Lack of satiety hormones plays a role

Obesity: Lack of 'satiety hormones' plays a role

Researchers have found that weighty people unleash fewer hormones that tell U.S.A. after we square measure full.

●A new study provides further evidence that metabolic factors have a part to play in obesity, when finding that individuals World Health Organization square measure weighty unleash considerably fewer "satiety hormones" when ingestion, compared with lean people.


●In the United States, it's calculable that more than a 3rd of adults and around a fifth of kids and adolescents square measure weighty.

●Since obesity is a key risk factor for a variety of health conditions - including heart disease , kind a pair of polygenic disorder , and a few types of cancer - its prevalence has become a significant public health concern.

●A primary cause of obesity is an energy imbalance , whereby an individual takes in additional calories than they use. this might occur as a results of Associate in Nursing unhealthful diet, overeating, and lack of exercise.

●According to co-lead study author Dr. Bettina Wölnerhanssen, of the Department of Biomedicine at University Hospital Basle in Suisse, there's a widespread belief that "a lack of self-control and discipline" is that the key player in fatness.



However, studies square measure progressively proving that this is often not the case, which there square measure variety of metabolic factors concerned.

The new study from Dr. Wölnerhanssen and colleagues adds to the proof. The team has uncovered a molecular mechanism in weighty people that will forestall them from feeling full when a meal, which can cause them to eat a lot of.

Findings might 'explain lack of satiation'

to achieve their findings, the researchers collected and examined samples of duct tissue from twenty seven morbidly weighty adults, each before and three months when they underwent laparoscopic sleeve operation (LSG) - a kind of weight loss surgery.

For comparison, the team conjointly collected and analyzed duct tissue samples from twenty four lean adults.

The analysis discovered that the duct tissue taken from weighty participants before LSG had considerably fewer enteroendocrine cells than the tissue samples of lean subjects.


● In response to food intake, enteroendocrine cells unleash hormones into the blood that send signals to the brain, telling U.S.A. after we square measure full. a discount in enteroendocrine cells ends up in a decrease within the unleash of those questionable satiation hormones, which can fuel a rise in food intake.


●Additionally, the researchers found that, before LSG, weighty people incontestable changes within the expression of transcription factors that regulate enteroendocrine cell formation.


"Deregulation of this regulative network might cause defective animal tissue differentiation leading to altered functions of the enteral epithelial tissue," note the authors.

Interestingly, the analysis of tissue samples from weighty participants taken when LSG showed that the amount of enteroendocrine cells and therefore the expression of transcription factors in duct tissue was virtually an equivalent as that of the lean subjects.

●Overall, the researchers believe their study offers any proof that fatness will develop as a results of metabolic factors.


  There's little doubt that metabolic factors square measure half in} a very important part. The study shows that there square measure structural variations between lean and weighty folks, which may make a case for lack of satiation within the weighty.

'Five bits of foods grown from the ground a day are sufficient'

Another examination distributed on
thebmj.com states that five segments of foods grown from the ground a day is ideal for bringing down the danger of death from any reason, including cardiovascular sickness. In spite of another current examination, any segments past the underlying five seem to have no further effect on mortality.

○It has been set up that the utilization of products of the soil is critical in lessening the danger of mortality from ailments, for example, cardiovascular illness, yet comes about between various examinations have needed consistency with regards to the perfect add up to be expended.

○Different nations prescribe diverse adds up to be devoured by the general population. For instance, while the US government have upheld expending five parts of foods grown from the ground each day, the Australian government suggest eating five bits of vegetables and two bits of organic products.

○A consider that was distributed in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health prior in the year recommended that individuals ought to eat seven bits of leafy foods consistently . These discoveries struggle with new research, nonetheless, directed by a group of scientists situated in China and the US.

Five segments or seven?

The group played out a meta-investigation of 16 companion thinks about, inspecting the information of 833,234 members - which included 56,423 passings - and balanced the discoveries to consider contrasts in contemplate outline and information quality.

After predisposition was limited in this way, the scientists found that a higher utilization of products of the soil was related with a fundamentally bring down danger of death from all causes, and specifically cardiovascular sickness.

