A first look at 300
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Friday, October 27, 2006
300 slated for 2007 March release
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Set in the midst of the Persian-Greco war during the Battle of Thermopylae, where Spartan king Leonidas led his army of 300 soldiers into battle against the invading Persian army. According to legend, their valor and sacrifice inspired all of Greece to unite against their Persian foe, leading to the origins of democracy.
Production Status:
In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres:
Action/Adventure, Drama, Adaptation and War
Release Date:
March 9th, 2007 (wide)
Just in time for Halloween, paleontologists have dug up a truly scary creature—Big Bird's bad, buff brother.
The real-life fossils belong to a new species of phorusrhacid, giant predators also known as terror birds that once dominated South America.
Terror birds were the biggest birds the world has ever seen, and the new species is by far the largest terror bird yet, says paleontologist Luis Chiappe, director of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California.
"Some of these birds had skulls that were two and a half feet [almost a meter] in length. [They] were colossal animals," he said.
The new, currently unnamed species stood about ten feet (three meters) tall and had a head as big as that of a horse.
The largest terror birds could likely swallow dog-size prey in a single gulp, experts say.
The bird's most striking feature—literally—was its giant nose, a roughly 18-inch (46-centimeter) beak with a sharp, curving hook shaped like an eagle's beak.
Whether the flightless birds used their beaks to impale or bludgeon their prey is unknown, Chiappe says. But a single hit from their "massive skull[s] would have killed anything immediately."
Bizzare Creatures
So new to science that it hasn't even been named yet, this African pterosaur lived alongside dinosaurs about 110 million years ago in the Cretaceous period.Nail-like teeth and a 16-foot (5-meter) wingspan likely helped the flyer catch—and hold onto—fish from African rivers, according to University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno, whose team discovered the species in the Sahara of Niger."This find puts African pterosaurs on the map," said Sereno, who is also an explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society.
coil of teeth caps the lower jaw of a sculpture of a 13-foot (4-meter) whorl-tooth shark, or Helicoprion, a fish genus that lived about 250 million years ago.
Artist Gary Staab depicts the animal's jaw as something of a spiral conveyor belt, in which new teeth would advance to replace old ones (concealed here by skin). But the true arrangement and purpose of the teeth remains a mystery. Some scientists suggest that it may have operated like a spiked whip, possibly curled underneath the lower jaw like a weaponized elephant trunk.
The shark adds bite to "Bizarre Beasts, Past and Present," a new exhibition of Staab's sculptures at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. (through February 2, 2007). The animals depicted are, or were, all real—testaments to the twists, turns, and blind alleys of evolution.
(Both National Geographic News and the National Geographic Museum are parts of the National Geographic Society.)
Traces of ancient horse manure have been found in a remote 5,600-year-old Kazakh village—a discovery that could be the earliest known evidence of horse domestication.
A team of archaeologists and geologists discovered the traces inside a circular array of postholes in the village. While no actual smelly remains were present, the researchers did find that the level of nutrients called phosphates was ten times higher in the soil within the array than in soil adjacent to it.
Animal manure is high in nutrients, including phosphates, so the find is a strong indication that the enclosure used to be a corral.
The village, called Krasnyi Yar, was inhabited at the time by the Botai culture of the Eurasian steppes (map of Kazakhstan).
These people are believed to have relied heavily on horses for meat, tools, and transport.
Andrew Stiff, a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, presented the findings this week at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Harry Potter movie showing him putting on an invisibility cloak and actually disappearing a reality now it is!
First Invisibility Cloak Tested Successfully, Scientists Say
Researchers announced today that they've built the world's first invisibility cloak, although the fine print may disappoint science-fiction fans.
The device works only in two dimensions and only on microwaves.
Still, the experiment proves that a theoretical blueprint for building invisibility cloaks unveiled by the same team just five months ago works.
A Species of a different kind
Ancient Fish Fossil May Rewrite Story of Animal Evolution
A fish that swam on an ancient barrier reef in Australia 380 million years ago had fins and nostrils remarkably similar to the limbs and ears of the first four-limbed creatures to walk on land, according to a new study.
Four-limbed land animals, also known as tetrapods, such as modern amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, evolved from lobed-finned fish. That transition from water to land has long fascinated scientists, but the fossil record of how it occurred is still incomplete.
