Photos: Kilauea Lava Reaches the Sea









































































































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Kate Middleton Is Pregnant, in Hospital













Kate Middleton is pregnant.


The most eagerly awaited pregnancy was announced today by St. James Palace on behalf of Middleton and her husband Prince William.


The child, whether boy or girl, will eventually be heir to the British throne according to new legislation awaiting final approval.


The duchess was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital today in central London with hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute morning sickness which requires supplementary hydration and nutrients, the palace said.


Prince William is by his wife's side at the hospital, according to Britain's Press Association.


Click here for photos of Kate through the years.


"As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter," the statement said.


The royal family was clearly delighted with the news.


"Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby," the palace said in a statement today. "The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news."


British Prime Minister David Cameron also reacted to the big news, telling BBC, "It's absolutely wonderful news and I'm sure everyone around the country will be celebrating with them tonight."


The prime minister told BBC that he found out when "I was handed a note in a meeting. And I have to say, it was difficult to keep it a secret."


The baby will be the queen's third great-grandchild.






Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images











Kate Middleton Pregnant, Admitted to Hospital Watch Video









Click here to vote for a royal name for a royal baby.


Robert Lacey, author of the definitive book "Majesty" said, "The British public and indeed the whole world will be delighted for the same, it keeps the monarchy going. The royal wedding brought a magic back to the monarchy and people are fascinated by William and Catherine."


The announcement follows relentless public and media speculation about when Prince William and his wife would have an heir. The guessing game began almost immediately after the couple said, "I do."


Click here for an interactive look at William and Kate's love story.


Tabloids began snapping close-ups of Middleton's stomach for any indication of a baby bump. Baby rumors abounded when the duchess held a baby at a press event and when she declined peanut butter at another event. British physicians are known to warn women against eating peanuts during pregnancy. When the couple got a dog, Lupo, headlines wondered if they were practicing for another addition to the family.


Click here for more on royal heirs around the world.


The palace, which rarely comments on speculation, took the unusual step of saying, "We would be the ones to make the announcement, not Hollywood."


"It is quite strange reading about it, but I try not to let it bother me," Prince William said in an interview with ABC News' Katie Couric in May 2012. "I'm just very keen to have a family and both Catherine and I are looking forward to having a family in the future."


Asked by Couric if there was anything else he wanted to share, he coyly answered, "You won't get anything out of me. Tight lipped."


Due to a dramatic change in the rules of succession, the royal couple's first-born will likely be the heir to the throne, regardless of the baby's gender.


Last year, the heads of 16 Commonwealth countries agreed to a change in the rules of succession so that first-born children of either gender can take the throne. Queen Elizabeth II was only eligible to be monarch because her father had no male children. The British Parliament must still amend existing law to make the succession change official.


"Put simply, if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were to have a little girl, that girl would one day be our queen," British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters in 2011.


Royal babies have typically been born within one year of marriage. Princess Diana gave birth to William just 11 months after her wedding and the queen gave birth to Prince Charles six days before her first wedding anniversary.


Prince William and Kate were married on April 29, 2011.


William, who has long been known for making privacy a priority, will now be faced with the inevitable fascination with his first child. And the scrutiny will doubtless be familiar to him.






Read More..

Tiny tug of war in cells underpins life









































TUG of war could well be the oldest game in the world. Cells use it for division, and now researchers have measured the forces involved when an amoeba plays the game.












Hirokazu Tanimoto and Masaki Sano at the University of Tokyo, Japan, studied what happens during the division of Dictyostelium - a slime mould that has barely changed through eons of evolution. The amoeba uses tiny projections or "feet" to gain traction on a surface.












The pair placed the amoeba on a flexible surface embedded with fluorescent beads. They used traction force microscopy to measure how the organism deformed the pattern of beads: the greater the deformation, the greater the force.












Dictyostelium normally exerts a force of about 10 nanonewtons when it moves, but the pair found this roughly doubles during division. That's because the cell uses its feet to pull itself in opposite directions, as if playing tug of war with itself.












The forces involved are about 100 billion times smaller than those used in the human form of the game, Tanimoto says (Physical Review Letters, in press).


















































If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.




































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If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.








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Football: Norwich beat Sunderland to extend unbeaten run






NORWICH, United Kingdom: Norwich City extended their unbeaten run to eight Premier League games with a 2-1 win at home to Sunderland on Sunday that left the visitors just a point above the relegation zone.