There was a 5% normal diminishment in the danger of death from all causes and a 4% decrease in the danger of death from cardiovascular illness for each extra day by day part of foods grown from the ground that was expended.
Conversely with the examination distributed in the
Diary of Epidemiology and Community Health , in any case, the analysts noticed that after five servings of leafy foods, extra bits did not influence the danger of death in any noteworthy way.

The creators likewise did not see higher utilization of products of the soil having a lot of an impact on decreasing the danger of malignancy . The creators say that, in light of this, "the unfavorable impacts of heftiness , physical latency, smoking, and high liquor admissions on growth mortality ought to be additionally underlined."

Results 'bolster current proposals'

The creators say that further investigations should look all the more carefully at particular sorts of malignancy and the part of various gatherings of leafy foods in influencing mortality for various causes. They additionally compose that further examinations are expected to affirm their finding of a five-a-day limit in lessening mortality.
This is to some degree because of confinements in their investigation. Their discoveries may have been impacted by loose measuring of utilization because of dependence on nourishment recurrence polls in the greater part of the investigations used and additionally this, the companion ponders did not consider other dietary factors, for example, the utilization of immersed fat or handled meat, which may have likewise affected death rates.

At exhibit, the American Cancer Society (ACS) suggest that grown-ups eat no less than 2.5 glasses (5 partitions) of products of the soil each day, setting an accentuation on assortment and the significance of entire foods grown from the ground, for example, drinking unadulterated natural product squeeze as opposed to drinks from focus.

The perfect measure of products of the soil to be expended day by day may at present be particularly easily proven wrong, yet, as indicated by the creators, "the outcomes bolster current suggestions to build utilization of leafy foods to advance wellbeing and life span."

Grenfell fire: Terms of reference published

Grenfell fire: Terms of reference published

The actions of Kensington and Chelsea Council square measure to be thought-about within the Grenfell Tower fireplace inquiry, the govt has proclaimed .
The inquiry will scrutinize the adequacy of laws, the tower's recent renovation, and therefore the response of authorities within the aftermath.
Broader queries on social housing won't be enclosed, that campaigners say square measure central to matters.
Labour says the inquiry was "closing off criticism of state policy".
However, Prime Minister Teresa might aforesaid the govt would meet social housing tenants to "discuss the challenges they face" and would be starting up more proposals "in due course".
At least eighty individuals square measure thought to possess died within the fireplace in North Kensington, west London, on 14 June.
The full terms of reference for the general public inquiry, that are accepted fully by the prime minister, are:
The cause and unfold of the fireplace
The design, construction and renovation of Grenfell Tower
The scope and adequacy of the relevant laws regarding high-rise buildings
Whether the relevant legislation and steerage were complied with within the case of Grenfell Tower
The actions of the office and different bodies before the tragedy
The response of the London fireplace Brigade to the fireplace and therefore the response of central and native government within the aftermath
The decide heading the inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, had antecedently aforesaid its scope may well be far more restricted.
Karim Mussilhy continues to be anticipating the remains of his uncle to be found and known.
Asked whether or not he has confidence within the inquiry, he said: "I support it…(but) confidence may be a terribly sturdy word. I even have additional confidence within the criminal investigation than I do the general public inquiry."
Joe Delaney from the Grenfell Action cluster has raised issues regarding however the inquiry can scrutinise Kensington and Chelsea Council.
Speaking on Radio 4's PM, mister Delaney said: "If it's understood as narrowly because it appears Sir Martin Moore-Bick instinctively appears to interpret things then we tend to might have a significant downside."
Meanwhile, campaigners together with Justice4Grenfell (J4G) and Labour MP David Lammy, United Nations agency knew a victim of the fireplace, have raised issues over the exclusion of social problems.
The civil authority of London aforesaid during a statement queries ought to be answered "if the community's shattered confidence is to be restored".
Sadiq Khan urged Sir Martin to try and do "everything in his power" to publish the interim report as quickly as potential.
J4G spokesperson Yvette Williams aforesaid the cluster would think about operating with Sir Martin if he appointed community advisers.
Local MP Emma Dent Coad aforesaid the scope "will not get to the guts of the problem".
The shadow fireplace minister aforesaid the terms "touch on concerns" however that political choices got to be looked into once it absolutely was created "perfectly permissible to place flamable materials on a tower block".
The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council aforesaid it absolutely was absolutely cooperating with the inquiry.
"We should resolve what went wrong and ensure it ne'er happens once more, not solely during this borough, however anyplace within the kingdom," Elizabeth mythologist additional.
Inquiry issues
Meanwhile, Sir Martin has recommended that a failure to deal with the long immigration standing of some survivors might hinder his work.
He urged the govt to "take all necessary steps" to encourage those living within the building illicitly to return forward, adding that it might deprive the investigation of "valuable" proof if they did not.
The government capable his issues by inform to a 12-month amnesty that may permit such people temporary lawful residence within the kingdom.
The inquiry has currently formally begun and can hold its initial hearing on fourteen Sept, with associate initial report by Easter.
The terms of reference were determined following thought of quite 550 submissions.
The Met has aforesaid it might investigate "all criminal offences that will are committed".
The establishment of activity Safety and Health - a hired body - submitted a response to the consultation. It says the inquiry ought to be "a watershed for fireplace safety".

