For Friday, May 2, 2008

King Penguin photo licensed under Creative Commons by Yukon White Light

Today we explore: a fur seal that seems to prefer sex with a King Penguin (!) - pictured at right - , elephant killings in the Congo, Martian life and fossils, a project to DNA Barcode trees, the rediscovery of the cloud rat, a rare parasitic plant from Mexico, the endangered Asian vulture, how spiders communicate sexual intent through UVB rays, a very nasty and dangerous germ (Clostridium difficile - you don't want this thing), Paranthropus bosei, parachuting dogs, the death of Ling Ling, the mysterious die-off of hundreds of Mallards, the mortality of caribou calves, a carcinogen in human milk, and how the Sun might actually create extinctions through its movement and interaction with comets. Please browse on, click and enjoy. We've also added a new link list: Floralinks. Also added today (finally): Dodolinks. Our newest links are listed on the top right hand side of the page.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_sc/tree_dna;_ylt=Ao5znBchb6gplxar_4xdJRqs0NUE

Scientists to capture DNA of trees worldwide for database - Yahoo! News





http://www.livescience.com/animals/080501-cloud-rat.html

Cloud Rat Rediscovered after 112 Years LiveScience

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpomys_melanurus

Carpomys melanurus

Carpomys melanurus (Zipcode zoo)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080430/sc_afp/scienceanimalsbirdsoffbeat;_ylt=AuKuByVOGPEsPcoRROOnM24PLBIF

Where am I? Chemical compass helps bird brains - Yahoo! News

http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/category/colossal-squid/

Colossal squid « Te Papa’s Blog

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080501-am-mars-life-iron.html

SPACE.com -- What Mars Fossils Might Look Like








http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080501/ap_on_sc/rare_plant;_ylt=AqV_hdQXuQnB8EZv77U0DvMPLBIF

Scientist rediscovers rare plant unseen since 1985 - Yahoo! News

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conopholis

Conopholis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7379554.stm

BBC NEWS Science/Nature 'Sex pest' seal attacks penguin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Fur_Seal

Arctocephalus gazella

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Penguin

Aptenodytes patagonicus



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7378196.stm

BBC NEWS Science/Nature Study sheds light on spider sex

http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/P/Phintella_vittata.asp

Phintella vittata (No common name)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7379775.stm

BBC NEWS World Africa Fears over Congo elephant killing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7373381.stm

BBC NEWS Science/Nature 'Decade to save Asian vultures'

http://www.wwfpak.org/sc_vulture.php

Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps benegalensis) and Long-billed Vulture (Gyps indicus)




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24407803/

A bad germ gets worse - Health care- msnbc.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium_difficile

Clostridium difficile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24388112/

Nutcracker Man strangely preferred fruits - LiveScience- msnbc.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranthropus_boisei

Paranthropus boisei - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24386579/

Bats can put on the loudest rock concert — ever - LiveScience- msnbc.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24405578/

Parachuting dog helped win WWII - LiveScience- msnbc.com



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24386784/

Ling Ling, Japan's oldest giant panda, dies - Science- msnbc.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Panda

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/05/01/canada.ducks.ap/index.html

Canada probes deaths of hundreds of ducks - CNN.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180253.htm

Global Warming Linked To Caribou-calf Mortality

http://zipcodezoo.com/animals/r/rangifer_tarandus_tarandus.asp

Rangifer tarandus tarandus (Caribou, Eurasian Tundra Reindeer)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428203702.htm

Life-Probing Instrument Preparing For Mission To Mars

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/images/pia09174.html

NASA - Urey: Mars Organic and Oxidant Detector

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502092145.htm

Sun's Movement Through Milky Way Regularly Sends Comets Hurtling, Coinciding With Mass Life Extinctions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun

Sol