Scientists unravel mystery of pigeon GPS ability (+video)

Scientists have detected special nerve cells in pigeons' brains that can detect the intensity and direction of magnetic fields.

The next time someone calls you bird-brained, you should assume that you are being complimented on your sense of direction.

Skip to next paragraph We've always known that pigeons have a good internal compass?and now we have the brain cells to prove it.

Pigeons, in particular, are known for their innate homing ability, having been used as messengers since ancient times. We know that pigeons have some kind of internal magnetic compass,?but exactly what it is and how it works has remained a mystery.

Now scientists are?one step closer to decoding the birds' magnetic sense. Writing in the journal Science,?Le-Qing Wu and J. David Dickman at Baylor College of Medicine described what happened when they put seven pigeons in an artificial magnetic field and observed their brains.

Wu and Dickman put the pigeons in a completely dark room, clamped their heads in place, connected their brain stems to electrodes, and used a Tesla coil to cancel out the effects of the Earth's magnetic field and to induce a new one. Then they fiddled with the angle and the intensity of the magnetic field and watched which parts of the pigeons' brains lit up.

Ultimately, Wu and Dickman identified 53 neurons in the pigeons' brain stems that responded to magnetic stimuli.?

"The cells responded to the angle and intensity of the magnetic field. Some cells were more sensitive depending on what direction we aimed the magnetic field around the bird?s head," Dickman said in a Baylor press release.

Of course, being able to tell which way is north is not the same thing as knowing your position on the globe. (If you doubt this, have a friend blindfold you and drop you in a boat in the middle of the ocean with just a compass. You'll quickly realize that, Even though you can determine your bearing,?you still have no idea where you are. You'll also realize that you need better friends.)?

Pigeons seem to have both an internal compass and an internal map. Dickman and his colleagues believe that pigeons encode the information from these magnetically attuned nerve cells to spatial maps in the memory centers of their brains.

"Birds give us a unique opportunity to study how the brain develops these spatial maps and the receptors that feed into it because they have such a great ability to navigate," said?Dickman in the press release.?

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Space Shuttle Enterprise arrives in NYC atop a Boeing 747 (+video)

Earlier today, NASA's Space Shuttle Enterprise touched down in New York City, where it will find a new home in the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

NEW YORK, NY ??Space shuttle Enterprise, the prototype for NASA's storied orbiter fleet, is now a New Yorker.

Skip to next paragraph

The original test space shuttle, Enterprise flew into the Big Apple?on Friday (April 27) atop a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The air- and spacecraft duo touched down at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport at 11:22 a.m. EDT (1522 GMT) following a photogenic flyover of some of the metropolitan area's most famous sights, including the Statue of Liberty and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, which Enterprise will soon call home.

Enterprise, mounted to NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft?(SCA), took off from Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. at 9:39 a.m. EDT (1339 GMT).?The nearly two-hour flight had been delayed for several days due to weather concerns.

The ferry flight marked the first time Enterprise had been airborne in more than a quarter-century. The prototype orbiter ? which never flew in space but was used for a series of approach and landing tests in the late 1970s ? had been a part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's collection since being flown to Washington in November 1985. [Photos: A Space Shuttle Called 'Enterprise']

On April 19, Enterprise was replaced?at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., by Discovery, NASA's most-flown space shuttle. Friday's flight to New York began Enterprise's journey to the Intrepid, a converted World War II aircraft carrier, for its permanent display.

Enterprise's final landing was witnessed by an audience of 1,500 invited guests, including New York state and local elected officials. A brief handover ceremony between NASA and Intrepid staff was to be held at the airport. The space agency already turned over Enterprise's title?to the museum last December.

Now on the ground in New York, Enterprise and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft will remain mounted together at JFK until NASA can move and set up the two large cranes that joined the two vehicles in Washington. Once separated, Enterprise will be parked in an airport hangar for several weeks.

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Junior Seau Dead of Apparent Suicide

Former NFL great Junior Seau was found dead in his home in Oceanside, Calif., today. Police say the likely cause of death was suicide. He was 43 years old.

Law enforcement sources reportedly believe Seau, a USC and pro football standout for 20 seasons, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. 

Few other details were immediately available. TV footage showed police swarming his home in North San Diego County and people comforting each other.

He leaves behind four kids and an ex-wife. He reportedly sent text messages to his ex-wife and children yesterday saying simply, "Love you."

They all responded and didn't suspect anything was wrong, according to TMZ reports, and Seau is said to have last seen his kids three weeks ago.

Sources close to Seau say his family didn't notice any signs of depression in recent weeks, but more details will surely follow in the coming days.

Seau was involved in a car accident a few years ago when he drove off a cliff in Carlsbad, Calif., hours after he was arrested for attacking his girlfriend.

Seau later said he was not trying to kill himself ... insisting he had fallen asleep at the wheel. That was 2010, his final season as a professional.

The San Diego Chargers, who employed Junior for most of his career, said in a statement, "Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now. We ask everyone to stop what they're doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family."

Seau's explosive play at linebacker with the Chargers, Dolphins and Patriots will likely send him to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

[Photo: WENN.com]

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Adidas MiCoach game launching this summer, headed to Xbox 360 and PS3

Despite being involved in that peaceful conundrum with THQ, we knew Adidas still planned on launching its MiCoach video game at some point in the near future. Now, after weeks of keeping those lips sealed, the German company announced it's teaming up with publisher 505 Games to finally bring the fitness-driven title to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 -- where it'll primarily use the Kinect and Move add-ons. While 505 will handle all publishing duties, Adidas notes the MiCoach game is in the works by UK developer Chromativity "under exclusive license." Of course, the F50 creator couldn't leave its big name reps out of this one, which is why sport celebs like Kaká, José Mourinho and Dwight Howard are going to be teaching "Masterclasses" within the game. Hey, at least now you know you won't have to be out on the field to put that tracking system to good use.

