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মঙ্গলবার, ১ মে, ২০১২

HBT: Guerrero getting tryout with D-backs

Charges against Vladimir Guerrero were apparently dropped after a police officer in the Dominican Republic accused the former MVP of assault earlier this month and now the Diamondbacks are giving him a tryout.

General manager Kevin Towers broke that news while appearing on the team?s television broadcast yesterday, although he indicated pretty strongly that there?s no expectation of Guerrero signing with Arizona.

It sounds similar to last month, when Guerrero worked out for the Indians and didn?t sign, with general manager Chris Antonetti revealing afterward that they did it mostly as a favor to Guerrero at his request.

Cleveland then went on to sign Johnny Damon, which doesn?t bode well for Guerrero impressing the Diamondbacks. And his inability to play the outfield on a regular basis at age 37 also figures to make it tough to crack a National League roster.

Guerrero hit .290 for the Orioles last season, but managed only 13 homers and 17 walks in 145 games for a measly .317 on-base percentage and .416 slugging percentage.

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Twenty-four new species of lizards discovered on Caribbean islands are close to extinction

ScienceDaily (Apr. 30, 2012) ? In a single new scientific publication, 24 new species of lizards known as skinks, all from islands in the Caribbean, have been discovered and scientifically named. According to Blair Hedges, professor of biology at Penn State University and the leader of the research team, half of the newly added skink species already may be extinct or close to extinction, and all of the others on the Caribbean islands are threatened with extinction. The researchers found that the loss of many skink species can be attributed primarily to predation by the mongoose -- an invasive predatory mammal that was introduced by farmers to control rats in sugarcane fields during the late 19th century.

The research team reports on the newly discovered skinks in a 245-page article published?April 30 in the journal Zootaxa.

About 130 species of reptiles from all over the world are added to the global species count each year in dozens of scientific articles. However, not since the 1800s have more than 20 reptile species been added at one time. Primarily through examination of museum specimens, the team identified a total of 39 species of skinks from the Caribbean islands, including six species currently recognized, and another nine named long ago but considered invalid until now. Hedges and his team also used DNA sequences, but most of the taxonomic information, such as counts and shapes of scales, came from examination of the animals themselves.

"Now, one of the smallest groups of lizards in this region of the world has become one of the largest groups," Hedges said. "We were completely surprised to find what amounts to a new fauna, with co-occurring species and different ecological types."

He said some of the new species are six times larger in body size than other species in the new fauna.

Hedges also explained that these New World skinks, which arrived in the Americas about 18 million years ago from Africa by floating on mats of vegetation, are unique among lizards in that they produce a human-like placenta, which is an organ that directly connects the growing offspring to the maternal tissues that provide nutrients.

"While there are other lizards that give live birth, only a fraction of the lizards known as skinks make a placenta and gestate offspring for up to one year," Hedges said.

He also speculated that the lengthy gestational period may have given predators a competitive edge over skinks, since pregnant females are slower and more vulnerable.

"The mongoose is the predator we believe is responsible for many of the species' close-to-extinction status in the Caribbean," Hedges said. "Our data show that the mongoose, which was introduced from India in 1872 and spread around the islands over the next three decades, has nearly exterminated this entire reptile fauna, which had gone largely unnoticed by scientists and conservationists until now."

According to Hedges, the "smoking gun" is a graph included in the scientific paper showing a sharp decline in skink populations that occurred soon after the introduction of the mongoose. Hedges explained that the mongoose originally was brought to the New World to control rats, which had become pests in the sugarcane fields in Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Lesser Antilles. While this strategy did help to control infestations of some pests; for example, the Norway rat, it also had the unintended consequence of reducing almost all skink populations.

"By 1900, less than 50 percent of those mongoose islands still had their skinks, and the loss has continued to this day," Hedges said.

This newly discovered skink fauna will increase dramatically the number of reptiles categorized as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in their "Red List of Threatened Species," which is recognized as the most comprehensive database evaluating the endangerment status of various plant and animal species.

"According to our research, all of the skink species found only on Caribbean islands are threatened," Hedges said. "That is, they should be classified in the Red List as either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Finding that all species in a fauna are threatened is unusual, because only 24 percent of the 3,336 reptile species listed in the Red List have been classified as threatened with extinction. Most of the 9,596 named reptile species have yet to be classified in the Red List."

Hedges explained that there are two reasons why such a large number of species went unnoticed for so many years, in a region frequented by scientists and tourists.

"First, Caribbean skinks already had nearly disappeared by the start of the 20th century, so people since that time rarely have encountered them and therefore have been less likely to study them," he said. "Second, the key characteristics that distinguish this great diversity of species have been overlooked until now."

Hedges also noted that many potential new species of animals around the world have been identified in recent years with DNA data. However, much more difficult is the task of following up DNA research with the work required to name new species and to formally recognize them as valid, as this team did with Caribbean skinks.

