DNA data helps to flesh out "Otzi" the Alpine iceman

MILAN (Reuters) - The first complete genome-sequencing of "Otzi," Italy's prehistoric iceman, is revealing a wealth of details about the man who roamed the Alps 5,300 years ago and could unleash a frenzy of activity among scientists thanks to open data.

Over the last 20 years, scientists have painstakingly collected data from the stomach, bowels and teeth of the 45-year old man, who was found sticking out of a glacier by German climbers in 1991 in the Tyrolean Alps on the Austro-Italian border.

But for the first time since the Copper-age individual was unearthed, his complete genetic

Odom playing Saturday for Mavs, not in D-League

DALLAS (AP) — Lamar Odom had nine points in Dallas' 102-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night after he returned to the Mavericks without playing a planned game in the NBA Development League.

Odom played 18 minutes in his first game since Feb. 20. He also had five rebounds and three assists.

Odom had been set to play for the Texas Legends on Saturday night after missing four straight games for the Mavericks. He was assigned to the D-League team Friday.

Dallas has been without guard Delonte West (right finger fracture) for more than two weeks. Center Brandan Wright missed Saturday's game with a concussion.

"We're struggling and could use the extra manpower," coach Rick Carlisle said before the victory.

Twister slams same area hit by killer storm in '11

HARVEST, Ala. (AP) — Cody Stewart is done owning a home for a little while. He has lost his house to tornadoes twice in 10 months.

A killer twister wiped out his neighborhood in the epic Alabama storms April 27, causing Stewart $40,000 worth of damage that forced him to temporarily move in with his parents. In his house for less than two months with repairs still incomplete, another tornado hit again Friday, ripping off the roof, slinging it into the backyard and leaving the walls bowed outward.

This time, the damage is beyond repair.

New Zealand's quake-hit cathedral to be demolished

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Anglican church officials in New Zealand say an iconic cathedral in downtown Christchurch must be demolished because earthquakes damaged it beyond repair.

ChristChurch Cathedral is the city's best-known building, but its climbable spire collapsed in the February 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people and destroyed many other downtown buildings. Officials had thought part of the building could be saved, but they said Friday that recent aftershocks caused even more damage.

Bishop Victoria Matthews tells The Associated Press the new cathedral will have a different

Syrian forces pound Homs, tanks deploy in east

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian forces renewed their bombardment of parts of the shattered city of Homs and for a second day blocked Red Cross aid meant for civilians stranded without food and fuel in the former rebel stronghold, activists and aid workers said.

Army tanks also deployed in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor Saturday to confront a growing rebel force there - setting up another possible flashpoint, opposition campaigners said.

The outside world has proved powerless to halt the killing in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests against Assad's rule has spawned an armed insurrection by army deserters and others.

Baby found alone in Indiana field after tornado

A baby girl who was discovered in an Indiana field following Friday's devastating tornadoes is in critical condition at a Kentucky hospital, according to the Associated Press.

When the child was found Friday night, she was first taken to a hospital in Salem, Ind. Melissa Richardson, a spokeswoman for St. Vincent Salem Hospital, said authorities are trying to determine how the child wound up in the field alone, since her family lives in New Pekin, Ind., about 10 miles south of where the she was discovered.

Alexander beats Maidana with 10-round decision

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Devon Alexander, in his first fight in the 147-pound division, used the added weight to record a unanimous 10-round decision over Marcos Maidana on Saturday night.
Alexander, a St. Louis native and former WBC and IBF junior welterweight champion, improved to 23-1. Maidana, who hails from Argentina, fell to 31-3 in his welterweight debut.

The 25-year-old Alexander dominated the non-title bout, capturing nine of 10 rounds on two judges’ cards. He finished with advantages of 100-90 100-90, 99-91.
Alexander, a 2-1 favorite, recorded a second straight win after his lone loss—a 10-round setback against Timothy Bradley on Jan. 29, 2011, that cost Alexander his belts.
“We went back to the drawing board and moved up in weight and fixed the problem,” Alexander said. “I want to continue to learn at 147.”
Alexander outpunched Maidana 168-93 and held a 149-85 advantage in power blows.

Benson Henderson wins lightweight title in UFC 144 classic against Frankie Edgar

Frankie Edgar’s reign atop the UFC lightweight division came to an end Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, when former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Benson Henderson did what B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard could not.
Henderson landed several powerful kicks and knees in a high-level fight to win the UFC lightweight championship via unanimous decision. Judges had it 49-46 twice and 48-47 for Henderson. Yahoo! Sports scored it 48-47 for Henderson.
Henderson broke Edgar’s nose with an upkick late in the second round and closed Edgar’s left eye with his strikes.

PayPal strikes again, and this time an antique violin pays the ultimate price

It hasn’t been a particularly good few weeks for the customer service industry. Last week it was the saga of Paul Christoforo, the man who would be friends with the mayor of Boston, bro, who decided that civility was for the weak and paid a hefty price when he picked on the wrong guy. Now it is PayPal. Again.

PayPal is one of those services that has so dominated the space it exists in that it has inevitably become a source for users around the world to share, use, and occasionally become victims of. To be fair, there are millions of transaction every month at PayPal that go off swimmingly, with nary a problem. But when problems due arise, they can be whoppers.

Cats > Children Last month PayPal awoke the Internet on the wrong side of the bed, and then proceeded to face the digital hounds following an incident with Regretsy.com over blocking gifts for needy children. The condensed version is that Regretsy asked people to

Mayan Ruins in Georgia? Archaeologist Objects

The textbooks will tell you that the Mayan people thrived in Central America from about 250 to 900 A.D., building magnificent temples in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and southern Mexico.

But could they possibly have left stone ruins in the mountains of North Georgia? Richard Thornton thinks so. He says he's an architect by training, but has been researching the history of native people in and around Georgia for years. On Examiner.com, he wrote about an 1,100-year-old archeological site near Georgia's highest mountain, Brasstown Bald, that he said "is possibly the site of the fabled city of Yupaha, which Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto failed to find in 1540."

This might all be fairly arcane stuff, except that an archeologist he cited, Mark Williams of the