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Dr. Michael West, of Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts and his team have created a monkey embryo without the use of sperm that can be used to create stem cells. Through a process called parthenogenesis, stem cells were extracted from the embryo to make specialized tissues such as heart and brain material. ?These were fully developed cells that could have been used medically,? he says.

He and his colleagues used chemicals to cause a monkey egg to turn into an embryo that was allowed to grow to six cells. West says it may be possible to make human embryonic stem cells this way. Other experts say that this technique would work only with women of reproductive age who could provide the eggs and thus would not benefit males.
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Penguins are starting to leave parts of Antarctica because it?s getting too hot for them.The numbers of adelie penguins on the Antarctic peninsula are falling as global warming increases. Experts predict that they may abandon much of their tradition living areas permanently.

Despite evidence that parts of Antarctica have been cooling, the 900-mile-long peninsula where the penguins live has been warming up faster than almost anywhere else on earth, with temperatures increasing at 5 times faster than the world average.
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A lifesaving chemical which is used to make upholstery flame-resistant, pentaBDE (penta bromo diphenyl ether), has turned up in water supplies and even in breast milk.

Freshwater fish in Virginia have been found to contain the highest reported levels in the world. It?s showing up in animals and humans around the globe. PentaBDE has also been found in sewage sludge that is spread on farmland across the United States.

It?s been linked to behavioral problems in laboratory animals, but little is known about its effects on humans. In one Swedish study, 10 day old mice that were given large doses of the two major chemicals in commercial pentaBDE showed permanent disturbances in their behavior, memory and learning.
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A group of engineers plan to fire supersonic jets of salty water towards storm clouds in order to trigger lightning. If it works, they say their system could ultimately be used to protect people and property from lightning strikes.

The National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma, says lightning hits around 600 people each year in the U.S., killing 100. The majority of victims are in sports grounds or playgrounds when struck. The strikes lead to $5 million in insurance claims every year, so predicting when and where lightning will strike is important.
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