The mice had a large chunk of their heart removed a day after birth, only for the heart to restore itself within three weeks. Fish and amphibians are known to have the power to re-grow heart tissue, but the study in Science is the first time the process has been seen in mammals. British experts said understanding the process could help human heart care.
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It has emerged that two Russian diplomats were expelled from Spain in November on suspicion of spying.
Russia responded by expelling two Spanish diplomats last week, a Spanish foreign ministry spokesman said. The spokesman would not comment on reports the Russians had engaged in economic espionage. The spat comes before a year of high-profile cultural exchanges between the two countries. Russia is due to celebrate a "Year of Spain" while Spain is to have a "Year of Russia". Spain's respected newspaper El Pais said the Spanish government had not publicized its expulsions last month because it did not want to spoil the forthcoming events. |
Two explosions in Sweden's capital Stockholm are being investigated as a "crime of terror", officials say.
A car blew up in a busy shopping area on Saturday afternoon, followed moments later by a second explosion nearby. Witnesses said a man found dead after the second blast had been carrying an explosive device. Two people were hurt. Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt condemned the attacks as unacceptable in an open society with a functioning democracy that respects different cultures. "Our democracy functions well," he told a press conference. "Those who feel frustration or anger have the opportunity to express it without resorting to violence." |
A German woman has been killed in a shark attack while snorkeling off the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sherm-el-Sheik, officials say.
The death comes after four people were injured in similar attacks at the resort earlier in the week. The authorities had reopened the waters after saying they had captured the sharks involved in the earlier attacks. Officials say they are baffled by the repeated attacks and are consulting marine biologists. There are fears about the impact of the shark attacks on the tourism trade in the world's most popular diving spot. |