Swim and Slither

Frog Poison

2012-01-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is a great video that I found about poison found in frogs.

World's Smallest Frog Found

2012-01-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

The world's smallest known vertebrate is a frog the size of a housefly, a new study says.

At an average of 7.7 millimeters long, the newfound Paedophryne amauensis is a hair smaller than the previous record holder, the Southeast Asian fishspecies Paedocypris progenetica, whose females measure about 7.9 millimeters.

During recent field surveys in southern Papua New Guinea, scientists found P. amauensis and another new species of tiny frog, Paedophryne swiftorum, which measures about 8.6 millimeters.

"I think it's amazing that they're continuing to find smaller and smaller frogs," said Robin Moore, an amphibian expert with Conservation International, who was not involved in the study.

It's obvious "they're adapting to fill a niche that nothing else is filling," he said.

Indeed, the frogs likely evolved their tiny sizes to eat tiny invertebrates, such as mites, that are ignored by bigger predators, said study co-author Christopher Austin, a biologist at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Tiny Frogs Hard to Catch

Discovered in 2010 but announced on Wednesday, all the species of the Paedophyrne genus are tiny and seem to live solely amid leaf litter on New Guinea's rain forest floor.

Click here to go to full article

funny Animal Video

2012-01-04T16:20:00.001-08:00

Kansas man reeling from netting 94-inch halibut that weighed in at 466 pounds

2011-07-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Kent Carmichael of Kansas has made fishing trips to Alaska with his dad and his brother for more than a decade before this summer but had yet to catch the big one.

"The big joke has always been: I'm the one that never caught the 100-pound halibut," Carmichael said.

The joking will have to stop from now on, because the 62-year-old hardware store owner from Ulysses, Kan., blew past the century mark — and then some — Tuesday, when he caught a 466-pound halibut in the Gulf of Alaska.

The catch won't top the official state sport-fishing record of 459 pounds, because a certified scale was not available to weigh the fish in Pelican. Instead, a conversion table in the Alaska Tide Book was used to determine the weight of the 94-inch fish. Carmichael said he was a little disappointed about not making the record book, but he's thrilled to have a story to tell his grandkids about.

"It took four guys to get the fish on the floor," he said. "It covered the back end of the boat."

Since 2006, the Carmichaels have made their annual fishing trip to the Highliner Lodge in Pelican, a small commercial fishing town west of Juneau.

"This is basically the only time we go fishing, when we go to Alaska," Carmichael said.

The buzz when they arrived at the lodge was about an angler who caught a 375-pound halibut on June 24, breaking the lodge record by more than 100 pounds. Lodge owner Steve Daniels said he thought it was the biggest fish he would ever see.

Then Carmichael's monster showed up.

When Carmichael hooked the fish, he thought he may have caught his line on the ocean floor.

"I hooked this thing that I could not move," he said.

After a few minutes of testing the line, the boat captain told Carmichael it was probably a 200-pounder. Forty-five minutes later, Carmichael managed to get the fish in sight for the first time.

"It didn't even look like a halibut, it was so huge," he said.

The fish dove and worked its way under the boat, where it tangled itself in the line of Elmo Carmichael, Kent's 89-year-old father, who has been coming to Alaska to fish for almost 30 years.

"As luck would have it, it tangled up right at the weights," said Carmichael. "There was a lot of luck in this deal."

The halibut started diving for the bottom, causing each fisherman's reel to smoke, and the father and son teamed to slow the fish down and prevent it from diving.

After wrestling with the fish for another 30 minutes, it appeared again and the boat captain was ready with a harpoon that turned out to be too puny for the monstrous fish.

When he struck the halibut in the head, the harpoon shaft was too short to go through to the other side. When the fish started thrashing, it bent the shaft of the harpoon about 45 degrees. To avoid losing the fish, the captain pushed a shark hook through the fish's lower jaw.

Halibut charters in Southeast Alaska face new regulations this year that restrict the size and number of flatfish clients can keep. Carmichael got to keep his big fish because the Highliner Lodge owns permits to fish both sides of a boundary line near Cape Spencer where the regulations change. On one side, people on guided trips can keep one halibut a day if it is no longer than 37 inches. On the other side, they can keep two a day of any size. Daniels said GPS tracking shows which side of the line the boat is on.

The fish was processed and packaged at the Highliner Lodge, Carmichael said it costs around $110 to ship six 50-pound boxes of halibut back to Kansas, two boxes for himself, two for his dad, who lives in Hays, Kan., and two for brother Craig, who lives in Kansas City.

All expect friends to start inviting themselves over for dinner.

"They called us the 'Fish House' at one time, because people loved to come by our house," said Elmo's wife, Lee Carmichael. "You can't find good halibut in Kansas. We'll be the Fish House again."

Kent Carmichael said Kansas is known for good fishing, but it doesn't compare with what he experienced in Alaska.

"It was the catch of a lifetime," he said. "There aren't even fish in my county that would be bait for this fish."

Contribute to this blog

2011-07-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

We are looking to add contributers to this blog. If you have interesting news that involves animals than we want to feature you in this blog. We get views from all over the world so any news from anywhere is great.

Grand Jury Indicts Lab Workers of Felony Cruelty-to-Animal Charges

2011-07-06T18:51:00.001-07:00

Former workers at a product testing lab in North Carolina were indicted Tuesday by a grand jury with felony cruelty charges, on the basis of video evidence of animal abuse captured on tape during an undercover investigation.

The investigation – undertaken by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal welfare group – produced video footage of lab workers slamming cats into cages, grabbing rabbits by the ears and throwing dogs, the AP reports.

We’ve written before about animal activists getting crafty with the law (here and here), but this is the first time lab workers have faced felony-level charges for animal abuse, PETA lab investigator Kathy Guillermo told the Law Blog.

The lab facility – formerly known as Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. – shut down soon after PETA filed a formal complaint in late 2010. The group tested products such as tick and flea medications for various companies.

In most animal cruelty cases, local authorities are “content” to leave the oversight of labs to the relevant federal bodies, which in this case was the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Guillermo explained.

“It’s truly groundbreaking…to get this kind of response from the District Attorney’s office,” she said.

The owner of the lab, Helen Sonenshine of Virginia, declined comment on Wednesday.

Country Singer Troy Gentry Kills Tame Bear

2010-12-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

Crocodile Attacks Elephant

2010-11-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

This particular clash of the titans had a happy ending—except perhaps for the hungry crocodile.

"The elephant managed to turn, but the croc was still hanging on," photographer Nyfeler said. "Then the little baby somehow stumbled over the croc, and the croc released the elephant.

"The croc went back into the water, and both elephants just ran away

New Self-Cloning Lizard Found in Vietnam Restaurant

2010-11-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

What's more, the newfound Leiolepis ngovantrii is no run-of-the-mill reptile—the all-female species reproduces via cloning, without the need for male lizards.

Single-gender lizards aren't that much of an oddity: About one percent of lizards can reproduce by parthenogenesis, meaning the females spontaneously ovulate and clone themselves to produce offspring with the same genetic blueprint.

"The Vietnamese have been eating these for time on end," said herpetologist L. Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in Riverside, California, who helped identify the animal.

"In this part of the Mekong Delta [in southeastern Vietnam], restaurants have been serving this undescribed species, and we just stumbled across it."

Whales Kept for Abuse Larry King

2010-09-28T11:38:00.001-07:00

World Association of Zoos & Aquariums: The dirty little secret

2010-09-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sky news on dolphin slaughter

2010-09-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

THE COVE EXTENDED CLIP

2010-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Please visit saveapandolphins.org to help

The Cove PSA

2010-09-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Animal Hoarding Often A Sign Of Mental Illness

2010-09-04T01:18:00.001-07:00

One after another, the cages containing cats were off-loaded from a truck at the Denver Dumb Friends League. More than 80.

As of Thursday morning, 19 had been adopted into new homes, a good success rate considering the animals may be sorely in need of human socialization. Those problems are the results of people who may have said they loved animals more than anything. It's one of the great contradictions of animal hoarders.

A total of 157 cats were found in a home near Powell, Wyo., last week. That many animals would likely overwhelm local shelters, so they were spread out, some taken to Colorado shelters where there's a relatively high adoption rate. But it hardly solves the problem.

"These are cases that challenge the system almost at every level," said associate professor Philip Tedeschi of the Insitutute for Human - Animal Connection at D.U.'s Graduate School of Social Work.

Tedeschi has been looking at what triggers collecting or hoarding of animals. Often, it involves mental illness.

"From the animal welfare standpoint collectors, or hoarders are very serious animal abusers," said Tedeschi. "The causes are not criminal in nature."

Which makes it tough for our justice system -- designed to protect people, not animals -- to make the right moves to stop hoarding.

It's very common for people to identify with the looks of animals. Human children have larger eyes, heads and other attributes that can make them more attractive to us. Domestic animals have that look (my dog's cuter than yours) that can get them attention and food.

"You take cats for example that have large eyes, have kind of the facial features of a child. Many hoarders and collectors identify with that animal as needing them and needing their protection."

It's often the act of "saving" is bigger than the keeping of the animals.

"In fact the response to the animal once it's been rescued is very different than the initial reaction to help that animal ... In many cases it might be a form of ignoring or neglect itself, there's even been evidence to suggest the individual might not even see the animal."

That may help explain some of the horrific conditions found in hoarding cases. People suffering almost a delusional level of not being able to recognize that animal is present can ignore the animals' basic needs. In Wyoming, the cats were locked in filthy rooms. The level of ammonia was so bad, rescuers had to wear respirators.

The owners -- an elderly couple (most often hoarders are middle-aged or older woman and frequently Caucasian) may not have been able to recognize the conditions that were right in front of them.

One of the owners told a Montana television reporter, "It's terrible, they're all gone."

The inability to see how bad it is, is common. It's "One of the reasons you might see one of these incredible landscapes within the household themselves where you might see the carcass of an animal or the skeleton of an animal," said Tedeschi.

For some the origins of the desire to help animals may be based in their childhoods.

"We have evidence that animals play an important role in kind of role in emotional support. In some cases for example in neglect cases where that animal takes on a primary role in preventing loneliness for a child."

If they turned that way for comfort in the past, they turn again later in life.

It's a mystery not likely to be solved with tougher enforcement of laws Tedeschi believes, but broader involvement of mental health in cases of hoarding to prevent repeats.

Shark Week

2010-08-01T21:07:00.001-07:00

Shark Week

2010-08-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Pit bull bites Oakland 7-year-old in face

2010-07-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

OAKLAND — A 7-year-old girl was bitten in the face by a pit bull in an Oakland neighborhood Saturday afternoon, just days after a Concord boy was mauled to death by a group of pitbulls.

The girl was taken to Children's Hospital where she was in stable condition Saturday night, said Lt. Chris Landry of the Oakland Fire Department. Oakland police and Alameda County animal services also responded at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday in the 2800 block of 82nd Avenue.

Police spoke to a neighbor who owned the dog, but it was unclear what happened to the dog, Landry said.

The incident occurred two days after a 2-year-old Concord boy was killed when he was attacked by three of his family's pit bulls in the garage of his home.

The boy's stepgrandfather was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and owning mischievous animals that result in death. Steven Hayashi, 52, was being held in Contra Costa County Jail on $120,000 bail Saturday night.

Hayashi's five pit bulls were euthanized by Contra Costa animal services after the attack.

The county coroner's office identified the boy as Jacob Bisbee.

Gulf Oil Cleanup Crews Trample Nesting Birds

2010-07-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

Standing on a white-sand beach at Florida's Gulf Islands National SeashoreThursday, blotchy stains from the Gulf oil spill could be seen creeping past the red-lettered "keep out" signs meant to protect nesting shorebirds.

And, according to conservationists, some well-meaning cleanup crews who unknowingly walk into nesting habitat may be doing more harm than the oil itself, experts say.

From April to August each year, rare shorebirds such as the snowy plover and least tern lay nests of two to three eggs directly on the softly undulating, open dunes about 40 feet (13 meters) from the water's edge.

Snowy plovers and least terns are considered threatened in Florida. When nesting, both species' survival depends on limited contact with people.

But with oil encroaching on Florida's coasts, an army of cleanup crews has descended on the seashore. About 44,300 people are now de-oiling roughly 450 miles (720 kilometers) of Gulf coastline, according to the website for theDeepwater Horizon Unified Command, the joint federal-industry task force responding to the Gulf oil spill.

With so many people working so close to breeding grounds, frightened adult birds are abandoning their nests, and adults and chicks are being inadvertently trampled. (See "Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Ten Animals at Risk.")

