oddly enough

oddly enough

Identical twins differ on politics

PORT ORCHARD, Wash.

Identical twins Patrick and Nathan Griffin-Hall like the same food, the same movies, the same books.

But the 27-year-old brothers who live together in Port Orchard, Wash., split when it comes to politics.

Patrick is a Republican and Nathan is a Democrat, and both have registered as candidates for precinct committee officer in their respective parties. Both are running unopposed.

Patrick will be serving his third term, Nathan his first.

From an early age, Patrick sensed he was different from the rest of his large, blended family.

He says, “They’re all hippie liberals. I’m the lone conservative.”

Genome study may aid in battle against lice

WASHINGTON

Sometimes scientific research can be a lousy job.

Literally.

In their quest to understand how life works, researchers reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they have sequenced the genome of the human body louse.

That’s right, those annoying little suckers that live on human blood and place their eggs in clothing.

From a practical standpoint, the findings could lead to better ways to eliminate this parasite, which can carry diseases to people, according to the researchers led by Ewen F. Kirkness of the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Md., and Barry R. Pittendrigh of the University of Illinois, Urbana.

It turns out that the human body louse relies for its digestion on a specific type of bacteria, which is not resistant to antibiotics. So finding a way to get drugs to the bacteria might kill the lice too. Knowing more about lice may also lead to new types of repellant.

The louse genome is small and contains relatively few genes related to light reception or reacting to odors and tastes, the study found.

The researchers said it appears that the human body louse evolved from the human head louse about the time people started wearing clothes, offering lice another place to hide. In addition, they noted that the human louse and the Chimpanzee louse evolved from a common ancestor between 5 million and 7 million years ago.

It’s been more than an annoyance ever since, potentially carrying typhus, relapsing fever and trench fever.

Man dies after being pinned by rototiller

FARMINGTON, N.M.

New Mexico police say a 60-year-old man died after being strangled by the handle of a rototiller.

San Juan County Sheriff’s Lt. Dwayne Faverino says Ray Montoya was found dead around 5 p.m. Sunday.

Feverino said family members found Montoya pinned against a wall with the rototiller in reverse and the motor in high gear.