It looks like we have a new record holder for the longest living animal, according to a recent find by a team of scientists from Bangor University's School of Ocean Sciences. The Arctica islandica, commonly known as the quahog clam, was found living and growing on the seabed off the north coast of Iceland for 400 years.

This new find beats the current Guinness Book of Records holder for the longest-lived animal by nearly two centuries. The Arctica clam collected in 1982 from American waters lived as long as 220 years. Even the other unofficial record holder, a 374 year old Icelandic clam, was no match to the latest specimen, whose age was estimated between 405 to 410 years.

The clam's age was determined by counting the annual growth lines in the shell, much in the same way a tree's age can be studied by counting the tree-rings inside the trunk. Clam shell growth is related to environmental conditions such as seawater temperature, salinity content and food availability. The team was able to study the shell growth histories to better understand the changes in the ocean and the climate changes over the past hundred years.

It was speculated that even longer lived specimens remain to be found in the Icelandic waters. The waters in the area seem like ideal conditions for extreme longevity. Who knows why clams live such long lives. Chris Richardson, one of the team's members, said that this discovery might prove useful to unlock the secret of ageing. He had this to say on the matter:

If, in Arctica islandica, evolution has created a model of successful resistance to the damage of ageing, it is possible that an investigation of the tissues of these real life Methuselahs might help us to understand the processes of ageing. [italics theirs]

The U.S. just dropped down to the seventh position in the Networked Readiness Index Rankings for 2006. The Rankings were included in a report submitted by the World Economic Forum, which attributed the sinking to the "deterioration of political and regulatory environment" - whatever that means.

The report took into consideration the technological advancements in general business, the infrastructure available for production or use, and the initiative and gravity of the national government's policies on economic development and improving local and global competitiveness. With that said, the top 10 countries in the Index Rankings of 2006 are:

1. Denmark (3)
2. Sweden (8)
3. Singapore (2)
4. Finland (5)
5. Switzerland (9)
6. Netherlands (12)
7. US (1)
8. Iceland (4)
9. UK (10)
10. Norway (13)

With strong emphasis with cooperative development and college education, the U.S. is the leader in innovation. But also noticeable is Singapore's strongest points of innovation and network readiness.

Denmark now leads the world in technological innovation and application, because of constant support given from the government for the thriving e-businesses, strict regulatory policies and a quick and early liberalization of the telecommunication sector.

Size doesn't matter, but apparently age does. In Southern Iceland, a bone which comes from the penis of a walrus was found. Finding such an article would not have been such a big deal if not for the fact that it was actually discovered at 285 meters (985 feet) above sea level (walruses, which live about 50 years, tend to spend about half their time in water and half their time on beaches or ice floes).

Sigurdur Sigurdsson, a veterinarian, declared that discovering any remains from a sea animal at that altitude was unheard of until then.

The scientists who found the bone estimated its age to be about 10,000 to 12,000 years old. It was found in a gravel mine in Olfuss.

Mr. Sigurdsson, has turned this artifact over to the Museum in Thorlakshofn. A special ceremony accompanied this occasion.

The people at the museum and from the area where it was taken from are elated at this find. Ms.Barbara Gudnadottir, the cultural representative of Olfuss, called the bone extraordinary. She also expressed her deepest pleasure at the thought the bone would be displayed at the Museum in Thorlakshofn.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis discovered a splotch of water the size of the Arctic Ocean hundreds of miles beneath eastern Asia.

The water, accordingly, is locked in moisture-containing rocks 700 to 1,400 kilometers (400 to 800 miles) beneath the surface and was found while scanning seismic waves as they passed through the Earth's interior.

This is remarkable. Normally, our planet's heat bakes the water out of the rocks before it even gets more than 100 kilometers deep (60 miles). But along the eastern Pacific Rim, conditions allow the water to get to deeper location before evaporating.

In this case, the water blob is found from Indonesia to the northern tip of Russia. The head of the research team, Michael Wysession, suggests that this could give a clue as to how volcanic regions like Iceland, Hawaii, and Yellowstone National Park were formed. According to Wysession, the presence of water allow hot spots to melt more rock and create more lava.

Stanford University geophysicist Norman Sleep, likewise, believes that water is gradually being sucked back below the surface because the Earth is aging. This, in the long run, may be a good thing for Earth's geological stability as it helps keep the thickness and elevation of the continents stable.

In 1963, a couple of fishermen saw smoke off the coast of Iceland. Thinking that it was a boat on fire, the captain and the crew went to the location to help. Their eyes opened wide with awe. Instead of sinking boats and floating bodies, what they found was something much more magnificient; something they'll be telling their grandsons in the future. Violent explosions producing a lot of ash: an underwater volcanic eruption. They're the first witness to an island being born.

It's been expected for a long time. Various geological warning signs were stating that volcanic activity was increasing in the area; a marine research team reported abnormally warm seawater near the area; nearby residents reported seeing and smelling hydrogen sulfide in the air.

The volcano broke the water's surface a few days later; forming an island 500 meters long and 45 meters tall. People called it Surtsey--Surter's Island. He's a fire giant of Norse Mythology. It got even bigger day by day. The volcanic activity stopped around April 1964.

In 1965, it became a nature reserve. It became off limits to everyone except for previously approved scientists. No one is allowed to step on the island without going through rigorous procedures. The scientists would like to see how the island developed without being tainted by human hands or footprints. So far, they've seen quite a lot. They observed insects, moss, lichen, bushes, Gulls, Atlantic puffins, seals, starfish, urchins, and seaweed. It'll take a few more decades to see what other surprises this island will produce.

We wonder what the grandchildren of those fishermen thought of the island. Hopefully, we can all visit it one day.

It's just common sense: if kids are exposed to toxic substances, bad things happen to them. PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls: they were commonly used in electronics and other industrial machinery and products. It's very toxic and causes cancer. And now the Harvard School of Public Health finds that it makes children susceptible to diseases because vaccines don't work very well if the child has been exposed to PCBs.

The Harvard study looked at two groups of children in the Faroe Islands (that's in the North Atlantic Ocean between the United Kingdom and Iceland). The diet there sometimes includes whale fat that may be contaminated with PCBs (PCBs are also present in fatty fish that have been caught in contaminated waters).

By the way, PCBs are also common in meat and dairy products from contaminated areas. Old fluorescent light fixtures, TVs, refrigerators, and other appliance made about 30 or more years ago can also leak small amounts of PCBs into the air.

Finally, PCB can also mean "printed circuit board" - don't confuse them!