DNA reveals mating patterns of critically endangered sea turtle

Monday, February 4, 2013

New University of East Anglia research into the mating habits of a critically endangered sea turtle will help conservationists understand more about its mating patterns.

Research published today in Molecular Ecology shows that female hawksbill turtles mate at the beginning of the season and store sperm for up to 75 days to use when laying multiple nests on the beach.

It also reveals that these turtles are mainly monogamous and don't tend to re-mate during the season.

Because the turtles live underwater, and often far out to sea, little has been understood about their breeding habits until now. The breakthrough was made by studying DNA samples taken from turtles on Cousine Island in the Seychelles.

The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) was listed as critically endangered in 1996 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), largely due to a dramatic reduction in their numbers driven by the international trade in tortoiseshell as a decorative material ? an activity which was banned in the same year.

The Seychelles are home to the largest remaining population of hawksbill turtles in the western Indian Ocean. Cousine Island is an important nesting ground for the hawksbill and has a long running turtle monitoring program. It is hoped that the research will help focus conservation efforts in future.

Lead researcher Dr David Richardson, from UEA's school of Biological Sciences, said: "We now know much more about the mating system of this critically endangered species. By looking at DNA samples from female turtles and their offspring, we can identify and count the number of breeding males involved. This would otherwise be impossible from observation alone because they live and mate in the water, often far out to sea.

"We now know that female turtles mate at the beginning of the season - probably before migrating to the nesting beaches. They then store sperm from that mating to use over the next couple of months when laying multiple nests.

"Our research also shows that, unlike in many other species, the females normally mate with just one male, they rarely re-mate within a season and they do not seem to be selecting specific 'better quality' males to mate with.

"Understanding more about when and where they are mating is important because it will help conservationists target areas to focus their efforts on.

"It also lets us calculate how many different males contribute to the next generation of turtles, as well as giving an idea of how many adult males are out there, which we never see because they live out in the ocean.

"Perhaps most importantly, it gives us a measure of how genetically viable the population is - despite all the hunting of this beautiful and enigmatic species over the last 100 years.

"The good news is that each female is pairing up with a different male ? which suggests that there are plenty of males out there. This may be why we still see high levels of genetic variation in the population, which is crucial for its long term survival .This endangered species does seem to be doing well in the Seychelles at least."

Lead author Karl Phillips, a PhD student in UEA's school of Biological Sciences, added: "This is an excellent example of how studying DNA can reveal previously unknown aspects of species' life histories."

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University of East Anglia: http://comm.uea.ac.uk/press

Thanks to University of East Anglia for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126603/DNA_reveals_mating_patterns_of_critically_endangered_sea_turtle

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Bill Clinton to speak at Ed Koch's funeral in New York City

NEW YORK (AP) ? Ed Koch is being remembered as the quintessential New Yorker ? an admired but tough, colorful former mayor who will be honored at his funeral by former President Bill Clinton.

At the service Monday morning at Manhattan's Temple Emanu-El, mourners will also hear about Koch's other fierce loyalty: Israel. The Israeli consul general is set to speak, along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

And New York Police Department helicopters are expected to fly over the synagogue in honor of Koch.

Koch was a friend of both Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and was helpful during her successful campaign for the U.S. Senate from New York, according to Koch spokesman George Arzt. Koch also backed Hillary Clinton in her presidential run.

Bill Clinton will serve as a representative for President Barack Obama at the funeral.

Koch died Friday of congestive heart failure at age 88.

Friends from his weekly Greenwich Village luncheon gathering got together on Saturday, two weeks after his last meal with them.

The funeral will be held at one of the nation's most prominent synagogues, a Reform Jewish congregation on Fifth Avenue. Bloomberg is a member, as are comedian Joan Rivers and former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

"I don't want to leave Manhattan, even when I'm gone," he told The Associated Press in 2008 after purchasing a burial plot in Trinity Church Cemetery, at the time the only graveyard in Manhattan that still had space. "This is my home. The thought of having to go to New Jersey was so distressing to me."

