MONTPELIER, Vt.. - The owner of Vermont&&9;s only nuclear power plant plans to move forward with a $ 60 million this fall despite refueling Uncertainty about whether the plant operating Will Be Beyond March, When current operating license expires icts.

New Orleans-based Entergy Corp.. Said company attorneys felt the firm Would Eventually win in icts lawsuit against the state over the future of the Vermont Yankee plant.

Earlier this year, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issued Vermont Yankee a 20-year license extension That Would allow the plant to Remain open until 2032. The goal state, Which claims it HAS jurisdiction over the future of the aging plant, wants to close it and HAS ACTED was not state certification needed for That Is Vermont Yankee To Remain open. The plant HAS HAD a series of Technical Problems in recent years.

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge J.Garvan Murtha Refused to year end order That Would keep the plant open while Underlying the legal issues are Decided. The box IS scheduled to go to trial in September.

"Our board Believes Both the Merits of the company&&9;s legal position and the record Strongly support icts decision to continue to trial scheduled to begin on Sept. 12," Said Entergy CEO J. Wayne Leonard. "On That Basis, the decision to move forward Was Made With The refueling as Planned."

Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hannah Said Careful reading of Murtha&&9;s decision Denying Entergy&&9;s request for a Preliminary injunction Showed the short WAS skeptical of the state&&9;s case. Entergy&&9;s lawyers undoubtedly Reached the Same conclusion, she said.

"Entergy Had to make a business decision about whether to go forward with the refueling," Hannah said. "I think it&&9;s Unlikely the plant shut down Will Be Any Time soon.Owes fiduciary duty Entergy icts Shareholders to STI looking at and Where Things Stand at this time it WAS a reasonable business decision to make. "

Saturday deadline for the HAD-been ordering the fuel rods That Will Be Used in the refueling, Which is scheduled for October. The company HAD Said It Might close the plant if it Were not given assurances it Could Operate while the legal case IS Decided. Last week Murtha Refused to Give That insurance.

Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell Said He Was not surprised by Monday&&9;s decision Entergy To Spend $ 60 million on the refueling.

"This is a company That HAS Annual revenues in the $ 11 trillion range," Sorrell said. "I Thought They Were Crying Wolf in the Preliminary injunction hearing."

Sorrell Said He Was Encouraged by the judge&&9;s decision, Because Murtha Refused to issue the Preliminary injunction.

"Some Things He Said in His decision to Reinforce What We Have Believed Since The Beginning, &&9;he said."This is a difficulty case for Both Sides."

Entergy malade That only the Federal Government Can Regulate the operation of a nuclear reactor. The state malade Entergy Agreed to Abide by a 2006 state law That it needed permission to Operate Beyond the life of ITS initial license.

Over the years, Vermont Yankee HAS HAD A Series of Problems That led to concern about STIs Accredited. Among Them Was The January 2010 discovery of radioactive tritium leaking from the plant.Tritium, Which OCCURS in nature and in tiny Amounts est aussi a product of nuclear fission, has-been linked to cancer if ingested, inhaled or Absorbed Through the skin in large amounts.

Tests were monitoring well Later That month picocuries per liter Showed 70.500, More Than Three Times the federal safety standard, Which is picocuries per liter 20.000.

After That, It Was Revealed That company made misleading statements Officials HAD to state lawmakers about underground pipes and Regulators That Carried the tritium.

Three Months Later, a more potent radioactive isotope, strontium-90, WAS discovered in soil as crews Cleaned up the tritium. Strontium has-been linked to leukemia and cancer.

In 2007, a cooling tower collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in a pipe spewed That Thousands of gallons of water onto a pile of rubble and Vermont Yankee&&9;s operators Forced to Temporarily Reduce power.

A month After the tritium leak Announced WAS, the state Senate voted 26-4 Against state relicensing.

Earlier this month, Sorrell&&9;s office Determined Would not it criminal file charges Against Entergy Officials for the misstatement about the presence of underground pipes carry carrying tritium.

State Officials Maintain the end of Accredited Is One, Entergy claims the goal state&&9;s concerned about are safety and safety from federal law says Can Only Be Decided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Which Granted the plant in March a 20-year license extension.

State Law Requires That purpose Any electrical generator get a state certificate of public good from the Public Service Board. The state Senate voted last year to halt That process, Effectively Denying Vermont Yankee icts certificate. The house has never ACTED.

Vermont Yankee Is A 605-megawatt reactor in Vernon, in the state&&9;s southeast corner.Entergy Said Monday That DURING a typical 30-day refueling outage, Approximately 120 fuel assemblies, or one-Third of the reactor core, are Replaced.

While the refueling IS UNDER way, about 5.000 Other maintenance chores are Performed That Can Be Done Only When the plant IS shut down.

