Scientists have discovered how to make hens lay eggs with drugs inside.  A US team managed to insert a foreign gene into the DNA of white leghorn chicken embryos.  When the chickens matured, they laid eggs containing the protein which the gene gave the code for. 

The Guardian says the company, AviGenics, reports its findings in Nature Biotechnology.

Levels of the alien protein remained steady in egg after egg, and in the eggs of chickens reared from the original eggs. 

The technique will not be of use for producing traditional drugs such as aspirin. But it could produce large amounts of the increasing number of proteins which are being used as medicine.  But the paper says pharmaceutical omelettes and fried transgenic eggs for patients are not on the menu. The proteins will be extracted from egg whites, and the patients will see them in more conventional form. 

Each egg is expected to yield about 17mg of medicinal protein or more, potentially enough for several doses.

Authorities in California rescued dozens of animals allegedly being prepared for sacrifice.

Police were alerted after a passer-by heard what he thought was a woman moaning in pain in a shop in San Diego.  When officers went to investigate they found almost 50 animals, including goats, pigeons and chickens. The shop's owners were questioned but not arrested.

An altar, blood and animal bones were also discovered at the shop which sells voodoo dolls, potions and occult materials, they told the Union Tribune.

Detective Dan Dennis, an expert on the occult, says if the animals were properly cared for, there is nothing to keep them from being used for religious purposes. 

Police say some of the animals were chained and without food and water.   The county Department of Animal Control took the animals to a city shelter.

A spokeswoman said: "We are looking into how the animals were housed and if they were maintained in an illegal manner."

The owners declined to comment about the discovery.

What's the price of fame? That depends. If you have no self-respect, then fame can come very cheap. Or should that be "cheep"? 

Because Ben Roney has proved that if you have a few chickens and nothing better to do, you can get in the papers by naming your birds after England footballers. 

The Sun reports that the "zany zookeeper" has given the chickens names such as David PECKham and Emile EGGskey. He has even named one of them Sven CLAW-an Eriksson. Why?

It's all a gag, you see. He's teaching the chickens at Drayton Manor Park to play football in order to amuse visitors during the World Cup.  Chickens running after a ball is, he insists, "a really funny sight". 

Perhaps he could get his England team to run around with their heads off for added authenticity. 

They seized $51,769 from those arrested and a loaded 9mm handgun.

Police also confiscated sharp spurs that cockfighters attach to the birds and hypodermic needles to inject them with stimulants and anticoagulants.  "This obviously was a championship tournament," Captain Leonard Ditchkofsky said.

Those arrested are being held pending hearings on charges including cruelty to animals, illegal gambling and liquor violations, Cpt Ditchkofsky said.

Pennsylvania is one of nearly 30 states in which it is a crime to conduct or attend a cockfight. It is legal in Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. [New Mexico passed a state law making it a crime in 2003 - PT]