The World In Brief
All over the world there are crazy things afoot. Things that'll make you either cry with laughter or shake your head in despair. Here's a selection from the last few days:- Film piracy is a huge problem in Malaysia but a crackdown is currently in place with the government taking military steps to stamp it out. Special forces they may not be, but cinema ushers with night-vision goggles are now prowling darkened cinemas in order to catch people recording the films on camcorders. "Hey you on the back row - yep you, I can see what you're doing, now stop it".
- Jet lag affects millions of passengers each year but a new treatment may be about to change all that and it comes from a very unlikely source - Viagra. Far fetched as it may seem, Argentine hamsters had their environments manipulated using lighting to simulate jet lag; they were then given Viagra and guess what? It perked them up no end. The hamsters that received the infamous blue pills recovered 50% quicker than those that abstained.
- Herds of dairy cattle could soon be producing skimmed milk straight from the udder say scientists in New Zealand. Genes have been discovered that allow this natural production to occur. And as if that wasn't enough, already there is excited talk with the possibility that butter made from such milk would spread straight from the fridge.
- Keeping with the bovine theme, a calf has been born in the USA with two fully functioning noses. Despite initial alarmist reactions, this is nothing to do with genetic modification, it's simply a natural mutation. A spokesman for the farm claimed "the cow will be raised like any other calf" - I guess meat is just meat at the end of the day and not to be sniffed at (couldn't resist, sorry).
Go to Dr Duck's World in Brief page for crazy science snippets from weeks gone by.
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