2008: May 30th Good News (Baby Born after Rare Ectopic Pregnancy; Rescuers Free Man Trapped Under 20 Tons of Soil; more...)

Good Evening All,

How is life? I'm doing well here. I have a couple good articles to share with you. :)
First I would like to mention the miraculous story of a woman whose ectopic pregnancy was carried full term without her knowledge of it even having any complications. The doctors found it was ectopic when a routine cesarian section was done to birth the baby at 38 weeks! The baby was a healthy 6 pounds and change.

The second story I would like to highlight is the one about the UN Pact to protect Plant and Animal diversity. 191 Countries agreed to the measures. The aim is to curb the rapid loss of plant and animal life that the world is currently experiencing. :)


Anyway, I hope you enjoy today's articles! See you tomorrow!


Today's Top 5:
1. Baby Born After Rare Ectopic Pregnancy (MSNBC)
2. Rescuers Free Man Trapped Under 20 Tons of Soil at Work Site in Florida (Florida Today)
3. Lost Tribe Discovered Deep in Amazon (Physorg.com)
4. Organic Free Grazing Cows are Cream of the Crop (Science Daily)
5. Parties to UN Pact on Plant, Animal Diversity Agree to Steps to Prevent Species Loss


Honorable Mentions:
1. Japanese Scientists Create Microscopic Noodle Bowl (Yahoo News)
2. A Tiny Fruit that Tricks the Tongue (NY Times)






Today's Top 5:
1. Baby Born After Rare Ectopic Pregnancy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24888923/
Doctors in Australia call healthy, full-term infant a 'miracle'
updated 9:27 a.m. ET May 30, 2008

SYDNEY, Australia - A woman in a northern Australian city gave birth to a healthy baby girl after a rare full-term ectopic pregnancy, a hospital official said Friday.

Meera Thangarajah, 34, had no symptoms or complications during her pregnancy, so doctors performing a routine Caesarean section Thursday were shocked to find that the baby had developed in the ovary rather than the uterus.

An ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg develops outside of the uterus, usually miscarries or is terminated by doctors because of the threat it can cause to the mother.


Baby Durga weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and both she and her mother are healthy, said Robyn Cahill, general manager of the Darwin Private Hospital.

"We're calling it a miracle," Cahill told The Associated Press.

The baby's father, Ravi Thangarajah, told Nine Network television that doctors had told him, "You're one of the luckiest men in the world at the moment."

But Cahill said the mother had no complications or symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, and it did not show up on a scan halfway through the pregnancy. She said only 1 in 40,000 fertilizations implant in the ovary, and it is unheard of that one of those fetuses grow to full term, generally 37 weeks.

Durga was born at 38 weeks.

"It is extremely rare," said Mark Erian, a specialist in high-risk obstetrics at the University of Queensland. "I have never seen a case that progresses until fetal viability. She was absolutely lucky to have the pregnancy progress."




2. Rescuers Free Man Trapped Under 20 Tons of Soil at Work Site
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/BREAKINGNEWS/80530016/1086/rss07
May 30, 2008

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- Rescuers freed a man who was pinned inside a backhoe under nearly 20 tons of soil in a collapse at an Orange County work site, authorities said.

The incident happened Friday morning at Double D Crushers in Winter Garden.

The victim was conscious when he was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center, officials said. His condition is not known.

Rescuers used an Orange County Fire Department vacuum truck and a trench-rescue unit from the fire department at SeaWorld to free the man.

Rescue workers used wood planks to keep more dirt and crushed concrete from falling on on the victim as they tried to free him.

No other injuries have been reported.

The cause of the collapse is not known, and an investigation into the incident is under way.

Authorities originally said a crane collapsed under crushed concrete.





3. Lost Tribe Discovered Deep in Amazon
http://www.physorg.com/news131377147.html
May 30, 2008

Dramatic images of an isolated Brazilian tribe believed never to have had contact with the outside world were published by officials Friday to draw attention to threats posed to their way of life.

The pictures, released by the Brazilian government's National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), showed alarmed natives pointing bows and arrows at the aircraft carrying photographers.

The head of FUNAI's environmental protection unit responsible for the images, Jose Carlos dos Reis Meirelles, told AFP the foundation had known of the existence of the tribe for years -- located in thick rainforest near the Peruvian border -- and many photos had been taken.

"We have been watching this isolated indigenous community for at least 20 years. The idea in revealing the photos was to raise the alarm over the risk threatening them," he said in a telephone interview from western Acre state, where the indigenous group is located.

He explained the tribe had been pushed slowly out of Peruvian territory into Brazil by loggers cutting down their Amazon basin habitat, and that the pace of the illegal deforestation was now accelerating.

