Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito: Live Round-by-Round Updates

Judges: Jurgen Langos, Oren Shellenberger, and, Glen Crocker, had it, 120-108, 119-109, and, 118-110, all for Manny Pacquiao.

FanHouse had it for Manny Pacquiao, 119-107.

Referee: Laurence Cole

Margarito enters the ring first to cheers, led by his Mexican flag; Pacquiao, second, led, initially, by AC/DC'S "Thunderstruck." Both fighters were cheered loudly as they entered.

Margarito's introduction is greeted by a mixture of cheers and boos, but mostly, cheers. Pacquiao's introduction receives a similar reception, so the crowd appears to be a mix of fans for both fighters.

Round 1: Pacquiao has a bit of a bulge to his belly and his trunks are pulled high. They touch gloves, Pacquiao right jabs and Margarito meets him in the middle of the ring and is coming forward. Pacquiao jabs and goes to the belly with a left. Margarito is so much bigger at 165 to Pacquiao's 148. Pacquiao lands a few jabs and right hands that follow and the crowd gets into it. A counter right hand lands for Pacquiao and another that jars Margarito's head. Pacquiao lands a right to the body and two more jabs to the head. Margarito is backing up. A three-punch combination by Pacquiao, who is so much faster. Another three-punch Pacquiao combination. Margarito misses with a wild right hand. Another three-punch combination for Pacquiao as the bell rings. Pacquiao's round, 10-9.

Round 2: Pacquiao has established the tempo behind his right jab and follow up lefts. Margarito's guard is high but he is not punching. Pacquiao counters with a hard right but then takes a left from Margarito. Pacquiao stays on the outside and circles. Margarito takes a four-punch combination, right-left, right-left, and another right uppercut. Margarito lands three blows to the head and chest along the ropes. Margarito fires twice to the body. If Pacquiao can do this all night he will have no problems. Pacquiao lands a double-right hook and two left hands, but takes a nice uppercut from Margarito. Margarito lands two solid left jabs. Pacquiao fires and lands two left hands before the bell. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 20-18.

Round 3: Margarito did better in the second round by closing the distance and landing some punches in close. But Pacquiao resumed his strategy of landing from the outside, a one-two up the middle early. Pacquiao whips home a nice left hand and then another. Margarito clubs with a jab and a right hand. The pressure is decent from Margarito, his hands held high. Margarito lands a nice right but takes a hard left hand from Pacquiao that draws crowd reaction. Pacquiao takes a wide right but Pacquiao's defense is tight. Pacquiao reaches and lands a round-ending four-punch combination. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 30-27.

Round 4: Pacquiao continues to circle to his left, and then lands a double-right hook over the top. Pacquiao escapes a jam along the ropes with a hard right and a left and then fires another three-punch combination. Pacquiao shakes Margarito with a hard right and then lands seven unanswered punches. Margarito is undeterred and comes forward. A hard body shot backs up Margarito and then a right wobbles him. Pacquiao is on him, pounding away. Pacquiao is peppering with his right jab and pounding him so that there is swelling and a large, bloody cut. Pacquiao's round, 10-8; Pacquiao, 40-35.

Round 5: Margarito appeared to be ready to go at the end of the last round, but catches Pacquiao early along the ropes with a series of body shots. However, the smaller man resumes control with yet another series of unanswered punches, starting with a right-left combination. A hard left hook targets Margarito's eye again. Margarito gets Pacquiao on the ropes for a three-punch combination to the body, but Pacquiao escapes and fires that left hand that swivels Margarito's head. Pacquiao drives Margarito's head back, yet again, with another right-left, right combination before the bell. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 50-44.

Round 6: Pacquiao continues to circle and jab with his right, and Margarito, to plod, unable to close in. Margarito continues to run into the right hand and then a left hook follows from Pacquiao. A right to the chin by Pacquiao. A right-left from Pacquiao jars Margarito. A four-punch series -- all uppercuts -- find the mark for Pacquiao, whose angles and movement prevent Margarito from getting a bead on him. Pacquiao appears to nearly go down from a left hand to the body along the ropes, but escapes, moves away, and then fires about six unanswered punches to win the momentum back. Margarito's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 59-54.

