Sandusky waives hearing, vows to fight charges (AP)

BELLEFONTE, Pa. ? Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky opted against forcing his accusers to make their claims of child sex abuse in a packed courtroom Tuesday but then took his case to the courthouse steps as his lawyer assailed the credibility of the alleged victims and witnesses.

"There will be no plea negotiations," defense lawyer Joseph Amendola said. "This is a fight to the death."

Waiving such a preliminary hearing is not unusual but it was unexpected in this case: Amendola repeatedly had said his client was looking forward to facing his accusers. Afterward, he called the cancellation a "tactical decision" to prevent the men from reiterating the same claims they made to the grand jury.

Lawyers for the alleged victims said some were relieved they would not have to make their claims in public before a trial, but others said they had steeled themselves to face Sandusky and were left disappointed.

"It would have been apparent from watching those boys and their demeanor that they were telling the truth," said Howard Janet, a lawyer for a boy whose mother contacted police in 1998 after her son allegedly showered with Sandusky.

Sandusky has denied the allegations, which led to the departures of longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and the university president. He is charged with more than 50 counts that accuse him of sexually abusing 10 boys over the span of 12 years.

Amendola said he believed some of the young men may have trumped up their claims and that others may came forward in a bid to make money by suing Sandusky, Penn State and the charity Sandusky founded.

"We're pursuing a financial motivation," Amendola said, "Finances and money are great motivators."

Michael Boni, a lawyer representing an accuser known as Victim 1, said Amendola was "reaching into his bag of tricks."

"I can tell you that Victim No. 1 is credible. He was the first one to come forward," he said.

Sandusky told reporters as he left the courthouse that he would "stay the course, to fight for four quarters" and "wait for the opportunity to present our side."

His decision to waive the hearing is not unusual. At the hearings, prosecutors must show that they have probable cause to bring the case to trial. Prosecutors in this case were expected to meet that relatively low bar, in part because the case been through a grand jury.

Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo said the move "provides maximum protection to most importantly the victims in this case."

"It avoids their having to testify for a second time," Costanzo said. "They will of course testify at a trial in the case."

Costanzo also said there had been no discussions about a plea bargain.

Sandusky's next court appearance, an arraignment, is scheduled for Jan. 11. He remains under house arrest.

The accusers who were prepared to testify were split in their reactions to the hearing being canceled.

Boni said he was encouraged that the accusers "do not have to relive the horrors they experience up on the witness stand" by having to testify at the hearing and at trial.

Ben Andreozzi, a lawyer representing another accuser, read a statement from his client, who called it the most difficult time of his life.

"I can't believe they put us through this until the last second," the statement read. "I still will stand my ground, testify and speak the truth."

Ken Suggs, another attorney for one of the accusers, called Sandusky a "coward" for not facing the young men.

Witnesses have contended before the grand jury that Sandusky committed a range of sexual offenses against boys as young as 10, assaulting them in hotel swimming pools, the basement of his home in State College and in the locker room showers at Penn State, where the 67-year-old former assistant football coach once built a national reputation as a defensive mastermind.

Sandusky has told NBC and The New York Times that his relationship to the boys who said he abused them was like that of an extended family. Sandusky characterized his experiences with the children as "precious times" and said the physical aspect of the relationships "just happened that way" and didn't involve abuse.

Amendola said Sandusky was always emotional and physical ? "a loving guy, an affectionate guy" ? who never did anything illegal. The lawyer likened Sandusky's behavior to his own Italian family in which "everybody hugged and kissed each other."

Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, a year after the first known abuse allegation reached police when a mother told investigators Sandusky had showered with her son during a visit to the Penn State football facilities. Accusations surfaced again in 2002, when graduate assistant Mike McQueary reported another alleged incident of abuse to Paterno and other university officials.

The grand jury probe began only in 2009, after a teen complained that Sandusky, then a volunteer coach at his high school, had abused him.

Sandusky first groomed him with gifts and trips in 2006 and 2007, then sexually assaulted him more than 20 times in 2008 through early 2009, the teen told the grand jury.