Vt. nuclear plant to refuel despite uncertainty

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the United States rose for the first time Since early May FOLLOWING year Increase in the price of crude oil, According To the latest nationwide Lundberg survey released on Sunday.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline WAS Slightly More than $ 3.70 on July 22, an Increase of 8.58 cents in the past Two Weeks, According To Some survey of the 2.500 gas stations in the continental United States.

The per gallon IS Increase Nearly the Same as the exact rise per gallon of a barrel of crude to the linked benchmark West Texas Intermediate, Which Jumped to $ 99.87 per barrel, up from $ 96.20 Two weeks ago.

"It Is crude, period, that &&9;Did this," Trilby Lundberg, the survey&&9;s editor, Told Reuters.

High Unemployment and a general weak economy has-been Affecting Demand for gasoline.

"If It Had not Been for the recent crude oil price hikes, we Would Have Seen Prices at the pump fall Because Of That weak demand and the economy," Lundberg said.

A year ago, the price per gallon WAS $ 2.73, about 96.72 cents Less than the current price.

At $ $ 3.28 a gallon, Tucson, Arizona, Had the Lowest average price for regular gas, while the Highest Paid Chicago drivers at $ 4.07, the survey found.

(Reporting by Ilaina Jonas, editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Gas jumps more than 8.5 cents per gallon in U.S.: survey

MIAMI - Dora HAS weakened to a tropical storm from a Category 1 hurricane as it moves northwest in the Pacific off Mexico.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami Said Dora&&9;s top Sustained winds Dropped Friday evening to 70 mph (113 kph).

Dora WAS moving northwest at near 8 mph (13 kph), and It Was Expected to move parallel to the west coast of southern Baja, Calif.. A tropical storm warning in effect for Mexico Remained from Agua Blanca to Buenavista Including resort-dotted Cabo San Lucas.

Dora&&9;s center about 175 miles WAS (283 kilometers) south / southwest of Cabo San Lucas geology courses online. Large swells Will affect the coast. It Is Expected to Weaken to a tropical depression by Sunday.

In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Cindy the form Posed No Threat to Land as it Moved northeastward Even Farther out to sea. The train Tropical Storm Bret weakened to a low pressure area and stayed well off the U.S. Atlantic coast.The National Hurricane Center Planned No additional advisories on Either system.

Dora weakens to tropical storm off Mexico

BOSTON (Reuters) - The authors of a high-profile study on genetic patterns tied to old age it Have Retracted After a piece of equipment Used To analyze the genes found to Produce WAS incorrect results, the journal Science said.

The study, published in Science a year ago, To Have Showed Researchers found a pattern of genes Predicted That, with Greater Accuracy Than Ever, Who Might Live to Be 100 or older, Even If They HAD Other genes linked with disease.

The Researchers, led by Paola Sebastiani and Dr. Thomas Perls at Boston University, studied More than 1.000 people Who Lived to Be 100 or older and matched em 1.200 to Other People to Identify genetic patterns more common in the 100-year-olds using a Technical Known As genome-wide association.

The Study Showed That the longest-lived people HAD Many of the genes linked with diseases Same as everyone else.Their old-age genes Appeared to cancel out the effects of the disease genes.

To Identify the genetic markers, Known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, the number of Researchers Used in different genotyping platforms, Including One Called the 610-Quad Illumina array made by Illumina Inc..

Soon After the paper published by Science WAS, the Researchers Learned That the Illumina chip HAD beens shown in unpublished studies by investigators to Produce Other incorrect results industrial ecology masters degree.

A statement released by Science on Thursday Said That It published a note to readers icts on July 21, 2010, alerting the authors Them That Were Their reanalyzing data to the Extent to Which determines the genotyping errors HAD Affected the study&&9;s results. The authors Repeated Statistical analysis using the different kinds of gene chips.Their results Theys Submitted to Science in December.

Science Said That although the authors Remain confident about Their findings, HAS Science Concluded That paper has built on the corrected data Would not Meet the journal&&9;s standards for genome-wide association studies.

The authors Therefor Agreed to retract Their paper. Science Said That There Was no misconduct by the Researchers, Who "Worked okay exhaustively to the errors in the original paper." Said the newspaper "That we regret the outcome of the extensive revision and re-review process Was Not more favorable."

(Reporting by Toni Clarke, editing by Matthew Lewis)

Authors retract study on genetics of old age

Do not ever let anyone tell you are new electric cars - They Are not, and Here Is Plenty of proof. If We Had Been Continuously Developing Since the battery technology electric cars listed below Were in operation, MOST Certainly we Would Be far better off today. No One Knew then about climate change and air pollution How Much Could have impact on Human Health, aims more THEY HAD Actually electric car choices Than We Have Today.

This is just a Handful of the electric vehicles from That era.

Morrison 1891 (120 years old) Made by William Morrison in 1891, Some Say the Morrison WAS the first electric vehicle in America. It Had a four horsepower engine, and 6-12 Could Carry Passengers. Top speed about 20 mph WAS. The batteries needed to Be Recharged Every 50 miles. It has-been because the WAS Said Actually Completed in 1887 WAS and driven in a parade in Des Moines in 1888.If That Is true, the WAS Morrison first built 124 years ago, and It Was built in America today Where They Are Almost no electric cars on the roads.