Round 7: Pacquiao goes back to jabbing and moving to start the seventh, apparently wary of Margarito's body shots. Pacquiao does the Ali-Shuffle to the delight of the crowd, and then fires two, successive combinations. Pacquiao lands a nice left but can't follow up. Pacquiao answers with a three-punch volley and then dances away. Pacqauiao takes a right to the body and two uppercuts. Margarito takes three of the same. Pacquiao fires a seven-punch combination starting with his left hand. Margarito seems close to trapping Pacquiao in a neutral corner, lands two body shots, and then absorbs a right, left right combination as the bell sounds. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 69-63.

Round 8: Pacquiao is on his toes but then gets trapped on the ropes and absorbs some punishment to the body. A vicious counter attack allows Pacquiao to escape. Pacquiao lands and shakes Margarito with a big left, but the bigger man comes forward. Margarito lands a good, solid left to the chin along the ropes. Pacquiao escapes and fires a four-punch volley. Margarito fires a straight right hand up the middle, and, later, traps Pacquiao along the ropes and enjoys some success to the body. But Pacquiao closes strongly. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 79-72.

Round 9: Margarito steps up the pressure early and lands a hard right to the body along the ropes. Pacquiao dances and jabs to create distance. Pacquiao is boxing almost exclusively until he lands two, wicked left hands that knock Margarito's head back. Pacquiao's energy level is incredible. Hard right hand from Pacquiao, who takes one, and then lands another right that shakes Margarito. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 89-81.

Round 10: Margarito's eyes, bruised over and under, are nearly closed. Referee Laurence Cole tests them prior to the start of the round, asking what Margarito can see when he holds up his fingers. He allow the fight to continue, and Pacquiao lands a wicked right hand. A five-punch combination from Pacquiao begins a 10-punch assault. The crowd chants "Manny!" A right uppercut lands from Pacquiao, and then, an overhand right. Pacquiao fires and lands an eight-punch combination and Margarito is rocked by a right hand and nearly goes down. Pacquiao pours it on, but, amazingly, Margarito stays on his feet. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao, 99-90.

Round 11: Pacquiao goes back to pounding Margarito, who appears ready to go. Rights and lefts to the head, uppercuts, and Pacquiao looks at Cole as if asking him to stop the fight. And then Pacquiao resumes the punishment, uppercuts, right hands. Cole stops the action and asks Margarito if he can see, and then allows the beating to continue. Margarito's right eye is pouring blood. His mouth is agape. Pacquiao closes with a four-punch combination, Pacquiao's round, 10-8; Pacquiao, 109-98.

Round 12: Pacquiao, told simply to ease up and win the round by trainer, Freddie Roach, has his up-jab working early. Margarito is still throwing punches, gamely. Margarito still is coming forward, and Pacquiao seems content to box. A four-punch combination lands to the head for Pacquiao. Pacquiao doubles up on the left hand. Pacquiao closes the round with a six-punch volley, even as Margarito throws and misses. Pacquiao's round, 10-9; Pacquiao 119-107. By Lem Satterfield

Charter Schools on the Rise: What You Need to Know

Charter schools have been around for nearly 20 years and their numbers have been swelling in recent years, with 1.5 million students and more than 4,900 schools throughout the country, according to a 2009 survey.

But this past summer, President Obama gave parents who may not be familiar with charter schools billions of reasons to consider this alternative to traditional public schools.

More than $4.3 billion in grant money, part of the federal stimulus program, is available through the U.S. Department of Education. States interested in battling for the money have already turned in applications in the first part of the Race to the Top program that encourages innovative programs that emphasize several key areas, including turning around low-performing schools and raising standards through test scores and other accountability measures.

The president, in interviews since the summer, has made it clear that charter schools are an important part of the Race to the Top initiative, and states with laws that limit the number of charter schools could find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes time to dole out the $4.35 billion.

"The stimulus has had an interesting effect ... It's creating a debate about charter schools—and making that debate even more widespread—particularly in the 10 states that don't have them," said Paul O'Neill, a senior fellow with EdisonLearning and an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where he teaches education and special education law and has a special course on charter school design. EdisonLearning is an educational management firm that promises to improve school performance in public and charter K-12 schools and is affiliated with 125 schools and 350,000 students in the United States and Britain.

Charter schools offer an opportunity to create a school to meet specific needs, while still relying on public dollars, O'Neill said. Charter school organizers can establish their own discipline rules and set up the kind of educational program they want—like dual Spanish-English curriculum originally established at the Family Life Academy Charter School in the south Bronx in New York—as long as it is approved by the governing authorities.