"Most of us know that the cleanup can do more damage than the oil could ever do," said Riley Hoggard, a resource-management specialist for Gulf Islands National Seashore (picture).

"Our bigger responsibility is to the [wildlife], whether it's to a turtle nest or nesting shorebirds. If we have to get cleanup teams off the beach, we'll do that—and deal with the oil cleanup later."

Genetically Altered Salmon Get Closer to the Table

2010-06-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Food and Drug Administration is seriously considering whether to approve the first genetically engineered animal that people would eat — salmon that can grow at twice the normal rate.

The developer of the salmon has been trying to get approval for a decade. But the company now seems to have submitted most or all of the data the F.D.A. needs to analyze whether the salmon are safe to eat, nutritionally equivalent to other salmon and safe for the environment, according to government and biotechnology industry officials. A public meeting to discuss the salmon may be held as early as this fall.

Some consumer and environmental groups are likely to raise objections to approval. Even within the F.D.A., there has been a debate about whether the salmon should be labeled as genetically engineered (genetically engineered crops are not labeled).

The salmon’s approval would help open a path for companies and academic scientists developing other genetically engineered animals, like cattle resistant to mad cow disease or pigs that could supply healthier bacon. Next in line behind the salmon for possible approval would probably be the “enviropig,” developed at a Canadian university, which has less phosphorus pollution in its manure.

The salmon was developed by a company called AquaBounty Technologies and would be raised in fish farms. It is an Atlantic salmon that contains a growth hormone gene from a Chinook salmon as well as a genetic on-switch from the ocean pout, a distant relative of the salmon.

Normally, salmon do not make growth hormone in cold weather. But the pout’s on-switch keeps production of the hormone going year round. The result is salmon that can grow to market size in 16 to 18 months instead of three years, though the company says the modified salmon will not end up any bigger than a conventional fish.

“You don’t get salmon the size of the Hindenburg,” said Ronald L. Stotish, the chief executive of AquaBounty. “You can get to those target weights in a shorter time.”

AquaBounty, which is based in Waltham, Mass., and publicly traded in London, said last week that the F.D.A. had signed off on five of the seven sets of data required to demonstrate that the fish was safe for consumption and for the environment. It said it demonstrated, for instance, that the inserted gene did not change through multiple generations and that the genetic engineering did not harm the animals.

“Perhaps in the next few months, we expect to see a final approval,” Mr. Stotish said.

But the company has been overly optimistic before.

He said it would take two or three years after approval for the salmon to reach supermarkets.

The F.D.A. confirmed it was reviewing the salmon but, because of confidentiality rules, would not comment further.

Under a policy announced in 2008, the F.D.A. is regulating genetically engineered animals as if they were veterinary drugs and using the rules for those drugs. And applications for approval of new drugs must be kept confidential by the agency.

Critics say the drug evaluation process does not allow full assessment of the possible environmental impacts of genetically altered animals and also blocks public input.

“There is no opportunity for anyone from the outside to see the data or criticize it,” said Margaret Mellon, director of the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. When consumer groups were invited to discuss biotechnology policy with top F.D.A. officials last month, Ms. Mellon said she warned the officials that approval of the salmon would generate “a firestorm of negative response.”

How consumers will react is not entirely clear. Some public opinion surveys have shown that Americans are more wary about genetically engineered animals than about the genetically engineered crops now used in a huge number of foods. But other polls suggest that many Americans would accept the animals if they offered environmental or nutritional benefits.

Mr. Stotish said the benefit of the fast-growing salmon would be to help supply the world’s food needs using fewer resources.

Government officials and industry executives say the F.D.A. is moving cautiously on the salmon. “It’s going to be a P. R. issue,” said one government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the issue.

Some of these government officials and executives said that F.D.A. officials had discussed internally whether the salmon could be labeled to give consumers the choice of avoiding them.

The government has in the past opposed mandatory labeling of foods from genetically engineered crops and animals merely because genetic engineering was used. Foods must be labeled, it says, only if they are different in their nutritional properties or other characteristics.

It would seem difficult for the government to change that policy. And experts say the administration may not have the legal authority to do so.

One possibility could be voluntary labeling by those who sell the fish.

Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, the principal deputy commissioner of the F.D.A., said in a statement: “Labeling is one of many issues involved with the review of genetically engineered animals for use in food. As has been publicly reported, the AquAdvantage Salmon is under review by the agency, and as we move forward, we will share information with the public.”

Mr. Stotish of AquaBounty said his company was not against voluntary labeling, but the matter was not in its hands because it would only be selling fish eggs to fish farms, not grown salmon to the supermarket.

He said the company had submitted data to the F.D.A. showing that its salmon was indistinguishable from nonengineered Atlantic salmon in terms of taste, color, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, proteins and other nutrients.

“Our fish is identical in every measurable way to the traditional food Atlantic salmon,” Mr. Stotish said. “If there’s no material difference, then it would be misleading to require labeling.”

Virtually all Atlantic salmon now comes from fish farms, not the wild.

The F.D.A. must also decide on the environmental risks from the salmon. Some experts have speculated that fast-growing fish could out-compete wild fish for food or mates.

Mr. Stotish said the salmon would be grown only in inland tanks or other contained facilities, not in ocean pens where they might escape into the wild. And the fish would all be female and sterile, making it impossible for them to mate.

The F.D.A. is expected to hold a public meeting of an advisory committee before deciding whether to approve the salmon. Typically at such advisory committee meetings, much of the data in support of the drug application is made public and there is some time allotted for public comment.

But Gregory Jaffe, biotechnology project director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said such meetings often do not give the public enough time to analyze the data.

Stolen Zoo Animals

2010-06-20T21:21:00.003-07:00

TORONTO - In a desperate bid to find out if their stolen camels and a tiger are alive and well, Bowmanville Zoo officials are offering $2,000 for pictures of the animals.

On its website Sunday, the zoo - which put up a $20,000 reward Saturday for information leading to the animals return - offered an additonal $2,000 for proof Jonas the tiger and Sean and Todd the camels are still alive.

"It's the best money they'll make off a digital photo in their life," zoo director Michael Hackenberger told QMI Agency.

While the truck that was stolen in Quebec early Friday was located, police and the zoo have yet to turn up the trailer that was attached or any sign of the exotic animals that were sleeping inside.

"I know the police are following up some leads in the stolen car industry," Hackenberger said. "Unfortunately, at this point, there is no further news as it relates to the animals."

Officials are extremely worried the animals may die if they aren't being cared for properly by the thieves who snatched them.

"It's becoming very dire," said Hackenberger, who added zoo officials are worried the thieves have not provided the animals with water.

Bowmanville Zoo veterinarian Dr. Wendy Korver said the camels will be "a lot more resistant to going without water."

"We are extremely concerned about Jonas," she said.

If the tiger hasn't had a drink yet, Korver said he would start to experience 8% to 10% body dehydration.

We have to save the coral

2010-06-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

The future of our reefs are in grave danger we have to save them. There are thousands and thousands of species that are in danger from this oil spill. We have to save them.

For the past three years, marine biologists at the Florida Aquariumhave taken damaged pieces of coral from reefs in the Florida Keys and nursed them back to health.

The process can take years, but once the coral is growing again, divers return it to the open water.

"The reality is, the work that we do is years and years in the growth process. It's a very slow process, but we need to do this," explainedThom Stork, president and CEO of the Florida Aquarium.

Stork wants to use the aquarium's coral farm to help preserve coral that could be impacted by the BP oil spill. He said the work being done here in Tampa could be integral in saving the coral, if the oil makes it as far as the Keys.

The aquarium is asking BP for $5.5 million to send its dive team to collect samples from the reefs. Stork said in a worst-case scenario, if the oil kills or damages most of the reefs, at some point, when the water is clean again, the coral species would still be alive to repopulate the Keys.

"It's a very Noah's Ark concept of taking these species in now and protecting them for the future and putting them back into the wild," he said.

The aquarium has hopes of collecting enough samples to cover an acre. It would need more space to house the coral. Stork said project organizers are looking for space now.

The aquarium said it could have a team of divers ready to go collect coral samples within a few weeks of receiving funding.

Published by tbo.com

Whale Wars

2010-06-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

I watch these people and I'm torn on what to think are they pirates or are they heroes. I mulled this over for a while and decided that they are a collection of people in search of a purpose. If that search for a purpose saves a few whales then more power to them. I believe that while their efforts are valiant a more rewording effort changing the law is needed. Their so called war will never end if the source of the war is never stopped. As long as there is a demand for a product, in this case whale flesh, and the law allows for that product to be produced it will be. You have to get the laws changed for it to work. That is what I think

Curbs on Coral Trade Rejected at U.N. Conference

2010-04-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

DUBAI, March 21 (Reuters) - A U.N. conference rejected on Sunday trade restrictions on red and pink corals used in jewellery in what environmentalists called a new setback for endangered marine species.

Delegates at the 175-nation meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha failed to back a U.S. and European Union proposal to limit trade in 31 species of corals, found from the Pacific to the Mediterranean.

"Vanity has once again trumped conservation," said David Allison of Oceana, which calls itself the world's largest international ocean conservation group, of the decision that would have affected trade worth tens of millions of dollars.

"Today is yet another example of CITES failing to protect endangered marine species," he said. On Friday, the March 13-25 conference also rejected a proposal to ban trade in bluefin tuna, prized as sushi in Japan.

Sunday's coral proposal fell short of the needed two-thirds majority by mustering 64 votes in favour with 59 against and 10 abstentions, delegates said.

The proposed restrictions would have stopped short of a trade ban but required countries to ensure better regulations and to ensure that stocks of the slow-growing corals, in the family coralliidae, were sustainably harvested.

CATCHES DROP

Catches have dropped to about 50 tonnes a year in the main coral grounds in the Pacific and the Mediterranean from about 450 tonnes in the mid-1980s, the U.S. and EU proposal said.

In Italy, top quality beads fetch up to $50 per gramme and neckaces sell for up to $25,000, it said. Main harvesting and processing centres include Italy, Japan and Taiwan. The United States is the largest market for red and pink corals.

Some nations objected it was complex to identify the red and pink corals at customs posts. But some rare corals, including black corals, are already protected by CITES.

The wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC and conservation group WWF said they were "deeply disapointed" by Sunday's vote. Measures to protect red and pink corals were also rejected the last time CITES met, in 2007.

"Without the trade control measures this would have introduced, the current overharvesting of these precious corals will continue unabated," said Ernie Cooper of TRAFFIC Canada.

Separately, CITES unanimously approved a proposal by Iran to ban all trade in Kaiser's spotted newt, a type of salamander from Iran, delegates said. The newt is under threat from trade agreed over the Internet by collectors.

3 tigers very ill at Chinese zoo where 11 starved

2010-03-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

BEIJING — Zookeepers are scrambling to save three seriously ill Siberian tigers at a cash-strapped zoo in northeastern China where 11 of the big cats starved to death recently.

The three tigers were shedding fur, had lost their appetites and were listless, the official Xinhua News Agency reported late Monday.

Eleven of the 30 Siberian tigers at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo starved to death in the past three months, having been fed nothing but chicken bones as the facility ran into financial trouble, according to reports last week, although a zoo manager said unspecified diseases killed the animals.

Staff at the zoo who answered the phone Tuesday refused to answer questions or give their names. They referred calls to the local Communist Party press office, where an official, Zhang Qingyang, confirmed that three tigers were still very sick.

"We can only say that three of the tigers are in bad health right now, and we are actively working to save them," Zhang said but wouldn't elaborate. "Should we fail to save them, we'd let the public know right away."

After news broke of the mass tiger deaths last week, the local government pledged 7 million yuan ($1.03 million) to help save the remaining animals.

Since then, staff have cleaned and installed heating in the cold, damp tiger cages, given the animals nutritional supplements and started feeding them 6 pounds (2.5 kilograms) of beef and two hens per day, Xinhua said.

Siberian tigers are one of the world's rarest species, with an estimated 300 left in the wild, 50 in China. But more than 5,000 are held captive on farms and wildlife parks across China.

Several other protected animal species have also died at the zoo this year, including a red-crowned crane, four stump-tailed macaques, a rhesus monkey and a brown bear, Xinhua said over the weekend.

