Many bacteria on Earth, particularly in landfills, eat waste that humans find noxious, producing methane gas, which can be burnt as fuel, as a by-product.The Russian project aims to find the most suitable combination of microbes. "Cosmonauts identify waste as one of the most acute problems they encounter in space."All the waste produced in Mir is compressed and stored in sealed containers, and swapped for fresh supplies from cargo ships, which then burn up on re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere But that waste could provide useful fuel. "This will be a revolution in the science of biodegradation," Vyacheslav Ilyin, the project manager, told the magazine. It would just create too much rubbish.But now Russian researchers are trying to find a solution, and generate fuel into the bargain. New Scientist magazine reports today that scientists at Russia's Institute for Biological and Medical Problems in Moscow have begun looking for the perfect cocktail of bacteria that will physically digest the astronauts' underpants.
Space stations such as Mir are cramped, and each astronaut produces an average of 2.5kg (5.5lb) of waste each day, occupying a volume of nine litres if uncompressed. Washing machines are hardly standard fittings, and although Mir does have a shower, frequent changes of the single-use underwear - made of a paper-cotton mix - are not part of procedure. But salvation could be at hand from invisible helpers - bacteria that eat pants. The reason for astronauts' infrequent changes is that in orbit, space is - ironically - at a premium. ALTHOUGH SPACESUITS may appear to be the last word in sterile cleanliness, they hide an awful truth: Underneath, the astronauts may have been wearing the same underwear for up to a week. The injunction is effective until a further court hearing next Monday.. Viagra is now licensed in the UK but is not yet available on the NHS and is only being sold privately in limited circumstances.Mr Sithwentis, of Wolverhampton, who was not present or represented, was "very hard to catch". He appeared to run his business by mobile phone from wherever he happened to be, the court was told.One of Pfizer's concerns was that it could face adverse claims if problems arose from somebody taking Viagra without medical advice.
"Usually it stops after one letter from our lawyers pointing out the infringement. But with others we have to take it further."Yesterday's case was believed to be the first injunction in Britain against a website, though there have been a number of cases in America.The court was told that Mr Sithwentis's website, which is hosted in the US, advertised pornographic services as well as Viagra, which was plainly being supplied without prescription."It is criminal activity and should be stopped," the Pfizer spokesman said. The injunction was granted to Viagra manufacturer Pfizer, which wants to stop sales not under prescription. The decision marks the latest stage in the company'sstruggle to protect the trade name for the drug sildenafil, which has caused its shares to rocket since it was approved for sale in the US in March.A spokesman for Pfizer said that the company had followed up roughly 100 different instances of infringements of the Viagra trademark in Britain this year alone. "There are websites, Viagra joke books, all sorts of things," he said. Dean Sithwentis, trading as Viagra-plus, was banned by Mr Justice Rattee from marketing any pharmaceutical preparations by reference to the name Viagra.
He has raised the profile of the abbey's music considerably, taking the choir on 12 foreign tours.. THE OPERATOR of an Internet website that offers the impotence drug Viagra for sale was ordered yesterday to stop trading by a High Court judge. They also have a considerable number of friends among the great and the good, who were quick to rally after their dismissal. Before going to Westminster Abbey, Dr Neary was master of the choristers at Winchester Cathedral for 15 years. The couple have three children.Dr Neary is the only person to have been elected president of the Royal College of Organists twice. As a boy, Dr Neary was in the choir of the Chapel Royal, singing at the christenings of Prince Charles and Princess Anne and at the Coronation.Dr Neary, 58, and his wife, Penny, 54, are much loved at Westminster Abbey, where they have both lived and worked for the past 10 years as organist and master of the choristers, and abbey secretary respectively. He is an academic at heart, with degrees from Oxford and Cambridge, and has written a number of books.The Bishop of Bristol, the Right Rev Barry Rogerson, is among the few who have something positive to say about Dr Carr.
He has a "desire for the truth and integrity" and an ability to "see things clearly", in his view.The Church MusicianDr Martin Neary is one of the most respected figures in the world of church music. The zenith of his career was arranging the music and conducting the choir for the funeral service of Diana, Princess of Wales,an achievement for which he was decorated by the Queen. Before that, Dr Carr was a canon at Chelmsford Cathedral, during which time the then Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Rev John Trillo, said of him: "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?"Dr Carr is programme adviser to the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in London He is married to Natalie, and has one daughter. To read the judgment is like reading a bad detective novel, where every page gives you clues saying who the main culprit is, but on the last page you find the wrong person in the dock."The DeanThe Very Rev Wesley Carr, 57, has a reputation for being a remote, insensitive man who deals high-handededly with his staff.