Amendola on Tuesday attacked McQueary by citing an anonymously sourced newspaper report that claimed the former graduate assistant changed his story when speaking to a family friend. The defense attorney said McQueary would derail the prosecution and other accusers also would be questioned.

"McQueary was always the centerpiece of the prosecution's case," he said.

Sandusky founded The Second Mile, an organization to help struggling children, in 1977, and built it into a major charitable organization, headquartered in State College with offices in other parts of Pennsylvania.

Two university officials have been charged with perjury and failure to report suspected abuse ? athletic director Tim Curley and former university vice president Gary Schultz. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday in Harrisburg.

Curley has been placed on leave and Schultz has returned to retirement in the wake of their arrests. The scandal brought down university president Graham Spanier and longtime coach Paterno, who was fired last month.

___

Associated Press writer Genaro C. Armas in Bellefonte contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111213/ap_on_sp_ot/us_penn_state_abuse

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Transfer finance responsibility ? Occupy Tacoma

Posted by CherylTheVeteran December 14th, 2011

Proposal no. 20111213-a

Sponsor: Cheryl Kopec
Cosponsors: Deborah Petri
Workgroup: Finance
Financial impact: N/A
????????????????????

Proposal name: Transfer Harborstone account ?ownership?

Proposal details:

Harborstone requires that one individual on any group account be designated an ?owner,? with additional ?signers? as needed. Cheryl is currently the ?owner? of our Harborstone account. Propose this role be transferred to Deborah Petri for two weeks until someone else is approved permanently for the position. Paperwork has already been initiated at the credit union to this end, but a copy of meeting notes reflecting the vote is required before the credit union will finalize the transfer.

NOTE: If this proposal does not pass, Cheryl will withdraw all funds, close the account, and bring the cash along with all financial forms, correspondence, ledgers, passwords, etc. to the park to be signed for and placed in the lockbox. It is infinitely more preferable that the money stay secure in an institution, but if the GA chooses not to expedite this matter, then Cheryl will choose the only available alternative.

Source: http://occupytacoma.org/2011/transfer-finance-responsibility/

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Australia police strip protester down to her underwear

Australia police strip an Occupy Melbourne protester of her tent costume and leave her in her bra and panties on the ground.

By By msnbc.com staff and news service reports

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Police stripped an Occupy Melbourne protester down to her underwear Tuesday, an act that promptly went viral on YouTube and prompted an ethics investigation.

The protester, identified only as Sarah, 20, was wearing a tent converted into a costume when police moved in on her and similarly clad demonstrators, the Melbourne Sun Herald reported.


The video shows officers using a knife to cut away Sarah?s tent as she protests "This is not consensual" and witnesses yell "Shame" and epithets at the police.

Officers?are shown walking away with the seized tent as Sarah is left in just bra and panties on the grass and other protesters bring her a blanket.

The incident was part of a police sweep in which three protesters were arrested as officers enforced city orders requiring demonstrators to take down tents and tarpaulins, The Associated Press reported.

Victoria police?late Tuesday said the Ethical Standards Department was investigating the stripping.

''The Ethical Standards Department has subsequently received a physical assault complaint in relation to this incident and is investigating. As this investigation is ongoing we will not be commenting further.''

Police earlier told the Sun Herald that they warned protesters that if they chose not to wear clothes under the tents, they would be given time to dress before the costumes were seized.

Three of four protesters cooperated, police said.

"The fourth, a female, refused to comply with direction," police said , according to the Sun Herald report.

Protest organizers said in a statement that police targeted Sarah and knew she was not clothed underneath the tent.

"The severed costume was violently torn from her body while the protester herself was discarded, semi-naked and crying on the ground," they said.?

This story includes reporting by The Associated Press.

Also featured on msnbc.com:

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/06/9253582-australia-police-strip-protester-down-to-her-underwear-act-caught-on-video

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HBT: Mets trade Pagan to Giants

UPDATE: Steve Popper of the Bergen Record confirms that the deal is done, pending physicals.

9:49 PM: According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, the Mets are discussing a deal that would send Angel Pagan to the Giants for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez.

