Some analysts see evidence that Facebook is already successfully

With Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg has created a seemingly perfect home on the Web, one where people feel comfortable chatting with friends, playing games, sharing photos and videos, listening to music and revealing the most intimate details of their lives. The $100 billion question is whether Facebook Cheap Christian Louboutin will be a perfect home for advertisers, as well. Facebook, the social networking giant, is on the cusp of an initial public offering that is shaping up to be a success. There has been such an investor frenzy that the company supersized its offering on Wednesday. It now plans to sell nearly 18 percent of the company to the public — up from around 14 percent — in an I.P.O. that could value the company at more than $100 billion. Despite the overwhelming level of interest, Facebook is facing fresh concerns over its ability to attract enough advertising revenue to justify that stratospheric valuation. On Tuesday, General Motors, the third-largest advertiser in the country, shut down its Facebook budget, about $10 million, saying that those ads were simply not doing enough to sell automobiles. For Facebook, the loss of $10 million is not a big deal. The company generated $3.7 billion of revenue last year, 85 percent from advertising. But the loss underlines the company’s need to convince a skeptical Madison Avenue that Facebook pages are the perfect vehicle for marketers and to convince eager investors that it can increase its advertising revenue, and quickly. “It’s one of the most powerful branding mechanisms in the world, but it’s not an advertising mechanism,” said Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, the giant advertising agency. G.M. aside, many companies remain committed to the social media platform as a way to engage and connect with consumers. Advertising executives, industry analysts and institutional investors just aren’t convinced that activity will translate into huge and growing profits for Facebook. It is a concern shared by some of the company’s bankers, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Companies like Home Depot,Wells Fargo and Merck have a presence on Facebook with their own pages. But they are mainly focused on fashioning content to build brand loyalty, rather than creating targeted advertising. Even G.M. has said it plans to keep dedicated Facebook pages, stressing that it is an important avenue for reaching car buyers. The automaker just doesn’t want to pay Facebook — a decision that analysts worry other companies could make. “My colleagues and I have spoken with several other advertisers who were already thinking of putting their dollars elsewhere,” said Melissa Parrish, an analyst at Forrester. “Now that G.M. has done so in such a large and public way, many of the fence-sitters will know that they’re not alone.” As with all advertising, companies want to know what they’re getting for their money, and with Facebook, the answer isn’t clear. While the social network collects large amounts of data on its users, Facebook is much more reluctant than Google and other online sites to share that information with advertisers. Facebook currently allows marketers to buy audiences, say women between the ages of 18 and 35 who live in a specific neighborhood. But Facebook is essentially a walledgarden, so what users may do on the Web beyond Facebook — where they shop, what they read — isn’t available for advertisers who want to home in on people’s behavior. Instead, Facebook provides basic information on just how many users “like,” or follow, a particular ad or page “Facebook’s a silo,” said Darren Herman, the chief digital media officer at the Media Kitchen, an agency that helps clients on Facebook. “It is very hard to understand the efficacy of what a Facebook like, or fan or follow is worth.” Already, investors are putting a price on those Facebook users. At a market value of $100 billion, investors are estimating that each person with a Facebook page is worth roughly $110. But that’s based on the potential profits — not what Facebook is making off them now. Last year, each Facebook user generated $4 worth of sales for the company. If the company doesn’t live up to those promises, the stock may suffer. While new investors are betting that Facebook will be the next Google, current owners of the social network are taking some of their money off the table, including DST Global, Accel Partners and Goldman Sachs. “Over time, Facebook will be able to increase its revenue,” said Mr. Sorrell of WPP. “But whether it will be able to justify its valuation, well, time will tell.” Facebook has spent years trying to court Madison Avenue. In 2005, the advertising group was largely run out of the company’s satellite New York “office,” the modest Upper East Side apartment of Kevin Colleran, one of Facebook’s first sales employees. “We told advertisers it was $5,000 minimum,” Mr. Colleran said in an interview earlier this year. “But, really, we would take what we could get.” As Facebook expanded beyond the college network, finding advertisers became easier. Companies were wowed by the growing number of users and the minutes people spent on the site. But Facebook’s young chief was hesitant to clutter the site with ads. Its biggest competitor, Myspace, was clogging users’ profiles with loud advertisements, creating a jarring aesthetic. Mr. Zuckerberg, who has often said that Facebook was not designed to be a business, firmly told his team he would not sacrifice product for the sake of revenue. “Mark made it clear: he said get me ads that make the experience better,” Mr. Colleran, who has left the company, said. That philosophy has helped shape its current pitch. Rather than simply providing traditional ads, the social network encourages companies to engage with users by telling them stories. Facebook believes that such interaction is less intrusive than other online ads that take over a user’s screen or push down content. Some companies are aggressively jumping onto the platform. Last year,Wal-Mart started a Facebook app that customized offers for more than 3,800 of its American stores. “A national message is often not as relevant as being able to say, we’ve got sunscreen in the South and we’ve got rubber boots in the North,” Stephen Quinn, chief marketing officer for the Wal-Mart U.S. division, said at the time of the October introduction. But not all companies are persuaded. For one, Facebook has been relatively protective of its user data, citing privacy concerns. But data is critical to creating tailored ads. Facebook also doesn’t have the full palette of advertising options. For example, companies can buy space only directly through Facebook, rather than through a network, where advertisers have more control. And Facebook limits the types of ads. While it allows companies to use video or social features, Facebook doesn’t let advertisers take over its home page or dress up their ads with a lot of bells and whistles. “Facebook doesn’t have a clear enough story to tell marketers,” said Ms. Parrish of Forrester. Investors piling into Facebook will be doing so on faith. To buy the shares, they have to believe that the company will be able to milk an ever-increasing amount of revenue from all the Web site’s social interactions, without alienating users with intrusive advertising or breaches of privacy. Some analysts see evidence that Facebook is already successfully weaving ads into users’ interactions, without excessive intrusion. If this approach works, the returns on such Facebook ads could be five times higher for advertisers than regular ads, said Ken Sena, an analyst at Evercore Partners. Mr. Sena said he thought that Facebook’s advertising revenue could reach $14.9 billion in 2017, up from $3.2 billion last year. Still, there are warning signs. Facebook’s advertising revenue actually fell in the first quarter of this year, from the fourth quarter. And some analysts think ad revenue will grow quite a bit more slowly this year than last. This is where comparisons with Google, which went public in 2004, become apt. On its first day of trading, Google closed at $100.34 a share, which was 69 times the Christian Louboutin Bags company’s earnings. Back then, Google’s revenue and earnings were growing faster than Facebook’s today. If Facebook goes public with a $100 billion market value, it would trade at 103 times the profits it made in the 12 months through the end of March. In that case, investors aren’t just saying Facebook is the next Google, they are betting it is better than the I.P.O. of Google — a lofty goal by any measure.

