China launched its 1st lunar probe – heat up space race

China sent its Chang'e 1 lunar probe into space Wednesday, October 24, 2007 night from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in eastern Sichuan Province. The probe is expected to enter the moon's orbit on November 1.

There it will begin mapping the surface of the moon and conduct other explorations over a period of about a year.

China in 2003 became the third country in the world to send a man in to space. China successfully launched its first satellite, Dongfanghong 1 on April 24, 1970, becoming the fifth country in the world to launch a satellite.

The launch shows China is able to build and use the best technology, which has domestic, economic and military implications. Ultimately, it's about strategic advantage. They clearly see space as a new area of potential competition. This is moving in new directions, away from sea and air, and space launches are part of that.

Soon after Wednesday's launch, Xinhua quoted an unidentified spokesman of the military-run space program as saying China was not interested in a space race and that the probe's mission was "without any military aims and carrying no military facilities and equipment."

Embarking on an ambitious 10-year moon exploration program, the first lunar probe is a leap forward in the Asian space race that gave a boost to national pride, and the promise of scientific and military payoffs.

Just a week ago, Japan put a probe into orbit around the moon, and India is likely to join the rivalry soon, with plans to send its own lunar probe into space in April.

The Long March 3A rocket left a trail of smoke Wednesday as it soared into cloudy skies from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

Two-Headed Turtle

Associated Press - Sunday, September 30, 2007

Two-Headed Turtle Displayed in Suburban Philadelphia Pet Store

NORRISTOWN, Pa. — A two-headed turtle captured by a turtle collector is a rare example of a conjoined-twin birth, its owner said.

The turtle would have likely died in the wild because it swims awkwardly and would be an easy target for predators, according to Jay Jacoby, manager of Big Al's Aquarium Supercenter in East Norriton.

The store bought the tiny turtle from the collector for an undisclosed price and will keep it on display, he said.

The 2-month-old turtle, known as a red-eared slider, fits on a silver dollar. It has two heads sticking out from opposite ends of its shell, along with a pair of front feet on each side. But there is just one set of back feet and one tail.

The turtle is seemingly healthy, and the species can live 15 to 20 years, Jacoby said. The turtle has not yet been named.

The same exotic-turtle collector sold another Big Al's store a conjoined-twin turtle about 20 years ago, Jacoby said. The man lives in Florida, but he declined to identify him.

Golden Frog Discovered In Colombia

A new poisonous frog was recently discovered in a remote mountainous region in Colombia by a team of young scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP).

The new frog, which is almost two centimeters in length, was given the name the "golden frog of Supatá." It is unique and only found within a 20 hectare area in Colombia's Cundinamarca region. Colombia is one of the world's richest countries in amphibian diversity, with more than 583 species. (Release by Conservation International August 29, 2007.)

A Leopard Can Change Its Spots

The clouded leopard of Borneo discovered to be an entirely new species is the latest in a growing list of animals and plants unique to the Southeast Asian country's rain forest.

Genetic tests by researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute revealed that the clouded leopard of Borneo and Sumatra islands is a unique cat species and not the same one found in mainland Southeast Asia as long believed, said a statement by WWF, the global conservation organization. The Associated Press (AP) reported on March 15, 2007.

Let us see this undated photo released by the global conservation group WWF. (AP Photo/WWF, Alain Compost, HO.)