The unfolding, lightweight, low-cost telescope is derived from the Dobsonian telescopes used by amateur astronomers. Someday, one bigger than the Hubble might be built, for much less money.

In an effort to boost the grey nurse shark population, Australian scientists are turning to test-tube breeding. Shark embryos are capable of cannibalizing their sibs while still in the womb.

Startling changes in the food chain in Alberta when wolves no longer played a part.

In the end, the company was unable to bring home the bacon. And the butter, and the cream, and the steaks, and . . .

It has been a hellishly stressful weekend. My mom got worse, and we almost lost her, but she did another of her miraculous turns, and is now much improved. Maybe if this were running into her IV, she would be even better.

Huge flocks of quelea, the most abundant bird species in the world, have descended on this already suffering region. Like locusts, they strip entire crops of grain in a very short time.

The view from one of the trails at Rancho San Antonio Preserve. Parking lots fill up fast.

Magnum photos from 2004.

Ten barrels of cheese aging at the bottom of a lake in Canada have disappeared. Who would age cheese underwater? Someone who discovered that water pressure does fantastic things to cheese.

Perhaps a better question is, what happens when a creature who normally does not have cheese on its menu eats a vast quantity of it? Do they evolve into a monster?

Some people cause distress to their physicians. The term ‘heartsink’ refers to those who are extremely demanding, have a long, long list of disorders, or in some cases, might just have a terrible crush on their docs.

On the 4th floor of El Camino Hospital, this is the quilt seen as you step off the elevator. One of my sons took the shot, because at my angle, ceiling lights were reflected in the glass. I’ll find out the artist’s name tomorrow.

Some watchers of the skies have been very observant.

A unique treatment developed at MIT not only cuts off a tumor’s blood supply, but also delivers a dose of toxin.

It’s all the rage in Russia to have the image or name of Vladimir Putin tattooed on your body. Someone said this made him feel confident and safe.

Making a pot of chili before heading for the hospital so there will be something to eat when I get back.

Otherworldly sounds from Saturn are recorded by the Cassini spacecraft.

This makes up for the really awful frozen pizza I had for dinner last night.

From an insect-sized Mars Rover-type vehicle to an ultra-thin astronaut garment that can sense and repel radiation to featherweight cable for space elevators - the future is coming.

Frist is also a surgeon. Stem cell stocks spike on the news.

Next thing you know, there’ll be a squirrel actors union. I wonder if they need more extras?

The unique playspace located in Sapporo is the vision of sculptor Isamu Noguchi. It must be great fun to go down his Black Slide Mantra.

It just might lie in a recently discovered family of genes. The new knowledge will also help in fighting age-related diseases.

Irrational fears, whether they be of reptiles, insects, or heights can be overcome with the right treatment.

An object that is bright, slow-moving, and possibly bigger than Pluto is found.

Those who hoped the clump of fur tested by scientists would be that of a large, hairy, man-like creature will be keenly disappointed. It belonged to a large, hairy, definitely not man-like bison.

Its secondary wing feathers are hollow, and bent so the ends touch. When the bird rubs them together, there are two clicks and then a sound similar to that made by running a finger over a comb.

In the Zambezi Valley of Africa, elephants can destroy crops, ruining the efforts of farmers to make a living. Now there is the Elephant Pepper Development Trust (EPDT), which sanctions the use of chili peppers to repel the elephants. The peppers can be sold as an additional cash crop. The EPDT suggests planting the peppers on the perimeters of the farmed areas with the grain crops in the center.

I’ve used cayenne pepper as a deterrent for squirrels, but they were either immune to its charms, or else used it as a condiment with their meals.

Stray cows have been blamed for disrupting road traffic, and being in the way of an Air France plane during landing. If the cows appear to be straying, they will be arrested and auctioned off, while their owners are fined.

My poor mom has to stay at least one more day due to a fever from a new infection, possibly caused by an IV line.

For long waits at the hospital, nothing beats People magazine. Somewhere I read that it takes about 45 minutes to get through one. Three should do it. The library is on the way to the hospital, luckily.

