Human limbs and shark fins have same genetic source: study

U.S. researchers have discovered a shared gene between sharks and humans that could explain how both arms and fins evolved.

Scientists from the University of Florida observed about a dozen genes in a spotted cat shark's median fin.

The results showed that these genes were the same ones vital to the development of human arms and legs.

To learn more about the origins of limbs in both species, the scientists put molecular markers on different cell types in the shark to determine which gave rise to its median fin.

The study showed that the cells located in the median fin were the ones that also dictated the positioning of its side fins.

Based on these findings, the scientists concluded that the midline - which contains the dorsal, tail, and anal fins of a fish - is where the genetic template for limb positioning originated.

The researchers suggested that the template may have dated back to prehistoric times, about 100 million years before fins developed.

The scientists also claimed that the genetic template could explain human birth defects.

The researchers' study is published in the July 27 issue of Nature.

Photography: World Shark

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 27 edition

Russian rocket crashes seconds after launch in Kazakhstan

A Russian missile carrying a handful of small satellites crashed shortly after its launch in Central Asia on Wednesday.

The Dnepr rocket lifted off at 3:43 p.m. EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan.

Russian Federal Space Agency officials said the rocket's engine shut down 86 seconds after lift-off.

Nobody was reported to be hurt on ground.

According to Russian wire reports, the rocket - a modified intercontinental ballistic missile - crashed about 25 kilometres South of the launch site.

The reason behind the engine's failure is still a mystery. An investigation into the cause of the failure has begun.

The rocket was carrying more than a dozen CubeSat micro-satellites, which were created by ten universities around the world.

Most of those satellites belonged to foreign customers, including Italy and the U.S.

They were supposed to orbit at 500-600 kilometres above Earth, officials said.

The crash comes two weeks after another Dnepr launch in which a U.S. inflatable module successfully lifted-off at the Yasny Launch Base in Moscow.

The spacecraft was a prototype for future commercial space habitats, developed by hotel mogul Robert Bigelow of Nevada's Bigelow Aerospace.

Photography: Global Security

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 27 edition

Japanese scientists produce letters with water

Walking on water may be a skill only found in Biblical texts, but a new technology allows Japanese researchers to mould it into shapes - including letters.

Scientists at Akishima Laboratories in Tokyo have developed the AMOEBA, or Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin, a device that generates words with water.

The basin uses 50 water-wave generators surrounding a cylindrical tank, about five feet wide and a foot deep.

These generators move vertically to produce cylindrical waves, which are four inches in diameter and 1.5 inches in height.

The waves are used to form lines and shapes, which can produce all of the Roman alphabet and some kanji characters, according to the scientists.

Each of the characters takes about 15 seconds to produce.

The Japanese scientists hope to sell this device to amusement parks in a package that will combine acoustics, lighting, and fountain technology.

The scientists aim to create images in water that could one day produce watery creatures like the ones seen in James Cameron's 1989 movie, The Abyss.

Photography: Rutgers University

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 27 edition

Mosquito fish battling West Nile in New Orleans pools

In an effort to help rebuild the hurricane-torn city of New Orleans, city officials have launched an operation to eliminate mosquitoes infesting backyard swimming pools in the area.

New Orleans Mosquito and Termite Control Board (NOMTCB) officials say the pools are becoming an increasing health hazard, as they suspect some of the mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus.

Using real-estate databases, aerial photography, and old-fashioned legwork, NOMTCB team members found about 5,000 at-risk pools in the city.

To make these pools safe, the relief workers brought in a fish that's known for devouring the little pests.

Scores of Gambusia, a type of western mosquito fish, were released into pools to consume mosquito larvae.

The fish ate up to 100 larvae a day, according to officials.

City officials also say the Gambusia have survived the extreme pool conditions, despite waters filled with pollution, algae, and dead animals left over from Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) enlisted Operation Blessing International (OBI) to help with the operation.

The organization aided the people of Sri Lanka in their battle with mosquitoes after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.

OBI is now providing and transporting Gambusia to infected sites around New Orleans.

On the first day of the operation, seven teams from OBI treated more than 200 pools.

The fish have since been released in a total 940 pools since the operation began.

Photography: Cornell University

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 26 edition

Celebrity space funeral company offers burial in orbit for Chinese

A U.S. company that sends cremated remains into space is planning to reach out to the Chinese funeral services market.

Space Services Inc., a company launched in 1994 under the name Celestis, specializes in "memorial spaceflights" where the deceased can fly aboard a commercial rocket into space.

Company officials say they are in talks with a Beijing funeral home, Great Wall Chinese Shrine, to be a Space Services' distributor in China.

The U.S. officials say the process involves placing part of a cremated individual into a lipstick-sized container to ride on a rocket carrying other cargo.

After the rocket is launched, family and friends can view it online until the vessel burns up in the atmosphere.

Depending on the rocket and its mission, the remains could stay in orbit from a few minutes to a few centuries.

Prices in China will probably be comparable to those in the U.S. which can range from $995 for one gram of cremated ash to $5,300 for seven grams, say company executives.

Space Services Inc. hopes to conduct their next memorial spaceflight in October.

Earlier this week Space Services announced it would again try to launch some of the remains of Canadian Star Trek actor James Doohan into orbit. An earlier attempt to do so was delayed by a fire on the rocket slated to carry Doohan's ashes in the final frontier.

Photography: NASA

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 26 edition

Bees find their way back to hive up to 13 km away: scientists

Bumblebees' internal homing device may extend much farther than British scientists originally thought.

Researchers from Newcastle University conducted a study to see how far the bees travel before being unable to come home.

The scientists tagged about 100 bumblebees with tiny identification numbers and then dropped the bees in different locations around Northeast England.

The results showed that the bees within 13 kilometres of the hive were able to return back safely.

Although only 20-30 per cent of the bees returned, scientists say other factors like predation could explain the missing 70-80 per cent.

As well, some bees may have considered the journey too tiring, particularly the Queen bee, which is not used to a working colony lifestyle.

Researchers say the Queen bee attempted to return home but eventually remained in one location to prepare for hibernation.