SMALL DOGS ORIGINATED IN THE MIDDLE EAST

2010-03-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Small dogs the world over can all trace their ancestry back to the Middle East, where the first diminutive canines emerged more than 12,000 years ago.
A new study, which appears in BMC Biology, focused on a single gene responsible for size in dogs. Researchers found that the version of the gene IGF1 that is a major determinant of small size in dogs probably originated as a result of domestication of the Middle Eastern gray wolf, which also happens to be smaller than many other wolves.
In terms of which came first, big dogs or small dogs, the answer is now the former.
"Archaeological studies suggest that ancient (dog) remains found in Belgium, Germany and Western Russia, which date to 13,000-31,000 years ago, were most similar in body size to the Great Dane, while those from the Middle East dating to about 12,000 years ago were most similar to a small terrier," lead author Melissa Gray told Discovery News.
For the study, Gray, a researcher in the Laboratory of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and her colleagues traced the evolutionary history of the IGF1 gene. To do so, they surveyed a large sample of gray wolf populations, other wild members of the Canidae family, and numerous breeds of dogs.
Gray and her team first confirmed that all domesticated dogs trace their heritage back to gray wolves. She indicated the jury is still out as to when and where the world's first dog -- of any size -- emerged.
All small dogs, normally weighing 20 pounds or less, share the variant of IGF1 also found in Middle Eastern gray wolves, the scientists discovered. This means the gene must have surfaced early in the history of small dogs, but after dogs in general were first domesticated.
The DNA studies, combined with the archaeological record, then suggest that at least 12,000 years ago, the first domesticated small dogs entered the world, with humans playing a major role in the process.

Coral reefs in danger of being destroyed

2010-02-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

All of the tropical coral reefs in the world will be disintegrating by the end of the century because of the rising acidity of the oceans caused by a build-up of man-made carbondioxide in the atmosphere, a study has found.

Coral reefs start to disintegrate when the acidity of the oceans rises beyond a certain threshold, and this point is likely to be reached before 2100, said Jacob Silverman of the Carnegie Institution of Science in Washington.

Carbon dioxide in the air dissolves in the sea to form carbonic acid, which interferes with the ability of coral organisms to make their calcium carbonate shells which form coral reefs, Dr Silversman said. But once the shells stop forming, the reef quickly crumbles.

A mathematical model was used to study how 9,000 coral reefs from around the world would respond to rising levels of carbon dioxide and increasing ocean acidity, Dr Silverman told the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego.

"A global map produced on the basis of these calculations shows that all coral reefs are expected to stop their growth and start to disintegrate when atmosphere CO2 reaches 560 parts per million – double its pre-industrial level – which is expected by the end of the 21st-century," he told the meeting.

"Thus these ecosystems, which harbour the highest diversity of marine life in the oceans, may be severely reduced within less than 100 years."

The findings were based on a detailed study of how increasing acidity affects the metabolism and growth of a large area of fringing coral reef in the northern Red Sea. The scientists found that the ability of corals to form their calcium skeletons was strongly dependent on acidity and, to a lesser extent, temperature.

Coral reefs are sometimes considered to be the "rainforests of the oceans" because they are home to a wide variety of fish and other wildlife, supporting about a quarter of all marine organisms. They also provide food for about 500 million people around the world. Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are higher now than at any time in the last 650,000 years, and are continuing to rise as a result of the burning of fossil fuels. Between a third and a half of the CO2 produced since the start of the industrial revolution has dissolved in the oceans.

Scientists have estimated that some 118 billion tonnes of carbon released into the air as carbon dioxide between 1800 and 1994 has been taken up by the oceans.

Dr Simon Donner, of the University of British Columbia in Canada, said increasing ocean temperatures also make coral reefs more susceptible to "bleaching", caused by the loss of the photosynthetic algae on which the coral organisms depend.

Corals have a symbiotic relationship with the microscopic algae that live in their tissues. As well as giving coral its vibrant colour, the algae provide the reef creatures with most of theirenergy.

Mad man throws puppies over sea wall

2010-02-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

Three rescued puppies are recovering after being thrown over a seawall and on to some rocks in Port Arthur.

Firefighters rescued the crying pups and placed the creatures with animal control.

KFDM-TV reports the man who tossed the animals on Sunday was heard saying he was "turning them into soldiers." A bystander noticed the abandoned puppies and summoned help.

Pat Lavergnec with Port Arthur Animal Control says the puppies, with health problems such as mange, were at the shelter today and available for adoption. She described them as a retriever mix.

The owner of the dogs, who was not immediately located, could face animal cruelty charges.

2010-02-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

The San Diego Zoo ushered in Valentine’s Day with a bundle of joy that’s not so little.

A male African elephant was born about 2 a.m. Sunday at the zoo’s Wild Animal Park.

He and his mother Ndlula are reportedly doing well. Visitors camping overnight at the zoo could hear the herd trumpeting in the early morning -- a common behavior when a calf is born, according to the Associated Press.

The elephant, which hasn’t been given a name yet, is the sixth calf born to a herd that was brought to the park in 2003 from Swaziland.

Officials have not released the calf’s weight, but newborn African elephants typically weigh between 200 and 250 pounds and stand about 3 feet tall. The calf weighed 224 pounds at birth, and he came into the world unexpectedly early, said Yadira Galindo, a spokeswoman for the Wild Animal Park. Zookeepers had anticipated a birthdate of later in the month, so they had not yet set up a 24-hour watch. They learned about the birth after campers participating in the “Roar and Snore” sleepover program reported a commotion about 2 a.m.

“They heard all the trumpeting and all the noises, and when the sun rose they went out there and looked and saw the baby elephant out in the yard with the entire herd,” Galindo said. “The mothers were forming a protective circle around him, which is very natural behavior.

Zebra runs amok in US traffic

2010-02-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

Rush hour traffic in the US city of Atlanta came to a standstill when an escaped circus zebra galloped along a busy section of highway.

The animal was first spotted around 4.30pm on Thursday in downtown Atlanta, said Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Monica Luck.

The animal made its way through downtown to the interstate highway that cuts through the centre of the city. Police cruisers blocked off all southbound lanes and were able to herd the zebra over to the right shoulder and off an entrance ramp, Luck said.

"It wasn't on the highway very long," she said. "But it was an inconvenient time for this to happen because the downtown connector southbound usually gets backed up on its own, that time of day."

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is in town this week. The circus also had a group of elephants corralled Thursday in a downtown Atlanta parking lot.

It's not the first time a zebra has been spotted along a metro Atlanta highway.

Deep-sea trawling is destroying coral reefs and pristine marine habitats

2010-02-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

Deep-sea trawling is devastating corals and pristine marine habitats that have gone untouched since the last ice age, a leading marine biologist has warned.

A survey of the world's reefs and seamounts – giant submerged mountains that rise more than a kilometre above the seabed – has revealed widespread damage to the ecosystems, many of which are home to species unknown to science, said Jason Hall-Spencer at Plymouth University in the UK.

Hall-Spencer, a researcher involved with the Census of Marine Life, a worldwide project to catalogue life in the oceans, called for the establishment of an international network of marine reserves where deep-sea trawling was banned.

Deep-sea trawlers use giant, heavy-duty nets that are dragged over the seafloor at depths of more than a kilometre. The nets are fitted with rubber rollers called "rock hoppers", which destroy the corals that provide habitats for fish and other marine organisms.

The technique was developed for use in shallow waters with smooth sea floors, but as fish stocks dwindled and technology improved, fishingfleets began using the nets in much deeper waters.

Hall-Spencer said marine biologists have surveyed fewer than 1% of an estimated 50,000 seamounts in the world's oceans.

South Florida cold snap puts squeeze on pythons

2010-02-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

Vultures circled over Everglades National Park's Anhinga Trail, where thousands of dead nonnative fish floated in the marshesDead iguanas have dropped from trees onto patios across South Florida.

And in western Miami-Dade County, three African rock pythons -- powerful constrictors that can kill people -- have turned up dead.

Although South Florida's warm, moist climate has nurtured a vast range of nonnative plants and animals, a January cold snap reminded these intruders that they're not in Burma or Ecuador anymore.

Temperatures in the 30s have apparently killed Burmese pythons, iguanas and other marquee names in the state's invasive species zoo.

"Anecdotally, we might have lost maybe half of the pythons out there to the cold," said Scott Hardin, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's exotic species coordinator. "Iguanas definitely. From a collection of observations from people, more than 50% fatality on green iguanas. . . . Lots of freshwater fish died; no way to estimate that."

Nonnative fish that have infested the Everglades are turning up dead in the thousands, including the Mayan cichlid, walking catfish and spotfin spiny eel, said David Hallac, chief biologist at Everglades National Park.

No one knows how many Burmese pythons live in the Everglades, where some were released as unwanted pets and others found refuge after hurricanes destroyed their breeding sites. But there are a lot fewer today than there were a month ago.

2010-02-15T21:36:00.000-08:00

Unusually harsh winter temperatures in much of the United States have had a tragic effect on one of Florida's most oddly charismatic animals, killing up to 5 percent of the state's endangered West Indies manatees.

A record 280 or more manatees have already died this year from "Florida frostbite" and other illnesses related to exposure to cold, CNN reports. According to marine biologist Andy Garrett, who works for the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,

when water temperatures dip below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, these subtropical animals simply can't cope with the cold. Last month, Florida's water temperatures dropped as low as the 40s. While manatees are round and plump like seals and other marine mammals, their fat is not designed to insulate them from the cold.

Taking Refuge Near Power Plants
Compared to their relatives in the Caribbean, West Indies manatees spending the winter in Florida are already "at the marginal edge of their habitat, and are always susceptible to the cold," CNN says. Hundreds have taken refugee near Tampa Electric Co. and Florida Power & Light power plants, where water discharged into rivers and canals keeps temperatures high. Dr. Martine de Witt at the state wildlife conservation commission's necropsy lab in St. Petersburg says she's seen a surprisingly high number of full-size adults succumbing to the cold.

"That is a very bad sign," she said. The cold water shuts down their internal systems. Many were unable to eat; others drowned because they were unable to breathe. Garrett and de Wit believe that this may just be the beginning. They fear that more manatees will die during the spring, unable to recover from the trauma of Florida's deep freeze.

FLORIDA'S WILDLIFE FREEZING TO DEATH

2010-02-15T05:56:00.000-08:00

With temperature in central Florida dipping down again this week, conservationists are bracing for more animal and plant deaths due to unusually long winter cold snaps that have resulted in record wildlife losses.

Manatees have been among the hardest hit, with over 200 killed in January alone, and carcasses continuing to wash ashore. The highest number of manatee deaths for a single calendar year in Florida waters is 429, so local officials are closely monitoring these endangered marine mammals.

"Manatees can experience what is known as cold stress syndrome when they are exposed to water below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degree Celsius) for long periods.Fish experience similar problems, and widespread fish kills have been reported throughout the state. Multiple species, from small pilchards to larger snooks and tarpons, were affected. Young fish are particularly vulnerable. Dive teams have found the remains of numerous juveniles from fish such as barracudas, grunts, parrotfish and pinfish.

Officials remain cautiously optimistic about endangered sea turtles, which can suffer from "cold-stunning" when water temperatures drop to less than 50 degrees for prolonged periods.

Kenya relocates thousands of animals to game park

2010-02-10T20:13:00.000-08:00

SOYSAMBU, Kenya — A senior Kenyan wildlife official says about 7,000 zebras and wildebeests are being moved to one of the country's premier game parks to restore the balance of predators and prey disrupted by last year's drought.

A senior scientist with the Kenya Wildlife Service says the animals are being taken from areas where they are abundant in an effort to replenish Amboseli National Park's population. Charles Musyoki says more than 60 percent of the park's zebra and wildebeest population died during the drought.

KWS staff have moved 137 zebras this week from the privately owned Soysambu Conservancy.

Musyoki says 4,000 zebras will be moved within three weeks. The wildebeests will take longer because many have or are about to give birth to newborns, he says.

Bees Recognize Human Faces Using Feature Configuration

2010-02-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

Going about their day-to-day business, bees have no need to be able to recognise human faces. Yet in 2005, when Adrian Dyer from Monash University trained the fascinating insects to associate pictures of human faces with tasty sugar snacks, they seemed to be able to do just that. But Martin Giurfa from the Université de Toulouse, France, suspected that that the bees weren't learning to recognise people. Because the insects were rewarded with a drop of sugar when they chose human photographs, what they really saw were strange flowers. The important question was what strategy do they use to discriminate between faces," explains Giurfa. Wondering whether the insects might be learning the relative arrangement (configuration) of features on a face, Giurfa contacted Dyer and suggested that they go about systematically testing which features a bee learned to recognise to keep them returning to Dyer's face photos.

