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☆ Boats still aren't safe from orcas as the Mediterranean yachting season kicks off and killer whales sink another yacht
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Killer whales took down another yacht on Monday as the Mediterranean yachting season begins. It's the latest incident of orcas clashing with boats, which has been on the rise in recent years. Marine biologists say the orcas are likely playing and may be learning the behavior from each other. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe Mediterranean yachting season has kicked off for the summer — and it didn't take long for another yacht to fall victim to a killer whale encounter.

Persons: —, orcas Organizations: Service, Reuters, Business Locations: Strait, Gibraltar

☆ Lessons from the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( John Miller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

This was anthrax,” Pogan said, and he briefed his superiors. Between October 5, and November 22, 2001, five people who were exposed died from anthrax poisoning. For help, they turned to the US Department of Defense lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where anthrax expert Dr. Bruce Ivins worked. Investigators in protective suits prepare to enter the New York Times building in New York on October 12, 2001. Police cars are parked outside the American Media building in Boca Raton on Oct. 8, 2001 where environmental tests detected anthrax bacteria.

Persons: CNN —, Bin Laden, America, Robert Stevens, Tom Dachle’s, Tom Brokaw, Patrick Pogan, ”, “, Judith Miller, Pogan, Miller, ’ Pogan, “ Hey, ” Pogan, John Scarbeck, Saddam Hussein, Bin, Bruce Ivins, Steven Hatfill, FBI swabbed, John Ashcroft, Peter Morgan, ” Dr, Bob Mueller, Mueller, Hatfill, Luis M, Alvarez, Dr, Ivins, John J, He’s Organizations: CNN, Center for Domestic Preparedness, Army, New York Police Department, ABC News, ABC, American Media, Boca, New York Post, NBC News, Terrorism Task Forces, New York Times, FBI, New York, New York City Health Department, Unit, US Department of Defense, Department of Defense, Reuters, Counterterrorism, LAPD, Justice Department, Police, Intelligence, Los Angeles Police Department Locations: Anniston, Alabama, Florida, Boca Raton , FL, Staten, New York City, “, Fort Detrick , Maryland, Maryland, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, New Jersey, New York, Boca Raton

Great Barrier Reef, Australia CNN —As the early-morning sun rises over the Great Barrier Reef, its light pierces the turquoise waters of a shallow lagoon, bringing more than a dozen turtles to life. CNN witnessed bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef in mid-February, on five different reefs spanning the northern and southern parts of the 2,300-kilometer (1,400-mile) ecosystem. “It’s a die-off,” said Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a climate scientist at the University of Queensland in Australia and chief scientist at The Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Our destination is Lady Elliot Island, a remote coral cay perched on top of the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. — Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort Guano miners once stripped Lady Elliot Island of its topsoil.

Persons: Elliot Island, ”, Kate Quigley, “ We’re, Ove Hoegh, I’m, Guldberg, ‘, Elliot, Peter Gash, “, ” Gash, Lady Elliot, ” Peter Gash, CNN Gash, Derek Manzello, Peter Harrison, “ We’ve, ” Harrison, ” David Ritter, ” Ritter, David Wachenfeld Organizations: Australia CNN —, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, CNN, Minderoo, University of Queensland, Eco, Reef Watch, Southern Cross University, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Greenpeace, Australia CNN Scientists, AIMS Locations: Australia, El, Brisbane, Queensland, Red Sea, Indonesia, Seychelles, Caribbean, Florida, “, New South Wales, Greenpeace Australia, Briggs, Elliot Island

☆ Climate Doom Is Out. ‘Apocalyptic Optimism’ Is In.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Alexis Soloski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The philanthropist Kathryn Murdoch has prioritized donations to environmental causes for more than a decade. She has, she said, a deep understanding of how inhospitable the planet will become if climate change is not addressed. An episode might include a visit to a floating village or a conversation about artificial intelligence with the musician Grimes. “There’s room for screaming,” Wallach said. Climate optimism as opposed to climate fatalism.