Scientists speculate that the bees used their ultraviolet vision to recognize landmarks to help them come home.

The researchers eventually hope these results will aid conservationists in creating an ideal bumblebee habitat, as pollinating bees have been declining in the area.

Photography: British Marine Life Study Society

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 26 edition

Robotic surgeon receives brain-transplant to treat lung cancer

CyberKnife, a radiotherapy robot used to operate on cancer patients, has received a new brain in order to effectively treat lung cancer.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre created a program called Synchrony - an addition to CyberKnife - that allows for easier detection of tumours.

In the past, scientists say CyberKnife wasn't used for lung cancer patients because it caused too much tissue damage.

Scientists say this is due to shifting of the tumour, which can move up and down in a lung by four centimetres when a patient breathes, making it difficult to detect its location.

Synchrony allows a weaker X-Ray to rapidly take real-time pictures of a patient's abdomen while CyberKnife blasts the tumour with small beams of radiation.

The new technology then measures the movement of the tumour from the pictures and tells CyberKnife where to go, following the tumour within a few hundredths of an inch.

Scientists say the machine's accuracy means healthy tissue is hardly touched, so doctors can increase the radiation to ten times higher than conventional methods.

The new set-up also decreases treatment time significantly, the scientists say.

With the new technology, patients would attend three 60-90 minute sessions, as opposed to the 20 or 30 15-minute sessions of conventional therapy.

The scientists claim the first couple of treatments were successful, although they are not sure if the machine is killing-off the tumours completely, or whether there are long-term side effects.

The researchers' findings will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine this August.

Photography: The Sky Factory

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 25 edition

From: The Dryer FW: Your pillows are fluffed

A new prototype machine called Laundry Time allows you to receive wireless notifications on your cell phone or e-mail about laundry loads while you're away from home.

Five of the world's largest corporations - Microsoft, Whirlpool, Proctor and Gamble, Panasonic and Cingular Wireless - have teamed up on this "smart home" technology, as they call it.

The notifications sent by the machine can tell you whether the lint filter is clogged, or when the load is too large, according to company officials.

The officials say the technology combines a wireless network, two TV tuners and Microsoft Media Server software to send the messages.

Along with receiving messages, say officials, you will also be able to send some back to the machine, enabling it to do things like starting a new load of laundry or fluffing the current load.

The Laundry Time folks predict it will be at least a year until the actual machine hits the marketplace.

Officials with the company predict that current laundry machines could be modified in order to make the technology more appealing to consumers.

Three Atlanta-based families will be testing the machine for the next six months, according to Internet Home Alliance, which is launching a study to observe the prototype in action.

Photography: iStock Photo

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 24

Neanderthal genome to be sequenced in Germany

German researchers have announced they will try to reconstruct the Neanderthal genome to investigate how the early biped's brain compares to that of a human.

Over the next two years, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology say they will be constructing a draft of three billion DNA base pairs of the Neanderthal to make up the genome.

There will likely be complications, say the scientists, as tissues in dead organisms usually get overrun by bacteria and fungi.

The researchers plan to use 40,000-year-old fossils, with only five per cent suspected to have Neanderthal DNA.

This project follows last year's mapping of the chimpanzee genome.

According to the researchers, there were too many genetic differences between the human and the chimp to study.

This triggered the idea of studying the Neanderthal, which could have has a smaller percentage difference between its genes and human DNA.

Scientists and anthropologists have long known about the relationship between Neanderthals and humans, which dates back 500,000 years.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the first Neanderthal finding in Neander Valley, Düsseldorf.

Photography: Skulls and Skeletons

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 24 edition

Snakes may have driven human evolution: researchers

A new study shows that early forms of snakes may have contributed to the evolution of man.

Researchers from the University of California suggest that primates developed traits to avoid being eaten by snakes.

The study claims that primates' senses of smell and sight were sharpened to battle predators.

Scientists have long believed that primates' hand-eye coordination came from grabbing food, picking fruit, or swinging through trees.

But early primates, the researchers say, developed a better judgment of colour, faster reflexes and sometimes even an enlarged brain in order to have the upper hand with the snakes.

The researchers claim the snake fossils and DNA they studied date back to when mammals were in the early stages of evolving, some 100 million years ago.

This suggests that snakes were one of the earliest predators known to man.

Scientists say that this would explain why certain primate traits developed, such as forward-facing eyes, as opposed to eyes on the side of the head like other mammals.

This allowed the mammals to have a way of seeing called 'orbital convergence' yielding a three-dimensional view to spot predators.

The study was published in the July issue of Journal of Human Evolution.

Photography: The Reptile Page

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 24 edition

Whale population booming at Cape Cod

The whale watching industry in Cape Cod is on fire, according to officials, as a new crop of hungry humpback whales have been seen cavorting near the local coast.

The whales have been giving Bay State whale watchers a good view, as this is considered a "good year" for whale watching, say researchers from the Provincetown Centre for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts.

About 150 whales have been spotted in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary since January and about 900 more were seen in the Gulf of Maine.

But these massive mammals aren't just sticking around to please the tourists.

Researchers say the whales have been in search of sand lances - also known as sand eels - that have buried themselves into the nearby ocean floor.

Seabirds by the thousands have also been spotted in the area, particularly the greater shearwaters and sooty shearwaters species.

Photography: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 24 edition

Ocean-dwelling 'Gummy Bears' transport carbon, help atmosphere

Little barrel-shaped sea creatures, each resembling a line of transparent Gummy Bears, may be a key tool in fighting the greenhouse effect and global warming, researchers say.

In a recent study, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts observed these creatures, called salps.

The creatures emerge by the billions in groups and occupy as much as 100,000 square kilometres of the ocean floor, according to the scientists.

Salps feed on phytoplankton, a sea plant that absorbs carbon made by fossil fuels we burn.

When the salps defecate, it releases the carbon back into the ocean, the scientists say.

Researchers say the "hotspots" of salps may send carbon dioxide to a dead-end by transporting up to 4,000 tons of carbon a day into the sea and preventing it from re-entering the atmosphere.

A previous study showed that salps usually dive to 600 to 800 metres below the sea in the day and then back up to the surface at night: a process called vertical migration.