"Peruvian authorities recently said this indigenous community doesn't exist. Well, they do exist and they are facing an enormous risk," Meirelles said.

"But they weren't just discovered today. All this region is a cultural mosaic and there are four different identified groups living close to one another," he said.

He said he did not know -- "and didn't care to know" -- what ethnic group the isolated tribe came from.

"All I care about is protecting them, keeping them in their isolation."

The pictures show the tribe's members, their skin painted red and black, in a village of huts with thatched roofs.

The head of FUNAI's Isolated Indians Department, Elias Biggio, told reporters that Meirelles's team had not had any physical contact with the tribe.

Survival International, a British group lobbying on behalf of indigenous people around the world, said on its website there were fears illegal logging in Peru could also endanger the Brazilian tribe by forcing displaced Peruvian tribes into contact with it.

It said there were an estimated 500 isolated indigenous people living on the Brazilian side of the border.

"The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct," Survival International director Stephen Corry said.

His group said there were more than 100 uncontacted indigenous tribes worldwide.






4. Organic Free Grazing Cows are Cream of the Crop
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527101003.htm
ScienceDaily
May 30, 2008

A new study by Newcastle University proves that organic farmers who let their cows graze as nature intended are producing better quality milk.

The Nafferton Ecological Farming Group study found that grazing cows on organic farms in the UK produce milk which contains significantly higher beneficial fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins than their conventional ‘high input’ counterparts.

During the summer months, one of the beneficial fats in particular – conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA9 – was found to be 60% higher.

The results of this study into UK dairy production are published online in the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture.

‘We have known for some time that what cows are fed has a big influence on milk quality,’ explained Gillian Butler, livestock project manager for the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at Newcastle University, who led the study. ‘What is different about this research is it clearly shows that on organic farms, letting cows graze naturally, using forage-based diet, is the most important reason for the differences in the composition between organic and conventional milk.

‘We’ve shown that significant seasonal differences exist, with nutritionally desirable fatty acids and antioxidants being highest during the summer, when the cows are eating fresh grass and clover.

‘As a result, our future research is focusing on how to improve the nutritional composition of milk during the winter, when cows are kept indoors and fed mainly on conserved forage.’

The study, which involved Newcastle scientists working with the Danish Institute for Agricultural Science, is part of the ongoing cross-European Quality Low Input Food project into animal health and welfare, milk quality and working towards minimising the use of antibiotics in dairy production.

‘This paper is a major milestone in the project and clearly shows that if you manage livestock naturally then it’s a win-win situation for both us and them,’ said Professor Carlo Leifert, project co-ordinator.

The scientists also discovered interesting results from a group of low-input farms in Wales, which are not certified organic but use very similar production methods to organic farms (the main difference was the use of some mineral fertiliser and shorter withdrawal periods after antibiotic use).

To reduce costs, these farmers calved all their cows in spring and grazed them throughout lactation, from March until November, resulting in milk being produced on an almost 100% fresh grass diet.

Milk from these non-organic farms also had significantly higher levels of nutritionally desirable fatty acids and antioxidants, which was a direct result of the extensive outdoor rearing and fresh forage intake.

‘These New-Zealand type dairy systems are not common in the UK, as weather conditions in many areas of the country make it unworkable,’ explained Mrs Butler. ‘Therefore, milk from these farms is not available to the public as it’s mixed in with milk from conventional systems during processing.

‘However, including these extremely extensive systems allowed us to clearly link the difference in milk quality to the dairy cows’ diets.’

Gordon Tweddle, of Acorn Dairy in County Durham, is a local supplier of organic milk. ‘We have believed for some time that organic milk is better for us and our customers tell us it tastes better,’ he said. ‘It is satisfying to have the scientific explanation as to why it is also nutritionally better.’

This current research confirms previous studies in the UK, which reported higher concentrations of omega 3 fatty acids in milk from organic production systems than conventional ones.

CLA, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E and carotenoids have all been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. CLA is hugely popular in the US, where it is marketed as a nutritional supplement. However, synthetic supplements often contain compounds with a different chemical composition (isomer balance) than those occurring naturally in milk, resulting in an equal dose of both ‘good’ (i.e. CLA9, omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin E and carotenoids) and ‘less desirable’ fatty acids (i.e. omega-6 fatty acids and CLA10).

‘Switching to organic milk provides an alternative, natural way to increase our intake of nutritionally desirable fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants without increasing our intake of less desirable fatty acids and synthetic forms of vitamin E,’ said Mrs Butler. ‘In organic milk, the omega-3 levels increase but the omega-6 does not, which helps to improve the crucial ratio between the two.’

The study involved 25 farms across the UK in two contrasting areas of the UK – South Wales and the North East. The scientists looked at three different farming systems: conventional high input, organically certified, and non-organic sustainable (low-input).

The Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at Newcastle University collected 109 milk samples from 25 commercial farms categorised into the three different production systems: conventional high input; organically certified low input; and non-organic, low input. These samples were taken in August and October in 2004 and January, March and May the following year.

The group investigated the effects of seasonal and indoor/outdoor feeding differences on the milk’s fatty acid profile, and also compared individual carotenoids, stereo-isomers of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) or isomers of CLA. The higher levels of nutritionally desirable fatty acids found in the organic milk were CLA9, omega-3 and linolenic acid and the antioxidants/vitamins were vitamin E and carotenoids. The lower levels of undesirable fatty acids were omega-6 and CLA10.

Adapted from materials provided by Newcastle University.






5. Parties to UN Pact on Plant, Animal Diversity Agree to Steps to Prevent Species Loss
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26866&Cr=biodiversity&Cr1=
30 May 2008

The 191 countries to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed today on a set of measures to advance progress toward the internationally agreed target to reduce the rate of loss of the world’s animal and plant species.
The parties to the Convention, meeting in Bonn, Germany, also agreed on new steps to increase the global network of protected areas and to negotiate an international set of rules on access to and sharing of the benefits of the rich genetic resources of the world.

“We are less than two years from 2010, the year that Heads of State determined to be the target for substantially reducing the rate of biodiversity loss,” said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

“With the world losing species at an unprecedented rate, this is a very difficult target to meet, but the agreements in Bonn – the Bonn Biodiversity Compact – if implemented expeditiously by all stakeholders, will go a long way to help us meet our goals.”

At present, the world is losing plant and animal species at a rate between 100 and 1000 times the natural extinction rate. The loss of species diminishes the genetic resources available for medical advances, ensuring a secure food supply and making certain that the world’s ecosystems can provide the necessary functions that are essential for life.

More than 6,000 people participated in the two-week Conference, including three world leaders and 87 ministers who exchanged best practices and discussed proposals for accelerating action on biodiversity.

Delegates agreed on a number of measures that support conservation measures, ways to ensure its sustainable use, and a set of rules to ensure that benefits from the use of genetic resources are shared equitably.

They also agreed on a firm process towards establishing international rules on access to genetic resources and the equitable sharing of benefits from their use. For years, countries had not been able to reach consensus on the nature of such rules and whether any elements would be legally binding. The meeting produced a plan for the negotiations that not only sets out a clear road map leading up to 2010, but also provides a shortlist of options as to which elements should be legally binding.

In addition, countries agreed to develop a global network of protected areas that would ensure the conservation of biodiversity. The move would expand the move to protect areas rich in biodiversity – already 11 per cent of Earth’s land surface.






Honorable Mentions:

1. Japanese Scientists Create Microscopic Noodle Bowl
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080529/ap_on_sc/odd_japan_smallest_ramen_bowl_3
By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 29, 3:22 PM ET

TOKYO - Japanese scientists say they have used cutting-edge technology to create a noodle bowl so small it can be seen only through a microscope.

Mechanical engineering professor Masayuki Nakao said Thursday he and his students at the University of Tokyo used a carbon-based material to produce a noodle bowl with a diameter 1/25,000 of an inch in a project aimed at developing nanotube-processing technology.

The Japanese-style ramen bowl was carved out of microscopic nanotubes, Nakao said.

Nanotubes are tube-shaped pieces of carbon, measuring about one-ten-thousandth of the thickness of a human hair.

Carbon nanotubes are being explored for a wide range of uses in electronics and medicine because their structure endows them with powerful physical properties such as a strength greater than steel.

The ramen bowl experiment included a string of "noodles" that measured one-12,500th of an inch in length, with a thickness of one-1.25 millionth of an inch.

"We believe it's the world's smallest ramen bowl, with the smallest portion of noodles inside, though they are not edible," Nakao said.

The hardest part was to keep the noodles from rising upright from the bowl "like alfalfa sprouts," he said. "The achievement was mostly for fun."

The microscopic bowl was first created in December 2006, but revealed only Thursday after it was entered for a microphotography competition last week.






2. A Tiny Fruit That Tricks the Tongue
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html?em&ex=1212292800&en=ec3b4432940a68a5&ei=5087%0A
Joe Fornabaio for The New York Times
By PATRICK FARRELL and KASSIE BRACKEN
Published: May 28, 2008

There were among 40 or so people who were tasting under the influence of a small red berry called miracle fruit at a rooftop party in Long Island City, Queens, last Friday night. The berry rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy.

The host was Franz Aliquo, 32, a lawyer who styles himself Supreme Commander (Supreme for short) when he’s presiding over what he calls “flavor tripping parties.” Mr. Aliquo greeted new arrivals and took their $15 entrance fees. In return, he handed each one a single berry from his jacket pocket.

