More Disturbing Coupling than SpearsFed, Prodi Pulls Out, Hobbit Just Diseased, Urge Leases Music, and Apple Louvres

Was that just Tom Hanks running down the steps?

1. A study from the Broad Institute and Hah-vahd is shedding a new light on human evolution. Results show that over 6 million years ago humans and chimps split off from each other and after 4 million years of humans and chimps growing independently, they decided to get back together for a brief "fling," producing a hybrid that then separated out into two distinct branches of humans and chimps. Critique of this idea came even from the study's own camp, as Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard biology professor that was not involved in the study, said, "My problem is imagining what it would be like to have a bipedal hominid and a chimpanzee viewing each other as appropriate mates." Common a viewpoint as that is, it hardly seems to substantiate a counter to the theory. (Aljazeera)

2. In Romano Prodi's first speech as Italy's prime minister, he called the war against Iraq a "grave mistake" and proposed to the parliament to withdraw all of its soldiers. When subjected to loud booing, Prodi said, "I'd like to know what the difference is between this and the government's position to withdraw by year end," referencing Berlusconi's plan for complete withdrawal at year's end. I don't know, that there was a scheduled plan? (Bloomberg)

3. It may be that the "Hobbit" bones found on Flores in 2003 was not from another species at all but a man who was suffering from microencephaly, a genetic illness that shrinks the size of the brain and body. Now, my question is... can you just get that from moving to Hollywood? (AP)

4. Microsoft and MTV combine their forces to battle Apple in the music download arena. The service, called Urge, targets people who don't use iTunes or iPods, as Urge's music can't play on either anyway, and offers subscription options of an unlimited listening service or downloads per month. However, once the subscription ends, the music is gone. Rob Small, an Apple marketing director, comments, "Our experience has been that customers like to own their music rather than subscribe to it." True that. (The Age)

5. The new Apple store opens on Fifth Avenue and 58th opens tomorrow. It will be open 24/7, or as Apple's Ron Johnson puts it, "it will be open today forever" (though, really, open to the public tomorrow). Decked out with a glass cube on the ground floor with descending stairs to the store, the flagship store is reminiscent of a prettily bizarre Frankenstein of the Louvre and SIBL. But most importantly, it offers free WiFi! To see the new digs, click here. (Macworld)