Scientists say that salps usually feed on the phytoplankton when they reach the surface.

Salp pellets can sink more than half a mile per day, according to the scientists.

The researchers also say when the salps die, they take the carbon down with them.

The researchers' study is published in a recent issue of Deep Sea Research.

Photography: MySpace

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 24 edition

King Tut's gem may have formed from meteor collision

Cosmic forces may have formed a rare glass gem belonging to King Tutankhamen of ancient Egypt, scientists say.

Researchers from the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority say the glass has a silica content of 98 per cent, making it the purest in the world.

The researchers claim such glass could only be found in the Eastern Sahara desert.

The researchers say the glass was formed at a temperature that approached that of the surface of the sun, suggesting a meteorite might have created the glass.

Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico believe that the glass was made from a natural airburst.

A colossal instance of such a burst happened when Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter and exploded into its atmosphere, creating the largest incandescent fireball ever witnessed.

The New Mexico researchers created a simulation much like the 1994 Jupiter collision to learn more about what happens during such an event.

The results showed an impact that could have created a fireball hot enough to generate ground temperatures of 1,800 Celsius, and possibly leave behind a field of glass.

According to the researchers, airborne explosions happen roughly once every 100 years.

They say another such event is likely to happen in the near future.

Photography: Discovery Channel Canada

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 20 edition

New images show Titan geography much like Earth

New radar images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft show a great resemblance between Saturn's giant moon Titan and Earth, say NASA officials.

The scientists say the images show a variety of dunes, hills, valleys, and rivers in a bright area of Titan called Xanadu.

The Cassini team on Earth produced the images by telling the craft to bounce radar off the surface of Xanadu and measure the time it took for the radar to return.

The results were views of mountains that could be as high the Appalachians, and rivers probably made by liquid methane or ethane, the scientists predict.

They claim that the liquid methane or ethane may have fell like rain or trickled from springs that carved channels into the icy surface.

The scientists say there is also a possibility of sand dunes being formed elsewhere in Xanadu from particles carried through these channels.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope first discovered Xanadu in 1994 with the help of infrared imaging.

The Cassini spacecraft's radar system viewed Xanadu in April 2006 and found a surface modified by winds, rain, and a flow of liquids.

Cassini will view Titan again, including Xanadu, July 22 to explore the moon's Northern latitudes.

According to NASA, the spacecraft will orbit Titan 29 more times in the next two years.

Illustration: Universe Review

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 20 edition

Giant rift could create new sea in Africa

A rift in the dry grounds may eventually separate a part of Africa from the rest of the continent and may create a brand new sea, geologists say.

Geologists from the University of Oxford say the 60-kilometre long rift, running from Ethiopia to the Red Sea, may isolate the horn of Africa if it continues to split.

The researchers used seismic instruments, field measurements, and satellite images from the European Space Agency to closely monitor the development of the new ocean basin.

The scientists say the Africa tectonic plate is slowly moving away from the Arabian plate, causing the Earth's crust to stretch, then thin, and eventually break.

The split is happening at an unprecedented rate, the scientists claim, and will likely be complete in about a million years.

They also say the shifting of the tectonic plates responsible for the rift has been going on for many millions of years.

Now, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are causing sudden break-ups in the crust.

One such occasion in September created this rift, according to the geologists.

Roughly 2.5 cubic kilometres of molten rock bubbled up through the crack, creating a new slab of ocean floor.

The amount of magma that rose beneath the crack was enough to fill up a 90,000-seat stadium 2,000 times over.

The researchers' findings appear in the current issue of the journal Nature.

Photography: California State University

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 20

Delta-wing fighter jets mirror shape of flying dinosaur

A new study suggests that a prehistoric flying creature may have been the inspiration for the design of modern day delta-winged fighter jets.

Researchers from University College Dublin believe the Sharovipteryx mirabilis was the world's first delta-winged glider.

It measured only eight inches in length and lived during the Triassic period, some 225 million years ago.

Paleontologists have long known that the S. mirabilis glided with its hind legs with the help of a membrane stretched between its legs.

But the scientists widely debated what shape the membrane was and how it was attached to the creature's body.

The scientists used wind-tunnel data of modern-day lizards to craft a new membrane model for S. mirabilis.

The model suggests the wings of this ancient creature were triangular in shape.

According to scientists, that shape enabled the animal's vertebrate to allow it to fly efficiently at high speeds, much like a modern fighter jet while supersonic.

This new information also suggests that the S. mirabilis was the ancestor of the pterosaurs, a family of winged dinosaurs, although the pterosaurs were able to fly with both their front and hind legs.

The researchers' findings will be published in the upcoming issue of Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

Illustration: University of Chicago News

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 18 edition

Supercomputer could predict weather 30 years into the future

Japanese scientists say they hope to use one of the world's fastest supercomputers to predict weather forecasts up to 30 years into the future.

Japan's science ministry hopes the Earth Simulator supercomputer, housed in the city of Yokohama, will be able to calculate long-term patterns in atmospheric pressure, air/sea temperatures, and ocean currents.

The scientists also plan to use the machine to measure rainfall and movement of the Earth's crust.

These statistics will be used to predict when natural disasters - like typhoons, droughts, and tsunamis - could happen.

But, the scientists warn, for those planning vacations in summer of 2036, these will be general trends and are not intended to serve as detailed forecasts.

The Earth Simulator was introduced in 2002 and was considered one of the fastest supercomputers in the world until IBM's Blue Gene premiered in 2004.

The $350 million (US) simulator can perform up to 35.6 trillion calculations a second. In comparison, the average desktop PC performs a mere 3 billion calculations a second.

In the future, Japanese scientists hope the Earth Simulator will be able to predict forecasts for any area in the world.

Eventually, they say the Earth Simulator could even perform forecasts for areas as small as five square kilometers.

Photography: State Climate Office of North Carolina

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 18 edition

7.2 magnitude quake triggers Java tsunami

A massive earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Java on Monday, triggering a six-foot-high tsunami that killed nearly 100 people, Indonesia's Red Cross reports.