Goals from Sebastien Bassong and Anthony Pilkington put Norwich 2-0 up and although Craig Gardner replied before half-time, Martin O'Neill's side could not find an equaliser despite a spate of second-half opportunities.

Sunderland remain one place above the bottom three, albeit with a game in hand on most of the teams around them, while Chris Hughton's Norwich climb one place to 12th.

Beaten only once in their previous seven home games, Norwich began brightly at Carrow Road and went ahead in the eighth minute.

Robert Snodgrass' inswinging free-kick glanced off the arm of Sunderland defender Carlos Cuellar and into the path of Bassong, who charged in to volley past Simon Mignolet from close range.

Sunderland threatened through Danny Rose, whose low strike from a corner forced a smart save from Mark Bunn, but in the 37th minute, the hosts doubled their lead with a neat goal.

Bradley Johnson's pass released Pilkington and he showed excellent composure to flick the ball inside Cuellar before curling a shot into the bottom-right corner.

Sunderland were floundering, but they grabbed a lifeline on the cusp of half-time when Gardner beat Bunn with a 20-yard shot from Adam Johnson's lay-off.

Pilkington stung Mignolet's palms with an ambitious volley early in the second half but Sunderland were soon pressing their hosts back in search of an equaliser.

Their best chance arrived just before the hour, with defender Matt Kilgallon spooning the ball over an open goal from 10 yards after Gardner's swerving 25-yard free-kick came back off the post.

Javier Garrido then had to hack a Gardner effort clear from just in front of the Norwich goal, while Bunn saved from Stephane Sessegnon, who also flashed an overhead kick wide.

Sunderland substitute Connor Wickham, a half-time replacement for injured top scorer Steven Fletcher, then had the ball in the net, only for his celebrations to be cut short by the assistant referee's flag.

- AFP/fa



Read More..

Kids, here's 3D proof that Santa exists



See, he's coming.



(Credit:
NORADTracksSanta/YouTube Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)


Dear Children of the World,


I have a very important message for you.


A few days ago, a man in Kingston, Ontario, (look it up) turned up at the annual Santa Claus parade and began shouting that Santa doesn't exist.


I know, I know. He must have been a really, really mean man. Or just really crazy. Or he'd been at Dad's tequila.


You'll be pleased to know that he was arrested. However, I wonder if some of you might have lost a little sleep, scared that maybe Santa was really Uncle Jim in a silly red suit -- or, worse, an invention of a marketing company.


So I'm here to bring you good news: living proof that Santa is real and lives far, far away.


You see, from Christmas Eve at 2 a.m. EST (that's Eastern Santa Time), you'll be able to use 2D and 3D tracking maps to follow Santa's progress, as he descends among us, loaded with
iPad Minis,
Nokia Lumia 920s and two BlackBerrys for Auntie Janice the actuary.


All you have to do is go to NoradSanta.org and pan and zoom around Santa's incredible journey.



More Technically Incorrect



This amazing service is brought to you in conjunction with Analytical Graphics, whose very clever people really want you to get a complete picture of Santa, so that no miserable Canadian can never again try to tell you he doesn't exist.


Those of you whose dads and moms work at Google and Apple (so you hardly ever see them) will be wondering how these clever people can track Santa all the way from the North Pole.


Well, NORAD has placed Santa Cams all over the world, so that you will never, ever miss a thing.


Some of you -- the really insistent ones who can't help asking questions -- will be wondering who these NORAD people are.


You know that lovely song "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"? Yes, the one recorded by everyone from Mariah Carey to Justin Bieber to Bruce Springsteen.


Do you remember how the song begins: "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why"?


Well, NORAD are the people who, every day of the year, sing to the rest of the world: "You'd better watch out."


Read More..

Photos: Kilauea Lava Reaches the Sea









































































































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Geithner on Fiscal Cliff: Ball Is in GOP's Court


abc timothy geithner jp 121130 wblog Timothy Geithner on the Fiscal Cliff: The Ball Is in the GOPs Court

(ABC News)


With the fiscal cliff looming and no deal to resolve it in sight, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner expressed confidence that a compromise could be reached during my interview with him on “This Week,” but said the burden is now on Republicans to help find a solution to avoid a potential economic crisis.


(More from Sunday’s show HERE.)


“I actually think that we’re gonna get there. I mean, you know, just inevitably gonna be a little political theater in this context,” Geithner said, when asked whether Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell laughed after hearing President Obama’s plan to avert the fiscal cliff. ”Sometimes that’s a sign of progress. Think we’re actually making a little bit of progress, but we’re still some distance apart.”


