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Stem Cells Update
A new technique for creating stem cells may ease ethical concerns.
NOVA scienceNOW

Nasa to decide Hubble’s fate
Nasa is to debate whether to send the space shuttle on a mission to save the Hubble Space Telescope.

Dispatch: What We’re Thinking About: What Is Life?
In their fourth exchange on the subject of artificial life, series host Robert Krulwich and contributing editor Jonah Lehrer consider the possibility that there may be more than one recipe for life.
Robert Krulwich & Jonah Lehrer

A Longevity Gene
Producer Chad Cohen reports on a new study probing the secret to living long.
NOVA scienceNOW

Profile: Karl Iagnemma
An innovative MIT roboticist is also an acclaimed fiction writer.
NOVA scienceNOW

High-friction microfibers

Lucy’s ancient bones to tour US
Ethiopia agrees to lend Lucy’s ancient bones to the US as she becomes a “mute ambassador”.

Global ecosystems ‘face collapse’
Global consumption levels could lead to ecosystem collapse by the middle of the century, a report warns.

Bio Snapshot | Oil Spill on the Lebanese Coast

Oil Spill on the Lebanese Coast
Mediterranean Sea

The conflict in Lebanon has caused an oil spill feared to be the worst environmental disaster in the country’s history.

On July 13 and 15, bombs hit storage tanks at an oil-fueled power plant. Between 10,000 and 15,000 tons of oil leaked from the tanks and is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea. Satellites have helped monitor the spill, but due to the instability of the area, site visits and initial cleanup began only recently.

Scientists are concerned about the hazards the oil poses to biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. It may coat bluefin tuna eggs floating in the water, and block young green sea turtles from swimming out to sea after hatching.

Image Credits 
Middle East, August 2004 (Blue Marble Next Generation: satellite: NASA Terra, sensor: MODIS)
Lebanon, July 16, 2006 (Satellite: NASA Terra, sensor: MODIS)
Lebanon/Syria (satellite: NASA Landsat 7, sensor: ETM+)
Oil slick data July 21/Aug 3, 2006 (Satellite: ENVISAT, sensor: ASAR, map: ©DLR 2006)
Oil fire and spill (AP)
Bluefin tuna (Tuna Research & Conservation Center, Stanford University)
Green sea turtle (U. Keuper-Benett/P. Bennett, www.turtles.org)

Related Science Bulletins
Massive Oil Spills Stain Louisiana (September 26, 2005)
Alaskan Oil Spill Cleanup Continues (January 17, 2005)

Bio Snapshot | Oil Spill on the Lebanese Coast

Oil Spill on the Lebanese Coast
Mediterranean Sea

The conflict in Lebanon has caused an oil spill feared to be the worst environmental disaster in the country’s history.

On July 13 and 15, bombs hit storage tanks at an oil-fueled power plant. Between 10,000 and 15,000 tons of oil leaked from the tanks and is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea. Satellites have helped monitor the spill, but due to the instability of the area, site visits and initial cleanup began only recently.

Scientists are concerned about the hazards the oil poses to biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. It may coat bluefin tuna eggs floating in the water, and block young green sea turtles from swimming out to sea after hatching.

Image Credits 
Middle East, August 2004 (Blue Marble Next Generation: satellite: NASA Terra, sensor: MODIS)
Lebanon, July 16, 2006 (Satellite: NASA Terra, sensor: MODIS)
Lebanon/Syria (satellite: NASA Landsat 7, sensor: ETM+)
Oil slick data July 21/Aug 3, 2006 (Satellite: ENVISAT, sensor: ASAR, map: ©DLR 2006)
Oil fire and spill (AP)
Bluefin tuna (Tuna Research & Conservation Center, Stanford University)
Green sea turtle (U. Keuper-Benett/P. Bennett, www.turtles.org)

Related Science Bulletins
Massive Oil Spills Stain Louisiana (September 26, 2005)
Alaskan Oil Spill Cleanup Continues (January 17, 2005)