ISSUe 285 - First News

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6 FirstNews Issue 285 18 – 24 november 2011 OUR STORIES For more home news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/news UK Pets abandoned Figures released by the Blue Cross show that the number of pets abandoned in the UK is increasing. There are fears that pets are being left to fend for themselves as owners struggle to pay for their care during the credit crunch. More than 1,500 stray and abandoned animals have been helped by the Blue Cross so far this year. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has revealed that the number of owners who could no longer afford their pets is double the number from 2010. Peterborough Circus fine Two circus owners from Peterborough have been fined for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Mr and Mrs Roberts, the owners of the Bobby Roberts Circus, were being investigated for the way they treated their elephant, Anne. Anne was removed from the circus earlier this year and was rehomed at Longleat Safari Park. Suffolk Beach rescue Plans to help protect most of Suffolk’s 72km (45 miles) of beach have been approved. The Shoreline Management Plan has been approved until 2015 and will tackle erosion and flooding along the Suffolk coastline. Beaches in Suffolk recently passed the European Union water tests, making them great beaches for swimming. Home News Wales Non-Sunday school Lots of churches in Wales have started holding Sunday school on weekdays. The move is to encourage more children to attend, as many have lots of other commitments at weekends, like sport and music classes. While some people think it is a great idea, others think Sunday school should always be on a Sunday. What do you think? Email us at newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk. Gloucestershire Endangered birds This week, 13 endangered spoonbilled sandpipers have arrived in the UK. They’re one of the most threatened birds in the world and conservationists hope to start a captive breeding programme with them at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Slimbridge. The birds have been brought to the UK from the far east of Russia. Scotland Deer cull? Experts are warning local councils in Scotland that new deer management plans need to be put into place. Around 7,000 road accidents happen every year because of deer collisions. Lots of money has been spent creating new green areas in lowland Scotland, which is the perfect habitat for roe deer. Roe deer reproduce quite quickly, which means numbers will soon be even higher and could increase the number of accidents. FAST WEATHER FACTS The average daytime temperature during November in Siberia, Russia, is -6°C (21°F). THE WEEK’S WEATHER with Jonathan Powell From Friday 18 November to Thursday 24 November 2011 Week in general Rain, strong winds. Possible flooding. Feeling chilly. Friday 18 november Scotland/N Ireland – showers, overcast. Day 9c/48f Night 6c/43f. Moderate southwesterly. England/Wales – showers, overcast. Day 12c/54f Night 8c/46f. Moderate southwesterly. Saturday 19 November Scotland/N Ireland – showers, overcast. Day 9c/48f Night 6c/43f. Moderate southwesterly. England/Wales – showers, overcast. Day 12c/54f Night 8c/46f. Moderate southwesterly. sunday 20 November Scotland/N Ireland – showers, overcast. Day 8c/46f Night 5c/41f. Moderate southwesterly. England/Wales – showers, overcast. Day 11c/52f Night 7c/45f. Moderate southwesterly. MONDAY to thursday Further showers, similar temperatures. FACT FILE THE WEEK IN NUMBERS 7 men from Cheltenham will clean an alley with mops and buckets after being caught peeing there by police. 2 horses in North Yorkshire have had their tails cut off while grazing. Police are investigating the crime and warning other horse owners in the area. 2 silver coins have been found hidden in a church tower in Worcestershire. The coins date back to 1804. 250,000 pounds is how much it will take to get rid of the invasive sea squirts at Holyhead Marina. It is believed the creatures could be a threat to local mussel populations. 500 FBI agents could be flown in from the US to act as security at the London 2012 Olympics. 10 hours a day is how long Matt Baker will pedal on a rickshaw. He left Edinburgh on 11 November and aims to arrive in London in time for the Children in Need show on the 18th. When he arrives in London he will have pedalled 779km (484 miles).