Echoing widespread Republican rejection of the White House’s proposal last week, House Speaker John Boehner said after meeting with Geithner that ” the White House has to get serious.”


“And at this point though — you gotta recognize that they’re in a very difficult place. And they recognize they’re gonna have to move on a bunch of things.  But they don’t know really how to do it yet. And how to get support from the — from the members on the Republican side,” he said, adding later that the proverbial ball was “absolutely” in the GOP court. “And, you know, when they come back to us and say, ‘We’d like you to consider this.  And we’d like you to consider that,’ we’ll take a look at that.”


Geithner — who met with top GOP leaders this week to present the White House’s proposal to end the fiscal standoff — predicted support from “the business community” and “from the American people” for a deal approximating the one being offered, which reportedly includes tax hikes on the wealthy, cuts to Medicare and some stimulus spending.


However, if there is no agreement by the end of the year, the treasury secretary told me going over the cliff would be “very damaging.”


“Look, there’s a huge amount at stake here in this economy, George.  And there’s just no reason why 98 percent of Americans have to see their taxes go up because some members of Congress on the Republican side want to block tax rate increases for 2 percent of the wealthiest Americans.  Remember, those tax rates, those tax cuts, cost a trillion dollars over 10 years,” he said.


Geithner said the White House plan offered a “good mix” of increased taxes and spending cuts. He also added that Social Security reform would not be part of the discussion to resolve the fiscal cliff.


“We think we have a very good plan, a very good mix of tax reforms that raise a modest amount of revenue on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, combined with very comprehensive, very well designed, very detailed savings that get us back to the point where our debt is stable and sustainable,” he said. “We’re prepared to, in a separate process, look at how to strengthen Social Security.  But not as part of a process to reduce the other deficits the country faces,” he said.


Finally, with Geithner wrapping up his time in the president’s cabinet, I asked him if banking executive Jamie Dimon – who has  billionaire Warren Buffett’s endorsement — should be named the next treasury secretary, but Geithner declined to answer directly.


“George, the president’s gonna choose somebody very talented to lead the Treasury for his next four years.  And– I’m very fortunate I’ve been able to work with him to help solve these problems in the country over this period of time.  And I’m very confident he’s gonna have somebody in place– in January to succeed me,” he said.


Like “This Week” on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.


Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com

Read More..

Weaver ants help flowers get the best pollinator









































MOST flowers don't want pesky ants hanging around scaring away would-be pollinators. Not so the Singapore rhododendron - the first flower found to recruit ants to chase poor pollinators away.












Francisco Gonzálvez at EEZA, the arid zone experimental station in Almeria, Spain, and colleagues studied flowers frequented by large carpenter bees (Xylocopa) and a much smaller solitary bee, Nomia. The larger bees seemed to be better pollinators - setting far more fruit than the smaller bees.












The team found that Nomia avoided plants with weaver ant patrols, and when they did dare to land, were chased away or ambushed by the ants. Being so much bigger, carpenter bees weren't troubled by the ants (Journal of Ecology, DOI:10.1111/1365-2745.12006).












Plants usually produce chemical repellents to scare off insects that prey on their pollinators. But lab tests suggested Gonzálvez's flowers were actively attracting weaver ants, although how remains a mystery. The team thinks carpenter bees choose flowers with ants so they don't have to compete with Nomia.












Michael Kaspari of the University of Oklahoma in Norman says this is a new kind of plant-ant interaction, and that the team makes a "strong case" for the rhododendron manipulating the behaviour of weaver ants to ward off inefficient pollinators.


















































If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.




































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Football: Defoe double fires Spurs into fourth






LONDON: Jermain Defoe bagged a brace as Tottenham cruised to a 3-0 win against Fulham that lifted the north London club into fourth place in the Premier League on Saturday.

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas this week claimed Defoe is as good as Colombia star Radamel Falcao, the Atletico Madrid striker regarded as one of the world's best forwards, and the England international repaid that compliment with a clinical display at Craven Cottage.

Defoe, 30, took his goal tally for the season to 12 with a pair of cool finishes in the second half after Brazilian midfielder Sandro broke the deadlock soon after the break.

Tottenham's third successive win means Villas-Boas' team are level with third-placed Chelsea, but injuries to Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson may have taken some of the gloss off the win for the former Chelsea coach.