Koch led his city for 12 years, with a brash, humor-tinged style that came to personify the New York of the 1980s.

The Democratic mayor is credited with helping save New York from its economic crisis in the 1970s and leading it to financial rebirth. But during his three terms as mayor, he also faced racial tensions and corruption among political allies, as well as the AIDS epidemic, homelessness and urban crime.

In his weekly radio address, Bloomberg called Koch "our most tireless, fearless, and guileless civic crusader."

The mayor said his predecessor's "tough, determined leadership and responsible fiscal stewardship ... helped lift the city out of its darkest days and set it on course for an incredible comeback."

He added, "When someone needed a good kick in the rear, he gave it to them."

Koch lost the Democratic nomination for mayor in 1989 to David Dinkins, who succeeded him.

Koch said he was defeated "because of longevity." In his words, "people get tired of you."

But as the votes were coming in, he said he told himself, "I'm free at last."

Also Monday, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney will announce the renaming of a Manhattan subway station in Koch's honor.

The subway station at East 77th Street and Lexington Avenue will be called "Mayor Ed Koch subway station," according to Maloney.

City officials have introduced legislation to officially rename the station.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bill-clinton-speak-ed-kochs-funeral-nyc-202620966.html

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Downtown Chicago homes for sale down nearly 30% in 4th quarter

The inventory of listed downtown Chicago homes for sale continued to drop in the 4th quarter. There were 29.9% less such homes for sale compared to 4th quarter 2011. There were 2,229 downtown Chicago homes for sale vs. 3,179 a year earlier.

The drop inventory can be at least partially attributed to rising sales. The number of units sold was up significantly year over year for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters in 2012. The increase for the 4th quarter was 41%.

Downtown Chicago Homes For Sale 4th Qtr. 2009 - 4th Qtr. 2012

The median sale price was up 25%. Average days on market was down 19%. Pending sales were up 37%, so sales should do well in the 1st quarter of 2013.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DOWNTOWN CHICAGO HOME BUYERS

With a significantly lower inventory of downtown Chicago homes for sale you don?t have nearly the choices that you had a year ago. You won?t be able to negotiate as much since there aren?t as many sellers competing against each other. For more on the 25% median sale price increase see the next section.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DOWNTOWN CHICAGO HOME SELLERS

Before you get too excited about the 25% higher median sale price you should know that the increase in median sale price was partially due to the fact that there were slightly less bank-owned sales in the 4th quarter and a higher percent of homes sold were larger homes. Given that the downtown Chicago market appears to be forming a bottom, I don?t recommend selling unless: 1. you really need to or 2. you want to move up to a more expensive home. It?s probably come down more in value in the past few years than your current home. As always, if your home is priced right when it goes on market, it will sell in a reasonable amount of time.

Email Fran for more information on downtown Chicago homes for sale.

DOWNTOWN CHICAGO HOMES FOR SALE

Click below to see the downtown Chicago homes for sale in your desired price range. You can narrow the results by internal and external features. Pending sales are excluded.

Source: http://www.chicagometroarearealestate.com/downtown-chicago-homes-for-sale-down-nearly-30-in-4th-quarter/

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Prescription overdose rate reaches epidemic levels in NYC

Feb. 3, 2013 ? The rate of drug overdose from prescription opioids increased seven-fold in New York City over a 16-year period and was concentrated especially among white residents of the city, according to latest research at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The study is one of the earliest and most comprehensive analyses of how the opioid epidemic has affected an urban area.

The findings are published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

There are two classes of prescription opioids: analgesics, or painkillers like Oxycontin (oxycodone), and methadone, which is used to treat heroin addiction but which carries a risk of overdose. Using data from the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the period 1990-2006, the researchers examined the factors associated with death from prescription opioids versus heroin, which historically has been the most common type of opioid fatality in urban areas.

They found that the increase in the rate of drug overdose was driven entirely by analgesic overdoses, which were 2.7 per 100,000 persons in 2006 or seven times higher than in 1990. Meanwhile, methadone overdoses remained stable, and heroin overdoses declined.