Riker 1900 (111 years old) A bulky oven enclosed cabin passenger sedan That Was made about the turn of the century, featured the Riker electric side lamps, wooden-spoked wheels, and a voice tube so Passengers Could Communicate with the driver. Cabin windows Could Be raised and lowered. Were onboard battery cells 48, with year electric engine rear wheel near EACH. The driver&&9;s seat about 6-7 WAS feet in the air.

1901 Riker Torpedo (110 years old) Andrew Riker, the founder of Riker Electric Vehicles, made in 1901 to the Torpedo Be the fastest on the road since. Coney Island is November 16, 1901 WAS Torpedo driven one mile in 63 seconds, about 57 mph Top 3 programs emergency medical technicians.

Studebaker 1902 (109 years old) Electric Studebakers Were made starting in 1902.They Made the bus pictured Above and bodysuits for electric taxis. THEY made cars Which Were Also available in a Variety of styles.

Krieger 1906 (105 years old) This vehicle Was Made in Paris, and It Is Presumed to Have Been owned by U.S. Senator George P. Wetmore of Rhode Island. The Krieger Actually HAD regenerative Braking Which Could Be Used To recharge the batteries while coasting downhill. It Had a tiller / steering wheel in the very front, and hubcaps!

1909 Babcock (102 years old) A Babcock electric vehicle set a record for mind-blowing ITS TIME. In October of 1906 the New York Times Reported one driven by FA Babcock Jr. Traveled 100 miles on a single charge. It Averaged about 14-18 mph for the Journey Between Jersey City and Philadelphia. Were stock Only batteries used. The previous record WAS 40 miles.

Bailey 1909 (102 years old) The Bailey electrics Were Known for durability.One-through oven driven WAS New England states in the Same year run as endurance test. A Bailey WAS aussi driven up from Washington of Mt in New Hampshire. The peak is over 6.000 feet. There Were Many More electrics on the road DURING the extended period. They Were quieter and less pollution Directly Emitted Than Their Counterparts gasoline.

Image Credits: 1900 Riker, Smithsonian, 1909 Babcock - Infrogmation, 1909 Bailey, Frick Car Museum, Riker Torpedo, Owls Head Transportation Museum. All Other public domain, or unknown.

Related Links:

Seven electric cars over 100 years old

One of the MOST violent sun storms Recorded in history erupted 11 years ago today (July 14).

The event WAS Called the Bastille Day Solar Storm, and it registered as an X-class flare, the Highest designation possible. (One storm Since then, in October 2003, Even More Powerful WAS.)

Ever wonder just how a solar storm brews? So do scientists. Here&&9;s a rundown of What Happened on July 14, 2000, one of the sun&&9;s Most violent days:

A sunspot was born. This magnetic field lines Occurred When Became tangled by the churning and shifting of plasma bubbles on the sun&&9;s surface. Twisted magnetic field lines Thesis Formed a sunspot - an active region That Appeared Darker Than the surrounding area.[Infographic: Anatomy of Solar Flares & Storms]

As the magnetic field lines Became more and more twisted, magnetic potential energy built up, similar to how a roller coaster, because at the top of the track builds up gravitational potential energy, Which is then Converted to the Kinetic Energy of motion as for the zoom Downward.

When the magnetic potential energy of the sun finally hit a certain point, it snapped, releasing energy in the form That of heat, light and motion of the particles. Plasma on the sun WAS heated up to 20 million degrees Kelvin or 30 million (36 million to 54 million degrees Fahrenheit). Were plasma particles accelerated Along giant magnetic field loops That Traced lines down-through successive layers of the sun&&9;s atmosphere.

Thesis loops connected to form wide ribbons of superheated plasma.

At the Same Time, Some plasma particles from the sun&&9;s atmosphere away from the Were accelerated surface, out Into space.Such a release of material IS Called a coronal mass ejection social work degree in California. Many of These protons and electrons Made Their Way to Earth, Where THEY Disrupted satellites and radio communications blocked.

Though Scientists Understand Many aspects of the storm&&9;s process, There Are Some still pressing questions.One of the biggest is: What sparked the storm in the first place? [Hell Unleashed: Sun Spits Fire in Close-Up]

"The Holy Grail, Which is not solved yet, is, What Is The Actual Trigger Mechanism That causes this buildup of energy released to Be?" Said Phil Chamberlin, a solar scientist at NASA&&9;s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

However, the Bastille Day solar storm DID go a long way Toward Helping Scientists piece together a general theory of how eruptions on the sun might occur.

"This theory is based Is All comments from the Bastille Day flare," Chamberlin Told SPACE.com.