Flying Shark Video

2010-02-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Funny Hamster video

2010-02-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

I love this video

FEWER THAN 50 WILD TIGERS LEFT IN CHINA

2010-02-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

Fewer than 50 wild tigers remain in China, a conservation group said Monday, voicing hope that the Year of the Tiger would not be the last for the endangered cats.

Xie Yan, director of the China program for the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), said that just 20 years ago tigers still roamed across large swathes of China.

But based on data from the year 2000, there are only around 15 Bengal tigers left in Tibet, 10 Indochinese tigers in China's southwest, and around 20 Siberian tigers in the northeast, she told reporters.

And the South China tiger may already be extinct. According to the international conservation group WWF, none have been spotted in the wild since the late 1970s. In the 1950s, there were around 4,000.

Degradation of the animal's habitat and poaching of the tiger and its prey are blamed for its rapid disappearance.

China banned international trade in tiger bones and related products in 1993, but completely stamping outpoaching and illegal trade has been a challenge due to weak law enforcement, experts say.

"Tiger conservation has been depressing for many years, (numbers) keep dropping and dropping," Xie said.

"But last year is the first year I've felt a lot of confidence from the support of the central government, the State Forestry Administration, and the local governments," she added.

"We see improvement in the management of nature reserves, we see the understanding of local communities, so I hope the tiger year will be the turning point for tiger conservation in China," she said, referring to the Chinese Year of the Tiger which starts on Feb. 14.

China was among 13 Asian countries which last month pledged to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022 and called for the protection of habitats to save the animals from extinction. The global wild tiger population is estimated to be at an all-time low of 3,200, down from an estimated 20,000 in the 1980s and 100,000 a century ago.

Xie said the greatest hope for tigers in China was in the country's extreme northeast, which borders on Russia where hundreds of Siberian tigers live in the wild.

Authorities in the northeast are implementing several measures to protect the animal and one nature reservein Jilin province has launched a tiger tourism program, she said.

The Hunchun Nature Reserve started an annual tiger festival last year, and has plans to develop eco-tourismfurther with possible excursions into the wild, said Xie.

Man vs. Crocodile vs. Giant Nile Perch: An African Fishing Adventure

2010-02-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

When you mention perch to Americans, most of us think of the small, feisty panfish native to our Northern waters: fun on light tackle and delicious on the table, but a bit lacking in the size department. Mention perch to those who have fished in Africa, however, and you'll get a very different reaction. In Africa, perch fishing means swift, dark water, man-eating crocs, hippos, and Nile perch, a fish that routinely outweighs the men who pursue it. Nile perch, which swim in lakes and river systems throughout Africa, are one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. They are popular targets for European anglers, and so, earlier this year, British fisherman Tim Smith traveled to Uganda's Murchison Falls on the Nile River, hoping to catch -- and release -- a trophy.

U.S. SENDING MORE BOMB-SNIFFING DOGS TO IRAQ

2010-02-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

The American military is stepping up the delivery of bomb-sniffing dogs to Iraq with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government under pressure for using equipment that may be ineffective in finding explosives.

The first 25 of 145 trained bomb-detection dogs are due to arrive Friday in Baghdad, Army Maj. Sylvester Wegwu told The Associated Press. The remaining 120 dogs will be delivered over the course of a year, said Wegwu, who works as military adviser to the Baghdad Police College.

The airlift follows a request to the U.S. military from Iraqi officials for more of the trained dogs, signaling that Iraq is looking to use other bomb-detection methods after questions were raised about the capabilities of a wand-like, bomb-detection device widely used at checkpoints across Iraq.

The dogs' arrival comes as U.S. and Iraqi officials warn of a possible increase in violence ahead of national elections slated for March 7.

The new Iraqi canine teams could be deployed within 45 days, with a handful of them out on Baghdad's streets ahead of the vote, said police Brig. Gen. Mohammad Mesheb Hajea, who oversees the training program.

Iraqi forces have been reluctant to expand the use of bomb-sniffing dogs until recently because of Muslim traditions that view dogs as unclean.

The dogs will be used to search cars, buildings and other areas, though they will not be used to check people for explosives unless a specific individual is a suspected bomber, Hajea said.

"Our culture is different from the European culture and the American culture," said Hajea, who also runs his own veterinary clinic in Baghdad. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has said Iraqi authorities have requested scanners capable of looking inside sealed portions of vehicles in addition to the dog teams.

FLA. KITEBOARDER KILLED BY SHARKS

2010-02-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

Sharks killed a kiteboarder off South Florida's Atlantic coast in the state's first deadly shark attack in five years, authorities said.

A lifeguard spotted Stephen Howard Schafer, 38, in distress about 500 yards off the beach Wednesday. When he paddled out, he found Schafer bleeding and surrounded by several sharks. Schafer was taken to a hospital and died a short time later, according to Rhonda Irons, public information officer for the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

FISH CAUGHT EVOLVING INTO THREE DIFFERENT SPECIES

2010-02-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

The King demoiselle is not just one type of fish, but three distinct groups that recently split from each other, according to a new study.

By essentially catching one species in the process of turning into three, the study suggests that conservation efforts might be failing a variety of species that have yet to be identified.

"This work, along with others, is starting to show that there is a lot more biodiversity in the oceans then we previously thought," said Joshua Drew, a marine conservation biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. "We really are in a situation where we are losing things before we even know they exist."

The King demoiselle is a variety of damselfish that lives in the Indo -- West Pacific, from the Solomon Islands to the Philippines and through central Indonesia. The area is known for its spectacular diversity, but the region also faces serious threats, including pollution, blast fishing, and oil spills from the shipping industry.

King demoiselles are common in shallow waters throughout the region's reefs. The fish are small -- about the size of a human thumb. And they come in a wide range of color patterns, from spotted blue to gray with a big yellow stripe.

Those color variations alone don't necessarily mean much. In plenty of reef species, individual fish can take on a huge variety of appearances. Juveniles often look different from adults. Males might look different from females. While doing other research in the field, though, Drew's colleagues noticed that groups of King demoiselles looked different in different geographical regions.

Wondering if there might be something genetic going on, the researchers sent about a dozen fish samples to Drew in Chicago. The samples were from three separate populations of fish in the South China Sea, the Philippines and Indonesia.

In his lab, Drew analyzed the samples for three genes -- one that has evolved slowly, and two that have changed rapidly through time. His results showed a clear pattern: The genes that have changed quickly look different from one geographical group to the next, indicating that the groups only recently began to split.

"That means that this little fish we thought was broadly distributed has a mosaic of individual populations and each one is genetically distinct," said Drew, whose study has been accepted for publication in the journalCoral Reefs. "That highlights how little we really know about how biodiversity on Earth is distributed."

Even though fish are some of the most scrutinized creatures on Earth, the study points out that we still don't have a good idea of how many fish species there are, said marine biologist Brian Bowen, of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology in Kaneohe. In one of his own recent genetic studies, eight of the 15 Atlantic reef fish species he looked at turned out to be multiple species.

"For less well-studied groups, there are probably vast quantities of diversity we don't know and may never know about if we don't continue looking for them," Bowen said. "It indicates there are a lot of unknowns out there."

The findings add urgency to the search for new species and the need to protect coral reefs, Drew added.

For a long time, scientists thought that populations of reef fish like the King demoiselle would simply mix with each other across oceans, because their larvae are so small and so easily sloshed around by currents. Instead, this study and others now suggest that larvae tend to settle near where they were born.

In other words, many species of fish may have small geographic ranges, and destroying even one small section of reef could lead to extinctions. That could be bad news, considering recent research found that only 15 percent of reefs in the Indonesian archipelago are healthy today, Bowen said, compared with 30 percent a decade ago.

New "Destroyer" Dinosaur Found, Was T. Rex Relative

2010-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

A 29-foot-long (9-meter-long) "destroyer" dinosaur once reigned over the Wild West, according to a new study of a fossil T. rex relative found in New Mexico.

Two nearly complete skeletons of the new species, Bistahieversor sealeyi—eversor means "destroyer" in Latin—were discovered in the desolate badlands of New Mexico's Bisti/De-na-zin Wilderness.

A "teenager's" skeleton was found between 1989 and 1990, and an adult was unearthed in 1998, researchers say. The fossils had been on display at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History until recently, so scientists hadn't previously had a chance to study the remains.

Discovering that B. sealeyi is a primitive Tyrannosaurus rex relative—and, like T. rex, part of a group called the tyrannosauroids—is a "big deal," said study co-author Thomas Carr, director of the Carthage College Institute of Paleontology in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"In and of itself, a relatively complete dinosaur from 75 million years ago in New Mexico is not common," he said. But "it's doubly rare to have a predator like this.Dinosaur Development

Scant tyrannosauroid teeth and scraps of bone had previously been found in the Southwest. But they all had come from tyrannosauroid species known to live in the northern Rocky Mountain region.

But B. sealeyi is a completely new species, found nowhere else—proving that the Southwest had its own top predator stalking the tropical forests and rivers of the late Cretaceous period.

When Carr first heard a new tyrannosauroid fossil had been found, "I was very excited, because I knew that if it was complete, we would actually finally know tyrannosauroids were living in the Southwest," he said.

What's more, finding the teenaged B. sealeyi skeleton and partial skull gives the scientists "a really unique snapshot of the biological development of this particular dinosaur," he said.

For instance, the team found that a hole above the adult's eyes—one of many air sacs common in tyrannosaur skulls—was not present in the young dinosaur's skeleton.

This suggests that the hole developed in adulthood, he said, although scientists aren't sure what the hole's function might have been.

B. sealeyi also had a deep snout like T. rex, though the two species are not closely related, Carr said.

Mystery of the Dinosaur Snout

Deeper—or shorter—snouts may have evolved in concert with a more powerful bite and smaller forearms in tyrannosauroids in western North America andAsia, which were connected during the Cretaceous.

"The main implement of killing was the head, and they needed the power for that," Carr said.

But for some reason, tyrannosauroids in eastern North America retained the more primitive features of shallow snouts and large arms.

For B. sealeyi to have a deep snout suggests that the adaptation evolved early in tyrannosauroids—opening up new mysteries in tyrannosaur evolution.

GRASS-FED BEEF HAS BIGGER CARBON FOOTPRINT

2010-01-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

Red meat has a bad reputation among the green-minded for its emissions of heat-trapping gases that exacerbate climate change. Fertilizer derived from fossil fuels is required for growing grain to feed cattle, and cows' digestion produces large amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane, which is 25 times more heating than carbon dioxide.

But a new study of the Australian livestock industry finds that the seemingly greener alternative to grain-fed beef -- beef from cows grazed on grass -- produces more greenhouse gases per pound than beef from feedlots.

"The reason for that is that, on the one hand, the grain-based diet can be digested better by the animals, so that reduces the enteric methane production by the animals," said study lead author Matthias Schulz of the University of New South Wales Water Research Center in Australia.

Grain-finished beef produced 38 percent less methane, the researchers found, though other studies have reported as much as 70 percent less.

"Also, although the (total) emissions are higher on the feedlot, the animals gain weight quicker," Schulz said, so the animals are slaughtered sooner, emitting less gas overall. "On a per-kilogram-of-meat basis, the feedlot performs better," he saidEmissions from grass-fed cows were about 20 percent higher than grain fed, according to the study, which was published in Environmental Science and Technology, and funded by Meat and Livestock Australia.

Schulz' study also concluded that raising sheep produced less greenhouse gas emissions than beef, largely because the animals have about half the lifespan of cattle.

Other studies have made the same comparison between beef from grass versus grain-fed animals and found that the higher methane emissions from grass-fed cows tip the carbon scales in favor of feedlot beef.

But some people claim that the math comes out the opposite way if carbon stored in the soil by grazing animals is incorporated: Grass-fed beef mow the pastures, fertilize the ground with their manure, and tramp around, creating healthy soil that acts as a carbon sink.

If the carbon storage is incorporated, they claim, grass-fed beef produces no net emissions, and can even capture carbon overall.

The problem, said Christopher Weber of Carnegie Mellon University, is that accurately quantifying how much soil carbon contributes is difficult, and it can vary dramatically from place to place -- even in locations just a few feet away. This uncertainty can swing the calculation one way or another.

To Weber's knowledge, no study published in a scientific journal has come to the conclusion that grass-fed beef is better from a greenhouse gas perspective.

"There's a lot of range of what the emissions are from beef, and that is real variability," agreed Rita Schenck, Executive Director of the Institute for Environmental Research & Education in Vashon, Wash., who has also studied this question.

