The article explores how certain animals in nature utilize weather elements like fire, wind, and heat to enhance their hunting and killing strategies, showcasing remarkable adaptations such as flamingos creating underwater tornadoes, Japanese honeybees roasting intruders, bombardier beetles spraying hot chemicals, pistol shrimps generating cavitation bubbles, and firehawks spreading wildfires to catch prey.
The Atlas blue butterfly has the highest number of chromosome pairs of any animal, with 229 pairs, resulting from extensive chromosome fragmentation over three million years, providing insights into chromosome evolution and potential implications for understanding cancer cell behavior.
Netflix has added the underrated crime thriller series 'Animal Kingdom,' which has quickly become popular, remaining in the top 10 and praised for its acting and twists. The show, based on an Australian film, follows a dysfunctional family involved in criminal activities, and has six seasons available for streaming.
This week in science news, researchers confirmed the existence of the world's eighth lava lake on an uninhabited island near Antarctica, while a mysterious chunk of the moon was discovered orbiting near Earth. Other notable discoveries include highly pathogenic bird flu in Antarctica, the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet, a world-class aquifer in the Sahara, and the genetic linking of living people with stolen African skulls. Scientists also found that an asteroid closely orbiting Earth could be a moon chunk, and space junk may be affecting Earth's upper atmosphere. In the animal kingdom, stories included a terrifying Jurassic "megapredator," fossils of the largest-ever marsupial, and the evolution of caterpillar prolegs.
Scientists have discovered two strains of an ancient form of leukemia-like cancer that spreads among shellfish, similar to how Tasmanian devils and dogs transmit cancer cells. The transmissible tumor cells float in the water and are taken up by clams, multiplying and replicating in their hosts before escaping to attack others. This discovery raises the possibility that there may be more forms of transmissible cancer in the animal kingdom, posing a potential threat to humans. The research also revealed that the cancer cells in shellfish exhibit highly variable amounts of genetic material, challenging the belief that cancers require stable genomes to survive long-term.
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have released their shortlist of the top comedy wildlife photos of 2023. The selection includes hilarious shots of animals caught in amusing situations, such as a grey seal appearing to float over a beach, an avocet scaring off an Egyptian goose, and a baboon trying to escape its mother's grooming. Other photos feature giraffes seemingly dancing, penguins holding "hands," and a polar bear holding a stick. These images capture the lighter side of the animal kingdom and showcase the humor found in nature.
Twin cotton-top tamarin monkeys, a critically endangered species, were born at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom, marking the first time in over 20 years that the species has been born at the park. The monkeys, which are about the size of a chicken egg, are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, which works to help responsibly breed threatened species. There are fewer than 7,500 members of the species remaining in the wild, and deforestation and unregulated pet trade in their native Colombia are the most significant factors contributing to their decline.
Scientists have used chromosomal analysis techniques to determine that the comb jelly was the first animal to branch off from our common ancestor. This discovery sheds light on the history of animal evolution and the mechanisms behind it. The technique involved comparing the placements of certain groups of genes in sponges and comb jellies to their closest single-cell non-animal relatives, with the least reshuffling of genes indicating the first to evolve. The comb jelly's genetic isolation makes it the sister to all other animals and the most genetically distinct.
A new study suggests that comb jellies, a group of gelatinous creatures, belong to the deepest branch on the animal family tree, preceding sponges. The study relied on a new method for using DNA to track animal evolution, which found that comb jellies split off from other animals first. This raises intriguing new possibilities for what the common ancestor of living animals looked like, as early animals may have not been simple and spongelike, but equipped with nervous systems and muscles. Researchers are now looking to comb jellies to see how similar and different their nervous systems are from those of other animals.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Cast Members buried a time capsule in 1998, which was recently dug up on the park's 25th anniversary. The capsule contained mementos and letters from opening Cast Members addressed to today's Cast Members. Disney shared one of the letters, which emphasized the park's legacy and Walt Disney's love for animals. The letter encouraged current Cast Members to continue nurturing the park and instilling a sense of stewardship in guests.
Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida celebrated its 25th anniversary by unearthing a time capsule buried during the park's grand opening in 1998, which contained 3.5" floppy disks, VHS tapes, and other artifacts. Some people questioned the decision to open the time capsule after only 25 years, suggesting that waiting for at least 50 years might have been a better choice.
A time capsule buried beneath Disney's Animal Kingdom 25 years ago was unearthed by cast members for the park's special anniversary celebration. Among the items discovered were two floppy discs, three VHS tapes, opening day merchandise, and memorabilia. Disney's Animal Kingdom is the largest Disney park on Earth and has seen three major expansions since its grand opening in 1998. Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro teased the replacement of Dinoland U.S.A. with a new area based on "Zootopia" and "Moana."
Disney's Animal Kingdom celebrated the 25th anniversary of its opening day by recognizing the 123 cast members who have been working there since the beginning. The cast members were awarded personalized plaques and gifts. The park, which is the largest Disney park on Earth, has undergone three major expansions since its opening in 1998, and a new area based on "Zootopia" and "Moana" is set to replace Dinoland U.S.A. in the future.
Disney's Animal Kingdom celebrates its 25th anniversary with special food items, rare character meet and greets, and a merchandise collection. Two new items, a dated T-shirt and a limited edition pin, have been released. The T-shirt features various animals among leaves sprouting from the 25th anniversary logo, while the pin features Mickey and the Tree of Life logo. A special 25th anniversary ceremony was held, and a free meet-up event was presented by WDWNT.