London Fire Brigade advised on Grenfell refurbishment

The London fireplace Brigade was closely consulted over the melioration of Grenfell Tower that enclosed the installation of combustible facing, the BBC has learned.

Documents seen by the BBC say there was "close liaison" between the hearth brigade and therefore the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO).

Firefighters were shown the "fire safety options of the building".

A interpreter for the hearth brigade same he couldn't comment.

The fire brigade's role within the melioration, that was completed in Gregorian calendar month 2016, would be coated by the general public inquiry into the disaster, he said.

Police believe a minimum of eighty folks died once the tower was engulfed in fireplace on fourteen Gregorian calendar month.

The fire started during a fridge-freezer, however the facing and insulation encompassing the building following a melioration has additionally come back below scrutiny, with consultants language a a lot of fire-resisting sort might are used.

Robert Atkinson, the leader of the Labour opposition cluster on Kensington and Chelsea Council, same he was "completely gobsmacked" by the revelation of the brigade's involvement within the melioration, adding: "I realize this totally extraordinary and doubtless important.

"I very suppose we have a tendency to currently ought to ensure that the role of the hearth folks before the hearth is looked into, and that i hope that the choose and therefore the inquiry can examine that terribly rigorously."

The terms of reference for the inquiry were declared on weekday fifteen August.
Chaired by retired choose Sir Martin Moore-Bick, it'll cowl the planning, construction and melioration of Grenfell Tower similarly because the response of the London fireplace Brigade.

Two building consultants additionally caught up the general public inquiry to analyze the role of the hearth brigade within the melioration of Grenfell Tower.

Geoff chemist, a hearth professional and building inspector, told the BBC: "What I realize slightly outlandish is that the undeniable fact that the hearth has occurred within the means it's, given the very fact that the Tenant Management Organisation appear to possess taken a reasonably accountable approach in involving the hearth service in this method."

Paul Follows, a consulting structural engineer, same he found the revelation "quite shocking" bearing in mind the teachings learned regarding previous tower fires that concerned kinds of external facing.

He told the BBC it had been vital the inquiry examined the role of the London fireplace Brigade, adding, "It would be terribly important, I believe, during a wide-ranging inquiry, to raise all of those queries and loads a lot of of the hearth brigade, what they were asked, what info they got."

Documents seen by the BBC show "close liaison" between the Tenant Management Organisation and therefore the London fireplace Brigade "throughout the length of the project".

One TMO document discovered however, at the conclusion of the project, operational firefighters from the native firehouse had attended Associate in Nursing onsite making known "where the contractor incontestible the hearth safety options of the building".

The BBC has learned that the hearth brigade was invited to negociate over the melioration following a hearth at another of the TMO's tower blocks in North Kensington in Gregorian calendar month 2015.

Firefighters had to rescue regarding fifty folks from Adair Tower, in Appleford Road, when a blaze bust call at a third-floor flat. Sixteen folks received hospital treatment.

Following the blaze, the hearth brigade issued a series of social control notices that needed the Tenant Management Organisation to undertake variety of fireplace safety enhancements at Adair Tower and a second block close, gum Tower.

