Two worms, same brains – but one eats the other

IF TWO animals have identical brain cells, how different can they really be? Extremely. Two worm species have exactly the same set of neurons, but extensive rewiring allows them to lead completely different lives. Ralf Sommer of the Max Planck Institute...

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Australian PM says she's "not done yet"

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard rallied her Labor party Sunday, saying her government was "not done yet" despite a turbulent week in which two of her most senior ministers resigned.Gillard, who is struggling in opinion polls, last week announced that the next election will be on September 14, a surprising tactic in Australia where poll dates are usually announced only weeks...

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Captor is caring for boy, Alabama sheriff says

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: "Ethan's innocent ... let him go home," a Midland City resident says about the childThe suspect has been identified as 65-year-old Jimmy Lee DykesDykes is accused of killing a school bus driver and abducting a 5-year-oldAuthorities have said there is no connection between Dykes and the boyMidland City, Alabama (CNN) -- As an armed standoff dragged into its fifth day Saturday,...

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Al Qaeda-linked militants free 2 Filipino hostages

MANILA, Philippines Abu Sayyaf gunmen have freed two Filipino members of a Jordanian TV journalist's crew believed to have been kidnapped by the al Qaeda-linked militants in June as they set out to interview the extremists in their jungle lairs in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday. Policemen found frail-looking cameraman Ramel Vela and audio technician Roland Letriro late Saturday and...

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Body of Missing Mom Reportedly Found in Turkey

The body of an American woman who went missing while on a solo trip to Turkey has been pulled from a bay in Istanbul, and nine people have been held for questioning, according to local media.Sarai Sierra, 33, was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was due to board a flight home to New York City.The state-run Andolu Agency reported that residents found a woman's body today...

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Astrophile: A scorched world with snow black and smoky

Astrophile is our weekly column on curious cosmic objects, from the solar system to the far reaches of the multiverse Object: Titanium oxide snowLocation: The hot-Jupiter planet HD 209458b There is something magical about waking...

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Australian PM Gillard reshuffles cabinet ahead of poll

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Saturday denied that her government was in chaos, after the resignation of two of her most senior ministers prompted a cabinet reshuffle ahead of a national election.Saturday's announcement that the two ministers had quit came only three days after the Labor leader said elections would be held in September, an unusual step in Australia where...

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Parole board: Release member of 'Manson family'

By Michael Martinez and Kyung Lah, CNNupdated 8:33 PM EST, Fri February 1, 2013Bruce Davis was sent to prison on April 21, 1972, for the 1969 first-degree murders of two men.STORY HIGHLIGHTS"He earned it," defense attorney says of recommendationCalifornia parole board formally recommends parole for Bruce Davis, 70Governor must modify, affirm or reverse the recommendation in 30 daysDavis is serving...

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Katrina spurs transformation of New Orleans schools

(CBS News) NEW ORLEANS -- It was August 2005 when New Orleans nearly drowned. Hurricane Katrina broke through levees in 53 places, flooding 80 percent of the city. More than 1,100 people died. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu/CBS News But in catastrophe, there was opportunity. One of the biggest was recreating a school system from scratch. We asked Mayor Mitch Landrieu about that Friday. SCOTT...

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Arias Trial Puts Mormon Sex Rules in Spotlight

The murder trial of Jodi Arias has been filled with salacious details of phone sex, graphic text messages, and an erotic sexual relationship between her and her devout Mormon ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander.Arias, 32, converted to Mormonism when she began to date Alexander, then 29, in 2006. Though they were both outwardly devout, they immediately developed a sexual relationship.The...

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Swarm-mongering: Brainless blobs flock together

Birds of a feather flock together and now so do brainless, inanimate blobs. Made of microscopic particles, the artificial swarms could shed light on the mysterious mechanisms behind the natural swarming seen in fish and birds. They might also lead to materials with novel properties like self-healing. ...

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8 injured in KJE accident

SINGAPORE: An accident at Kranji Expressway (KJE) early Friday morning left eight people injured and triggered massive traffic congestion.Police said they received a call requesting for assistance at 5.30am.On arrival, police established there was an accident involving two private buses.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which also received a call for assistance, said the location...