The 7.2 magnitude quake was followed by a 6.1 magnitude aftershock, which struck two hours later.

Each whole number difference in magnitude on the Richter scale equals a tenfold increase or decrease in an earthquake's amplitude.

In other words, the first quake released about 30 times more energy than the 6.1 magnitude aftershock that followed.

The wave from the tsunami was spawned 48 kilometres below the Indian Ocean and the resulting earthquake even caused some buildings as far off as Jakarta to sway for about two minutes.

It was also measured along Indonesia's island of Bali and parts of Australia's Coco Islands.

City officials failed to issue a warning system for Java before Monday's tsunami struck, even though an earthquake hit the city seven weeks ago and killed thousands.

This is the biggest tsunami to hit the islands since the 2004 Boxing Day disaster.

The 2004 tsunami was caused by an earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale.

Scientists have long referred to this area of the Pacific as the "Ring of Fire", prone to seismic activity which sometimes triggers tsunamis.

A tsunami sometimes happens when there is an "underwater earthquake".

This takes place when two tectonic plates rubs against each other along a fault line until one of the plates snaps, due to pressure from the other.

The end result is an earthquake, creating dramatic waves up to 34 feet in height.

Photography: The Guardian

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 17 edition

Gator sting seeks to root out rogue misfeeders

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has conducted a three-day undercover sting in the Everglades to track down human visitors who feed dangerous items to animals.

Such is the case with Crusty the alligator, whose days are numbered, due to these misfeedings.

The three-metre gator's sweet tooth caused him to go to humans as a source for food - and potentially see them as food.

According to local officials, a Florida man was caught throwing Crusty a fish on July 14 and claimed that he was just trying to get the gator to move by throwing items at him.

The man said he had no intention of feeding Crusty.

Doing so is punishable by a fine and up to 60 days in jail.

The incident prompted Fish and Wildlife Commission workers to try and remove Crusty from Florida's "Alligator Alley."

That's because the workers worry he's become too acclimatized to people and might attack passers-by in the future.

Sadly, once that's done, the commission says Crusty will be euthanized.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission hopes the undercover sting will catch more offenders and keep them from having to put-down more alligators.

Officials estimate there are about two million alligators in Florida.

Photography: University of California Oceans Physics Laboratory

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 17 edition

Dinosaurs may have endured terrible teen years: researchers

Acne and rapid hair growth may not be involved, but researchers say dinosaurs may have had a difficult teenage phase before reaching adulthood.

Scientists at Florida State University discovered this while putting together an unprecedented dinosaur growth chart.

The scientists used 22 Albertosaurus fossils from a Canadian bone bed to conduct the study.

Using a small bone in the lower leg of one of the creatures, the scientists measured the growth rings of the dinosaur from two to 28-years of age, when it died.

The results showed a significantly accelerated growth when the dinosaurs hit puberty (around 14-years-of age), a trait that the creatures now share with mammals.

And like humans, the harsh reality of life also comes along with sexual maturity.

The scientists say that the dinosaurs' death rate increased by 23 per cent once they reached adolescence, with the pressure of mating, disease, and combat as major factors.

Unlike crocodiles and snakes, dinosaurs hit a certain age when they just stop growing and become "old", according to the scientists. Other reptiles undergo indeterminate growth, where they just continuously grow until they die.

The researchers' results are one in a string of discoveries that paint a picture of dinosaurs as more mammal-like than reptile-like. The scientists say the find could affect the people's perception of dinosaurs.

The researchers' findings appear in the latest issue of the journal Science.

Photography: Globi Web Solutions

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 14 edition

Schwarzenegger asks Bush to 'Terminate' forest roads

Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking the Bush administration to prevent roads from being built on unoccupied forestland in California.

The 4.4 million acres of "roadless" land are currently inaccessible by cars. And the Governor of California wants to keep it that way.

Last year, the Bush administration lifted the ban that prohibits road building on forestland.

The ban was created eight days before President Clinton stepped down in 2001, stating that one-third of California's forestland be preserved.

The ban-lift opened about 60 million acres of land to possible road building and construction.

But U.S. Forest Services claim there are no current plans to build roads on any of the designated areas, suggesting the possibility of reconsideration.

Four states - New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia - also filed petitions to maintain their forestland.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recommended to the Bush administration that it approve three of the four petitions.

On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger also appealed plans for four national forests in Southern California that would leave the areas of Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino unprotected.

Photography: The Seoul Times

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 13 edition

New chip could turn quadriplegics into quasi-'telepaths'

Moving objects with a single thought may still be the realm of comic-book telepaths, but a new technology has allowed quadriplegics to control basic elements of a computer with nothing more than their mind.

Such is the case with 25-year-old Matthew Nagle, who was paralyzed from the neck down after a vicious knife attack.

After the attack, Nagle was unable to do any of the tasks most people take for granted. That is, until he was introduced to BrainGate, a new system that allows paralyzed people to move objects by relying solely on their brains.

U.S. engineers at a Massachusetts neurotechnology company have tested the brain-to-movement system. It uses a silicone sensor chip that is surgically implanted into the area of a patient's brain that controls movement.

To interface with a computer, the chip has 100 electrodes that record the activity of several brain cells simultaneously.

This enables the patient's brain to do numerous things, from turning the computer on to playing chess, without ever lifting a finger.

Researchers conducted a 12-month study on Nagle, in which the BrainGate device was used for nine months.

According to the scientists, the chip recorded and routed neurons outside of Nagle's brain and created command signals. He then successfully controlled external devices using these signals.

During an interview with CTV National News, Nagle used the technology to try and draw a circle on the computer screen using his thoughts.

He managed a triangle.

"That's the best circle I can do," he said after a nonetheless impressive demonstration.

Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc, along with scientists from the Brown University Research Foundation, hopes BrainGate will eventually be paired with a muscular stimulator to allow paralyzed patients to move their limbs freely.

Photography: Wired.com

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 13 edition

'Space hotel' prototype launched into orbit

The first inflatable spacecraft to orbit Earth has just launched from the southern Ural Mountains in Russia, setting the stage for what could spawn an orbital hotel business.

