Unknown Insect Bought on eBay

Photos credit: Rothamsted Research Visual Communications Unit

This is an unknown species of aphid which was found by a scientist and vice-president of the Royal Entomological Society of London, Dr. Richard Harrington, who bought this fossil on an internet auction on eBay for £20 from a man in Lithuania. The fossil itself is measured 3 to 4mm in length and was encased in a 40 to 50 million-year-old piece of amber about the size of a small pill. It is said that this aphid became trapped in the resin as it seeped from a tree millions of years ago. An aphid expert in Denmark, Prof. Ole Heie confirmed that this insect is a new species which has turned out to be a long extinct aphid from the Earth and he named it as Mindarus Harringtoni after Dr. Harrington, who first named it as Mindarus ebayi. This fossil is now well-kept in the Natural History Museum.

A Spider Musician Called “Neil Young”

Photo credit: ECU News Services

This newly discovered arachnid or a trapdoor spider has been named in honor of a rock musician, Neil Young who is also an activist for justice and peace. Thereafter, this spider has become a famous “rock musician” in the nature. A biologist at East Carolina University, Jason Bond, has named it as Myrmekiaphila neilyongi. Bond discovered it in 2007 in Jefferson Co., Ala. and later this species was described in a journal. This spider lives in a burrow and crafts a trap door to keep out unwanted parasites and predators. Unlike other spiders which make webs out of silk, this spider uses silk to line burrows and an extension of the lining is part of its trap door.

A Genetically Modified Mosquito

Photo credit: PNAS Photo credit: Reuter

This is a genetically modified strain of malaria-resistant mosquito which has been created successfully by a scientist. Undoubtedly, it gives new impetus for controlling the most common and deadly parasitic disease, Malaria (spread by the single-celled parasite called Plasmodium which is passed to humans via the bite of Anopheles mosquito) which makes 300 million people ill, causes 2.7 million deaths and more than 500 million people are infected each year. This epidemic rages furiously particularly in parts of the central and South of America, Asia and Africa. Also, it was reported that children die of malaria every 30 seconds in sub-Saharan African in most cases. The creation of mosquitoes with green fluorescent testicles undoubtedly will help curb the spread of malaria carrying mosquitoes.

This genetic modification of mosquito has a relatively higher survival rate even when not exposed to malaria besides laying more eggs. Scientists hope that by introducing it to the nature, the epidemic of malaria could be reduced as it carries a gene that prevents infection by the malaria parasite. Besides carrying gene that confers resistance to the malaria parasite, it has the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP) inserted into its transgenic mosquito, making its eyes glow green.

Dr. Rasgon said, “I think it will be 10 to 20 years before transgenic mosquitoes are released into nature. It’s very difficult to predict what will happen when we release these things.”

“There is quite a lot of research that needs to be done, both in terms of genetics and the ecology of the mosquitoes; and also research to address all the social, ethical and legal issues associated with releasing transgenic organisms into the environment,” he added.

The Cat with Four Ears

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Unlike other cats, this popular cat has an extra set of ears which mark its unique appearance. Despite its unusual looks, its hearing and behavior are normal and it meows very softly. It was born on Brenda Pearson’s parents’ farm in Capron Illinois in May 2007. It was named as Yoda, after the pointy-eared Jedi Knight, a character in Star Wars based on George Lucas’ cat. Yoda now lives in Belvidere, Illinois with Tim and Brenda Pearson.

Cloned Cats that Glow

Photo credit: AFP/ Getty Image

South Korean scientists have successfully cloned cats via the advantage of a technological twist that could use to make significant genetic changes in every creature on Earth. These cats carry genes that have been altered genetically to enable them to glow in the dark. Photos from South Korea’s Ministry of Science and Technology show cats appear normal in visible light (left) but their skins glow red under ultraviolet light (right).

Photo credit: Yonhap

A research team at Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, headed by Kong Il-Keun, has created several kitty clones that glow a dull red under ultraviolet light.

“The ability to manipulate the fluorescent protein and use this to clone cats opens new horizons for artificially creating animals with human illnesses linked to genetic causes,” said the Ministry of Science and Technology.