The new finding suggests that certain aspects of tetrapod ears and limbs can be traced much further back in "fishy looking" fish than had been previously known, says John Long, head of sciences at Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
"They were just cunningly disguised in the fossil record by their more fishlike overall features," he said in an email interview.
"They tell us that evolution progresses steadily but often hides the evidence until a really well preserved fossil like this turns up."
Long and colleagues report their findings in tomorrow's issue of the science journal Nature.
Paris Motor show complete photos
Opel Antara
The five-seat Antara is expected to attract a higher percentage of single, male customers than the family-oriented Captiva, which can seat up to seven with an optional third row. The Antara includes a standard four-wheel-drive system and more upscale interior materials than the Captiva. “Anyone who wants a very sophisticated SUV with a lot of the latest electronics technology is going to buy the Opel,” Robert Lutz, GM vice chairman of product development, told Automotive News Europe. “People who don’t want to spend too much, but still [want to] have an excellent vehicle will probably buy the Chevrolet.” The Antara goes on sale starting next month with the same powerplant choices as the Captiva: 3.2-liter V6 and 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines and a 2.0-liter common-rail turbodiesel. Antara prices start at $30,050
BEST CONCEPT - Peugeot 908 RC
Not to be outdone by its cross-town sibling Citroen, Peugeot rocked Paris with a four-door, mid-engined V12-powered luxury sedan concept. No kidding. Think of the 908RC as an Aston Martin Rapide or Porsche Panamera for the masses. In reality the RC is helping Peugeot home-in on the styling of the next-generation 607, Peugeot’s flagship sedan that’s best known as the limo-of-choice for French politicians. But it’s also a bit of fun, linking a road car design with the Peugeot 908 sports racer, destined for the Le Mans 24 Hours next year. Both share the same 100degree vee, 700bhp, 1100Nm V12 turbo-diesel. In the concept it’s mounted transversely, in the race car in-line. Despite the exotic powertrain, the 908RC is designed around the roomy cabin package of the 607, a Ford 500-sized four-door. Also significant is the race-car look wraparound windscreen and cranked A-pillar, both attempts at combining good visibility with strong crash protection in future production cars.
Renault Nepta concept
At the Paris show later this month Renault will pull the wraps off the Nepta concept, a car the French automaker says has a low-slung body shape that is an expression of “elegance and movement, while the spacious and comfortable interior has all the hallmarks of a top-end model.” The four-seat cabriolet powered by a 3.5-liter V6 producing 420 hp and mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. Renault says in theory the car should be able to hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds.
Volkswagen Iroc concept
The basic ingredients look right. The New Beetle notwithstanding, Wolfsburg has consciously steered away from throwback design cues for Iroc. The prominent brushed-aluminum single-frame grille won’t win any beauty contests, but the angular headlamps, distinctive clamshell hood and heavily flared front-wheel arches imbue Iroc with plenty of presence. Other distinctive features include a heavily raked windshield, pronounced shoulder line, shallow side glass and plunging roof-line. About the only weak point is the hatchback rear, which lacks the flair and imagination of the rest of the exterior. Iroc is similar in length to a Golf GTI, but is 1.5 inches wider and fully 3.3 inches lower.
Lancia Delta HPE
The Delta HPE near-production concept will be a crucial model to help revive Fiat Auto's upscale brand. Lancia's future was in doubt during Fiat's recent financial crisis, but an ambitious new business plan aims to boost the brand's annual unit sales to 300,000 in 2010 from 118,000 units last year. Lancia aims to sell 60,000 Deltas annually after the five-door hatchback's mid-2008 launch.
BEST IN SHOW - Citroen C-Metisse
As if to prove that chaotic Parisien traffic isn’t the only motoring theatre in town, Citroen pulled the silk from the magnifique C-Metisse. A genuine show car with no pretence of production, the C-Metisse wowed with its dramatic proportions, long hood and super low roofline. Add in the drama of its elegantly curved rear screen, gaping air intake below the chromed Citroen chevron nose décor and four scissor-hinged doors and the C-Metisse lived-up to its name — metisse is French for mixture. It’s also the closest the French can get to a word for hybrid, which conveniently ties in with the show car’s diesel/electric powertrain, destined for production some time next decade. Conventional power comes from a 208bhp V6 turbo-diesel, co-developed with Ford for Jaguar and Land Rover, and built in a Ford factory in London’s east end, while two electric motors in the rear wheels add a further 20bhp/400Nm to boost performance up to a theoretical 155mph and 0-62mph in 6.2secs.
Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
Production will be limited to as few as 500 cars, priced at an estimated $140,000. The car is powered by a 4.7-liter V8 developing 450 hp at 7000rpm and 346 lb ft of torque through a six-speed gearbox with paddles. The car should hit 60 mph in about 4 seconds. The body is carbon fiber over a spaceframe chassis. Customers cars should be ready next summer.
Nissan Qashqai
A cross between a hatchback and an SUV, the Qashqai embodies Nissan Europe's new strategy of targeting high-margin niches instead of competing head-on with traditional hatchbacks and sedans. The Qashqai is the first production car from Nissan's new design center in London and was developed at the carmaker's European technical center in Cranfield, England. The Qashqai production car takes styling cues from Nissan's Murano medium SUV rather than the quirky Qashqai concept shown at the Geneva auto show in 2004.
Kia C'eed
The Cee’d was designed at Kia’s new styling center in Rüsselsheim and will be built at the company’s $1.5 billion, 300,000-unit-a-year plant in Zilina, Slovakia, due to open in December. The car will go on sale starting in January.
Ford iosis X
While the iosis shown a year ago at Frankfurt was a large four-door coupe in the Mercedes-Benz CLS style, iosis X applies the Euro-Ford kinetic design philosophy to a sporty crossover. The result is a small Infiniti FX lookalike that we’re told is certain to form the basis of a future Focus-based small sport/utility vehicle, possibly as soon as two years from now, and very possibly for the U.S. market as well as Europe.
Chevrolet WTCC Ultra concept 
Chevrolet Europe will launch its vision of the next-generation World Touring Car Championship contender at the Paris Motor Show on September 30. GM says the car was designed to celebrate the brand’s motor sport heritage and push Chevy’s styling language to the extreme. The concept is truly a global effort: Ewan Kingsbury, a designer at GM in Australia did the exterior, while development work on the concept was carried out in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. The Ultra’s engine was built in Korea, and the prototype was assembled in Japan.
Porsche 911 Targa
In Paris, Porsche introduced the eleventh and twelfth evolutions of the so-called 997 911 models: the Targa 4 and 4S. Like its 996 predecessor, this Targa features a full-area glass roof that retracts behind the backlight, though together the glass and operating mechanism are roughly 10 pounds lighter. The rear glass still opens, hatch-style, to expose storage space behind the seats (more than the space available in a 911 coupe). The big news, however, is that for the first time the Targa will be offered only in all-wheel drive. Both the Targa 4 (325-hp, 3.6-liter six) and 4S (355-hp, 3.8-liter six) will be available Nov. 18 at Porsche dealer near you Nov. 18, retailing at $85,700 and $95,900 respectively.
Toyota Auris concept 
The Auris concept is the successor to the Corolla hatchback. Details are sketchy, but it seemed likely that the Auris will be more upscale and will have styling similar to the Yaris small car. With a fresh design and up-market features, Toyota aims to position the Auris at the higher end of the lower-medium segment to lure buyers from the Volkswagen Golf and the Alfa Romeo 147. Despite being the world’s best-selling car, the Corolla has not been a top seller in Europe.
Lamborghini Gallardo Nera 
Lamborghini will use its Paris show stage to reveal the Gallardo Nera, an exclusive model based on the 2007 Gallardo. Limited to 185 cars, Nera is a showcase for personalized options available through Lamborghini’s ad personam service. Standard, however, is the Gallardo’s 5.0-liter, 520-hp V10 mid-mounted engine and permanent all-wheel drive.
Daihatsu Materia
Daihatsu will also add the Materia, a quirky looking small minivan, to its European lineup. The boxy Materia is a version of parent Toyota’s US-market Scion xB with a new front grille and different bumpers. It was shown as the D-Compact Wagon concept at the Geneva auto show in March.
