Tag: Animals

  • Whale sharks can live for at least 50 years – and probably longer

    Whale sharks can live for at least 50 years – and probably longer

    The age of a whale shark can be determined by dating the rings of growth in their cartilage, a method that has confirmed that these animals can live for at least 50 years
    Whale sharks can live for at least 50 years – and probably longer
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    https://www.newscientist.com/article/2239595-whale-sharks-can-live-for-at-least-50-years-and-probably-longer/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

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  • Zoo Negara in need of food donations

    Zoo Negara in need of food donations

    Zoo Negara in need of food donations 1

    KUALA LUMPUR: Zoo Negara wants extra donations in the shape of animals’ food comparable to meat, greens and fruits to make sure sufficient food provide in the course of the Movement Control Order (MCO) interval.

    Its zoology officer Wan Noor Hayati Wan Ab Aziz stated this was as a result of the food had beforehand been obtained by ticket gross sales, venue leases, firm sponsorships and public donations.

    “The important food specifically meat, greens and fruits are wanted in giant portions to feed the herbivorous and carnivorous animals in the zoo. We welcome any donation at the moment,“ she instructed Bernama when met after receiving donations from Tesco Malaysia and Maruki Ramen restaurant by the Kembara Kitchen right here in the present day.

    Those who want to donate uncooked materials can contact the zoo by way of electronic mail at veterinar@zoonegaramalaysia.my or go to https://www.zoonegaramalaysia.my/adopt.html for money donation. — Bernama

    Zoo Negara in need of food donations
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    https://www.thesundaily.my/local/zoo-negara-in-need-of-food-donations-YB2210001

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  • Soya protein can help make lab-grown beef with the texture of meat

    Soya protein can help make lab-grown beef with the texture of meat

    Lab-grown ‘meat’ often uses gelatin produced in slaughterhouses to give artificial beef a meat-like texture – but substituting soya protein can achieve that without killing animals
    Soya protein can help make lab-grown beef with the texture of meat
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    https://www.newscientist.com/article/2238805-soya-protein-can-help-make-lab-grown-beef-with-the-texture-of-meat/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

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  • The evolutionary mystery of flying may finally be cracked by genetics

    The evolutionary mystery of flying may finally be cracked by genetics

    Finding out how flight evolved or animals moved onto land is all about a collision of palaeontology and genetics, argue two new books
    The evolutionary mystery of flying may finally be cracked by genetics
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    https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532750-300-the-evolutionary-mystery-of-flying-may-finally-be-cracked-by-genetics/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

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  • Why people become strangely attached to their robot vacuum cleaners

    Why people become strangely attached to their robot vacuum cleaners

    Kate Darling researches human-robot interaction. She explains why we are prone to forming emotional connections with robots and what we can learn from our relationships with pets and other animals
    Why people become strangely attached to their robot vacuum cleaners
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    https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532741-700-why-people-become-strangely-attached-to-their-robot-vacuum-cleaners/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

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  • Dracunculiasis eradication: intensifying surveillance amid continued zero human cases in Ethiopia and Mali

    Dracunculiasis eradication: intensifying surveillance amid continued zero human cases in Ethiopia and Mali

    A total of 54 human cases of dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, with Chad reporting 48 out of the 54 cases.

    In Chad, Ethiopia, Mali and South Sudan, trained volunteers are supporting surveillance and detection of infections in domestic dogs and cats. Surveillance has been heightened, as evidenced by the increase in reports of rumoured human cases which in 2019 peaked at 108 207 out of which 106 678 were investigated within 24 hours.

    “We are working with the broader scientific community to understand the epidemiology of animal infections, mainly in dogs in Chad, where the highest number of human cases were reported in 2019,” said Dr Dieudonné Sankara, who leads WHO’s eradication and elimination team in the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Interestingly, there have been no human cases in Ethiopia and Mali, and 4 human cases in South Sudan in 2019, compared with 10 in 2018.”

    In Mali, the number of animals infected with Dracunculus medinensis (the guinea-worm) has decreased from 20 animals in 2018 to 8 dogs and 1 cat in 2019. However, insecurity remains a challenge to freely accessing some endemic areas in Mali.