These gene-altered cloned cats that glow in the dark are really cool. How did scientists do this? According to the researches in South Korea, this is what they did on these cats: They took skin cells from Turkish Angora female cats and used a virus to insert the genetic instructions for making red fluorescent protein (RFP). Then they put the gene-altered nuclei into eggs for cloning. The cloned embryos were implanted back into the donor cats, which effectively became the surrogate mothers for their own clones.

In the near future, these animal clones might be genetically altered to produce human body parts. And it sounds like scientists have gone too far away from the perspective of humanity. Will this clone be a way-out science-fiction play? Well, this is not a fiction in a reality. Instead, it’s already happened and will happen very often in the future, which I’m sure will spark a controversy debate. What would you say then? Will you allow this nightmare to happen?

Is Our World a Ground Field for Cloning?

Photo credit: AP images

The researches at National Taiwan University’s Department of Animal Science and Technology claimed that they have bred the only three fully fluorescent pigs, while other researchers have managed to breed partly fluorescent pigs. Their heart and internal organs are green. In the daylight, their skins and eyes are greenish tinged. Even their teeth and trotters look green. In the dark, they shine a blue light and they emit torch-light bright. They are about 265 transgenic pigs created by adding DNA from jellyfish into pig embryos which were implanted in 8 different sows. By creating these fluorescent pigs, researchers hope to boost the stem cell research, as well as helping to study human disease.

Photo credit: AP image

A research team at the National University of Singapore led by a fish molecular biologist, Dr. Gong Zhiyuan from the Department of Biological Sciences has successfully bred Zebra fish that are greenish tinged under special lighting. According to Dr. Gong’s group, they have cloned over 300 non-redundant zebra fish genes encoding known proteins and soon they may also create a fish that changes color when it passes through different temperatures.

Photos credit: AP images 

This is a nude transgenic mouse which has developed by Anticancer Inc. Under blue light, every cell of the mouse in its body is greenish tinged (left), while under normal light, it seems like not much different from other mice (right).

Human cancers that express DsRed can now be implanted into this mouse to enable scientists to observe and monitor the progress of the cancer cells in live green mouse. The cancers will give off red fluorescence. This creation gives new impetus to the medical field that allows the researchers at Anticancer Inc. to monitor angiogenesis (blood vessels growing into the cancer and supplying oxygen and food) as well as to observe metastasis (cancer cells moving around the body).

With regards with this cloning, different communities act differently, some agree but some object strongly. Of course, the scientific applications of transgenic technology sparks the debate as in some cases, human genes are transferred into other animal species to produce animals that are half-animal and half-human alike as in my article entitled The First Creation of Human-Animal Hybrid Embryo. The genetic differences that separate species from one another create concerns among certain communities as they question whether this technology is morally acceptable. It must be a nightmare that human genes are merged with animal genes, mustn’t it? Thinking of this, what’ll our world looks like with all these scary cloned creatures? What do you think?

Mushrooms Can Glow in Green Light too, Amazing!

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These bioluminescent mushrooms and fungi can be seen in the forests of southern Brazil. They emit light the whole day but are best to observe at night. They appear as “dozens of stars” or “fireflies” that glow at night. There are only 65 species out of 85,000 species in the Fungi kingdom, of which Jack-o-Lantern Mushroom (Omphalotus spp.) and the Honey Mushroom (Armillaria spp.) are the known luminescent species which belong to different lineages. These 65 luminescent species form thin-walled white spores help in spore dispersal, and they are all white rot fungi which are capable to digest both the cellulose and lignin in plant debris. They glow by emitting a constant yellowish-green light at a wavelength of 520 to 530 nanometers. Not all their parts can glow. In some species, the cap or the gills glow; in others, only the stem, but in some species, the fine, thread-like filament called mycelium (from which the mushrooms develop) glow brightly. They glow to attract nocturnal animals to help in spore dispersal as in the closed canopy forests the wind dispersal is very limited. Others may glow to attract the predators of insects that eat the mushrooms.

Golden, Glistering Seahorse

Photo credit: Reuter

This golden, glistering seahorse was created by a research team at Viet Nam National University’s College of Science using a shooting method (generated via a strong force to insert the light-emitting gene into the seahorses’ egg cells). There are about 108 living seahorses glistering in gold created successfully via genetically engineered technology.