The other member of the research team, Caitlin Conn, now a researcher at the University of Georgia and formerly a biology major in Penn State's Eberly College of Science and a student in Penn State's Schreyer Honors College at the time of the research, added that researchers might be able to use the new data to plan conservation efforts, to study the geographic overlap of similar species, and to study in more detail the skinks' adaptation to different ecological habitats or niches. The research team also stressed that, while the mongoose introduction by humans now has been linked to these reptile declines and extinctions, other types of human activity, especially the removal of forests, are to blame for the loss of other species in the Caribbean.

Funding for the research comes from the National Science Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State.

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

Journal Reference:

S. Blair Hedges & Caitlin E. Conn. A new skink fauna from Caribbean islands (Squamata, Mabuyidae, Mabuyinae). Zootaxa, April 2012

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Experts call for shark awareness

30 April 2012 Last updated at 02:57 By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature

Marine experts are calling on the public to report sightings of basking sharks in UK waters this summer.

The sharks are drawn to warm, plankton-rich surface waters off the west coast of Great Britain and Ireland.

These huge sharks are harmless, but experts are also asking people to "keep a respectful distance and enjoy the spectacle".

Basking sharks are protected under European and UK law, so it is illegal to disturb or harass them.

Continue reading the main story

Gentle giants and fearsome predators

Sharks range in length from the 13m whale shark to the 20cm dwarf lanternshark
Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the sea; they have a jaw one metre wide and can filter plankton from 1,500 cubic litres of sea water every hour
A great white shark can smell a seal colony from two miles away
The hammerhead sharks' distinctively shaped head is thought to enhance both its vision and its sensitivity to electrical signals

"They're here for most of the summer," said Dr David Gibson, managing director of the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. "We're asking people to let us know whenever they see one of these fantastic animals.

Basking sharks are the ocean's second biggest fish, measuring up to seven metres in length.

A large adult male can have a dorsal fin up to 1.5m high, which protrudes from the water when the fish are feeding at the surface.

"We'd also like people to take photographs if they can," said Dr Gibson.

"These animals live for between 30 and 40 years, so [with photos] we might be able to identify individuals that are returning to UK waters."

Researchers at the aquarium also use photographs to spot any signs of damage to sharks' fins that could indicate where the fish might be "coming into conflict" with fisheries.

The shark code

The sharks visit British and Irish shores as the warming sea surface creates "a healthy soup of nutrient-rich seawater around our coastline". Miniature plants that bloom in the sun-warmed water attract tiny marine animals, or zooplankton. This, in turn, attracts the basking sharks.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

Basking sharks are extremely strong and surprisingly able to breach clear of the water?

End Quote Ali Hood Shark Trust

It is difficult to predict exactly when and where these plankton banquets will occur, but experts say that hot-spots for shark sightings are the south-west of England, the Isle of Man, south and west Ireland and the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland

To allow people to observe the sharks without disturbing them, the Shark Trust has published a code of conduct to be followed in any basking shark encounter.

There are separate checklists for swimmers, boat-users and kayakers, but the key points to note are:

Keep your distance: keep at least four metres between you and the shark so as not to startle it. If you are swimming with other people, stay in a group, but don't invite others over to take a look.
If you're in a boat, turn off your engine (boat propellers are a major cause of serious injury to basking sharks feeding near the surface)
If you have a camera handy, take lots of photos of the dorsal fin and any distinguishable features on the shark, as this may help the researchers identify the individual
Move away gently and quietly and report your sighting to the Shark Trust

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

A basking shark feeds by filtering 1,000 tonnes of seawater filled with microscopic plankton every hour.

Ali Hood, director of conservation at the Shark Trust, told BBC Nature: "Basking shark are not aggressive, but a fish of that size (mature basking sharks can weigh well over four tonnes) could cause serious injury.

"Basking sharks are extremely strong and surprisingly able to breach clear of the water.

"If people get too close and the shark makes a rapid movement, it could cause harm to both the shark and the person.

"The code of conduct is there to allow people to comply with the law and enjoy seeing these magnificent animals."

But Dr Gibson says he hopes people will take pleasure in witnessing the ocean's second largest fish and says the data gathered from reported sightings is invaluable for marine conservation work.

"Understanding when they first appear and when they leave shows us year on year trends of the plankton blooms.

"This has already given us evidence that habitats are shifting in response to climate change, and that basking sharks are moving north."

People can report basking shark sightings to the Shark Trust via its website.

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Kim Kardashian: The Next Sofia Vergara?!?

This is all your fault, 30 Rock.

A few days after Kim Kardashian made a cameo on one of that show's live episodes, sources tell The New York Post that this reality star is interested in becoming a "comedy actress."

“She really wants to be the next Sofia Vergara," the insider says.

It is true that Kim and the Modern Family star have two, large, bouncy things in common. Compare them below and then decide: Which would you prefer to rail?

Aside from the 30 Rock appearance, Kardashian has booked a recurring role this summer on Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, and she'll also play a character in The Marriage Character, an upcoming film from Tyler Perry.

“Acting is something she wants to do just for her,” claims the Kardashian mole. “Kim wants to do something that wouldn’t involve her sisters."

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সোমবার, ৩০ এপ্রিল, ২০১২

Residents flee as DR Congo army, rebels clash

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