Lancashire Thunder v Surrey Stars - in -play highlights & radio

Good afternoon
Welcome to our in-play clips coverage of today's Women Super League group game between Lancashire Thunder and Surrey Stars.
We'll be bringing you the best action with highlights from both innings.
You'll also be able to listen to BBC Radio 5 live sports extra or BBC Radio Lancashire commentary.
Surrey Stars Innings
Batsman Runs
Beaumont c E Jones b Hazell 36
Lee c Miles b Jonassen 0
Kapp c Miles b Ecclestone 12
Sciver not out 36
Smith lbw b Hazell 1
Marsh st Taylor b Jonassen 11
Dunkley-Brown not out 11
Extras 0nb 4w 0b 1lb 5
Total (18.0 overs) 112-5

Tottenham: This is a crucial time for Spurs' future - Jermaine Jenas

        By Jermaine Jenas
         MOTD pundit and former Tottenham.              midfielder
This is such a crucial time for Tottenham's future and the direction they want to go in after taking such huge strides over the past couple of seasons.
Their fans, and undoubtedly their players too, just want to feel like they are still moving forwards after finishing third, then second in the Premier League.
The danger is not that they risk standing still - more that they could fall behind if they don't strengthen properly now or, even worse, keep this group of players together.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy holds the key to that with who they sign and the club's pay structure going forward.
He has a reputation for being a pretty vicious negotiator but when I played for Spurs I sat down with him personally on several occasions to speak about wages and we had a really good relationship.
There were times when I was offered an extended and improved contract and I bit his hand off, and others when I would say I did not think it was the right time to sign.
Daniel would say something like: 'I fully respect that, but we will sit down again.'
He was always brilliant with me. Even when I ruptured my Achilles in 2011 while I was on loan at Aston Villa, one of the first things that came down the chain to me was, 'Jermaine, you will be back - and here is an extra year', which was great.
So from my point of view, he always treated me with respect and treated me well.
He has definitely got that humane side to him and the reputation he seems to have of being a horrible or tight man is just plain wrong.
Spurs no longer have to see their best players leave 
From my experience of Levy, he will have a good relationship with the current Spurs players too - despite the issues that Spurs left-back Danny Rose commented on last week.
Of course Levy is shrewd, though. He has always been clever - especially with the way he ties young players down to long deals but with the incentive to improve.
When I joined from Newcastle, aged 22, I must have signed a new contract every year for four or five seasons.
Dele Alli has done something similar recently, signing three new deals in the space of 16 months to tie him to the club until 2022.
I was always happy at Spurs so it was never an issue for me but, without really knowing it, I got to a point where I was about 26 or 27 - the age Rose is now - where I realised that even if I did want to leave it was too late.
I could not renegotiate because I had too many years left on my contract, which took me up to the age of 30 or 31, at which point you are struggling to land a big deal anyway.
As a model for Tottenham, it worked in the same way it does today - but we saw some of our best players leave, which is something that no longer has to happen.
We reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2011 with genuine stars like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in the team, but we were never as consistent as this Spurs side who are trying to achieve bigger things than we did in the Premier League.
A strange and stressful week for Spurs
It has been a very strange and probably quite stressful week for everyone at Tottenham despite their win over Newcastle on Sunday.
Off the back of Rose's comments about the club's wages and lack of activity in the transfer market, there has been a lot of discussion about the club's ambition, or the perceived lack of it.
It appears things are now happening on the transfer front, with Ajax's Davinson Sanchez and Everton's Ross Barkley both in Spurs' sights.
Only Levy knows why he always does business so late - even my transfer to Spurs from Newcastle was done on the last day of the window in August 2005...
Looking at that approach as a pundit rather than a player, it does not help manager Mauricio Pochettino much.
Manchester United did not get their deal for Nemanja Matic done particularly early, but he was still able to play for them on their summer tour and hit the ground running at the start of the season.
You look at the players Spurs are going for and Sanchez would be new to England, while Barkley did not feature in Everton's pre-season at all and has picked up a hamstring injury this week.
Realistically, for different reasons, you are not going to get the best out of either of them until October, at the earliest.
But from my point of view, there has never been a problem with their transfer policy in general. It has always been very well thought out when it comes to bringing players into the club, because in terms of the ability, age and price of their signings, they often seem to get that right.
My issue is more about how they handle the players they already have. They need to treat their contracts with just as much importance as they do the transfer market itself.
That is not happening at the moment. Tottenham are in the Champions League for a second straight season and are trying to establish themselves in that competition but, when it comes to wages, it feels like their level is more of a club challenging for a Europa League place.
They have not won anything yet - and if you want to go and try to take on the big boys and win trophies, then you have got to put your hand in your pockets.
Time to take Tottenham pay structure to the next level 
I spoke about Tottenham's wages and why they should pay more on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday - and I want to reiterate that they do not have greedy players on their books.
Indeed, some of them may well be very happy with their contracts but, knowing the club and their wage levels, I still think there is a core of that squad - and not just Rose - who will think the situation needs addressing just so they are getting what they are worth.
Spurs' marquee players like Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris are probably on about £100,000 per week, and for the rest I expect the cap is about £60,000.
To keep everyone happy you would not have to change the pay structure dramatically, just take it to another level for everyone to reflect the progress the team has made on the pitch.
I am not saying pay anyone £300,000 per week, or even £200,000 - but Spurs could take their wages-revenue ratio up a notch without going crazy and remain a well-run club.
If they do that, everything is going to go a lot more smoothly for them in the next year or two as they move to their new stadium, while trying to maintain the momentum they have at the moment..
Keeping their best players - and signing new ones
Spurs are running the risk of losing Belgium centre-half Toby Alderweireld, who has got two years left on his contract and is probably on about £50,000 a week.
If they could re-sign him this summer, and have him happy and on a long-term contract, that is as good a signing as they could make - but they are going to have to give him a big pay increase for that to happen.
As things stand, he has not signed and is not going to be in any rush to change that because the closer he gets to the end of his deal, the more power he will have. Every top club in the world will be circling around him.
If Alderweireld leaves, then Spurs are going to have to go and buy someone who they have to try to build up again to be at his level. For me, that is a backwards step.
Paying more would have similar benefits when it comes to signing players too.
At present, you kind of know that Spurs are never going to make a really huge signing, because of their wage structure.
Say if Real Madrid made Isco available. They would have to pay upwards of £50m for him for starters but, even if Tottenham did do that, he would not go there for £100,000 a week. Coming from Real, he is going to want close to double that.
So, at the moment, they are not even in contention to sign that calibre of player. They cannot even consider it.
Yes, the fact their current strongest XI is so good is one reason it is hard for them to sign players that will improve their team, but their pay structure is part of the problem too.