Persons: Kathryn Murdoch, ”, Murdoch, Ari Wallach, —, Wallach, Grimes, ” Wallach, Hannah Ritchie’s “ Organizations: PBS, Amazon Prime

☆ Scientists went on a hunt for the elusive colossal squid — and brought cruise ship tourists with them
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kolossal hopes to film a colossal squid in its natural habitat, the waters around Antarctica. The scientists were searching for the colossal squid, an evasive cephalopod that can weigh 1,100 pounds. The enigmatic colossal squidMeasuring about 46 feet with its tentacles spread out, the colossal squid is nevertheless hard to spot. Advertisement"We're not claiming this is the colossal squid, but it's also not not a colossal squid," Mulrennan said of footage of a translucent squid that the camera filmed. Kolossal/MulrennanBased on assessments of experts who have seen the footage, it's impossible to tell whether the animal is a young colossal squid or a full-grown glass squid.

Persons: Kolossal, —, Matthew Mulrennan, Mulrennan, Kat Bolstad, Myrah Graham, Graham, Mulrennan wasn't, Matt Mulrennan, it's, they're, Jennifer Herbig, Mulrennan Mulrennan Organizations: Service, Juvenile, University's Marine Institute, University of Auckland, Endeavour, Intrepid, Endeavor, Marine Locations: Antarctica, icefish, Paradise Harbour

☆ Cheating death: The latest research on aging and immortality from a Nobel Prize-winning scientist
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Jessica Dulong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Ramakrishnan shares his perspectives on the realities of aging, death and immortality. Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan offers his perspective on aging, death and immortality. But biologists don’t believe that aging and death are programmed in the sense that a fertilized egg is programmed to develop into a human being. Larger animals tend to live longer. CNN: What are the societal costs of the quest to cheat aging and death, particularly inequities?

Persons: Harper Collins, Nobel, Venki Ramakrishnan, Venki, they’ve, Jeanne Calment, Dolly, I’m, it’s, Don’t, Steven Johnson, we’re, we’d, It’s, Jessica DuLong, ” Organizations: CNN, Aging Locations: French, Brooklyn , New York

☆ Why don’t humans have tails?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

One of those led to shorter tails; the more of that protein the genes produced, the shorter the tails. A tail as old as timeFor modern humans, tails are a distant genetic memory. While Alu’s role “seems to be a very important one,” other genetic factors likely contributed to the permanent disappearance of our primate ancestors’ tails,” Xia said. In their experiments, the researchers found that when mice were genetically engineered for tail loss, some developed neural tube deformities that resembled spina bifida in humans. “Maybe the reason why we have this condition in humans is because of this trade-off that our ancestors made 25 million years ago to lose their tails,” Yanai said.

Persons: —, Alu, AluY, Bo Xia, ” Xia, ”, Xia, Itai Yanai, ” Yanai, “, Bo, Yanai, TBXT’s, Liza Shapiro, ” Shapiro, africanus, Shapiro, spina, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Gene, Broad Institute of MIT, Harvard University, Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, University of Texas, Scientific Locations: Austin, Kenya

☆ Man rescued after apparent crocodile bite in the Everglades
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A man trying to swim to shore after his recreational sailboat capsized at Everglades National Park suffered an apparent bite from an American crocodile, according to a National Park Service news release. American crocodiles vs. alligatorsAn American crocodile relaxes in Shark Valley of Everglades National Park on February 3, 2023. Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post/Getty Images/FileThe American crocodile is a federally threatened species, the NPS said, and it resembles the American alligator. (American crocodiles can also be found in some coastal areas of Caribbean islands, Mexico and South America.) American crocodiles are considered a shy and reclusive species, the FFWCC says, and crocodile attacks on humans in Florida are very rare.

Persons: Bonnie Jo Mount Organizations: CNN, National Park Service, Rangers, Miami, Dade, Rescue, “ Rangers, Washington Post, NPS, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Locations: Flamingo, Florida, Valley, United States, Caribbean, Mexico, South America, Southeast, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Africa, Asia, Indonesia, Australia

☆ There's a point to this terrifying fox costume — it helps save fox kits' lives
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewA staff member at a wildlife center in Richmond, Virginia, had to put on an unconventional get-up while caring for an orphaned baby fox. On Tuesday morning, the Richmond Wildlife Center posted a Facebook video of a staff member feeding a kit while wearing a furry fox mask. In the video, the kit rests on a fox stuffed toy while the staff member feeds it with a syringe. The wildlife center told the AP that the fox kit will soon be transferred to the Animal Education and Rescue Organization, where it will eventually be released back into the wild. This isn't the first time wildlife staff have had to mimic the appearances of the animals in their charge.