That knowledge Will Come Especially in handy in the coming years, as the sun ramps up icts Toward a peak in 11-year cycle of activity.Near the end of 2013, we are Likely to see storms That rival, or surpass Even, the Bastille Day event.

You Can follow SPACE.com senior writer Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ ClaraMoskowitz. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @ Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

New Amazing Pictures from Space Sun Sun&&9;s Outburst Almost Pointed Directly At Earth Photos: Sunspots on Earth&&9;s Closest Star

Bastille Day Solar Storm: Anatomy of a Gargantuan Sun Tempest

HELENA, Mont. - An FX Energy Inc. executive says the company plans to Permanently shut down oil wells in northwestern Two Montana Where a spill WAS Recently discovered spread to Have Nearly a mile Before Reaching Cut Bank Creek.

Vice President Andy Pierce Said Tuesday That IS the company filing notice with the Blackfeet Indian tribe FX Drilling Co. That Will plug the small wells on the reservation and dig up the line connecting That spilled up to 840 gallons of crude radiology schools in Houston.

A neighboring landowner Finding oil Reported July 12, a month After the company discovered the spill HAD and fixed the line. An environmental response team says the oil HAD Traveled Nearly a mile down a ravine, soiling the ground and filling pools of spring-fed water Before escaping Into Cut Bank Creek.

FX Energy to plug wells at site of NW Mont. spill

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pregnant Women Who are Exposed to pesticides and coal smoke are up to oven times more Likely To Have babies with serious birth defects Than women not Exposed to Chemicals thesis, a Chinese study found HAS.

The Researchers studied 80 newborn babies and aborted fetus with brain and spinal cord defects and found That Their mothers&&9; placentas HAD Significantly Higher Amounts of Chemicals Compared to placentas of babies birth defects Without Such.

Have Long Been thesis defects linked to folic acid deficiency, Maternal obesity and diabetes.While Environmental Pollution Suspected HAS long-been as a culprit, There has-been very little direct evidence Showing the link.

In the Chinese study, Researchers detected high Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from inhaling smoke That come from burning coal, and synthetic pesticides Such as DDT, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and endosulfan in the placentas of women with babies Who HAD Such birth defects .

"In addition to nutrients and oxygen ...Can pollutants readily cross the preplacental Potentially impact structures and embryonic development, "lead author Tong Zhu at the State Key Joint Laboratory for Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control in Beijing University Told Reuters in an email.

The study&&9;s Findings Were published on Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

COMMON Birth Defects

Brain and spinal cord birth defects, neural tube defects Called (NTDs) are common, to Occurring Every one in 1,000 live births in the United States engineering psychology degree. One common forms of ITS MOST IS When The spinal column Does not Completely close in the first month of pregnancy, Resulting in nerve damage and paralysis of the legs.

Another common NTD IS When The head end of the neural tube Fails to close, leaving the undeveloped brain.Such babies tend to end up stillborn or die shortly After birth.

Zhu and colleagues Recruited pregnant women in rural counties in oven northern Shanxi province NTDs Where Occur in 14 out of Every 1.000 Babies - Far Higher Than the national average.

Theys Analyzed the placentas of 80 babies with NTDs or aborted fetus and placenta Compared to Them of 50 babies Without Such defects.

Women Whose placentas HAD Higher Than Average Levels of the PAH chemicals from burning coal Were 4.5 times more Likely To Have babies with defects, while Those with more than average Levels of pesticides around three times more Were Likely To Have babies with defects, the Researchers found .

Zhu urged women to Avoid smoke and coal to cleaner fuels for use heating and cooking, as well as to Avoid inhaling second hand smoke.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Birth defects linked to coal smoke, pesticides: China study

HANOI (AFP) - The lively morning call of a rare species of gibbon HAS led to the discovery of the only known "sustainable" community of the Vietnamese talkative primates in remote forests, conservationists Said Monday.

A "substantial" population of 455 critically endangered northern white-cheeked crested gibbons found living at Were high altitudes and far from human settlements on the border with Laos, Conservation International (CI) said.

Researchers, WHO HAD Previously found in Other Areas sparse groups, used the animals&&9; "loud, Elaborate and Prolonged" calls to locate the creatures in Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An province, northern Vietnam.

The Community Representative Two Thirds of the total number in Vietnam and the "only viable population Confirmed" of the Variety worldwide.

"This is extraordinarily significant year find, and underscores the immense importance of Protected Areas in Providing the last refuges for the region? S Decimated wildlife," Said Dr. CI president Russell Mittermeier.

Gibbons, Which are Threatened Across the world, are Considered the "most romantic" of primates As They mate for life and serenade Their partners with song.

Habitat loss and hunting for the pet trade and the "ASSUMED medicinal value of primate body parts" are Among the Major Threats to the creatures in Vietnam, the CI statement said engineering psychology degree.

White-cheeked gibbon numbers are by Thought To Have Declined As Much as 80 percent in the last 45 years, According To the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Mittermeier, Who Also works with the IUCN, the species Described as "on the brink of extinction."