Growth has to feed through to the people

Leaders of Germany and France Tuesday held talks on boosting economic growth amid the ongoing European debt crisis and keeping Greece within the eurozone. "We share the responsibility for a good Cheap Christian Louboutin development in Europe and I think we will find solutions for individual problems in this spirit," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande, who just took office hours before his first diplomatic trip. The newly sworn-in French president said he is willing to build a "balanced" and "respectful" relationship with Germany. "Carried by this spirit, I believe we will of course find solutions for the different problems," Merkel said. For his part, Hollande said, "Everything should be put on the table" at the forthcoming informal summit of EU leaders in Brussels on May 23. "It will be very important that Germany and France present their ideas together at this summit and work closely together to prepare it," Merkel said. In addition, Hollande affirmed his wish for a renegotiation of the EU fiscal pact, saying that "I said it during my election campaign and I say it again now as president that I want to renegotiate what has been agreed to include a growth dimension." Referring to this, Merkel said, "Growth has to feed through to the people. And that's why I'm happy that we'll discuss different ideas on how to achieve growth." Despite their policy differences, both Hollande and Merkel have joined forces to build a workable relationship in order to continue the Franco-German cooperation to fight the eurozone debt crisis. At the conference, the leaders of the eurozone's two largest economies also expressed their wish for Greece to stay in the single currency bloc. "We want Greece to stay in the euro," Merkel said. She also said Germany and France were prepared "to study the possibility of additional growth measures in Greece" if Athens said they needed them. Hollande agreed with Merkel, saying promoting a growth-driven strategy was at the core of his presidential campaign. "I hope that we can say to the Greeks that Europe is ready to add measures to help growth and support economic activity so that there is a return to growth in Greece," Hollande said. Earlier in the day, the final critical talks among Greek party leaders failed to form a coalition government after the May 6 parliamentary elections, with the debt-ridden country heading to fresh polls in June. "Efforts to form a coalition administration ended Christian Louboutin Peep Toe with no result. On Wednesday a new party leaders meeting will discuss the appointment of a caretaker government to lead the country to repeat elections," the presidency said in a statement. Greece is suffering from political instability and a financial crisis, fueling fears that the country could face the risk of a chaotic default and an exit from the eurozone. Greece's leaving the single-currency club could send shockwaves across Europe and the international financial system.