Baggarly writes that it?s not definite yet, but appears promising. It certainly fits the criteria mentioned by Ken Rosenthal a little earlier when he called it a ?change of scenery? deal.

Pagan, 30, is coming off a down year in which he batted .262/.322/.372 with seven home runs, 56 RBI and a .694 OPS over 532 plate appearances. He also led major league center fielder with 10 errors. The Mets have said that they plan to tender him a contract, but he figures to make around $5 million in arbitration.

Torres, 33, had an even worse year in 2011, batting .221/.312/.330 with four home runs, 19 RBI and a .643 OPS over 398 plate appearances. He is due between $2-3 million in arbitration and was a clear non-tender candidate following the recent acquisition of Melky Cabrera.

As for Ramirez, Ken Rosenthal reported late last month that the Giants planned to shop him so that they could upgrade in other areas. He?s due about $2 million through the arbitration process. The 30-year-old right-hander posted a 2.62 ERA and 66/26 K/BB ratio over 68 2/3 innings this season.

While Torres is the superior defender in center field, Pagan is three years younger and is probably the better bet for a bounceback year offensively. Mets GM Sandy Alderson is working with a limited budget this offseason, so he will pay Torres and Ramirez combined what he would have paid Pagan. From a pure salary standpoint, this works perfectly. But the Giants could come out on top here.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/06/mets-and-giants-discussing-angel-pagan-for-andres-torres-and-ramon-ramirez/related/

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McCain: Hispanic vote 'up for grabs' (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Sen. John McCain said Sunday that the potentially powerful Hispanic vote in the upcoming presidential election remains "up for grabs" because neither President Barack Obama nor Republicans have convinced these voters that they are on their side.

The one-time GOP presidential hopeful, whose own 2008 candidacy was shaped in part by immigration, said that large Hispanic populations in his home state of Arizona and elsewhere are listening carefully to what Republican candidates have to say on immigration and could become a "major factor" in 2012.

"I think that the Republican party has to discuss this issue in as humane way as possible," he said. He later added, "the enthusiasm on the part of Hispanics for President Obama is dramatically less than it was in 2008, because he has not fulfilled his campaign promises either. So I view the Hispanic vote up for grabs."

McCain comment, on CNN's "State of the Union," is a warning to the GOP primary candidates who have mostly embraced a hardline on immigration, lest they be accused of supporting any kind of "amnesty" for the some 12 million illegal immigrants estimated to be living in the U.S. Newt Gingrich was most recently attacked by his opponents for saying he would grant legal status to those with longstanding family and community ties; he has since endorsed a South Carolina law that allows police to demand a person's immigration status.

McCain said he believes the Hispanic vote could sway Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. The key, he said, was for Republicans to address immigration in a humane and pragmatic way that every voter could appreciate. More specifically, McCain said, GOP presidential candidates should find a way to address the status of illegal immigrants already in the country while finding a way to secure the border to deter others from crossing the border.

"It's a careful balance of addressing this issue, which I think the majority of Hispanics would appreciate. . . . We have to have empathy. We have to have concern. We have to have a plan," he said.

In 2008, McCain watched his own standing in the election suffer when he backed a plan to give some illegal immigrants an eventual path to citizenship.

Gingrich has challenged his GOP opponents to come up with their own plans for dealing with the millions inside the U.S. illegally.

"What is it that you're going to do? Are you really going to go in and advocate ripping people out of their families?" he said.

In 2008, Mitt Romney had supported the idea of allowing some illegal immigrants to sign up for permanent residency or citizenship. More recently, he has said it would be a "mistake" for the GOP to allow anyone to "jump ahead of the line" and characterized Gingrich's approach as a "doorway" to amnesty.

