No space babies?
Bad news for future space colonies: mammals may not reproduce as efficiently in space as they do on Earth. Mouse eggs fertilised in a 鈥渃linostat鈥�, which mimics microgravity, and then implanted in female mice had a lower success rate than control eggs fertilised under normal gravity (PLoS ONE, ).
Exploiting Canadian oil
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The Chinese oil giant PetroChina has acquired a majority stake in two projects to exploit Canada鈥檚 Athabasca Oil Sands, the second largest oil reserves on Earth. The company will use steam to extract 3 billion barrels of oil 鈥� an extremely costly and energy-intensive process.
Light bulb ban begins
Europeans bid farewell to the 100-watt incandescent light bulb this week. From now on, Edison鈥檚 brainchild can no longer be legally made in or imported into the European Union for domestic use. Individual bulb smugglers will face a 拢5000 fine, while companies could face unlimited fines.
Asteroid deflector plan
Designs for a 鈥渟pace tractor鈥� to pull an asteroid from an earthbound path have been unveiled. The spacecraft would fly close to an asteroid, then change its own trajectory with ion thrusters. The tiny gravitational force it would exert could divert a rock up to 400 metres wide, say the craft鈥檚 designers at European aerospace company EADS Astrium.
Hybrid virus fear
Two turkeys in Chile have swine flu, the first reported cases in birds. Although neither died or had breathing difficulties, Julio Garcia Moreno at the Public Health Institute of Chile in Santiago says this deepens fears that if birds or pigs are simultaneously infected with swine and bird flu viruses, the two could mix to create a new strain.