A cat’s purr normally says, “I’m happy.” But a new study suggests some purrs send cat owners a much different message: “Feed me!”

Overall, cats are pretty cunning. Check out the video after the jump.

Arctic sea ice thinned dramatically between the winters of 2004 and 2008, with thin seasonal ice replacing thick older ice as the dominant type for the first time on record. The new results, based on data from a NASA Earth-orbiting spacecraft, provide further evidence for the rapid, ongoing transformation of the Arctic’s ice cover.

Scientists from NASA and the University of Washington in Seattle conducted the most comprehensive survey to date using observations from NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite, known as ICESat, to make the first basin-wide estimate of the thickness and volume of the Arctic Ocean’s ice cover. Ron Kwok of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., led the research team, which published its findings July 7 in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans.

Beginning today, Hong Kong people and their children will have direct access to Filligent’s patented anti- microbial face mask, the BioMask(TM). The revolutionary mask, which traps and kills germs like H1N1 upon contact, was launched at Asia’s leading drugstore chain, Watsons, today. In addition, Hong Kong’s biggest travel agency, Hong Thai, will be providing the BioMask(TM), on a complimentary basis, to all air travelers through the end of August. Up until now, the CE-certified, specialist mask has only been available to medical and healthcare professionals. The launch and availability of the BioMask(TM) in consumer retailers and service providers is significant because, as CEO Melissa Mowbray-d’Arbela says, “The BioMask(TM) is the first ‘intelligent’ face mask. You don’t have to be a health care worker or medical professional to use it correctly. Instead, the mask is very easy to put on, wear and dispose of properly. Thus, it’s one of the best forms of protection for ordinary people and their children during this year’s swine flu crisis.”

Whereas ordinary surgical masks fit poorly with lots of leakage from the sides and become easily contaminated with live germs, the BioMask(TM) is easy to put on, fits securely and kills germs continuously. Unlike an ordinary mask, it is not covered with live germs when you take it off. Thus, the BioMask(TM) is great for kids who tend to touch and fidget with face masks.

For many years your biggest consideration when buying a television was what size screen to select. This was usually dictated by your budget and the space you had. Once those variables were determined the project was simple. Buying a TV in the current market is a much more complicated task: there are LCDs, Plasmas, and projectors to choose from. Before a purchase can be made, first one must understand what these options are and how they compare against each other.

LCD TVs and Plasmas function differently to achieve the same desired effect: providing a sharp, clear, highly responsive image. LCD televisions have crystal cells that tighten and unwind accordingly as they are sparked by an electronic impulse. A bright backlight suffuses the cells and as they rotate they filter out every color in the spectrum except for the required one. Plasma TVs have thousands upon thousands of pixels that, when activated, release gases that work to produce a specific color in the red, blue and green bands contained within the pixels.