Rodent Origami May be the Key to A Long Life

Meet an African cousin, the Naked Mole Rat. Cute ain't he? Not all of us arrived in the UK with the Black Death, some emigrated to the colonies but usually in small close knit family numbers. Here you see the result of a lot of inbreeding. Apart from shedding the velveteen pantaloons we have had a considerable wallop with the ulgy stick and some orthodontics wouldn't go amiss. However, one benefit to the kissing cousins seems to have been some unusual proteins which are deemed to contribute to an extraodinarily long life...for a rat.
It's all to do with folding and unfolding protein molecules apparently, which fold and unfold periodically and, anyone who's tried to fold a Landranger map numerous times will tell you, the process causes damage and that damage causes ageing. So it seems that studying the process by which the naturist rodents practice their origami skills might help us extend our useful life for a few decades. Just think how many Twitters you could fit into that time frame. I can't wait. (via The Register )

What Happened to 'It Wasn't Me'?

It seems that there may be two other teenage fathers in the frame for 13-year old Alfie Patten's girlfriend's newborn. Crikey! Money and fame, no matter for what, seems to be a tremendous motivator. In my teenage years the very thought that your girlfriend might be pregnant was enough to make you change your identity as fast as possible and maybe even leave the country. Now it seems that a contract with The Sun and the resultant glare of publicity is enough to have these adolescents scrabbling for parental rights like dogs with a bone. One of them I note is 16. Doesn't this open him up to crimnal charges?

Spot The Discriminatory Headline

Saw this today. Still the height police work their devious plan to make the world conform to 'normal' standards. It has to stop. 

Oh bum. The headline on my news reader (NetNewsWire if you're interested) says 'BMW to shed 850 Mini workers' which aroused my silly headline antenna. Unfortunately the actual headline differs and makes me look stupid. No change there then.

Holy Hot Air Batman

You - could - not - make - it - up. Not content with bringing us the first electronic whoopee cushion, the owner of iFart, flatulence generator for the iPhone, is suing his nearest rival for... oh I can't be bothered to read any further. Life is too short. You read it. Anyway, one iPhone fart producer is suing another iPhone fart producer presumably because there are too many farts being produced on the iPhone and nobody, but nobody, has found a way to light them yet. This fart thing is getting out of hand or trousers or iPhone, I don't know which and frankly I don't care but I present it to you, who ever you are, for comment or despairing looks. You choose.

Oh My Another Press Mention

You know how it is, nothing for years then you're all over the news like an STD on a Club Med fortnight. And so it comes to pass. First a rat population explosion, then more rodents exploding in Yorkshire and now this. Whoeee guys we are finally getting our fifteen minutes. 

Heart Stopping Headline

This made me stop and look twice. Good subbing or poor use of English? The thought of a county-wide lemming-like popping made my blood run cold. That and the potential waste of all those yummy carcasses.

Opportunism Still in The White House

Sheeeit! Having just purged the White House of one type of vermin last month agents of poor old Uncle Sam are in hot pusuit of another bunch of opportunists. Plus ça change.