"It is different in different places. It is different in different growing regimes. It's just different. I think the numbers are really close," she said, so the scales can tip one way or another depending on the specific circumstances.

"To some extent, all of this bickering about carbon footprint is missing the forest for the trees," Weber said. ""In terms of air pollution, water pollution and odor, concentrated feedlots are a disaster. In terms of other environmental impact, there is no question that grass fed is better. My problem is that people really play on the carbon footprint angle, when it's really not clear. "

According to a 2006 United Nations report, livestock accounts for 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.

Grass-fed cattle require fewer antibiotics and other chemicals than grain-fed cows, and the resulting beef is higher in healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

2010-01-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

For biologists searching for the presence of Asian carp in the twisting rivers and channels that flow into Lake Michigan, it's helpful to view the entire Great Lakes watershed as a crime scene.

Asian carp, the invasive species that has left a trail of destruction on its 30-year migration up the Mississippi River and into Illinois, naturally leave behind tiny cells as they move through the water. These cells, most commonly found in fish scales, feces and urine, contain carp DNA that distinguishes them among millions of other fish in Chicago waterways.

Like investigators reconstructing a crime scene using fingerprints on a doorknob or lipstick smudges on a wine glass, biologists are using Asian carp DNA found in these cells to track the carp's movement. Using DNA to monitor aquatic life is not new, but this method has never been used in a freshwater environment like the Great Lakes, officials said.

Because experts haven't yet seen an Asian carp within about 40 miles of Lake Michigan, the DNA evidence is central to the legal and political firestorm that has put Illinois' carp crisis in the national spotlight. That has brought the reliability of environmental DNA, or eDNA, under scrutiny and prompted some to wonder if bad science is perhaps driving the Asian carp controversy.

"Some people hear about carp DNA being found near Lake Michigan and they just think the threat is imminent, which isn't exactly the case," said state Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest. "We need to be careful about how we talk about what we've found and what it means."

An invasive species expert and one of the architects of this eDNA method told Garrett and other state lawmakers that the science is sound. It's the interpretation of the DNA evidence that's up for debate.

"In terms of reliability, we know what we're picking up is big head or silver carp DNA. We're confident in our methods," said Lindsay Chadderton, the aquatic invasive species director at the Nature Conservancy. "The question people seem to be asking is whether the DNA could have gotten there by other means."

Since summer, researchers have combed Chicago's waterways north of the underwater electric barrier near Romeoville collecting more than 700 DNA samples. Water is scooped up in two-liter bottles and taken to a laboratory for analysis. Water, which acts like liquid cement keeping the cell structure intact, is filtered through a fine glass filter paper. The remaining solids are examined for the presence of DNA under a microscope, Chadderton said.

When DNA from one of the four varieties of Asian carp is detected, the results are compared with known carp DNA markers and matched against a global database for aquatic DNA. The results are independently verified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chadderton said.

Asian carp DNA has now been located in five locations north of the electric barrier, built in 2002 to keep the carp from advancing into Lake Michigan. One sample has been found in Calumet Harbor, inside the rim of the lake, a troubling sign that the millions of dollars spent to deter the fish haven't worked.

"As a tool, we're excited by what (eDNA) has been able to show us," Chadderton said. "But the results have been bittersweet since it's showing us something we never wanted to see."

While eDNA cannot definitively say whether a carp is alive or dead, Chadderton, who helped develop the science in partnership with the University of Notre Dame, believes the samples indicate the presence of live fish. Some have speculated that passing boats may have collected carp tissue in their ballast water downriver, where Asian carp are known to be in abundance, and carried it across the electric barriers. Others say Asian carp being used as bait in the canals and along the lakefront may trigger a positive result.

Chadderton said those scenarios are unlikely. Cell tissue, he said, typically breaks down between six and 48 hours, meaning there is a small window to collect usable tissue. An even bigger indication, though, is that positive samples have been found in locations that follow the known movement of Asian carp upriver, Chadderton said.

"The other (scenarios) people are talking about simply don't explain that pattern," he said.

DNA sampling has other limitations as well, like determining the sex of the fish or shedding light on how many there are in one location. Those are important details, Chadderton said, to understand the scope of the problem.

Now that the Asian carp crisis has caught the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court and the White House, a large-scale effort is under way to confirm these DNA findings with a sighting of the fish. Crews could hit the water as early as this week with nets, using electric shock to stun fish and bring them to the surface. Without that confirmation, Chadderton said, the science will always have its detractors.

'DOGS OF WAR' SAVE LIVES IN AFGHANISTAN

2010-01-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

THE GIST:

"Dogs of War" are deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan to assist in finding bombs, lost soldiers.
Bomb squads prefer Labradors. The dogs start training when they're puppies.
These military dogs save lives and boost morale among troops.

For the U.S. Marines patrolling the dusty footpaths of southern Afghanistan, a bomb-sniffing black Labrador can mean the difference between life and death.

These "dogs of war" have saved countless lives and their record for finding hidden explosives has won them a loyal following.

"They are 98 percent accurate. We trust these dogs more than metal detectors and mine sweepers," says handler Corporal Andrew Guzman.

Trained to detect five kinds of threat, from military grade C-4 plastic explosive to common chemicals used by the Taliban to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the dogs play a vital role alongside their human comrades.

Bomb expert Sergeant Crush is all concentration as he leads a foot patrol by two squads of US Marines deployed to Afghanistan as part of Washington's fresh surge to end an eight-year insurgency by the Taliban.

His job along with Corporal Goodwin is to lead the men to safety through dusty footpaths and compounds where Taliban militants plant deadly bombs that have left many troops dead in recent months.

They are from a group of four Labradors, who are on average four years old and have all seen action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"These dogs are great. They keep our Marines alive," says First Lieutenant Aaron MacLean, 2nd Platoon commander of the Marines 1st Battalion, 6th Regiment Charlie Company, to which the dog team is attached.

Crush suddenly goes on a swift bound, sniffing out a corner of a compound in the outskirts of a Taliban stronghold in Helmand province.

There is a quick change in his demeanour, his muscles tense up, he freezes, sticks out his tail and then lies down with his paws extended up front.

Mammals "Rafted" to Madagascar, Climate Model Suggests

2010-01-26T09:32:00.000-08:00

Only in the movies could a lion, a zebra, a giraffe, and a hippo wash ashore onMadagascar to start a new life.

But a new computer model suggests there may be a grain of truth in the animated fiction: The ancestors of ring-tailed lemurs, flying foxes, and other mammals that live on the Indian Ocean island got there aboard natural rafts.

The model supports a 70-year-old theory that mainland mammals from southeastern Africa "rafted" to the island on large logs or floating carpets of vegetation after being swept out to sea during storms.

The ancient refugees were carried to Madagascar by ocean currents, drifting on the open seas for several weeks before finally coming ashore, the model says.

Based on genetic and ecosystem evidence, this theory makes more sense than the alternative, which holds that Madagascar's mammals arrived via a land bridge that was later destroyed by shifting continents.

One of the problems with the rafting theory was that ocean currents and prevailing winds around Madagascar today move east to west—away from, not toward, the island.

Now, using computer simulations normally employed to study global warming, scientists think the currents might have been more favorable for drifitng to Madagascar 50 million years ago.

"The biologists were right all along," said study team member Matthew Huber, a paleoclimatologist at Indiana's Purdue University.

Lemurs on a Log

One weakness of the land-bridge theory is that today only four major groups of mammals live in Madagascar. These animals are distantly related to mammals in mainland Africa, and they are all relatively small.

"If there was a land bridge between Africa and Madagascar, why didn't large animals like elephants or lions cross?" Huber said.

In addition, genetic evidence suggests Madagascar's mammals arrived in discrete waves spaced several million years apart.

Lemurs started the migration about 50 million years ago, followed by hedgehog-like tenrecs, then mongoose-like carnivores such as the fossa, and finally rodents 24 million years ago.

Since rafting fits the biological evidence, Huber and co-author Jason Ali of the University of the Hong Kong wanted to find out if currents around the island might have changed over time.

In fact, 50 million years ago Africa and Madagascar sat about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) south of their current positions due to continental drift, the pair note in the paper, appearing today in the online edition of the journal Nature.

By plugging data about the ocean and atmosphere of ancient Earth into modern climate models, Huber and Ali found that ocean currents around the two land masses once flowed eastward, toward Madagascar, after all.

Rafting Debate Settled?

Huber predicts the 270-mile (430-kilometer) ocean voyage may have taken about three weeks when the currents were flowing at their swiftest.

"The simulation suggests that these very fast currents occurred very rarely, maybe one month every hundred years," Huber said. And small mammals with naturally low metabolisms could have survived for weeks without much food or fresh water, Huber and Ali suggest.

Anne Yoder, director of the Duke University Lemur Center, said she was "very excited" about the new findings.

"Although I am not surprised by the results, I am gratified to see them," said Yoder, who was not involved in the research but who reviewed the study for publication in Nature.

"For me the debate is settled: Madagascar's mammals arrived in Madagascar via ... overwater rafting from Africa."

The new computer simulation might also help solve other biological mysteries, study co-author Huber added.

"We're going to see if we can explain how monkeys made it to South America, because as far as paleontologists can tell, they arrived there sometime during the Eocene"—55.8 to 33.9 million years ago—"when South America wasn't connected to anything," he said.

PARASITE SPREADING BETWEEN ANIMALS, ZOOKEEPERS

2010-01-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

A parasite associated with diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome has been identified among many zookeepers and animals.
Zoos can be hot spots for interspecies spread of infectious disease.
Experts advise that zoos regularly monitor their staff and animals for infections.

A common parasite associated with diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome appears to be spreading among animals, and from animals to zookeepers, at several zoos worldwide, according to a new study.

The resulting infection, called Blastocystis, has been identified in humans, non-human primates, elephants, giraffes, quokkas (a small, Australian mammal), southern hairy nosed wombats and western grey kangaroos at zoos in Australia, Belgium, Japan, Malaysia, The Netherlands and Spain, and scientists believe the bug is prevalent "in most zoos."

While this parasitic illness is not usually serious, its presence at so many zoological parks, and among so many different species, demonstrates the need for zoos to closely monitor the health of their staff and animal charges.

"Zoos are indeed a hot spot for interspecies spread of infectious diseases," co-author Bruno Levecke told Discovery News.

Levecke, a parasitologist at Ghent University and the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, and his colleagues collected fecal samples from zookeepers and various animals at The Perth Zoological Gardens in Western Australia, the Melbourne Zoo, the Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria, Australia, and unidentified zoos from Amsterdam and Antwerp.

The study, accepted for publication in the journal Veterinary Parasitology, concluded that the parasite was present in most of the test subjects. Sixty-three percent of zookeepers tested positive and up to 82 percent of certain animal populations were infected with Blastocystis.

Prior studies at Osaka Zoo in Japan, Malaysia's Zoo Negara, Spain's Pena Escrita, and zoos in the United Kingdom and Denmark also reported infections with the parasite, some of which were found in birds.

While it is difficult to determine exactly how the parasite is spreading, project leader Unaiza Parkar told Discovery News, "Blastocystis can be transmitted directly -- contact with infected stool -- or indirectly -- consumption of contaminated food and/or water. Given the housing conditions for the non-human primates, usually four to six primates sharing an enclosure, there is definitely transmission occurring between the animals."

Acclimating Your Coral

2010-01-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

Regardless of your light setup, place all new corals on the bottom of your aquarium until they begin to adjust. If you employ metal halide lights, place some sort of screening material above your coral during the first few weeks of acclimation. The screen could be egg crate light paneling or fiberglass mesh. Also, reduce the photoperiod by a quarter for the first week and gradually add an hour each week to reduce the risk of light shock. A good indication your coral has adjusted is when it appears fully expanded and displays full coloration.

Slowly inch the coral to its preferred location over the next month or so. Generally, brighter colored corals should be nearer to the lights. Bright colors signify tissue pigment development that helps protect coral from the UV-light present in shallower depths. Though proper light acclimation is a slow process, it can be the difference between a home reef that simply sustains and one that thrives for years to come.

'Survival of the Cutest' Proves Darwin Right

2010-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Domestic dogs have followed their own evolutionary path, twisting Darwin's directive 'survival of the fittest' to their own needs -- and have proved him right in the process, according to a new study by biologists Chris Klingenberg, of The University of Manchester and Abby Drake, of the College of the Holy Cross in the US. The study, published in The American Naturalist on January 20, 2010, compared the skull shapes of domestic dogs with those of different species across the order Carnivora, to which dogs belong along with cats, bears, weasels, civets and even seals and walruses.

