We're serving one giant heap of calamari news today. Apparently a giant squid was caught in the Antarctic waters last 2007. Now, it's being thawed at the Museum of New Zealand. According to scientists, if the giant animal was still alive, its eyes would be as big as beach balls. Read more on their findings in the full article.

Just because we humans are at the top of the food chain doesn't mean we're the fastest evolving living being out there. We're just the success story of evolution. The fastest evolving creature out there - at a molecular level - aren't humans. It's not even a mammal. It's a reptile called the tuatara, which lives in New Zealand. More in the full article.

Definitely a breakthrough for the modern cook here. Scientists in New Zealand and Japan were able to develop an onion that doesn't cause people to end up in tears. Using biotechnology, the scientists involved were able to switch off the gene behind the enzyme that made people cry.

More on this scientific breakthrough after the jump!

For those of you who can't pry their hands off their cell phones from texting your loved ones, beware. You may be setting yourself up for texting tenosynovitis, a condition where the tendons along the thumb and side of the wrists become inflamed - clearly a case where having too much of a good thing can also be bad for you.

Check out the full article after the jump!

Antibiotics are meant to be our last line of defense against diseases. But the more we use it, the more resistant bacteria and other microorganisms become, and we'll eventually get superbugs. In a strange twist of fate, it seems that the superbugs may not come from humans who take too much antibiotics, but from chickens. A 17-year-old-student has discovered strains of bacteria in chickens that have been treated with antibiotics and have become resistant to its effects. Could this be the birth of the feared superbug?

Lukewarm beer. Can't stand it. It's about time someone did something about it. Apparently someone just has: enter Kent Hodgson, an inventor from New Zealand. He invented a device - about the size and shape of a pen - that can chill 30 bottles of beer. The device has four times the cooling capacity of ice, cools the drink instantly and - get this - won't dilute the drink at all like ice does. Genius. Absolute genius. Beer is an inspiration for us all.

In a great show of endurance, a female bar-tailed godwit managed to fly from Alaska to New Zealand within nine days without stopping for nourishment or rest, travelling a total of 7,145. According to scientists, the godwit's flight is the longest bird migration ever measured, and the satellite tags attached to the bird prove the feat.

Phil Battley, a scientist from New Zealand's Massey University expressed his surprise upon the discovery. "This shows how incredible and extreme birds can be," he said. "The prospect of a bird flying all the way across the Pacific was so much further than what we thought possible, it seemed ludicrous."

The long-haul flight was discovered during a documentation of godwit migration carried out by the US Geological Survey and PRBO Conservation Science from California. About 16 godwits were equipped with satellite transmitters, enabling scientists to track down their movements.

The research yielded the information that about 70,000 godwit birds take slight from Alaskan breeding grounds to New Zealand every September, then taking a return trip on March the next year. That's a great feat, considering that the godwits do not have the luxury to enjoy relaxing flights like those offered by major airlines.

Now that a possible cause of the widespread bee deaths has been found, maybe we could start getting them to produce more honey. Not for eating (although it tastes great), but for medicinal purposes. According to ABC News, researchers have found that spreading honey on a diabetic ulcer could prevent the need to amputate an infected foot.

"If we can prove that honey promotes healing in diabetic ulcers, we can offer new hopes for many patients, not to mention the cost benefit, and the issue of bacterial resistance," said Jennifer Eddy, a professor at the University of Wisconsin's School of Medicine and Public Health. "The possibilities are tremendous."

A controlled trial to further study and promote the use of honey therapy for diabetics has already been launched. The therapy involves putting "a thick layer of honey onto the wound after dead skin and bacteria have been removed." According to Eddy, the honey kills bacteria due to its acidity and avoids the complication of bacterial resistance found with standard antibiotics.

Honey therapy is already being used in New Zealand for the treatment of bed sores. It is also being used as an alternative form of medicine in Europe. Dr. Eddy hopes to publish the results of her trial by 2008 or 2009.

Australia, and the rest of the world for that matter, has to wake up soon or suffer grim consequences.

The Land Down Under is currently on the brink of an epic drought - probably the first disaster in history caused by climate change to hit a developed nation. The changing weather patterns is attributed to global warming.

If a significant amount of rain fall will not be experienced within the next six to eight weeks, Prime Minister John Howard will be forced to implement a ban on irrigation for one year to focus the remaining water supply for drinking purposes.

Murray-Darling basin will be affected the most with 40% of the country's agriculture produce coming from the area. John Howard lamented:

An irrigation ban would have a potentially devastating impact. But this is very much in the lap of the gods. It is a grim situation, and there is no point in pretending to Australia otherwise. We must all hope and pray there is rain.

The prime minister used to not believe the science behind climate change. Before the situation became this devastating, it should be mentioned that the United Nations (UN) tried to warn Australia as well as New Zealand. Locally, Howard is receiving a lot of criticisms from opposition Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd and National Farmers' Federation head Ben Fargher.

Global Warming's knocking, it's about time we answer the door and face up to our shortcomings.

A couple of teenagers disproved the claims of a pharmaceuticals giant. It only goes to show: just because a powerful figure claims it so, doesn't mean it's all true.

GlaxoSmithKline got entangled with court problems involving its advertisement for its juice drink "Ribena", which they declared to "contain four times the vitamin C of oranges".

In March 2007, the New Zealand Commerce Commission brought 80 charges in the Auckland District Court against GlaxoSmithKline for such false claim, which could just about cost them a maximum fine of US$ 200,000 for.

Anna Devathasan, and Jenny Suo revealed Ribena's vitamin C levels through an experiment when they were only 14. It turns out that Ribena, their favorite drink, contained no detectable level of vitamin C. They brought this fact to attention to the company, receiving no response from the pharmaceuticals giant.

The girls reported their findings to the Commerce Commission. Then they put the matter out of their minds, until the prosecution made charges against GlaxoSmithKline this month. The company has since issued a statement confirming the discrepancies to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and has also undertaken to remove all references to vitamin C from its labelling.

The girls have been thanked by the company for bringing such a matter to their attention. Says Jenny Suo, "It's pretty crazy when you realise how much power you can have, as a kid as well." Both girls are now 17 years old.