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Not selected by Darwin

The Galapagos islands just keep on giving. Darwin’s thinking about evolution was powerfully shaped by his observations of how environmental factors caused the islands’ wildlife to form new species. But he ignored the pink iguana, which has now been found to be a different species to the other land iguanas. What’s more, it may be one of the earliest examples of species diversification on the islands.

The Milky weigh

Our galaxy is much more massive than we thought. Measurements of the motion of gas clouds, presented at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, reveal that the Milky Way is spinning faster than previously thought. This means that to hold everything together, our galaxy must have up to 50 per cent more mass than expected.

Autism brain bank

The UK has launched its first bank of donated brain tissue samples dedicated to autism research. The in Oxford should reveal more detail on cellular and molecular changes during the development of the disorder than brain scans alone. Such a bank already exists in the US.

Mistaken reflections

Many birds, insects, reptiles and crabs become disorientated when exposed to polarised light – made when light bounces off dark artificial surfaces such as buildings and roads. Animals often mistake the light for that reflected by bodies of water, which many animals and insects use as a guide to breeding sites and food sources (Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, ).

Flu fatalities

Bird flu continues to stalk the planet. This week, a 19-year-old woman in Beijing died of the H5N1 virus. Last month, vaccinated chickens in Hong Kong also died, which may be almost as bad as it suggests the virus is evolving.