The Genesis I craft lifted off at 6:53 p.m. Moscow time on July 12, atop a Russian-built rocket.

Bigelow Aerospace, owned by Las Vegas hotel mogul Robert Bigelow, created the craft, launched with the help of a missile dating back to the Cold War.

Genesis I is currently carrying pictures of Bigelow staff, and insects to test the design's suitability for humans.

The craft is padded with layers of Kevlar - the material that makes-up bulletproof vests - to protect it from flying space debris.

Genesis I will orbit the Earth for a minimum of five years before scientists make any conclusions as to how durable it is.

Plans to launch Genesis II later this year are currently underway, according to the company's Las Vegas headquarters.

Genesis I is a prototype only, one-third the size of Bigelow's future goal: a full-size, orbiting commercial space station made up of several inflatable Genesis-like modules.

Bigelow eventually wants the station to serve as an orbital college, hotel, or science lab.

Bigelow aims to build a full-size prototype and test it by 2012, with hopes to launch the actual commercial space station in 2015.

So far, he has invested $500 million US into the project.

Photography: MSNBC

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 12 edition

Killer, fanged kangaroo used to roam Earth: scientists

Scientists have unveiled evidence suggesting the kangaroo - thought by many to be a relatively harmless marsupial - may have been a fanged, flesh-eating beast millions of years ago.

Paleontologists at the University of South Wales found fossils originating from a 10-20 million-year old 'kangaroo' among 20 unknown species in Northwest Queensland in Australia.

The remains of the kangaroo had large, wolf-like fangs and long forearms for galloping rather than hopping like the modern-day species, the researchers surmise.

The fangs were sharp and strong, suggesting that they weren't used for grazing, but rather for ripping off flesh.

The paleontologists also found the remains of a large carnivorous bird, nicknamed the "demon duck of doom".

They believe that both animals belong to an unknown species that's part of a lost period in Australia's history.

Other animals suspected to be part of this species include the marsupial lion and the tree-climbing crocodile.

The scientists plan to take the fossils of both creatures and examine how climate affected their development.

Photography: Lighthouses of Australia Inc.

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 12 edition

'We're back, baby': astronaut after final spacewalk

The assessment of the current space shuttle mission to the International Space Station came from NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. His brother, Mark Kelly is now in orbit, serving as the pilot for Space Shuttle Discovery during the two-week mission.

Wrapping-up what the U.S. space agency considers the first trouble-free shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster, Discovery astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum conducted their third and final spacewalk Wednesday afternoon, which ended at 2:31 p.m. ET.

The astronauts tested sealant used to fix cracks on the tiles that make up the shuttle's heat-shield, which must withstand extreme temperatures during the return trip back through Earth's atmosphere.

The test was to prevent the shuttle from suffering the same fate of Columbia in 2003, when a piece of foam came off the shuttle's fuel tank and struck a wing panel. Columbia broke apart on its return to Earth, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

While on the final spacewalk of this mission, Sellers and Fossum also demonstrated an infrared camera, used to detect invisible damage on the shuttle.

According to the astronauts, the Discovery mission's two main priorities have now been met: to avoid bigger shuttle-related problems, and to get the International Space Station ready for more construction.

Earlier in the day, the astronauts took a few spare minutes to receive a call from U.S. President George W. Bush, congratulating them on the mission.

The shuttle is now cleared to come home. Its return date is scheduled for July 17.

Photography: NASA

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 12 edition

Einstein no stranger to the ladies: letters

After 20 years in lockdown, Albert Einstein's personal papers have surfaced, revealing that the physics genius was equally industrious with the ladies.

Before Einstein died, he left his stepdaughter Margot a series of letters in which he talks about his escapades with six women - before, after, and during his two marriages.

In the letters, he unapologetically confesses to his numerous affairs and details how long they lasted.

The 3,500-page collection also delves into his concerns with his schizophrenic son, how he got bored of his own theory of relativity, and his bad financial habits after winning the Nobel Prize. (Though some thought he gave his winnings to one of his wives, the letters detail how he actually lost most of the money in the 1929 stock market crash.)

The Jewish-German physicist immigrated to the United States after the Nazis rose to power in Germany in 1933.

While traveling, he wrote to his ex-wife and Margot nearly every day until his death in 1955.

The letters were bequeathed to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem after Margot died in 1986.

She specified that the letters should remain sealed until 20 years after her death.

Photography: AQUILA

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 12 edition

'Island rule' may apply to pint-sized deep-sea life: study

Animals that live on isolated islands have long followed the "island rule" of evolution, where small species grow larger and large species become smaller over time.

But according to scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), deep-sea animals may follow the same rule.

The researchers found that deep-sea marine life was significantly smaller or larger than their shallow water relatives. In other words, if you live in shallow water, your deep sea neighbours of the same species are likely much larger or much smaller than you.

The MBARI scientists tested the "island rule" theory on deep-sea animals by observing thousands of marine snails in both deep and shallow levels of the ocean.

The results showed that shallow-water snails smaller than 12 millimetres in length had larger deep-water relatives. In comparison, shallow-water snails larger than 20 mm had smaller deep-water relatives.

But the island rule has been widely debated by scientists over the years. Those who disagree with it say that the size of the animals on isolated islands may depend on other factors, such as food resources. Some say that an animal's size is largely due to how accessible the food is, keeping in mind predation and competition from other animals.

With this in mind, MBARI scientists also say that deep-sea snails may not undergo evolutionary pressures like other animals, such as reduced habitat, predation or competition for food.

Photography: Paradise Found Island Retreat

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 11 edition

The bigger the dino, the warmer its blood: researchers

Large dinosaurs are more like us than you think, according to U.S. scientists who've found that the "terrible lizards" aren't as cold-blooded as they once thought.

Researchers from the University of Florida found that the prehistoric animals were likely able to regulate their body heat like mammals, suggesting that the blood of some dinosaurs was warmer than most reptiles.

The scientists created an equation to measure the body temperature of dinosaurs according to their body weight.