Go ahead, ask me anything about Brangelina. The Olsen twins. Julia Roberts. Please. My mind is full of useless knowledge, and by the end of the afternoon, will reach toxic proportions.

A darkened hospital room is not the place to read scholarly journals. Even a chick lit book put me into a sound sleep. But today, I will not go hungry. There will be green plums and a package of Milanos, maybe a chocolate bar for us.

It used to be a parade of magazine subscription and candy bar sellers bused in from far away. Now it’s real estate people going door-to-door looking for houses to sell. The candy-selling kids pretended not to be able to read the ‘no solicitors’ sign. The religious people said they were not soliciting. (Well, what are you doing on my doorstep?) There’s no excuse for the overly-agressive, greedy-eyed woman who just knocked on the door. Out! Out!

Psychiatrists say the drugs could be helpful in treating post-traumatic stress disorders, but concerns are raised regarding possible military misuse.

Mount McKinley has been conquered by many a climber, but the mountain, tallest in North America, is proving to be a formidable depository for human waste. More climbers are succumbing to diarrhea from pathogens in the snow used for drinking and cooking.

A first-person account.

One was exhibited at a local museum, but only for a very brief time.

Online lessons to teach and amuse, including a link to a yodeling angels soundfile.

Watch for loose steel bristles on the grill. Doctors are reporting that once ingested, they can lodge in the throat, very close to the jugular vein and carotid artery. Diners should always remember to chew very, very thoroughly.

Colorful characters with diverse backgrounds meet for the game and much more besides, including baseball, religion, biotech, and peaches.

The returning popularity of yodeling is seen by its Swiss practitioners as harking back to a more comforting time in their heritage.

The hotel/condo complex will be 2,000 feet tall, shorter than the Burj Tower in Dubai, taller than the Freedom Tower at ground zero.

The toll is up to 27, as health officials warn farmers to bury or burn sick pigs. In impoverished regions, it is common practice to eat or sell sick animals.

Scientists stop just short of saying for sure that these squid prey on each other. Apparently, there is the possibility of ‘accidental self-ingestion’.

Perhaps the giant squid’s impressive built-in food processor is too efficient.

Available in Europe next year.

The reading matter that I took today was less than entertaining. Mom was moved out of the ICU into a four-bed unit, but she was the only occupant. When the nurses know that family is staying long hours, they bring a lounge chair. After pondering a bit, I leaned back and was out cold for about half an hour.

I had eaten a light lunch, so by 4:00 p.m. I kept thinking about the vending machines off the lobby. A nurse told me the cafeteria opened at 4:30. I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be a wait to get in. And no, I wasn’t curious enough to see if that same chicken breast is served in there.

Other family members have had the privilege of choosing my mom’s meals (low salt, low fat, low taste, low visual appeal), but this afternoon, a cheery woman came in and asked if I would make some menu choices. Mom has been sleeping a lot, and was unavailable for comment.

Needless to say, these choices were poor. There was a special of the day for lunch, beef tips in mushroom sauce. She has had a pathetically dry chicken breast for her last six meals, I think. Not knowing how many ‘appetizers’ she was allowed, I picked vegetable soup and a salad, diet dressing only. The dinner special for Thursday was turkey with gravy. No dressing, yams or anything like that. Steamed veggies. I’ve seen those. I did not choose the Jello or the mashed potatoes, because she has had those every day, possibly even at breakfast.

I circled a lot of stuff. Then became aware of someone at my elbow, the smiling person whom I thought was still in the hall. She seemed very amused.

He is scheduled to give a lecture about meditation and its effect on the brain, but the neuroscientists feel the talk will cross the line between science and religion.

If you don’t like using DEET, products that contain these two substances are approved by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Concerns are raised about the safety of the Active Denial System weapon, which can zap rioters with a 95-gigahertz microwave beam. It comes in both portable and vehicle-mount versions, and is planned for use in Iraq in 2006.

My mom is detaching herself manually from the hookups, a sure sign that she’s ready to leave. I’ve seen her through many hospital journeys, (she survived a brain aneurysm years ago when she had less than a five percent chance), and she’s on the rebound. When I hear she’s annoying the staff, that means things are looking up.

