Something cool thread

[Renegade7]

 

 

[China]

Dolphins and Humans Work Together to Catch Fish in Brazil

 

In southeastern Brazil, local fishers wade into murky waters in search of migrating mullet. On their own, it would be tricky to find the silvery fish. But the humans get help from an unusual ally: wild bottlenose dolphins.

 

 

With nets in hand, the fishers patiently wait as their cetacean partners drive the fish toward the shore. A cue from the dolphins—usually a deep dive—indicates when they should cast their nets.

 

This fishing partnership has passed down through the generations, enduring for more than a century. While researchers knew humans profited from this pairing, they couldn’t confirm it benefited the dolphins, too. Now, in a new study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers suggest cetaceans that hunt with humans have increased survival rates over those that don’t. 

 

“Human-wildlife cooperation in general is a rare phenomenon at a global scale,” Mauricio Cantor, a biologist at Oregon State University and an author of the paper, tells the New York Times’ Asher Elbein. “Usually humans gain the benefit, and nature pays the cost. But this interaction has been happening for over 150 years.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Pwyl]

Sometimes a phrase from an article sends you down a wonderful internet rabbit hole like 

https://www.app.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/hook-line-and-sinker/2015/09/09/fish-mullett-haircut-bad/71876088/

 

And I also totally pictured "migrating mullet" as a caravan of Pontiac fieros and 80s trans ams rolling into a truck stop.  

[China]

New York zoo ends attempt to recapture Flaco the owl in Central Park

 

For two weeks, an owl that escaped the Central Park Zoo has eluded capture as legions of fans worry about its ability to survive in New York City.

 

Would Flaco, a majestic Eurasian eagle-owl, go hungry because he had not developed an ability to hunt while in captivity? The answer was a resounding no: Flaco is feeding on park rats.

 

 

Zoo officials said they were suspending recovery operations but would keep a close eye on the owl.

 

“We are going to continue monitoring Flaco and his activities and to be prepared to resume recovery efforts if he shows any sign of difficulty or distress,” officials said.

 

The bird’s name in Spanish means “skinny”. In the early days of his escape he was not seen eating. But when he started coughing up fur and bones, it was proof he had been hunting.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by China

[Renegade7]

Be happy Orcas "tolerate" us...

 

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by Renegade7

[bcl05]

I've done a lot of tide pooling, but never seen anything this cool:

 

https://twitter.com/chamberea/status/1627553256724631553?s=20

 

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by bcl05

[skinsmarydu]

[CobraCommander]

I can’t be bothered searching for the random thought thread so this one will do.

 

Don’t waste you money on juice cleanses. Just eat a pound of creamed spinach at 6 in the morning. It helps if you have a bidet and an open schedule. 

[China]

Dream Job Alert: Michigan DNR is Hiring Bear Cub Cuddlers

 

This week, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources clued us in to a dream job we didn’t realize exists: professional baby-bear snuggler. And guess what? They’re hiring.

 

That’s not the whole job (unfortunately), but cuddling cubs is actually an important part of the research process when crews do check-ups on surrogate mama bears. 

 

 

Click on the link for more

[EmirOfShmo]

 

 

[China]

Inside killer crystal cave 1,000ft below Earth’s surface with acid air & 58C temperatures that kill visitors in MINUTES

 

CONCEALED 1,000ft below the ground lies a treacherous cavern filled with enormous crystals capable of killing visitors in a matter of minutes.

 

Anchored to the walls of the blistering hot cave that is as deadly as it is beautiful are hundreds of otherworldly crystals that grew uninterrupted for at least half a million years.

 

 

The dazzling glass-like shards deep beneath the Sierra de Naica Mountain in the heart of Chihuahua, Mexico, are up to 36ft long and weigh up to a staggering 55 tonnes.

 

The spectacular yet treacherous cavern remained one of Earth's secrets for thousands of years despite the neighbouring Naica Mine being worked for centuries.

