Thanks for the info, Amelia!

Giant Rat Discovered in an Indonesian Jungle.

It is five times larger than the usual city-rat.

Read more at http://www.livescience.com/animals/071217-ap-jungle-rat.html

proton

Constituent particle of an atom’s nucleus whose electric charge is positive;
it is composed of two u quarks and one d quark.

neutron

Constituent particle of an atom’s nucleus whose electric charge is neutral;
it is composed of one u quark and two d quarks.

Brain Cells More Powerful Than You Think
By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay Reporter

posted: 19 December 2007 05:21 pm ET

Email (HealthDay News) -- "The human brain constantly sorts through its 1 trillion cells, looking for perhaps only one or a handful of neurons to carry out a particular action, a trio of new studies says." ....

more at: http://www.livescience.com/healthday/611029.html

The idea is that only a few or even only one brain cell is enough to modify behavior. So love, honor and cherish every one!

Planet-hunting space probe notches up four finds in first year

Thu Dec 20, 12:42 PM ET

PARIS (AFP) - Corot, a French-funded probe designed to detect worlds orbiting other stars, has found four such candidates in its first year of operation, its mission chiefs said here on Thursday.

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Data sent back by the 170-million-euro (244-million-dollar) spacecraft has yielded two confirmed finds of so-called exoplanets and two probable finds, they told a press conference.

"Corot is performing exceptionally well," said the programme's director of science, Annie Baglin, of the Paris-Meudon Observatory.

Pronounced "coro," the unmanned craft lifted off on December 27, 2006 from a Russian base in Kazakhstan, bearing a 30-centimetre (12-inch) telescope and two cameras.

Its prime goal is to look for planets that are made of rock rather than gas, which is the first requirement along with liquid water and a moderate temperature for life as we know it.

The first exoplanet was spotted in 1995 by astronomers at the Geneva Observatory, who inferred its existence from light from the neighbouring star that "wobbled" in response to the passing planet's gravitational pull.

So far, 221 exoplanets have been detected, according to the US tallykeeper (http://exoplanets.org/), although the Corot mission officials said the latest total was 270.

Almost all of the finds have been of uninhabitable gas giants, rather than solid planets.

And they orbit at ranges that are outside the so-called "Goldilocks zone," where the temperature is not too hot, not too cold, but just right to let liquid water exist.

The two confirmed finds by Corot, called Corot-exo-1b and Corot-exo-2b, both fall into the gas giant category, but one of the "probables" could be a rocky planet if preliminary calculations of its density are confirmed.

Scientists Weigh Stem Cells’ Role as Cancer Cause

This might change the whole course of cancer research.

more at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/science/21stem.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Full Moon Meets Mars
By Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
20 December 2007 06:30 am ET

"If skies are clear in your area on Sunday night, Dec. 23, you'll be able to partake in a rather unusual sight as the full moon appears to glide very closely above the planet Mars.

"Mars, which made its closest approach to the Earth on Dec. 18, will be only hours from a Christmas Eve opposition with the sun and is now shining prominently with a bright yellow-orange glow."

more at: http://www.livescience.com/space/spacewatch/071221-ns-mars-moon.html

Orphanages Stunt Mental Growth, a Study Finds
By BENEDICT CAREY

"Giving credence to the long-held belief that orphanages stunt children’s mental development, a study shows that infants placed with foster families have higher I.Q.’s on average than those who remain in institutions. . .

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/health/21cnd-foster.html?ref=science

From Scientific American Magazine:

News - December 19, 2007

Evolving Bigger Brains through Cooking: A Q&A with Richard Wrangham

"Our intelligence has enabled us to conquer the world. The secret for the big brains, says biological anthropologist Richard Wrangham, is cooking, which made digestion easier and liberated more calories."
By Rachael Moeller Gorman

read the interview here with Mr. Wrangham, director of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project since 1987 in Western Uganda: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=evolving-bigger-brains-th

The Scientific way to fall in love! Don't worry if you never know what to say to your date. There are more important things than words psycologists have found.

"It’s not what you say...

Psychologists have shown it takes between 90 seconds and 4 minutes to decide if you fancy someone.

Research has shown this has little to do with what is said, rather

55% is through body language

38% is the tone and speed of their voice

Only 7% is through what they say.

found at http://www.youramazingbrain.org/lovesex/sciencelove.htm

check it out