Brown said he would negotiate with unions to make the changes

Gov. Jerry Brown proposed significant cuts to state courts and state worker pay - including reducing state employees' work week to four days - to help close a $15.7 billion gap between revenues and expenses for California's fiscal year that begins July 1. In announcing his revised budget proposal, which he called both "difficult" and "real, increased austerity," the governor also pressed his case for voters to approve Cheap Christian Louboutin a tax initiative that he is pushing in the November election. The governor's plan already counts the revenue the tax initiative would bring in - and if voters reject the taxes, then even deeper cuts would be required, Brown said. Those would include mid-year cuts to public schools, community colleges and the University of California and California State University systems. Brown spoke at the Capitol and immediately flew to Los Angeles, where he also made his case for his $91 billion general fund spending plan. The general fund pays for most state services."I said at the beginning when I ran for this job that it's taken a long time, more than a decade, to get into this mess. We're not going to get out of it in a year, or even two years. But we're getting there. We're making progress," Brown said. Overall, the budget plan relies on $8.3 billion in spending reductions and other cuts, nearly $6 billion from the taxes that would be collected if the November ballot measure passes, and $2.5 billion in "other" solutions including putting off the repayment of some loans. But even while counting on the increase in taxes, which are far from certain to pass, the governor projects the state will have a $7.7 billion deficit in two years. Still, Brown said the state's chronic deficits will remain a top issue for him. "I think you can be confident that before I leave here we will be in solid fiscal balance and we can look forward to a very stable future," he said. The bulk of the cuts, nearly $2.5 billion, come from health services and welfare, which Democrats in the Legislature have opposed. The federal government and courts also have already blocked similar reductions in services, but it appears the governor is going to try again to get approval on those, including In-Home Supportive Services and co-payments for Medi-Cal. The proposal seeks to make reductions in what the state pays to hospitals and nursing homes for treating the poor, along with adding limits on who qualifies for welfare. The $879 million proposed cut to CalWORKS, the state's welfare to work program, is actually smaller than what the governor first proposed in January, but Democrats have said the reduction would lead to homelessness and that they oppose it. "There is of course a balance between making necessary cuts, which we will do, and maintaining and preserving essential servicers for people, especially people most in need," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. Brown said he expects the budget negotiations, which must conclude by the June 15 deadline, will be "difficult," and Steinberg agreed. The largest and newest pieces of the revised plan include taking $1.4 billion that was left from the dismantling of the state's redevelopment agencies and using it for the general fund. Steinberg and others had initially wanted that money to help create affordable housing. Brown also has proposed a $544 million cut to the courts, which have been reduced significantly in recent years. That money would come from the reserves of local courts, along with delaying construction of new courthouses. Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye criticized the plan, Christian Louboutin Peep Toe saying, "The proposed cuts to the judicial branch are both devastating and disheartening. They will seriously compromise the public's access to their courts and our ability to provide equal access to justice throughout the state." She said she would hold an emergency meeting with leaders in the court system this week to address the plan. Another new element of the budget would take $292 million in proceeds from the state's mortgage settlement - funds that were slated to pay for existing programs that assist homeowners. Attorney General Kamala Harris objected to that proposal. Brown would use that money to plug the deficit. "While the state is undeniably facing a difficult budget gap, these funds should be used to help Californians stay in their homes," Harris said. The final major new piece is a $400 million reduction in state worker pay, which Brown proposed achieving by shortening the work week for state workers from five to four days. He said state employees would work longer hours on those four days for a total of 38 hours per week. State offices would stay open longer on those days as well. Union officials representing state workers actually proposed the plan to the governor and said it is the best of the bad options. "Nobody is OK with less pay, but what they're also not OK with is the constant uncertainty of 'Do I have a job or not? Is this going to mean layoffs or not?'" said Yvonne Walker, president of SEIU Local 1000, the California's largest state employee union. Brown said he would negotiate with unions to make the changes, which he said would apply to all state workers including those in public safety agencies such as Cal Fire and the California Highway Patrol. Looming in the budget negotiations are so-called "trigger cuts," or automatic spending reductions that would take place if the governor's tax measure is rejected by voters. His measure would raise the income tax on the state's top earners and the sales tax for everyone. Brown has called for just over $6 billion in those type of cuts, with nearly all of it - $5.5 billion - coming from K-12 education and community colleges. The UC and CSU systems would each take a mid-year cut of $250 million cut. California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott www.cheapclsneakers.com said the impact, roughly $300 million, on the schools he oversees would be a "breaking point" for some community colleges.