The results showed that the larger the dinosaur, the longer it took for heat to leave its body. This is known as inertial homeothermy, when temperature is maintained by slow cooling. Cold-blooded reptiles, such as lizards and snakes, depend on their outer surroundings to keep warm.

Researchers used measurements of annual growth rings in the bones of eight different dinosaur species to estimate their growth rates. With the measurements, the scientists were able to use the equation to calculate body temperature.

They found smaller dinosaurs had a body temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. (The average temperature inside warm-blooded humans is 37 C.)

According to the researchers, the sauropod Apatosaurus, which weighed close to 36 tonnes, had a body temperature of 40 C.

Photography: Harper Collins

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 11 edition

Astronaut to NASA: duct tape could fasten troubled jetpack

After part of his jet pack came loose during a Monday space walk outside the International Space Station, Space Shuttle Discovery astronaut Piers Sellers suggested using duct tape to fix the potentially hazardous problem.

All astronauts are required to wear the SAFER jet backpack, used to propel an astronaut to safety in case of an emergency or in case they become untethered from the shuttle or space station.

The two latches that keep the emergency device attached came loose on Sellers at different points during the spacewalk.

Discovery crew members believe that the connectors came undone while Sellers was inside the shuttle's crowded payload bay.

Sellers and fellow astronaut Mike Fossum performed two complicated tasks during the walk, which required a lot of movement and "bumping around", according to Discovery pilot Mike Kelly.

Fossum had to help bind the pack to Sellers to keep it from floating away. That would have left the astronaut without a backup for getting back inside the space station.

The spacewalk was arguably the most daunting task of the latest mission to the International Space Station. The repair mission wrapped-up Monday at 3:01 p.m. EST, after seven hours in the vacuum of space to fix part of an airlock and the station's mobile transporter.

The transporter is essentially a cosmic rail car that moves astronauts and Canadarm2 along the station's growing network of trusses.

NASA gave Sellers and Fossum the go-ahead to do a third and final spacewalk Wednesday to test techniques for inspecting and repairing the shuttle's heat shield.

If all goes well, the Discovery mission will come to an end July 17 when the shuttle re-enters the Earth's atmosphere for a landing at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre.

Photography: CBS News

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 11 edition

More memory, more versatility in new computer chip

Your cell phone or mp3 player could soon be sporting a more powerful memory as computer chip manufacturer Freescale Semiconductor Inc. announces a new high-endurance memory chip that claims to combine the power of several chips in one.

After a decade in the works, Freescale created a chip that has the endurance of traditional computer memory but with the ability to store data while powered down like a hard drive.

The new chip works with magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM). It relies on magnetic properties rather than electrical charge to store data. And unlike portable flash memory, which possesses similar functions, Freescale claims the 4-megabit MRAM chip doesn't degrade over time.

MRAM will allow computers to boot up faster because data doesn't have to be reloaded into the memory drive. It can also replace chips in virtually any electronic device: from kitchen appliances to mp3 players and cameras.

The first markets for MRAM will likely be industrial and automotive industries where memory durability is critically needed.

Freescale Semiconductor Inc. is the engineer behind semiconductors for many leading telecommunication companies, including Motorola, Logitech and Apple.

Photography: USA Today

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 10 edition

Discovery crew complete second space walk

Shuttle Discovery spacewalkers completed what was arguably the most daunting task of the latest mission to the International Space Station. The repair mission wrapped-up Monday at 3:01 p.m. EST, after seven hours in the vacuum of space.

Mission specialists Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum worked on the station's Quest airlock and replaced a cable that provides power to the mobile transporter.

The transporter is essentially a cosmic rail car that moves astronauts along the station's growing network of trusses.

The transporter is capable of carrying the Canadian-built robotic arm which is required for building the ISS and servicing the station once complete.

The transporter cable unexpectedly failed last December during the assembly of a truss for one of the station's massive solar arrays. The truss is meant to generate electricity to support the space station crew and scientific experiments.

Shuttle crew members may conduct a third and final spacewalk Wednesday, to complete several bonus housekeeping and repair tasks.

After that, the six-person crew (European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter, who was aboard the shuttle, starts a multi-month stay on the ISS) has been cleared to return to Earth July 17.

Photography: NASA

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 10 edition

Genetics unearth the colour of a mammoth's coat

The prehistoric wooly mammoth may have determined how your border collie got her rich, red coat.

Biologists from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany have discovered a gene called Mc1r that determines the colour of the wooly mammoth's coat. The gene still exists in mammals today, according to scientists.

The mammoth's leg bone, dating back to the Pleistocene era some 40,000 years ago, was used to extract DNA where two versions of the Mc1r gene were found. One version was active, the other only partially so.

When comparing the two genes, scientists realized different combinations could result in different coloured coats for the beasts.

According to the scientists, if a mammoth has both an inactive gene and an active gene, its coat would be a dark colour. If it has two inactive genes, its coat would be lighter.

Researchers predict this could be the way present-day mammals get their coat colour, although some are determined based on lifestyle.

Photography: Grand Valley State University

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 6 edition

Man's brain rewired after 20-year coma

For the first time in history, scientists have discovered that a human brain has rewired itself to revive a man in a semi-coma for nearly 20 years.

Terry Wallis of Arkansas, 42, had severe damage to his brain after a traumatic car accident during his teenage years.

Then 19, Wallis was in his car when it plunged into a river. After falling into a brief coma, he emerged into a minimally conscious state where he couldn't move or communicate - save for a couple grunts - for the next two decades.

Now, scientists and neurologists at Cornell University and JFK Medical Centre have found new nerve connections forming where the damaged ones used to be. The nerve fibers were severed, but the cell remained in tact, triggering the re-growth.

A new type of brain imaging technology was used to take photos of the Wallis' brain. The new photos were compared those taken during the time of damage. The scientists found a significant difference, showing a strong regeneration of certain parts.

The exact type of tissue regeneration has not been identified, although scientists think this could shed some light on brain damage recovery. They suspect that Wallis was actually recovering all along.

Wallis is now able to form some complete sentences and count to 25 without being interrupted. He also has movement in his legs, although he cannot walk or feed himself yet. And he is slowly beginning to remember life before the accident: when he was married to his 17-year-old wife with his six-week-old daughter, and when Ronald Reagan was President.

