ATM Gives Out Dead Mouse

You know the economy is really going to bloody hell when ATMs start to pay bank customers with dead rodents, which is exactly what happened to this guy on the right. He got his cash and the dead Mickey on the left.

His name is Gholam Hafezi and he was visiting his daughter in Ersboda, Umeå, in the north of Sweden. He wanted to take out 700 Swedish Kronor from this ATM located inside a Coop Forum, one of the shops of a famous Swedish supermarket chain: "I got my 700 kronor but I never got the receipt. At the same time, I saw a cord that was jamming the ATM slot."

Yes, you know where this is going. But Hafezi didn't at the time. He thought somebody may be trying to do something illegal, so he tried to pull the cord. He then realized it was a mouse tail.

He ran to the supermarket's customer service people and asked for help. They told him that the ATM was not their responsibility but the guys in charge of the shopping carts offered their help. One of them was finally able to take out the whole mouse: "he took out the mouse. His head was intact although a little bit bloody. Then I got my receipt."

http://gizmodo.com/5880209/this-atm-gave-out-this-dead-mouse-after-delivering-cash?tag=wtf

Sweden fears swimming raccoon invasion

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Swedish game wardens say they are worried an explosion of the raccoon population in neighboring Denmark may lead to a swimming invasion by the animals.

The Oresund, the 2.5-mile stretch of water which connects the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean and separates the two countries, isn't enough to keep the animals from entering Sweden, wildlife officials said.

"They're good swimmers," wildlife officer Bertil Nilsson told The Local Tuesday.

The raccoons are a threat because of rabies, tapeworm and their destructive potential in wetlands, he said.

"In Finland the large wetlands areas are all but emptied of ground-nesting birds and frogs," Nilsson said.

Authorities said cameras are in place along the Oresund to monitor the threat.

"It's really very serious, they're spreading very quickly in Denmark," Nilsson said.

Raccoons are not indigenous to northern Europe and are considered an invasive species.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/08/23/Sweden-fears-swimming-raccoon-invasion/UPI-51751314127119/#ixzz1W2cPcUMf

Swedish House Up For Sale, Complete With Tomb, Skeleton

STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A Swedish real estate agent has an unusual piece of property up for sale: a five-bedroom house, complete with medieval tomb and skeleton in the cellar.

The central Visby town house on the Baltic island of Gotland was built in 1750 on the foundations of a Russian church. The kitchen lies on the presbytery, and the tomb containing the skeleton - visible through a glass pane - is in the cellar.

The real estate agency's owner Leif Bertwig says there is no reason to be afraid as the skeleton "lies in consecrated soil and rests in peace."

Bertwig said Wednesday the remains likely belong to a Russian man who died some 800 years ago.
The starting price for the house - all included - is 4.1 million kronor ($640,000).

http://www.aol.com/2011/08/17/sweedish-house-skeleton_n_929191.html?ir=Weird+News

Mysterious bird deaths hit Sweden

Dozens of dead birds have been found lying in a residential street in Sweden, days after thousands of birds fell to their deaths in the US.


Police in the town of Falkoeping have told Swedish media that between 50 and 100 jackdaws had died.

Some are said to have been hit by cars but others have no visible injuries.

Parallels have been drawn with the mysterious death of about 3,000 red-winged blackbirds in the US state of Arkansas on New Year's Eve.

Veterinary officials told Swedish radio that the case in Falkoeping was rare although they said there could be a number of reasons such as "disease or poisoning".

Aftonbladet newspaper quoted one resident, Drilon Hulaj, who said that as he drove home late on Tuesday night the street in front of him was dotted with "hundreds of dead birds".


Mr Hulaj said he had been immediately reminded of the events in the town of Beebe, Arkansas. Scientists have said the blackbirds there may have been affected by fireworks.

There have been no reports of fireworks or storms in Falkoeping at the time

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4348728589329576621

Mysterious bird deaths hit Sweden

Dozens of dead birds have been found lying in a residential street in Sweden, days after thousands of birds fell to their deaths in the US.


Police in the town of Falkoeping have told Swedish media that between 50 and 100 jackdaws had died.

Some are said to have been hit by cars but others have no visible injuries.

Parallels have been drawn with the mysterious death of about 3,000 red-winged blackbirds in the US state of Arkansas on New Year's Eve.

Veterinary officials told Swedish radio that the case in Falkoeping was rare although they said there could be a number of reasons such as "disease or poisoning".

Aftonbladet newspaper quoted one resident, Drilon Hulaj, who said that as he drove home late on Tuesday night the street in front of him was dotted with "hundreds of dead birds".


