LSD experimenter Albert Hofmann dies aged 102

THE man who synthesised LSD and became the first person to ever have an "acid trip" has died at the age of 102.

Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann died of a heart attack at his home in  Basel yesterday, a friend and colleague said.

Dr Hofmann was working as a chemist in Basel when he synthesised lysergic acid diethylamide.

On April 19, 1943, he took the substance before cycling home.

That day has become known among aficionados as “Bicycle Day” as it was while he was riding home that he experienced the most intense symptoms brought on by the drug.

Dr Hofmann was also the first person to synthesise psilocybin, the active constituent of “magic mushrooms”.

He also discovered the hallucinogenic principles of Ololiuqui (Morning Glory), lysergic acid amide and lysergic acid hydroxyethylamide.

He disapproved of the appropriation of LSD by the youth movements of the 1960s, but regretted that its potential uses had not been explored.
In retirement, Dr Hofmann served as a member of the Nobel Prize Committee. He was a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, and a Member of the International Society of Plant Research and of the American Society of Pharmacognosy.

Dr Hofmann was married and had three children.

New apple doesn't go brown when cut

A new apple variety which does not brown when it is cut and exposed to air has been launched.

The WA Department of Agriculture and Food developed the apple as part of the Australian National Apple Breeding Program.

The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Kim Chance launched the Western Dawn apple, which will be sold under the name Enchanted.

Mr Chance says it was important to develop the new variety without the use of GM technology.

"We've got an apple now that has particularly strong qualities," he said.

"You could almost say [the qualities] are unique, particularly the anti browning, but we also have a non G apple which means when we ultimately internationalise the variety it will be acceptable right around the world. "

The new apple variety will initially only be available in Western Australia, and sold throughout Australia and internationally at a later date.

The new apple variety will initially only be available in Western Australia, and sold throughout Australia and internationally at a later date.

'Vampire girl was a pain junkie'

A MAN who allegedly bit and whipped a teenage girl he met on a website called vampirefreaks.com told a court today the girl wanted him to "mark" her as his whore.

Warwick Harold Acott, 39, has pleaded not guilty in the District Court in Adelaide to two counts of assault and unlawful sexual intercourse at the girl's home in June, 2006.
He told the court he whipped the girl, who described herself as a "pain junkie", with a cat o' nine tails and bit her chest.
Mr Acott said she called him names when he first hit her with the whip because he did it too softly.

She told him to "give it your best shot and count to 10".

"She said to me 'I'm now your whore, I'm yours forever, I'm your slave, mark me again'," Mr Acott said.

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He said he had believed she was over the legal age for sexual relations.

Mr Acott, who described himself as a Christian, said they argued over the issue of her age and whether what they were doing was legal.

He left and did not see her again until the trial began, he said.

Mr Acott denied forcing the girl to perform a sex act.

He has told the court the girl contacted him in late 2004 or early 2005 after seeing his profile on gothic subculture website vampirefreaks.com.
The prosecution alleges he contacted the girl first.
Under cross-examination, Mr Acott said he found the girl "bizarre".
"I wasn't put off, I was really fascinated," he said.

The trial continues.

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