes two months after the 44-year-old was arrested following a fight with his wife, Brooke Mueller, at their home in Aspen, Colorado on Christmas day.

He was later charged with assaulting and threatening her and is due to return to court on 15 March.

Mueller is also in rehab seeking treatment, her lawyer said.

'Personal matter'

Sheen's publicist, Stan Rosenfield, said the actor will "take some time off" from filming his TV series. Sheen's decision to enter rehab was taken as a "preventative measure," he added.

"He has asked that his privacy be honoured. No further statements are planned," Mr Rosenfield said.

He did not provide details on what type of rehabilitation facility Sheen had entered.

CBS and the creator of Two and a Half Men said in a statement that they "support Charlie Sheen in his decision today to begin voluntary in-patient care at a treatment centre. We wish him nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter."

They confirmed shooting would be temporarily suspended.

Earlier this month, Sheen was charged with menacing, misdemeanour assault and criminal mischief against his wife.

The menacing charge covers the alleged use of a deadly weapon in a threatening manner.

He could face up to three years behind bars if convicted.

Ocean robot 'plans experiments'

2010-02-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

Scientists in the US are using an underwater vehicle that can "plan its own experiments" on the seafloor.

The "Gulper AUV" is programmed to look for the information that scientists want and plan its own route, avoiding hazardous currents and obstacles.

The research team described this advance at the Ocean Sciences meeting in Portland.

The group explained how it could "train" the robot to bring the best science back to the surface.

Thom Maughan from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California was one of the engineers on the project.

He explained how the automatic underwater vehicle (AUV) used a piece of software called "T rex", which operates in a similar way to the software used to control Nasa's Mars Exploration Rovers - helping them to avoid obstacles on the surface of the Red Planet.

One main difference between the two pieces of software is that for the Mars rovers, the software ran in the control centre on Earth. With this marine vehicle, it runs onboard the robotic vehicle.

"You can tell it what to do before you put it in the water," Dr Maughan said.

"We tell it, 'here's the range of tasks that we want you to perform', and it goes off and assesses what is happening in the ocean, making decisions about how much of the range it will cover to get back the data we want."

Researchers at MBARI used the Gulper AUV to monitor potentially harmful algal blooms.

Kim Fulton-Bennett from MBARI explained: "We used to send out a ship for a full day every few weeks to manually take these measurements. Now we just take the AUV outside the harbour and send it on its way.

"About 24 hours later, it comes back, we hoist it on board, and download the data."

Latvian 'Robin Hood' hacker leaks bank details to TV

2010-02-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

An alleged hacker has been hailed as a latter-day Robin Hood for leaking data about the finances of banks and state-owned firms to Latvian TV.

Using the alias "Neo" - a reference to The Matrix films - the hacker claims he wants to expose those cashing in on the recession in Latvia.

He is slowly passing details of leading Latvian firms via Twitter to the TV station and has its audiences hooked.

The Latvian government and police are investigating the security breach.

Data leaked so far includes pay details of managers from a Latvian bank that received a bail-out.

It reveals that many did not take the salary cuts they promised.

Other data shows that state-owned companies secretly awarded bonuses while publicly asking the government for help.

The anonymous hacker claims to be part of a group - called the Fourth Awakening People's Army - that downloaded more than seven million confidential tax documents from the State Revenue Service. He is thought to be based in Britain.

Over a three month period they downloaded the private data of up to 1,000 companies.

Ilze Nagla, a TV presenter on the state-owned Latvian TV, told the BBC the hacker has attained cult status for some.

"A lot of people perceive him as a modern, virtual Robin Hood," she told the BBC.

"On the one hand of course he has stolen confidential data... and he actually has committed a crime. But at the same time there is value for the public in the sense that now a lot of information gets disclosed and the whole system maybe becomes a little more transparent," she said.

Latvia is currently in the middle of its worst economic crisis since it broke free from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Unemployment, at 23%, is the highest in the European Union and over the last two years economic output has dropped by almost a quarter.

Drugs 'could stop spread of Aids'

2010-02-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

Anti-retroviral treatments (ARVs) and universal testing could stop the spread of Aids in South Africa within five years, a top scientist says.

Dr Brian Williams says the cost of giving the drugs to almost six million HIV-positive patients in the country would be $2-3bn per year.

Only about 30% get the life-saving drugs, he said, but early detection and treatment would prevent transmission.

This, he said, should be complementary to the search for an Aids vaccine.

An effective vaccine, he said, was still a long way away.

Dr Williams, a leading figure in the field of HIV research, is based at the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (Sacema) in Stellenbosch.

Success story

Speaking at at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Diego, he said 30 million people around the world were infected with HIV - with two million dying each year.

"The tragedy is that the disease continues unabated. The only real success story is the development of these extremely effective drugs that keep people alive and reduce their viral load by up to 2,000 times. They become close to non-infectious.