For example, there have historically been restrictions on single sex public schools, leaving that arena largely for private and parochial schools. However, changes to the federal Title IX rules several years ago eased that ban, O'Neill said. A group of parents in Baltimore have taken advantage of the change and created a charter school model for an all boys school called Maryland Possibility Prep.

Charter school proponents must come up with a contract with state officials, often from the Board of Education, laying out the rules and setup of the proposed school. Depending on the size of the proposed school, and if the charter model is approved, a budget is approved by state officials. Most charter schools have a "charter term" or contract period of five years, though some are longer. When that period is up, the state decides whether to renew the contract and can examine accountability statistics to determine the future of the school.

Because charter schools have only existed since 1991, and they are only located in 40 states plus Washington, D.C., O'Neill said he routinely runs into parents who know very little about charter schools. By: Bob Ross

Facts about fast foods!

People who live in neighborhoods packed with fast-food restaurants are more likely to suffer strokes, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. They said residents of one Texas county who lived in neighborhoods with the highest number of fast-food restaurants had a 13 percent higher risk of experiencing a stroke than those in neighborhoods with the fewest such restaurants. The study, presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference, does not prove living near fast-food restaurants raises the risk of stroke, but it does suggest the two are linked in some way.

“The data show a true association,” said Dr. Lewis Morgenstern of the University of Michigan’s stroke program, who led the study. But he said it is not clear whether being surrounded by fast food means you eat more of it or that it is simply a sign of an unhealthy neighborhood. “We need to start unraveling why these particular communities have higher stroke risks,” Morgenstern said. “Is it direct consumption of fast food? Is it the lack of more healthy options? Is there something completely different in these neighborhoods that are associated with poor health?” For the study, Morgenstern and colleagues examined stroke data on residents of Nueces County, Texas, between January 1, 2000, and June 2003.

During that time, county residents suffered a total of 1,247 ischemic strokes, the most common type caused by a blocked artery that chokes off bloodflow to the brain. They used U.S. Census Bureau demographic and socioeconomic data to determine the number of fast-food restaurants in each neighborhood. And they compared neighborhoods with the lowest number of fast-food restaurants — fewer than 12 — to those with the highest number — more than 33. They found the relative stroke risk rose 1 percent for each fast-food restaurant in a neighborhood. Morgenstern said public health experts should consider neighborhoods with a large number of fast-food restaurants as prime areas for stroke prevention programs.

“We need to consider targeting communities that have a lot of fast-food restaurants as places where we can improve health,” Morgenstern said. Prior studies have found a link between fast-food restaurants, heart risks and obesity, leading consumer groups to push for laws such as July’s moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in certain Los Angeles neighborhoods.

The food industry often maintains that a lack of exercise is more to blame. Stroke is the No. 3 killer in the United States behind heart disease and cancer. The CDC estimates 780,000 Americans will have strokes this year. Strokes will kill 150,000 people and leave 15 percent to 30 percent of survivors permanently disabled.

Museums Bring Field Trips to Schools

If it's too expensive or time-consuming to get students out of school for a museum field trip anymore, then why not have the museum come to school?

That's a question that some museums around the country have answered in the affirmative, as decreases in school budgets and increases in paperwork required for field trips have combined to curtail the number of times that students get to go afield.

Never fear, say the staff of a well-known science museum in Boston, we'll come to you. And they have and they do, bringing such things as a portable planetarium into local schools so that teachers can indeed do what they're charged with doing (namely, get their students ready for the next high-profile test).

The planetarium show, a 50-minute lesson on the Sun and the rest of the bodies in the solar system, ties in neatly with the state's physics and space science standards for learning. The show is, teachers and students alike report, compelling. Seeing concepts illustrated in a large-as-life way tends to heighten students' appreciation of the subjects in particular and learning in general, many teachers say.

A similar exhibit from the same museum introduces students to the intricacies of dinosaurs – a favorite topic of youngsters – by facilitating hands-on exploration of footprints and droppings of the giant prehistoric reptiles.

In all, the museum has 14 separate traveling programs, with students and teachers reporting high levels of satisfaction after experiencing the mobile exhibits. The museum plans to exceed 1,000 school visits this year.

Many museums have developed print materials such as handbooks and posters and image- and video-friendly websites showcasing the museums' contents, but the lack of tactile experience is a drawback to many educators. The portable museum concept fills this gap, to an extent that many are happy with.