Gylfi Sigurdsson: Everton agree £45m deal for Swansea midfielde

Everton are set to announce the signing of Swansea City midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson for a fee believed to be about £45m.
The 27-year old passed a medical at the club earlier on Wednesday, manager Ronald Koeman told a news conference.
The Iceland international scored nine goals and made 13 assists last season to help the Swans avoid relegation.
Sigurdsson will be a record signing for Everton, who paid £31.8m to Chelsea for striker Romelu Lukaku in 2014.
Swansea set an asking price of £50m for Sigurdsson in July after rejecting an offer worth about £40m from Leicester.
The Welsh club then turned down a similar bid from the Toffees, who had been interested in signing the Iceland playmaker for more than a year.
Spurs will reportedly benefit from a 10% sell-on clause, having sold Sigurdsson to Swansea in the deal which took Wales full-back Ben Davies and goalkeeper Michel Vorm to White Hart Lane.
Sigurdsson in numbers
7 - Since his Premier League debut, Sigurdsson has scored more free-kicks than any other player
8 - Provided more assists last season from dead ball situations than any other player in the Premier League
34 - With 34 goals he is Swansea's top scorer in the Premier League
29 - With 29 assists he is Swansea's most prolific creator of goals in the Premier League
433 - Covered more distance (kilometres) in the Premier League than any other player last season
A long chase
Sigurdsson said in May he was "not trying to leave" the Swans, having signed a new contract last year to become the club's highest paid player.
The Icelandic midfielder missed the Swans' US tour and friendly with Birmingham "due to the current transfer speculation surrounding him".
He scored 30 goals for Swansea since rejoining them in 2014 after a two-year spell at Tottenham.
Everton have enjoyed a productive transfer window,
re-signing Wayne Rooney from Manchester United and spending a potential £30m each on centre-back
Michael Keane and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
They have also signed midfielder Davy Klaassen for £23.6m and striker Sandro Ramirez for £5.2m.
However, striker Lukaku joined Manchester United for £75m and Toffees boss Ronald Koeman has indicated that he expects Ross Barkley to leave the club.
Analysis
Former Everton and Scotland winger Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 live
I think he's a fabulous player. Yes it's a stupid amount of money, but if he goes and gets you into the Champions League, well that will not seem like a daft amount of money.
There's a few of us out there who think this guy's extra special and can give you that one thing, that one piece of class that you need to make yourself different from the rest.
Sigurdsson gets a game wherever he goes and looks perfectly good in any team you put him in, he's a fabulous player and I think he single-handedly kept his club up last season.

