I've been very interested in the latest developments in science recently so thought I'd mention a few:

CARMAKERS SUED

Woke up this morning to the most amazing news that the state of California is suing six carmakers for costs associated with their cars' greenhouse gas emissions. story here Most unlikely that they'll win but boy General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan are sure likely to think of alternative forms of fuel now.

MISSING LINK FOUND

Our early ancestors have been found Australopithecus afarensis which the finder says is "In my opinion, afarensis is a very good transitional species for what was before four million years ago and what came after three million years." Presumably creationists think it's all made up.

SUNLESS TAN

link after laughing at girls who got sunburnt at Reading Festival for spraying on tans and not realising their skin burnt under the orange paint, scientists have gone one better and invented a cream which makes your skin tan for real.

Fair-skinned mice

The researchers genetically engineered fair-skinned, red-haired mice who did not tan when exposed to low levels of UV radiation, but did burn when the dose was cranked up. They then treated the skin of the animals with a compound known to increase cAMP levels. The compound, forskolin, is derived from the root of the forskohli plant found in India. The mice turned dark, proving that melanocytes in redheads can make pigment if appropriately stimulated.

Ahh I'm gonna miss lobsters on the beaches in the summer.

AND AT LAST:

Sony's PS3 comes out tomorrow!

link Anyone got a spare ticket to China?

But the bad news is - Z is showing parents around her school for next year's new kids tonight, so going to Nuala's gig is off! Can't believe it's already a year since we looked around big school.

Plus for those who believe in mental stuff, looks like I'm around for another year as there's only one week of September left. This is cos I've always been convinced I'll die in September. Coo coo i know.

LASTLY:

A great personal ad - one for IT geeks everywhere

Cute/nice IT guy/PC specialist will fix your computer in exchange for a gentle feel of your boobs. I'm a totally non-creepy (really) professional who will repair your hard drive, back up files, install software and peripherals, whatever, for an innocent grope. I have a lot of tech knowledge in my life and regrettably no boobs. Serious inquiries only and thanks.

no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

click

EDITED TO ADD:

Chavez calls Bush the devil!

It's such a great story here it is in full:

Venezuela's leader Hugo Chavez has called US President George W Bush "the devil" in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. "The devil came here yesterday," he said, referring to Mr Bush's speech on Tuesday. "It still smells of sulphur today," he added.

US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said it was disappointing to see a head of state speak in such a way. Mr Chavez went on to criticise the UN system, which he said was "worthless". The left-wing Venezuelan leader - allied to Cuba's Fidel Castro and with growing ties to fellow oil-producer Iran - has long had tense relations with the US.

UN 'worthless'

On Tuesday, Mr Bush had defended his policies on the Middle East and said democracy was gaining ground as terrorists were marginalised. Mr Chavez, who brandished a copy of American leftist writer Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, said Mr Bush promoted "a false democracy of the elite" and a "democracy of bombs".

"He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world," the Venezuelan leader said. He called for drastic reform of the UN to reduce what he called US influence. The UN in its current form "doesn't work", he said.

"I don't think anybody in this room could defend the system," the Venezuelan leader added. "Let's be honest. The UN system born after World War II collapsed. It's worthless." Mr Chavez's criticism of the UN echoed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to the assembly late on Tuesday, BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall reports from New York.

"As long as the UN Security Council is unable to act on behalf of the entire international community in a transparent, just and democratic manner, it will neither be legitimate nor effective," Mr Ahmadinejad said in a speech delivered a few hours after Mr Bush's appearance.

Afghan appeal

Wednesday's session opened with a speech by Afghan President Hamid Karzai who argued military action alone would not stop terrorism in his country. He called for the destruction of safe havens and elaborate networks operating in the region to recruit, train, finance, arm and deploy terrorists. And he said the answer to defeating the drugs trade lay in international support for providing a "meaningful alternative livelihood to our farmers".

In other business at the General Assembly

The US and the three other members of the so-called quartet of Mid-East mediators endorsed the idea of a Palestinian national unity government

African Union leaders decided to extend the mandate of their peacekeeping force in Darfur until the end of the year

The UN was due to hold a special meeting to discuss the four-year-old crisis in Ivory Coast, divided since its civil war.

He's just about my favourite person in world! Who says there are no more heroes?

link