Steve Sidwell threatened for Fulham in the early stages, but French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris charged off his lane to collect before the midfielder had a chance to shoot.

Ashkan Dejagah set up Kerim Frei as the hosts pressed again, but the opportunity was squandered by a poor finish.

Villas-Boas was forced into an early change when Dawson was injured while clearing a cross, then, not for the first time this season, Wales winger Bale was booked for diving.

Mladen Petric muscled Sandro off the ball and found Sidwell as Fulham pushed for an opener just after the break, but he dragged his shot wide.

After a slow start, Spurs took the lead in the 55th minute when Sandro collected Mousa Dembele's pass and carried the ball forward before unleashing a powerful 30-yard drive that beat Mark Schwarzer via a post.

Bale surged onto Defoe's pass moments later, but Australian goalkeeper Schwarzer saved well.

That proved to be Bale's last contribution as he hobbled off with a hamstring problem. Fortunately for Spurs, Defoe was able to ensure Bale wasn't missed.

In the 72nd minute, he took Gylfi Sigurdsson's pass in stride and he made no mistake with a close range finish.

Five minutes later, former Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey's defence-splitting pass allowed Defoe to race through and fire beyond Schwarzer to complete the win.

- AFP/fa



Read More..

The real joy of the Powerball Facebook fake



Trick or treat?



(Credit:
Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)


It's the weekend.


You'll be thinking about going to a movie, or the theater, or a museum perhaps.


I have an alternative suggestion. Sit down and go to the Facebook page of Nolan Daniels.


Within 24 hours, Daniels (if that is his real name) has become one of the world's more famous people.


He put up a photo of himself with what was supposedly a winning Powerball ticket and offered $1million to a random sharer of his photo.


As I'm writing this, more than 1.7 million people have shared it. You know, on a just-in-case basis.


Which is what makes this a true cultural phenomenon. Before going to your local museum today to view artifacts from an age of stone or military brass, please spend some time going through the comments on Daniels' post.


For there you will see a fairly complete psychological picture of today's interesting world.


First, you might espy the critics. They point out that the ticket is obviously fake, as the numbers aren't in ascending order. Oh, and he got the price of the ticket wrong.


The critics are generally people who spend their days knowing what's wrong with the world and doing too little about it. To my unmathematical eye, they seem to make up at least 50 percent of the commenters.


Then you will find the beggars and liars. It is difficult to distinguish the two.


Take this from Anthony Rocco Sedalia: "My Family and I could use a million with getting evicted soon and water and power being turned off that money would HELP A LOt!!!"


Or this from Mittani R. Spruill: "I'm the random person to pick :-) My mom is filming a movie and needs $500,000. And me and my son want to build a school for underprivileged kids. And lastly, i want to invest the rest in my company. Pick me!!"


Are these people telling the truth? Or are they trying to kid a kidder?


Perhaps, though, the most astounding group of people can be bundled under the term "Naive, sweet, innocent, insane, nice folks."


A quite astonishing number of commenters offer Daniels nothing but good wishes.


Some admire his chutzpah in using such a simple ruse in order to become famous. Because they know that fame is the current currency.


Some, though, seem simply to wish him well.


This, for example, from Jenna Sasnett: "Congrats, Hope you have a wonderful life and time with the money and don't become a stuck up rich man. May god bless!"


Or this from Laurie Mannino Vickery: "Congrats to you. You have a heart of gold to give away money to a random person. Like your ticket...You are a rare find."



More Technically Incorrect



Yes, Daniels is clearly a rare find -- and for many of these posters, it seems that visiting news sites is a rare phenomenon. Daniels has been debunked as a fake many, many times in the last 24 hours.


But if you just go by the Facebook comments it's still hard to decipher the real from the not-so-real.


Are these people leaving sweet messages merely to be generous? Or do they believe that Daniels will cast his eyes and $1 million worth of sweetness upon the person who, in some way, moves him most?


Do they really generously wish him a happy life? Or do they generously wish him a happy life in the hope that he will show them generosity?


You can decide that Daniels' little prank is nothing more than that.


Or you can decide that this is a very high form of modern art. With one simple picture and caption, he has shown how difficult it is in our supremely connected world to make a connection between what we see and hear and what we can trust.


As many people as decry Daniels for being a fake, so there seem equally many (if not more) fakes attempting to dupe the duper into making their own lives easier.


When the aliens come to Earth to pick over our bones and carcasses, they will surely muse: "What a curious bunch of beings this lot were."


Read More..