Mo Farah: How easy is it for celebrities to change their name?

What's in a name? Sir Mo Farah is about to find out.

The four-time Olympic champion has announced he wants to be known as "Mohamed" when he starts the next chapter of his career.

The 34-year-old, who won a silver medal in his last ever track race at a major championships at the weekend, is switching his focus to road racing.

And he's marking the fresh start by ditching "Mo" for "Mohamed".

"My road name is Mohamed," he said.

"I just feel like Mo is done. I need to forget about what I've achieved and what I've done."

'Almost impossible'

Richard Fitzwilliams, a public relations consultant, says he's "very surprised" by the announcement.

"Everyone loves him as Mo," he said. "You would perhaps write Mohamed if you were asked to.

"But Mo - it's shorter and it's also the way he became world famous, and it's how he has run his way into our hearts and minds.

"So (a change) is almost impossible. I think he's looking for something a little more formal. I don't think he probably expects people to actually use Mohamed in full.

"Another reason why he has got a tough task is there are millions of Mohameds - and only one Mo."

But Rebecca May, PR expert and managing director at Alliance PR, says it is possible to change your name and "rebrand".

She said: "Mohamed is not a name change, as such, he just wishes to be known now by his full name, not nickname.

"These intentions appear to reflect Mohamed's next sporting chapter and new career direction. It is the next evolution to his brand. Part of that next step is rebranding.

"Well thought-out and with the right intentions, I would fully support a client under the same circumstances."

William and Ka...Catherine

Farah is not the first famous person to attempt a name change - but some have been more successful than others.

After Kate Middleton's engagement to Prince William, palace officials, members of the royal family, and her fiancé, took to calling her Catherine.

The rest of us stuck with Kate.

Mr Fitzwilliams says this is partly down to newspapers' fondness for nicknames and familiarity.

"In the media, brevity is always preferable, that's why Catherine didn't catch on," he said.

"It's an attempt to be formal when in fact the informal had already taken hold on the popular imagination.

"We still call her Kate. People had warmed to her as Kate, they knew her as Kate."

Manchester United striker Andy Cole decided that, at the age of 28, he wanted to be known as Andrew.

Bearing in mind fans already had a long-standing chant with the original name, it wasn't the easiest request.

Seventeen years on, and the media still haven't quite grasped it - recent newspaper articles show both versions of his name are still being used.

Yet Muhammad Ali had no such problems.

The American boxing legend had already made a name for himself as Cassius Clay, but in 1964 he dropped his birth name after converting to Islam.

Mr Fitzwilliams said: "That's a very good example of where he was big enough to change.

"He was huge, he didn't need marketing. He was a walking brand himself, backed up with all the talent he needed. He was his own mouthpiece."

British singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam also changed his name, but he found Cat Stevens harder to shake off.

He has now incorporated both into his Twitter handle - where he describes himself as "Yusuf Islam the artist also known as Cat Stevens".

Model and TV presenter Katie Price made a concerted effort to rid herself of her glamour model alter ego Jordan.

PR expert Mrs May described it as a "successful and strategic rebrand to mark her new phase from glamour to mother and entrepreneur".

And one celebrity has almost made a career out of changing his name.

American hip-hop star Sean Combs' various incarnations have included Puff Daddy , Puffy, P. Diddy, Diddy and Swag (although the last one was just for a week).

Mrs May said: "P Diddy has the bank account to prove that changing his name has not been detrimental to his journey."

So can Mo pass the baton to Mohamed? His fans - and the world's PR experts - will watch the handover with interest.

Exposure to oil sends birds off course

Even light exposure to oil from disasters like the Deep Water Horizon oil spill makes flying more difficult for birds, a study has revealed.