They Are Believed to be "functionally extinct" in China Could Be There and while significant numbers in Laos, CI Said Lack of research means clustering the situation in the Country is unclear.

Said aim CI plans to build a road-through area to the Pu Mat Increase patrols on the Vietnam-Laos border pose a "serious threat" to the future of the unusual primates.

"The major issue Will Be the hunting of gibbons That Were Previously thesis protected by the harsh terrain, so gun control Will Be vital," Said Luu Tuong Bach primatologist, a consultant to CI Who led field surveys for the research.

"Without direct protection in Pu Mat National Park, It Is Likely That Will lose Vietnam this species in the near future."

Community of rare gibbons found in Vietnam

NEW YORK - Coverage of the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis Japan&&9;s northeastern coast Along won awards for deadline reporting and enterprise from the Associated Press Managing Editors association for journalism excellence Wednesday by AP staffers.

"The AP managed to Provide all-encompassing coverage of a disaster That Became more staggering With Each passing hour," Said the APME judges in Awarding the prize Deadline Reporting to the AP team That Covered the event.

The team of reporters, photographers, Interactive Producers, video editors and journalists Covered year epic series of disasters: the earthquake Largest Ever Recorded in Japan, a giant tsunami coastal cities That Reduced to ruins and a nuclear crisis unlikable anything sincere Chernobyl.

"The risk with coverage of Such A massive event Is That You lose focus on the Various Threads That Make Up the Whole," the judges said."The AP never lost sight of the bigger picture, and The Growing horror Showed That nation has - and a world - faced. ... There Was not a hole Did not fill the AP."

In Honoring the AP team for Enterprise Reporting, A Separate Judging panel Said, "Even while New Developments Were breaking daily, AP reporters thesis delved Into the important questions of Why the Japanese Nuclear Power Industry Was Not as Prepared as It Should Have Been for this disaster. "

AP mobilized More than 50 journalists - experts in nuclear power, science writers, veterans of disaster coverage and top editors from New York to London. The result Was a breadth of coverage Produced That Into investigations sparked the nuclear crisis and currency, while aussi Conveying the scale of the tragedy in the Tsunami-Devastated Communities.

APME Is An association of editors at AP member newspapers&&9;s 1.400 in the U.S. and newspapers served basis by The Canadian Press in Canada.It Recognizes outstanding work Annually by the cooperative&&9;s journalists. The Awards Will Be Presented at APME&&9;s Annual Conference with The Associated Press Photo Managers Sept. 14-16 in Denver.

Muhammed Muheisen Photographer, based in Islamabad, Pakistan, the News Photos Received award for historical series on unrest in Yemen. The judges Cited Remarkable historical photographic eye and Dramatic framing Even Under Circumstances difficulty and dangerous over a Period of weeks.

Muheisen aussi won the John L. Dougherty Award for exemplary work by AP staff member a year Who is 30 years old or Younger. In Honoring HIM, That the judges Noted events Covered ET Throughout The Middle East DURING the past year "and He Took full advantage."

"In His portfolio of 100 or so photos, ET Displayed incredible range - from tense action shots to portraits Powerful - and shot EACH WAS Engaging more Than the last.His portfolio left us Wanting to see 100 more, "the judges said.

Christopher Sullivan of the Newsfeatures staff won the award for Feature Writing A two-part serial, "The Do-Over," the story of a middle-aged worker nuclear power plant Who Decides to leave job history to make a trip across America was makeshift wagon, Pulled by a team of horses courses for radiologist. Said the judges the "story ... magnificently Told harkens back to the days of serial dramas full of suspense, harrowing escapes, love and Even a cliffhanger."

Photographer Kevin Frayer, based in New Delhi, won the award for Feature Photos a series of black-and-white aerial views of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. The judges Cited unique aerial perspective as the year Giving unusual view of the Afghan countryside, Showing Both Civilian and military aspects of life there.

Interactive producer Dave Clark WAS Cited for Best Use of Multimedia for the AP Leading Interactive Department&&9;s royal wedding coverage."Very entertaining and clear. ... Worthy of the Royals!" the judges wrote.

Photographer Greg Bull, based in San Diego, WAS Honored by the judges for Best Use of Video for history "really terrific video work" in Covering the surge in high-speed downhill skateboarding, Which has sparked fierce HAS Debates in Southern California over What place HAS is the sports city streets.

Pennsylvania staffers Mark Scolforo Sirolly and Michael won the Charles Rowe Award for Distinguished State Reporting for Leading the "Broken Budgets&&9; reporting work in Pennsylvania, part of the AP-APME joint initiative on the fiscal crisis Facing U.S. states and cities."This was a terrific team effort That shed light on fat in state bureaucracy at a time of Diminishing resources," the judges said.

The judges aussi Awarded Honorable mentions the Following:

• Deadline Reporting: AP staff for coverage of the tornadoes swept That Through the South in April.