That you suddenly they are not suitable for dating

Always wanted to write something for you to write something for us, but it has not pen to paper. At this point, a person sitting on the wooden bench in front of Christian Louboutin Heels a lot of white butterflies fluttering in a pair, and listening to music, read about our story. Remember to write the article about our class, you told me to write an article about us, in fact, before I write the idea, but every time I lift the pen will know how to write, how to to express our feelings, it seems that no amount of words can not express the heart of the kind of feelings, so they did not write. More often, I would like to write a poem for you, because of the talent and less learning, and indeed could not write a decent, but dear please believe that one day I will write a beautiful poem to you. We first met when he first entered a time, in the class who do not know, then I think you look particularly like Huang Yi, now it looks nothing like, I do not understand when eyes. Just know, only occasionally see the lay a greeting, even acquaintances are out of the question, we later learned that our original junior high school in a school, speech and more gradually up, so did not take long on the familiar, every day at noon class together eating, after going to night classes to go back with the rock in front of the school holidays, eating, shopping boutiques, has been so until the high end. High near the end, we are faced with the Division of Arts, you say they do not like the stuff of science, science grades were not good, is not suitable for reading science, so I chose the text, but I chose the reason, because I really do not want to face do not want to back political history, despite the physical, but still suffer pain selected, then it told me that physics is all my source of pain. In the exam, I always worry about the physical drag my hind legs, let me pass the test one, however, the results of the test 98. Then think if I chose the liberal arts, then we can be together for two years, may want to separate, we still do not care. Placement, my classroom is on the fifth floor, in the second floor, we rarely meet, and sometimes even meet only lay a greeting. Living in different environments, the people around us naturally replaced, there is another dinner with the home, this change is inevitable, so even a trace Christian Louboutin Shoes Sale of bitterness nor regret or regret. Because I have always believed that the distance between people will not change because of the changes in the space, if you want to change but also because heart. Middle School when you buy a book with this communication, we said after we wrote a lot of text, speaking each other's feelings, encourage each other with fast college entrance examination, this book gave me, I have been treasure it. I you send a book to the middle of a paper folding heart, had you sent and asked me to do not lost heart, in fact, you silly, even if you do not say, I do not will it knocked off. Now book on my chest, and sometimes I come up with a look at the mirror I use now is also when you send, the last in bed are not careful, it trampled all sad for a long time, although bad , but I'm still in use. Last night we received the video chat, you are still over there is so cute, smile so bright, like a carefree child, do not know why every time I see your smile, I will be very happy, this is others can not give the feeling. Juaner her dad saying AA system life is the excitement is low, a little happy excited about a long time, but I like you. Have always felt that you are the most innocent girl I've ever seen, cute and simple, frank and sincere. You said Flanagan red rope in your hand, the interface is growing, but not out, I would like fixed as how will not be out with us with a long time, do not know to the day We will take down, it is extremely common, but loaded with our friendship. That you suddenly they are not suitable for dating, blind date after Well, my dear, you really stupid, only experienced know, perhaps now you only freshman, do not understand it, but to be experienced naturally know . In any case, my dear If you encounter your favorite, then I will definitely support you. Must be a good boy to deserve better, one day you get married, looking to find happiness, I will feel very happy, very happy. I have two years, you three years, we face the problem of graduation, after graduation, perhaps we even more difficult to meet, then after the baptism of the community, our friendship will become? I believe not. You said that their future living in Guangzhou, and I want to go to Kunming, but if you can, I hope we can work together in Guangzhou have time to go travel around town to look at, so do a lifetime of friends. At this point, the front of the butterfly flying everywhere, how beautiful all this and more would like to share with you, you were not around, so let me instead of you Cheap Christian Louboutin enjoy it. Sincere friendship does not lie in the Zhaozhaoxixi of companions, but rather a tacit understanding of the heart and the heart, dear, if you well is sunny.