Whites were much more likely to overdose on analgesics than blacks or Hispanics. By 2006, the fatality rate among white males was almost two times higher than the rate among Latinos and three times higher than the rate among blacks.

Deaths were mostly concentrated in neighborhoods with high-income inequality but lower-than-average rates of poverty.

"A possible reason for the concentration of fatalities among whites is that this group is more likely to have access to a doctor who can write prescriptions," says Magdalena Cerd?, DrPH, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health and the lead author on the study. "However, more often than not, those who get addicted have begun using the drug through illicit channels rather than through a prescription."

Price may also play a role, since heroin costs less than analgesics. Additionally, users of prescription opioids may perceive they are safer than other drugs.

Although methadone overdose rates did not increase overall, fatalities among whites increased almost nine-fold while among blacks decreased by 2%. This shift may reflect a change in the nature of methadone use, from a treatment for heroin addiction to a treatment for chronic non-cancer pain.

The study suggests that the profile of a recreational prescription opioid user is very different from the heroin consumer, with less involvement in street-based forms of drug-trafficking and use of other drugs such as cocaine. Because of the different demographics between heroin and prescription opioid users, a different public health approach is needed to target the latter group, say the authors. "It's a different type of drug with a different profile, and we need a different type of response to it," said Dr. Cerd?.

Over the last 20 years, prescription drug overdoses have risen dramatically in the U. S. By 2006, overdose fatalities exceeded the number of suicides, and by 2009, they exceeded the number of motor vehicle deaths.

Most studies on recreational opioid use have focused on rural areas, which have been hit the hardest by the epidemic, but this study suggests that urban areas are contending with a growing health burden from opioid use.

The authors recommend regulating the aggressive marketing of potent drugs like Oxycontin, controlling over-prescribing of analgesics, and taking stricter measures to regulate sales. They also say there should be more law enforcement measures to identify illicit networks of distribution of these drugs and education outreach for physicians and patients.

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Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/f8WWY1oXyXA/130203085130.htm

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Earl Grey descendants sell English tea to China

TRURO, England (Reuters) - An estate owned by descendants of the 19th century British aristocrat for whom Earl Grey tea was named is turning history on its head by selling English tea to China.

The Tregothnan estate in the southwestern English county of Cornwall started selling tea from its tiny plantation in 2005 and last year produced about 10 metric tons (11.023 tons) of tea and infusions.

Although a drop in the ocean of global tea production, which the UK Tea Council estimated to be about 4.3 million metric tons, Tregothnan has found a niche for its products by trading on England's historical reputation as a nation of tea-lovers.

"It's unique. There's no one else who's growing tea in England and putting English tea on the market," owner Evelyn Boscawen told Reuters.

The long history of immersing tea leaves in hot water for a refreshing drink is not lost on the son of the current Viscount Falmouth and a descendant of British Prime Minister Charles Grey, for whom the bergamot-flavored Earl Grey tea is named and whose Reform Act of 1832 sowed the seeds of modern parliamentary democracy and universal suffrage in Britain.

Chinese tea has been coming to Britain since the East India Company first imported it in the 17th century for consumption by wealthy aristocrats.

By the Victorian era, taking tea had become a regular ritual at almost every level of society from elaborate afternoon tea for the rich in country houses to tea and gruel for the working poor as depicted by author Charles Dickens.

But the Boscawens at Tregothnan are bucking the historic trend of tea flowing from East to West by beginning to export some of their wares to China and elsewhere.

"We do see China as an opportunity at the moment," Boscawen said. "The Chinese are great lovers of buying exotic things from all over the world. Even if it might have come from China (originally)."

Tea, native to Asia, is not traditionally grown in Britain but can be cultivated outdoors at Tregothnan, which is situated in England's southwest and benefits from an unusual microclimate similar to that of Darjeeling in India.

