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LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found the fossilized claw of a 2.5-metre (8-foot) sea scorpion, a nightmarish creature living before the age of dinosaurs.

"This is an amazing discovery," said university researcher Simon Braddy.

"We have known for some time that the fossil record yields monster millipedes, super-sized scorpions, colossal cockroaches, and jumbo dragonflies but we never realized, until now, just how big some of these ancient creepy-crawlies were."

The find was described by Braddy and transportation guide colleagues in the journal Biology Letters.

The claw of the sea scorpion Jaekelopterus rhenaniae measured 46 centimeters (18 inches) long, indicating the creature was half a meter longer than previous estimates of the ancient arthropods.

Just why prehistoric arthropods -- creatures with external skeletons and segmented bodies -- grew so large is unclear. Some scientists believe they may have become giants because of the higher levels of oxygen in the atmosphere in the past.

Another theory is that they evolved in an "arms race" alongside their likely prey, the early armored fish.

Giant-sized telescopes such as Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra offer unprecedented views of the cosmos, but astronomers are eager to put more powerful tools into orbit around the Earth.

"We need better observations to make our models better," Somerville said, noting her search to understand galaxy formation and mysterious quasars. "... If you just put theorists in a room for the next 15 years with the biggest supercomputer you can find, it will never happen."

NASA expects the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to launch in 2013, and many scientists are already pondering their future observations of tiny extrasolar planets, elusive black holes and distant galactic arms.

Somerville and other astronomers laid bare their sky-watching hopes—including telescopes beyond JWST—at the recent Astrophysics 2020 conference, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and held at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

Galactic details

JWST will boast a segmented mirror nearly 21 feet (6.4 meters) in diameter, which has seven times the light-collecting area of Hubble. Somerville thinks the sensitive infrared observatory will be crucial for understanding galaxy formation.

"If you don't have a high trading cards enough resolution, galaxies you're trying to observe are going look like fuzzy blobs," Somerville said. "Seeing the star-filled arms of galaxies in detail, for example, can tell us how some galaxies evolved."

And the higher the resolution, the further a telescope can see back in time, as light can take millions or billions of years to reach Earth.

While Somerville said NASA's next "great observatory" will deliver unprecedented views of galactic arms, she thinks the telescope could use some help to speed along other cosmic discoveries.

Helper telescopes

"JWST has a big mirror and is very sensitive, but it has a postage-stamp sized camera sensor. You can see very, very deep into the universe, but you can only see this much at a time," she told SPACE.com, drawing the sensor size in the air with her hands.

"That takes a long time. If you have a smaller-diameter telescope with a lot of sensors, you can see much more of the sky at one time."

She explained that while such "wide-field" telescopes would not be as sensitive as JWST, such high-sensitivity telescopes could step in to observe interesting areas in greater detail. "It narrows your playing field and, ultimately, saves you a lot of time," Somerville said.

Saving that time should help astronomers find objects of interest faster and rapidly expand scientific knowledge.

Beyond JWST

Somerville, however, isn't the only one with big ideas. Wes Traub, an astronomer and project scientist for several proposed planet-finding NASA missions, would like to see extrasolar planets in greater detail than ever before.

Traub and his colleagues envision blocking out the blinding light of distant stars with giant occulters, or "solar shades," to observe planets around stars with future space telescopes.

"There are many, many planets to be found," Traub said. If the solar shade idea takes off, he explained, astronomers could block the intense glare of a planet's star and precisely measure light reflecting off the planet. In effect, astronomers could look for life-nurturing compounds such as water, methane and oxygen on the planet.

"If we can image a planet with just one pixel on a detector ... we could characterize its surface and search for life," he said. If NASA approves such a mission in the next decade, JWST may be the first telescope to take such measurements.

But Traub said he would like to see bigger space telescopes to peer at distant planets.

"When you go to a larger telescope, you gain proportionately that much detection ability and sensitivity," he said, which allows for speedier extrasolar planet searches and observations. "It would be lovely to have a 16-meter [53-foot] diameter telescope to do this."

