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Uncategorized, May 18th, 2013,
Species: Tehuantepec jackrabbit (Lepus flavigularis) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The Tehuantepec jackrabbit has impressively long ears which can measure up to 12 centimetres in length. The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is considered to be the most endangered hare species in the world. Like other hares, it is characterised by its long legs, large hind feet, huge ears and superb running ability. This species is active at night or at dawn and dusk, sheltering in cover during the day. Like most hares, it does not dig burrows, instead relying on its camouflage and speed to escape predators. Young Tehuantepec jackrabbits, known as leverets, are well developed at…
Green living, Politics, Science & Technology, May 17th, 2013,
This week we saw a classic David vs. Goliath court case in the United States. An Indiana Farmer, who planted soybean seeds he got from a grain elevator, played the role of David. The role of Goliath was played by the seed-selling corporation Monsanto, that recently came in the news when The United States passed a bill that is now known as ‘the Monsanto Protection Act’. Monsanto didn’t like it one bit that the Indiana farmer used seeds that he didn’t buy from them. So they sued him. Unfortunately for ‘David’ this is the real world and so the small…
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Weird Stuff, ,
Since I discovered that YouTube has gone HD, I’ve been devouring animal documentaries. The BBC’s Natural World is my favorite. Unusual and uplifting stories about gorillas, koalas, jaguars and other intelligent or beautiful animals are generally what I’m looking for, but I try to keep an open mind. What are especially appealing are stories about unlikely friendships or adoptions between not only humans and animals, but also between different species of wild animals. “Kangaroo Dundee”, about a guy who lives in the Australian outback and acts as a surrogate mother to orphaned kangaroos, ticks all the boxes. Another episode was…
Tags: interspecies adoption, unlikely animal friendships
Green living, Recycling, May 13th, 2013,
Creating your sustainable home has a benefit not only to the environment and your personal health, but also helps by reducing utility expense over the long term for home owners. If you are thinking about renovating your home there are many ways to choose products and building methods that will ensure that your home has a positive and not negative impact on the environment. Reuse and Repurpose Building a new home can be expensive. Perhaps that is why more people are turning to renovation compared to new homes. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average 2,200 square…
Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, May 12th, 2013,
The recent discovery of what might be a lost continent off the coast of Brazil has stoked imaginations and fascinated geologists. Granite formations some 1,500 km (950 miles) southeast of Rio de Janeiro may be remnants from a continent that sank when Africa and South America separated and the Atlantic Ocean was formed some 100 million years ago. From Euronews: According to geologists, as a result of tectonic movements, a land mass which was once above sea level could have sunk into the ocean during the separation of Pangaea, the name given to the giant landmass that existed at the…
Tags: Atlantis, Heracleion, lost cities, lost continents
Animals, Climate Change, Conservation, Pollution, May 9th, 2013,
The European Union recently voted to ban (or at least limit) three pesticides, which have been linked to large-scale bee die-offs. The three neonicotinoids damage the bees’ neurotransmitters so that they become lost and cannot find their way back to their hives. Neonicotinoids are used directly on seeds rather than sprayed onto foliage or fruit. A recent study by the American Bird Conservancy found that neonicotinoids have a negative impact on “birds, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and other wildlife.” Birds can die from consuming the seeds directly and agricultural runoff from farms using neonicotinoids can poison groundwater and contaminate lakes,…
Tags: CCD, Colony Collapse Disorder, honeybee die-off, neonicotinoids
Animals, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 8th, 2013,
Species: North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The North Island brown kiwi is more like a mammal than a bird, with fur-like feathers, muscular legs and even cat-like whiskers on its face. Kiwis are the national bird of New Zealand, and are some of the most unusual of all birds. One of five kiwi species, the North Island brown kiwi is flightless and lives on the ground, where it shelters in a burrow during the day. Its long, thin bill has sensory pits at the end which can detect prey moving underground, while, uniquely among birds, the nostrils are…
Tags: endangered species of the week
Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 6th, 2013,
With net migration to the United States from Mexico at zero, paranoid people need something else to freak out about. The “good” news is that there is always plenty of things to make both the sane and the insane flip their wigs. So where do the weird, invasive fish that have been turning up in America’s iconic parks, coastlines and even on dinner tables figure in? Big deal, minor curiosity or somewhere in between climate change and wind farms spoiling the view? Let’s look at a couple of recent examples of invasive fish hype: Fishzilla – the name alone says…
Tags: invasive species, lionfish, northern snakehead
Animals, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, May 5th, 2013,
Wildlife enthusiasts love to flaunt their knowledge about different species. If you are from the same group or wish to be a part of it, then have a look at the top interesting facts about the one-horned rhinoceros and sharpen your knowledge base. Rhino horn is not a bone but a compacted mass of hairs Keratin is the substance that makes the horn of rhinos. It is the same material that is used in making of human hairs and fingernails. So there is no bone in the rhino horn; rather, it is just a trampled bunch of fibers or hairs….
