Basque bird flu
Spain has found its first case of H5N1 flu in a great crested grebe in the Basque country. Since grebes from that area do not migrate and the bird was far from poultry farms, it was probably infected by another wild bird. This suggests the virus was present in birds migrating to Europe in spring, despite the absence of widespread outbreaks.
Pre-emptive creationists
Advertisement
The Seattle-based Discovery Institute launched a press campaign on Friday to preserve the creationist curriculum in Kansas schools. Last year the Kansas board of education changed the school curriculum to include a religion-friendly definition of science. Fearing key board members might be ousted during November elections, the institute began a campaign to support the changes, including free screenings of an anti-evolution documentary.
Indian launch disaster
On Monday, India鈥檚 Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle veered off course and blew up, destroying the country鈥檚 heaviest ever communications satellite. The mishap is unlikely to adversely affect India鈥檚 moon shot in 2008, which will use the reliable Polar Synchronous Launch Vehicle.
Mushrooms truly are magic
鈥淢agic mushrooms鈥�, revered for their hallucinogenic effects, really do produce a spiritual high. Almost two-thirds of people given the active ingredient, psilocybin, said they had a 鈥渇ull mystical experience鈥�, unlike when they took the amphetamine-like stimulant methylphenidate, while a third said their trip was the most spiritually significant of their lives.
Rhinos bow out
West African black rhinos have vanished from their last remaining stronghold in Cameroon, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said on 7 July. The three other subspecies of African black rhino are recovering well.