Kenyan elephant numbers plummet by 1000 in four years

IT'S a case of up then down for Kenya's second largest population of elephants. After a promising growth spurt, the elephants are now dying faster than they are being born. The decline is being blamed on illegal poaching, driven by Asia's demand for ivory.

The Kenya Wildlife Service recently conducted a census of the Samburu/Laikipia population, the country's second largest. It found that the population lost over 1000 elephants in just four years, and now stands at 6361. Previous censuses in 1992, 1998, 2002 and 2008 had revealed a growing population, which appears to have peaked at 7415 in 2008.

Poaching is suspected. A July report by three conservation groups found that it has been on the rise across Africa since 2006. Poaching is also spreading eastwards from central Africa into countries like Kenya, says Richard Thomas of TRAFFIC in Cambridge, UK, one of the three groups that drafted the report. The July report found that more than half of all elephants found dead in Africa in 2011 had been illegally killed.

The rise in poaching appears to be driven by increasing affluence in China and Thailand, where ivory is often used to make religious sculptures and other decorations.

Organised criminal gangs have capitalised on this increased demand. "If it's worth someone's while to smuggle the ivory, they'll take the risk," Thomas says. There is evidence that gangs are moving into Kenya to hunt elephants.

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Dual-key EC units becoming more popular

SINGAPORE: Dual-key units in executive condominiums (ECs) are rising in demand among home-seekers.

Developer MCC Land said its executive condominium project One Canberra sold out its 95 dual-key apartments within a month, from when the project was launched in April.

The developer is now confident that its new project, the EC Forestville, will also do well.

The number of dual-key apartments in Forestville is twice that of such units in a usual EC development.

Located in Woodlands, the project has 653 units, 201 of which are dual-key apartments with three to five bedrooms.

Sizes range from 1240 to 2150 square feet, depending on the number of rooms.

Analysts said that developers of such ECs take on more risk, as the floor area of each unit is larger and they might earn less per square foot.

But developers feel that dual-key apartments give homeowners more flexibility as it is suitable for multi-generation families.

Mr Michael Tan from Ho Lee Group, the developer of Heron Bay, said: "With dual-key (apartments), (homeowners) are given the room to grow so initially when they don't need (the space), they can rent it out to somebody for rental income. When the need arises, they can take back the extra space they need to allow them to have a bigger and better environment."

- CNA/xq

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Apple and Google making joint bid for Kodak patents, report says

Apple and Google might be opponents competing for smartphone and
tablet customers, but according to a Bloomberg report they have joined forces to acquire Eastman Kodak's 1,000 imaging patents for more than $500 million. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the possible alliance in August. Previously, the Journal reported that Apple and Google were each leading separate consortiums to purchase the patents in the range of $150 million to $250 million.

Eastman Kodak, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January, needs to sell the patents to help pay down a $950 million loan from Citigroup. The company said that it expects to exit bankruptcy in 2013. Court documents earlier this year revealed that the company valued its patent portfolio in the range of $2.6 billion.

Read: Foss Patents: Rumors of Apple-Google alliance to buy Kodak patents show smartphone giants' auction fatigue

Apple and Google were on opposite sides in another contest for high-stakes technology patents. In July 2011, a consortium of technology companies comprising Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In Motion, and Sony bought some 6,000 patents and patent applications from Nortel Networks for $4.5 billion. Rivals Google and Intel reportedly began the bidding for the intellectual property, which included patents and patent applications for wireless, wireless 4G, data networking, optical, voice, Internet, and semiconductor technologies, at $900 million.

The digital imaging patents, which are relevant to cameras, smartphones and other devices, could help both Apple and Google who are engaged in numerous patent disputes. Apple has been embroiled in patent disputes with Samsung and other Google
Android-based vendors. The joint effort to procure the patents could auger a less litigious atmosphere in the future.

Don Reisinger and Steven Musil contributed to this report.

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Plants Grow Fine Without Gravity

When researchers sent plants to the International Space Station in 2010, the flora wasn't meant to be decorative. Instead, the seeds of these small, white flowers—called Arabidopsis thaliana—were the subject of an experiment to study how plant roots developed in a weightless environment.

Gravity is an important influence on root growth, but the scientists found that their space plants didn't need it to flourish. The research team from the University of Florida in Gainesville thinks this ability is related to a plant's inherent ability to orient itself as it grows. Seeds germinated on the International Space Station sprouted roots that behaved like they would on Earth—growing away from the seed to seek nutrients and water in exactly the same pattern observed with gravity. (Related: "Beyond Gravity.")

