It's one of those rare days when I can't decide which story to report to you, in spite of plenty to choose from.  I'm settling for a random assortment, so settle down yourself and get the buzz from today and yesterday:

W. Scott McGraw from Ohio State University has been gathering leftover bones from beneath the nests of African crowned eagles, and has found that more than half belonged to primates, leading his evolutionary mind to believe that raptors (the birds, not the dinosaurs, in this case) regularly preyed on ancient humans.  He says that the "Tuang Child," the name given to the owner of a small skull specimen found in a South African cave, was killed by an "ancient crowned hawk eagle."  That particular bit is old news: The Tuang-eagle connection seems to have been first proposed back in January by paleontologist Lee Berger.

Where I live in northwest Indiana, the Lake Michigan beaches are occasionally condemned because of high levels of Escherichia coli , a bacterium ever present in our digestive system, which, according to Wikipedia, is considered in the world of sewage treatment to be an accurate indicator of human fecal amounts (Pleasant Thought). Scientists researching how E. coli bacteria attach themselves to mucous membranes discovered tiny hair-like protrusions on the species that stick to surfaces and strengthen under stress.  Now the same researchers have found that these protrusions, called "fimbriae," are built of proteins arranged "in a tightly coiled helix shape, like a seven-nanometer-wide Slinky toy."  This spring-like system acts like a shock absorber for the bacterium, allowing it to withstand the turbulent flow of your digestive juices.

"Too Many Men Could Destabilize Society" is the title of an article released yesterday by University College London, which states the obvious in pointing out how sex-selective abortions in Asia have led to an enormous deficit of females--up to 80 million in India and China.  The article worries of an increase in male "antisocial behaviour and violence," because of their lack of an "outlet for sexual energy."  However, it claims that women should benefit from their increased value, experiencing a rise in social status.
Are they suggesting that the selective abortion of 80 million females has been beneficial to women in general?  The title of the article certainly implies that the authors thought a surplus of men--not a lack of women--was the real problem in Asian society.  Are they suggesting that the Chinese should abort their males as well?

The New York Times has an article about the 70-year history of the search for the human papillomavirus vaccine, and you'll learn, among other things, how the legend of the jackrabbit probably got started.  An interesting story, and I'm glad to hear of the vaccine, though I must point out that the best defense against STD's is still abstinence and fidelity.  Cheaper, too.