Persons: —, Melissa Stanley, Stanley Organizations: Service, Richmond Wildlife Center, Business, Associated Press, AP, Animal Education, Rescue Organization, Biologists Locations: Richmond , Virginia, Wisconsin, China

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — A man visiting the Florida Everglades is recovering after being bitten by a crocodile after falling off a boat, officials said. The attack occurred Sunday afternoon at the Flamingo Marina in Everglades National Park, according to a National Park Service news release. The 68-year-old ma capsized his sailboat in the marina basin and was attempting to swim to shore with his boat when witnesses saw him go under the water, officials said. Rangers and park biologists were investigating and monitoring the suspected crocodile. A federally threatened species, crocodiles are less common than alligators in Florida although their habitats do overlap.

Organizations: Flamingo, National Park Service, Miami, Dade, Rescue, Rangers, Associated Press Locations: Fla, Florida, Everglades

VENICE, Fla. (AP) — A sperm whale that became famous after beaching itself on a sandbar along Florida's Gulf Coast died Monday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement. Police and wildlife officials began trying to free the male whale from the shallow sandbar off the beach in Venice on Sunday morning. They had estimated it to be about 70 feet (21 meters) long. Biologists confirmed Monday that it was actually 44 feet (13 meters) long, the agency said. By Sunday evening, the whale suffered from labored breathing and died around 3 a.m. Monday.

Organizations: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Police, Associated Press Locations: VENICE, Fla, Coast, Venice, Tampa

☆ A.I. Is Learning What It Means to Be Alive
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Viault’s red blood cells, which ferry oxygen, had surged 42 percent. It’s called the Norn cell, named after the Norse deities who were believed to control human fate. It took humans 134 years to discover Norn cells. The discovery came about when researchers at Stanford programmed the computers to teach themselves biology. But the Stanford researchers trained their computers on raw data about millions of real cells and their chemical and genetic makeup.

Persons: Francois, Gilbert Viault, It’s Organizations: Stanford Locations: Israel, California

☆ Dozens of Top Scientists Sign Effort to Prevent A.I. Bioweapons
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Cade Metz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dario Amodei, chief executive of the high-profile A.I. start-up Anthropic, told Congress last year that new A.I. technology could soon help unskilled but malevolent people create large-scale biological attacks, such as the release of viruses or toxic substances that cause widespread disease and death. Senators from both parties were alarmed, while A.I. Now, over 90 biologists and other scientists who specialize in A.I.

Persons: Dario Amodei, Frances Arnold Locations: United States

☆ $1.5 billion startup says it's getting close to bringing the woolly mammoth back from the dead with elephant cells
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe startup that wants to bring the woolly mammoth back from the dead said it is inching closer to its goal after a breakthrough in creating reprogrammed elephant stem cells. These include bringing back the woolly mammoth and the dodo. But elephant stem cells remained remarkably resistant to the process, per the statement. AdvertisementAfter tweaking the chemical composition of the mixture, Colossal Scientists say they've finally cracked it. Understanding how to turn tweak these elephant stem cells into cells from the extinct species will be another hurdle to tackle going forward.

Persons: —, Ben Lamm, Lamm, George Church, we've, Evan Appleton, Vincent Lynch, Lynch, Hysoli Organizations: Service, Colossal Biosciences, Business, Harvard, University at Buffalo, Science Locations: New York

☆ A New Orleans Man Wants His Opossum Back. Thousands Have Joined His Plea.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Emily Schmall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A man in New Orleans lonesome for an opossum named Saffron, whom he had raised as a pet and dressed in a colorful sweater, is appealing to authorities to return the animal, which was taken from him by state wildlife officials. Thousands have backed an online petition to reunite the man with his marsupial. A friend’s petition on Change.org to bring Saffron home had garnered nearly 4,000 signatures by Wednesday afternoon. In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Voiles, 50, said he and his friends were appealing to law enforcement, biologists, veterinarians, online supporters and even Gov. Saffron formed part of a menagerie, including one rabbit and two dogs, all named after spices, that Mr. Voiles wheeled around New Orleans on a tricycle with a basket and a trailer.

