Asia
Defense Department personnel may make only mission-essential trips to China and Hong Kong because of the threat of severe acute respiratory syndrome, U.S. Pacific Command officials said today. "All Hong Kong port visits by U.S. Navy ships will be deferred until the restriction has been lifted," Pacific Command spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Jensin Sommer said. The restriction is consistent with recommendations made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. State Department has also issued a travel advisory citing the disease. The travel advisory includes China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam.
From its base in America, the gambling industry is exporting technology and know-how to often fragile political systems in Asia and the Middle East, causing conditions that could threaten both U.S. and world security, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign argues in a law journal article. The lightning spread of "Western-style" gambling overseas has increased the problems of addicted and problem gamblers, organized crime and alleged corruption in such countries as Malaysia, North Korea, the Philippines, South Korea and the strife-torn West Bank of Israel, according to John W. Kindt, an Illinois professor of business and legal policy.
IS EATING soya during pregnancy bad for your baby? That question is back in the spotlight thanks to a study showing severe long-term effects on the sexual development of male rats whose mothers ate a chemical found in soya. The animal study does not prove that soya has this effect on people, and no such effects have been observed in Asia where soya is a big part of many people's diets. But the researchers say it is enough to spark concern and deserves further study. "The urologists on this project are actually advising pregnant women to avoid soya," says Sabra Klein at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
Researchers in Santa Cruz, CA have found that industrial emissions in Asia are a major source of mercury in rainwater that falls along the California coast. Their findings are reported in a paper published online today by the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres. The mercury in rainwater is not in itself a health threat, but mercury pollution is a significant problem in San Francisco Bay and other California waters because the toxic element builds up in the food chain. State regulatory agencies are looking for ways to reduce the amount of mercury entering the state's waters from various sources.
Scientists have long recognized that, despite physical differences, all human populations are genetically similar to one another. But a new study in the journal Science concludes that populations from different parts of the world share even more genetic similarities than had previously been assumed. At the same time, researchers found that tiny differences in DNA can provide enough information to identify the geographic ancestry of individual men and women.
New Scientist reports on a year-long study to find the world's funniest joke. The Internet-based project was coordinated by psychologist Richard Wiseman and colleagues at the University of Hertfordshire, U.K. and involved more than 2 million votes on 40,000 submissions. The goal was to identify universal aspects to humor, which could one day allow computers to devise truly funny jokes. Before we get to the winner, an interesting aside is that the team found in the process the world's funniest animal: the duck. "If you're going to tell a joke involving an animal, make it a duck," Wiseman says. Now to the ultimate rib-tickler, which folks from Asia to Africa, the States to Siberia all seemed to enjoy. A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator, in a calm soothing voice, says: "Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: "OK, now what?" Thank you folks, I'll be here all week.
