Category: Animals

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Analysis, Animals, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News, Sealife

Humpback whales living in same ocean basin found singing different tunes

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New findings about Humpback whales change old views.

Whale song and the development of whale culture is a fascinating thing. Now researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Columbia University and Australia have found that humpback whales from different sides of the same ocean basin are singing different songs — an surprising finding since whales from the same basin usually sing the same tunes.

Previously, when whale songs from the same basin were compared, researchers found that the songs typically consisted of the similar parts or what is called in whale song parlance as “themes,” or distinct sounds which are often repeated in cycles lasting up to 30 minutes…

Continue reading… “Humpback whales living in same ocean basin found singing different tunes”

Analysis, Animals, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Education, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives

Scientist Catches Bear-Eating Snake in the Act

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22.6-foot reticulated python, shot by Kekek Aduanan (in hat) on June 9, 1970. Photo by Thomas N. Headland

Earlier this week a team of scientists from several universities and the US Geological Survey released a study documenting the dramatically declining numbers of small and medium-size mammals in Florida – including raccoons, opossums, white-tailed deer, bobcats, rabbits and foxes. These population drops all occur in the same areas where pythons and other large, non-native snakes have taken up residence after escaping from one stop or another in the wildlife trade supply chain.

Anyone who’s even heard only the most basic facts about constrictor snakes knows that they’re formidable predators and take down prey by grasping it in their powerful jaws, coiling their bodies around it, and squeezing until it suffocates. Devouring bunnies and possums isn’t even the half of it, though. These big snakes aren’t shy about going after much larger, more dangerous game, too. Like men. And bears…

Continue reading… “Scientist Catches Bear-Eating Snake in the Act”

Analysis, Animals, Brain, Health & Fitness, Medical Breakthrough, Science & Technology News

Skin cancer drug reverses Alzheimer’s in mice

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Skin cancer drug reverses Alzheimer’s in mice, is there hope for humans?

A laboratory study indicates that a drug commonly used to fight skin cancer could start to reverse Alzheimer’s disease in a matter of hours. Researchers have described the discovery as an “unprecedented finding” that holds out “the potential promise of a therapy for Alzheimer’s”.

Animals, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, DIY, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

Battling invasive carp with improvised weapons

The Peoria Carp Hunters began as ordinary aerial bowfishermen — people who shoot arrows at fish jumping out of the water. But when they saw that their efforts were not reducing the numbers of Asian flying carp, an invasive species in the United States, the heroes took more extreme measures. Watch and wonder at the weapons and armor that they have devised to battle our piscine foes….

Link -via Say Uncle

Animals, Art

Top 10 Photos of the Week

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As pigeons evolve, their wings will become useless, much like the human brain

Quote of the Day: Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don’t mean the argument over who came up with the word. I don’t know whether it’s a new thing, but it’s certainly a current thing, in that it doesn’t seem to matter what facts are. It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that’s not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything.” – – Stephen Colbert

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Animals, Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Education, Entertainment, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints

Ferrofluid Sculpture

I just learned about Ferrofluid today. It can do some amazing things, like this video shows. After the jump is a second video explaining HOW ferrofluid works.

From the YouTube descriptioin:

A steel sculpture with changing magnetisation is coated with ferrofluid.
The fluid is pulled in the direction of increasing flux density and forms peaks, which become smaller in higher flux density. At an accumulation of fluid at ridges, the flux density at the surface decreases. The flow and the distribution of the fluid can be observed at several characteristic locations…

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Analysis, Animals, Crazy Stuff, Current Events, Education, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Discoveries

Road Runoff Spurring Spotted Salamander Evolution

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A female spotted salamander gravid with eggs in route to her breeding pool. There she will lay a cluster of approximately 100 eggs. Eight to ten weeks later, those eggs will hatch as larvae. In late summer, if the pool has not already dried, larvae will metamorphose into juveniles that migrate to the adjacent upland habitat.

Spotted salamanders exposed to contaminated roadside ponds are adapting to their toxic environments, according to a Yale paper in Scientific Reports. This study provides the first documented evidence that a vertebrate has adapted to the negative effects of roads apparently by evolving rapidly…

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Analysis, Animals, Art, Crazy Stuff, Education, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives

Denver filmmaker to debut documentary on psychic octopus

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Psychic Octopus Paul in the spotlight once again.

An octopus housed in a German aquarium, Paul rose to worldwide fame when he managed to accurately predict each of the winners in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, soccer’s premier event. He went on to predict — again, accurately — the winner of the final.
Paul retired from predictions after the World Cup and died later that year. He’s gone, but not forgotten…

Continue reading… “Denver filmmaker to debut documentary on psychic octopus”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.