The study was published in the latest Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Photography: Salud & Sociedad

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 5 edition

Low-calorie diet can be fountain of youth: study

A sparse diet, minimal in calories but with all the essential nutrients, may be just the ticket to achieving eternal youth, according to a new Canadian study.

Researchers at the University of Calgary have shown muscle function strengthening in an aging body when paired with caloric restriction.

Scientists at U of C found that the mitochondria - the energy source in cells - function better over the years while on this diet.

They say going on such a regimen will eventually lead to a healthier and more active life, as the light diet prevents muscle function from deteriorating: a problem more and more common with age.

The study was done on elderly rats that were fed the calorie-reduced diet over the years.

The results showed the elderly rats had more toned, buffed bodies: much like rats half their age.

The rats had no decline in muscle function, even though some were as old as 26 years (about 70 to 80 years in human terms.)

Illustration: HeartPoint.com

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 5 edition

Decades-old vaccines not the cause of disease: study

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations are unrelated to the cause of developmental diseases, according to new research.

The two have been linked for years, but a study done by the McGill University Health Centre has found that MMR vaccines are not the cause of diseases such as autism.

The McGill scientists also found thimerosal vaccines to be unrelated. Thimerosal is a mercury base that acts as a preservative for MMR vaccines.

Thimerosal was slowly phased-out after experts thought it was linked to autism. But the study found that chances for autism were actually higher after thimerosal was removed.

Due to this common misconception, parents have avoided giving their children MMR vaccinations. After MMR coverage decreased in the late 1990's, the number of children with autism doubled.

Autism is one of the most common childhood disorders, with one child in every 155 affected.

Now that scientists are fairly certain that MMR vaccinations aren't the culprit, experts must now figure out why autism is so common.

Photography: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 5 edition

Sleep meds may do more harm than good: study

Medications that treat jetlag or similar disorders may actually be doing you a disservice. That's according to U.S. researchers who say when it comes to your body's internal clock, medical science may actually have things completely backwards.

In the past, scientists have used a protein called PER to measure your internal clock.

Most of the time, you want to have fairly steady levels of PER.

Scientists have long thought that during a body clock malfunction, breakdown of PER present in your body slows down, causing the PER to accumulate. This is called a "Tau mutation".

However, the new research has shown that the Tau mutation doesn't slow down the breakdown process. It speeds it up, creating a lack of PER, rather than an accumulation.

As a result, medications may be getting rid of essential PER that is needed to regulate your body clock again. This opposite effect can cause insomnia, depression, and some forms of cancer.

The researchers' work is published in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Photography: BBC

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 4 edition

Saharan desert ant counts steps for direction

Forget the GPS tracking system. A recent study has shown that the Saharan desert ant has an internal pedometer that helps it get back to its nest.

Researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany extended the legs of the ants by gluing stilt-like bristles to them and watched as the ants walked.

Later, the bristles were removed. The ants then stopped short of their journey because it seemed that their previous stride count was used as a reference. With the bristles off and a different gait, the ants had no reference point from which to return home, the researchers claim.

This theory was introduced in 1904, but hasn't been tested or proven until now. Scientists previously determined how the ant finds direction in the desert by the polarization of light, but have never fully understood how they measured their distance.

The Saharan desert ant also memorizes the position of certain landmarks to help find their way across the vast terrain.

Photography: Fliegel Jezerniczky Expeditions

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 4 edition

Sonar equipment banned off Hawaii coast

A California district judge has ordered the U.S. Department of National Defense to stop using all sonar equipment along the marine-dense Hawaii coast.

Sonar equipment can damage and kill many ocean species, according to marine scientists and environmental groups.

The ban follows a request for a restraining order by environmentalists in the area. The order would have prevented the warfare games scheduled along the Pacific.

The U.S. Navy planned to exercise the use of high-power sonar equipment while undergoing a training program dubbed Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).

Forty ships and six submarines had been scheduled to participate in the international exercise. Canada, Chile, South Korea, Australia, and the UK are also involved.

Sonar equipment emits sound waves that bounce off the sea floor, measuring the time it takes for the sound to reach the floor and back. The contours of the sea can then be plotted on a map to help detect submarines and ships within a certain radius.

During the 2004 RIMPAC exercise, about 200 melon-headed whales were found stranded on the edge of Hanalei Bay off the island of Kauai.

Only one was pronounced dead: a calf, with no indication that sonar equipment was the cause of death.

The Department of National Defense has until July 18 to argue the ruling.

Photography: PBS

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, July 4 edition

O Canada in ‘09

Canadian mission in Afghanistan extended 2009

Just when you thought Canadian troops were heading home, the Afghanistan mission gets extended by two more years from 2007 to 2009. And now, with Canada possibly heading up the Afghan NATO mission in 2008, another 100 troops may be deployed to help rebuild the stricken country.

The motion to extend Operation: ARCHER, as it was named, was passed in a political showdown recently with a 149 to 145 vote. New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton spoke out against this decision when the vote was made, questioning the role Canada is playing in the war against terrorism as whole.

“If we are to ask this country to continue to fight a war, then we owe it to every single citizen of Canada to fully understand what we are committing to,” he said. “Our troops deserve to know what we are asking of them, families deserve to know what their sons and daughters will be called upon to sacrifice.”

According to Layton, the mission should have been rethought before it was extended, especially since an exit plan has not been mapped out yet.

Currently, Operation: ARCHER has deployed 2,300 Canadian troops to Afghanistan, about 2,200 of them remaining in Kandahar province where the Taliban has put up their heaviest armed resistance.

The Canadian Forces are currently dispersed amongst 15 other operations worldwide, the next biggest groups of personnel in Germany, Sudan and Sinai. Needless to say, Operation: ARCHER is the largest.

When asked about the extension of the mission, Karen Johnstone, a media spokesperson for the Canadian Forces in Ottawa, said she could not provide comment.

“We don’t speak about the policy of the mission,” she said simply. “We just … do.”