FirstNews Issue 285 18 – 24 NOVember 2011 SCIENCE For more science news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover 7 Fish like A white-spotted puffer being cleaned by a bluestreak cleaner wrasse a good Roscosmos massage experiments with fish have shown that it isn’t just humans that get health benefits from a massage. Win a lesson with Brian Cox for the second year in a row, classes across the UK can enter a competition to win a science lesson with Professor Brian Cox. This time, the lucky class will get to combine meeting Brian with a class trip, as the lesson will take place at the world-renowned Jodrell Bank Observatory near Manchester. As part of the lesson, the winning class will get to see the observatory’s huge Lovell Telescope and take part in some interactive tasks to learn more about our solar system. “The scientific world is hugely fascinating and moving,” says Brian, “and if it’s taught in the right way, it can be tremendously inspiring and a lot of fun! So, for all those schools out there who want to come on an exciting journey with me, get entering today!” The deadline for entries is Monday 5 December, so head to www. thebigbangfair.co.uk/ bigbanglessontake2 to nominate your class. Teachers and parents can also submit nominations. The lesson is being run with The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC from 15- 17 March 2012. Schools and families can register for free tickets at www. thebigbangfair.co.uk. CHECK IT OUT www.firstnews.co.uk to see a cleaner fish in action In humans, massage helps to lower stress. This can be tested by measuring levels of substances like cortisol in the blood. If a person is stressed, their levels of cortisol increase. Now, scientists have found that contact similar to a massage can help to lower the levels of cortisol in reef fish too. Reef fish often go to specific areas of the sea called cleaning stations, where smaller cleaner fish will pick off any parasites from the reef fish’s body. However, the cheeky cleaner fish often cheat at their jobs and eat mucus from the fish’s body instead. Although the cleaner fish much prefer to eat mucus, the reef fish don’t get any benefit from this, and often start conflicts with the cheats. When these conflicts start, the cleaner fish often swim onto the reef fish’s back and lightly massage it with their fins. Scientists reproduced this bizarre process in Your class could get an astronomy lesson from Brian Cox the lab, using a fake cleaner fish. The dummy fish was either kept still or timed to move gently back and forth, so that the reef fish could get a massage from it. The fish that got a massage saw their cortisol levels drop compared to the other fish. Scientists now think that cleaner fish have developed their massage technique to make up for the times when they cheat at their cleaning job. Energy warning the world is locking itself into a future of inefficient energy use and high carbon emissions, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The agency’s latest report into the global energy supply was released this week. In the World Energy Outlook, the IEA says that economic growth and rising populations will continue to push up energy needs. Unfortunately, governments are still relying on insecure and environmentally harmful energy sources. The IEA predicts that energy use will increase by a third between now and 2035. Renewable energy sources are predicted to increase from 13% of global supply today to just 18% in 2035. Renewable energy sources need more government investment if they are to become more widespread and efficient. However, the IEA says that in 2010, governments put more than six times as much money into fossil fuels as they did into renewables. The report says that urgent action must be taken before 2017 to ensure that it is not too late to turn back. Scientists have agreed that an increase of 2°C in the average world temperature will lead to highly damaging climate change. To keep below 2°C will require action from governments around the world. Getty Mbz1/Wikipedia How the Phobos-Grunt probe should have looked as it approached Mars What goes up might come down as First News went to press, the Russians were desperately trying to make contact with their Mars probe, which is stuck in orbit around Earth. The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) launched the Phobos- Grunt spacecraft on 8 November. Unfortunately, once the craft reached orbit and separated from its launch rocket, the probe’s thrusters failed to fire. A Russian official said that the agency has two weeks to try to fix the problem, before the probe is lost for good. The spacecraft has two parts. One was due to orbit Mars, while the other was supposed to head to the surface of the red planet’s largest moon, Phobos. Once there, it would take soil samples and return them to Earth in a tiny rocket. Latest reports suggest that things aren’t looking good for the mission, but check www.firstnews. co.uk/discover to find out whether engineers figure out the problem. A NASA close-up of Mars’ moon Phobos Did you NASA-JPL know? Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel on the planet, with global reserves adding up to around a trillion tonnes. At the current rate of production, coal could be used as a fuel for another 150 years before supplies eventually run out.
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ISSUe 285 - First News

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