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eight unusual examples of a burned-out celestial object known as a white dwarf detected in our Milky Way galaxy represent a previously unknown category of stars, astronomers said on Wednesday.

White dwarfs result from the collapse of star cores in dying stars whose nuclear fusion has ceased. They usually have a mass about that of the sun, but are only a bit larger than Earth because they have blown off their outer layers, leaving behind only a small, dim and extremely dense core.

University of Arizona astrophysicist Patrick Dufour said previously known white dwarfs have fallen into two categories: those with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and those with a helium-rich atmosphere. But Dufour and three other scientists, writing toys guide  in the journal Nature, described eight white dwarfs that break the mold by possessing carbon atmospheres.

The researchers think they may have formed from stars much more massive than the sun but not quite massive enough to explode as a supernova.

"It was totally unexpected because all of the white dwarfs we knew so far were either hydrogen-rich or helium-rich. So this is a completely new kind of star," Dufour said in a telephone interview.

These eight white dwarfs are located in our own galaxy between about 1,000 and 2,000 light years from Earth, Dufour said. A light year is about 6 trillion miles, the distance light travels in a year.

The scientists have spotted at least a couple of other white dwarfs that might fit into this new category, Dufour added. All of them were among about 10,000 new white dwarfs recently identified in an extensive survey effort.

After blowing off their outer layers, white dwarfs typically leave behind a core of carbon and oxygen that is cloaked by a surrounding atmosphere of hydrogen or helium. The eight newly described ones have atmospheres primarily of carbon, with little or no trace of hydrogen or helium.

"It will be a challenge to try to explain how they form and what does this tell us about stellar evolution," Dufour said.

They might have evolved from a star similar to a unique one called H1504+65, the researchers said. Astronomers think this star violently expelled all its hydrogen and nearly all its helium, leaving behind a stellar nucleus with a surface half carbon and half oxygen.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - A scooter-riding Mickey Rourke was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving under the influence.

A telephone message left at the office of Rourke's agent wasn't immediately returned.

A Miami Beach Police report said Rourke made a U-turn with a red light and then swerved several times while on a green scooter. He had a flushed face and bloodshot, watery eyes, his speech was slurred, and he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, the report said.

"I'm not drunk, I didn't even drink eaby eshop that much," the report quoted Rourke as saying.

Rourke, 51, allegedly failed field-sobriety tests before being taken to headquarters. He also failed an alcohol breath test, police said.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Bourne Ultimatum" led the nominations for the People's Choice Awards, an annual event with a dizzying array of categories voted on by the American public, organizers said on Thursday.

Other multiple nominees included "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Transformers," both of which will compete against "The Bourne Ultimatum" for favorite movie.

Bruce Willis and Johnny Depp ebay ebuy will compete with Damon for favorite male action star. Willis and Depp will also vie for favorite male movie star with Denzel Washington.

Jessica Alba also received two nominations, for favorite leading lady and favorite female action star.

Winners in all 38 categories, split among film, TV and music, will be announced during a ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 8.

This year's show, televised by CBS, drew 11.3 million viewers, up a little from 2006, but far below its 1977 heyday of 35 million.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If you've been teased all your life for having a long neck, large head, bug eyes, or other unusual facial features, step forward. Hollywood is calling.

The casting call lists features such as "long necks, small heads, extremely large heads, wide-set eyes, bug eyes, close-set eyes, large forehead, short upper lip, pronounced cheekbones, over- or under-sized ears and/or nose, facial deformities."

But it's not just odd-looking people they want.

"Ultra plain-looking people, ultra perfect-looking people, pure wholesome looks, twins, triplets, emaciated talent, regally poised and postured talent, or other visually unique characteristics," are also on the list.

The studio also is looking for thin, military types aged between 18 and 70 to portray Starfleet Academy cadets with marching experience who would not object to having their eyebrows shaved into a Vulcan-type shape.video online

"Everyone must be thin, athletic, fit; wardrobe will be form-fitting," said the casting call posted online.

The latest "Star Trek" movie, scheduled to open in theaters in December next year, is understood to follow the early days of the Enterprise crew.

