White Croc stolen from museum

I don't understand why would one steal a crocodile for good luck.


KUALA PILAH: An embalmed white crocodile that was on display at the Seri Menanti Palace museum was reported stolen on Tuesday (Jan 15).

It is rumoured that someone who had bought a lottery ticket had stolen the crocodile as a good luck charm. The Siamese albino crocodile was among the embalmed reptiles on display at the crocodile exhibition in the museum.

The exhibition is held in conjunction with the 65th birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.

The specimen was discovered missing by a staff member on the morning shift. A police report was lodged after a search was conducted in the museum compound, but without any luck.

Kuala Pilah police chief superintendent Azmi Abdul Rahim said the crocodile belonged to the National Department of Museum and Antiquities.

He said it was worth an estimated RM30,000.

The crocodile was believed to have been stolen after the exhibition hours of 9am to 10pm.

"We have detained a museum guard at 12pm on Wednesday to help with the investigations."

The week-long exhibition, which started on Monday, is organised by the Negri Sembilan Museum Board and the National Department of Museum and Antiquities. Besides the white crocodile, the other reptiles at the exhibition include the biggest estuarine crocodile caught in Peninsular Malaysia, known as the "Puchong crocodile", and a crocodile owned by the royal family.

Historically, there were many rivers around Seri Menanti during the reign of the former Yang di-Pertuan Besar that became the natural habitat to the crocodiles in the area,


Source - New Straits Times

Eye medication used to regrow human hair

Perhaps this is a good news for balding men.

New research in the FASEB Journal shows how a commonly prescribed glaucoma drug may be effective in treating male pattern baldness and other forms of alopecia.

If you're balding and want your hair to grow back, then here is some good news. A new research report appearing online in The FASEB Journal (www.fasebj.org) shows how the FDA-approved glaucoma drug, bimatoprost, causes human hair to regrow. It's been commercially available as a way to lengthen eyelashes, but these data are the first to show that it can actually grow human hair from the scalp.

"We hope this study will lead to the development of a new therapy for balding which should improve the quality of life for many people with hair loss," said Valerie Randall, a researcher involved in the work from the University of Bradford, Bradford, UK.

"Further research should increase our understanding of how hair follicles work and thereby allow new therapeutic approaches for many hair growth disorders."

To make this discovery, Randall and colleagues conducted three sets of experiments. Two involved human cells and the other involved mice. The tests on human cells involved using hair follicles growing in organ culture as well as those take directly from the human scalp. In both of these experiments, the scientists found that bimatoprost led to hair growth. The third set of experiments involved applying bimatoprost to the skin of bald spots on mice. As was the case with human cells, the drug caused hair to regrow.

"This discovery could be the long-awaited follow up to Viagra that middle-aged men have been waiting for," said Gerald Weissmann, MD, editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal.

"Given that the drug is already approved for human use and its safety profile is generally understood, this looks like a promising discovery that has been right in front of our eyes the whole time. On to the front of our scalp!"


Source: FASEB