The bacteria that infected Copeland

Whether she was hiking in the woods, growing organic vegetables or working on her master's degree in psychology, Aimee Copeland embraced her passions with Cheap Christian Louboutin determination and a constant smile that made friends wonder if she ever had bad days. Now the 24-year-old Georgia graduate student is fighting to survive a flesh-eating bacterial infection that forced doctors to amputate most of her left leg. They warned she would likely lose her other foot and both hands. Copeland contracted the rare infection, called necrotizing fasciitis, within a few days after suffering a deep cut May 1 when she fell from a broken zip line during an outdoor excursion. Her parents and sister remain at her side after a week at an Augusta hospital, while friends 200 miles away at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton are holding vigils and organizing blood drives while praying for Copeland to recover. "When she put her mind to a project, there was no letting go. She was relentless until it was completed," said Richard LaFleur, a fellow graduate student who enlisted Copeland to help recruit for the psychology department. "I don't expect anything less at this point because she's fighting for her life. If anyone will pull through this, it will be Aimee." Copeland had just finished her second year of graduate school and was planning to soon begin work on her thesis when she was injured. It happened on a kayaking trip with friends when she tried to cross the Little Tallapoosa River on a homemade zip line. The line broke and Copeland Christian Louboutin Shoes Sale fell onto the rocks below, suffering a nasty gash in her leg. Doctors at the local emergency room closed the wound with nearly two dozen staples, but it became infected within a few days. On May 4 she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and flown to Augusta for treatment by specialists. Infections by so-called flesh-eating bacteria are rare but sometimes can run rampant after even minor cuts or scratches. The bacteria enter the body, quickly reproduce and give off toxins that cut off blood flow to parts of the body. The affliction can destroy muscle, fat and skin tissue. Affected areas sometimes have to be surgically removed to save a patient's life. The bacteria that infected Copeland, a bug called Aeromonas hydrophila, is found in warm and brackish waters. Many people exposed to these bacteria don't get sick and when illnesses do occur, it's often diarrhea from swallowing bacteria in the water. Flesh-eating Aeromonas cases are considered extremely rare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not keep statistics, and only a handful of infections have been reported in medical journals over the past few decades. Group A streptococcus is the type of bacteria usually blamed in flesh-eating cases, and most doctors often aren't looking for Aeromonas, said Amy Horneman, a microbiologist at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. "It's the Rodney Dangerfield of pathogens," said Horneman, referring to the late comedian who declared he couldn't get respect." But "when a traumatic water infection Christian Louboutin Heels occurs, that's the first organism you should think of."

The researchers also varied the time between the initial reminder

The team is calling for more measures to reduce christian louboutin the impact of shift working following the results of its study.

Researchers controlled the lives of 21 people, including meal and bedtimes.

The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, showed changes to normal sleep meant the body struggled to control sugar levels.

Some participants even developed early symptoms of diabetes within weeks.

Shift work has been associated with a host of health problems.

Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in the US, were trying to study its effects in a controlled environment.
Lower insulin levels

The 21 health-trial participants started with 10 hours' sleep at night. This was followed by three weeks of disruption to their sleep and body clocks.

The 21 health-trial participants started with 10 hours' sleep at night. This was followed by three weeks of disruption to their sleep and body clocks.
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The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health, and that sleep should be at night for best effect”

Dr Orfeu Buxton Brigham and Women's Hospital

The length of the day was extended to 28 hours, Christian Louboutin Sandals creating an effect similar to a full-time flyer constantly getting jet lag.

Participants were allowed only 6.5 hours' sleep in the new 28-hour day, equivalent to 5.6 hours in a normal day. They also lived in dim light to prevent normal light resetting the body clock.

During this part of the study, sugar levels in the blood were "significantly increased" immediately after a meal and during "fasting" parts of the day.

The researchers showed that lower levels of insulin - the hormone that normally controls blood sugar - were produced.

Three of the participants had sugar levels which stayed so high after their meals they were classified as "pre-diabetic".

They also highlighted a risk of putting on weight as the body slowed down.

"The 8% drop in resting metabolic rate that we measured in our participants... translates into a 12.5-pound increase in weight over a single year," they wrote.

Lead researcher Dr Orfeu Buxton said: "We think these results support the findings from studies showing that, in people with a pre-diabetic condition, shift workers who stay awake at night are much more likely to progress to full-on diabetes than day workers.

"Since night workers often have a hard time Christian Louboutin Marpop Red Patent Leather Wedges sleeping during the day, they can face both circadian [body clock] disruption working at night and insufficient sleep during the day.

"The evidence is clear that getting enough sleep is important for health, and that sleep should be at night for best effect."

The research group called for more efforts to reduce the health impact of shift working.
Artificial world

Dr Matthew Hobbs, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "This is an interesting study which shows that under extreme conditions involving sleep deprivation and 'tricking' the body clock, participants produced less insulin and therefore had higher blood glucose levels then when they were able to sleep normally and live according to normal daily rhythms."