Director J.J. Abrams has cast Bruce Greenwood as Christopher Pike, the Starship Enterprise's first captain, to star alongside Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, and Karl Urban.

Reuters/Nielsen

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is elevated in infants with parents who have been hospitalized for psychiatric illness or substance-abuse disorders, according to a new study.

In SIDS, which occurs without warning, apparently healthy infants seem to just stop breathing. The cause is unknown and most cases occur between the ages of 2 and 4 months.

In families with a parental history of psychiatric hospitalization, either fathers or mothers, the risk of SIDS was roughly doubled compared with the frequency seen in the general population, the authors report in the Archives of General Psychiatry. If both parents were hospitalized, the risk of SIDS was increased by nearly 7-fold.

For specific disorders, the greatest risk was associated with inpatient treatment for substance abuse. The risk was especially high if mothers were hospitalized, which increased the risk by 5-fold.

For mood disorders, such as depression, the risk was increased by about 2-fold for hospitalization of the mother or father.

Contrary to previous reports, schizophrenia-like disorders did not increase the risk of SIDS more than other psychiatric disorders.cell phones PDAs

"When treating severe adult psychiatric illnesses, it is important to identify patients who already have or will soon have infants in their care," Webb's group writes. "To help raise parental awareness of modifiable risk factors, these especially vulnerable infants may be better protected if infants' pediatricians are informed of parents' mental illnesses."

SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry, November 2007.

WASHINGTON - President Bush signed the Joshua Omvig suicide prevention bill on Monday, providing improved screening and treatment for at-risk veterans.

"As a nation, we cannot stand idly by when the needs of our brave soldiers are not being met," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who helped push the measure through the Senate. "We have a responsibility to truly support our troops by ensuring they have the services they need during their time in active service, and after they return home."

The law requires mental health training for Veterans Affairs staff; a suicide prevention counselor at each VA medical facility; and mental-health screening and treatment for veterans who receive VA care. It also supports outreach and education for veterans and their families, peer support counseling and research into suicide prevention.

The new law comes amid growing concerns over mental health issues borne by veterans who have seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA Inspector General, in a report last May, said Veterans Health Administration officials estimate 1,000 suicides per year among veterans receiving care within VHA and as many as 5,000 per year among all living veterans.

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Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, who sponsored the bill, commended Omvig's parents for their sacrifice and support of the new law.

"While suffering this personal tragedy, they went on to help other veterans and their families and have advocated for improving all mental health services at the VA," Boswell said.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Cervical cancer is much more common in Asia than the quarter of a million new cases recorded each year, according to an expert, who says governments should consider vaccinating all women because screenings are too costly.

"Not all cancers will be registered and you are probably underestimating by 40 to 50 percent," Stanley said.

After breast cancer, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. It is caused by several types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), that is spread through sexual contact.

Most women's bodies are able to fight HPV infection, but it can result in cancer later on. Risks are higher for smokers, mothers of many children, women who have used birth control pills for a long time, or those who are HIV-positive.

While figures have fallen in advanced Western nations after Pap smear screenings and HPV vaccines were made widely available, the situation in Asia has stayed relatively unchanged over the past 50 years. Screenings enable early detection of the disease.

"Particularly in rural areas, these figures have not changed because conditions and factors that contribute to the disease have not changed compared to urban life in a developed country," Stanley said in an interview.

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INFECTION

"It is very much caused by infection of the HPV, and women acquire that when they marry. It's a sexually transmitted infection associated very much with early marriage, early childbearing, many children, lack of access to medical services." Half of the incidence of cervical cancer results in death, with most of those cases occurring in developing countries.

The disease strikes mostly between the ages of 35 and 65, when victims are in the prime of their lives as wives, mothers and career women.

"It's important economically because it literally removes the lynchpin of the family, the wife and mother," Stanley said. She said the ideal intervention would be vaccination and it could be carried out using a system that is already in place in Asia, where most children are protected from a range of diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tuberculosis and polio.

