Squid Responds to Voice

Aran Mooney, scientists from the Woods Hole Oaceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts, United States, found that the squid was reacting to the sound. He presented the findings at the arena Ocean Science Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, last week.

Mooney conducted the study in his laboratory. He put some tail squid in a tank containing sea water. Mooney plays with a variety of sound frequency and volume and then see the response of squid.

"The squid react within 10 milliseconds. Reaction is very fast, and this is a reflex. This is very important in the behavior respin because it suggests that the squid is thought to process the signal, decided not to respond. They just do it," said Mooney.

Monney, as quoted by the BBC on Sunday (2/26/2012), adding, "The response of squid can be very dynamic, can change color, move around quickly or remove the ink. Squid is also a charming cool because you can see some range of color change. "

According to Mooney, the squid can hear thanks to the organ called satocyst. The organ has a similar structure of bone that comes with the hair. Kerika sound waves come, the hair moves and the signal was sent to the brain.

Mooney said the squid may use the hearing to determine the direction of motion, for example away from or close to the reef, to the surface or into the depths of the ocean.

Ability to hear groups of animals were also found in cephalopods except squid. Mooney plans to continue his studies in other types of cephalopods.

Albert Einstein

Born	14 March 1879 Ulm, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire
Died	18 April 1955 (aged 76) Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Residence	Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States
Citizenship	Württemberg/Germany (1879-1896) Stateless (1896–1901) Switzerland (1901–1955) Austria (1911–1912) Germany (1914–1933) United States (1940–1955)
Fields	Physics
Institutions	Swiss Patent Office (Bern) University of Zurich Charles University in Prague ETH Zurich Prussian Academy of Sciences Kaiser Wilhelm Institute University of Leiden Institute for Advanced Study
Alma mater	ETH Zurich University of Zurich
Doctoral advisor	Alfred Kleiner
Other academic advisors	Heinrich Friedrich Weber
Notable students	Ernst G. Straus Nathan Rosen Leo Szilard Raziuddin Siddiqui
Known for	General relativity and special relativity Photoelectric effect Mass-energy equivalence Theory of Brownian Motion Einstein field equations Bose–Einstein statistics Unified Field Theory
Notable awards	Nobel Prize in Physics (1921) Matteucci Medal (1921) Copley Medal (1925) Max Planck Medal (1929) Time Person of the Century (1999)
Spouse	Mileva Marić (1903–1919) Elsa Löwenthal, née Einstein, (1919–1936)

Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory within physics.

Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led to the development of his special theory of relativity. He realized, however, that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916, he published a paper on the general theory of relativity. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, Einstein applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe as a whole.

He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, and did not go back to Germany, where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He settled in the U.S., becoming a citizen in 1940. On the eve of World War II, he helped alert President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Germany might be developing an atomic weapon, and recommended that the U.S. begin similar research; this eventually led to what would become the Manhattan Project. Einstein was in support of defending the Allied forces, but largely denounced using the new discovery of nuclear fission as a weapon. Later, together with Bertrand Russell, Einstein signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. Einstein was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.

Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers along with over 150 non-scientific works. His great intelligence and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with genius.

CAT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

German shepherd chases big cat up a tree
ohmidog!
Cody, an 85-pound shepherd, was smaller, but apparently more fearless than the 110-pound cat, which sought refuge 30 feet up an oak tree at an upscale home in Los Altos. That's where was the California Department of Fish and Game found him, ...

The Big Hurt: The Whitney price hike, Francis Bean's cat, Shakira's sea lion ...
The Phoenix
One of the most bizarre allegations: Frances Bean "claimed that her cat died after getting entangled in piles of Etsy fabrics, boxes of paperwork, trash, and other possessions, and that a dog died after swallowing a pile of Love's pills.

Curious Mo Sphynx-like for his next big show
The Canberra Times
"Mo" an 18 month old male Sphynx breed of cat, has a bubble bath to look his best at the Royal Canberra Show at the Whiskas stand. Here he gets lathered by owner Margie Hall of Penrose. Photo: Graham Tidy This creature undergoing his beauty treatments ...

Portside Messenger
What Do Wild Cats Sound Like? (Videos)
Care2.com
The tiger, in my opinion, has the quintessential roar, that most of us think of when we imagine a big cat belt out a big one. Check out these first two videos, then close your eyes so you can only hear, but not see, the cat making the sounds.
Care2.com

Dog Chases Mountain Lion Into Los Altos Tree (VIDEO)
Huffington Post
A state scientist arrived on the scene and watched the big cat until it eventually climbed down from the tree some hours later. "The dog didn't know what he was chasing," Janice Mackey, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game, ...