Since the flowers were orbiting some 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the Earth at the time, the NASA-funded experiment suggests that plants still retain an earthy instinct when they don't have gravity as a guide.

"The role of gravity in plant growth and development in terrestrial environments is well understood," said plant geneticist and study co-author Anna-Lisa Paul, with the University of Florida in Gainesville. "What is less well understood is how plants respond when you remove gravity." (See a video about plant growth.)

The new study revealed that "features of plant growth we thought were a result of gravity acting on plant cells and organs do not actually require gravity," she added.

Paul and her collaborator Robert Ferl, a plant biologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville, monitored their plants from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida using images sent from the space station every six hours.

Root Growth

Grown on a nutrient-rich gel in clear petri plates, the space flowers showed familiar root growth patterns such as "skewing," where roots slant progressively as they branch out.

"When we saw the first pictures come back from orbit and saw that we had most of the skewing phenomenon we were quite surprised," Paul said.

Researchers have always thought that skewing was the result of gravity's effects on how the root tip interacts with the surfaces it encounters as it grows, she added. But Paul and Ferl suspect that in the absence of gravity, other cues take over that enable the plant to direct its roots away from the seed and light-seeking shoot. Those cues could include moisture, nutrients, and light avoidance.

"Bottom line is that although plants 'know' that they are in a novel environment, they ultimately do just fine," Paul said.

The finding further boosts the prospect of cultivating food plants in space and, eventually, on other planets.

"There's really no impediment to growing plants in microgravity, such as on a long-term mission to Mars, or in reduced-gravity environments such as in specialized greenhouses on Mars or the moon," Paul said. (Related: "Alien Trees Would Bloom Black on Worlds With Double Stars.")

The study findings appear in the latest issue of the journal BMC Plant Biology.

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Federal Agencies Brace for Deep Cuts Post-'Cliff'

Dec 7, 2012 4:22pm

Toby Jorrin/AFP/Getty Images

With the “fiscal cliff” quickly approaching, federal agencies are stepping up preparations for deep automatic budget cuts that will kick in Jan. 2 unless the White House and Congress can reach a deal.

The Office of Management and Budget told ABC News that a memo went out to federal agencies earlier this week seeking “additional information and analysis” in order to finalize spending cuts required if we go off the cliff.

The agencies are considering which workers to furlough, projects to put on hold and offices that will have to close.

The request follows the administration’s release of a 400-page report in September that outlined the budget areas to be impacted by the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts and what percentages they would be slashed.

READ MORE: White House Details ‘Doomsday’ Budget Cuts

Billions of dollars could be slashed from defense operations and maintenance programs. Medicare would take a two-percent hit, trimming millions in payouts to health care providers. Scientific research programs would be gutted. Aid for the poor and needy would be sharply curtailed.

The report also detailed operations that would be exempt from any cuts, including active-duty military operations, nuclear watchdogs, homeland security officials, veterans care and other critical areas.

READ: Pentagon Begins Planning for ‘Cliff’ Cuts

Asked about the agency preparations underway, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that OMB “must take certain steps to ensure the administration is ready to issue such an order should Congress fail to act.”

“Earlier this week, OMB issued a request to federal agencies for additional information to finalize calculations on the spending reductions that would be required,” Carney said.

“This action should not be read … as a change in the administration’s commitment to reach an agreement and avoid sequestration.  OMB is simply ensuring that the administration is prepared, should it become necessary to issue such an order,” he said. “OMB will continue to consult with agencies and will provide additional guidance as needed.  This is just acting responsibly because of the potential for this happening.”

Get more pure politics at ABCNews.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com.

More ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Coverage From Today:

SHOWS: World News

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Friday Illusion: 100-year-old quilt reveals 3D vortex

Sara Reardon, reporter

You might not expect a mind-bending vortex to emerge from an old quilt. But about 100 years ago, a housewife armed with a needle and some red and white scraps of cloth crafted a unique pattern that doubles as a brain trick.

Recently discovered at a quilt show in New York City by Eric Altschuler from the University of Dentistry & Medicine of New Jersey in Newark, the patchwork appears to be made up of spirals that descend into a 3D vortex in the middle. But in fact the red and white rectangles in the pattern are arranged in concentric
circles that decrease in size and thickness as they approach the center.

To study the effect, Altschuler and his students have now recreated the pattern using software. By producing a version where the circles don't get thinner (see video), the team found that the image still seems to spiral but no longer looks three-dimensional. When viewed in peripheral vision, the spirals are initially visible but quickly vanish.