It found that the skull shapes of domestic dogs varied as much as those of the whole order. It also showed that the extremes of diversity were farther apart in domestic dogs than in the rest of the order. This means, for instance, that a Collie has a skull shape that is more different from that of a Pekingese than the skull shape of the cat is from that of a walrus.

Dr Drake explains: "We usually think of evolution as a slow and gradual process, but the incredible amount of diversity in domestic dogs has originated through selective breeding in just the last few hundred years, and particularly after the modern purebred dog breeds were established in the last 150 years."

By contrast, the order Carnivora dates back at least 60 million years. The massive diversity in the shapes of the dogs' skulls emphatically proves that selection has a powerful role to play in evolution and the level of diversity that separates species and even families can be generated within a single species, in this case in dogs.

Much of the diversity of domestic dog skulls is outside the range of variation in the Carnivora, and thus represents skull shapes that are entirely novel.

Dr Klingenberg adds: "Domestic dogs are boldly going where no self respecting carnivore ever has gone before.

"Domestic dogs don't live in the wild so they don't have to run after things and kill them -- their food comes out of a tin and the toughest thing they'll ever have to chew is their owner's slippers. So they can get away with a lot of variation that would affect functions such as breathing and chewing and would therefore lead to their extinction.

"Natural selection has been relaxed and replaced with artificial selection for various shapes that breeders favour."

Domestic dogs are a model species for studying longer term natural selection. Darwin studied them, as well as pigeons and other domesticated species.

Drake and Klingenberg compared the amazing amount of diversity in dogs to the entire order Carnivora. They measured the positions of 50 recognizable points on the skulls of dogs and their 'cousins' from the rest of the order Carnivora, and analyzed shape variation with newly developed methods.

The team divided the dog breeds into categories according to function, such as hunting, herding, guarding and companion dogs. They found the companion (or pet) dogs were more variable than all the other categories put together.

According to Drake, "Dogs are bred for their looks not for doing a job so there is more scope for outlandish variations, which are then able to survive and reproduce."

Dr Klingenberg concludes: "I think this example of head shape is characteristic of many others and is showing it so clearly, showing what happens when you consistently and over time apply selection.

"This study illustrates the power of Darwinian selection with so much variation produced in such a short period of time. The evidence is very strong."

"FAUX" FUR ON CLOTHING MAY CONTAIN DOG HAIR

2010-01-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

So-called "faux" fur may actually contain dog hair, according to Humane Society of the United States investigations.

Inspectors for the Humane Society say fur from a canine species known as the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) was found on garments labeled as being "faux-fur."

(Raccoon dogs in Japan; Credi: 663highland)

During the recent winter holiday shopping season, for example, Neiman Marcus advertised and sold animal fur online as being "faux." The item in question was a $1,300 Burberry women's jacket.

"Neiman Marcus has repeatedly sold garments where the animal fur was misrepresented or even described as fake fur," said Pierre Grzybowski, manager of the fur campaign for The HSUS. "How many of this latest jacket were sold to unsuspecting consumers who thought they were buying fake fur?"

Burberry has since changed its marketing for the item, but this is just one example in a long line of misrepresentations by other brands and retailers. In fact, "finnraccoon" is a well-known term used by the fashion industry to market fur from the raccoon dog, a canine indigenous to east Asia.

The problem also doesn't only impact individuals concerned about animal welfare. Buyers willing to shell out big bucks, thinking they are getting clothing made from the fur of exotic animals, may actually be wearing common farm animal hair.

Case in point- an HSUS investigation last August found that Neiman Marcus sold $1,500 fur-trimmed Manolo Blahnik boots that were advertised as "natural ocelot fur" — an endangered species that would be illegal to sell under the Endangered Species Act. After The HSUS brought this issue to the public's attention, a Neiman Marcus spokesperson admitted it was goat fur.

Bergdorf Goodman last year was also found to have sold unlabeled fur-trimmed jackets in violation of New York state law.

According to the HSUS, "false advertising or labeling of fur is punishable under the Fur Products Labeling Act by up to one year in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. The use of trade names on labels to describe the animals is prohibited."

The HSUS is pursuing a consumer protection lawsuit against Neiman Marcus and other retailers in the District of Columbia, and is also urging Congress to pass the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, S. 1076, by Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and H.R. 2480 by Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., to require accurate labeling of all animal fur-trimmed garments, regardless of dollar value.

Dollar value is mentioned because an apparent loophole in the federal law allows clothing manufacturers to not fully disclose information about fur if the item is valued at $150 or less.

If you have purchased items thinking they were fake fur, but now aren't sure, Grzybowski advises that you try the following home test:

First, look at the base of the "fur." If you see sewn threads, that's a good indication the material is indeed synthetic. Usually real animal hair will still be attached to its skin.
Pull a few strands of "hair" from the item.
Place them in a small fire-proof dish and light them with a match.
Smell the resulting fumes.
If you detect a plastic odor, the fur is probably fake.
If you still can't tell, try burning a few strands of your own hair and compare the smell with that of the burnt strands from the clothing. They both should emit similar odors. (Mammal hair is made up of similar proteins, oils and other components.)

Earlier this week you might have seen the Discovery News slideshow on how experts struggle to identify forgeries from genuine artifacts. Here is a rare instance where authentic fakes are desired.

Coral Can Recover from Climate Change Damage, New Research Suggests

2010-01-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

A study by the University of Exeter provides the first evidence that coral reefs can recover from the devastating effects of climate change. Published Jan. 11, 2010 in the journal PLoS ONE, the research shows for the first time that coral reefs located in marine reserves can recover from the impacts of global warming.Scientists and environmentalists have warned that coral reefs may not be able to recover from the damage caused by climate change and that these unique environments could soon be lost forever. Now, this research adds weight to the argument that reducing levels of fishing is a viable way of protecting the world's most delicate aquatic ecosystems.

Increases in ocean surface water temperatures subject coral reefs to stresses that lead quickly to mass bleaching. The problem is intensified by ocean acidification, which is also caused by increased CO₂. This decreases the ability of corals to produce calcium carbonate (chalk), which is the material that reefs are made of.

Approximately 2% of the world's coral reefs are located within marine reserves, areas of the sea that are protected against potentially-damaging human activity, like dredging and fishing.

The researchers conducted surveys of ten sites inside and outside marine reserves of the Bahamas over 2.5 years. These reefs have been severely damaged by bleaching and then by hurricane Frances in the summer of 2004. At the beginning of the study, the reefs had an average of 7% coral cover. By the end of the project, coral cover in marine protected areas had increased by an average of 19%, while reefs in non-reserve sites showed no recovery.

Professor Peter Mumby of the University of Exeter said: "Coral reefs are the largest living structures on Earth and are home to the highest biodiversity on the planet. As a result of climate change, the environment that has enabled coral reefs to thrive for hundreds of thousands of years is changing too quickly for reefs to adapt.

"In order to protect reefs in the long-term we need radical action to reduce CO₂ emissions. However, our research shows that local action to reduce the effects of fishing can contribute meaningfully to the fate of reefs. The reserve allowed the number of parrotfishes to increase and because parrotfish eat seaweeds, the corals could grow freely without being swamped by weeds. As a result, reefs inside the park were showing recovery whereas those with more seaweed were not. This sort of evidence may help persuade governments to reduce the fishing of key herbivores like parrotfishes and help reefs cope with the inevitable threats posed by climate change."

Professor Mumby's research was funded by National Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation.

SCORPION VENOM TAPPED AS PESTICIDE

2010-01-20T11:47:00.000-08:00

Scorpion venom can paralyze, inflict pain, even kill. But instead of recoiling in fear from the arachnids, scientists are scrutinizing venom in the hopes of harnessing its power to fight insects, treat cancer and more.

In one approach, Israeli researchers have cloned the genes involved in producing specific toxic protein compounds. They have developed ways to produce and manipulate these toxins inside bacteria grown in their lab. They have also deciphered the three-dimensional structures of some of those compounds and figured out which surface of those structures bind to the nervous systems of insects.

These technical developments may eventually help scientists develop new, scorpion-inspired pesticides that would zero in on specific insect pests without harming people, the environment, or other animal bystanders.

"You should consider scorpions like a gift from nature," said Michael Gurevitz, of Tel Aviv University in Israel. "Nature has developed compounds during millions of years that show complete selectivity to various groups of animals. Understanding how these toxins affect the nervous system of animals may assist in preparing chemicals that mimic the toxin activity and can be produced industrially."

For decades, scientists have been probing the compounds in venom from scorpions, spiders, sea anemones, cone snails and other creatures. Plenty of studies have dissected venom to see what types of proteins are in it, what those proteins look like, and how they work -- by, for example, causing paralysis or breaking down cells.

A major goal has been to spin those findings into practical applications. For example, venom compounds are appealing candidates for pesticides because many of them are highly specialized to kill certain types of insects but have no effect on people, other mammals or beneficial insects, like honeybees.

The toxins that interest researchers are biodegradable, so they would not accumulate in the ground or drinking water, linger on vegetable skins, or endanger our health like modern chemical pesticides do. Translating scientific studies into practical applications, however, has been tough. For one thing, simply spraying venom compounds on crops doesn't do any good, because insects can swallow and digest the proteins in their guts without harm.

In order to kill, venom compounds need to enter an insect's blood, like what happens after a sting. Scientists can't sting individual insects. Finding a good delivery system is what they are struggling with now.

Venom toxins are "a resource with almost limitless potential," said Raymond St. Leger, an entomologist at the University of Maryland, College Park. "But you need a way of getting them into the insect."

Some researchers are experimenting with viruses and fungi as delivery systems. Gurevitz, who has been studying "the pharmaceutical factory in venom glands" for more than 20 years, is taking a different approach.

He is looking at the way these toxins interact with structures called sodium channels, which are located on the membranes of cells in nervous and muscular tissues. Essentially, he is getting at the molecular details of how toxic compounds in venom recognize sodium channels, bind to them, and then cause paralysis and death.

First, the scientists had to develop ways of producing the toxins and their target channels in the lab. To do that, they cloned related genes and established systems for expressing and mutating both the toxins and the channels they bind to.

Using bacteria, Gurevitz and colleagues are now producing their own venom compounds and manipulating their shapes to see what they do. Down the line, they aim to develop safe and powerful pesticides. They also hope that the knowledge they're acquiring will pave the way for production of chemicals that would mimic the toxins and be just as selective about which insects they kill.

"As we know more details about how these toxins bind and affect the sodium channels, we would be able to engineer toxins" and develop chemical mimics that would be easier for industry to produce, Gurevitz said.

These developments are not imminent, he said, but they are possible. Some drugs already fit the description, including one that was derived from cone snail venom and my help fight chronic pain.

Adding an effective and environmentally friendly battery of pesticides would be highly valuable, St. Leger said. Insects are incredibly good at developing resistance to the chemicals we thrown at them. The more options we have, the better

What is your favorite animal?

2010-01-18T21:58:00.000-08:00

Poison dart frogs are by far my favorite animals.

ALLIGATORS' LUNGS MAY EXPLAIN DINOS' DOMINANCE

2010-01-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Alligators have a one-way path for breathing that is similar to birds', new research shows. The findings, published in the Jan. 15 Science, could explain how dinosaurs' ancestors rose to prominence.

"It's absolutely transformational," comments Adam Summers of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories. "It really makes us think hard about our interpretations of anatomy."

Unlike a mammal's breath, which exits the lungs from the same dead-end chambers it enters, a bird's breath takes a loopy one-way street through its lungs.

In mammals, air enters the lungs and flows through a network of branching tubes called bronchi, which culminate in small cul-de-sac chambers where blood vessels exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. Air then exits the lungs via the same pathway.

But in birds' lungs, air moves constantly through a simpler network of tubes, making a single circuit before being exhaled. This unidirectional flow makes gas transfer much more efficient -- air can zip right past the blood vessels that need oxygen and then be on its way.

Conventional wisdom has held that only birds can do this because in addition to lungs, birds have air sacs that may steer the air unidirectionally through the lung. "People incorrectly believe that you must have avian-style air sacs in order to have unidirectional flow," says C.G. Farmer of the University of Utah, a coauthor of the new study. "Alligators don't have air sacs, so no one ever looked."

But a structural similarity in the way birds' and alligators' bronchi branch through the lungs caught Farmer's attention.