• Enterprise Reporting: Rukmini Callimachi, Marco Chown Oved and Michelle Faul for coverage of violence in Ivory Coast, and St. Louis are Jim Salter year for Investigation into methamphetamine use.

• Feature Writing: Allen Breed National Writer for "Sabrina&&9;s Twilight," the story of a teen-age love that Is not Given a chance to mature, and Pauline Arrillaga National Writer for "A Brother&&9;s Gift," the story of one brother Donating His liver to Another, and the Devastating consequences.

• Best Use of Multimedia: Pailin Wedel, Feilding Cage, Darrell Allen, Sean McDade, Dan Kempton and Jennifer Farrar for Their interactive Japan earthquake, and the Interactive Department staff for the shutdown interactive government.

• Best Use of Video: Video journalist Rich Matthews for coverage of the U.S. border with Mexico and the war on drugs, and National Writer Martha Irvine For Her story on the Chicago Urban Prep Charter Academy.

• John L. Dougherty Award: Cleveland correspond Meghan Barr, and Feilding Cage of the Interactive Department.

• Charles Rowe Award: Sacramento, Calif.. Suite for watchdog reporting, and Michael Rubinkam, based in Allentown, Pa., for Continuing coverage of gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

AP coverage of Japanese disaster wins APME awards

St. Helier, Jersey (AFP) - Sonic blasts Used in oil exploration poses a Mounting Threat to whales, a critically endangered species Especially That feeds and breeds near Russia&&9;s Sakhalin Island, the global whaling forum HAS heard.

Britain and the United States voiced plans to build Fears That a Third Oil & Gas platform near the Pacific island Could Affect a species Called the Western Gray Whale, Delegate at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting said.

"The United Kingdom Deeply Concerned That IS Ongoing Industrial Activities around Sakhalin Island continues to pose a threat" to the whale population, junior environment minister Said Richard Benyon.

Belgium Said Written HAD 12 Countries to Moscow, urging it to pressure the Sakhalin Energy Investment Corporation to postpone upcoming seismic survey year.

In mid-2010, Three exploratory Forays Such Were Conducted in the area despite pleas to Wait Until Western gray whales migrating Their HAD finished there.

"There May Be Fewer Than 130 Western gray whales Remaining, and the loss of just one or Two Females breeding EACH year thesis Could lead whales to extinction," Said Wendy Elliot, head of the WWF delegation at the IWC.

Used to detect subsea oil deposits, seismic surveys require large shooting pulses of sound Into the ocean floor.

Shockwaves Can Disrupt the Ability of whales to feed or Communicate and - if the sea mammals are too close - cause tissue damage, scientists say.

"During exploration, ships criss-cross the ocean using compressed air guns That Deliver massive sound blasts Vertically, penetrating 20 km (12 miles) Beneath the ocean floor," Explained Michel Andre, director of the Laboratory of Bio-Appplied Acoustics in Barcelona.

For Cetaceans Within a range of Two to Three kilometers (one to Two miles), the blasts Can Have A Devastating impact, "including death", He Said by phone.

Environmentalists say the depletion of onshore oil exploration offshore HAS accelerated using sonar blasts.

Other Problems are Caused by the less forceful purpose continuous drone Emitted by Oil and Gas platforms, Andre Said, Who has Designed systems to industrial operations Temporarily idle When whales are detected nearby.

The combined impact of commercial shipping, military sonar and oil exploitation Means That "there is not a single corner of the Ocean That Is Truly free of noise, Resulting in a kind of &&9;acoustic smog&&9;," Andre said.

For the Western Gray Whale, There Is Clear Evidence That Have Been THEY driven from preferred feeding grounds in Their Past by noise from the hydrocarbon platforms, Said Justin Cooke, A Scientist at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a member Scientific Committee of the IWC.

"The concern Is That Disrupted IS if Their feeding, reproductive success Their Will Be lessened.We are dealing with a population of less Than 150 animals, of Which are about 30 reproductive female, "He Told AFP.

Since 2004, the IUCN HAD WORKED with Sakhalin Energy, has joined Subsidiary of Gazprom and Shell is how to minimize noise impacts, and IS set to make formal recommendations.

"It Seems To Be The Only Place Where There is this kind of cooperation Between Industry and year the organization like IUCN," an umbrella grouping Environmental Network More than 1.000 government and NGO organizations.

The four-day IWC meeting in Jersey, on the British Channel Islands, winds up on Thursday.

Whales 'at threat from Russia's oil boom'

Pesky Wasps ounces fed upon the insects gorging on rotting dinosaur eggs Some 70 million years ago, suggests a new Finding of ancient wasp Cocoons hidden inside the fossilized egg of a sauropod Titanosaurus.

The research, published July 15 in the journal Palaeontology, suggests the ancient wasps Played important role in some years food webs DURING the Age of Dinosaurs.

