METRO Monday, December 14, 2009 D SPANISH TOURISM OFFICE 1, Westmoreland Street DUBLIN 2 Information number: 081 846 2960 Office inquiries: 01 635 0200 Fax: 01 635 0205 dublin@tourspain.es ParadorofSantoEstevoParadorofSantoEstevoParadorofPlasencia www.spain.infowww.spain.infowww.spain.infowww.spain.infowww.spain.info The Spanish Paradores - where history and legend await your arrival. The historic setting and excellent service at each Parador make this a truly magical experience. Paradores: 00 34 91 516 66 66 Keytel International: 095 23511 www.parador.es Demonstrators dressed as clowns hug a police officer outside the Danish foreign ministry during climate change talks in Copenhagen. At least 30,000 people marched through the city at the weekend, demanding world leaders respond to global warming Picture: AFP Climate study maps penguins GENETIC featherprints are being used to map the movements of penguins and see how they are affected by global warming. Scientists have found genetic markers in DNA from collected feathers that can help them track Antarctic penguins as they migrate between colonies. They hope the technique will reveal whether climate change is driving the birds from their favoured breeding sites. The markers have already been used to make a population map of macaroni penguins around South Georgia and now genetic tracking is being extended to all penguin species on the Antarctic Peninsula. Dr Tom Hart, one of the scientists involved in the study from the Zoological Society of London said: Knowing how penguins are responding to climate change is vital to conservation efforts. Tracked: Penguins Space hunt: Three new planets have been found orbiting a sun-like star called 61 Virginis, which is 27.8 light years away and can be seen with the naked eye. A fourth planet, 23 Librae, orbiting another sun-like star 84 light years away was also found by astronomers using the Anglo- Australian Telescope in Australia, and the Keck telescope in Hawaii. They point the way to even smaller planets that could be rocky and suitable for life, said Prof Chris Tunney from the University of New South Wales. SORe pOInt: Ancient Egyptians were plagued by bad teeth. Almost a fifth of more than 3,000 mummies examined over the last 30 years showed signs of dental disease. They would have been tormented by abscesses and cavities, according to Dr Frank Ruhli of the University of Zurich. Evidence of dental disorders is plentiful because usually teeth are among the best preserved parts of a body, he said. It is hard to know what other ailments they suffered from as the embalming process involved the removal of organs. MINICOSMSCIENCE & DISCOVERY IN BRIEF By KARL RITTER 1,000 arrested at climate talksDANISH police detained more than 200 people yesterday on a second day of demonstrations in Copenha- gen, as environment ministers met for informal talks to advance nego- tiations on a pact to replace the Kyo- to protocol. Police stopped an unauthorised demonstration heading towards the citys harbour and carried out a secu- rity check of some of the partici- pants. They found bolt-cutters and gas masks when they searched a truck leading the demonstration. Police said they detained the activ- ists when some of them started breaking the windows of buildings in central Copenhagen. A police of- ficer received minor injuries when he was hit by a rock thrown from the group and one protester was injured by fireworks. Critics hit out at the Danish law that allows police to make preventa- tive arrests if they believe a demon- stration will turn violent and hold suspected troublemakers for up to 12 hours. They have arrested 1,000 people. And they only followed up on three of them, Amnesty International said. There are a lot of people who havent done anything and had no intention of doing anything. A day earlier, police had detained nearly 1,000 activists at the tail end of a 40,000-strong march toward the suburban conference centre where the 192-nation UN climate confer- ence is being held. The detainees were from a range of European countries as well as the US, Kenya, Belarus, Japan, Mongo- lia, China and Turkey. Only 13 of them remained in cus- tody yesterday. Of those, three two Danes and a Frenchman were set to appear in court on preliminary charges of fighting with police. More than 40 environment minis- ters and other high-level negotiators were meeting yesterday for informal talks at the Danish Foreign Ministry on greenhouse emissions cuts and financing for poor nations. Irish environment minister John Gormley attended the conference. He said this generation will be judged by future generations on the outcome of the meeting and that Eu- rope must show leadership in order to secure a successful deal. We are on the cusp of achieving a global political deal on climate change, but this must be followed quickly in 2010 by a legally binding agreement, Mr Gormley said. Meanwhile, church bells in Den- mark and other countries rang 350 times, a number that refers to what many scientists consider a safe level of carbon dioxide in the air. Christian leaders from around the world took part in an ecumenical service at Copenhagens Lutheran cathedral dedicated to climate change and led by the UKs Arch- bishop of Canterbury Rowan Wil- liams. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa joined church leaders from throughout the world to warn of the dangers of a warming Earth. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html