With regards to the creation of this golden, glistering sea horse, the researcher said, “Gene GFP, a light-emitting gene extracted from jelly fish, was combined with tiny grains of gold. Then these grains of gold were injected into seahorse’s egg cells. The gold mixed with the jellyfish genes was incorporated into the cells of the sea horses, which glittered when they came into being.”

What’s Okapi? Is it a Giraffe or a Zebra?

Photos credit: ZSL

This elusive forest-dweller was officially discovered in 1901. It has a short, dense, velvety coat and a long, black, prehensile giraffe-like tongue and zebra-like stripes on its back. It has a close relationship to the family of giraffe.

This Anteater is not only cool but also an Interesting creature. Want to Keep It as a Pet?

Photos credit: Nick, James, Mahesh

An anteater is about 6 feet long, but its mouth is only an inch wide. It has 42 teeth. It will be nice to have one as a pet at home, as you do not have to worry about ants anymore!

True Love in Animal Kingdom

Photos credit: James, Chong, Max, Bob

These are true love in the animal kingdom, marking no “discrimination” true-loved world. These scenes are very touching and they are the best masterpiece on Earth. This is a beauty world of the nature.

Chupacabra, Vampire in the Nature?

Photos credit: animal.net

Chupacabra (means “goat sucker” in Spanish) is rumored to inhabit parts of the America. It was first spotted in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s, and have later been seen spotted in Mexico and as far as the United States. Its name came after its habit of attacking and drinking the blood (and sometimes organs) of livestock, particularly goats, dogs and sheep through a single hole or two holes. It has been reported that Chupacabra killing animals in places like Puerto Rico, Miami, Chile, Nicaragua, and Mexico. The report of attacks perpetrated by this creature showed telltale marks on their necks. It is characterized by its dog-like reptile, small half-alien, and half-dinosaur tailless vampire-like appearance; dog or panther like nose and face, a forked tongue, hairless body, unusually pronounced eye sockets, sharp claws, large fangs, and a long snake-like tongue. It stands about 1 to 1.2m (3-4ft) high, and can stand and hop just like a kangaroo.

Very Ugly Sphynx Cat

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The Sphynx cat, also called Canadian Hairless cat, is a rare breed cat known for its lack of hair coated its body. Some of its species do have a fine hair over their bodies that could be felt or seen only with difficulty. The hairless species feel rubbery when touched. Due to its lack of a coat, its ears tend to build up with a brown waxy substance. One can see some slight hair scattered all over its nose, ears, tail and feet. It has a wedge-shaped head, long slim legs, small dainty paws along with its long fine muscular body, but it has no true eyebrows or whiskers. Wrinkled skin is highly desirable, especially around its muzzle, between the ears, and around the shoulders. The adult female weights between 6 to 9 pounds, while the male weights between 10 to 15 pounds. Though it looks uglier, it is a very lively, intelligent and playful breed as it interacts well with humans. Because of its affectionate nature, it is kept at home as a pet.

What’s this Creature?

This small creature is an insectivorous mammal native to Africa. It is named as an elephant shrew or a jumping shrew. It has a mouse-like tail and an elephant-like long trunk. It varies in size from about 100mm to almost 300mm, and weights from below 50 to 500g. BBC said it has a close relationship with an elephant, walrus, dolphin and the African rabbit.

Is Yeti Another Version of King Kong?

Photos credit: myth of yeti. net

Katmandu, the capital of Nepal, has been a home for the Yeti legend. In Tibetan, “Yeti” means “magical creature” and it has been described as a supernatural enigma in the appearance of hairy and biped creature that resembles a giant ape. The first report about the myth of Yeti appeared in 1925 when a Greek photographer, N.A. Tombazi has witnessed this creature moving in the distance across some lower slopes while working in his geological expedition in the Himalayas.

“Unquestionably, the figure in outline was exactly like a human being, walking upright and stopping occasionally to uproot or pull at some dwarf rhododendron bushes,” said Tombazi, “It showed up dark against the snow and, as far as I could make out wore no clothes.”

Have you spotted these Creatures elsewhere?

Photos credit: animalwonder, vet, John, William, Zag

These creatures are not existed on Earth. The manufacturers have shaped them into animal appearance for making toys, PS and also for home or garden decorations.

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