Short Science, February 23, 2014
Some of the world’s top experts in lemurs sounded the alarm about an imminent extinction threat to the primitive primates that live only in Madagascar, and unveiled a three-year plan to try to prevent them from disappearing altogether.
Warning sounded over extinction of lemurs
Some of the world’s top experts in lemurs sounded the alarm about an imminent extinction threat to the primitive primates that live only in Madagascar, and unveiled a three-year plan to try to prevent them from disappearing altogether. Lemurs are now the world’s most threatened mammal group. Habitat destruction and fragmentation caused by illegal slash-and-burn farming, logging of rosewood and ebony trees and mining are major threats to lemurs, as is bushmeat hunting by impoverished local people on the east African island, the scientists said. Reuters
Fishing line turned into artificial muscles
Scientists have turned fishing line and sewing thread into amazingly strong and cheap artificial muscles that could be used in robots, prosthetic limbs or woven into “smart” fabrics. Their pores expand in warm weather to keep a person cool and contract in chilly weather to block out the cold. According to the journal Science, an international group of scientists turned to high-strength polymer fibres made of polyethylene and nylon. They twisted the fibres into very tight coils and used changes in temperature to make the artificial muscles contract and relax. Reuters