Patchie, a cattle dog, can howl like a siren. His loud cries woke his master in time to douse a fire threatening his home in Brisbane, Australia.

Cows are frequently blamed for contributing substantially to air pollution. A UC project will measure the emissions from a number of cows inside a special ‘bio-bubble’ enclosure.

If you’re bothered by biting insects, and you’re near an auklet, you might rub one all over you for protection. Researchers have found that the birds produce an odiferous substance that repels insects. But since the crested auklet lives in the Arctic, this news may not offer much relief for most of us. At least not till the wondrous compound comes in a bottle, minus the smell.

Marc Cohn, Walking in Memphis.

Mei Xiang: I’m so hungry I could eat a whole bamboo forest.
Tian Tian: Dearest, there are leaf-eater biscuits.
Mei Xiang: Anything!
Baby Panda: Eeeeeeeee!
Mei Xiang: Dang!

The finding indicates another area to check if a patient’s blood does not show a positive result.

Taken from adult brains, the stem cells were able to form functioning synapse connections. Inserted into the spinal marrow of rats, the cells kept dividing.

It’s a huge boost to the research into Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other brain degenerative diseases.

The Cool Cows. More here from Gilles Tran.

A company punishes a stock analyst for his unrelentingly negative opinion.

After eyeing my mom’s hospital food hungrily last night, I knew that dinner didn’t have to be fancy. Our first choice (Elephant Bar) had a line that spilled outside, so we went to Lori’s Diner, which is where the former Rib Crib used to be.

There were many choices on the menu, and I tried the fried chicken. My expectations were met, because, after all, it was a diner. Probably a notch or two above what my mom had.

Socked in as parts of the Bay Area cool down. This live cam view will change, but at 7:39 a.m., this view is all gray fog.

Over 600 have died in two months of monsoon rains, and tens of thousands are stranded, as troops are called out to help.

Another long afternoon at the hospital, but I took enough reading material this time. They let my mom sit up to eat.

True hunger, I found, is looking at that dinner tray of dry chicken breast, soggy squash, and scoop of mashed potato with a yellowish gravy, and thinking - I might be able to eat some of that.

On cancer survivors, biking as a sport, and sales of Trek bikes, from Sports Illustrated.

The droppings were found at the residence of three victims. Officials are not positive the droppings are the source, as testing continues.

So say some eyewitnesses, who have convinced Canadian scientists to run DNA tests. While the scientists are dubious, they admit that results might be very interesting.

Very comprehensive, illustrated with examples of falconry in art.

It eats termites. I could use one around here, except it would probably eat Loretta too, who, at this point in her development, does not need the aggravation.

The eight steps. Falconry is a highly regulated sport.

Instead of dumping surplus potatoes, grapes, and other fruits into pits, Cyprus plans to extract ethanol from produce for at least one percent of its fuel needs.

A swine bacteria, streptococcus suis, has been identified as the infectious agent in a disease that has killed 19 farmers.

The thief went straight to its pen, ignoring the other birds at the Canadian Peregrine Foundation. Officials are worried that the young falcon might be set free when it has no hunting skills yet. But chances are, it was taken by a collector or breeder.

Can it be done? Dr. Maria Siemionow thinks so, but there are ethical and psychological issues.

His complexion owes a bit to makeup, as the figures spent on cosmetics at 10 Downing St. are revealed.

Now that scientists have found that water droplets fuel the speed of hurricane winds, they can offer solutions to slow those winds to gentle breezes.

Either a son and I looked mildly retarded yesterday, or the heat gave us a stunned, blank stare. But the attending nurse referred to my mom’s urine as ‘peepee’, and the doctor widened her eyes, and lowered her voice when she said things like ‘very, very sick’, and ‘maybe just a little bit of a heart attack’. I felt like a three-year old.

My mom must have overheard the tone, because today, she is very very much better.

The hormone occurs naturally in the small intestine. In a recent study, patients receiving injections of oxyntomodulin feel full. Scientists report that because it is natural, there are few side effects.