Mr Hulaj said he had been immediately reminded of the events in the town of Beebe, Arkansas. Scientists have said the blackbirds there may have been affected by fireworks.

There have been no reports of fireworks or storms in Falkoeping at the time

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=4348728589329576621

Species ID challenged by DNA analysis

Identifying species: looks are no longer enough. Increasingly common problem for 21st century biologists

November 2010: What happens when a species isn't the one it looks like? It is a problem being faced increasingly by biologists. Although Linnaean taxonomy is still a cornerstone of biology, modern DNA techniques have erased many of the established boundaries between species, making it far more difficult, in practice, to know exactly what you are looking at.

A researcher from Sweden's University of Gothenburg is now highlighting the potential pitfalls this can cause. ‘If you can't recognise a species by looking at it, this can have serious consequences,' says Emma Vodoti from university's Department of Zoology. ‘For example, there is a species of leech that is widely used in medical studies, and it was discovered recently that sometimes a leech was being used that looks the same but has a different genetic make-up. This naturally has an effect on the results of the studies conducted. All work based on having to be able to identify species may have to change.'


Three hundred and fifty years after Linnaeus created his system for organising and categorising species of plants and animals, the system is being pulled apart. Newly discovered organisms are still categorised and named in line with his system, but there is a big difference between species described before and after the discovery of DNA. Until the 1980s, scientists had to rely entirely on appearance, anatomy and other characteristics, such as a bird's song. Since then, genetic patterns have also been taken into account when identifying new species.

Genetic studies have erased many established boundaries between species
'Ironically, these genetic studies have erased many of the established boundaries between species and even disproved the existence of previously described species that have turned out not to be related. Attempts have been made to establish universal boundaries between species by quantifying how much DNA needs to be different between two organisms in order for them to be viewed as separate species, but this doesn't always work.'

In her thesis, Vodoti looks at the practical problems with species identification today, after having studied the relationship between the genetic relatedness and the appearance and geographical distribution of various sea creatures. The common horse mussel Modiolus modiolus found in the Atlantic and on the west coast of Sweden turns out to be totally different genetically from the one found on the Pacific coast of the USA, despite looking identical. Nemertean worms may have similarities in appearance but turn out to consist of a hotchpotch of different species, more or less independent of looks. Nemerteans include worms just a few millimetres in length to one of the world's longest creatures, Lineus longissimus, which can grow up to 15 metres.

‘It's probably impossible to find a universal way of defining, identifying and delimiting species,' says Vodoti. ‘My thesis shows that there is a need for individual assessment on a case-by-case basis when identifying species, taking account of both appearance and genes.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/species-identification.html

Species ID challenged by DNA analysis

Identifying species: looks are no longer enough. Increasingly common problem for 21st century biologists

November 2010: What happens when a species isn't the one it looks like? It is a problem being faced increasingly by biologists. Although Linnaean taxonomy is still a cornerstone of biology, modern DNA techniques have erased many of the established boundaries between species, making it far more difficult, in practice, to know exactly what you are looking at.

A researcher from Sweden's University of Gothenburg is now highlighting the potential pitfalls this can cause. ‘If you can't recognise a species by looking at it, this can have serious consequences,' says Emma Vodoti from university's Department of Zoology. ‘For example, there is a species of leech that is widely used in medical studies, and it was discovered recently that sometimes a leech was being used that looks the same but has a different genetic make-up. This naturally has an effect on the results of the studies conducted. All work based on having to be able to identify species may have to change.'


Three hundred and fifty years after Linnaeus created his system for organising and categorising species of plants and animals, the system is being pulled apart. Newly discovered organisms are still categorised and named in line with his system, but there is a big difference between species described before and after the discovery of DNA. Until the 1980s, scientists had to rely entirely on appearance, anatomy and other characteristics, such as a bird's song. Since then, genetic patterns have also been taken into account when identifying new species.

Genetic studies have erased many established boundaries between species
'Ironically, these genetic studies have erased many of the established boundaries between species and even disproved the existence of previously described species that have turned out not to be related. Attempts have been made to establish universal boundaries between species by quantifying how much DNA needs to be different between two organisms in order for them to be viewed as separate species, but this doesn't always work.'

In her thesis, Vodoti looks at the practical problems with species identification today, after having studied the relationship between the genetic relatedness and the appearance and geographical distribution of various sea creatures. The common horse mussel Modiolus modiolus found in the Atlantic and on the west coast of Sweden turns out to be totally different genetically from the one found on the Pacific coast of the USA, despite looking identical. Nemertean worms may have similarities in appearance but turn out to consist of a hotchpotch of different species, more or less independent of looks. Nemerteans include worms just a few millimetres in length to one of the world's longest creatures, Lineus longissimus, which can grow up to 15 metres.