 

 

Two unsuspecting miners stumbled across the natural marvel - now named Giant Crystal Cave - in 2000 while excavating a new tunnel for a mining company.

 

Towering above them were endless luminous milky-white crystals - some of the largest ever discovered.

 

But these jagged crystals did not achieve their monumental form overnight.

 

Scientists who risked their lives by venturing into the cave believe it could have taken between 500,000 and 900,000 years for them to grow, according to How Stuff Works.

 

 

The lethal translucent beams now measure up to 36ft long and many are even wide enough to be walked along.

 

They are too hot for a bare hand to touch and are razor-sharp yet as soft as human fingernails.

 

Although equipped with the assets to make it the perfect tourist hotspot, the cave has all the makings of a death trap and has been mostly inaccessible since it was discovered.

 

The air is acidic and temperatures can hit sweltering highs of 58C with humidity levels close to 100 per cent.

 

If not clad in proper protection, visitors can only endure the cave's killer conditions for under 10 minutes before a build-up of fluid in the lungs becomes potentially fatal.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

[China]

This Stunning 4K Video Shows What New York City Looked Like in 1911

 

In the early 20th century, a Swedish production company called Svenska Biografteatern dispatched a camera crew to capture footage of five hotspots in Europe and North America: Niagara Falls, Paris, Monte Carlo, Venice, and New York City.

 

The New York City reel, filmed in 1911 and known as New York 1911, was lightly colorized and remastered in 4K by YouTuber Denis Shiryaev in 2020. The result is an 8-minute-long journey through a bygone version of the Big Apple that we typically only see in grainy photographs and Hollywood recreations.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Odd spiral appears amid northern lights in Alaska night sky

 

Northern light enthusiasts got a surprise mixed in with the green bands of light dancing in the Alaska skies: A light baby blue spiral resembling a galaxy appeared amid the aurora for a few minutes.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Looks like a portal to another dimension, or the end of a wormhole that aliens are using to travel through.

[China]

First peregrine falcon hatches in downtown Kalamazoo – watch others on live nest video

 

Downtown Kalamazoo’s first peregrine falcon of the season has hatched.

 

Observers saw a pip appear in one of the four eggs on April 24 as a baby bird made its way into the world. By the morning of Tuesday, April 25, the chick broke through the rest of the shell and appeared in the nest.

 

Click here to view a live nest video stream near the top of the Fifth Third Building in Kalamazoo. There are three other eggs about to hatch.

 

Click on the link for the full story

[EmirOfShmo]

 

[China]

 

[Larry]

 

[Corcaigh]

Not sure if this is real, but apparently a customs declaration was completed for Apollo 11 astronauts bringing moon rocks into the country.

 

Departure from:  MOON

Arrival Point: HONOLULU, HAWAII, USA

 

Any other condition on board that may lead to the spread of disease: TO BE DETERMINED

 

 

 

 

[EmirOfShmo]

 

[China]

Underachiever:

 

12-year-old boy graduates college with 5 degrees

 

Clovis Hung, a mere 12 years old, has set a new record at Fullerton College in California, becoming the youngest person to graduate — and he didn't stop at just one degree. Hung has been awarded five associate of arts degrees in the areas of history; social sciences; social behavior and self-development; arts and human expression; and science and mathematics. The precocious scholar, who first enrolled via the school's special-admit program at the age of 9, surpassed the previous record held by 13-year-old Jack Rico.

 

Hung's next ambition? Acquiring a pilot's license at 16 and, one day, going to Mars.

 

 

Quote

"I play basketball five days a week and sometimes a whole week because I have games. I also play games like Minecraft and Roblox and I also have Civil Air Patrol and Boy Scouting," Hung said.

 

His other passions include his pets and travel.

 

For instance, the history buff was excited to take a break this summer for a trip to the Middle East. He shared a picture of himself in front of a pyramid in Egypt.