The contrasting red and white colours also affect the illusion of depth. When a green hue that's just as bright as the red is substituted for the white, the spirals become flat. But if the red is dimmer than the green, or vice versa, the vortex returns. This shows that without contrast, depth cues are lost.

According to Altschuler, the phenomenon is a result of the gestalt effect, whereby we tend to visually group a collection of features into a larger shape. In this case, our brain creates the smoothest path between diagonal red blocks, which therefore appear to be connected, creating the illusion of curved arms. The effect is especially pronounced when looking at the smaller blocks near the centre: larger pieces further out are more likely to be perceived as distinct objects.

Altschuler recently presented his findings at the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. The maker and origin of the quilt are still a mystery but the butterfly designs in the corners suggest it was made between 1890 and 1910.

If you enjoyed this effect, check out our previous Friday Illusions to see for example, a snake that seems to slither or a gravity-defying roof.

Congratulations to Simon Wilcox, the winner of last week's challenge, who was the first to correctly point out that there is no mirror in the video. What appears to be a reflection is simply Richard Wiseman using his left hand, with everything else well-placed to simulate a mirror image.

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Two China workers charged with criminal trespass

SINGAPORE: Two workers from China who sat on top of two construction cranes for hours on Thursday have been charged in court with criminal trespass.

Zhu Guilei, 24, and Wu Xiaolin, 47, were offered bail of $10,000 each.

They said in court that they intend to claim trial but won't be engaging counsel.

Both men will be back in court on December 12 for a pre-trial conference.

The two are accused of unlawfully remaining on the cranes for about nine hours at a worksite at Jurong Port Road with intent to alarm the project manager of their employer with threatening behaviour.

The maximum penalty for criminal trespass is three months' jail and a fine of $1,500.

- CNA/de

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My Best Tech Gift Ever: A 133MHz IBM PC 350

A 14-year-old Christopher MacManus (seated) hunches over his beloved computer in 1998. A long-forgotten chum looks on.

(Credit:
Christopher MacManus)

Every day this week, a different CNET writer or editor is recalling a tech or geek-centric present that left a mark. Read past stories by Eric Mack, Jeff Sparkman, Jay Greene, and Dan Ackerman, and look for another installment tomorrow at midnight PT.

On a chilly autumn day in 1997, I came home from school to find that my mom had a brand-new IBM PC 350 in her office. It was an astonishing computer, especially considering our previous machine was a DOS/Windows 3.1 slowpoke that could barely run Wolfenstein 3D.

For its time, the PC 350 had it all -- a screaming Pentium 133MHz processor, a 1.6GB hard drive, 64MB of RAM, and 4MB of video memory. Though my mom bought it for the household and not for me exclusively, it was the best tech gift I ever got, as it truly turned me into a geek and gamer (and therefore the person I am today).

For some reason, that IBM computer changed everything about me. In just a matter of days, I was no longer a mild-mannered suburban kid who stayed outside until dusk and built forts in his spare time. I became obsessed with SimCity, SimTower, and 3D games (such as Star Wars: Rebel Assault II, SubSpace, and The Dig). It wasn't long until my mom made the leap and got 56.6K dial-up Internet service through Mindspring, which turned me into a full-fledged computer nerd.

What's the best tech gift you ever got? Send your stories and photos to crave at cnet dot com (subject line: Best Tech Gift) for possible inclusion in an upcoming feature.

As for other activities, I spent a lot of time chatting with people at Decipher's Star Wars: Customizable Card Game Palace server (which I'm awkwardly doing in the above picture). I also spent a lot of time playing a Star Wars multiuser dungeon, which is a text-based adventure game. As a precursor to years of running successful Web sites, I built my first Web site on Geocities through that computer. Gee, that doesn't sound geeky at all.

The PC 350 also kicked off my interest in computer hardware. Sometimes when Mom was asleep I would take the computer into my room and unscrew the hinges of the case, just so I could look at all the components inside. I just had to know what everything did. I even upgraded the RAM from 32MB to 128MB without ever telling my mom -- well, until now.

Find a memorable gift for the people in your life by visiting CNET's 2012 Holiday Gift Guide.

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Space Pictures This Week: Lunar Gravity, Venusian Volcano

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Cassiopeia’s Bubble

  Image courtesy T.A. Rector, UAA/WIYN/NOAO/NSF

  A new camera called the One Degree Imager, located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, is responsible for this enticingly crisp image of the Bubble Nebula. Released on December 4, this closeup highlights the sphere of gas blown out by the nebula's central star, which is 45 times larger than our own sun.

  Located in the constellation Cassiopeia, the Bubble Nebula is ten light-years across. Intense radiation from the massive star causes the otherworldly glow that lights up what looks like a celestial soap bubble.

