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Researchers: First Malaysian Dinosaur Fossil Found

A Malaysian university unveiled on Wednesday what researchers called the first dinosaur fossil ever found in the country -- the tooth of a fish-eating predator estimated to be at least 75 million years old.

A team of Malaysian and Japanese palaeontologists found the darkened tooth fossil after a nearly two-year dig in the central state of Pahang, and scientists said further discoveries could come.

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Water Crisis as Drought Dries up Malaysian Reservoirs

A Malaysian state declared a water crisis Wednesday over a dry spell that has parched much of the normally rain-bathed country and caused mounting worries over dwindling reservoirs.

Deputy water minister Mahdzir Khalid warned Tuesday that the government was planning to carry out cloud seeding over the capital Kuala Lumpur and its surroundings, where water reserve levels have been critical since last week.

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Monkey Think, Monkey Do: Experiment Could Lead to Paralysis Cure

Scientists working on a paralysis cure said Tuesday they had demonstrated how a monkey can use only its thoughts, transferred by electrodes, to manipulate a sleeping fellow primate's arm to do its bidding.

The lab experiment, in which a fully sedated Rhesus monkey's hand moved a joystick to perform tasks at the other monkey's command, was designed to simulate full paralysis -- the brain completely disconnected from the muscle it seeks to control.

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Snowy Owls Invade U.S. 'South' as Cold has Effect

Reports from tens of thousands of bird-counting volunteers show a southern invasion of Arctic-dwelling snowy owls has spread to 25 U.S. states, and frigid cold is causing unusual movements of waterfowl.

Results are still coming in from the four-day annual Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada. Sponsors say the event, which ended Monday, drew participants from a record 127 countries, surpassing last year's 110. Most were from the U.S. and Canada.

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China Pillages Africa Like Old Colonialists Says Jane Goodall

China is exploiting Africa's resources just like European colonizers did, with disastrous effects for the environment, acclaimed primatologist Jane Goodall has told AFP.

On the eve of her 80th birthday, the fiery British wildlife crusader is whizzing across the world giving a series of lectures on the threats to our planet.

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Controversial Nordic Farms Flourish on Fur Comeback

Fur has made a comeback on the world's most important catwalks, fostering a thriving industry in the Nordic region to the dismay of animal rights activists.

In the 1990s, supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell posed in the buff for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) under the slogan "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" -- part of initiatives that helped make fur politically incorrect.

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Lighter Engines a Headache for Satellite Launcher Ariane

Arianespace rockets excel at lifting the heaviest payloads into space, but a new technology allowing for lighter satellites is causing another big bang for an already fast-changing industry.

The number one commercial launch operator, Arianespace is under intense pressure from a new slate of lower-priced rivals, including U.S. start-up Space X.

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Study: Arctic Getting Darker, Making Earth Warmer

The Arctic isn't nearly as bright and white as it used to be because of more ice melting in the ocean, and that's turning out to be a global problem, a new study says.

With more dark, open water in the summer, less of the sun's heat is reflected back into space. So the entire Earth is absorbing more heat than expected, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Human Resource Needs Putting Deep-Water Ecosystems in Peril

Relentlessly rising human demand for for deep-sea resources -- fish, gas and oil, rare materials -- is posing such a risk that international cooperation is needed if aquatic ecosystems are to be saved, U.S. scientists warn.

The doubling of the world's population over the past five decades is putting great strain on the deep-sea ecosystems, which cover more than half of Earth, they told an annual science congress in Chicago on Sunday.

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Study: Science, Religion Go Hand-in-Hand in U.S.

Science and religion can mix easily in the United States, a relatively religious country, a survey released Sunday found.

The study by Rice University, in Texas, polled more than 10,000 Americans, including scientists and evangelical Protestants.

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