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14 killed in blast at offices of Mexican state oil company

By CNN Staffupdated 8:28 PM EST, Thu January 31, 2013STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: 14 people were killed and at least 100 are injured, interior minister saysNEW: Mexico's president says he is heading to the scene to coordinate rescue effortsRescuers are searching for people trapped in the building, one of the city's tallestWitness: "People were screaming. ... You could see pieces of the wall falling"Mexico...

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14 dead, 80 injured in Mexico oil company blast

Updated 8:25 PM ET MEXICO CITY An explosion at the main headquarters of Mexico's state-owned oil company in the capital killed 14 people and injured 80 on Thursday as it heavily damaged three floors of the building, sending hundreds into the streets and a large plume of smoke over the skyline. There were also reports that as many as 30 people were trapped in the debris from the explosion, which...

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Arias' Ex-Boyfriend Kept Affair Secret

Accused murderer Jodi Arias was kept away from the Mormon friends of her lover Travis Alexander and their torrid sex affair was kept secret by Alexander, even as he sent lewd photos of himself to her online, according to court testimony today.The testimony in Arias' trial for killing Alexander in 2008 was intended to bolster the defense's argument that she killed him in self...

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Today on New Scientist: 30 January 2013

Timbuktu's precious scientific texts must be saved Islamist militants in Mali have burned documents that attest to science in Africa before European colonisation - what remains must be protectedThink that massage feels good? Try adding drugs Nerve bundles that respond to stroking have been identified and chemically activated in miceHow Obama will deliver his climate promise The US is set to...

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Europe will get its money back, says Bank of Greece

BERLIN: Greece will pay back the billions of euros of European aid it has received to fight its debt crisis, the head of the country's central bank told Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung."I understand the concern of European taxpayers," Governor of the Bank of Greece George Provopoulos, said in Thursday's edition of the daily newspaper."But I can tell you one thing: this time, the government...

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Teen who performed at inaugural events shot dead

By Catherine E. Shoichet and Ted Rowlands, CNNupdated 9:33 PM EST, Wed January 30, 2013STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Chicago mayor: "We have a responsibility to see a stop to this"Hadiya Pendleton, 15, was shot dead in Chicago on TuesdayLast week she performed in events surrounding President Obama's inauguration"Just a matter of days after the happiest day of her life, she's gone," Sen. Dick Durbin saysChicago...

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Obama: "No doubt" Congress will pass immigration, gun bills

Play VideoObama: "No doubt" gun, immigration bills will pass in coming monthsThere's more bipartisan support in Congress for comprehensive immigration reform than gun control legislation, President Obama said tonight during an interview with Univision, but qualified that even under his proposal, illegal immigrants shouldn't be harboring expectations that they'll be granted citizenship "manana." ...

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Arias Trial Shocked by Slashed Throat Photo

The courtroom at the Jodi Arias murder trial was shocked -- and Arias began sobbing -- when the prosecutor stunned them by suddenly flashing a photograph of Arias' ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander with his throat slashed open.Alexander's sisters and friends burst into tears and one ran out of the courtroom when prosecutor Juan Martinez held up the grisly picture of Alexander with...

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Today on New Scientist: 29 January 2013

Creatures of the air caught in the mist Photographer Todd Forsgren uses mist nets to briefly ensnare a variety of tropical South American birds before releasing them, unharmedDrug reduces enlarged prostate with few side effects Shrinking enlarged prostates by blocking a potent growth factor could avoid problems - such as erectile dysfunction - that accompany current treatmentsClimate change blamed...

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21,227 cartons of contraband cigarettes seized

SINGAPORE: Customs officers seized 21,227 cartons of contraband cigarettes and arrested five men and a woman during islandwide operations last week.Singapore Customs said on Wednesday that the total value of the cigarettes seized was over S$2 million, while the total duty and goods and services tax (GST) evaded was S$1.8 million.Three distribution networks were disrupted.The biggest seizure...

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Tearful Newtown dad: No new gun laws

By David Ariosto, CNNupdated 8:09 PM EST, Tue January 29, 2013STORY HIGHLIGHTSMark Mattioli, a parent of a Sandy Hook victim, says there are more than enough gun laws "The time is now" to strengthen gun laws, says Veronique Pozner, another parentCrowd interrupts the statement of a parent of a slain childConnecticut has some of the nation's strictest gun laws(CNN) -- His voice wavering, Mark Mattioli...

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