US biologists used homing pigeons to test the potential impacts of oil spills on birds' flight.

"Lightly oiled" pigeons, they found, veered off course and took longer to return and longer to recover than birds with no oil on their feathers.

The results are published in the journal Environmental Pollution.

It is the first time that the effects of low level exposure to crude oil on long-distance bird flight patterns have been tested and suggests that even small amounts of oil could have serious impacts on migrating birds that are caught up in a spill.

Changing course

The researchers were surprised by their findings, as lead author Dr Cristina Perez explained: "The general notion would be that these birds are 'fine', but in fact we found that even lightly oiled birds are not uninjured."

Dr Perez continued: "We expected that the birds would have difficulties with flight and be slower in their arrival, but we did not expect such an obvious flight path difference."

The study used crude oil collected from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill which was applied onto the wing and tail feathers of some of the homing pigeons with paintbrushes. This pattern of oiling reflected that seen in wild birds from the spill.

The pigeons were trained to repeatedly undertake flights of 161km between release points and their home loft, all the while carrying GPS data loggers. After release, most of the oiled birds took different flight courses which were longer in duration and distance than those of un-oiled birds.

Deep water

These longer flights, more than double the length of the un-oiled birds, avoided crossing lakes and made use of the updrafts from mountains. They chose to minimise the risk of overwater crossings and may have been using their knowledge of the environment to make the journey easier.

Such options would be unavailable for migrant water birds that had become oiled on their first migration. Young birds, with their pre-programmed flight plans would have no idea of the environmental barriers, such as long overwater flights, that they would meet on their onward migration.

Historically, the focus has been on understanding the impact on heavily oiled seabirds, but study co-author and project leader Prof Chris Pritsos stressed the importance of such work to understand the impact on lightly-oiled birds, which he pointed out "were observed oiled but still alive and functioning" after the Deep Water Horizon spill.

Prof Pritsos stressed that these sub-lethal effects could seriously impact subsequent breeding attempts by migrant birds caught up in the spill.

The team found that oiled pigeons failed to regain the body mass lost between flights, unlike the un-oiled birds. This is a bad sign for migrant birds as it suggests that they may not be able to refuel sufficiently on their migratory stopovers in order to continue their journeys. Oiled pigeons also delayed their journeys for longer than the un-oiled group; they even experienced physical difficulties in getting airborne.

Dr Perez indicated that a combination of GPS data loggers and free-flying homing pigeons could be "considered for testing the effects of other environmental contaminants" for the sort of detrimental impacts that "wouldn't be discovered in birds in a wind tunnel environment alone".

Water birds

Dr Kees Camphuysen, an expert on the impact of pollution on seabirds at the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, who was not involved on the study, remarked that it was "interesting that slightly oiled birds with only one task (fly home) were hindered and that the effect lasted fairly long".

Dr Camphuysen went on to stress that water birds are likely to be more badly affected by oiling than land birds like pigeons, as they will be unable to adequately clean their feathers when wet and matted at sea.

The Deepwater Horizon spillage of 134 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico started on 20 April 2010. It was the biggest environmental disaster in US history and is estimated to have killed over one million birds.

Giant dinosaur slims down... a bit

Giant archosaurian reptile slims down... a bit
So, it wasn’t quite as huge as they initial thought, however the scale of the prodigious archosaurian reptile unearthed in Argentina in 2014 still take your breath away.
Its fossil bones instructed at the time the animal - in the week named Patagotitan mayorum - may have tipped the scales at seventy seven tonnes.
Further investigation by scientists currently place its probably bulk at sixty nine tonnes.
However, that also makes it one among biggest dinosaurs ever discovered.
A team from the repository of earth science Egidio Feruglio, LED by Dr Jose Luis Carballido and Dr Diego leader, reports its interpretation of the bones within the
latest edition of the academy journal Proceedings B .
The cluster had followed up the possibility discovery in 2013 by a neighborhood hired hand of a bone sticking out from desert rock close to La Flecha, concerning 250km west of Trelew in geographic area.
The excavation, recorded by the BBC for a David Attenborough documentary , eventually created many bones happiness to a minimum of six people.
A forged of the most important skeleton was placed on show within the yankee repository of explanation in ny, US, last year.
This animal was over 37m long. it absolutely was a sauropod dinosaur - one among those long-necked, long-tailed, herbivorous dinosaurs just like the far-famed dinosaur creature.
The beast would have lived in geographic area once it absolutely was lush and lined by forest, between one hundred and ninety five million years agone.
Even though the researchers have currently scaled back their assessment of its dimensions, Patagotitan may still be the incomparable champion.
It is attainable another mighty titanosaurian referred to as
Argentinasaurus was even as huge. the problem in knowing obviously is that way fewer bones of
Argentinasaurus are collected and studied.
This makes estimating its true size tons a lot of unsure.