Persons: Saffron, William Voiles, Voiles, Jeff Landry of Locations: New Orleans, Jeff Landry of Louisiana

☆ A rabid coyote likely attacked 2 Rhode Islanders just a day apart in neighboring towns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Dalia Faheid | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A single rabid coyote in Rhode Island is believed to have attacked two people in neighboring towns in the span of two days, state environmental officials said this week. The same animal likely attacked another person on Thursday in Scituate, about 11 miles away, officials said in a Monday news release. There has not been a human case of rabies in Rhode Island since 1940. Rabies is endemic in Rhode Island and the state has had terrestrial rabies since 1994. If someone is bitten or scratched by a wild animal, they should contact a health professional right away, the health department said.

Persons: Scott Marshall, Marshall Organizations: CNN, Johnston Police Department, Rhode Island Department of Health, Coyotes Locations: Rhode Island, Belfield, Johnston, Scituate, “

For polar bears, the climate change diet is a losing proposition, a new study suggests. With Arctic sea ice shrinking from climate change, many polar bears have to shift their diets to land during parts of the summer. Usually polar bears eat high-fat seals while based on sea ice, near where the seals are. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service lists polar bears as a threatened species “due to the loss of its sea ice habitat." When polar bears have sea ice, they feast on seals.

Persons: Anthony Pagano, fatten, Pagano, Andrew Derocher, ” Derocher, ”, Derocher, Karyn Rode, “, ” Rode, Kristin Laidre, Laidre, Stephanie Windeler, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: Nature Communications, Geological Survey, Data, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Alberta, University of Washington, Canada, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Hudson, London, AP.org

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A bounty of 10 African penguin chicks has hatched in just over a year at a San Francisco science museum as part of an effort to conserve the endangered bird. African penguins have dwindled to 9,000 breeding pairs in the wild, the academy said in a statement. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesChicks spend their first three weeks with their penguin parents in a nest box. The penguins at the museum in Golden Gate Park have distinct personalities and are identifiable by their arm bands, according to the academy's website. African penguins can live to be 27 years old in the wild, and longer in captivity.

Persons: Brenda Melton, ”, Opal, Pete, Partners Stanlee, Bernie Organizations: FRANCISCO, California Academy of Sciences, Partners Locations: San Francisco, ”, Golden, bray, Africa

☆ YouTube helped solve an evolutionary mystery that's puzzled biologists for decades
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One of his videos provided the missing piece to link 400-year-old fossils with living euglenoids. And it helped them solve a scientific mystery that's confused biologists for decades. To find ancient evidence of euglenoids, van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues looked at microfossils — teensy fossils that are only a few millimeters in size. AdvertisementA chance viewing of a YouTube video helped van de Schootbrugge and his colleagues link the fossils and living euglenoids. The proof was in a pond (and on YouTube)There were two main problems with the cyst microfossils: what they were called and what they looked like.

Persons: Fabian Weston, —, who's, Euglenoids, Bas, de, de Schootbrugge, they've, van de Schootbrugge, van de Schootbrugge's, Paul Strother, Strother, Van de Schootbrugge, Wilson Taylor Organizations: Service, Utrecht University, YouTube, New South Wales, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Locations: New South, Vouliagmeni, Greece

☆ Scientists think they've finally solved the millennia-old mystery of why bugs flock to your porch light
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The question of what brings insects toward lights of all kinds — from flames to porch lamps — is an ancient one. AdvertisementIt was as if they were using the light source as a way to orient themselves to the sky. Sam FabianBut Fabian said they tested this theory and found that some insects started traveling in a different direction when a new light source switched on. A less-bright future for insectsThere's a reason scientists have long sought to answer the question of why insects are attracted to artificial light. Oboyski also worries that light pollution is impacting the way insects navigate through their environments.