The clutch of five eggs, EACH with a diameter of about 7.9 inches (20 centimeters) and Belonging to a Titanosaurus (Largest Among the creatures to walk the Earth ever), WAS discovered in 1989 in the Patagonia region of Argentina, only Recently fired, Scientists That discover one of the broken eggs Contained tiny sausage-shaped structures.The size and shape of the structures, Which year are about inch long and 0.3 inches wide (2-3 cm by 1 cm), most is made by Cocoons Closely matched Some species of wasp modern and May Have belonged to the Cretaceous wasp Rebuffoichnus sciuttoi.

While Scientists Have found fossilized dinosaur eggs, ancient sand Including year nest with eggs belonged to a Likely That meat-eating dinosaur, as well as ancient insect Cocoons, "this is the first time That thesis Cocoons are found Closely associated with an egg," study researcher Jorge Genise of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Said in a statement.

By looking at the numbers and kinds of insects Preserved inside the dinosaur egg, the egg Researchers estimate the dinosaur WAS broken by force, with Subsequent fractures in the eggshell allowing scavenging creatures to feed upon the yolk contents sport pilot training. Later, Other creatures, Such as spiders, ARRIVED at the now-rotting egg, on the initial feeding scavengers.The Researchers say the wasps fed on Either the initial or the scavengers gorging on spiders Those scavengers. [See pictures of the egg and Cocoons]

Whichever the case, the wasps Later Formed the now-preserved Cocoons. No wasp larvae Were found, however, in The Cocoon.

"Some Cocoons Have a truncated end Indicate That the emergence of adult wasps," study researcher Laura Sarzetti, Museo Argentino of the de Ciencias Naturales, Told LiveScience.

"The presence of wasps, Which are at the top of carrion food web [s], That suggests a complex community of invertebrates Would Have Developed around rotting dinosaur eggs," the Researchers write in The Journal article.

The wasps and Would Have Served as scavengers nest cleaners, Helping to clear out material Contained That Possibly pathogens from the nest.Some dinosaurs revisited nest sites year to year After lay clutches of eggs new, and so the decaying material Removing Would Have Been important.

Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and Discoveries on Twitter and on Facebook @ LiveScience.

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The seventh full moon of 2011 will rise around sunset this week, and it&&9;ll offer a double treat as it Appears pretty much the Same When It Rises Both Thursday and Friday evenings.

July&&9;s Full Moon Is Known as the Full Buck Moon, Because It Comes at the time of year When new antlers push out from the forehead of buck deer. The moniker dates back to the Native American tribes That Lived in the northern ounces and eastern United States.

Other names for July&&9;s full moon the Full Thunder Moon include, Because Thunderstorms are frequent in the summertime, and the Full Hay Moon.

Unlikable last month&&9;s full moon, Which Produced a total lunar eclipse visible from South America, western Europe and western Africa, this month&&9;s full moon Is A Rather typical affair.

When to look

In Fact, the full Moon Is Considered only at the moment When the Sun, Earth and moon line up with One Another in as straight a line as possible.On the rare occasion trio When The Fall Into a very straight line, the Earth&&9;s shadow falls Directly on the moon, lunar eclipse Creating a. Purpose Because the moon&&9;s orbit IS Slightly tilted, eclipses do not come around Every month. [Photos: The Long Lunar Eclipse of June 15, 2011]

The official time for this month&&9;s full moon IS 2:40 am EDT (6:40 am GMT). The full moon Takes place at the Same Time worldwide, the objective clock time differs by time zone. Because the timing this month IS NOT near Either Thursday evening or Friday evening, to the naked eye, the moon Will look pretty much full as it Rises Both evenings, around sunset.

July, by the way, Is An important month in lunar history: It was on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong That Became the first person to set foot on the surfaces of the moon.He and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Spent 2 ½ hours exploring the lunar landscape.

Shows in the night sky

The Full Moon Is Often a pain to Amateur Astronomers Seeking Other Heavenly Bodies. By contrast, a new moon Gives Those Other bodysuits Their chance to shine. New moons Occur When the moon lies beneath the Earth and sun, with the unilluminated side of the moon Facing the Earth.

This month&&9;s new moon Comes at a good time: the night of July 30, just one day after the southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower Reaches maximum STI. This meteor shower OCCURS over a Period of time from July 14 to Aug. 18. For Observers in the Northern Hemisphere, Meteor Can Usually Be seen moving east, north and west above-the southern horizon. With only a sliver of light left from the Waning Moon, the night sky July 29 Should be nice and dark for meteor watchers.

You Can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @ sipappas.Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and Discoveries on Twitter and on Facebook @ LiveScience.

Gallery: The Fantastic Full Moon Moon Facts Top 10 Amazing In Photos: Blood Red Moon

Full Buck Moon to Rise This Week

SHANGHAI - China ConocoPhillips HAS Ordered to Immediately halt output at offshore platforms in Two Bohai Bay off the Northeast coast icts, Sayings recent Oil Spills Were not fully Under Control.