  (Related: "Amazing Hubble Images.")

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Midnight Light

  Photograph by Frank Olsen, My Shot

  Delicate green auroras light up the water at Buksnesfjord, Norway, in a picture taken just after midnight on December 4.

  (See pictures of auroras sparked by a massive solar flare.)

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Great Escape

  Image courtesy SDO/NASA

  Sheets of plasma—or superheated gas—break off from the surface of the sun in this image taken in extreme ultraviolet light. Before floating free, the plasma rose up and danced along pathways determined by magnetic fields. These unseen forces pushed and pulled the gas into contorted shapes.

  (Learn about the sun.)

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  New Look

  Image courtesy NASA

  What looks like a jawbreaker is actually a gravity map of the moon. Red areas indicate places with higher gravity fields while blue areas indicate lower gravity fields.

  (Learn about lunar exploration.)

  Twin probes circling the moon—part of NASA's GRAIL mission—since 2011 have been recording changes in gravity as they fly over peaks and valleys on the lunar surface. As one probe flies over an area with a greater gravity field, the washing-machine-size instrument speeds up slightly, increasing the distance between it and its sister probe. These minute changes in position have enabled scientists to construct this very detailed view of local changes in the moon's gravity.

  (How well do you know your moon myths? Take our quiz.)

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Grainy Picture

  Illustration courtesy L. Calçada, ESO/NAOJ/NRAO
  

  In this artist's conception of fine-grained particles around a brown dwarf—or a failed star—bits of debris are on their way to becoming a rocky planet.

  Current thinking on Earthlike, rocky planet formation says that random collisions between tiny debris occur in the disc of material surrounding newborn stars. But the recent discovery of such a disc surrounding a brown dwarf has some astronomers rethinking that hypothesis. If planets can form from the debris around these failed stars, then rocky planets may be much more common than previously thought.

  (Related: "Coldest Star Found-No Hotter Than Fresh Coffee.")

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Night Vision

  Image courtesy Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, Suomi NPP/NASA

  The Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime image of the aurora australis over the Antarctic coast south of South Africa. Despite the winter darkness and a waning crescent moon, the auroras produced enough light for sensors on board the new NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite to capture the boundary between the ice shelf and what some scientists call the Southern, or Antarctic, Ocean (dark line across the bright center swirl).

  Launched last year, Suomi NPP enables scientists to capture nighttime images of the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The new sensor is so sensitive, it can capture the lights from one ship at sea.

  (Learn about Antarctica.)

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Pearl Islands

  Image courtesy Michael Taylor, Landsat/NASA

  In NASA's Landsat 5 satellite image, the Mergui Archipelago shows off the vibrant greens of its rain forests and the brilliant blues of the surrounding tropical ocean. Located along the southern border of Myanmar (Burma), next to Thailand, the area is known for valuable pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) and a highly diverse concentration of plants and animals.

  (See photos of Myanmar.)

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Venusian Volcano

  Illustration courtesy AOES Medialab/ESO

  The Venusian atmosphere is made mostly of carbon dioxide, along with periodic spikes in sulfur. Recent research has found that volcanoes on the planet's surface, seen here in an artist's conception, are likely injecting that sulfur into the upper atmosphere. Direct confirmation is difficult, however, since Venus's thick atmosphere precludes a peek at its peaks.

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Image courtesy SSI/ISA/ESA/NASA

  Published December 6, 2012

  
  

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Tsunami Warning Lifted in Japan After Quake

A tsunami warning has been lifted for the northeastern region of Japan following a strong 7.3-magnitiude earthquake that struck off the coast of Miyagi prefecture.

The earthquake rattled the coast of Japan just after 5 p.m. local time. Tsunami waves were recorded in at least five different locations – the largest in Ishinomaki was measured at 3 feet, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

There was never a risk of widespread tsunami warnings, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

All flights were grounded at the Sendai airport, and travelers were evacuated to higher grounds in the terminal, according to an official.

No damage has been reported at monitoring posts and water treatment facilities at all reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company. Following the tsunami warning, all the workers were moved to higher ground on the site and told to stay inside.

Buildings in Tokyo swayed for at least several minutes after the earthquake. About two hours after the quake struck, the tsunami warning was lifted.

Japan's NHK news reported that 10 people were transported to the hospital including a 75-year-old woman in Ishinomaki who fell while trying to evacuate to higher ground.

The northeast region of Japan was hit with a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami March 11, 2011 that killed or left missing some 19,000 people.

All but two of Japan's nuclear plants were shut down for checks after the earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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