A matter of opinion
Science writer Simon Singh can now defend the libel case brought against him by the British Chiropractic Association. This follows a ruling last week by the Court of Appeal in London that words he used in an article criticising chiropractic were expressions of opinion, not fact (see 鈥淪imon Singh: the libel fight goes on鈥�). The case could speed changes in British libel law.
Lightweight babies
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Babies born with two common gene variants are around 110 grams lighter at birth than others. The impact of the genes is roughly equivalent to the mother smoking four or five cigarettes per day during the third trimester of pregnancy (Nature Genetics, ).
Glass ceiling in space?
Wednesday marked the largest ever gathering of women in space, as three female astronauts aboard the shuttle Discovery joined Tracy Caldwell Dyson, who was already living on the International Space Station. With nine men currently in space, women are still outnumbered.
Giant vegetarian lizard
A spectacular new species of monitor lizard has been discovered in previously unexplored forests on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Measuring 2 metres long, Varanus bitatawa is covered in bright yellow spots and eats fruit, unlike its 3-metre-long carnivorous relative the Komodo dragon (Biology Letters, ).
Coral oil peril
Oil fuel leaking from a Chinese bulk carrier was forming a thin sheen on the sea around the Great Barrier Reef as New 杏吧原创 went to press. The vessel, which had 975 tonnes of fuel on board, was about 30 kilometres off course when it grounded on the reef. Initial assessments showed the ship was scraping across the reef鈥檚 coral, causing further damage.