Bigger is not better
Children riding in sport utility vehicles are no safer than those travelling in passenger cars, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. A review of accidents involving about 4000 children found nearly identical rates of injuries in cars and SUVs.
The Right Stuff?
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Space tourists can forgo a tough NASA-style physical examination before their flight, according to draft space tourism rules issued on 29 December by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Tourists will only need proof of general good health from a doctor.
The last storm
On 30 December tropical storm Zeta formed in the North Atlantic, pushing the season鈥檚 record for tropical storms to 27, six more than the previous record set in 1933. Zeta is not expected to reach hurricane strength, though peak sustained winds were at near 100 kilometres per hour on Tuesday. Only one other tropical storm has formed this late in the year 鈥� on 30 December 1954.
Animal-free stem cells
Human embryonic stem cells have moved a step closer to clinical applications thanks to the first reliable method of growing them without exposure to animal cells or products. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison replaced animal-based components of culture medium such as bovine blood serum with purified human proteins (Nature Biotechnology, DOI: 10.1038/nbt1177).
No more wild caviar
It鈥檚 bad news for gourmets: the international trade in caviar from wild sturgeon has been banned. The ban came after the nine major caviar-producing countries failed to convince the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that their annual catch and export quotas are sustainable and that they take full account of the number of endangered wild fish that will be caught illegally.