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Solar plane lands in New York City

A solar-powered airplane finished crossing the United States on Saturday, landing in New York City after flying over the Statue of Liberty during its historic bid to circle the globe, the project team said.  The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft, dubbed Solar Impulse 2, arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 4 a.m. local time after it took off about five hours beforehand at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, the team reported on the airplane's website.  Such a pleasure to land in New York! For the 14th time we celebrate sustainability," said the project's co-founder Andre Borschberg on Twitter after flying over the city and the Statue of Liberty during the 14th leg of the trip around the globe. The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015. The solar cr...
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Bull sharks

Bull sharks are mainly found in the warmer and shallower coastal waters of the southern hemisphere. The bull shark is one of the most common species of shark found worldwide.  The bull shark is able to inhabit both salt and fresh water sources just as happily, with one bull shark known to have swum 4,000 km up the Amazon River in South America, finally ending up in the mountainous Peru.  The bull shark is well known for its unpredictable and aggressive temperament and is thought to be one of the most dangerous sharks towards humans. This is probably because the bull inhabits coastal waters and rivers and is therefore more likely to come into contact with swimmers and water sports enthusiasts. The bull shark is an effective and dominant predator in its environment and so has no real natural predator itself. Bull sharks are occasionally hunted by the bigger shark species such as the tiger shark and the infamous great white shark.
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Some species of vultures developed the ability to tap into turbulent air as a way of gaining altitude according to a new study

Researchers found that these species compensate for their poor flapping skills by seeking out turbulence at low altitudes.  The researchers say this explains their awkward, wobbling flying style near tree-tops.  The study is published in the journal The Auk: Ornithological Advances.  Sometimes called buzzards, Turkey vultures are the most widespread of these species in North America  They are unique among these birds as they use their sense of smell to find carrion.  For this study researchers in this study observed both Turkey and Black vultures in south eastern Virginia in the US.  According to the study's lead author Julie Mallon, then at the University of West Virginia, these particular vultures have evolved a different style of flying, skirting low along the edge of forests."They don't have the muscular power other raptors like eagles have to give chase, vultures don't pursue their prey and they've lost a lot of those adaptations that allowed them...
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Fully functioning lab grown kidneys work in animal

Scientists say they are a step closer to growing fully functioning replacement kidneys, after promising results in animals.  When transplanted into pigs and rats, the kidneys worked, passing urine just like natural ones.  Getting the urine out has been a problem for earlier prototypes, causing them to balloon under the pressure.  The Japanese team got round this by growing extra plumbing for the kidney to stop the backlog, PNAS reports.  Although still years off human trials, the research helps guide the way towards the end goal of making organs for people, say experts.  In the UK, more than 6,000 people are waiting for a kidney - but because of a shortage of donors, fewer than 3,000 transplants are carried out each year. More than 350 people die a year, almost one a day, waiting for a  transplant.  Lab-grown kidneys using human stem cells could solve this problem.  Scientists say they are a step closer to growing fully functioning ...
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