BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Most complete Earth map published

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Most complete Earth map published: "The most complete terrain map of the Earth's surface has been published.

The data, comprising 1.3 million images, come from a collaboration between the US space agency Nasa and the Japanese trade ministry.

The images were taken by Japan's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (Aster) aboard the Terra satellite.

The resulting Global Digital Elevation Map covers 99% of the Earth's surface, and will be free to download and use."

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Gulls' vicious attacks on whales

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Gulls' vicious attacks on whales

BBC NEWS | Health | Right ear is 'better for hearing'

BBC NEWS | Health | Right ear is 'better for hearing': "If you want to get someone to do something, ask them in their right ear, say scientists.

Italian researchers found people were better at processing information when requests were made on that side in three separate tests.

They believe this is because the left side of the brain, which is known to be better at processing requests, deals with information from the right ear."

BBC NEWS | Europe | US family turned into advertising

BBC NEWS | Europe | US family turned into advertising: "A couple from the United States got a shock when they learned their family photo was being used, unauthorised, on an advertising poster in Prague.

Danielle and Jeff Smith used the photo as their Christmas card, and also posted it on an internet blog.

A friend travelling in the Czech capital alerted them when he spotted the Smiths smiling at him, life-size, from a poster in a supermarket.

The owner of the shop has promised to remove the image."

BBC NEWS | Health | Problems are solved by sleeping

BBC NEWS | Health | Problems are solved by sleeping: "Sleeping on a problem really can help solve it say scientists who found a dreamy nap boosts creative powers.

They tested whether 'incubating' a problem allowed a flash of insight, and found it did, especially when people entered a phase of sleep known as REM.

Volunteers who had entered REM or rapid eye movement sleep - when most dreams occur - were then better able to solve a new problem with lateral thinking."

BBC NEWS | Europe | Deep fried worms on Croatian menu

BBC NEWS | Europe | Deep fried worms on Croatian menu: "An eco-restaurant has opened in Croatia offering a range of dishes featuring earthworms as the main ingredient.

The restaurant in Zadar claims the earthworms, which are farmed on site, are high in protein and low in fat making them highly nutritious.

Dishes on offer include soup enriched with earthworms, deep fried worms and earthworm cheesecake."

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Tourist clings to Australia train

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Tourist clings to Australia train: "A teenaged American tourist says he spent two hours clinging to the side of a long-distance train as it sped across the Australian outback in the night.

Chad Vance said he had to leap onto The Ghan as it left the station at Port Augusta, South Australia, after he had disembarked during a 40-minute stop.

He became cold and tired as the train reached speeds of up to 110km/h (68mph) on the journey to Alice Springs.

Engineer Marty Wells finally heard his yells and applied the emergency brake.

Mr Vance, quoted in the Herald Sun, said: 'I feel very lucky to be alive.'"

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Armstrong's 'poetic' slip on Moon

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Armstrong's 'poetic' slip on Moon: "Neil Armstrong missed out an 'a' and did not say 'one small step for a man' when he set foot on the Moon in 1969, a linguistic analysis has confirmed.

The researchers show for the first time that he intended to say 'a man' and that the 'a' may have been lost because he was under pressure.

They say that although the phrase was not strictly correct, it was poetic."

The Washington Monthly

The Washington Monthly: "(a) We have a system for resolving political disputes in this country. We elect people, and those people make laws. When those laws are within the limits set by the Constitution, they are binding. When not, a court can strike them down. When we want to, we can change the Constitution, though it is (rightly) rather difficult.

(b) One inconvenient thing about democracies is that it is very, very unlikely that your own side will prevail all the time. You get a voice, but so does everyone else, and barring stupendous coincidences, this means that things won't always turn out the way you think they should.

(c) It would be naive to think that you will lose only on unimportant questions. Governments make hugely consequential decisions all the time. Sometimes, these decisions lead to the killing of innocent people, in ways that you think are deeply wrong.

(d) If anyone who believes the government had adopted a policy that would lead to the killing of innocent people is justified in killing people to stop this, then we might as well just decide not to have a government at all. During the Bush administration, half the country would have been justified in trying to assassinate the President and members of his administration. Any corporate executive who works for a company that does not adequately protect its workforce from poisoning or injury"

BBC - Earth News

BBC - Earth News: "Plants may be able to recognise themselves.

Experiments show that a sagebrush plant can recognise a genetically identical cutting growing nearby.

What's more, the two clones communicate and cooperate with one another, to avoid being eaten by herbivores.

The findings, published in Ecology Letters, raise the tantalising possibility that plants, just like animals, often prefer to help their relatives over unrelated individuals."