European summers said hottest in 500 years
BERN, Switzerland, March 5 (UPI) -- European summers over the past few years have been the hottest in more than 500 years, a Swiss survey said Friday.
Dr. Jurg Luterbacher and colleagues from the University of Bern also found that last summer was by far the hottest for at least half a millennium, and that the 30-year averages of winter and annual mean temperatures between 1973 and 2002 were the highest over the same period.
The study shows how the hot summer of last year in many European areas marked a much bigger variation from the climate norm than seen in more northerly latitudes, the London Telegraph said.
In the journal Science, the team presents a "high resolution reconstruction" of temperature patterns back to 1500, based on tree rings, ice cores and other evidence, to determine trends, extremes and seasonal and annual mean temperatures for Europe.
New branch of primitive humans reported
NEW YORK, March 5 (UPI) -- International researchers have added another species to the growing family tree of human evolution, the New York Times reported Friday.
The scientists say a primitive hominid species lived in what is now Ethiopia about 5.5 million to 5.8 million years ago based on teeth found in the Middle Awash valley about 180 miles northeast of Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.
Paleoanthropologists tentatively identified it as a more apelike subspecies they named Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba.
The authors of the report are Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Dr. Gen Suwa of the University of Tokyo and Dr. Tim White of the University of California, Berkeley.
As in many such finds, there is already scientific disagreement the teeth do in fact represent a new species, or rather a sub-species, the newspaper said.
The full report appears in the Friday edition of the journal Science.
Quick and easy drug test tried out
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 5 (UPI) -- Palm Beach, Fla., County schools and 21 other school districts nationwide are trying out a quick and easy drug test on their students.
The testing will be conducted at all 23 high schools in the county.
Anyone who is caught will face no consequences other than notifying their parents because of the experimental nature of the test, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Friday.
Palm Beach schools Police Chief Jim Kelly said the suspected student's fingers or belongings will be rubbed with sticky paper and then sprayed by an aerosol can.
If various colors result, it can mean it is evidence of several types of drugs including marijuana and heroin.
Kelly said the instant results are extremely accurate.
He said the trial is being financed by a $650,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice, a federal agency.
British lawmakers urge more GM crop tests
LONDON, March 5 (UPI) -- British lawmakers say more tests are needed before genetically modified crops should be grown commercially in the country.
Members of Parliament Friday criticized the government's crop trials and said tests on genetically modified corn "were based on unsatisfactory, indeed invalid, comparisons" and should be redone, the Financial Times reported.
A report from the bi-partisan Environmental Audit Committee said there was "no basis" for genetically modified approval. The report recommended there should be no decision to proceed with the commercial growing of genetically modified crops until thorough research into the experience in North America was completed and published.
EAC Chairman Peter Ainsworth said it appeared "a decision to open the door to the commercial growing of genetically modified crops is imminent. As our report makes clear, any such decision would be irresponsible in the light of the evidence available from the trials.
An announcement that the government is approving commercial cultivation of genetically modified corn is expected next week.