He cautioned that the laboratory conditions were not the same as working nights.

"Clearly, this does not equate to the normal experience of shift workers who are able, for example, to use bright lights when not sleeping.

"The study also involved only 21 people. For these reasons, it is not possible to conclude that the findings would translate to real conditions in the wider public."

Tweaking memories related to drug abuse may keep addicts from relapsing, a new study published Friday in Science journal reported.

A group of Chinese scientists found that memories that connect drug-related "cues" such as needles or cigarettes to the pleasurable effects of drugs play a large role in Dooney Bourke Handbag former drug users' relapses, BBC News reported.

Lin Lu of the National Institute of Drug Dependence at Peking University in Beijing and his team combined traditional memory "extinction" procedures with a process called memory reconsolidation, Medical Daily reported.

More from GlobalPost: Study suggests some brains are wired for addiction

The scientists worked with 66 former heroin addicts, 22 of which had not taken the drug for an average of 11 years. Half the group was initially shown a short video of drug use to "open" their memory window, followed by "extinction sessions" where they interacted with more cues of heroin use, including handling fake heroin, Science News reported.

The other half of the group were initially shown a video of the countryside, which would not open the window, and then the drug-related visuals, BBC reported.

The researchers also varied the time between the initial reminder and the "extinction" sessions: Some people waited just 10 minutes, and others waited six hours.

During tests done one, 30, and 180 days later, the researchers found that levels of drug cravings were lower in those who had their memory window "opened" by a visual trigger and then experienced the drug-related cues 10 minutes later. Those participants also showed less of a blood android homme pressure rise in response to seeing drug paraphernalia compared with people who hadn’t received the reminder, Science News reported. Furthermore, those who waited six hours before undergoing the extinction didn’t get the same effect.

More northerly colonies are thought to be particularly at risk

Using high-resolution images taken using christian louboutin satellites, researchers analysed 44 colonies of emperor penguins around the coastline of Antarctica.

They found the total emperor penguin population could be put at 595,000, roughly double previous estimates of 270,000 to 350,000.

The discovery has been welcomed amid concerns that changes to levels of ice on the world's coldest continent could pose a threat to the species.

Peter Fretwell, who led the Christian Louboutin Pumps researchers at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “We are delighted to be able to locate and identify such a large number of emperor penguins. This is the first comprehensive census of a species taken from space.

"It gives us a bit more confidence not only that there are lots of emperor penguins out there but that we can actually keep track of them as well."

The technique used by the scientists allowed them to spot the black and white birds amongst the ice, rock and guano that litter the Antarctic landscape.

Emperor penguins breed in some of the most inhospitable and inaccessible conditions in the world, where temperatures can reach as low as -50C, making them difficult to study.

The satellite images, however, allowed the researchers to conduct the first detailed survey of the species. The study, which is published in the journal PLoS ONE, even identified seven colonies that had never been seen before.

A special technique known as pan-sharpening to increase the resolution of the satellite images allowed the researchers to differentiate between birds, shadows and penguin excrement, or guano.

The study marks the first time that researchers have counted the entire population of any species by satellite in a single season.

Dr Fretwell believes the same technique could also be use to tot Christian Louboutin Metallic Cork Platform Wedges Gold up numbers of other wild animals that stand out clearly against their natural habitat, such as flamingos or reindeer.

Counting other types of penguins from space, however, may not be so easy. While emperors are large and contrast sharply against the white snow and ice on which they stand, other species are smaller and tend to breed on dark-coloured rock.

Michelle LaRue, from the University of Minnesota, said: “The implications of this study are far-reaching: we now have a cost-effective way to apply our methods to other poorly-understood species in the Antarctic, to strengthen ongoing field research, and to provide accurate information for international conservation efforts."

Conservation groups fear emperor penguins will be badly affected by climate change in the Antarctic as the colonies rely upon sea ice. Some research has suggested volumes of sea ice has been decreasing due to global warming.

More northerly colonies are thought to be particularly at risk. The new technique should allow scientists to monitor the impacts on the penguins in real time.

Dr Phil Trathan, a biologist at the British DG Handbag Antarctic Survey, said: “Current research suggests that emperor penguin colonies will be seriously affected by climate change.

"An accurate continent-wide census that can be easily repeated on a regular basis will help us monitor more accurately the impacts of future change on this iconic species.

"The effects of warming around Antarctica are regional and uneven. In the future we anticipate that the more southerly colonies should remain, making these important gucci shoes sites for further research and protection.”