In the interview Sunday, McCain declined to comment on the position of individual candidates. "I respect the views of the voters," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111205/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_immigration

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BCS Decision Day: Alabama or Oklahoma State

Brandon Weeden holds the Big 12 championship trophy aloft after the presentation in the Cowboys locker room Saturday Dec. 3, 2011. The Cowboys snapped an eight-game losing streak and won their first outright conference title since 1948 in the three-team Missouri Valley. (AP Photo/Oklahoma State University)

Brandon Weeden holds the Big 12 championship trophy aloft after the presentation in the Cowboys locker room Saturday Dec. 3, 2011. The Cowboys snapped an eight-game losing streak and won their first outright conference title since 1948 in the three-team Missouri Valley. (AP Photo/Oklahoma State University)

Oklahoma State running back Jeremy Smith avoids a tackle by Oklahoma defensive end Frank Alexander and takes the ball in for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Oklahoma State won 44-10. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron (10) celebrates after a 2-point conversion against Auburn in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Auburn, Ala., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. At rear are Trent Richardson (3) and D.J. Fluker (76). Alabama won 42-14.(AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Too soon to call, but things are looking up for Alabama.

Alabama and Oklahoma State are awaiting word on which team will play LSU in the BCS national title game on Jan. 9 in New Orleans.

The returns have been trickling in Sunday, and so far the Crimson Tide seems to be in the lead.

In the USA Today coaches' poll, Alabama was No. 2, but the commanding lead it had last week is now down to 22 points. The coaches' poll and the Harris poll count for two-thirds of a team's BCS score.

The Harris poll was due out later Sunday.

A compilation of six computer ratings will determine the final third of a BCS score. The Sagarin ratings released early Sunday had Alabama No. 2 and Oklahoma State No. 3.

Unbeaten LSU is the top-ranked team in all the polls out so far, including the AP Top 25, which is independent from the BCS rankings.

A rematch between LSU and Alabama in the national title game seemed almost a foregone conclusion heading into conference championship weekend.

But with Alabama idle, Oklahoma State made one last, strong push by beating Oklahoma 44-10 to win the Big 12 title.

Now, instead of Sunday being a coronation there's another BCS controversy: Should Alabama get another shot at the only team that beat the Tide, even if that means an all-SEC title game and a matchup that will surely play far better in the South than anywhere else? Or should the Cowboys, who beat five teams ranked in the last BCS standings and whose only loss was a double-overtime upset on the road to Iowa State, get the nod?

"If you want the best two teams in college football to play then there has to be a format to decide that," Alabama coach Nick Saban said Saturday on ESPN as he made sure the Tide wasn't forgotten while the other top teams played. "If you want a regional game that matches up people from different parts of the country you can't say 'Let's have the best two teams play.' It's not really up to me. I can't really be objective here. We do have a dog in this hunt. That's my opinion."

Working in Alabama's favor is the Crimson Tide's dominance throughout the season ? all of its victories have been by at least 16 points ? and the fact that no other team has challenged LSU this season.

The Tide and Tigers played what was billed as the Game of the Century on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Tigers won it 9-6 in overtime, a hard-hitting defensive slog that didn't exactly have fans around the country clamoring for more.

Immediately the talk of rematch started, pro and con. But Oklahoma State was in position to keep it from happening. The Cowboys were undefeated and second in the BCS standings heading into a Friday night game at Ames, Iowa, a day after Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and an assistant coach were killed in a plane crash.

The Cowboys lost 37-31 in double OT to the so-so Cyclones (6-6), missing a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation by inches.

With no other undefeated teams left from the major conferences, Alabama returned to No. 2 and the debate has grown more furious ever since.

On one side, Alabama supporters say it's simple: The system is supposed to match the best two teams, regardless of conference, and the Tide have been one of the two most dominant teams in the country.

On the other side, the Oklahoma State supporters say the Cowboys have accomplished more to get to 11-1 than the Tide, playing a tougher schedule and winning their conference.

Alabama fans counter by saying the SEC is the best conference in the land. What more proof is needed than five straight BCS championships?

"I would certainly understand if college football decides it should be two SEC teams playing for the national championship," LSU coach Les Miles said after the Tigers pounded Georgia 42-10 in the SEC championship game. "It's a very special conference with very special teams."

Oklahoma State fans say their team's super-charged offense, second in the nation in scoring and third in yards, would put up some touchdowns against LSU's tenacious defense.

Alabama fans think those flashy Big 12 offenses are no match for an SEC defense, and no team, not even LSU, has allowed fewer yards and points than the Tide.