Continue reading Adidas MiCoach game launching this summer, headed to Xbox 360 and PS3

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The Bachelorette Season Synopsis Released; Emily Maynard to Travel a Lot

ABC has released, in the form of a season overview, more details of Emily Maynard's search for love, commencing Monday, May 14 on The Bachelorette.

While kicking things off in her hometown of Charlotte, Emily will travel to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Prague, Czech Republic; and London, England this summer.

Read The Bachelorette spoilers we've pulled together so far regarding which men make it to the hometown dates and more, then read ABC's rundown:

The 26-year-old former Bachelor winner first meets her 25 suitors at a southern mansion for a cocktail party after putting six-year-old daughter Ricki to bed.

Several of Maynard's bachelors will attempt to make memorable first impressions during their arrivals as always ... that's par for the course on this show.

Think actual glass slippers being presented, dudes riding in on skateboards, a party MC who breaks down into dance, and a gesture from a true southern gentleman who gives Emily something to symbolize how he'd protect her and Ricki.

In addition, Maynard will also encounter one suitor who makes a grand entrance in a helicopter ... is it Brad Womack? Is it Bentley Williams? No and no.

The promos always mislead you that way ...

The Bachelorette Promo

Anyway, once the cocktail party begins, the competition to impress Maynard only intensifies, as a "confident" charmer gets upstaged by a single dad of six.

A "handsome" man gives her a pair of custom bobblehead dolls, a bachelor is nervous to explain his career because it may remind her of her late fiance, and another single father brings her a heartfelt letter from his 11-year-old son to read.

The mood then turns serious when host Chris Harrison arrives and reveals it's time for Maynard to present one of the men with a first impression rose.

The men will become increasingly competitive, as Emily decides to award the special rose to one "charming" bachelor ... a decision surprising nobody.

The Bachelorette season premiere will conclude with Maynard whittling her 25 bachelors down to 19. But she's just getting started at that juncture.

Emily Maynard's around-the-world dates will include:

• Traveling to Bermuda where she must eliminate three bachelors before leaving.
• Visiting London for a week where she'll receive a double-decker bus tour of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park along with a solo dinner in the Tower of London and watching a group of suitors perform scenes from "Romeo and Juliet" in Stratford-on-Avon.
• Traveling to Dubrovnik where she'lll watch Pixar's upocoming Brave movie and a group of bachelors will compete in a round of Highland games to win extra time with her.
• Going to Prague where Maynard and her remaining bachelors will enjoy a private dinner cruise down the Vltava River, explore a medieval castle, and check out the Lennon Wall of Love and a spooky dungeon.

After four hometown dates, the final three men will then have "exotic" overnight dates with Maynard in an undisclosed location. According to ABC, obviously "there are surprises in store for Emily that will shake her world."

Color us shocked and in utter disbelief.

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Tim Kennedy makes a convincing Black Swan (VIDEO)

Strikeforce middleweight contender is waiting on a date, time, and place for his expected fight with champion Luke Rockhold. While he has the time, he's working on his acting chops. Is it just me, or does he make a convincing "Black Swan?" He already did a great job as Katy Perry, so what else do we want to see Kennedy try? He seems to be a fan of costumes, so Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind?" Capt. Willard from "Apocalypse Now" could bring in both his military background and love of make-up. If Strikeforce keeps him (inexplicably) on ice much longer, Kennedy will be up for an Academy Award soon.

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Museums in The Sea ? Spam Filters For Exchange

Junk emails are becoming very normal for many users and this is due to theutilization of the online web at a really high rate, no doubt that this has also affected many users and several of the crucial files are because of these junk emails. When this occur more often then It becomes very hard for a person to figure out which email is genuine or helpful and which email is a spam and is a burden for the server. There are many programs which are made for this task including spam filters for exchange or spam blocker to stop these emails. Spam filter for exchange have servers where these are installed.

It assists because it can read the spam words in the emails after this spam filter for exchange tells which emails have been considered as rubbish and then they will be deleted. This is a great assistance because it guards the computer from any viruses and other spam which normally will destroy the files and damage the entire computer system severely. In the spam filter for exchange there is a choice that allows blocking out blank senders but this not advised because some crucial documents such as read receipts do not have sender fields. The server load can also be decreased if the filtering process can be done without the sender. Most exchange servers have an inbuilt Filter or Open Relay Filter as well as a Real time Black hole List or RBL capability, which means that there will not be any requirement for any third party software for filtering spam. You can do this yourself; the first method is to go to the delivery messages and to add a new filter; simply click on new then the setting for the real time or black hole will be chosen and the last method is to click ok.

Some exceptions are also present for these specifications which you can choose by altering the settings as you please. When the settings of spam filter for exchange is completed then a pop up warning will tell that the SMTP virtual server must be enabled to apply these settings and for the filtering process you will have to go to SMTP virtual server properties and click on ?edit?. The checkbox with ?Apply Connection Filter? should be checked. After clicking OK, exit completely. In spam filter for exchange there is sometimes need for the third party spam filter software applications.

One problem is that they can cost a lot so the individuals cannot apply to these settings. The simple setting for the spam filter for exchange is also very good because they can block the main threats. Here is a choice that can be used to store junk mail; its configuration may be done by defining a particular threshold that is based upon the SCL rating. By doing this, the system will be able to distinguish whether a message is to be put into the inbox or in a folder for junk email.

For more information visit spam filter for exchange or spam filters for exchange

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