In the case of HPV vaccines, it is generally considered to be best administered between the ages of 9 and 13 years, before girls become sexually active and potentially exposed to HPV.

"Vaccination is extremely well done in Asia. Between 85 and 90 percent of children even in the poorest of countries in Asia are covered. There is a well-established infrastructure for the delivery of vaccine. The challenge is to deliver the vaccine to 11-or 12-year-old girls," Stanley said.

"There is not an extensive screening program in virtually any country in Asia. The screening programs are not well organized and they are very expensive."

WASHINGTON - Employers added twice as many new jobs to their ranks than expected in October, an encouraging sign that the nation's employment climate is not cracking under the stress of a deepening housing slump.

Job gains were logged at schools, hospitals, bars and restaurants, hotels and motels, temporary-help firms, legal services, accounting and bookkeeping companies, the government and other places.

Those hiring increases more than offset jobs losses at factories, construction companies and mortgage businesses — casualties of the meltdowns in the housing and credit markets. Retailers and trucking companies also shed jobs.

"There is no question that employers are more cautious as they look forward. But I think many of them are not seeing it in their actual operations. They need workers and they are hiring," said John Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a placement firm.

The latest report on employment conditions nationwide was better than economists anticipated. Economists were expecting payrolls in October to grow by a much smaller 80,000.

"Businesses have not clammed up on the hiring scene as some feared," said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics. "The wheels aren't coming off the economy."

But on Wall Street, the good employment news failed to ease fears among skittish investors. The Dow Jones industrials were off around 15 points in afternoon trading. One day earlier, the Dow plunged more than 360 points, underscoring the fragile state of financial markets.

President Bush pointed to fresh employment figures as evidence that his economic policies work. "This is now our 50th consecutive month of uninterrupted job growth, the longest in the nation's history," he said.

Even so, the trend this year has been toward softer job growth. Wage growth, meanwhile, moderated a bit last month.

Average hourly earnings rose to $17.58 in October, a 0.2 percent increase. That was down slightly from a 0.3 percent rise in September. Over the past 12 months, wages were up 3.8 percent.

Still, economists said the wage gains should be sufficient to support consumer spending and keep the economic expansion — which began in late 2001 — intact.

The state of the nation's employment climate is a crucial factor determining whether the economy will, in fact, weather the financial storm. So far, decent job creation and wage growth have helped to offset some of the negative forces hitting some individuals from the housing slump, weaker home values and harder-to-get credit.

To be sure, problems challenging the economy are hitting some industries and workers hard. Construction employment has fallen by 124,000 since its peak in September 2006. Factories have cut more than 200,000 jobs over the year. Employment at mortgage firms has fallen by 56,000 since its peak in February.

The economy, which grew at a brisk 3.9 percent annual rate in the third quarter, is expected to slow to about half that pace or less in the current October-to-December quarter. The toll of the housing collapse and credit crunch are expected to catch up to consumers and chill their spending.

"The pace of economic expansion will likely slow in the near term, partly reflecting the intensification of the housing correction," Federal Reserve policymakers said Wednesday as they decided to lower their key interest rate again.con shop cond ebuy cost buy

The Fed sliced its key rate by one-quarter percentage point to 4.50 percent to protect the economy from undue economic weakness in the months ahead. It was the second rate reduction in six weeks.

At the same time, the Fed hinted that it may not need to cut rates again for a while. Economists said Friday's employment figures increase the odds that the Fed will leave its key rate unchanged at its next meeting in December.

Complicating the outlook: Surging oil prices, which have hit record highs in recent days and are hovering past $95 a barrel.

If high oil prices boost the costs of many other goods and services, inflation could spread through the economy. High energy prices also could cause people and businesses to cut back on other types of spending, putting another damper on economic growth.

As economic growth slows, the unemployment rate probably will creep up to 5 percent by early next year, economists say.

Many analysts believe the country will be able to avoid a recession, although the odds of one occurring have grown since the beginning of the year.  costume online cotton mall

"This was a very solid report that tells us the economy is hardly falling apart," Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, said of the latest employment figures. But he added, "I am not yet willing to say we are out of the woods."