"If you look at the alligator lung, it's not hard to see how small modifications in this design could potentially lead to an avian lung," she says. She wondered if the similarities were more than cosmetic. Farmer and her coauthor Kent Sanders of the University of Utah inserted flow meters called thermistors into the lungs of six living alligators to see how fast and in what direction the air moved. The primary bronchi each split into two branches shortly after the point where air enters each lung. Surprisingly, air moved through the first branch in each lung in the same direction whether the gator was inhaling or exhaling.

"That's the opposite of what you expect," Farmer says.

The researchers also pumped air in and out of the lungs of four dead alligators and pumped water containing tiny fluorescent beads through the lungs of another dead gator, to measure the flow.

All three lines of evidence showed the same unidirectional path through the gators' lungs. Farmer thinks that instead of entering the first bronchial branch, which veers off at a hairpin turn, air skips this tube and enters the second branch. Its passage past the first opening creates an aerodynamic valve that sucks air out of that branch. From the second branch, air passes through small tubes called parabronchi, where carbon dioxide is traded for oxygen in the blood. Finally, air flows from the parabronchi into the first branch, and then back out through the trachea.

Having three lines of evidence and careful measurements bolsters the researchers' claim, comments Elizabeth Brainerd of Brown University.

The finding could mean that this mode of breathing is far older than scientists suspected and that it may have helped archosaurs, the common forebearers of birds, alligators and dinosaurs, rise to a dominant ecological niche millions of years ago.

Archosaurs were the largest land animals on Earth from after the Permian-Triassic extinction 251 million years ago until the group split 246 million years ago into alligators and what would become dinosaurs and birds. To rise to prominence, archosaurs had to unseat large mammal-like reptiles called synapsids. But synapsids flourished after the dinosaurs went extinct, eventually leading to today's large land mammals. How archosaurs gained their brief time on top remains a mystery.

"There's a flip-flopping from synapsids, to archosaurs, back to synapsids in this one niche. Why did this happen?" Farmer says. "Our data suggest (archosaurs) had an advantage."

The trick of one-way breathing could have given archosaurs a boost. Other research has shown that the oxygen levels at the time were about half of what they are today, even lower than the air at the top of Mount Everest. A more efficient breathing system could have allowed archosaurs to flourish in that dizzying environment.

Scientists discover new coral species in Galapagos waters

2010-01-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

Scientists have discovered three new coral species - and one that was thought to be extinct - in an extensive survey of reefs around the Galapagos Islands, raising hopes that reefs may be more resilient to rising sea temperatures than previously thought.

Honeycomb coral (Gardineroseris planulata) had apparently been wiped out in in 1997-98 by the last big El Niño event. This natural periodic event affects weather globally and another is expected this year. But the study around the relatively unexplored areas of the coasts of Wolf and Darwin islands to the north-west of the main archipelago turned up several separate colonies.

Warmer sea temperatures caused by climate change and periodic El Niño events have caused large areas of coral to be wiped out in so-called "bleaching" events. Many scientists, as reported in the Guardian last week, fear that concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are already high enough to ensure a mass extinction of coral in the coming decades.

Professor Terry Dawson of Southampton University carried out the marine survey along with scientists from the University of Miami, covering an area that had not been studied extensively by marine biologists since the 1970s. The three new coral species are from the genera Hydrozoanthus, Parazoanthus and Antipathozoanthus. They also found a fourth possible new species and other corals that were thought not to inhabit the waters around the Galapagos.

Coral reefs are formed by deposits of calcium carbonate left by successive generations of tiny polyps which feed off plankton. They also receive nutrients from symbiotic algae known as zooxanthellae which also give coral their bright glowing colours. As temperatures rise, the algae dies or is ejected by the polyps, which leads to coral bleaching. In 1982–83 an El Niño event killed off around 95% of the coral in the Galapagos and caused severe disruption to the marine ecosystem there. In 1997–98 ocean warming caused a second bout of bleaching.

Dawson, who published his team's findings in the peer-reviewed journalGalapagos Research last month, said that it appeared the algae might be adapting to warmer ocean temperatures. Sea temperatures in the Galapagos vary between 23C and 29C in normal years, but can rise to 30C in El Niño years.

"Our study might suggest that species are more resilient than we thought. Nature is quite capable of looking after itself," he said. "Humans have such short timescales in looking at things. A lot of coral dies off after an El Niño event. But we don't give species enough time to do what it needs to do. We worry about rapid climate change and its effects but some species can adapt to climate change quite quickly too."

Dawson plans to return to the Galapagos after finding evidence of a migratory corridor from the Ecuadorian archipelago, up to Panama and Costa Rica, for whale sharks (the world's largest fish), hammerhead sharks and a number of other marine animals.

Andrew Baker, assistant professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami who led the research into the so-called algal symbionts, said he had found some evidence to suggest thermal tolerance since he started collecting data in 1998.

"Many people describe the Galapagos as nature's laboratory and that is true of its reefs too. We can look at the reef in the Galapagos and use it as a model of the system to see what reefs around the world might look like in 30-50 years," said Baker.

New Warbler Discovered in Laos "limestone leaf warbler"

2010-01-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

A diminutive, colorful bird living in the rocky forests of Laos and Vietnam has been discovered by a team of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Lao PDR Department of Forestry, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Swedish Museum of Natural History, BirdLife International and other groups. Named the "limestone leaf warbler" because it breeds in Laos's limestone karst environments -- a region known for unusual wildlife -- it is similar to other warblers in this area of Southeast Asia, except for its distinct vocalizations and slight morphological differences.

A description of the new species is published in the journal IBIS (The International Journal of Avian Science). Authors include: Per Alstrom, Swedish University of Agricultural Science and the Swedish Museum of Natural History; Peter Davidson, J. William Duckworth and Robert Timmins, Wildlife Conservation Society; Jonathan C. Eames and Trai Trong Le, Birdlife International in Indochina; Cu Nguyen, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology; Urban Olsson, University of Goteborg; and biologist Craig Robson.

"The discovery of this new species is very exciting and underscores the importance of this region of Indochina for conservation," said Colin Poole, Executive Director of the Asia Program for the Wildlife Conservation Society. "With increased attention from biologists, the Annamite mountain range of Laos in particular is revealing itself as a Lost World for new and unusual wildlife."

The tiny bird is greenish-olive with a yellow breast and striped crown. Although it looks similar to other warblers, it is smaller with shorter wings and a larger bill than its closest relative the sulfur-breasted leaf warbler.

According to the study, the bird has a loud and distinct call, which is what first alerted the authors that the bird may be new to science.

Scientists presume there are many limestone leaf warblers in this region. But its habitat isn't without threats. Many parts of the species' native forests have been cleared as a result of wood collection. WCS is continuing to work with the Lao Government in an effort to reduce the threats limestone leaf warblers and other wildlife face in this region.

Earlier this year from this same region, a team of scientists from WCS and the University of Melbourne described the bare-faced bulbul -- another species previously unknown to science. In 2002 in this same area, Robert Timmins of WCS described the Kha-nyou, a newly discovered species of rodent so unusual it represented the lone surviving member of an otherwise entirely extinct family. Three years earlier, he described a unique striped rabbit in the region also new to science.

FRESHWATER STINGRAYS SOLVE PROBLEMS WITH TOOLS

2010-01-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

Fish have long been thought to be "simple reflex animals" but new research has shown that at least one species is capable of high-level cognition and even the use of tools.

The abilities of the fish in question, the freshwater stingray, even rival that of birds and mammals, researchers report.

Part of the reason these stingrays, which are common in the Amazon and related to ocean-going stingrays, has long been considered cognitively simple is that testing them is very difficult. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, however, were able to reach surprising conclusions with a battery of cleverly designed tasks.

When they placed food in a small plastic tube, the stingrays demonstrated a keen problem-solving ability by directing jets of water into the opening, forcing the food out. The jet of water, Dr. Michael Kuba, the scientist who led the research, explained, meets the basic definition of a tool. Following a study conducted by Dr. Benjamin Beck in 1980, researchers define tool use as "using an agent to achieve a goal."

Sharks Killed for Oil Used in Swine Flu Vaccine

2010-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

Vaccines being made to protect people from swine flu may not be so healthy for threatened species of sharks.

That's because millions of doses of the pandemic H1N1/09 vaccine contain a substance called squalene, which is extracted from shark livers. (Get more swine flu facts.)

More commonly found in beauty products such as skin creams, squalene can be used to make an adjuvant, a compound that boosts the body's immune response.

The World Health Organization recommends adjuvant-based vaccines, because they allow drug makers to create doses that use less of the active component, increasing available supplies.

Olive oil, wheat germ oil, and rice bran oil also naturally contain squalene, albeit in smaller amounts. But for now squalene is primarily harvested from sharks caught by commercial fishers, especially deepwater species. (Related:"Tomato, Tobacco Plants Produce SARS Vaccine.")

"There are several very disturbing issues associated with use of shark-liver-oil squalene," said Mary O'Malley, co-founder of the volunteer-run advocacy group Shark Safe Network.

"The deepwater sharks targeted have extremely low reproductive rates, and many are threatened species."

For example, one supplier has dubbed the gulper shark the Rolls-Royce of squalene-producing sharks—but the gulper is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Species, meaning the species faces a high risk of extinction.

Shark Oil Demand

Although vaccines containing squalene have not yet been approved for use in the U.S., they are being distributed elsewhere, including Europe and Canada.

Novartis, a drug company that produces swine flu vaccines containing shark squalene, did not answer requests for information about its squalene supply.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), another major swine-flu vaccine producer, announced in October that it had received orders for 440 million doses of vaccine containing adjuvant.

And the adjuvant in GSK's vaccines—which have been administered in 26 countries so far—contains shark-liver squalene, company spokesperson Clare Eldred confirmed in a statement.

GSK wouldn't reveal the name of its supplier or the annual quantity of shark squalene it buys. But Eldred told National Geographic News that the drug company takes about 10 percent of its supplier's total output.

O'Malley, of the Shark Safe Network, estimates that GSK's 440 million doses would require at least 9,700 pounds (4,400 kilograms) of shark oil, based on the stated squalene content of 10.69 milligrams in a dose.

This estimate, however, assumes zero waste and no refining of the squalene once it's been extracted from the sharks, O'Malley said.

Slow-Growing Sharks

Found at depths of between 984 and 4,921 feet (300 and 1,500 meters), the deep-sea sharks that produce squalene are most frequently caught via bottom trawling, either deliberately or as bycatch.

Website of the Week

2010-01-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hello
We have added a new feature to our site that allows you to check out some of the interesting sites that we find in our never ending search for the best animal news. We will update the site every week with a new and fun site. If you have any neat and interesting sites that you would like to add please drop me a line and I will add it to the list. I hope everyone has a great week and hope you enjoy this new feature.

Jake

PARASITIC WASPS' GENOME MAY YIELD NEW DRUGS

2010-01-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

The newly sequenced genomes of three parasitic wasp species may open the door to the development of innovative drug treatments as well as a chemical-free approach to pest control -- all from an insect smaller than a pin head.

University of Rochester biologist John H. Werren led the study, published in the journal Science, in which the college's Nasonia Genome Working Group sequenced the genomes of three parasitic wasps.

Commonly known as jewel wasps, these insects are just a fragment of Earth's estimated 600,000 species of parasitic wasp.

These minuscule carnivores sting and lay eggs in a variety of insect species. Their venom is of particular interest to scientists due to its diverse physiological effects. After all, parasitic wasps don't inject their prey to kill it, but rather to transform them into a living nursery for their young.

To facilitate this, the venom inflicts such symptoms as developmental arrest, growth alteration, immune response suppression, paralysis and behavior modification.

According to Werren, many of these venom attributes could potentially hold the key to developing drugs to combat everything from allergies to cancer.

LIZARDS' CAMOUFLAGE REVEALS EVOLUTION IN ACTION

2010-01-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

In White Sands, N.M., two species of traditionally brown lizards have evolved white scales in order to blend in with their environment.

By studying the genetic mechanisms at work in this adaptation, scientists are able to observe evolution as it happens. The study illuminates the mechanics of not only adaptation, but also speciation, or how species form.

Erica Bree Rosenblum of the University of Idaho led the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in which her team analyzed the gene responsible for producing the skin pigment melanin.

"(In this study), we have an opportunity to showcase 'evolution in action,'" Rosenblum told Discovery News. "The evolution at White Sands has occurred remarkably quickly and with dramatic results."

In two of the species studied by Rosenblum and her team, the fence lizard and the whiptail lizard, the researchers found that pigment-producing genes in each species had mutated. However, each lizard evolved this mutation differently on a molecular level.

