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Two-headed snake
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This two headed albino milk snake was born two years ago in Florida. The condition is known as Polycephaly and occurs when monozygotic twins fail to separate completely. Most organisms with this condition will not live for long, but occasionally you will get cases like this one, where the snake(s?) seem healthy enough and can live for years. The heads act independently of one another, and will fight over food given the opportunity. ...
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4295 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Think you're having a bad hair day, check this out
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Uncombable hair syndrome, also known as Pili trianguli et canaliculi, is a rare structural anomaly of the hair with a variable degree of effect. It was first reported in the early 20 th century and was described in the 1970s. It becomes apparent from as little as 3 months to up to 12 years. The hair is normal in quantity and is usually silvery-blond or straw-colored. It is disorderly, it stands out from the scalp, and cannot be combed flat. The underlying structural anomaly is longitudinal grooving of the hair shaft, which appears triangular in cross section. There usually is no family history, though the characteristic hair shaft anomaly can be demonstrated in asymptomatic family members by scanning electron microscopy. To be noticeable, 50% ...
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4497 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Some fish celebrate Halloween everyday
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While we're talking about Halloween, this is the Atlantic wolffish ( Anarhichas lupus), very appropriately and otherwise known as the ‘devil fish’. The hefty fish grows up to 1.5 metres long and over 20kg, and they’re named for those unmistakable fangs. If they're not scary enough, their throats are also lined with a spattering of small, serrated teeth.
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4591 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Designer crab
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This is Trapezia rufopunctata, a small and brightly coloured species of crab native to the lagoons and coastal reefs of the Maldives, Polynesia and the Indo-Pacific region. Also known as a guard crab, it lives symbiotically with corals, feeding on their discarded tissue and mucus while defending them from predators. ...
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4685 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Pointing is a sign that is understood by many animals
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Elephants really do get the point. New research has revealed that African elephants can spontaneously understand the intent of human pointing, and can use it as a cue to find food. While humans understand pointing from a very early age, only a few animals, such as dogs and horses, have the same ability, and it's thought that an elephant's understanding of pointing relates to the way they use their trunks to make gestures to each other in the wild.
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4720 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Hugging, not just a human thing
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Apes manage their emotions much in the same way as humans do. Socially and emotionally competent young bonobos recover quickly from upsetting experiences and are more likely to comfort other young apes, a new study has shown.
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4786 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Using millipedes to repel mosquitoes
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Researchers studying a group of wedge-capped capuchin monkeys that live in tropical forests of central Venezuela have discovered that the monkeys protect themselves against the annual merciless onslaught of mosquitoes exactly as humans do: by rubbing themselves with mosquito repellent. But while humans may reach desperately for spritzers or bottles or laughably overhyped ''protective'' skin-so-softeners, the capuchins have learned to poke around in tree bark or termite mounds to extract a wriggling specimen of Orthoporus dorsovittatus, a millipede rich with powerful defensive chemicals called benzoquinones. The capuchin monkey will then proceed to anoint itself head to foot with the repellent secretions by massaging the four-inch-long millipe ...
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4895 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
It's raining diamonds!
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It’s raining diamonds in Jupiter and Saturn. Dr. Kevin Bates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison said that lightning storms in these two planets turn methane into soot. As it falls, soot hardens into chunks of graphite and then diamonds. Bates speculates that about 1,000 tonnes of diamonds are produced on Saturn every year.
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4926 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
How to withstand a piranha attack
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The arapaima ( Arapaima gigas) is one of the biggest freshwater fish on the planet and has evolved a multi-layer defence against the piranha. Its scales have an ultra-tough outer shell, which promotes tooth fracture at the point of penetration. The scales are also a corrugated shape, which deflect pressure to overlapping layers of collagen underneath.
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5041 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
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5048 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A fascinating looking whale
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This is Migaloo, the albino white humpback whale. His name is derived from an Aboriginal word that means “white fella.” Migaloo is a favorite for whale watching enthusiasts. He is believed to be the only documented white humpback whale in the world. He was discovered in 1991 and quickly became popular with tourists and locals alike. Since then, sightings have been rare. He migrates from Antarctica to Australia on a yearly basis, and some years he slips by undetected. Most of these photos were taken in 2012 on Migaloo’s return to Antarctica. ...
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5099 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Bendable phone?
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Imagine dropping your phone and seeing it bounce rather than break. Using microscale plates of oxide materials that slide over each other, like geological plates, Australian researchers are a step closer to creating fully functional flexible electronic devices.
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5125 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Someone is selling air on Ebay
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Could someone talk some sense into the five people that have bid on this item, please? According to the description, this is one litre of bottled air from the area affected by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
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5154 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Are street lamps a thing of the past?
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Hamish Scott from the UK has invented the Starpath, which is a special luminescent coating for roads and paths. The multi-layered, organic material collects and stores energy from light during the day and releases it as a blueish glow at night that can last for 16 hours. The technology is now being trialled at Christ's Pieces Park in Cambridge, and if successful, could slash electricity bills, plus it's 100% recyclable.
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5461 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Jumping spiders
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Meet the green jumping spider ( Mopsus mormon), Australia’s largest—and perhaps cutest—jumping arachnid. These spiders hunt in the day time, moving fast to attack their prey, and camouflaging against green leaves. If you see one, leave it alone. Although their bite won’t kill you, it’s extremely painful.
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5490 |
duddy |
10 years ago |