It's not just Boston, either. Similar "mobile museum" efforts are in business all over the country. Some, like the Boston museum, transport parts of the museum into classrooms. Other museums showcase their wares via video link, which can be as simple as a static broadcast or as interactive as a question-and-answer session.

Then there's Egypt. One museum in South Carolina has made a special effort to take its ancient artifacts to the masses. The mummy doesn't make the trip to schools, but nearly everything else does, including pieces of papyrus and replicas of boys and girls clothes for students to try on.

Under increasing pressure to save money, many schools have abandoned field trips altogether, citing costs of hiring buses, covering museum admissions fees, and possibly even compensating extra personnel for accompanying students to and from school. The other loss, especially for students, is time. The aforementioned 50-minute planetarium show is also just a 50-minute part of a normal school day; by contrast, a field trip to a museum for a 50-minute tour of an astronomy exhibit could last several hours.

With few exceptions, the time that students on field trips spend away from their desks – lining up for the bus, riding the bus to the museum, riding the bus back to school – is not spent learning. If the field trip comes to school, however, it's a class session, during which students can apply themselves 100 percent of the time, including direct followup by teachers on what the students just experienced.

Math, Science Study Gets High-profile Boost

Big Bird, famous CEOs, and the White House are teaming up to launch an initiative to improve American students' knowledge of math and science.

The Educate to Innovate program will devote more than $260 million in public and private funds during the next decade to helping students learn more about STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Some famous names have been enlisted to help, among them:

* Big Bird, Elmo, and other familiar faces on Sesame Street
* Sally Ride, the first American woman in space
* Antonio Perez, the CEO of Eastman Kodak
* Ursula Burns, the CEO of Xerox
* Glenn Britt, the CEO of Time Warner Cable
* Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel
* Michelle Obama, First Lady of the U.S.

All of these people have pledged their support, in both time and money, to help American students learn more about the world around them, the way it works, and the way technology can change their lives.

The Educate to Innovate initiative will target both in-school and after-school activities. Time Warner Cable's Science Channel is planning commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students. Engineering and science organizations will provide support and encouragement for a nationwide focus on science in school laboratories, with the prime focus a National Lab Day, planned for May 2010.

Elmo, Big Bird, and the gang will get involved when Sesame Street, as a major part of its 40th-season anniversary, will focus on math and science as never before, with 20 of the 26 season episodes to have a prime component on science and math.

Also involved will be the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation, the latter of which will work with technology organizations to sponsor contests for students to create math and science projects.

Sony will donate 1,000 PlayStation 3 consoles to low-income schools, along with copies of the PS game LittleBigPlanet and an invitation for students to contribute data for an update of the popular game. By: socialstudiesforkids.com

Quadriplegic Swims Across English Channel

Philippe Croizon lost both arms and both legs in a horrific accident in 1994. In 2010, he swam across the English Channel.

Croizon, 42, of France was standing on a ladder adjusting his TV antenna when the ladder touched a power line. The result was a shock of 20,000 volts of electricity coursing his body. His limbs had to be amputated.

Since the incident, his sense of adventure had gone up a few notches. For example, he jumped from a plane in 2007 wearing only a parachute. Not long after, he set his sights on swimming the Channel.

Two years ago, he was barely able to swim to lengths of a swimming pool near his home of Chatelleraut. He trained up to 35 hours a week to build up muscle and stamina.

Now, he has achieved his goal. Flanked by a full medical team, Croizon completed the 21-mile crossing from Folkestone, U.K., to Wissant, France.

His prosthetic legs had flippers attached. His shoulders propelled his upper body. He breathed using a snorkel. Three dolphins accompanied him for awhile.

He and his crew had allowed 24 hours for the crossing, but he finished it in less than 14 hours. (The world record is just less than 7 hours.)

Croizon had recently written a book about his life since the accident. The book was titled J'ai décidé de vivre (I decide to live). By: socialstudiesforkids.com

Rubble Constant Reminder of Haiti Quake

Eight months after a devastating earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people, Haiti's capital area remains inundated with rubble.

The greater Port-au-Prince area still bears a tremendous number of reminders of the January 12 7.0-magnitude earthquake, in the form of devastated buildings still dominating the landscape. Only 2 percent of the rubble created by the quake has been cleared, according to international officials.

More than a million cubic yards of rubble has already been removed, but the earthquake left tens of millions of cubic yards of ruined buildings in its wake. Among the hazards remaining are buildings still teetering, bricks still falling at random moments, and sidewalks still straining under the weight of entire buildings being dumped onto them.