Harper’s government has continually funded the mission, with a recent contribution being $15-million for developmental aid that was also announced in late June. The Conservative government’s military commitment will top $15-billion, including purchasing new planes, medium- to heavy-lift helicopters, naval supply ships, and hi-tech logistics trucks.

The $15-million is to be used to root out Taliban insurgents and is not (claimed) to divert attention away from the military operations. However, Harper did hint at the possibility of remaining in Afghanistan past 2009 if needed.

This begs the question of whether Canadian Forces would be able to sustain the extension, given its small stature.

David Mendeloff, an assistant professor of international affairs at Carleton University and an expert in international security, said the military will be able to last for now, but not long term.

“Yes [the military is sustainable], assuming there are no other contingencies that the Canadian Forces are required to respond to like Darfur and other places of discussion,” he said. “Personally my own view is you certainly can’t sustain anything long term outside of Afghanistan at this point and time. It’s simply impossible to do that.”

Additionally, Mendeloff said public support will be harder to gain as time goes on.

“The longer we’re there and the greater harm it brings to Canadian Forces, the greater the dissatisfaction it’ll likely to be,” he said.

NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said in a speech during his visit to Canada that the organization will ensure the mission does not exceed past 2009, but predicts that it is far from being over.

“We bring a help to the Afghan Government by ensuring the essential safety, the rebuilding and the development of the country,” he said during the French portion of his speech. “… But illusion should not be made: our engagement will be long.”

There is no denying the unexpected support from Liberal opposition leaders across the nation. Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal defence critic based in Vancouver South, spoke in the House of Commons in April regarding the Afghanistan operations.

“Canadians have looked to us, their elected representatives, for reassurance that the mission is worth the loss,” he said. “I am here tonight, on behalf of the Official Opposition, to offer Canadians an emphatic ‘Yes.’”

As of April 2006, seventeen troops have died in Afghanistan the most recent being Captain Nichola Goddard, the first female soldier to be killed in combat. Her death was announced on the same day the vote was made to extend the mission.

The mission is part of the United States-led campaign, Operation: ENDURING FREEDOM which comprises of two components, according to the Canadian Forces website: to train the Afghan National Army in Kabul and to deploy the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), now active until 2009.

NATO, through the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), will take over the mission in southern Afghanistan this August.

The organization is currently preparing for the international summit this year, to take place in Riga, Latvia where allied missions will be discussed.

Photograph: Canadian Department of National Defence

Source: Scene and Heard.ca (www.sceneandheard.ca), Canada Day issue

Long Ditch the Queen

Anti and pro monarchist movements spark debate

With Canada’s 139th birthday this year, some may wonder about the history of our nation, what it took to get where it is today, and more importantly, who has helped create the democracy we have now.

Enter Canadian organizations that have developed to root for or against our relations with the British monarchy and Queen Elizabeth. Forget about Quebec wanting to become its own republic. What about Canada being independent, with our own head, our own government and essentially our “own” country?

Her Royal Highness the Queen of England has once said she wanted “the Crown in Canada to represent everything that is best and most admired in the Canadian ideal.”

Unfortunately, not everyone share the same ideal.

Countries like Australia have also protested allegiance to the Queen, stating they have the stability to be independent nations. Such Republicans still count down the days to when Canada is “free”, analysing and scrutinizing every move of the monarchy and indicating how an independent government can do it better.

Canada has followed suit, with the development of Citizens of a Canadian Republic (CCR), a not-for-profit organization created in 2002 advocating the “Canadianization” of the head of state.

Most recently, CCR organized an anti-monarchist rally on Victoria Day where about 20 protestors showed up at Queen’s Park. Ashok Charles, CCR Toronto chapter president, led the group while recanting the Oath of Citizenship that declared the allegiance to the Queen and her heirs and successors.

Tom Freda, CCR’s national director, said the rally was supposed to point out things that no longer involve Canada and to allow the public to be aware of these things.

“We’ve found out that the more Canadians know about the monarchy, the less they want to keep it,” he said. “There are just so many aspects of the institution that just no longer reflect Canadian values.”

The CCR has protested everything from the way the Governor General is elected to how the national flag is represented. In March, the CCR called on the Department of Canadian Heritage to update their protocol when flying the Royal Union Flag on Commonwealth Day (March 13), stating that the Canadian flag should be flown next to it on all Canadian government buildings.

CCR officials have gone as far as to say the Commonwealth flag, one that shows more of Canadian heritage, should be flown in lieu of the Royal Union flag, a symbol of British Parliament. Neither the government nor the monarchy responded.

All protests aside, pro-monarchist movements are just as prominent as anti-monarchist movements. Gavin Guthrie is a spokesperson for the Toronto-based Monarchist League, which advocates the exact opposite of CCR’s mandates.

Although Guthrie agrees that education is important for Canadians when it comes to having an informed opinion regarding the monarchy, there are some things anti-monarchists should understand about the country before making statements.

“They’ll say that we’re not independent because we still have the Crown, that we’re not an independent country because we’re this colony of the UK, which is completely untrue,” he says.

“Canada is now a completely sovereign nation and it just happens to share its head of state with 15 other countries.”

The League was made to protect the monarchy in the 1960s, when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was still in office. Recently, the League posted a tribute to Queen Elizabeth on her birthday on its website, providing methods for Canadians to send celebratory messages to Her Royal Highness. It also held a massive celebration in Montreal this past April in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Lise Thibault.

According to Guthrie, the League is meant to keep the monarchy in the forefront of people’s minds and consider how the nation would operate structurally if the Queen was not present.

“If Republicans came into play, it would affect the balance of power,” he said. “How would you select the President? How will power be protected where it won’t be abused? All these sort of details need to be worked out and I’ve never heard a proposal from anyone on how they would do it.”

The League, like CCR, have no Canada Day events planned this year, but annual festivities will be held at Toronto’s Nathan Philips Square to celebrate our nation -- independent or not.

For more information on Citizens for a Canadian Republic, please visit www.canadian-republic.ca. For more information on the Monarchist League, please visit www.monarchist.ca

Illustration: Sean Ward

Source: Scene and Heard.ca (www.sceneandheard.ca), Canada Day issue