Less similar to India is the tiny scale of production at Tregothnan, which might be large enough to be considered a small Darjeeling tea garden, the English estate's commercial and garden director Jonathan Jones said.

"We went into this right from the outset as being able to put the English into English tea," Jones said. "We weren't ever looking at being the new India or China, that's ridiculous."

HIGH TEA

Tregothnan projected sales of teas and infusions of 2 million pounds ($3.14 million) in 2013, with 1 million pounds coming from exports.

This is a miniscule sum in comparison to the global export market, with the world's largest black tea exporter, Kenya, predicting tea exports earnings of $1.33 billion in 2013.

But the small English operation is attracting attention, including from Chinese state television, which pitched up for several days of filming for a program to be aired in the coming months to hundreds of millions of viewers.

Tregothnan is also hoping to open a franchise of tea houses named "Festival of Tea", selling tea in a coffee-house style. They plan to open one such outlet this year in Shanghai, after "serious interest from Chinese investors," Jones said.

The export market is also a place where Tregothnan hopes to find customers willing to meet its higher prices. Small-scale production and its location means its teas can cost up to 20 times as much per cup as the cheapest market blends.

"We're in recession, but other countries aren't, so it makes sense to export," general manager Andy Phillips said. "The key is not to get dragged into competing on price."

Tregothnan has targeted the high end of the market in Britain, selling some of its products to expensive hotels like the Savoy and Claridge's, which are already major tourist destinations for expensive English afternoon teas.

Referencing the stereotypical English love of a good brew is a big part of Tregothnan's marketing strategy.

"There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea," is the quote attributed to Basque philosopher Bernard-Paul Heroux that adorns individual packets containing the estate's tea bags.

With a portion of its tea bushes nestled in the estate's pleasure gardens, Tregothnan looks more like a vast country estate than an agricultural business, and its owners live on the site which has been the family home since 1335.

Tregothnan's historic setting, with its imposing country house and graceful grounds, is important for the brand.

"It's an enormous story that goes into the whole product," owner Boscawen said.

Tregothnan is part of a wider trend of small tea producers in strange parts of the world, according to Jane Pettigrew, a tea expert and author of several books on the subject.

"People are planting tea in the most extraordinary places at the moment," she said.

"There are people in Hawaii growing tea, there are people in Canada planting tea, and there are people up in Scotland planting tea."

($1 = 0.6367 British pounds)

(Reporting By Hannah Vinter, editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Paul Casciato)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/earl-grey-descendants-sell-english-tea-china-142734494--sector.html

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'Idol's' oddest auditions impress the most

By Craig Berman, TODAY contributor

Fox

?American Idol? has been criticized for how cookie-cutter of a competition it seems to be -- just think of how many years in a row the winner has been a white guy with a guitar (answer: five). But the auditions are the time where the show thrives on unpredictability, bringing in singers who seem sure-fire trainwrecks and allowing them to show the hidden talent within.

For example, few hopefuls this season have looked less like an ?Idol? contender than Matheus Fernandes, who closed Wednesday?s show. The transplanted Brazilian doesn?t fit the mode of the traditionally successful ?Idol? hopeful, since he?s less than five feet tall. And those who watched ?The Glee Project? were likely not surprised that he made it to Hollywood, since he came in eighth in the first season of that show and didn?t exactly make many friends along the way.

But for those who were unfamiliar with his experience there ? and judging by the ratings, that would be most of you -- had to be shocked that he had both the poise to make a joke at his own expense (?First question -- is there a height requirement on this show??) and then did well enough with ?A Change is Gonna Come? to get four yes votes. Whether or not he lasts the first day in Hollywood, who knows? Doesn?t really matter. He did his job by providing a reason to watch the auditions.

Then again, was Fernandes a better story than Matt Farmer? The Iraq war veteran suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat, then said the doctors told him the medication he took to recover would make him sterile. Judging by his three-year-old daughter, who came into the auditions with him, big pharma may not have been 100% accurate on those side effects. And the trauma didn?t affect his voice: He, like Fernandes, sang ?A Change is Gonna Come,? and also got four yes votes.