    Conversely, Chad reported 1935 infections in dogs and 46 in cats in 2019, an increase of 85% from 2018, and a 176% increase among humans.

    Angola reported only 1 human case in 2019. Community-based surveillance is being reinforced mainly in Cunene Province where a case was reported in 2018.

    In South Sudan, integrated surveillance activities have been carried out with the trachoma and onchocerciasis control programmes, in accordance with WHO’s recommendation that programmes collaborate, integrate and co-implement activities, whenever possible, to strengthen surveillance.

    In order to strengthen cross-border surveillance, WHO led a mission to Cameroon in November 2019 to investigate circumstances around an “imported” case in the country’s Far North Region. Discussions were held with the health authorities to establish active surveillance in all villages in the area, including training for application of temephos.[1]  

    Also, in 2019, and with the support of trained field workers, vector control was intensified to larvicide ponds and water sources in more than 400 villages, compared with 72 villages in 2018.

    In late 2019, WHO supported cross-border meetings with officials of national dracunculiasis eradication programmes from Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa; between Ethiopia and South Sudan in East Africa, and between Angola and Namibia in Southern Africa, to share experiences and plan joint surveillance activities across the borders to prevent transmission of the disease.

    The disease

    Dracunculiasis is a crippling parasitic disease caused by infection with D. medinensis, a long, thread-like worm. It is usually transmitted when people drink stagnant water contaminated with parasite-infected water fleas.

    WHO works with Member States and in partnership with The Carter Center and the United Nations Children’s Fund to support efforts to eradicate the disease. WHO provides technical guidance, works with national programmes to coordinate surveillance in dracunculiasis-free areas, and monitors and reports on the progress achieved.

    WHO is the only Organization mandated to certify countries as free of transmission of the disease following the recommendations of the International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication.

    Since 1995, WHO has certified a total of 199 countries, territories and areas, including 187 Member States, as free of dracunculiasis transmission.

    [1] Temephos is a cyclopicide used to kill water fleas (cyclops) that carry the infective guinea-worm larvae.

     

    Dracunculiasis eradication: intensifying surveillance amid continued zero human cases in Ethiopia and Mali
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    https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/19-03-2020-dracunculiasis-eradication-intensifying-surveillance-amid-continued-zero-human-cases-in-ethiopia-and-mali

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  • Do other species experience a period of adolescence like us?

    Do other species experience a period of adolescence like us?

    Book Wildhood explores the idea that penguins, hyenas, whales and wolves all experience a similar period of adolescence and what this could mean for all animals
    Do other species experience a period of adolescence like us?
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    https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237581-do-other-species-experience-a-period-of-adolescence-like-us/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

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  • A simulation framework for recreating bat behavior in quad-rotor UAVs

    A simulation framework for recreating bat behavior in quad-rotor UAVs

    In recent years, researchers worldwide have been trying to develop computational techniques that reproduce behaviors of humans or animals in robots and machines. This includes, for instance, the structure and functioning of the human brain, the swarm communication ability of bees, the locomotion styles of specific species of fishes or amphibians, and much more.

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  • Can Rabbits Change Gender / Sex?

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    I have seen this question on many forums and over heard breeders discussing the fact that their rabbit changed gender. In fact rabbits that have won awards at ARBA conventions as a doe, have been shown later only to find out it was actually a buck. Does this mean that a rabbit has changed sex?

    Amazingly in nature there are some instances where an animal can change its gender. Take for example a clown fish. Clown fish live in schools. Within that school is a leadership structure led be a female clown fish. When that clown fish dies, the highest male in leadership takes over for the female and changes gender including reproductive functions. This is however a rarity for this type of biological change to take place. In fact there are even more rare cases of humans that have changed gender as a result of either 5-alpha-reductase deficiency (5alpha-RD-2) or 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency (17beta-HSD-3).

    Rabbits do not fall into that strange and rare category of animals that change gender. A rabbit born a buck, will be a buck at 6 months, will be a buck at a year. A rabbit born as a doe will be a doe and 6 months, will be a doe at a year.

    At young ages it can occasionally be difficult for experienced breeders, and even more difficult for inexperienced breeders to sex a rabbit. The majority of “sex changed” rabbits are actually the result of rabbits mis-sexed by the breeder. We have rarely made this mistake. You can usually trust a breeder who has been breeding for several years.