Hunt for cat killer after four Plymouth pets are poisoned
This is Plymouth
Mrs Pendall said: "Southway is a big area and because it's all three of my cats I feel like the attack has been directed mainly towards me – it's too close to home." Just two doors down from the Pendall family Chris and Helen Crocker also lost their ...

Pet dog chases mountain lion up a tree
msnbc.com
A dog chased a cat up a tree Tuesday morning in Los Altos. Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal, but this cat is a rather large mountain lion. The California Department of Fish and Game responded to a report of a mountain lion 30 to 40 feet up an oak ...

Mountain Lion Spotted in San Mateo Backyard
The Bay Citizen (blog)
The witness reportedly scared off the big cat by making a lot of noise. The cougar-sighting follows an puma incident Tuesday morning in Los Altos when a dog chased a mountain lion up a tree. NBC Bay Area has excellent video of the treed big cat here.

New lions at Wingham Park
Kent Online
They arrived at Wingham Wildlife Park this week - none the worse for the journey and join the existing big cat collection which includes two tigers and a puma. They go on display to the public from Saturday.
Kent Online

Caring for Cats in the 19th Ward
WROC-TV
"It stops the nuisance behavior of outdoor cats," Tehan said. "There's no more spraying, there's no more fighting and most importantly there's no more kittens born outside." It's the 19th Ward's way of taking care of all of it's neighbors; big and ...

Bridport's travelling cat catches final ride to moggy heaven
Dorset Echo
Pet food company Whiskas even sent him a big parcel of goodies. Fee, of West Street, Bridport, whose children are Jack, Emily and William, said: “It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make. I cancelled it twice. The family are in tears.

Dog vs. Mountain Lion
TweetsCenter
Cody, an 85-pound German sherperd from Los Altos Hills, Calif., harshed the mellow of a mountain lion on his owner's land by chasing the big cat up a tree. “The dog didn't know what he was chasing,” Janice Mackey, a spokeswoman for the California ...

Proposal would raise funds for animal control
NBC2 News
Brown says resources are so scarce, they've only reached about 20000 of the nearly 100000 feral cats found in lee in a 2009 study. The problem is so big, the $600000 in fees collected to pay for sterilization doesn't cover the cost.

Video of wild mountain lion resting in large tree
By Advocate
A state scientist arrived on the scene and watched the big cat until it eventually climbed down from the tree some hours later. “The dog didn't know what he was chasing,” Janice Mackey, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish ...The Wildcat Sanctuary

Mountain Lion Spotted Outside San Mateo Home « CBS San ...
By bdisbrow...
San Mateo on Tuesday night, emergency officials said. The mountain lion was seen in the backyard of a home in the 200 block of 42nd Avenue about 9 p.m., officials said. The witness reportedly scared off the big cat by making a lot of noise.CBS San Francisco

Big Cats for pets?(lions,cheetahs...)? - Yahoo! Answers
Hi. I was wondering if there are any species of not endangered big cats out ... Oh my goodness no way! thats too dangerous girl! your parents are right on this one ...

Big cat keeps Rahmankhera on tenterhooks -
The Times of India
The 2km stretch from the main gate of Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) on the Malihabad road till the institute's premises gives the scare of an ...

New family of legless burrowing amphibian discovered in India’s vanishing habitats

New species of tailless burrowing caecilian is a new family

February 2012. For the first time in decades, researchers have discovered a new family of legless amphibian, commonly known as Caecilians, one of the three groups of Amphibia.

New species, genus and family
The new family of tailless burrowing caecilians was described based on differences in external and internal appearance compared to the nine families of legless amphibians already known. Scientists performed DNA analysis of the specimens and confirmed that it is an entirely new family. They have named this new family as Chikilidae and the new genus as Chikila. The scientific name Chikilidae is derived from Garo (a Northeast Indian tribal) language for caecilians.

EGG CLUTCH OF CHIKILA SP. AN EGG-LAYING AND DIRECT DEVELOPING CAECILIANS ENDEMIC TO NORTHEAST INDIA. COPYRIGHT: SD BIJU, WWW.FROGINDIA.ORG 

Caecilians
Caecilians lead a secretive, under-soil, lifestyle making it extremely challenging to find them. This remarkable discovery came following an unprecedented fieldwork effort of soil-digging surveys in about 250 localities spread over five years (2006-2010) in various parts of every Northeast Indian state, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The work is the most extensive systematic program of dedicated caecilian surveys ever attempted.

