NEWS AND VIEWS: Scientists in China have been able to grow kidneys that are 60% human in terms of their cellular structure inside pigs in a quest to solve the problem of supply and demand in terms of kidney transplants. They think that they might be able to grow an unlimited number of organs for …
Personally, I despair at the Loch Ness monster stories. They are clearly fictional and exaggerated. The Loch Ness Monster does not exist. It is just that people like to think that it might exist because it brightens up their lives. And I want to refer to the famous photograph initially taken by Col Robert Kenneth …
This is not about the human-animal relationship which is the prime topic of this website but about the human-animal and our evolution from the great apes. Scientists at a number of institutions and universities – primarily Texas University and Columbia – have identified the genetic changes which took place during our evolution from apes to …
My title is slightly exaggerated because when you look at the oceans today, they still look blue and the change to a greener hue cannot be detected by the human eye because it is too subtle but the change has taken place over the past 20 years. This has been shown by satellite data and …
I was notified of this by Twitter. Thanks Twitter; although I’m now bombarded with unsettling and upsetting examples of the poor human-animal relationship. Too much animal abuse in the world I am afraid. This is one example. And unsurprisingly (sorry if that sounds racist or biased) it comes from China where arguably they have the …
Animal consciousness or animal self-consciousness (the same thing using a different description) is very complicated and it is an area of research in which science and philosophy intersect. They both play a role in assessing animal consciousness. Some websites like to list animals that have the ability to be self-aware. One such site lists humans …
The video hints at the possibility that this might be an alien that’s been under the ground for eons. It reminds me of a film but I’ve forgotten the title! LOL. The video has the X-factor quality with some science thrown in for good measure. The Russian permafrost is melting due to global warming. It …
Unidentified extinct animal emerges from thawed Russian permafrost Read More »
OPINION: The story is that a group of visitors to a zoo in Beijing, China – the Beijing Wildlife Park – started to physically fight, including women as you can see in the infographic below. It was over a triviality but what is not trivial is that the gorillas in an enclosure nearby began to …
When people think of pollinators they normally think of bees. That’s because we enjoy seeing them in the daytime pollinating plants. But bees are under stress from insecticides and industrial farming. The numbers are falling. Without the pollination of bees all the plants that they pollinate would be lost. The BBC says that a world …
What would happen without pollinators? The humble moth is an unsung pollinating hero! Read More »
For me, this is an interesting juxtaposition of how a gaseous chemical, nitrous oxide a.k.a. laughing gas can be used successfully on animals in veterinary clinics to sedate them safely but which is abused by humans to the point where it harms them seriously. It is an intersection between animals and humans with nitrous oxide …
Laughing gas leaves humans with spinal cord damage but is safely used to sedate animals Read More »
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a very powerful tool. There will be millions of ways to use it provided it doesn’t develop to the point where it uses us! Conrad Young has created an artificial intelligence service called chirrup.ai which can analyse recordings of birdsong and name the birds that made those sounds. This will avoid …
The Times newspaper (Will Pavia) reports on New York City’s battle against the urban rat using a detection device designed by an Israeli which sends data back to a smart phone. They feel that there is a need to do something game changing in order to win the battle against the rat. Derek Adams, the …
New York City’s ‘rat czar’ wants to detect rats in real time across Manhattan Read More »
I have generalised in the title but I want to make the point that the adult humans of this planet through their carelessness and lack of foresight have led children down the path of global warming which is making them depressed. It is the children of today who have to face the future of tomorrow. …
NEWS AND COMMENT/OPINION: In my view, this is a terrible example of how humankind has totally screwed up its relationship with animals. In this instance two parties, Sri Lanka and China, are the miscreants. They are the bad boys. Sri Lanka has got into a terrible debt with China. But then China likes to loan …
The deep vein thrombosis does not trouble the hibernating bear. And yet, sometimes when humans take an economy class flight for a few hours they run the risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis. What is the difference between a bear and a human under the circumstances? Scientists it seems have the answer. Jon Gibbins, …