“You pop it in your mouth and scrape the pulp off the seed, swirl it around and hold it in your mouth for about a minute,” he said. “Then you’re ready to go.” He ushered his guests to a table piled with citrus wedges, cheeses, Brussels sprouts, mustard, vinegars, pickles, dark beers, strawberries and cheap tequila, which Mr. Aliquo promised would now taste like top-shelf Patrón.

The miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is native to West Africa and has been known to Westerners since the 18th century. The cause of the reaction is a protein called miraculin, which binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, according to a scientist who has studied the fruit, Linda Bartoshuk at the University of Florida’s Center for Smell and Taste. Dr. Bartoshuk said she did not know of any dangers associated with eating miracle fruit.

During the 1970s, a ruling by the Food and Drug Administration dashed hopes that an extract of miraculin could be sold as a sugar substitute. In the absence of any plausible commercial application, the miracle fruit has acquired a bit of a cult following.

Sina Najafi, editor in chief of the art magazine Cabinet, has featured miracle fruits at some of the publication’s events. At a party in London last October, the fruit, he said, “had people testifying like some baptismal thing.”

The berries were passed out last week at a reading of “The Fruit Hunters,” a new book by Adam Leith Gollner with a chapter about miracle fruit.

Bartenders have been experimenting with the fruit as well. Don Lee, a beverage director at the East Village bar Please Don’t Tell, has been making miracle fruit cocktails on his own time, but the bar probably won’t offer them anytime soon. The fruit is highly perishable and expensive — a single berry goes for $2 or more.

Lance J. Mayhew developed a series of drink recipes with miracle fruit foams and extracts for a recent issue of the cocktail magazine Imbibe and may create others for Beaker & Flask, a restaurant opening later this year in Portland, Ore.

He cautioned that not everyone enjoys the berry’s long-lasting effects. Despite warnings, he said, one woman became irate after drinking one of his cocktails. He said, “She was, like, ‘What did you do to my mouth?’ ”

Mr. Aliquo issues his own warnings. “It will make all wine taste like Manischewitz,” he said. And already sweet foods like candy can become cloying.

He said that he had learned about miracle fruit while searching ethnobotany Web sites for foods he could make for a diabetic friend.

The party last week was his sixth “flavor tripping” event. He hopes to put on a much larger, more expensive affair in June. Although he does sell the berries on his blog, www.flavortripping.wordpress.com, Mr. Aliquo maintains that he isn’t in it for the money. (He said he made about $100 on Friday.) Rather, he said, he does it to “turn on a bunch of people’s taste buds.”

He believes that the best way to encounter the fruit is in a group. “You need other people to benchmark the experience,” he said. At his first party, a small gathering at his apartment in January, guests murmured with delight as they tasted citrus wedges and goat cheese. Then things got trippy.

“You kept hearing ‘oh, oh, oh,’ ” he said, and then the guests became “literally like wild animals, tearing apart everything on the table.”

“It was like no holds barred in terms of what people would try to eat, so they opened my fridge and started downing Tabasco and maple syrup,” he said.

Many of the guests last week found the party through a posting at www.tThrillist.com. Mr. Aliquo sent invitations to a list of contacts he has been gathering since he and a friend began organizing StreetWars, a popular urban assassination game using water guns.

One woman wanted to see Mr. Aliquo eat a berry before she tried one. “What, you don’t trust me?” he said.

She replied, “Well, I just met you.”

Another guest said, “But you met him on the Internet, so it’s safe.”

The fruits are available by special order from specialty suppliers in New York, including Baldor Specialty Foods and S. Katzman Produce. Katzman sells the berries for about $2.50 a piece, and has been offering them to chefs.

Mr. Aliquo gets his miracle fruit from Curtis Mozie, 64, a Florida grower who sells thousands of the berries each year through his Web site, www.miraclefruitman.com. (A freezer pack of 30 berries costs about $90 with overnight shipping.) Mr. Mozie, who was in New York for Mr. Gollner’s reading, stopped by the flavor-tripping party.

Mr. Mozie listed his favorite miracle fruit pairings, which included green mangoes and raw aloe. “I like oysters with some lemon juice,” he said. “Usually you just swallow them, but I just chew like it was chewing gum.”

A large group of guests reached its own consensus: limes were candied, vinegar resembled apple juice, goat cheese tasted like cheesecake on the tongue and goat cheese on the throat. Bananas were just bananas.

For all the excitement it inspires, the miracle fruit does not make much of an impression on its own. It has a mildly sweet tang, with firm pulp surrounding an edible, but bitter, seed. Mr. Aliquo said it reminded him of a less flavorful cranberry. “It’s not something I’d just want to eat,” he said.