‘It's probably impossible to find a universal way of defining, identifying and delimiting species,' says Vodoti. ‘My thesis shows that there is a need for individual assessment on a case-by-case basis when identifying species, taking account of both appearance and genes.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/species-identification.html

Swedish golfers targeted by snakes

19 July 2010 16:30 GMT

Swedish golfers are being bitten by snakes.

Scandinavian sportsmen in Stockholm are being targeted by vipers as they search for lost balls in the rough or in bushes and the recent spell of hot weather is being blamed for the attacks.

Hanna Holmquist, spokeswoman for the Stockholm county health board, said: "It's probably because of the weather."

Calls about snake attacks to the health board are up 47 per cent compared to the same period last year and golfers are being warned to exercise caution when looking for their balls.

A Stockholm nurse said: "It's a good idea to stamp on the ground a bit more and look for the ball with the aid of the club rather than using your hands."

http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/187514-swedish-golfers-targeted-by-snakes/

Giant herring found in Sweden

Posted Wed May 12, 2010 12:33pm AEST

A giant herring measuring 3.5 metres has been discovered off Sweden's western coast - the first such fish found in the Scandinavian country in more than 130 years, a maritime museum says.

The regalecus glesne, known as the king of herrings or giant oarfish, was found dead in the small fishing village of Bovallstrand on Sweden's west coast, about 90 kilometres from the Norwegian border.

Kurt Ove Eriksson, the passer-by who found the specimen, said he saw something floating down by the water.

"At first we thought it was a big piece of plastic. But then we saw an eye," he said.

"I went down to check and saw that it was this extremely strange fish."

The House of the Sea museum in Lysekil, where the fish was taken, says the rarely seen regalecus can grow up to 12 metres.

"The last time we saw a king of herrings in Sweden was in 1879," the museum said.

"We don't know much about the species... but believe it lives in deep waters, at least one kilometre deep, and many believe it's at the origin of the sea serpent myth."

The dead fish, which was frozen at the museum, had a deep cut through its body and was missing its beautiful, typical back fin, the museum said, adding the fish might be added to an exhibit on sea monsters planned later this year.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/12/2897292.htm

Prehistoric Whale Discovered On The West Coast Of Sweden

Prehistoric Whale Discovered On The West Coast Of Sweden

ScienceDaily (June 8, 2009) — The skeleton of a whale that died around 10,000 years ago has been found in connection with the extension of the E6 motorway in Strömstad. The whale bones are now being examined by researchers at the University of Gothenburg who, among other things, want to ascertain whether the find is the mystical "Swedenborg whale".

Similar to the "Swedenborg whale"

There are currently four species of right whale. What is particularly interesting is that the size and shape of the whale bones resemble those of a fifth species: the mystical "Swedenborg whale", first described by the scientist Emmanuel Swedenborg in the 18th century.

"Bones from what is believed to be Swedenborg's right whale have previously been found in western Sweden. However, determining the species of whale bones found in earth is complicated and there is no definitive conclusion on whether the whale actually existed, it could equally well be a myth," says zoologist Thomas Dahlgren and his colleague Leif Jonsson.

DNA tests conducted

To determine the species of whale that has been found Thomas Dahlgren has conducted DNA tests that are to be analysed in conjunction with researchers at the Natural History Museum in London. The whale bones are interesting in several respects. The fragments of bone were collected in a clay deposit and remains of marine organisms that today are also endangered species were found around them.

"The hunt for the large whale species, which led to the extinction of the Atlantic grey whale and perhaps the Swedenborg whale, may also have caused the extinction of a large number of species that are dependent on whale carcasses for their survival," says Thomas Dahlgren.

Preserved in clay

The whale bones are thought to be around 10,000 years old and were found 75 metres above sea level, but in a site that at that time was located out on the coast. It is conjectured that the bones have been preserved for such a long time as they were surrounded by fine, oxygen-free clay. The largest whale bone, approximately 2.5 metres long, is part of a jawbone. Among the smaller bones is a vertebra. Discussions are underway on whether the bones can be put in order and potentially put on public display.

Facts about the Swedenborg whale (Balaena swedenbo´rgii)

The whale species is believed to have existed in the North Sea from the period when the inland ice melted until about 8,000 years ago, and subsequently to have died out. Ten collections of bones from the species have been found in the west of Sweden. However, there is speculation that the bones have been mistaken for other species, and that the Swedenborg whale never existed. Source: Swedish National Encyclopedia

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605110420.htm