Tropics鈥� tallest tree
At almost 90 metres tall, a Yellow Meranti (Shorea faguetiana) tree in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area of Malaysia is probably the world鈥檚 tallest tropical tree, say University of Cambridge researchers. It鈥檚 just a few metres short of London鈥檚 Big Ben. Trees in temperate regions, like the giant redwoods, can grow up to 30 m taller, but no one knows why.
Enter the BEAM
An astronaut has floated into the latest addition to the International Space Station, an inflatable room called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. Jeff Williams opened the hatch to BEAM on Monday to check its sensors and confirmed it is in pristine condition.
Star tern
An Arctic tern has claimed the record for the longest ever migration, with a 96,000 kilometre trip from the UK to Antarctica and back. The 100 gram bird wore a 0.7 g tracking device on its leg so its route could be followed. Its colony breeds in the Farne Islands off Northumberland, and travels to find food around the Southern Ocean for nine months of the year.
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Perky pensioners
Good news for readers worrying about old age 鈥� recent increases in life expectancy have been accompanied by a greater increase in disability-free years, driven by better cardiovascular and vision therapies. A report published by the showed that between 1992 and 2008, life expectancy rose by just over a year, while disability鈥揻ree years rose by almost two.
Zuck gets hacked
If your password is 鈥減assword123鈥�, you鈥檙e not alone in your poor digital hygiene. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg had his Twitter and Pinterest accounts hacked last week, revealing that the password 鈥渄adada鈥� was used on both accounts.