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POSTED IN: BBC

Study sheds light on spider sex

Rebecca Morelle Science reporter 12:29 GMT, Friday, 2 May 2008 13:29 UK


Spiders "talk" to potential mates using a type of light not visible to the human eye, scientists report.

A team found that male jumping spiders (Phintella vittata) are using ultraviolet B (UVB) rays to communicate with females.

While UVA rays are often used in animal communication, this is the first evidence that UVB light is also being used, the researchers said.

The study is published in the journal Current Biology.

spider
It is unclear how the females detect the UVB light

The team found that male spiders were reflecting the ultraviolet B rays from their bodies.

The researchers discovered that females were more likely to mate with males that could "talk" to them with UVB compared with spiders sitting in chambers where UVB light had been blocked with filters.

Professor Daiqin Li, from the National University of Singapore, said: "UVA and UVB make up a small fraction of the Suns rays, but humans cannot see them.

"Most previous studies have focused on UVA in animal communication, but this is the first study of UVB on any animal.

"Until now, scientists have assumed that animals cannot see UVB, but we have found that this is not the case."

Spiders have complex eyes and although scientists know that they have UVA receptors, it remains unclear how they can detect the ultraviolet B light.


2008 05 03 13:37:14

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POSTED IN: BBC NEWS

Ring road hermit 'was in the SS'

BBC News 24


img

A hermit who became a local celebrity was a member of the Nazi SS, a friend of his claims.

Josef Stawinoga lived in a tent in the middle of a ring road in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, for more than 35 years.

Now his friend Julius Leonowicz said he always knew Mr Stawinoga, known as Fred, had a secret but did not want to reveal it until he died.

He said he heard the tale from a friend of the prisoner of war and that Mr Stawinoga had confirmed it to him.

German Eighth Army

Talking to BBC News Mr Leonowicz said: "He did serve in the German army, he was in the SS and he was not one of the nicest chaps in the SS.

"I know he was in the SS because I spoke to a friend of his and apparently he was very proud he was in the SS."

Mr Leonowicz, 15 when the war ended, could not say whether Mr Stawinoga had been involved in atrocities or where he served although he thought it was likely to be Italy as that was where he gave himself up.

He said Mr Stawinoga had been serving in a Polish unit attached to the German Eighth Army in Italy when he gave himself up to British troops. Because he was a Pole, he was sent to a British camp, in Wolverhampton, with other Polish people.

He added the reason he came to be known as Fred was because he did not want to be reminded of his former life.

As news of his death came out the city council paid tribute to him.

"He was a true character and Wolverhampton wont be quite the same without him," a spokesman said.

He added that if no next of kin or friends came forward to organise the funeral, the council would make the necessary arrangements.

Tributes were also being paid on a social networking internet site dedicated to Mr Stawinoga.

One Facebook site member wrote: "What sad news, but great to see how many people cared about him. Wolverhampton wont be the same without him. God bless."

A few years ago, the council and police moved in to replace Mr Stawinogas tent over fears it, and the rubbish he had collected, were becoming a health hazard.

The council tolerated Mr Stawinoga as he had a phobia of confined spaces.

Monday, 29 October 2007, 19:01 GMT


2008 04 27 10:29:54

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POSTED IN: BBC NEWS

Hermit receives new home

BBC News 24


An 83-year-old hermit, who has lived in the middle of a ring road in Wolverhampton for 35 years, has received a new tent.

n an operation involving the army, the police, social services and environmental health, Josef Stawinoga was re-housed on Tuesday.

The Polish war veteran, who lives alone on the central reservation, had to have his tent replaced because it posed a health risk.

Social services and the Territorial Army had to replace the tent as well as clear a lot of rubbish that Mr Stawinoga had collected.

Look after

Juliusz Leonowicz, who worked with Mr Stawinoga at a steel works in Bilston in the 1950s, said before the tent was removed "sparks would fly".

"He doesnt appreciate anyone in uniform," he said.

"Hes not going to be happy about his rubbish being cleared either because he believes a lot of this rubbish is in his care.

"He thinks people bring it to him to look after."

Although the city council does not normally tolerate squatters, officers have made an exception for Mr Stawinoga due to his phobia of confined spaces, thought to have been caused by his ordeal as a prisoner of war during World War II.

In a statement, the council said: "Mr Stawinoga has lived on the ring road in Wolverhampton for over 30 years and although this is not an ideal situation, it has been accepted as the best option for him.

"We have taken into account his personal history and the fact that whilst located there, he can be visited daily by the city councils meals on wheels service.

"Mr Stawinoga is a very private person and does not like attention from people he does not know.

"The replacement of his tent has been done as quickly and efficiently as practicable so as not to unduly distress or agitate him, so that he can continue to live quietly and peacefully as he chooses."

Tuesday, 8 April, 2003, 16:20 GMT 17:20 UK


2008 04 27 10:29:45

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POSTED IN: BBC NEWS

Ubuntu 'reaping Linux dividend'

Darren Waters. Technology editor, BBC News website


The public perception of open source software is changing fast, said Mark Shuttleworth, who leads distribution of the Ubuntu operating system (OS).

A new version of Ubuntu, a version of the Linux OS, is released on Thursday.

Mr Shuttleworth said the success of the Asus Eee PC and the work of the One Laptop Per Child programme had driven awareness of open source.

"There has been a sea change in the way people think of Linux, which is very healthy," he said.

"We have seen a real shift in the last six months from folks seeing open source as either a super-specialist thing for people who run data centres or as an enthusiast thing, to something which is energising a lot of the straight commercial PC industry," said Mr Shuttleworth.

Platform development

He manages Canonical software, which is the primary sponsor of distribution for Ubuntu, and a key element in the platforms development.

He is also well-known for being the second-ever, self-funded space tourist, traveling to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz spacecraft in 2002.

Mr Shuttleworth said ordinary consumers were beginning to turn to Ubuntu, and to Linux more generally, to improve their daily computing experience.

"If people think of computing as going to a PC, sitting down and starting Word, then the traditional view, of using Windows and Office, will persist.

"But if people think of their daily experience as a sit down on the web, we know that people can have a very compelling experience on Linux.

"In fact, we know it is a better web experience because they can do it without spyware, without viruses."

Mr Shuttleworth said he believed there were about eight to nine million users of Ubuntu worldwide.

"Most of the growth in users is from people buying a device that comes with Ubuntu shipped or wanting something for a second or older computer and are looking to tech-savvy friends for guidance," he said.

Most significant

He described the latest version of Ubuntu, dubbed Hardy Heron, as "perhaps our most significant ever".

The version will have three years of "long term support" from Canonical, which Mr Shuttleworth believes will make it more attractive for large-scale roll-outs of machines powered by the operating system.

He said the French police force was currently deploying 50,000 Ubuntu-powered machines, while Spanish education authorities were rolling out 500,000 desktops with the OS.

Hardy Heron also has improved support for multimedia, including photo editing, music sharing and video playback, he said.

The version has also been designed to make installation simpler and give users the chance to try the OS without making radical alterations to their current computer set-up.

"This is the first version that you can install under Windows.

"Instead of re-partitioning your hard drive and taking some fairly risky steps, effectively you can now install under Windows without modifying your system."

Ubuntu can be installed on PC and Mac machines and is one of a number of versions of Linux.

Mr Shuttleworth said: "Its a favourite version of Linux both for specialists and one that specialists would recommend to a cousin, aunt or uncle who want to have a stable desktop internet experience.

"There are other versions of Linux that are better for a particular purpose - but Ubuntu strives to be a general platform that is secure and self-maintained."


2008 04 21 16:47:01

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