Seen coiled around a branch in an undated picture, a new species of snake called the ruby-eyed green pit viper (Cryptelytrops rubeus) has been discovered in Southeast Asia, according to a recent study. The snake lives in forests near Ho Chi Minh City and across the low hills of southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia's Langbian Plateau.

Scientists collected green pit vipers from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia between 1999 and 2003 and examined them in the lab, using physical characteristics and genetics to identify new species.

"We know this species from only a few specimens, and very few people in the world have seen this snake," said study co-author Anita Malhotra, a molecular ecologist at Bangor University in the U.K. "We know very little about what it does, to be honest."

Malhotra and colleagues also discovered a very similar species with striking yellow eyes (not pictured) dubbed the Cardamom Mountains green pit viper (Cryptelytrops cardamomensis), which inhabits southeastern Thailand and southwestern Cambodia. Both new species were described in the January 23 issue of the journal Zootaxa.


A worker clearing land for farming has discovered the bones of a juvenile Ice Age mammoth that archeologists are calling the first-ever find of its kind in Monterey County.

State Department of Parks archaeologist Mark Hylkema is calling for a careful excavation of the site near Castroville to search for evidence that the mammoth was brought down by Ice Age hunters.

The bones belong to a Columbian mammoth, an extinct species of elephant with enormous curled tusks that died out about 10,000 years ago.

The Monterey County Herald reports that equipment operator, Martin Jefferson was clearing land in December when his tractor blade scraped against a large tusk. Jefferson also found bones and a large tooth.

Some of the bones have been sent for testing to find out their age.

Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone is to design his own men's lifestyle brand, Sly Inc., which will be launched next year.

The 64-year-old actor famed for his action roles in the 'Rocky' and 'Rambo' movies has teamed up with beauty and retail executive Michael Henry and other unidentified financial backers to create Sly Inc.

The actor told Men's Week that fashion is something that he "always wanted to experiment with".

He said: "Clothes affect one's attitude. I pay a great deal of attention to the way I dress. When men learn to put things together, they start taking care of themselves better."

Stallone added that his film characters Rocky and Rambo form the inspirations for the collection: "Rocky at the end of the day is a love story, while Rambo showcases the other side of masculinity, he's a loner.

The line, set to launch in 2012, will thus feature looks for both “the rebel and the gentleman," including jeans, shirts, and underwear; it will eventually encompass grooming products and athletic shoes, among other items.

The Eiffel Tower and its nearby area were evacuated for three hours Wednesday because of a prank call about a suspicious package, according to French authorities.

Paris police evacuated the tourist site and set up a security perimeter about 4 p.m. after receiving an anonymous call regarding a package set to explode an hour later. Police found a package at the foot of the tower and determined it was harmless, according to French law enforcement officials.

Authorities said it was the fourth Eiffel Tower evacuation because of a prank call in several months.

American version of Pokémon Black & White's online functionality is deferred in an effort to "conserve energy resources" in the face of the ongoing disaster in Japan.

While insignificant compared to the suffering endured by victims of the earthquake and subsequent Tsunami in Japan, the recent disaster has had a substantial impact on the videogame industry as well. The latest victim is the American version of the Pokémon Dream World, which was scheduled to arrive at the end of March.

According to “The Pokémon Company”, the delay is part of the need to "conserve energy resources" in the wake of the disaster that hit earlier this month. The ongoing situation at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant has prompted Japanese authorities to schedule periodic blackouts.

The American version of the Dream World was scheduled to go live March 30, but has now been delayed indefinitely. It's one of the key features of Pokemon Black and White, making it possible to upload individual monsters into what amounts to a browser game. Rewards include special berries and Pokemon with unique abilities.

Mercedes-Benz announced on Sunday that its 2012 C63 AMG coupe would arrive in dealer showrooms in September, on the same time-line as the revised C63 AMG sedan. The coupe will be shown at the New York auto show next month.

Not surprisingly, the same AMG Development Package available for the sedan appears in the coupe as well, which borrows parts from the more upmarket SLS AMG. The package increases the 6.2-liter V-8’s output from 451 to 481 horsepower and can reportedly propel the coupe to 60 m.p.h. in 4.3 seconds. Tools to manage all those ponies include an AMG sport suspension and high-performance brakes.

Also carried over from the sedan is the 7-speed AMG Speedshift automatic transmission. Its controlled-efficiency mode reportedly helps reduce fuel consumption, while a number of performance modes help with speedy shifts.

Visually, the AMG coupe distinguishes itself from the standard model with a number of dress-up items. The brand’s three-pointed star sits prominently on a single crossbar, whereas the base coupe’s insignia nests between two bars. There are 18-inch painted gray wheels, which replace the standard bright metal units, while a vestigial spoiler and black front and rear aprons subtly — very subtly — suggest the automobile’s sporting potential.

