In 2005, a gigantic rift broke open desert ground in Ethiopia in 2005, and since then scientists have speculated that it was the first step in a process that will eventually split eastern Ethiopia and Somalia from the African continent by a new Ocean. Four years later, researchers have proof that this will indeed happen.

When the rigt was created in 2005, it almost went unnoted because of the sparse population of the Ethiopian desert. At 34.8 miles large, or 56 kilometers, it sounds impossible that it couldn't be noticed. Indeed, it was noticed. Satellite imagery clearly showed that the landscape had changed. At the time, geologists believed that the rift was the start of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart. This claim was controversial at the time, however.

Scientists from several countries now confirm that the volcanic activity at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are identical to those at the bottom of the worl'd oceans. And they say that the rift is likely the beginning of a new sea.

Scientists have discovered a planet that according to current understanding of orbital dynamics, should not exist. The planet is known as a "hot Jupiter", a giant gaseous planet orbiting the star Wasp-18 about 330 light years away from Earth. It is so close to the star that it completes a full orbit in less than an Earth day.

A planet that close, however, should be consumed by its parent star in less than 1 million years. Researchers at Keele University in England believe the star Wasp-18 to be 1 billion years old. Since stars and the planets around them are tought to form at the same time, the planet Wasp-18b should have been reduced to nothing but ashes ages ago.

Coel Hellier, an astrophysicist at Keele University, said:

"This planet should spiral inwards on such a short time scale that the likelihood of seeing it is very low.

Douglas Hamilton, an astronomer at the University of Maryland, said:

According to new research published in The Journal of the American Dental Association, people wilth red hair are often resistant to local pain blockers, such as Novocaine. Consequently, redheads were found to be especially nervous about dental procedures and are twice as likely to avoid going to the dentist as those with blond or brunette hair.

Dr. Daniel I. Sessler, an anesthesiologist and chairman of the Department of Outcomes Research at the Cleveland Clinic, said that he began to study hair color after he heard so many of his colleagues discussing how redheads tend to require more anesthesia. He said:

“The reason we studied redheads in the beginning, it was essentially an urban legend in the anesthesia community saying redheads were difficult to anesthetize. This was so intriguing we went ahead and studied it. Redheads really do require more anesthesia, and by a clinically important amount.”

Previous research has found that redheads require, on average, 20 percent more anesthesia than blonds or brunettes.

After publishing his research on the topic, Dr. Sessler says he began to hear from other redheads who complained about problems with dental pain and fears of going to the dentist.

Despite little or no previous exposure to dogs, new research suggests that babies understand the meaning of different dog barks. At just 6 months old, infants can match the sounds of an angry snarl and a friendly yap to photos of dogs displaying threatening and welcoming body language.

These new findings come on the heels of a study from the same Brigham Young University lab that showed infants can detect mood swings in the music of Beethoven.

BYU psychology professor Ross Flom, lead author of the study, notes that while dogs and babies sound like a silly mix, these kinds of experiments help to understand how babies learn so rapidly. Well before they have mastered the art of speech, babies can respond to the tone of what is going on around them. Flom said, "Emotion is one of the first things babies pick up on in their social world."

During the experiment, the babies first saw two different pictures of the same dog - one in an aggressive pose and another in a friendly stance. Researchers then played in a random order sound clips of an aggressive and friendly dog bark. While the recordings were being played, the 6-month old babies spent most of their time staring at the appropriate picture. Older babies tended to make the connection instantly upon first glance.

A group known as The Center for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM), which is comprised of Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve university, University Hospitals, and Athersys Inc., has been awarded a $5 million grant from Ohio's Third Frontier Commission under the Research Commercialization program. This funding will help to support new and innovative stem cell technologies, and will include two commercial, for emerging, and three pilot projects. Each of the projects will match the funding, creating a $10 million grant to benefit stem cell and regenerative medicine within the state of Ohio.

These research efforts will result in efficient clinical applications, as well as the commercialization of stem cells to benefit patients located throughout Ohio. Thus far, these kinds of efforts have brought in $170 million in new commercial development and investment in the state.

