For decades now, cigarette makers have marketed light cigarettes, which contain less nicotine than regular smokes, with the implication that they are less harmful to smokers' health. A new UCLA study shows, however, that they deliver nearly as much nicotine to the brain.

The basic numbers would seem to bear that out the less harmful claim. Light cigarettes have nicotine levels of 0.6 to 1 milligrams, while regular cigarettes contain between 1.2 and 1.4 milligrams.

In the brain, nicotine binds to specific molecules on nerve cells called nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs. When nerve cells communicate, nerve impulses jump chemically across gaps between cells called synapses by means of neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters then bind to the receptor sites on nerve cells — in the case acetylcholine resulting in the release of a pleasure-inducing chemical called dopamine. Nicotine mimics acetylcholine, but it lasts longer, releasing more dopamine. Most scientists believe that's one key reason why nicotine is so addictive.

WORCESTER, Massachusetts, September 26 /PRNewswire/ --

Verax Biomedical Inc., a pioneer of rapid tests for detecting bacterial contaminants in blood cells and tissue, announced its Platelet PGD(R) Test for bacterial detection is now CE Marked. The test, which received 510 (k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2007, holds potential to improve the safety of the blood supply by easily and quickly detecting a broad range of bacterial contaminants.

GENEVA, September 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercuria Energy Trading S.A. of Switzerland has won an auction by the Sao Paulo Municipal Government in Brazil of 713,000 certified emission reduction (CER) credits, representing 713,000 tons of CO2 equivalent. The winning bid was 19.20 Euros ($28.20) per credit-a total of over 13.68 million Euros.

The auction took place under the framework of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty under which signatory nations agree to create a market for carbon emissions, in order to try to reduce CO2 emissions into the earth's atmosphere.

The auction was held by the BM&FBOVESPA Exchange in Brazil. Eight bidders participated in the auction.

This kind of Mother Goose is no fairy tale. A 50 million year old skull reveals that huge birds with a 5 meter wingspan once skimmed across the waters that covered what is now London, Essex and Kent. These giant ocean-going relatives of ducks and geese also had a rather bizarre attribute for a bird: their beaks were lined with bony-teeth.

Described today in the journal Palaeontology, the skull belongs to Dasornis, a bony-toothed bird, or pelagornithid, and was discovered in the London Clay, which lies under much of London, Essex and northern Kent in SE England. The occurrence of bony-toothed birds in these deposits has been known for a long time, but the new fossil is one the best skulls ever found, and preserves previously unknown details of the anatomy of these strange creatures.

Wile E. Coyote has nothing on this guy.

Yves Rossy, aka Jet Man, zoomed into the record books this morning, flying across the English Channel strapped to a single jet-powered wing, with only a helmet and flight suit for protection.

The 22-mile (35-kilometer) France-to-England journey took 13 minutes. Bad weather had twice postponed the event this week. But this morning—with clear blue skies and a nice tailwind—turned out to be an ideal flight day for the Swiss airline pilot.

Around 2 p.m., local time, Rossy leaped from a plane abound 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) above a beach near Calais. Within seconds he had opened his wing, fired up his four miniature jet turbines, and pointed his nose toward Britain.

NEW YORK and GENEVA, September 26 /PRNewswire/ -- WISeKey today announced a new commitment with the initial focus to target over 100 million people in the Mediterranean region still unbanked but already connected via voice with their mobiles phones. WISeKey will provide the trusted, secure and interoperable m-payments technology required to operate a Mobile Payment Telco Platform in selected geographical areas in partnership with financial institutions, telecommunications and technology companies in the region.

MONHEIM, Germany, September 26 /PRNewswire/ --

It is the most common cause of death(1) in older cats, but one so subtle it often remains undetected until the cat falls suddenly ill. Chronic Renal Disease (CRD) affects the kidney functions of one-third of cats over 15 years(2), with an estimated 10% of all cats over 7 years at risk. And once it strikes, up to 85% of kidney function may be permanently lost(3) compromising both the quality and duration of the cat's life.

Today Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health division unveils a new solution to aid the management of chronic feline renal disease. Renalzin(R) is an innovative, easy-to-administer feed additive proven to support kidney function in ageing cats.

PARIS, September 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Revenues +31% / Operating Profit +41% / Net Profit +51%

LeGuide.com S.A. (Alternext - ALGUI), the ndegrees1 French independent editor of Internet shopping guides, shows strong growth as well as profitability in its results for the 1st semester of 2008.

Consolidated Figures 30 June % 30 June % Evolution in MEUR* 2008 Turnover 2007 Turnover S1 '08 / S1 '07 Turnover 7.5 - 5.7 - +31% Operating Profit 2.1 28.5% 1.5 26.6% +41% Gross Profit 2.6 34.8% 1.7 29.2% +57% Net Profit 1.8 23.5% 1.2 20.4% +51% *Audited figures (review engagement), before dooyoo integration

Strong organic growth in 14 European countries

Scientific happenings, big and small, on this day in history

But first: today’s quiz. What inventor, who died on this day in 1902, developed and patented a highly popular (and much beloved) item of clothing in 1873? Trust me, you most likely have this item of clothing in your wardrobe, and in fact may be wearing it right now – especially since it’s Friday. The answer can be found at the end of this article.

On to other historic happenings…

17 years ago, September 26, 1991, 8 brave souls locked themselves inside a sealed dome to simulate what it would be like to live in an artificial closed ecological system.

It was called Biosphere 2 (the original 'biosphere' being Ma Earth here) and was made in Oracle, Arizona by Space Biosphere Ventures.

The idea was to learn about ecology but it ended up being about anthropology as well - as fellow Scientific Blogging scribe Jane Poynter says, they discovered that even in tiny groups, and much as they might have protested the notion in advance, they broke into factions.