Planet Of No Apes? Experts Warn It's Close
Great apes have rich emotional lives and share strong family bonds. They laugh when they are tickled, cry when they grieve. They can make and use tools. They think about their past and plan for their future.
But many won't have a future to plan for, conservationists say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6990095.stm

Bottle makes dirty water drinkable
The way fresh water is supplied to disaster-hit regions could be revolutionised after an Ipswich-based businessman invented a £190 bottle that makes foul-smelling water drinkable in seconds.
Michael Pritchard hopes that the bottle could be a life-saver for refugees in disaster regions where access to clean drinking water is vital.

IBM develops virtual deaf interpreter
Here's a productive twist on the animated characters known as avatars that carry out fantasies in virtual computer worlds. IBM Corp. researchers have developed an avatar that can translate spoken words into sign language.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=42309

Study Links Poor Sperm Quality to Cell Phone Use
There just might be a connection between a suspected
decline in male fertility and increased cell phone
use, but experts say much more research is needed to
confirm an association.

States weigh compensation for inmates
When Antonio Beaver was freed from prison by DNA
evidence, he was overwhelmed by supporters eager to
help him return to normal life after spending nearly
11 years behind bars.

Eating less meat may slow climate change
Eating less meat could help slow global warming by
reducing the number of livestock and thereby
decreasing the amount of methane flatulence from the
animals, scientists said on Thursday.

Skip work, make babies, governor says
The governor of a central Russian province urged
couples to skip work Wednesday and make love instead
to help boost Russia's low birth-rate.

Italy urged to go on pasta strike
Consumers' associations in Italy have asked people to refrain from buying
or eating pasta for the day, in protest against recent price increases. The
groups are requesting the government intervene to reduce pasta prices. An
increase in the price of wheat in recent months has forced pasta
manufacturers to pass on the cost. Pasta is a national dish in Italy, with
each Italian eating on average 28 kg (62 lb) of pasta every year.

Chinese web filtering 'erratic'
China's firewall that tries to sanitise web browsing is much more porous
than previously thought, says a study. Carried out by US researchers
outside China, it found that the firewall often failed to block what the
Chinese government finds objectionable. The firewall was least effective
when lots of Chinese web users were online. Often, said the study, the idea
of the firewall was more effective than the technology at discouraging talk
about banned subjects.

'F***- off' comic a hit, polls show
More than 30% of Italians would like to see crusading comic Beppe Grillo
become premier, according to a poll out on Wednesday. Grillo has been in
the spotlight after hundreds of thousands of Italians turned out to sign
his petition aimed at purging parliament of MPs who have been in trouble
with the law.