Thousands of albatrosses and other endangered species at a wildlife sanctuary north-west of Hawaii have been killed by the tsunami which devastated Japan, US officials say.

Thousands of petrels and fish were also killed as huge waves swept over parts of the remote, low-lying Midway atoll. The sanctuary is home to more than two million birds. One lucky survivor was Wisdom, an albatross about 60 years of age, who is the oldest-known bird in the US. The Laysan albatross came to prominence recently when she was spotted with a chick, astounding scientists that she could still raise offspring at age 60-plus.

Midway is one of the most remote coral atolls on earth, developed as a wildlife sanctuary after the US Naval Air facility on Midway Island, closed in 1993. Midway was a key military base for the US during World War II, as well as during the Korean, Cold and Vietnam wars.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service reported that 1,000 adult and adolescent Laysan albatross died when the tsunami generated by last Friday's powerful earthquake off the coast of Japan struck Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Tens of thousands of chicks were also killed.

Waves reaching 5ft (1.5m) high smashed into the atoll just before midnight local time on 10 March and continued for the next few hours. The waves washed over 60% of Eastern Island, an islet of nearly 150 hectares (370 acres) inside the refuge.

Residents at the atoll had four hours' warning and were able to take precautions. One chick in a short-tailed albatross nest was found unharmed about 35m away, after its nest was washed over. Other birds were less lucky - thousands of Bonin petrels were buried alive.

Thousands of dead fish were found in the interior of Eastern Island and the impact on Laysan ducks and monk seals is unknown, the wildlife service said. Two live green turtles were rescued.

On Tuesday, PepsiCo Inc. unveiled a bottle made entirely of plant material, which it says bests the technology of competitor Coca-Cola and lessens its potential carbon footprint.

The bottle is prepared from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Ultimately, Pepsi plans to also use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business. The new bottle looks, feels and protects the drink inside exactly the same as its current bottles, said Rocco Papalia, senior vice president of advanced research at PepsiCo. "It's indistinguishable."

PepsiCo says it is the world's first bottle of a common type of plastic called PET made entirely of plant-based materials. Coca-Cola Co. currently produces a bottle using 30 percent plant-based materials and recently estimated it would be several years before it has a 100 percent plant bottle that's commercially viable. "We've cracked the code," said Papalia.

The discovery potentially changes the industry standard for plastic packaging. Traditional plastic, called PET, is used in beverage bottles, food pouches, coatings and other common products.

The plastic is the go-to because it's lightweight and shatter-resistant, its safety is well-researched and it doesn't affect flavors. It is not biodegradable or compostable. But it is fully recyclable, a characteristic both companies maintain in their new creations.

Traditional PET plastic is made using fossil fuels, like petroleum, a limited resource that's rising in price. By using plant material instead, companies reduce their environmental impact. Pepsi says the new plastic will cost about the same as traditional plastic.

PepsiCo plans to test the product in 2012 in a few hundred thousand bottles. Once the company is sure it can successfully produce the bottle at that scale, it will begin converting all its products over.

A suicide bombing at an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad killed at least 10 people and wounded 25 others Monday, police said.

Most of the dead and wounded were Iraqi soldiers, according to Baquba police, who said the truck bomber ran into a barracks. Police combed through the rubble of the building looking for victims.

The attack took place in the town of Kanan about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Baquba in Diyala province, which is ethnically mixed.

The province used to be an al Qaeda stronghold, especially during the peak of sectarian violence in the country between 2005 and 2007.

On Monday afternoon, a string of roadside bombings targeted Baghdad communities. One civilian was killed and two others were wounded in western Baghdad's al-Amriya neighborhood after a roadside bomb blast, police said.

Eight other people were wounded earlier Monday when three roadside bombs exploded in Baghdad neighborhoods, the interior ministry said.


On Monday, about 2,000 bodies were found on two shores in Japan's Miyagi Prefecture following last Friday’s destructive Magnitude 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami, Kyodo News reported.

About 1,000 bodies were found coming ashore on hardest-hit Miyagi's Ojika Peninsula and another 1,000 have been spotted in the town of Minamisanriku where the prefectural government has been unable to contact about 10,000 people, or over half the local population, the report said.

The findings will significantly increase the death toll from the powerful quake and ensuing tsunami. Japan's police authorities have so far confirmed 1,597 deaths and 1,481 people missing across the affected areas in northeastern and eastern Japan.

The Miyagi prefectural government has decided to ask for help from other prefectures as work to cremate bodies is falling behind, according to the report.

Newer Posts Older Posts Home