Discovery of a new vertebrate (animals with backbone) family is a rare feat in science and most of the world's 61 amphibian families were described in the mid-1800s. The majority of new discoveries come from remote tropical rainforests. However, the new family described here is mainly from human-inhabited areas. "This makes the conservation of species more challenging", said Prof SD Biju from University of Delhi who led the research.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/Chikilidae-caecilian.html

Rare Fungus Kills Endangered Rattlesnakes in Southern Illinois

ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2012) — A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report.


The eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus), a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, suffers from habitat loss and environmental stresses wherever it is found, said University of Illinois comparative biosciences visiting instructor and wildlife veterinarian Matthew Allender, who led the health investigation. Long-term population studies of the snake -- in Illinois and elsewhere -- had never turned up evidence of debilitating fungal infections. But in 2008, biologists studying the snake reported to Allender that they had found three sick snakes in a park in southern Illinois, all with disfiguring lesions on their heads. The snakes died within three weeks of their discovery. A fourth snake with a similar syndrome was discovered in the same park in the spring of 2010.


Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120221151543.htm

Deadly ranavirus hits box turtles, tadpoles in Montgomery County, Maryland (via Herp Digest)

By Katherine Shaver, 2/12/12, Washington Post

Maryland biologists study­ing box turtles rescued from the bulldozers on the Intercounty Connector construction site have made a grisly find: An alarming number of the tiny turtles later died, and biologists say their demise appears to be unrelated to the highway.

Worse yet, the cause of their death - an animal disease called ranavirus taking root across the United States - also is believed to have killed nearly every tadpole and young salamander in the study area in Montgomery County's North Branch Stream Valley Park since spring 2010.

The discoveries have alarmed state wildlife officials and biologists, who worry about how far ranavirus has spread, how widely it has affected the ecosystem, and how it apparently jumped between turtles - which are reptiles - and amphibians. If the virus spreads or goes unchecked for long, wildlife experts say, it could devastate some local populations of box turtles, frogs and salamanders. That loss, biologists say, would ripple along the food chain to other animals.

In all, 31 adult turtles were found dead near the ICC construction site between 2008 and 2011. Three had been hit by cars or construction equipment. The rest, apparently dead from illness, amounted to about one-quarter of the turtles monitored by Towson University researchers via radio transponders glued atop the tiny shells. Twenty-six of the deaths resulted from suspected or confirmed cases of ranavirus, which left some turtles gasping for breath as they gradually suffocated in their own mucus, researchers said.

"Finding even one dead turtle is unusual," said Richard Seigel, the Towson biology professor who led the ICC study. "Finding over 27 dead turtles in a two-to-three-year period was bizarre."
Box turtles can live 50 years or more in the wild. The ability of their hard shells to withstand predators usually affords them a 98 percent survival rate from one year to the next before they die of old age, usually alone and undetected beneath brush, Seigel said.

"This is a major concern to see these emerging pathogens," he said.

Ecological implications

Experts on animal diseases say ranavirus, whose origin is unknown, has never been detected in humans, livestock or common household pets because it cannot survive in mammals' relatively warm bodies.

Its long-term effects on local turtles, frogs and salamanders are not yet known and will depend on how long the virus lingers, how far it spreads and how quickly surviving animals build up immunity, biologists said. But several wildlife experts said the disease's short-term effects are probably affecting the food chain in the ICC study area between Muncaster Mill Road and Emory Lane, just west of Georgia Avenue in northern Silver Spring.

The birds, snakes and raccoons that dine on salamanders and tadpoles have less food at their disposal, experts say.

Meanwhile, the loss of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of tadpoles and salamander larvae wiped out in two consecutive breeding seasons has probably left far more of the insects that young salamanders and frogs eat.

"What is the ecological significance of a virus that can kill every one of an animal's offspring? The implications of that baffle me," said David Green, a veterinary pathologist at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis.

Wildlife experts say they're also concerned that the sudden appearance of ranavirus, a disease that some believe has been lurking in the United States for a century, might signal that local ponds and wetlands are becoming more susceptible to disease under the stresses of climate change, pollution and development.

"Amphibians are very good indicators of the health of our ecosystem," said Scott Smith, a wildlife ecologist for Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. "When we see things happen to them, it means our environment is unhealthy."

