Free Republic

After Bob (9/11 Commission) Kerrey has a swatting at flies snit fit during Condi's testimony, John Kerry bravely takes up the torch... err, I mean, the swatter! I'm sure Moqtada would approve, aren't you?

THEY are a nuisance and spread disease, but they are older than the dinosaurs, and now a five-year study will take place into the evolution of flies. Scientists from the CSIRO are part of an international team which has won a grant to research the evolutionary history of flies. As part of the study, the team will investigate the development of insecticide resistance genes in flies. CSIRO researcher David Yeates, who will work on the project, said there were up to 40,000 species of flies in Australia, and they made up 10 per cent of the world's living species. "A...

Closest asteroid yet flies past Earth 18:17 02 October 03 NewScientist.com news service An asteroid about the size of a small house passed just 88,000 kilometres from the Earth by on Saturday 27 September - the closest approach of a natural object ever recorded. Geostationary communication satellites circle the Earth 42,000km from the planet's centre. The asteroid, designated 2003 SQ222, came from inside the Earth's orbit and so was only spotted after it had whizzed by. The first sighting was on Sunday 28 by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search program in Arizona, US. Amateur astronomer Peter Birtwhistle of Great...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. As fishermen try their luck on opening day of trout season tomorrow, they can expect at least one thing: more. That is how Dan Tredinnick, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, characterized this year's season. Tredinnick said the commission has stocked about 4 million trout throughout the state this year, 200,000 more than last year. Seventy streams were added to the stock list, including Poe Creek and White Deer Creek in Centre County. "With the level of stocking that has taken place, I fully expect there will be a...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. BERLIN (Reuters) - Genetically fattened flies may help humans lose weight, a German scientist said on Thursday. New research on the Drosophila fruit fly at Germany's Max-Planck Institute in Goettingen has established a link between fat storage mechanisms in insects and mammals. Project leader Ronald Kuehnlein said examining flies was providing valuable insights into how fats are processed. "Our findings establish a common basis for how fat cells are integrated in mammals and insects. If we find further genetic ties between flies and mammals on fat regulation it could have serious...

Powell flies out with a post-war warning for Syria and Iran By Rupert Cornwell in Washington 01 April 2003 On the eve of a fence-mending trip to Europe and Turkey, Colin Powell has ratcheted up pressure on Syria and Iran, hinting that if they did not change their ways, they too would come under intense pressure from Washington, after the war with Iraq was won. Mr Powell leaves today for Ankara, then EU and Nato headquarters in Brussels, in a personal bid to ease strains between the United States and some of its alliance partners over the Iraq campaign. He...

Sean is hammering environutcases and the latest episode of madness. Yesterday's thread Endangered Fly Stalls Some California Projects

Gay flies turned on by heat 22:00 16 September 02 NewScientist.com news service A mere change in temperature is all it takes for the males of a new line of genetically engineered flies to switch from being heterosexual to suddenly courting other males. The switch occurs within minutes and is fully reversible, meaning scientists have for the first time a system they can manipulate to study how some brain regions may be involved in determining sexual orientation. Whether the secrets unveiled by these peculiar flies will shed any light on human sexual preference is still unclear. Some of the neurons...

<p>LEXINGTON PARK, Md. (AP) - When it was introduced, the Osprey aircraft was promoted as unique in its ability to take off like a helicopter, rotate its propellers 90 degrees and then fly like an airplane.</p> <p>For two years, however, the Osprey hasn't flown anywhere. The helicopter-airplane hybrid was grounded in 2000 after two fatal crashes.</p>