Current healthcare is limited to using drugs or devices to treat disease and injury. Stem cell research such as that which is being done by CSCRM could change the way disease and injury are treated, as they are uniquely positioned to rapidly implement new stem cell technologies in both the commercial and therapeutic areas.

Japanese researchers have identified a gene that may be responsible for hair loss in humans, giving hope the millions of balding men and women around the world. In genetic experiements on mice, researchers were able to create mutant rodents that lacked the Sox21 "master regulator" gene - a gene also found in humans - whose function they said is to ensure hair retention.

Scientists found that when they blocked the gene in rodents, it led to hair loss. Mice began to shed their fur "from postnatal day 11 beginning at the head and progressing toward the tail region of the back." Eventually the genetically altered mice became bald, losing all their body hair, including whiskers.

Researchers concluded: "The lack of this gene results in a loss of the interlocking structures required for anchoring the hair shaft in the hair follicle." Lead research Yumiko Saga said that the findings could lead to the development of a treatment against thinning hair in humans.

Meet Ruby Puppy, one of four cloned pups that glow because they have genetic information from sea anemones, a breakthrough that scientists are hoping will aid in the study of human diseases. According to New Scientist Magazine, the dogs produce a protein that glows under ultraviolet light.

The first transgenic dog - called this because it has genes transferred from another speciies - was created by cloning and inserting cells expressing a red flourescent gene which is produced by sea anemones. They hope that it will eventually lead to transgenic dog models of human diseases.

One of the researchers involved with this project, CheMyong Ko of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, said:

"The next step for us is to generate a true disease model."

The team was lead by Byeong-Chun Lee of Seoul National University in South Korea. He was also a part of the 2005 scientific effort with stem cell researcher Woo Suk Hwang that created the first cloned dog.

One scientist says 'Yes'.

Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield, an Oxford University neuroscientist, says that social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are said to shorten attention spans, make young people more self-centered, and encourage instant gratification.

Facebook claims more than 150 million users, while Twitter has around 6 million. While these sites are considered extremely popular, as well as profitable, a number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe that they may be doing more harm than good.

Greenfield believes that repeated exposure could effectively "rewire" the brain. Other factors include computer games and fast-paced television shows.

"We know how small babies need constant reassurance that they exist. My fear is that these technologies are infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment," said Greenfield.

President Barack Obama is soon expected to issue an executive order that would lift an eight-year ban on embryonic stem-cell research that was enacted during the Bush administration.

Adviser David Axelrod said on Sunday, "We're going to be doing something on that soon . . . The president is considering that right now."

President George W. Bush limited federal funding for stem cell research in 2001 to only human embryonic stem cell lines that already existed. It was a nod to conservative Christian supporters that regard this kind of research as destroying human life. During his presidential campaign, Obama vowed to reverse Bush's ban.

Scientists, however, believe that embryonic stem cell research could eventually produce cures for such devastating diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and even spinal cord injuries.

Last month the FDA cleared the way for the first trial to see if these stem cells could safely treat people. The trial will use stem cells from existing lines to regrow nerve tissue in patients with crushed spinal cords.

Photo: The University College Hospital in London where the child was born.

The first known child to have been screened as an embryo for the BRCA-1 gene, the gene which often causes breast and ovarian cancer, was born this week in Great Britain. A spokesman for the University College London told media that the girl was screened through pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, a process that tests a group of embryos created through in vitro fertilization when each contains eight cells.

The cells are tested, and only those which are free of the BRCA-1 gene are returned to the mother's womb.

Around the world, doctors already test for genes causing an array of diseases including Huntington's Disease and Cystic Fibrosis, but this is the first time that a child has been known to have been tested for a gene that is only likely to cause disease.

Those with the BRCA-1 Gene have a 50 to 80 percent chance of developing breast or ovarian cancer in their lifetime. The UK media is calling the child the "cancer-free" girl, which is inaccurate. The girl could still develop a non-genetic form of either breast or ovarian cancer.