The third-generation 3-series coupe gets a sleeker design and more technology than the regular 3-series four-door sedan. The coupe also is 10kg lighter than the sedan because of its plastic front fenders, the first use of plastic body panels on a 3-series model. The 335i coupe variant will be the first BMW to feature the carmaker's new twin-turbo direct-injection gasoline engine, which will be introduced across BMW's range. The 3-series coupe goes on sale shortly after the Paris show.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Photo in the News: Dog Mummies Found in Ancient Peru Pet Cemetery
Just as modern dog lovers pamper their pets with morsels from the table and space on the bed, it seems that ancient Peruvians also treated their dogs like members of the family.
That's the conclusion archaeologists have reached after uncovering more than 40 mummified dogs in a thousand-year-old pet cemetery south of Lima, Peru.
Peruvian anthropologist Sonia Guillen and her team made the find while excavating a human cemetery of the Chiribaya culture, an agricultural society that thrived from A.D. 900 to 1350, before the rise of the Inca.
The researchers found 43 dogs buried in separate plots alongside their human owners, naturally preserved by the desert sands and ensconced with treats for the afterlife.
"We have found that in all the cemeteries, always, in between the human tombs there are others dedicated to the dogs, full-grown and puppies," Guillen told the Associated Press.
"They have their own grave, and in some cases they are buried with blankets and food."
The discovery speaks volumes about the high status the Chiribaya culture placed on the dogs, which Guillen says were prized for their skill in herding llamas.
But the find also raises questions about what, if any, claim Peru's modern-day dogs might have to these ancient, celebrated canines.
Guillen's team is currently trying to prove that the Chiribaya shepherds have descendants still living today, and that the dogs constitute a unique breed.
"We have found very similar animals with the same characteristics in Peru's southern valleys," she said.
"This shepherd is still among us."
A Brand new species
Meet the Cypriot mouse—the first new mammal species to be discovered in Europe in more than a century.
The scientists who announced the find yesterday think the previously unknown creature is confined to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (map of Cyprus).
The mouse differs from other European mice by having a bigger head, bigger ears, bigger eyes, and bigger teeth, says its discoverer, French zoologist Thomas Cucchi.
Cucchi, who is based at Durham University in England, noticed the small gray rodent while studying mice teeth from the Stone Age and comparing them with those of species still living on Cyprus. Genetic tests later confirmed it as a new species, now named Mus cypriacus.
New discoveries of mammal species are considered rare events, and most tend to occur in remote rain forests in hot spots of species diversity such as Southeast Asia. (Related photo: "New Mammal Discovered in Borneo?" [December 6, 2005].)
"It was generally believed that every species of mammal in Europe had been identified," Cucchi said. This is why the discovery was "so unexpected and exciting."
Also highly unusual was finding an island mammal that had survived the arrival of humans—and the domesticated animals and stowaway rodents that came with them—Cucchi says.
Most other mammal species known only from Mediterranean islands went extinct after being eaten or outcompeted by alien animals.
Cucchi says his research suggests the Cypriot mouse colonized and adapted to the island more than 9,000 years ago, several thousand years before human habitation.
The mouse is the only native Mediterranean rodent still alive, he added, and as such can be considered a "living fossil."
—James Owen
Cena will try out his luck at the box office
The Champ is here The Marine is here.
Cena as The Marine debuting in theaters
Cena winning the WWE Championship
Paris Motor Show-2
French debut for the front-engine stunner; plans for 60th anniversary celebrations in 2007.
Fine-looking concept will be basis of new rival for Focus and Astra. Hyundai has confirmed that it will sell a car developed from the concept shown here next year.
An all-new Sebring, a concept from Dodge, and a new 4-door Wrangler.
The C4 Picasso is not just a work of art and the C-Métisse shows a sportier side of the automaker
The LS 600h is the world's first production car with full-hybrid V8 powertrain that has the performance of a V12.
The Japanese automaker introduces the CX-7 crossover SUV, MX-5 Roadster Coupe and BT-50 pickup.
Subarus SUV Tribbeca
The 2007 Outback and Legacy will be offered in Europe this autumn and the B9 Tribeca will join them as the flagship
Opel debuts a new SUV and van concept, while Chevy unveils a muscle car. 
Audi kicks off the show with the introduction of the all-new R8 supercar
Suzuki debuts Project Splash Concept and Swift Sport.