The State Oceanic Administration Said Wednesday it wanted the company to Completely Eliminate Any Risks of leaks After Spills Were found from platforms B and C of the Penglai 19-3 oilfield, Which is operated by Houston-based ConocoPhillips&&9; China Subsidiary.

It Said satellite monitoring and inspections detected near the oil platforms and Said There Were Signs Further leaks May Occur.

Last week, ConocoPhillips China, Which partnered with state-run China National Offshore Oil Corp.in Developing the Penglai field, Said It Had Cleaned Up Oil Spills from Two last month Which There HAD Covered 840 square kilometers Some (324 square miles). China Reported a fresh but small oil spill Tuesday in the Bohai Bay field operated by In Another CNOOC .

Conoco Said Wednesday That Amounts of oil, "No More Than liters per day," continues to seep out from Naturally Occurring fault near a platform B associates degree in safety. It Said final cleanup operations are Ongoing platform near C, where "trace amounts" of Oil and Gas bubbles continued to Be Observed from the sea floor.

Conoco, based in Houston, Estimated That a combined 1.500 to 2.000 barrels of oil and oil-based drilling fluids spilled Were. No oil HAS Reached the shore, and no one WAS Injured in The Spill, Conoco said.The 1 square kilometer (0.4 square mile) spill WAS Caused by a malfunction in the Centralized control system for the Suizhong 36-1 oilfield&&9;s central platform, ocean Authorities said.

CNOOC Said in a statement Tuesday fixed the malfunction HAD Been Expected That and That It Would Be the Oil Spill Cleaned up by the end of the day.

The Oceanic Administration HAS Ordered all offshore oil operators to Conduct Risk Assessment and Their beef up emergency plans to minimize or Prevent Any damage to the marine environment, Which is Also Suffering from algae blooms and red tides.

China says oil spills not fully controlled

Out-of-body hallucinations Can Be freaky, and are associated with mental Often Illness or physical. New research thesis HAS experiences linked to instabilities in from of the brain Called the temporal lobe, and to errors in the body&&9;s sense of Itself - Even in healthy Individuals.

"Seems to Be That all of us Can Be Placed somewhere Along a sliding scale, based on how our unstable or erratic temporal lobe IS, and Some People are more prone to experiences thesis," study researcher Said Jason Braithwaite of the University of Birmingham.

The temporal lobe Interprets the sensory information coming in and Other from the body and places it on a body map, Giving us our sense of Being inside our body, of looking out from our eyes. If this interpretation goes wrong, a hallucination Which Can Occur in a person from outside Sees Themselves of Their body, Also called a year out-of-body experience (OBE).[Top 10 Unexplained Phenomena]

Experiencing the body

Out-of-body experiences are Traditionally Thought of as Occurring DURING a near-death experience, the only goal thesis arent in Which OBEs situations might occur. Theys Often Occur DURING relaxed and wakeful states, DURING or temporal lobe seizures or migraines. About 10 percent of people in the general population Have Experienced OBE year. In college undergraduates, this Number is double (Researchers do not know why), falling somewhere Usually Between 20 and 25 percent.

In the Researchers&&9; sample of 63 undergraduates, 17 Individuals (26 percent) Reported HAVING Experienced OBE year. The Volunteers filled out a questionnaire to Assess Their mental state.Those Who Reported HAVING HAD year OBE Showed Two differences are only shares of the questionnaire: Those That Indicate instabilities in the brain&&9;s temporal lobe and errors in the body&&9;s sense of Itself.

To measure a participant&&9;s temporal lobe Stability, the surveys included questions Such as: "Do you ever sense the presence of Another Being, despite Being Unable to see Any evidence?" An example questions from the body-distortion measures: "Do you ever Have That the feeling your body, or share of it, is changing shape or HAS CHANGED? "

Participants aussi Completed a computer-based task Where They Were Asked to imagine Being in the place of a figure on the screen to Identify and shares of the body (like "Which Is The figure&&9;s hand glove on?").People Who Were Slower HAD Experienced OBEs in Their responses and more prone to make errors.

Distorted data

The distortion in our sense of bodily self Could Be Caused by Either Conflicting information coming in from the body, or from disruptions of communication in the temporal lobe, this information Which Processes Into a body map, Braithwaite Told LiveScience.

"Your sense of self, of Where You Are in space, IS NOT automatic, your brain Needs to work it out all the time," Braithwaite said. "It&&9;s That Constantly sampling information and making Constantly That interpretation of Where You Are in space, and Sometimes That interpretation goes wrong."

When this interpretation goes wrong, it Could Be the year because of out-of-body experience.

The study published in the WAS July 2011 issue of the journal Cortex.

You Can follow LiveScience Staff Writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @ microbelover.Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and Discoveries on Twitter and on Facebook @ LiveScience.

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Out-of-Body Hallucinations Linked to Brain Glitch