Persons: —, Mary Esther Murtfeldt, Sam Fabian, Chris Robbins, Getty Images Fabian, Yash Sondhi, Fabian, Peter Oboyski, wasn't, Oboyski, Sam Fabian Fish, It's, Sondhi, they're Organizations: Service, Imperial College London, Business, Getty Images, Essig, of Entomology, Nature Communications Locations: Costa Rica

Scores of sea turtles stunned by cold temperatures along the North Carolina coast have died, officials said. The North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology took in 109 cold-stunned sea turtles from Cape Lookout on Sunday, but only 36 survived, the center said in a social media post this week. Cape Hatteras National Seashore said more than 100 cold-stunned sea turtles were also found in recent days along the shoreline between Bodie Island and Ocracoke. Most of the turtles were taken to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island’s Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation center, officials said in a in a social media post. The wind carries the lethargic turtles to the shorelines, which are monitored in cold weather by volunteers and seashore biologists.

Persons: Karen Beasley, Christian Legner, Legner Organizations: North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences, Technology, North Carolina, Rehabilitation, Cape, North Carolina Aquarium, Assistance Locations: North Carolina, Cape Lookout, Pine Knoll Shores, Topsail, Cape Hatteras, Bodie, Roanoke

☆ Don't worry if you didn't get accepted early decision, an admissions expert says — you could still end up at your dream college
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Steve Gardner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I'm a college-admissions expert; students panic when they don't get accepted during early decision. AdvertisementHere's what you need to know if you or your kid didn't get accepted during early decision. For many schools, institutional needs come firstMany colleges admit a higher percentage of applicants during early decision than in the regular decision round. Let's say a favorite college has a 10% acceptance rate during early decision but only a 5% acceptance rate during the regular decision period. You never know what institutional priorities a college has when reviewing your application.

Persons: I'm, —, didn't, they'll, let's Organizations: Service, Harvard, Princeton, Yale

☆ ‘Starling’: Photobook shows stunning images of the bird migrating through Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The phenomenon, known as a starling murmuration in English or “black sun” in Danish, lasts just minutes, or even seconds. But it left a lasting impression on Danish photographer Søren Solkær, who first witnessed the spectacle when he was 10 years old. “The first thing that came to mind was starling murmurations … this big piece of calligraphy in the sky,” he told CNN. Solkær’s latest photobook, “Starling,” published last month, charts this migration journey, and with it, he hopes to inspire a closer relationship with nature. In Rome, Solkær included architecture in his compositions.

Persons: CNN —, Søren Solkær, ” Solkær, Solkær, Amy Winehouse, Metallica, Paul McCartney, starling, “ Starling, ”, “, Søren Solkær “, falconer, Diviners, that’s, “ I’ve, — Organizations: CNN, “, starlings, University of Copenhagen, Museum Locations: Denmark, Europe, Ireland, Italy, Wadden, North Africa, Rome, Danish, Søren Solkær “ Rome, North America, ”, Socotra, Bhutan, South Asia, Australia, Sardinia

☆ Exactly How Much Life Is on Earth?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dennis Overbye | More About Dennis Overbye | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

According to a recent calculation by a team of biologists and geologists, there are a more living cells on Earth — a million trillion trillion, or 10^30 in math notation, a 1 followed by 30 zeros — than there are stars in the universe or grains of sand on our planet. Still, it boggled my mind that such a calculation could even be performed. Could Earth harbor even more life? How much life is too much? The finding “allows us to more quantitatively ask questions about alternative trajectories life could have taken on Earth and how much life could be possible on our planet.”

Persons: I’ve, ” Peter Crockford Organizations: Carleton University Locations: Ottawa

☆ Cradle uses generative AI to design proteins more efficiently. See the 17-slide deck it used to secure $24 million from Index Ventures.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Biotech startup Cradle, which uses AI to design proteins, emerged from stealth last year. The Dutch startup has now secured $24 million from Index Ventures. See the 17-slide pitch deck and messaging used to raise the fresh funding. Cradle, a startup that uses generative AI to help design proteins more efficiently, just raised a $24 million Series A from Index Ventures. It has also trained its generative AI models on proprietary data generated in its wet lab, as well as billions of protein sequences.

Organizations: Biotech, Ventures, Index Ventures, Business

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