Conservation, Natural disasters, Pollution, Science & Technology, May 4th, 2013,
Over the last several decades, there have been a number of headline making oil spills that have left the world with shocking images. We have seen the results of drilling in the ocean floors to find oil. We know that our dependency on fossil fuels drives an industry that requires destroying some of our most precious resources. Seeing pelicans covered in sludge and oil and other birds that can’t spread their wings, many people say that it is time we finally get off of depending on these tainted, dirty resources. These people champion electric vehicles as alternatives to regular oil…
Animals, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, May 3rd, 2013,
Status:Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The kakapo is the largest parrot in the world, and is also the only flightless parrot species. An extremely rare, nocturnal parrot, the kakapo was once widespread across New Zealand, but is now confined to two predator-free offshore islands. This unusual bird feeds on a variety of fruits, seeds and other plant material and generally lives alone, coming together only to breed. During the breeding season, male kakapos produce a loud ‘boom’ call to attract a mate, which can be heard up to five kilometres away. The kakapo is long-lived but breeds slowly, usually only once every two…
Tags: endangered species of the week
Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, ,
I wouldn’t, but tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people would – and have. A Dutch company called Mars One is planning the first manned mission to Mars for 2018, when Earth and the red planet will be best aligned for a swift 521-day journey between them. One way, of course. The four-person crew will not be able to bathe for the entire duration and will have to drink what they excrete. After it’s been processed, I assume. The journey is to be financed by television rights to the story, basically reality TV in space. Sounds dreadful, right? I’ve said this…
Tags: manned mission to mars, mars one, NASA
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Apr 29th, 2013,
People love cats. Much more so than dogs, they’re an intriguing mix of a wild animal and a house pet. A dog adopts its human family as its pack, or looked at another way, dogs remain as “children” for the duration of their lives. Cats can act like kids too. Like dogs, they know where they’re next meal is coming from. Yet in terms of hunting small game, keeping hidden and multiplying, cats win. They’re just more adaptable and better overall at surviving. In Alan Weisman’s fascinating book “The World Without Us”, scientists propose that if humanity were simply to…
Tags: african wild cat, domestic cats, feral cats
Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, Apr 26th, 2013,
Not content to pollute the air, soil, lakes and oceans, humanity has now fouled up space to the point that it’s become a serious problem. Can you believe that? Apparently we’ve launched so much stuff into orbit that it’s making space travel dangerous. Yes, as weird, stupid and admittedly cool as that sounds, it’s true. But why is that it when the stuff of science fiction novels happens for real it’s always boring? I mean the reality of it is just so mundane. The problem is not that my rocket ship might smash into your flying saucer en route to…
Tags: space debris, space junk
Conservation, Green living, Science & Technology, ,
For many homeowners, solar power has long seemed like a great idea that’s just out of reach. Who wouldn’t want to watch their electric meter turn backwards and get checks rather than bills from the power company? Unfortunately for many people, it just didn’t seem financially possible. However, times have changed, and solar today is much more affordable than many people think. Located in Timonium, MD, Renewable Energy Corporation provides solar installation services throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania and Washington DC. Under the direction of company president Ryan McNeill, they have become one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s largest residential…
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 25th, 2013,
Do you notice the articles on wildlife that get published these days? Everything in negative light….no hope for sustenance, loss of habitat, declining population of various species and what not. As if the world has come to an end and only the worst possible things will happen last of the survivors. However, tell truth…..do you actually believe a picture to be that bleak? You know, there are good people trying to put in their expertise and efforts to make things better, even if that seems only an inch to those who do nothing but sit, observe and throw their…
Animals, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 24th, 2013,
Species: Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The large proboscis-like nose of the saiga antelope is thought to help with body temperature control. The strange looking saiga antelope has an extremely distinctive appearance, with an enlarged nose that hangs down over the mouth. This impressive nose is thought to warm and moisten inhaled air during the winter, and act as a filter against dust during the dry summer. Saiga antelope feed by grazing on various plants, and are usually active during the day. They are nomadic, and undertake long seasonal migrations of up to 1,000 kilometers. During the mating season, male…
Politics, Apr 22nd, 2013,
Today is the 43rd Earth Day and the 23rd since it became an international thing. The biggest Earth Day-related news item today is how Google made a doodle in honor of the pseudo holiday. Or is this perhaps because I used Google to search for Earth Day news and they just rank anything that has to do with them higher than anything that doesn’t? Maybe I’m being a paranoid conspiracy theorist, or maybe just a cynical guy who has seen too many Earth Days come and go (40, though I admittedly didn’t pay attention to most of them), but a…
Tags: earth day 2013, earth day google doodle
Science & Technology, Videos & Documentaries, Weird Stuff, Apr 19th, 2013,
The Animal Planet series Finding Bigfoot has rekindled an interest in Sasquatch, also known as the Yeti and a host of other names. In the English-speaking world we generally prefer Bigfoot. It has a certain snap. A recent poll on “conspiracy theories” shows that 14% of Americans believe that Bigfoot is a real thing. That might sound crazy to some, but it should be noted that renowned British primatologist Jane Goodall has made statements to the effect that she is a “Bigfoot believer”. Some think that Bigfoot could be a remnant population of Gigantopithecus, a giant prehistoric ape that stood…
Tags: Bigfoot, Gigantopithecus, Homo floresiensis, indonesian hobbit, Jane Goodall
Green living, Pollution, Science & Technology, Apr 18th, 2013,
The debate between digital books and paper books has remained an issue since the introduction of the first e-readers in the mid 2000s. The e-book reader was invented as a way for people to store many books on one device and hopefully reduce many of the costs associated with traditional books. Since e-readers have existed for several years now, it is easier to project their impact on the world today than it was when the readers were first released. It turns out; the issue is not nearly as black and white as first thought. Currently, the use of e-readers and…
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