100-Million-Year-Old Hagfish Complete with Slime Kit Discovered

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  732 words  |  Trudie Dory

Eyeless, jawless hagfish — still around today — are bizarre, eel-like, carrion-eating fishes that lick the flesh off dead animals using their spiky tongue-like structures. But their most well-known feature is the sticky slime that they expel for protection. And now, scientists know that hagfish slime is robust enough to leave traces in the fossil record, finding remarkable evidence in a fossilized hagfish skeleton excavated in Lebanon. This new discovery is also prompting researchers to redefine the hagfish's relationship to other ancient fish and to all animals with backbones. [Read More]

A Salmonella Outbreak in… Kratom? How This Germ Could Get into Supplements

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  522 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Health officials are again warning Americans not to consume kratom, but this time it's not the effects of the supplement that are concerning, but instead, that the substance could be contaminated with Salmonella. Today (Feb. 20), the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new outbreak of Salmonella tied to kratom. So far, the outbreak has sickened 28 people, ages 6 to 67, in 20 states. Of these, 11 people were hospitalized, the CDC said. [Read More]

Baby leatherback sea turtles thriving due to COVID-19 beach restrictions

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  507 words  |  Patria Henriques

Baby leatherback sea turtles are doing better than they have in years, now that many humans are opting (or being ordered) to stay off beaches due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  On one beach in Thailand, for instance, environmentalists have found 11 leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nests since November, the largest number of nests found there in the past two decades, according to The Guardian.  Likewise, on Florida's 9.5-mile-long (15 kilometers) Juno Beach, marine life researchers found 76 leatherback sea turtle nests, a significant increase compared with the number of nests at this time last year, The Guardian reported. [Read More]

Blossoming Bisexual: World's 1st Flower Had Male and Female Parts

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  568 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

When the world's first flower sprouted about 140 million years ago, it was bisexual, possessing both male and female reproductive parts, according to the researchers who virtually reconstructed the blossom in a new study.  The discovery of the dinosaur-age posy sheds light on the evolution and diversification of flowering plants, or angiosperms, the largest group of plants on Earth, the researchers said. For instance, the reconstruction shows how the ancient flower differed from its numerous modern descendants. [Read More]

Evolution of Genitals: Shape Matters More Than Size

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  396 words  |  Patria Henriques

As far as evolution is concerned, genital size doesn't matter — but shape does. Genitalia are important in the evolution of new species, since compatible parts are necessary for two individuals to successfully mate. Now, new research shows that as two species diverge, evolution acts on the shape and fit of genitalia first, leaving size issues for later. Using data from scarab beetle populations separated by anywhere from 50 years to millions of years, research led by scientists at Indiana University reveals that both male and female genitalia evolve rapidly and in parallel with one another. [Read More]

Explore the Amazon Rainforest with New Virtual-Reality Film

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  465 words  |  Trudie Dory

You can explore the Amazon rainforest's spectacular beauty and biodiversity right from the comfort of your home, thanks to a new 360-degree virtual-reality film from Conservation International. The film, called "Under the Canopy," brings viewers into the depths of the Amazon, with the region's diverse environment on full display. But beyond the picturesque views, the film also shares a message with viewers: This incredible landscape is threatened and needs to be protected. [Read More]

FDA approves new saliva test for COVID-19 that's simple, cheap and available now

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  538 words  |  Patria Henriques

A new saliva test for COVID-19 that can be completed in just a few hours has been authorized for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test has several advantages over traditional nasal swab tests: It's cheap, less invasive and can be performed without the need for certain testing components that have run short during the pandemic. What's more, the test, known as SalivaDirect, doesn't require any proprietary equipment or technology; and instructions for the test will be made immediately available to laboratories around the country, the FDA said in a statement. [Read More]

Florida manatee with 'Trump' scraped into back spurs a federal investigation

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  442 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

A manatee with the word "Trump" scratched into its back has triggered a federal investigation that could end in jail time for the culprit. Whether the mutilation will harm the animal’s long-term health, however, is not yet known. According to the Citrus County Chronicle, the manatee was found swimming in Blue Hole in the headwaters of the Homosassa River on the Gulf Coast of Florida. In large, capital letters, the word " [Read More]

Humans Alone Wiped Out Tasmanian Tiger, Study Says

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  384 words  |  Trudie Dory

Humans alone were responsible for the Tasmanian tiger's extinction in the 20th century, according to a new study that shoots down claims that disease also doomed the meat-eating marsupial. More officially known as thylacines, Tasmanian tigers (Thylacinus cynocephalus) looked somewhat like striped coyotes and were found throughout most of the Australian island of Tasmania before Europeans settled there in 1803. Starting at the end of the 19th century, the Tasmanian government paid bounties for thylacine carcasses, as the animals were believed to prey on farmers' sheep and poultry. [Read More]

Infant's Fussiness May Predict a Troubled Childhood

 Posted on February 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  451 words  |  Fernande Dalal

NEW YORK At just one month old, infants show signs of temperament troubles that can turn into mood and behavior problems later in life, a new study suggests. Infants that are fussy when they're three to four weeks old are more likely to develop childhood mental health problems including anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and behavior problems, the researchers say. "It turns out, you can predict very well from infant fussiness to later problems," [Read More]