Hampering cleanup efforts is, most notably, the lack of a single driving force in charge of the effort. The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission has signed off on a rubble removal plan for just six neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, but even that set of events can't be completed because the neighborhoods haven't been chosen yet.

Also presenting a hazard to cleanup is a property records system that was in shambles before the quake struck. Removal crews have, in most cases so far, insisted on getting owners' permission before removing buildings reduced to bricks and mortar. If the people who owned those buildings died in the quake or left as a result of it, then permission to remove the razed materials might be difficult if not impossible to be found.

Another part of the uphill battle is that even though roads to the port have been cleared and heavy equipment has been brought in, many roads within the city and surrounding area are unpaved and inundated with mud, potholes, and other telling reminders that the wet and hurricane season followed the quake.

Tellingly, many Haitians are cleaning up their own rubble, one wheelbarrow at a time. By: socialstudiesforkids.com

Americans Still Lagging in Fruit, Vegetables Consumption

Despite considerable advice to the contrary, Americans still aren't eating enough fruits or vegetables every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new study has found that only 32 percent of Americans surveyed reported eating fruit at least twice a day. An even lower 26 percent reported eating at least three vegetables a day. The CDC consulted hundreds of thousands of Americans nationwide. The same survey done in 2000 found percentages of 34 percent (fruits) and 26 percent (vegetables).

The questions asked were these:

1. How often do you drink fruit juices such as orange, grapefruit, or tomato?
2. Not counting juice, how often do you eat fruit?
3. How often do you eat green salad?
4. How often do you eat potatoes, not including French fries, fried potatoes, or potato chips?
5. How often do you eat carrots?
6. Not counting carrots, potatoes, or salad, how many servings of vegetables do you usually eat?

The study reported that California residents ate the most fruits and Tennessee residents ate the most vegetables. At the bottom of the tables were Oklahoma (fruits) and South Dakota (vegetables).

The fruit most consumed, according to the survey, is fruit juice, specifically orange juice. The champion vegetable, the survey found, is the potato (which many nutritionists consider a starch, not necessarily a vegetable).

Nearly all recommendations for eating healthy food include targets of eating five fruits and vegetables a day, with the daily fruits target being at least two and the daily vegetables target being at least three. Most dietitians and nutritionists recommend a mix of different kinds of fruits and vegetables. By: socialstudiesforkids.com

Firefox 1.1 beta for the Nokia N900

Mozilla is continuing the development of their mobile browser, and a new version of the application is available for download for the users of a Nokia N900. The new Firefox 1.1 beta for Nokia N900 builds on the same browser engine as the desktop Firefox 3.6, though it comes with a wide range of under the hood changes, so as to be optimized for use on mobile phones.

According to the development team, the new 1.1 beta release comes with a series of improvements on the browser experience area, including a polished user interface and a range of enhancements for the UI responsiveness and performance. Firefox 1.1 beta for the Nokia N900 comes with favorite features and great improvements, while being secure, powerful and customizable, Mozilla states.
The release notes of Firefox 1.1 beta for the Nokia N900 include:

* Use volume rocker to zoom in and out on the Nokia N900
* Download Here, First Run and Start page redesign to help you find and use your favorite Firefox features
* Add-ons now auto update and view full add-on gallery from the Add-ons Manager
* Portrait mode support on the Nokia N900
* Form assistant improvements, including autocomplete
* Context Menu with Open in New Tab and Save Image
* Manage site preferences (clearing passwords and others)
* Site Menu improvements and additions including Save to PDF, Forget Password and Add Search Engine
* Web content theme update

The browser also features support for add-ons, which can be installed directly from the Add-ons Manager. According to Mozilla, in order to benefit from all the capabilities of the browser, users should install the add-ons in the Firefox Mobile Starter Kit collection, along with those recommended add-ons in the Add-ons Manager.

Oil Spill to Wipe Out Gulf's Sperm Whales?

If the Gulf of Mexico oil spill kills just three sperm whales, it could seriously endanger the long-term survival of the Gulf's native whale population, scientists say.



Right now between 1,400 and 1,660 sperm whales live year-round in the Gulf of Mexico, making up a distinct population from other Atlantic Ocean groups, in which males make yearly migrations.

All sperm whales are considered endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. But the Gulf of Mexico population is thought to be especially vulnerable due to its relatively small size.