And were either of those guys more surprising than Micah Johnson? Johnson?s speaking voice was negatively affected by a botched tonsil operation, but the nerve damage apparently doesn?t affect the singing muscles, because he nailed ?Chicken Fried.?

?You should sing all the time,? Keith Urban told him. Not the most useful advice in the world, but he meant it well. Mariah Carey, meanwhile, turned it into an anecdote about her own nerve damage that went away, because that?s Mariah Carey. Bless her heart.

We also saw Briana Oakley, who said she had to eat lunch by herself in the bathroom to avoid bullies after her appearance singing on a different show. That allowed the judges to remind everyone that bullying is bad, and the only people allowed to intimidate others as the result of their efforts on a singing competition are them.

Other performers of note included Papa Peachez, a self-proclaimed ?big black woman trapped in a little boy?s body.? He owes his status to Nicki Minaj, who wheedled Randy Jackson into letting him advance to Hollywood after the judges deadlocked 2-2. The dude has no chance of winning, but at least he?ll get some frequent flier miles.

Ann DiFani was this week?s recipient of the Randy Jackson Bus Tour Ticket, as the Big Dawg surprised her at an Arkansas football game. The Razorback fans cheered, one of the few times all season they had the opportunity to do so given the team?s 4-8 finish in 2012.

And two more serious contenders slid under the radar because their backgrounds were not as compelling. Sanni M?mairura showed both vocals and poise, though he struggled to keep it together at the finish, and perky Rachel Hale has the Kellie Pickler accent in a more well-rounded vocal package. She?s one to watch for sure.

All were sweet music to the judges, and Nicki Minaj voted to send all of the above through. For someone who claimed that she wouldn?t be one of those suckered by every sob story, she?s been nothing but a softy towards those traditional ?Idol? success stories, as far as we?ve seen. But she?s also the judge who lays the smack down when needed, as she did when the Bacerott brothers wouldn?t leave well enough alone after being criticized.

?Your part of the audition is done, so let's take it down a notch,? she said.

They weren?t alone. After Thursday, everyone?s part of the audition will be over, thanks to the truncated coverage of the opening stage of the competition. So if you want to see more inspirational tales of contestants overcoming adversity, this is your last, best chance until next year.

What did you think of the latest "Idol" hopefuls? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/01/31/16789423-american-idols-oddest-auditions-impress-the-most?lite

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MCain hammers Hagel on Iraq troop surge

Republican Sen. John McCain angrily dismissed defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel as stubbornly camped ?on the wrong side? of history when it comes to Iraq, and he openly doubted whether he could support the confirmation of his former comrade and fellow Republican. The heated exchange between the two men, both decorated Vietnam War veterans, was the most notable in a series of testy verbal duels as Hagel faced some of his fiercest critics in the Senate.

McCain welcomed the former senator by saying he was ?pleased to see an old friend? before the Senate Armed Services Committee, but he immediately ripped into ?the quality of your professional judgment.? (Politico?s David Chalian noted on Twitter that the Arizona lawmaker?s tone suggested that ?old friend? really meant ?ex-friend.?)

McCain, a champion of the troop surge in Iraq, hammered Hagel over his opposition to that escalation of the war and demanded Hagel admit that he was wrong to warn it could turn out to be a Vietnam-level debacle. After labeling Hagel?s concerns ?bizarre? and ?nonsense,? McCain demanded to know whether the nominee stood by his criticisms and asked, ?Were you right or wrong about the surge??

?I stand by 'em because I made 'em,? Hagel replied. ?I would defer to the judgment of history.?

As Hagel offered to ?explain? his remarks, McCain cut him off. ?I want to know whether you were right or wrong. That?s a direct question; I expect a direct answer.?

?The surge assisted in the objective,? Hagel said. ?But if we review the record a little bit ..."

?Will you please answer the question?? McCain jumped in. ?Were you correct or incorrect when you said that the surge would be the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam? Were you correct or incorrect? Yes or no?