    There are other factors that can contribute to a mis-sexed rabbit. A buck with a split penis will often be sexed as a doe. Using unreliable techniques to determine the gender of a rabbit will often result in mistakes. We will soon have an article on how to properly sex a rabbit.

    The bottom line is that it is genetically impossible for a rabbit to change gender. Next time you hear that, remember, its a rabbit that was not properly sexed.

    Rob Usakowski

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    Source by Rob Usakowski

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  • Understanding the Laws of Success – Law of the Farm

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    Success does not just happen; it is the result of the application of laws that have been proven over time. From the days of the Roman Empire, these laws have been shown to work. The key is to understand these laws and to work with them, not against them. One such law is the Law of the Farm.

    The Law of The Farm

    The Law of the Farm is based on observation of the world around us, namely the ability of a farmer to raise crops. The Law of the Farm says that success comes from the same process that a harvest comes to a farmer. First, as a farmer plows the ground, the person must be readied for success. The weeds of negative thinking must be cleared away, and the person must be fertilized with thoughts of abundance and possibility. Second, the seeds of success must be sown; these are the actions the person does to generate success. Those actions must be tended, supported by positive thinking, just as the farmer tends his crops. Then, when opportunities arise, they must be harvested, just as the farmer must harvest his crop. The harvest must be done at the right time, in the right way. Just as the farmer can lose his crop if he lets it sit in the field, so the person can lose success if he does not take advantage of the opportunities when they arise in the fullness of time.

    Preparing the Field

    For the farmer to reap a harvest, he cannot simply scatter seeds in a field. The field must be plowed, fertilized, and otherwise prepared before the seed is planted. For some crops, these may take years of preparation; as Stephen Covey points out in his book, “The Eight Habit”, a potato farmer must prepare his field for two years prior to planting. People must be prepared for success the same way. They need to have the weeds of negative thinking cleared away. They must be prepared for the planting by learning the attitude of expectation of success. A person must be fertilized with thoughts of abundance so that the seed has food to grow.

    Planting the Seed

    The farmer plants the seed of the crop he wishes to harvest. He does not plant corn seed to get a harvest of wheat. So, too, a person must plant the seeds of what he wishes to gain. This is where goal setting comes into the process. The person needs to decide what his goals are, and then create a plan for reaching those goals, so that he can plant the right seed for the desired harvest of success. A person wishing financial success must plant financial seeds, whether these be investments made or skills learned. The person must understand how the seeds being planted will grow to the desired harvest.

    Tending the Crops

    While the crop is growing, the farmer needs to tend and protect the growing plants. The field needs to be watered, treated to prevent insect infestation, fenced to protect the young plants from animals who would feed on the crop. A person working towards success must also protect his crop. Positive associations are needed to continue the growth of the ideas plants. Negative people and negative ideas must be protected against. Learning about himself and his endeavors (books, classes, further reading) can fertilize the ideas, making them grow stronger and faster. Persistence is needed to weather the storms of depression and impatience which can threaten the crop of success.

    Harvesting at the Right Time

    The farmer needs to gather in the crop when the time is right. He cannot do it too early, or the crop will not be useful; he cannot do it too late, or the crop will destroy itself in the field. A person working towards success needs to realize when the opportunities arise so that the efforts planted can be realized at the right time. Hesitation can cause the opportunity to rot away; the attempt to reach the absolute maximum can cause the right time to slip by. Act when your subconscious says to act; by listening to the small voice within you, you will know when the harvest time has occurred. The farmer doesn’t wait until the absolute peak ripeness occurs; he harvests the crop just before then, so that the ripeness will occur when the harvest is delivered. So, too, a person needs to act just before the maximum results, so that the results can mature during the act of harvesting. Particularly when it comes to investments, it is better to get 95% of the profit by acting early than to get 80% of the profit by acting too late.

    The Most Subtle of the Laws

    There are several laws of success, but the Law of the Farm is perhaps the most subtle. Just as a farmer gets better at raising crops as the years go by, so too a person gets better at using this law as he works it. Of all the laws, this one gets better the more you use it.

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    Source by John Steely

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