 

Click on the link for the full story

 

[PokerPacker]

13 hours ago, China said:

Underachiever:

 

12-year-old boy graduates college with 5 degrees

 

Clovis Hung, a mere 12 years old, has set a new record at Fullerton College in California, becoming the youngest person to graduate — and he didn't stop at just one degree. Hung has been awarded five associate of arts degrees in the areas of history; social sciences; social behavior and self-development; arts and human expression; and science and mathematics. The precocious scholar, who first enrolled via the school's special-admit program at the age of 9, surpassed the previous record held by 13-year-old Jack Rico.

 

Hung's next ambition? Acquiring a pilot's license at 16 and, one day, going to Mars.

 

 

 

Click on the link for the full story

 

I mean, he got a bunch of Associate's degrees in humanities rather than something useful like a Bachelor's degree in Engineering.  Pretty disappointing.  By the time he's 18 he'll be destitute on the streets wishing Underwater Basket Weaving actually paid the bills.

Edited May 30, 2023 by PokerPacker

[CobraCommander]

7 hours ago, PokerPacker said:

I mean, he got a bunch of Associate's degrees in humanities rather than something useful like a Bachelor's degree in Engineering.  Pretty disappointing.  Bu the time he's 18 he'll be destitute on the streets wishing Underwater Basket Weaving actually paid the bills.

Still better than Stetson "9 years of college with nothing to show for it" Bennet. 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

On 4/16/2023 at 8:56 PM, China said:

This Stunning 4K Video Shows What New York City Looked Like in 1911

 

In the early 20th century, a Swedish production company called Svenska Biografteatern dispatched a camera crew to capture footage of five hotspots in Europe and North America: Niagara Falls, Paris, Monte Carlo, Venice, and New York City.

 

The New York City reel, filmed in 1911 and known as New York 1911, was lightly colorized and remastered in 4K by YouTuber Denis Shiryaev in 2020. The result is an 8-minute-long journey through a bygone version of the Big Apple that we typically only see in grainy photographs and Hollywood recreations.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

 

That was cool as hell...

 

 

This kid, though lol...

 

 

 

[China]

On 9/11/2020 at 7:07 PM, China said:

Female python, 62, at St. Louis Zoo lays 7 eggs, seemingly without male

 

A St. Louis Zoo female python has laid seven eggs despite not being near a male python for at least two decades.

 

The 62-year-old ball python, which has no name, laid the eggs on July 23, three of which remain in an incubator, two of which were used for genetic sampling and two of which did not survive. The surviving eggs will need about a month to hatch.

 

A 62-year-old ball python curled up around her eggs on July 23, 2020. Experts at the St. Louis Zoo are trying to figure out how a 62-year-old ball python laid seven eggs despite not being near a male python for at least two decades. (Chawna Schuette/Saint Louis Zoo via AP)

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

So is she parthenogenic or spermthecal?

 

In related news...

 

Crocodile's unexpected 'virgin birth' suggests Jurassic Park was right all along

 

In a pivotal scene in sci-fi blockbuster Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum’s character Dr. Ian Malcolm rejects the idea that the genetically-engineered dinosaurs couldn’t reproduce because all of them were female, saying: “Life will not be contained."

 

Now, 30 years later, stunned scientists in Costa Rica have discovered he could have been right all along. A female crocodile that had been kept for 16 years in an isolated enclosure has given birth to a viable egg.

 

The egg contained a fully-formed female foetus that turned out to be a near-perfect genetic "clone" of its mother – proving that crocodiles can reproduce without sex.

 

This non-sexual reproduction, known as parthenogenesis, has previously been observed in some snakes, lizards and even turkeys.

 

But scientists believe that this ability was inherited from a common ancestor shared by reptiles and birds, dating back at least 265 million years. And if they are right, then dinosaurs, which she the same lineage, may well have had this ability too.

 

The “virgin birth” was discovered after workers at the wildlife park where the 18-year-old female American crocodile was being kept discovered that she was guarding a clutch of 14 eggs.

 

Click on the link for the full article