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4154 |
bio_man |
10 years ago |
Plastic bags are such a waste
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At our home, we use the plastic bags we get from grocery shopping to store garbage. Technically, we are putting them to good use, but they are still a wasteful invention, and something needs to be done to prevent problems like this .
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4314 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
So good at camouflaging!
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The arctic fox population on Mednyi Island in the Bering Sea has declined to just 100 individuals over the past 40 years, and a new study has found out why. It's likely due to mercury pollution in seabirds and fish, not infectious disease, as previously thought. This is important, say the researchers, because we eat marine food too, so we should stop and think about how much pollution is going into our Arctic waters.
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4281 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Lions and tigers, a bear's best friend
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As cubs a lion, a tiger, and a bear had been owned by a drug dealer who did not properly care for them. The bear’s harness grew into his skin because the owner did not alter it as the animal grew. They had been abused and neglected early in life, but were finally rescued. The bear's harness was surgically removed. After they had been taken in by an animal sanctuary in Georgia, the staff tried to separate them due to obvious concerns that the three large predators would fight. During the trial of separation, the animals were uncooperative and behaved poorly. Once reunited, the three calmed down and were well behaved. Twelve years later, the three friends spend their days playing, cuddling, and eating together. There are no plans to separate th ...
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2195 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A scary looking bat
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The wrinkle-faced bat is found in some regions of Central and South America. If you’re worried about this coming after you in the night, don’t be. It feeds only on fruit, preferring juicier, overripe mangos and bananas. Actually, it’s quite helpful to humans because it pollinates crops.
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2105 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
What word comes to mind when looking at this frog?
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For me, the word that comes to mind is blurt or blob Not sure why. Anyway, here's a little background on what this odd looking frog is all about. Purple frogs are found in India in the Western Ghats. Purple frogs burrow and one was found as far as 8 meters below the surface. It spends most of its life underground, but emerges for a two-week-long mating stint during the monsoon season. Females will lay approximately 3000 eggs at this time. Their lineage reaches back 130 million years, though their elusive behavior caused scientists to not have a scientific description of them until 2003. They are currently labeled as endangered by the IUCN. ...
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3198 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
One very massive, shell-less turtle
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The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the largest turtle in the world, weighing approximately 900 kg. Contrary to appearance, the leatherback doesn't actually have a shell. What looks like a shell is in fact a leathery skin supported by small bones. This gives it a flexibility that a solid shell would not provide, allowing it to dive to astonishing depths.
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8572 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
World's largest moth
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The Atlas Moth, Attacus atlas, is one of the largest species of butterfly that can be kept by insect enthusiasts. The moth is beautiful and very large, but also the caterpillars look amazing. The caterpillars are green-whitish with strange soft spines on their backs. Their last feet have a bright red spot on them
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5704 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
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4197 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
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3401 |
bio_man |
10 years ago |
Salt is a hot commidity in the rain forest
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In the Amazon rainforest salt is a highly sought after commodity. Tears are full of salt, so these butterflies are literally drinking the turtles tears to get the vital mineral. This is a fairly common sight in the Amazon, and it's not restricted to butterflies.
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3177 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
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3573 |
bio_man |
10 years ago |
Molecules that bloom like flowers
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By manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, the behavior of crystal growth can be controlled, creating precisely tailored structures – “flowers” at the scale of microns – that bloom in a beaker. Though these minuscule sculptures don't resemble the cubic or jagged forms normally associated with crystals, they “bloom” from the surface of a submerged glass slide, assembling themselves one molecule at a time. The precipitation of the crystals depends on a reaction of compounds that are diffusing through a liquid solution. The crystals grow toward or away from certain chemical gradients as the pH of the reaction shifts back and forth. The conditions of the reaction dictate whether the structure resembles broad, radiating leaves, a thi ...
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3208 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Bacterial growth at -15°C
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Researchers from McGill University in Montreal have discovered a bacterium living in the frozen permafrost of the high Arctic. The permafrost bacterium, Planococcus halocryophilus strain Or1, grows and divides at -15°C and can even remain metabolically active at -25°C. This bacteria is yielding clues about how extraterrestrial organisms might endure extreme conditions - as one of the things that makes it extremely hard for life to flourish in foreboding places like Mars and the moons of Saturn is the punishing cold. ...
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3689 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Possibly the world's tiniest fly
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In the forests of Costa Rica, a tiny insect has been found. Tinkerbella nana is a fairyfly that is only 250 micrometers long. It is one of the smallest arthropods ever discovered. How could they even find such a tiny creature? The researchers admit that it was not easy given the biodiversity of the forest. “It is possibly equivalent to finding a solitary needle in 200 haystacks,” Dr John Noyes notes.
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4418 |
duddy |
10 years ago |