"While the rapid scale-up in the provision of ART in the last five years has exceeded expectations, it has not reduced HIV-transmission and Aids-related TB because it has been given too late in the course of infection."

Dr Williams argued that by the time people started ART, they had infected "most of those that they would have infected anyway".

"We've been using drugs to save lives, but not stop the infection," he said.

"It's time to look beyond that."

He said that if clinical trials started now, all of the HIV positive people in South Africa could be on ARV treatment within five years.

Dr Williams said a few clinical trials were already beginning in the US, Canada and sub-Saharan Africa - and he hoped to have the answer "in one or two years".

Kenneth Mayer, professor of medicine at Brown University in the US state of Rhode Island, agreed that treating patients early with ARVs was a matter of "public health".

The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is planning a trial in New York and Washington - in districts that have an HIV positive population at a similar level to African epidemics.

"We need to get answers [from these trials] quickly. That will help us move forward," Dr Williams said.

"We could break the back of the epidemic. If we can do it, I'm confident it will work."

But Lisa Power, head of policy at the UK HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "We need to be clear; these proposals would very much slow the spread of HIV in areas with generalised epidemics such as sub-Saharan Africa, but they will not stop it by themselves.

"Alongside testing and treatment, education on safer sex and access to condoms remain crucial if we are to contain the epidemic."

Peru poison frog reveals secret of monogamy

2010-02-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

The first monogamous amphibian has been discovered living in the rainforest of South America.

Genetic tests have revealed that male and females of one species of Peruvian poison frog remain utterly faithful.

More surprising is the discovery that just one thing - the size of the pools of water in which they lay their tadpoles - prevents the frogs straying.

That constitutes the best evidence yet documented that monogamy can have a single cause, say scientists.

Details of the frog's sex life is to be published in the journal The American Naturalist.

"This is the first discovery of a truly monogamous amphibian," says biologist Dr Jason Brown, then of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, who made the discovery with colleagues Dr Victor Morales and Professor Kyle Summers.

The monogamous frog species Ranitomeya imitator, known as the mimic poison frog, is already known to science.

In recent years, Dr Brown and his colleagues have extensively studied many of its habits, which were filmed by the BBC natural history documentary series Life in Cold Blood.

After mating, a female mimic poison frog lays her eggs on the surface of leaves.

The male frog then takes away the tadpoles that hatch, carrying them one by one on his back to pools of water which collect in bromeliad leaves high up in the branches of trees.

Each of half a dozen babies are put into their own tiny pool, which he then looks after.

When the tadpoles become hungry, the male calls to his female partner who arrives to lay a non-fertile egg in each pool, which the tadpole eats as food.

But while the male and female frogs appear to act in unison, new experiments have revealed the extent of their fidelity.

Many animals appear to be monogamous, with males and females forming pairs that can often last a lifetime.

But the recent explosion in genetic analyses has revealed many of these so-called monogamous relationships to be a sham.

While many animals might stay together and breed, they will often sneak off and cheat on their partners when they get a chance.

So Dr Brown and his colleagues decided to check out the mimic poison frog more closely.

They sampled the DNA of many pairs of adult frogs, and the subsequent generations of tadpoles they produced.

Of 12 frog families, 11 had males and females that remained continually faithful to one another, together producing all their offspring. In the twelfth family, a male frog mated with two females.

"Others have found evidence of social monogamy in amphibians where parents remain paired, however they didn't look at the genetics of these couples and their offspring to confirm this," Dr Brown told the BBC.

"Or they have looked at the genetics and observed that they are actually promiscuous."

So that makes the mimic poison frog the first confirmed monogamous amphibian.

That contrasts with another closely related frog called the variable poison frog, which the mimic poison frog imitates, having a very similar colour pattern.

Genetic tests on the variable poison frog (Ranitomeya variabilis) by the researchers show it is promiscuous.

Further research by the team has also revealed why the two frogs, similar in so many ways, are sexually very different.

The variable poison frog lays its eggs in much bigger pools of water, five times as large on average than those used by the mimic poison frog.

Also, the female plays no part in their raising, leaving their care to the male frog only.

When the researchers moved tadpoles from both species into different sized pools, they found that the tadpoles grew quickly in the larger pools, which contain more nutrients, but could not survive alone in smaller ones.

That strongly suggests that variable poison frogs don't need to stick together, as their tadpoles can survive in larger pools without feeding from their mothers.

Mimic poison frogs have been forced to take a different path, however.

Their tadpoles cannot survive without the care of both their father and mother, as there is too little natural food in their smaller pools.

So the adult frogs stick together.

Overall, the researchers believe they have found convincing evidence of an evolutionary chain of causation: changing the breeding pool size forced the mimic poison frog to change its system of parental care, with males and females working together. That then culminated in social and genetic monogamy.

If the pools were bigger, the frogs wouldn't have to remain faithful, as they wouldn't be tied by their need to work together to raise their brood.

"These frogs are truly devoted to their offspring, and to each other," says Dr Brown, who is now studying at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, US.