On the Record

“We at Clonaid believe that Dr Hwang has cloned human embryos and has the knowledge to develop stem-cell lines.”

Clonaid, the cloning company run by a religious cult, offers disgraced stem-cell researcher Woo Suk Hwang a job.

“I hope this means that I inherit a castle in Ireland.”

Novelist Peter Quinn reacts to a study showing more than 2 million people are descended from Irish nobility.

Sources: Clonaid, New York Times

Scorecard

French air

The levels of greenhouse-gas emissions in France were lower last year than in 1990, putting the country on track to meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

Japanese fishing

Giant Nomura's jellyfish (Stomolophus nomurai), which can weigh up to 200 kilograms, are swarming the coast of Japan and paralysing normal fishing practices.

Plant sex

A study led by the University of Calgary has found that competition for a dwindling number of birds and bees is hindering pollination in the world's rainforests.

Number Crunch

Obesity can be treated by ‘bariatric’ surgery, such as a gastric bypass. A study that estimates the frequency of such work in the United States suggests it is on the rise.

69,273 bariatric operations were performed in 2002.

588 patients were under the age of 20.

736% is the rise in the number of such operations between 1996 and 2002.

$2 billion was the size of the bariatric industry in 2002.

Source: M. M. Davis et al. Arch Surg. 141, 71–75 (2006).