Oklahoma State's reply: If the regular season is a playoff, the way BCS officials suggest, didn't LSU eliminate Alabama?

"They had their shot," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said after the Oklahoma game. "Give us ours."

Alabama fans say this isn't pee-wee soccer where everybody gets a chance to play.

Whichever team wins out, expect another of blast of criticism directed at the BCS. As the power-brokers in college football start to plot how top-tier bowls will be set up in the future, the 2011 season is once more exposing the flaws in the system now.

Two teams with perfectly good arguments are fighting over one spot, with subjective voters and mysterious computer ratings ? the formulas of which are not even publicly known ? doing the choosing.

If Alabama is the pick, the Tide will be playing for its second BCS title in three seasons. Alabama claims 13 national championships overall and is one of the most decorated programs in the land. It's won seven AP titles since the wire service started its poll in 1936.

For Oklahoma State, just getting into any of the marquee BCS bowls will be a first. The Cowboys have never won a national title, and some Oklahoma State fans have wondered if their team is also losing the battle of the brands.

There has never been a rematch in the previous 13-year history of the BCS, nor has there ever been a championship game with both teams from the same conference.

The closest thing to a potential Alabama-LSU II college football has had in recent years was in 1996, when Florida State beat Florida in its final regular season game then drew the Gators again in the Sugar Bowl.

Steve Spurrier's Gators beat Bobby Bowden's Seminoles 52-20 to win the national championship.

Bowden wasn't happy to face Florida again.

"If it's somebody you beat, you don't want to play them," Bowden said Sunday in a phone interview.

"The team that won, it's just hard to get your boys as inspired as the other team can get inspired."

Yet as far as a rematch this year, Bowden said both teams can make a good case, and he's not opposed to giving Alabama a second chance.

"If that's the way it shapes up that's OK," he said. "You got to get the best two teams in the country playing for the national championship."

Remember, of course, that Bowden was born in Birmingham, Ala.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-04-FBC-T25-BCS-Championship/id-853bba247ac6423dbad91b40f3c03d2c

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This May Be the Most Surreal Building Ever Created [Architecture]

Why is this forest floating 1000 feet above Taiwan's skyline, apparently sitting on a blue glow of anti-gravity beams? It's the Taiwan Tower, a giant steel superstructure that may become the most surreal piece of engineering I've ever seen. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/eFoFJruxImE/this-may-be-the-most-surreal-building-ever-created

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$9.3 million pandas arrive in Scotland from China

Two giant pandas arrived in Scotland Sunday after a flight from China, becoming the first pandas to live in Britain in nearly two decades.

The pandas ? named Tian Tian and Yang Guang, or Sweetie and Sunshine ? munched on bamboo at Chengdu airport ahead of their trip Sunday.

The pandas are to stay for 10 years at Edinburgh Zoo, where officials hope they will breed during their stay.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will pay more than $935,000 a year to China for the loan of Sweetie and Sunshine, not including the expense of imported bamboo.

Britain's last giant panda lived in London Zoo until 1994, when it was returned to China.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45541289/ns/world_news-europe/

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How muscle fatigue originates in the head

Monday, December 5, 2011

The extent to which we are able to activate our muscles voluntarily depends on motivation and will power or the physical condition and level of fatigue of the muscles, for instance. The latter particularly leads to noticeable and measurable performance impairments. For a long time, the research on muscle fatigue was largely confined to changes in the muscle itself. Now, a joint research project between the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich has shifted the focus to brain research. Headed by neuro-psychologist Kai Lutz from the University of Zurich in collaboration with Urs Boutellier from the Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport at ETH Zurich, the researchers discovered neuronal processes for the first time that are responsible for reducing muscle activity during muscle-fatiguing exercise. The third and final part of this series of experiments, which was conducted by Lea Hilty as part of her doctoral thesis, has now been published in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

Muscle's nerve impulses inhibit motoric area in the brain

In the initial study, the researchers showed that nerve impulses from the muscle ? much like pain information ? inhibit the primary motoric area during a tiring, energy-demanding exercise. They were able to prove this using measurements in which study participants repeated thigh contractions until they could no longer attain the force required. If the same exercise was conducted under narcotization of the spinal chord (spinal anesthesia), thus interrupting the response from the muscle to the primary motoric area, the corresponding fatigue-related inhibition processes became significantly weaker than when the muscle information was intact.