Green, the veterinary pathologist, said ranavirus causes measles-like or severe herpes-like symptoms. Often, turtles discharge mucus from their eyes and noses. He said the virus damages their skin, palate, esophagus, stomach, liver, spleen and blood vessels. ICC researchers said they found some turtles dead within four days of their first symptoms.

The ICC tadpoles and young salamanders became sluggish and were seen swimming off-kilter before bleeding into the skin of their bellies, thighs and feet.

"It's a really, really, really horrible disease," Seigel said.

Confirmed cases
Ranavirus, first identified in the United States in 1968, has been suspected or confirmed in turtle and amphibian deaths in 29 states 71 times since 1997, according to the USGS, which tracks animal diseases at its National Wildlife Health Center.

Maryland's first confirmed case came in 2005, when it and the Chytrid fungus killed more than 2,000 young wood frogs and spotted salamanders near Montgomery's portion of the C&O Canal, Smith said. Since 2000, ranavirus has been confirmed in Anne Arundel, Prince George's and Baltimore counties.
Virginia's only confirmed outbreak hit in 2003, when ranavirus killed 20 Southern leopard frogs in the Virginia Beach area, according to the USGS. No cases have been reported in the District.

Ken Ferebee, a National Park Service wildlife specialist in the city's Rock Creek Park, said he's seen no signs of the disease in the box turtles and pond life that he monitors about 12 miles south of the Montgomery outbreak area. He said he hopes box turtles' slow pace and propensity to stick close to home will keep the disease contained near the ICC.

"I don't think it's something we can stop," Ferebee said. "If we find it in the park, it will probably be way too late."

'Devastating impacts'
The Towson University findings, which are just beginning to circulate among biologists in the Northeast, stemmed from a $300,000 state-funded study of how to best save the turtles that, unlike deer and foxes, needed help to escape 18 miles of woods and wetlands ahead of the bulldozers. A team of Towson students attached radio transmitters to 123 of the more than 900 turtles rescued, allowing them to track the animals' every move.

The idea was to study whether the turtles fared better by being relocated about six miles away or to an adjacent area separated from the construction site by a fence. The study was considered potentially important to highway agencies and developers across the country, who are under pressure to reduce the environmental effects of road and building construction.

Rob Shreeve, the Maryland State Highway Administration's ICC environmental manager, said the study was helpful in concluding that the turtles' survival rates - even with ranavirus - were about the same even when they were moved to different locations with similar living conditions.

Seigel, the Towson researcher, said he has no data to show that turtles that were moved from the ICC's path started the outbreak or were more susceptible to illness. He said his team checked the turtles' mouths, eyes, noses and weight to make sure they were healthy before moving them.

The ranavirus death rate in turtles that were moved from the ICC site was roughly the same as the mortality rate in a control group of turtles that already lived in the area and never relocated, Seigel said. The apparently fast-acting virus didn't begin affecting any of the turtles until about 18 months after the ICC animals were moved, making it less likely that the relocation was at the source, he said.

Smith of the Natural Resources Department said state wildlife officials are so concerned that they have applied for research funding from the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians. State budgets are too strapped to fund the necessary research, he said.

Scott Farnsworth, Seigel's graduate research assistant on the ICC study, said he's less worried about the local amphibian population's ability to recover because frogs and salamanders begin breeding when they're a few years old and each lay hundreds of eggs. If the virus dies off soon, he said, the overall population could bounce back relatively quickly.

But the population of tiny box turtles, most so small that they fit in the palm of a hand, isn't as resilient, he said. Box turtles don't breed until they reach 10 to 15 years old and females typically lay only eight to 10 eggs per year, he said. That means it wouldn't take as long for a virus killing off reproductive adults to send the species into a steep decline.

"If it's chronic, it could have devastating impacts on the turtle population," Farnsworth said. "It could take decades for them to recover from it, if they do recover."

Namibia: Mysterious ‘beast’ terrorizes villagers (via Chad Arment)

Marx Itamalo 
Wednesday, 22 February 2012 23:19

An unknown creature is reportedly frightening and threatening village residents in the Uukwiyu Uushona constituency (Oshana region).

According to regional councillor Andreas Mundjindi, the mysterious animal was spotted late last Saturday chasing dogs and goats. Mundjindi says that the beast even almost injured a young man on Sunday afternoon on his way home.

"This is an alien animal that the people have not seen before. We don't have a forest here and only bushes. So, this must be black magic at play", the councillor told Informanté.

The animal is said to be white in colour with a dog-like head and pig-like backside. Locals are now only working and walking in groups whenever they go somewhere - day or night.

