hBrave little mouse

hBrave little mouse

TOKYO — Cat and mouse may never be the same. Japanese scientists say they’ve used genetic engineering to create mice that show no fear of felines, a development that may shed new light on mammal behavior and the nature of fear itself.

Scientists at Tokyo University say they were able to successfully switch off a mouse’s instinct to cower at the smell or presence of cats — showing that fear is genetically hardwired and not learned through experience, as commonly believed.

“Mice are naturally terrified of cats, and usually panic or flee at the smell of one. But mice with certain nasal cells removed through genetic engineering didn’t display any fear,” said research team leader Ko Kobayakawa.

In his experiment, the genetically altered mice approached cats, even snuggled up to them and played with them, as shown in the photo.

Strikers file complaint

LOS ANGELES — Union officials representing striking Hollywood writers said Thursday they have filed an unfair labor practices complaint claiming studios violated federal law by breaking off negotiations.

The Writers Guild of America demanded in a statement that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers return to the bargaining so the six-week strike can be ended and thousands of workers idled by the walkout can return to their jobs.

Negotiations broke off Dec. 7 when the alliance refused to bargain further unless the union dropped a half-dozen proposals that included the authority to unionize writers on reality shows and animation projects.

Shooter’s mom apologizes

OMAHA, Neb. — The mother of the teenage gunman who killed eight people at a busy shopping mall last week apologized Thursday for her son’s crime and said she did her best raising him.

“I have been absolutely devastated,” Maribel Rodriguez told The Associated Press. “The most difficult part is giving all of my best efforts to convey to all these beautiful people that I truly am sorry.”

Her son, 19-year-old Robert Hawkins, fired more than 30 rounds inside a mall department store Dec. 5, striking 11 people. Eight of them died, and he killed himself.

Families held funerals and memorial services for the victims this week.

Rodriguez said she is hurting more than the victims’ families, since she is grieving for so many people: the victims, their friends and the community.

“My pain is a billion times greater than any of them,” she said. But, she added, she wishes more people had known her son. “You guys really were robbed,” she said. “That boy was oh-so funny.”

Arrests in Malibu fires

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday it would arrest five people in last month’s devastating wildfire in Malibu.

Deputies were arresting five men between the ages of 18 and 27 from the Los Angeles area in a roundup Thursday, spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

The five were to be identified later Thursday.

Those arrested will face arson-related charges, Whitmore said.

Whitmore said investigators found several pieces of evidence that indicated revelers had triggered the blaze by setting a campfire at a popular party spot by a cave in Corral Canyon, which abuts Malibu Creek State Park.

Emergency rule to end

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Pervez Musharraf will end emergency rule Saturday as promised, but first he will amend the constitution to protect his decisions from court review, Pakistan’s attorney general said Thursday.

Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum told The Associated Press that government legal experts were finalizing the amendments and that the changes would be announced before the state of emergency is lifted.

He provided no details.

Associated Press