In a second step, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers were able to localize the brain regions that exhibit an increase in activity shortly before the interruption of a tiring, energy-demanding activity and are thus involved in signalizing the interruption: the thalamus and the insular cortex ? both areas which analyze information that indicates a threat to the organism, such as pain or hunger.

Neuronal system has regulating effect on muscle performance

The third study has now shown that the inhibitory influences on motoric activity are actually mediated via the insular cortex: In tests using a bicycle ergometer, the researchers determined that the communication between the insular cortex and the primary motoric area became more intensive as the fatigue progressed. "This can be regarded as evidence that the neuronal system found not only informs the brain, but also actually has a regulating effect on motoric activity," says Lea Hilty, summing up the current result. And Kai Lutz points to the new research field that now opens up with these results: "The findings are an important step in discovering the role the brain plays in muscle fatigue. Based on these studies, it won't just be possible to develop strategies to optimize muscular performance, but also specifically investigate reasons for reduced muscular performance in various diseases." Prolonged reduced physical performance is a symptom that is frequently observed in daily clinical practice. It can also appear as a side effect of certain medication. However, so-called chronic fatigue syndrome is often diagnosed without any apparent cause.

###

Lea Hilty, Lutz J?ncke, Roger Luechinger, Urs Boutellier, and Kai Lutz. Limitation of Physical Performance in a Muscle Fatiguing Handgrip Exercise Is Mediated by Thalamo-Insular Activity. Human Brain Mapping. December 10, 2010. doi: 10.1002/hbm.21177

Lea Hilty, Kai Lutz, Konrad Maurer, Tobias Rodenkirch, Christina M. Spengler, Urs Boutellier, Lutz J?ncke, and Markus Amann. Spinal opioid receptor-sensitive muscle afferents contribute to the fatigue-induced increase in intracortical inhibition in healthy humans. Experimental Physiology. February 11, 2011. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.2010.056226

Lea Hilty, Nicolas Langer, Roberto Pascual-Marqui, Urs Boutellier, and Kai Lutz. Fatigue-induced increase in intracortical communication between mid ?anterior insular and motor cortex during cycling exercise. European Journal of Neuroscience. November 21, 2011. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07909.x

University of Zurich: http://www.uzh.ch

Thanks to University of Zurich for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115718/How_muscle_fatigue_originates_in_the_head

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Naked mole rats make deformed, sluggish sperm

Abandon the rat race at your peril. Naked mole rat colonies contain just one sexually active male ? and the lack of competition has left its sperm shrivelled and sluggish.

Liana Maree of the University of the Western Cape in Bellville, South Africa, and colleagues took sperm from captive naked mole rats and subjected them to a battery of tests.

Only 7 per cent of the sperm actually moved, and they swam at around 35 micrometres per second ? possibly the slowest sperm of any mammal.

"The reason they look so ugly and swim so slowly is there is no sperm competition," says Maree. Naked mole rats live in colonies dominated by the queen, who chooses one male at a time to mate with. She suppresses the reproductive instincts of every other male in the colony. Because the chosen male has exclusive mating rights, he can afford to produce sperm that will dawdle on their way to the egg.

"The authors have done a pretty good job of arguing that inbreeding is not driving the sperm degeneration, because the colonies they sourced sperm from were specifically outbred," says Matthew Gage at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK. "It just goes to show how very important sperm competition is as an evolutionary force acting on sperm form and function."

"The naked mole rat is actually a very good model for what happens in humans," Maree says. Previous studies have found faster sperm in more promiscuous speciesMovie Camera. Humans are relatively monogamous, so sperm competition is fairly low and abnormalities are common. Typically, about 60 per cent of human sperm are motile, compared with 95 per cent in more promiscuous species.

Journal reference: BMC Evolutionary Biology, in press

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