Gallery: Freeze-Dried Pets

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  1 minutes  |  166 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Freeze-Dried DogA pet schnauzer preserved with a freeze-drying technique at Mac's Taxidermy in Fort Loudon, Penn. Freeze-Dried DalmatianMost taxidermist recommend a closed-eye "sleeping" pose for preserved pets. Freeze-Dried PetThe freeze-drying process can take up to a year for large animals. Small DogOnly a handful of taxidermy shops freeze-dry pets, so owners ship animals from across the country. Amigo the YorkieFreeze-dried by Cathy Huntley, "Amigo" the Yorkie is posed standing. [Read More]

Going Green: The Most Plantlike Animals

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  966 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

There's a species of sea slug, Elysia chlorotica, that only needs to eat when it is very young. It gorges on algae, stealing their ability to harness the sun's energy, and then proceeds to sunbathe for the rest of its 10-month life. But it's hardly alone: Other animals also take on some traits of plants in order to give them an edge against competitors. From solar-powered aphids to algae-embedded salamanders, these animals serve as living biology lessons and could be used to better understand immunity and improve gene therapy. [Read More]

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Fuels Colon Cancer Growth in Mice

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  789 words  |  Trudie Dory

High-fructose corn syrup may fuel colon cancer growth, at least in mice, a new study finds. In the study, published yesterday (March 21) in the journal Science, researchers found that consuming the equivalent of 12 ounces of a beverage sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup accelerated tumor growth in mice that were predisposed to colon cancer. Still, because the study was done in mice, more research is needed to see if the findings apply to humans. [Read More]

Homeland Security Orders Modern Version of Jules Verne's Leyden Ball

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  440 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Mide Technology Corporation of Medford, Massachusetts is working on a non-lethaldevice called the Piezer (pronounced "pee-AY-zer"). Conventional 'stun-gun'devices like the Taser rely on batteries linked to transformers and a capacitor.The range of the device is limited to the length of the wires that carry theelectrical charge - typically no more than 20 feet. The company has been awardeda Phase I SBIR from the Department of Homeland Security for development of thedevice, described as " [Read More]

In Pictures: Uncovering The Beds Of Ancient Humans

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  561 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Excavated sleeping matsResearchers have found sleeping mats from early humans in South Africa, as many as 77,000 years ago, created out of local plants. Starting around 73,000 years ago, the site's inhabitants burned the bedding periodically, perhaps to get rid of pests and garbage. The excavation site at Sibudu is pictured here. Mats made of local plantsBurnt sedge nutlet from Sibudu at 58,000 years ago. The mats, discovered at the Sibudu rock shelter, are approximately 50,000 years older than other known examples of plant bedding. [Read More]

Mountain Lions Migrating West to California

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  464 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Mountain lions from southern and eastern Nevada are moving west to California, according to a genetic study of nearly 740 big cats. The seven-year study tracked cougars, as mountain lions are also known, in both states to discover which areas in the region serve as "sinks" (habitat that animals move to at a greater rate than they leave) and "sources" (areas that animals leave to live elsewhere). Because mountain lions are hunted in Nevada, leaving fewer cats and, therefore, more available land for migration, the researchers expected to find evidence of the animals traveling from California into Nevada. [Read More]

Rare Black Whale Discovered in Pacific

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  621 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

The discovery of a new species of rare and elusive whale in the North Pacific shows how little humans know about the deep and vast ocean, researchers say. The 24-foot-long (7 meters) beaked whale is full of mystery, said the study's lead researcher, Phillip Morin, a molecular geneticist at Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California. "We've only ever seen it from dead animals that have washed up on the beach," [Read More]

The US just hit 1 million cases of coronavirus

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  661 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

The United States has reported 1 million cases of COVID-19 nationwide, as of today (April 28). That's about one-third of all reported cases of the disease in the world.  Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, case numbers and related data have been voluntarily collated by a few nongovernmental organizations, rather than by a central government agency like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The groups are reliably collecting data from state health departments and local news reports, but occasionally their total counts may differ. [Read More]

Whale Poo: The Ocean's Miracle Grow

 Posted on October 18, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  479 words  |  Patria Henriques

While many mammals produce excrement in clumps, whale poop is more of a slurry. "Very liquidy, a flocculent plume," says whale expert Joe Roman at the University of Vermont. Flocculence is a state of fluffiness, akin to a tuft of wool. Whale poop doesn't sink to the bottom of the ocean. Rather the fluffy plume floats at the surface. And in a new study, Roman and colleague James McCarthy at Harvard University found this phenomenon explains an important way for ocean ecosystems are fertilized. [Read More]

'Rivers of gold' rush through the Peruvian Amazon in stunning NASA photo

 Posted on October 17, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  408 words  |  Trudie Dory

The Peruvian Amazon glitters like gold in a gorgeous new photo taken aboard the International Space Station. While that glow is just sunlight reflecting off hundreds of pits of muddy water, there is plenty of gold in them thar hills. Each glistening pool is a gold-prospecting pit, according toNASA's Earth Observatory website, likely dug by independent miners looking to unearth some of the Amazon's ancient treasures. "Each pit is surrounded by de-vegetated areas of muddy soil," [Read More]