?Were you right or wrong? That?s a pretty straightforward question,? McCain said.

?I?m not going to give you a yes or no answer,? Hagel said. ?If you would like me to explain why ...?

?No, I actually would like an answer, yes or no,? McCain said, cutting him off.

?I?ll defer that judgment to history,? Hagel repeated. But he added that his Vietnam comments referred to ?the overall war of choice, going into Iraq? and he called the March 2003 invasion ?the most fundamentally bad, dangerous decision since Vietnam.?

?History has already made a judgment about the surge, sir, and you?re on the wrong side of it,? McCain said. ?And your refusal to answer whether you were right or wrong about it is going to have an impact on my judgment as to whether to vote for your confirmation or not.?

?I hope you will reconsider,? McCain said.

Both McCain and Hagel voted in favor of going to war in Iraq, but Hagel later turned sharply against the conflict, often echoing then-Sen. Barack Obama's accusation that the invasion diverted resources from Afghanistan.

Earlier, Hagel pleaded with senators not to judge him based on controversial past remarks?like his warning against the ?Jewish lobby??or on single votes he cast during his Senate career.

?No one individual vote, no one individual quote, no one individual statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record,? Hagel said in his opening remarks.

The former senator from Nebraska faces fierce opposition from some Republicans who say he would undermine America?s national security ties to Israel and does not take the threat posed by Iran?s nuclear program seriously enough. Hagel is expected to be confirmed?but not without a fight.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Yahoo News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that he disagreed with Hagel on a range of issues, but he called Hagel a ?smart, capable guy? who deserves a full hearing. And even some of Hagel's most forceful opponents, like Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, have to date stopped short of vowing to filibuster his nomination.

Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the committee, charged that Hagel would promote "a worldview that is predicated on appeasing our adversaries while shunning our friends" and bluntly called him "the wrong person to lead the Pentagon at this perilous and consequential time."

In his remarks, Hagel took aim directly at some of his critics?and sought to reassure lawmakers who might be on the fence.

?I will ensure our friend and ally Israel maintains its Qualitative Military Edge in the region and will continue to support systems like Iron Dome, which is today saving Israeli lives from terrorists' rocket attacks,? he said.

"I am fully committed to the president?s goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and?as I?ve said in the past, many times?all options must be on the table to achieve that goal," he said, using diplomatic language that refers to the use of military force. "My policy has always been the same as the president?s?one of prevention, and not one of containment?and the president has made clear that is the policy of our government."

Hagel's years in the Senate haven't endeared him to many Republican lawmakers still smarting over his outspoken criticism of the Iraq war even after he voted to authorize the U.S. invasion. Hagel's position on the war sealed his reputation as a party outsider and led him to lend tacit support to President Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Hagel has been criticized for opposing unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran in the past?a position he now embraces?and calling for direct talks between Tehran and Washington without preconditions. He has also raised questions about his support for Israel and at one point criticized the "Jewish lobby? as having too much clout in Washington.

"Like each of you, I have a record. A record I am proud of, not because of any accomplishments I may have achieved or an absence of mistakes, but rather because I?ve tried to build that record by living my life and fulfilling my responsibilities as honestly as I knew how and with hard work," the former senator said.

"My overall worldview has never changed: that America has and must maintain the strongest military in the world; that we must lead the international community to confront threats and challenges together; and that we must use all tools of American power to protect our citizens and our interests. I believe, and always have, that America must engage?not retreat?in the world. My record is consistent on these points."

Hagel, who earned two Purple Hearts in Vietnam and still carries shrapnel in his chest, would be the first former enlisted soldier to head the Pentagon.

He was introduced by two retired senators with long careers on the committee: Democrat Sam Nunn of Georgia and Republican John Warner of Virginia. After a lengthy opening tribute, Warner got laughs from the room when he turned to Hagel and declared: "You're on your own. Good luck!"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/hagel-don-t-judge-jewish-lobby-quote-151318895--politics.html

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