The showcase of high-performance cars includes models from AMG and McLaren
Friday, October 06, 2006
Bonds through the ages
The most stylish ,most sauve agents at her Majestys service have been handsome cool looking and undoubtedly every womans fantasy,every kids hero,moreover every mans dream.
Sean Connery made his debut as James Bond in the 1962 film Dr No. He reprised the role in a further six films, though his final outing - 1983's Never Say Never Again - was not an "official" Bond movie.
His last "official" Bond movie was Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 alongside Jill St John who played Bond girl Tiffany Case
Australian-born George Lazenby was cast as James Bond in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service but would only play the role once.
Roger Moore became synonymous with Bond in the 1970s, playing the role in seven films beginning with Live and Let Die in 1973 and ending with A View To A Kill in 1985
Classically trained Welsh actor Timothy Dalton became the fourth 007 in the 1987 film The Living Daylights. But he only made one more Bond movie, 1989's Licence to Kill.
In 1995, Irish-born actor Pierce Brosnan starred in Goldeneye. He went on to play 007 in a further three films, the last being Die Another Day in 2002.
His Bond girl co-stars included Denise Richards and Sophie Marceau in The World Is Not Enough, and Halle Berry in Die Another Day.
Straight from Mars-2
Mars orbiter looks down on rover
The Opportunity rover was pictured at the edge of the crater
More detailsNasa's new orbiter at Mars has taken a spectacular picture of the Opportunity rover sitting on a crater's rim.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrived at the Red Planet in March and has only recently moved into a prime position to begin science investigations.
Its view of Victoria Crater will help US space agency researchers decide where to send Opportunity to make ground observations.
Imaged from a height of 297km, the 2.3m-wide rover appears as a tiny dot.
"This is a tremendous example of how our Mars missions in orbit and on the surface are designed to reinforce each other and expand our ability to explore and discover," said Doug McCuistion, the director of Nasa's Mars exploration programme in Washington.
Opportunity has been making its way to Victoria Crater for the past 21 Earth months - about half the length of time the robot has spent on the Red Planet.
The crater has high walls with layers of exposed rock that should reveal significant new information about the planet's geological past.
Geologists are keen to get close to the crater's walls
Opportunity has already found strong evidence that the rocks in its region of Mars - Meridiani Planum - were in contact with liquid water many millions of years ago. The investigation of rocks at Victoria is expected to fill out the story still further.
The principal investigator on the rover programme, Steve Squyres, said Opportunity would spend a short time conducting a recce of the rim before any decision was made to go inside the crater.
"We are trying to find a safe place to go in and to come out. I'm not interested in making a suicide dive into this crater," said Professor Squyres, who is based at Cornell University.
"With this enormous hole in the ground, we have the capability to see what lies beneath - to see down into the sub-surface of Mars, to look at a thicker stack of rocks than we are ever going to see anywhere else; and from that see a bigger slice of Martian geologic time."
And he added: "We have a suite of instruments on the end of the rover's arm and I hope to take that arm and put it right up to some of those layered rocks."
Opportunity arrived on Mars in January 2004.
Its "twin", the Spirit rover, continues to explore Gusev Crater on the other side of the Red Planet.
Paris Motor Show first clips
Peugeot is one of the carmakers moving into muscle territory
Peugeot is taking a bold step into muscle car territory with its aggressive looking 908 RC, powered by a 700bhp diesel engine that aims to showcase its diesel technology
A million people will visit the Paris Motor Show this year. The Peugeot 908 model is one of 65 making their debut
Jaguar's owners Ford are hoping that the recently launched XK R can help turnaround the legendary carmaker's fortunes.
The new Audi R8 sports car made its world public debut at the show. Fans can order the £77,000 car from later this year.
Ford's new Mondeo range was unveiled in its estate form. The company plans to build up to 200,000 at its plant in Belgium
Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche introduces the CL63 AMG model. The firm says the luxury coupe is "thrilling to drive".
Renault boss Carlos Ghosn unveils the firm's new Twingo concept car. Mr Ghosn has been busy holding talks with GM
Citroen's new C-Metisse concept car boasts striking "gull wing" front and rear doors. It can hit a top speed of 155mph.
Chinese
Chinese firms are making their presence felt at the event. The Great Wall Motor firm exported 20,000 vehicles last year
The Hot Red Car
This ones a Ferrari
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