The saiga is a small antelope that traditionally migrates in herds across the semiarid plains of Central Asia. Its unusual characteristics mark it out as a specialist of these harsh continental conditions - most notably it has a large nose that helps to humidify and cool air entering the lungs. The nominate species Saiga tatarica tatarica ranges across four states - Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. There is also a genetically distinct subspecies in Mongolia (Saiga tatarica mongolica).

The saiga antelope is one of the World Conservation Union’s most critically endangered species. Over the last decade, numbers have declined by over 95% - from around a million in the early 1990s to just 21,000 in Kazakhstan and 750 in Mongolia today.

Imperial College London is working with partners Fauna and Flora International and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in the UK, the Institute of Zoology in Kazakhstan, and the Institute of Ecology and Evolution in the Russian Republic of Kalmykia to ensure the survival of this species.

The group is lobbying for the ratification of the Memorandum of Understanding and action plan for saiga conservation drawn up by the Convention on Migratory Species in 2002. It is also calling for the establishment of captive breeding centres and protected areas for the saiga, as well as an increase in the number of mobile anti-poaching units and more effective enforcement of anti-hunting laws.

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Littorina saxatilis (right) is an unremarkable rough periwinkle – a small, grey-brown sea-snail which litters the coast by the million. But it has overcome its lack of charisma and grabbed the attention of scientists trying to unlock the secrets of evolution.

Biologist John Grahame (left) said: “This is an example of evolution in action, and we are increasingly certain that we are seeing one species become two.”

Evolution At A Snail`s Pace Orstio    November 21st, 2004 - 4:14 AM Quote Most visitors to the seaside are content to ride donkeys, eat ice cream, and build sandcastles. But, University of Leeds scientists have no time for sunbathing: they are witnessing the birth of a new species on the rocky shores of North Yorkshire. Littorina saxatilis (right) is an unremarkable rough periwinkle – a small, grey-brown sea-snail which litters the coast by the million. But it has overcome its lack of charisma and grabbed the attention of Much better....

Re: Evolution At A Snail`s Pace remcook    November 21st, 2004 - 4:33 AM aaahhh pictjurs!

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Scientists are being dazzled by the sharp, detailed images of the rings of Saturn transmitted to Earth soon after the U.S. Cassini spacecraft began orbiting the giant planet. They say that understanding the rings can expand our knowledge of the evolution of the solar system and other planetary systems.

After becoming the first spacecraft to enter Saturn's orbit, Cassini sent back this image of a portion of the planet's rings. It was taken by the spacecraft's narrow angle camera and shows the dark, or unlit, side of the rings. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org . Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Saturn's shimmering rings have intrigued astronomers for centuries, but no one has seen them as closely and sharply as Cassini has just seen them.

After successfully entering orbit around Saturn, the spacecraft immediately began taking pictures from above the rings as they were backlit by the sun. Then it descended through them for images from the illuminated side. It was the best opportunity the spacecraft will get in its four year mission because it will never be any closer.

A deputy chief of the U.S. space agency NASA, Ed Weiler, revealed the photographs just hours after Cassini began transmitting them.

"Citizens of Earth, I would like to present the majestic rings of Saturn," he said.

The highly detailed images have stunned Saturn ring specialists like Carolyn Porco, the head of the Cassini imaging team from the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado. In her words, they are utterly remarkable in their beauty and clarity.

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Astronaut Mike Fincke, left, Expedition 9 science officer and flight engineer, and cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, commander, pose with their Russian Orlan spacesuits on the International Space Station. They have been serving as test subjects in some onboard experiments, while preparing for an upcoming spacewalk using those suits. (NASA/JSC)

If the problem remains and another gyro fails, jet thrusters would have to be employed to position the station, using precious fuel.

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