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The Two-Way
1:20 pm
Thu December 6, 2012

PHOTOS: In Washington, A Historic Day; Gay Marriage, Marijuana Are Legal

Originally published on Thu December 6, 2012 6:26 pm

History was made at midnight in Washington on two fronts last night: Bans on both gay marriage and recreational marijuana use were lifted.

As you might expect, as the sun set and the clock struck 12, there were scenes of celebration across the state's biggest city. The pictures tell the story, so with that here are five photographs from Seattle.

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The Salt
12:43 pm
Thu December 6, 2012

Fruit Fly Nose Says Steer Clear Of Deadly Food; Human Nose Not So Reliable

Credit Jan Polabinski / iStockphoto.com
Now we know why we'll never see a common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) sitting on a beet.

Originally published on Thu December 6, 2012 4:10 pm

The earthy smell of a fresh beet may spark delicious thoughts for us, but for a fruit fly, that smell screams danger.

Geosmin, a naturally occurring chemical that gives beets, fresh soil and corked wine their distinctive smell, is also cranked out by bacteria deadly to fruit flies. And it turns out that the tiny flies have a direct pathway from nose to brain made just to detect that smell — and avoid the toxic microbes that produce it.

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The Two-Way
12:36 pm
Thu December 6, 2012

'Anonymous' Hacker Convicted For Attacks On PayPal, Mastercard

Credit Lionel Bonaventure / AFP/Getty Images
The "Anonymous" logo is seen on a tablet screen.

A hacker associated with the collective Anonymous has been convicted in Britain today for attacks against the websites of PayPal, Mastercard and Visa.

Christopher Weatherhead was found guilty following the guilty pleas of three others — Jake Birchall, Ashley Rhodes and Peter Gibson. If you remember, the four were arrested for orchestrating denial of service attacks against the companies because they had stopped processing payments for WikiLeaks.

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The Two-Way
11:41 am
Thu December 6, 2012

Good Joke? Australian Leader Says End Of World Is Coming

Credit Chris Jackson / Getty Images
She's a kidder: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Originally published on Thu December 6, 2012 11:43 am

Oh those wacky Australians.

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The Two-Way
10:56 am
Thu December 6, 2012

Sen. Jim DeMint Leaving Congress To Run Heritage Foundation

Credit Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., speaks during to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9.

Originally published on Thu December 6, 2012 2:47 pm

One of the most consistently conservative voices in Congress and a favorite of Tea Party activists across the nation is leaving the Senate.

South Carolina Republican Jim DeMint is resigning to take over as president of the Heritage Foundation.

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