In other words, when presented with the challenges of desert life in White Sands, each lizard species arrived at the same solution in a slightly different way. Rosenblum estimates that the white fence and whiptail lizards adapted to their pallid surroundings between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago, a blink of the eye in evolutionary terms.

What's more, they're in the process of evolving into two separate species from their brown counterparts -- a fact the researchers find particularly exciting.

While scientists often disagree about what constitutes a new species, Rosenblum added that several of the "road stops" on the path to speciation have been met. For instance, some of the animals already exhibit mating preferences for like-colored lizards.

According to Dr. Kevin J. McGraw, the study stands as one of the more impressive evolution in action events observed by scientists. McGraw, an associate professor at Arizona State University, explores pigment changes in birds.

As with Rosenblum's lizards, his work provides insight into the evolved diversity of exaggerated features in the animal kingdom.

"Because body pigments can play such diverse physiological and morphological roles, pigment-based color patterns represent ideal systems in which to evaluate fine-scale evolutionary pressures, changes and trade-offs

2010-01-13T10:25:00.001-08:00

In 2002, arthritis sufferer Joe de Casa was working in his Northamptonshire garden in England when a venomous snake bit him. After surviving the bite, de Casa, who struggles with arthritis, claimed that the following months provided his only pain-free days in years.

Such anecdotal claims, including teachings in India's centuries' old Ayurveda traditional medicine system, may hold some truth. Venom from cobras may not only treat arthritis, but also prevent further damage from the condition.

Scientists have just determined that Indian monocellate cobra venom displayed anti-arthritic activity during lab tests on rodents, according to a paper that will be in the February-March issue of the journal Toxicon.

While clinical trials on humans are still needed, a cobra venom arthritis ointment is in the works.

"We have already prepared such an oil-based preparation (for topical application), which is showing very promising results on humans," Gomes, a professor of physiology at the University of Calcutta, said.

"As soon as the patent protocol (period) is over, we wish to go for industrial collaboration for marketing," he added.

For the study, Gomes and his colleagues induced arthritis in lab rats by injecting them with a saline and olive oil solution containing tuberculosis bacteria, which can cause arthritis.

PICTURES: Prehistoric Spiders' Weapons Revealed via 3-D

2009-08-07T22:07:00.001-07:00

August 6, 2009—It was every spider for itself in the brutal pre-dinosaur world of the Carboniferous period,new 3-D images reveal.

About 359 to 299 million years ago, Earth teemed with newly evolved insects and hungry amphibians that had just crawled onto land.

Among them were two coin-size, spiderlike creatures—Cryptomartus hindi (pictured above at left) andEophrynus prestvicii (right)—which scurried along the bottoms of the world's first rain forests.

Fossils of the bugs had already given scientists some insights into their lives: E. prestvicii, for instance, had long legs that probably allowed it to run through leaf litter after its prey

Hybrid "Superpredator" Invading California Ponds

2009-07-01T00:21:00.001-07:00

A "supersize" hybrid salamander is gulping down smaller amphibians—such as Pacific chorus frogs (F, the frog in its larval stage) and California newts (E, the newt in its larval stage)—in ponds throughout California's Salinas Valley, a June 2009 study found.

The voracious hybrid (D, the largest variety, and C, the smallest) is a blend of the native California tiger salamander (A, the largest variety, and B, the smallest) and the invasive barred tiger salamander (not pictured).

Albino Baby Turtle

2009-06-26T11:12:00.001-07:00

A Thai Navy sailor holds a baby albino green sea turtle at a nursery for the reptiles, which are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

About 15,000 green turtles and hawksbill turtles are hatched and housed at the navy's conservation center annually until the animals are old enough to be released into the sea.

French Pilot & a Flock of Cranes

2009-06-20T04:51:00.001-07:00

French microlight pilot Christian Moullec shares the sky with a flock of cranes, which he has trained, during an air show in central Germany.

Moullec, 46, has spent ten years raising orphaned geese and cranes, which "imprint" on him as their parent and follow his microlight—a hang glider with an engine—the Daily Mailnewspaper reported.

LEOPARD PICTURES: Rare Snow Cats Caught by Camera Traps

2009-06-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Tail raised, a snow leopard, likely marking its territory, is caught in the act by a camera trap on April 14, 2009, in easternAfghanistan's mountainous Wakhan Corridor.

Four of five traps placed throughout the rugged region--a narrow strip that straddles Tajikistan to the north and Pakistan to the south--photographed different snow leopards on several occasions The relatively large number of sightings are promising for the animal, which is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Once found throughout the high altitudes of Central Asia, the cats are thought to number only about a hundred in Afghanistan, conservationists say.

Pig Poop Helps Power Netherlands

2009-06-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

Methane-rich pig excrement on a large Netherlands farm is being turned into electricity and partially fed into the national power grid. This man in The Netherlands is combining farming and science to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as generate extra revenue from these livestock.

He uses the waste from 2,700 pigs at Sterksel Research Centre to produce electricity.

John Horrevorts, Manager of Praktijkcentrum Pig Farm: "At this moment we are producing enough electricity at our bio-gas installation for 1,500 households and for that we are using all the pig muck from our farm. So in total we produce about five-thousand mega watts a year."

Battling Termites? Just Add Sugar

2009-06-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

If you've ever had to battle the tenacious termite, sweet revenge may be near.

A substance derived from glucose has been shown to weaken the insects' immune systems, making them vulnerable to infections from lethal microbes, a new study says. The findings could give rise to a whole new class of safer pest-control treatments, the authors say.

"We wanted something environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and [that] does not play a toxic role," said study co-author Ram Sasisekharan, a biological engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Boat Alarm Could Save Manatees

2009-06-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Manatees can't hear the low sounds of boat engines, which is why the animals are frequently injured, a researcher says. A high-pitched alarm could solve the problem.

Giant Armadillo

2009-06-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

The giant armadillo--snapped by a camera trap in northeastern Peru on June 8, 2008--can weigh up to 71 pounds (32 kilograms). The beasts use their enormous front claws to dig into termite and ant colonies.

Easily hunted for their meat, the gentle giants are now scarcely seen throughout most ofSouth America.

Seeing photographs of such rain forest animals is important, because the images can help "people to realize what's out there in a place where they'll likely never be able to go and see for themselves," the National Zoo's Kolowski said.

Rare bush dog

2009-06-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

An image of two rarely seen bush dogs taken on April 14, 2008 is perhaps the "most exciting" of all the camera-trap photos recovered so far as part of the National Zoo's Peruvian Amazon Biodiversity Project, Kolowski said.

Almost nothing is known about this species, which is rarely seen even by indigenous people who live and hunt in the rain forest.

"It's fascinating how elusive these guys can be," Kolowski said, adding that it's unusual for a large dog species to go unstudied for so long.

How snakes move

2009-06-10T10:44:00.001-07:00

june 9, 2009--A young Pueblan milk snake (pictured in an undated laboratory photo) uses its belly scales to achieve its trademark slither.

Scientists had previously assumed that the limbless reptiles move by pushing against objects, such as as twigs and rocks.

New research confirms that friction is indeed at work but instead at a microscopic scale: The snakes' overlapping belly scales react against uneven areas on the ground, said lead study author David Hu, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech.

The discovery, detailed this week in the journalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may inspire more efficient limbless robots, which could, for instance, slither into a person's body and assist in surgery.

Million-Year-Old Mammoth Skeleton Unearthed

2009-06-06T21:17:00.001-07:00

June 4, 2009 -- A well-preserved skeleton of amammoth that is believed to be about one million years old has been unearthed in eastern Serbia, archaeologists said Thursday.

The discovery was made during excavation two days ago at an open-pit coal mine near Kostolac power plant, said Miomir Korac, from Serbia's Archaeology Institute.

The skeleton was found 27 meters (89 feet) below ground, he said. The mammoth was more than 4 meters (13 feet) high, 5 meters (16 feet) long and weighed more than 10 tons.

"Essence of Maggot" Ointment to Heal Wounds Faster?

2009-06-05T20:32:00.001-07:00

Bandages and ointments infused with essence of maggot may soon be coming to a drugstore near you.

Battlefield medics hundreds of years ago were the first to notice that bloody wounds infested with maggots actually heal faster than "clean" wounds.

Pilot Whales Beach themselves

2009-06-05T15:16:00.001-07:00

Cape Town, South Africa, May 30, 2009--Rescuers try to push one of about 55 pilot whales that mysteriously stranded themselves back to sea.

Though more than 20 of the mammals survived, the rest were euthanized by gunshots to the head

Galapagos Mosquitoes’ New Diet Threatens Giant Tortoise

2009-06-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

The Galapagos form of the black salt marsh mosquito has changed its diet to prefer reptile blood instead of feeding on mammals and birds. This discovery has some scientists fearing the introduction of a new mosquito-borne disease which could devastate the Galapagos native wildlife.

2009-06-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

A new rock quarry being excavated with explosives in Kenya's Amboseli National Park may endanger migration corridors of elephants and other wildlife, conservationists say.

The operation has continued despite a temporary stop order issued in May by Kenya's high court, they add. The quarry, which will provide materials for the new Emali-Oloitoktok Road, is located in the 3,000-acre (1,214-hectare) Osupuku Conservancy.

The conservancy was created in 2008 as a result of an agreement between landowners from the Kimana community and the nonprofit African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). The conservancy protects a corridor linking Amboseli to Kenya's Chyullu Hills and Tsavo National Parks.

SPACE MONKEY PICTURES: 50-Year Anniversary

2009-05-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2009--A squirrel monkey named Baker peers out from a 1950s NASA biocapsule as she's readied for her first space mission. Baker and a rhesus monkeynamed Able launched aboard a Jupiter AM-18 rocket on May 28, 1959—50 years ago this week.

The pair returned to Earth alive after a 15-minute flight, becoming the first primates to survive a trip into space. Miss Baker, as she came to be known, spent the latter part of her life at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She died of kidney failure in 1984 at the ripe old age of 27

Worst Drought in 26 Years Threatens the Survival of the Last Desert Elephants in West Africa

2009-05-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

The future of a rare herd of desert elephants in Mali is under threat from one of the worst droughts in living memory, which has left a key water source at its lowest level in a quarter of a century.

The 350 to 450 elephants of Gourma, the northernmost herds still alive in Africa, are being forced to trek extreme distances across the fringes of the Sahara to find scarce water. Juveniles are likely the worst affected, as (unlike the bigger bulls) their trunks are not long enough to reach deep into wells - one of the only remaining water sources.

6-Foot Lizards Invading Military Runway in Florida

2009-05-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Homestead Air Reserve Base near Miami, Florida, is dealing with a different sort of small ground invasion: the Nile monitor lizard.

These invasive reptiles—possibly former family pets or escapees from nearby breeding facilities—occasionally lumber onto the base's tarmac to soak up the sun's rays.

When you have an airplane coming in to land or take off, and you have a 6-foot [1.8-meter] reptile laying on the runway, it causes a substantial human health and safety problem," said Parker Hall, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services.

Agency employees patrol the runways on a regular basis to shoo away birds, capture lizards, and deal with any other pests that may show up.

But that's a tall order given the base's close proximity to both the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, both home to diverse arrays of wildlife that regularly spill into the base's vast woodlands and wetlands.

Missing link?

2009-05-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Meet "Ida," the small "missing link" found in Germany that's created a big media splash and will likely continue to make waves among those who study human origins.

In a new book, documentary, and promotional Web site, paleontologist Jorn Hurum, who led the team that analyzed the 47-million-year-old fossil seen above, suggests Ida is a critical missing-link species in primate evolution (interactive guide to human evolutionfrom National Geographic magazine).

(Among the team members was University of Michigan paleontologist Philip Gingerich, a member of theCommittee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society, which owns National Geographic News.)

The fossil, he says, bridges the evolutionary split between higher primates such as monkeys, apes, and humans and their more distant relatives such as lemurs.

"This is the first link to all humans," Hurum, of the Natural History Museum in Oslo, Norway, said in a statement. Ida represents "the closest thing we can get to a direct ancestor."

Ida, properly known as Darwinius masillae, has a unique anatomy. The lemur-like skeleton features primate-like characteristics, including grasping hands, opposable thumbs, clawless digits with nails, and relatively short limbs.

"This specimen looks like a really early fossil monkey that belongs to the group that includes us," said Brian Richmond, a biological anthropologist at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the study, published this week in the journal PLoS ONE.

But there's a big gap in the fossil record from this time period, Richmond noted. Researchers are unsure when and where the primate group that includes monkeys, apes, and humans split from the other group of primates that includes lemurs.