10 METRO Friday, December 11, 2009 D Is it a bird? Is it a plane? The strange light over Norway could be the failed Bulava missile test Picture: Reuters its a gas: The gases which formed the Earths early atmosphere probably came from a series of meteor showers full of gas and water-rich minerals, say students at Manchester and Houston universities. The teams used ultra-sensitive tests to measure tiny amounts of volcanic trace gases krypton and xenon. They revealed an isotopic fingerprint matching that of meteorites. It means volcanic gases could not have helped create Earths embryonic atmosphere. Flies like us: Fruit flies choose to get drunk in a similar way to humans, a study has shown. The flies will consume alcohol to intoxicating levels and will binge drink after being deprived of it for a while. Addiction is a purely human condition but flies show several key features of it, the study found. US researchers said the insects find alcohol rewarding, even though they do not like the taste. Ovary aND Out: Ovaries can be reprogrammed into testes simply by flicking a genetic switch. By switching off a single gene in female mice, scientists found that testis-specific genes immediately sprang to life, although they developed with no ability to produce sperm. The breakthrough may have implications for understanding certain sex disorders in children and premature menopause in women, researchers at the University of Cologne said. If you have a story for MiniCosm please e-mail us at news@metroireland.ie MINICOSMSCIENCE & DISCOVERY IN BRIEF Was weird light a failed Russian missile test? NEW evidence emerged yesterday that a strange light in the sky over Norway could be a failed Bulava ballistic missile test. The Russian missile suffered its eighth failure in 12 tests, dealing another blow to Kremlin hopes that the sea-based weapon would become a cornerstone of its nuclear arsenal. The latest failure from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea east of Scandinavia came amid speculation about the mysterious lights over Norway. Photographs and amateur video footage of the lights have been circulating on the internet since Wednesday. Russian officials said it did not know whether the lights were the Bulava, which can accommodate multiple nuclear warheads and has a range of 8,000km (5,000 miles). Despite the repeated failures, Russian leaders have boasted about the Bulavas ability to penetrate missile defences and have described it as a key part of the militarys future nuclear arsenal. Officials have insisted the Bulavas design is fine and have blamed its failed tests on manufacturing flaws. They said it was difficult to control the quality of all the parts supplied by the 650 subcontractors involved. By coN doherTy Ford recalls 65,000 cars amid engine fire concern CAR manufacturer Ford has been forced to recall 65,000 of its cars across Europe over concerns about potential engine fires. The safety recall is about its most popular model the Ford Focus. Ford has warned that salt from gritted roads could affect the cars cooling system causing it to overheat and ignite. The company warned drivers that, following a specification change to the engine-cooling fan-control module, there was a risk of cor- rosion build-up from salt put down during the winter to make roads safer. It said the corrosion could get into the elec- tronic circuits and cause overheating. In a letter to owners, it said: In rare cases, the overheating may be sufficient to ignite the module and surrounding wiring and compo- nents. The recall affects all Ford Focus cars with 1.8L and 2.0L TDCi diesel engines built be- tween February 20, 2004 and May 31, 2006. The Ford Focus model includes the Zetec and Style. The safety recall also includes some of the C-Max range. A Ford spokesman said no accidents or inju- ries related to the problem had been reported. A spokesman for Ford Ireland said 200 Fo- cus had been affected here, and 184 C-Max and owners of the affected model have been urged to bring their cars for a free refit. The US car maker identified the problem in August and drivers started to be alerted in mid-September. Last month, Ford revealed profits of almost $1billion (679million) between July and September thanks to increased market share and a successful cost-cutting plan compared with a loss of 109million a year earlier. overheating risk: Ford Focus model index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html