One resident told Informanté that the creature originated from a house of a grey haired man. "Everyone believes it is his beast and even he knows that we think so," the source said, adding that the man would be so feared that no one dares to confront him.

The resident further says that people are puzzled that the mysterious animal only attacks dogs of some households while others are spared of the attacks.

"When it comes our side in the night, all the dogs are barking, but if it goes back west, then it's all hush. People must be safe. We don't want to be mauled by things we don't know," he fumed.

A teacher acknowledged that even his learners are talking about the alien animal. "Wether it's true or not, I don't know. Wambos are just like Caprivians. They like magic too much," says the geography teacher. Unknown animals have been regularly spotted in the north over the past years, most notably at Okaku village. There residents accused a certain family of keeping strange animals as pets. The family successfully sued the Ministry of Safety and Security when police searched their house. Nothing was found.

The Uukwiyu Uushona councillor pleads with the owner of the unknown beast to remove it from the open before it causes injuries. "Alikana tukwateni nawa iinima yetu nokuyipa yilye yo kaayi tu fadhukiipo" – translating into "please let's keep our things safe and feed them, so that they don't run out into the open."

Some of northern tribes are said to believe that keeping strange animals in their houses would bring luck, protection and wealth.

http://www.informante.web.na/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9428:mysterious-beast-terrorizes-villagers&catid=19:inside-pages&Itemid=100

Talk about blue in the face... Extraordinary story of Appalachia

• Isolated family in Kentucky started producing blue children in 1800s 
• 
  

1. French orphan Martin Fugate married pale American Elizabeth Smith
2. Had seven children, four were blue; they intermarried with local family 
3. Genetic mutation reduces individual’s ability to carry oxygen in blood
4. Intermarriage led to 'pure' gene pool which often met 'met-H' gene

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

In the Appalachian Mountains rests a medical oddity so unusual that it at first seems a massive hoax.

Dating back to the early 1800s, an isolated family in eastern Kentucky - who can trace their roots back to a French orphan - started producing children who were blue.

As a result of a coincidental meeting of recessive genes, intermarriage and inbreeding, members of the Fugate family were born with a rare condition that made them visibly discoloured.

The mystery behind the astonishing picture of the Fugates, which has been baffling people for years, appears to have finally been solved.

It began when Martin Fugate, a French orphan, settled on the banks of eastern Kentucky's Troublesome Creek to claim a land grant in the early 19th century.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101911/Talk-blue-face-The-extraordinary-tale-Blue-Family-Appalacia.html#ixzz1n7GtjWb0

Primitive and Eyeless, World's Deepest Land Animal Discovered

In the dark abyss of the world's deepest known cave lurks a newfound species of primitive eyeless insect, one that researchers are calling the deepest land animal ever found.

The creature, now known as Plutomurus ortobalaganensis, is one of four newly discovered species of wingless insects called springtails, which commonly live in total darkness in caves, where they feed on fungi and decomposing organic matter.

The insects were collected during the Ibero-Russian CaveX team expedition to the world's deepest known cave during the summer of 2010. The cave, Krubera-Voronja, is located in Abkhazia, a remote area near the Black Sea in the mountains of Western Caucasus, and reaches a depth of 7,188 feet (2,191 meters) below the surface.

"The CaveX team has been exploring this cave for more than 10 years, hard and dangerous work in a remote area inside the mountains," said researcher Sofia Reboleira, a cave biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, adding that temperatures inside the cave range from 32.9 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5 to 5 degrees Celsius).

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/18586-deepest-land-animal-cave-springtail.html

Ice To See You: 30,000-Year-Old Flower Revived (via Simon Reames) update from earlier post

Fruit and seeds hidden in an Ice Age squirrel's burrow in Siberian permafrost have been resurrected into a flower by Russian scientists.

Using a pioneering experiment, the Sylene stenophylla has become the oldest plant ever to be regrown and it is fertile, producing white flowers and viable seeds.

The seeds date back 30,000 to 32,000 years and raise hopes that iconic Ice Age mammals like the woolly mammoth could also eventually be resurrected.

The researchers, who published their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US, said the results prove that permafrost serves a natural depository for ancient life forms.

"We consider it essential to continue permafrost studies in search of an ancient genetic pool, that of pre-existing life, which hypothetically has long since vanished from the earth's surface," the scientists said in the article.

For photo of flower:  http://news.sky.com/home/strange-news/article/16174136