Donald Trump's nuclear fixation - from the 1980s to now

Donald Trump's warning that North Korea could face "fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen" has been widely interpreted as a threat backed by the destructive power of the US nuclear arsenal.

In case that message wasn't clear, the following morning the president boasted that US nuclear weapons were "far stronger and more powerful than ever before".
"Hopefully we will never have to use this power," he tweeted, "but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!"
The president's recent nuclear sabre-rattling shouldn't be viewed as an isolated incident, however. Mr Trump has displayed a keen interest in the utility of atomic weapons for decades.

It's part of a political worldview that has long since solidified into firm beliefs for the septuagenarian. His thoughts on trade have been influenced by the American industrial might of the post-World War Two era. His demographic views of the nation hark back to an ethnic homogeneity that has long since vanished. And his thoughts on atomic weaponry reflect a certain strain of Cold War arms-race enthusiasm and diplomatic brinkmanship.
Last December President-elect Trump  emphasized that the US had to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear weaponry and would "outmatch" any adversaries.
In August MSNBC's Joe Scarborough reported that candidate Trump had asked his foreign policy advisers several times why the US couldn't use its nuclear weapons - a claim the Trump campaign denied.
The report, however, followed on the heels of an April 2016 town hall forum exchange between Mr Trump and MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who asked him why he had refused to categorically rule out the use of nuclear weapons.
"Would there be a time when it could be used?" Trump replied. "Possibly. Possibly."

When pressed on the risks of openly talking of using nuclear weapons, Mr Trump said: "Then why are we making them? Why do we make them?"
(The US no longer makes new nuclear warheads. It maintains its current arsenal.)
He repeated that he is not going to take any of his "cards off the table".
Digging back further, in 1990 Mr Trump gave an interview with Playboy Magazine in which the topic of atomic weaponry came up.
"I've always thought about the issue of nuclear war; it's a very important element in my thought process," Mr Trump said. He called it the "ultimate catastrophe" and compared it to an illness no one wants to talk about it.
"I believe the greatest of all stupidities is people's believing it will never happen," he continued, "because everybody knows how destructive it will be, so nobody uses weapons. What [expletive]."

In 1984 - at the height of the Cold War - Mr Trump even told a Washington Post interviewer he wanted to be put in charge of US-Russia nuclear arms negotiations.
"It would take an hour-and-a-half to learn everything there is to learn about missiles," Mr Trump said. "I think I know most of it anyway."
Around the time of this interview a computer game called Balance of Power, which simulated the Cold War struggle between the US and Soviet Union, became a surprise hit.
Players could sabotage, scheme and sabre-rattle up to the brink of nuclear war. The trick was you were never quite sure how close you could get before the missiles started flying. Escalation could lead to inadvertent annihilation.
And if it did, this was the message, displayed in white letters on a black screen: "You have ignited an accidental nuclear war. And no, there is no animated display of a mushroom cloud with parts of bodies flying through the air. We do not reward failure."
If Mr Trump's past comments are any guide, he appears to be making the calculus that the US nuclear arsenal is ineffective if adversaries don't believe the nation is willing to pull the trigger. It's all part of the "unpredictability" strategy he repeatedly touted during his presidential campaign (and plugged again in a recent tweet).
Mr Trump - and his Defence Secretary Jim Mattis - have spoken of how the US will prevail in any military confrontation with North Korea. Largely left unmentioned amid the bluster, however, is the danger that an extended standoff could spin out of control and the high cost in human lives - in civilian lives on both sides of the Korean demilitarised zone and for US military personnel - that any such conflict would entail.
The US would almost certainly prevail, but it would be difficult to view such a result as anything but a failure.