The whales are now at risk from the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill, because they are likely to ingest or inhale toxic crude and noxious oil fumes.

"We know there's going to be some [oil] exposure, and we know there's an endangered species. If you put those two thing together, there is reason for concern," said Celine Godard-Codding, an environmental toxicologist at Texas Tech University.

A 2009 stock assessment report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that the potential biological removal, or PBR, level for the Gulf of Mexico sperm whale population is three.

That means the whales' long-term survival is at risk if, in addition to natural deaths, three sperm whales a year are killed or removed by human causes.

The loss of a handful of whales each year can impact a population of hundreds, because sperm whales—especially females—require a very long time to reach sexual maturity. Females then give birth to just three or four calves during their entire lifetimes.

"They're like humans. Most of the human population is not going to have six kids at once and do that every year," Godard-Codding said.

"As soon as we get to the level of three deaths caused by human interaction—and this would include the oil spill—that would jeopardize that particular sperm whale population."

Whales May Be Choked, Drowned, and Poisoned

Oil spills can affect sperm whales and other cetaceans, including dolphins, in a number of ways.

For starters, the marine mammals have to surface to breathe, and if they come up through an oil slick, they can suck the toxic substance into their lungs.

Also, the fumes on the surface of the water after a recent spill can be powerful enough to knock out full-grown whales, causing them to drown.

Finally, the oil can taint the toothed whales' prey—fish and squid—affecting the whales' diets and hurting their chances of raising healthy calves.

"The chemicals in the oil product that move up through the food web are a great concern for us," said Teri Rowles, coordinator of NOAA's marine-mammal health and stranding response program.

Previous studies have shown that at least some of the Gulf of Mexico sperm whales are known to hang around where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig was located before it exploded on April 20, triggering the spill.

"Between 2000 and 2005, about 300 [sperm] whales were seen on a consistent basis right in that area," Texas Tech's Godard-Codding said.

Dead Gulf Sperm Whales Hard to Tally

Some experts worry that the Gulf oil spill could be as damaging to sperm whales as the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill was to killer whales in Alaska's Prince William Sound.

After the Exxon Valdez disaster, some populations of killer whales were reduced by as much as 40 percent, according to a 2008 study led by marine biologist Craig Matkin of the North Gulf Oceanic Society in Alaska.

Even now, that killer whale population has yet to recover and will likely go extinct in a few decades, Matkin said.

"We lost so many females out of that group that they couldn't catch up again. They still haven't caught up," he said.

If the current oil spill causes more than three Gulf sperm whale deaths this year, it could push that group into the "red zone," Matkin said.

Whether marine mammals are being affected by the Gulf oil spill is unclear. Oil is a suspected factor in the stranding of several coastal bottlenose dolphins, but a firm link has yet to be established, NOAA's Rowles said.

"Deep-diving whales, like sperm whales living away from the shore"—and thus closer to the main body of the oil slick—"certainly have been exposed," she added.

Finding dead or affected whales will be difficult, however, because the animals spend most of their time underwater, and their bodies do not often wash ashore.

"In the aerial surveys that are being performed as part of the cleanup and marine-mammal observations, we are requesting that people report dead floating whales," Rowles said.

"That would be the most likely way we would detect dead sperm whales." By: Ker Than for National Geographic News

Human Facts Evidence...

According to the news, scientists claim to have the first persuasive evidence that Neanderthals wore “body paint” 50,000 years ago. The team report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that shells containing pigment residues were Neanderthal make-up containers. They unearthed the shells at two archaeological sites in the Murcia province of southern Spain. The team says its find buries “the view of Neanderthals as half-wits” and shows they were capable of symbolic thinking.

Professor Joao Zilhao, the archaeologist from Bristol University in the UK, who led the study, said that he and his team had examined shells that were used as containers to mix and store pigments. Black sticks of the pigment manganese, which may have been used as body paint by Neanderthals, have previously been discovered in Africa. This is the first secure evidence for their use of cosmetics,” he told BBC News. “The use of these complex recipes is new. It’s more than body painting.”

Scientists found lumps of a yellow pigment, which they say was possibly used as a foundation. They also found red powder mixed up with flecks of a reflective brilliant black mineral. Some of the sculpted, brightly coloured shells may also have been worn by Neanderthals as jewellery.

Until now it had been thought by many researchers that only modern humans wore make-up for decoration and ritual purposes.