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MEXICO CITY, June 7 (Reuters) - Scientists have documented the first-known instance of a "virgin birth" by a crocodile, which had been living in isolation for 16 years at Costa Rican zoo, according to a study published Wednesday. According to the study published in the journal Biology Letters, scientists tested the crocodile fetus' genetic makeup. The phenomenon of FP, which some scientists have referred to by the shorthand of "virgin birth," has also been documented in other species of fish, birds, lizards and snakes. In FP, a female's egg cell can develop into a baby without being fertilized by a male's sperm cell. The scientists said the Costa Rica "virgin birth" could lead to new information about crocodile ancestors that walked the earth in the Triassic Period some 250 million years ago.

Persons: Pterosauria, Cassandra Garrison, David Gregorio Our Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Costa, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Costa Rican, Costa Rica

☆ Scientists Discover a Virgin Birth in a Crocodile
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Veronique Greenwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In January 2018, a female crocodile in a Costa Rican zoo laid a clutch of eggs. While crocodiles can lay sterile eggs that don’t develop, some of this clutch looked quite normal. In this case, life did not, uh, find a way, as the egg eventually yielded a perfectly formed but stillborn baby crocodile. In a paper out Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, a team of researchers report that the baby crocodile was a parthenogen — the product of a virgin birth, containing only genetic material from its mother. Here’s how a virgin birth happens: As an egg cell matures in its mother’s body, it divides repeatedly to generate a final product with exactly half the genes needed for an individual.

Persons: ” —, parthenogenesis Organizations: cobras, California condors Locations: Costa Rican, sawfish

☆ Is Goldman Sachs' partnership losing some of its shine?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As if all that wasn't enough, the leadership at Goldman Sachs had another cross to bear on Tuesday: two of its high-profile partners exiting the bank. (In fact, he made our annual list of rising stars on Wall Street in 2020.) That begs the question: Has Goldman Sachs' partnership lost some of its luster? And here's a running list of partners who have left Goldman Sachs under David Solomon. According to The Wall Street Journal, many of the industry's power players aren't looking forward to Biden-Trump part II.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, I'm, we've, Wall Streeter, Goldman Sachs, Sayonara, Goldman, Fred Baba, Dina Powell McCormick, Baba, George Floyd, Jane Street, Powell McCormick, Donald Trump, She's, Goldman alums, Byron Trott, Gregg Lemkau, David Solomon, Jane, Powell, Fred Baba's, Steve Cohen, Point72, Beth Abramson, Jeffrey Cane, Nathan Rennolds Organizations: JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Wall Street, Goldman, MSD Partners, Street, Biden, Trump, Financial Times, Nvidia, Netflix, LinkedIn Locations: NYC, Australia, New York, London

☆ Snorkeler survives crocodile attack by pulling his head from its jaws
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Australian man bitten on the head by a crocodile while snorkeling in the sea off far north Queensland escaped the unusual attack by prizing open the reptile’s jaws. McGowan was rushed to Haggerston, a resort island some 45 minutes away, before being helicoptered to a regional hospital. I’m just grateful it was me and not one of the kids or ladies in the group,” he said in the statement. Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to six meters long and weigh up to 1,000 kilograms, according to Australia Zoo. Crocodiles were sighted on nine occasions in Cook Shire on Cape York since the start of this year, according to the Queensland government.

☆ New dinosaur found in Spain illuminates history of meat-eating group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Living about 126 to 127 million years ago, the bipedal dinosaur, named Protathlitis cinctorrensis, was about 33 to 36 feet (10 to 11 meters) long and weighed about 2 tons. It was part of a group called spinosaurs whose biggest member, Spinosaurus, was among the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on record. Spinosaurs lived in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America during the Cretaceous - the last of the three chapters of the age of dinosaurs. Spinosaurus, about 50 feet (15 meters) long and weighing seven tons, lived 95 million years ago in Africa. Unlike Protathlitis, Spinosaurus possessed unserrated teeth - better to capture slippery aquatic prey.

☆ Video shows 2 crocodiles take on 3 cheetahs in a battle for dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows three cheetahs killing and beginning to feast on a waterbuck in Kruger National Park. Then a pair of crocodiles shimmy up to the cheetahs, who hiss and eventually back away. The cheetahs face off against the crocs as they drag their prey further away from the approaching crocodiles several times. Latest Sightings/YouTube/Bob and Rosa SwartThough cheetahs are much faster than crocodiles, the crocs' persistent intimidation eventually wins them the prey. Latest Sightings/YouTube/Bob and Rosa SwartAfter the crocodiles successfully commandeer the prey, the video shows more crocodiles rolling up to the feast.

☆ Human remains found inside crocodile in Australia believed to belong to missing fisherman
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Remains found inside a crocodile in Australia are believed to belong to a 65-year old fisherman who went missing over the weekend, according to local police. The two crocodiles were 4.1 meters (13.5 feet) and 2.8 meters (9.2 feet), police said in a statement. According to DES, the “vast majority” of attacks are carried out by crocodiles larger than two meters (over six feet). Human remains were found within one of the crocodiles, though police officers believe both were involved in the incident with Darmody, the statement added. “There was a noise, a loud yell, and then the sound of the water splashing.”“It’s a national park and there are wild animals up there, wild crocodiles,” he added.

☆ These strange-looking turtles in Hong Kong could soon be extinct
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Hong Kong CNN —One of the world’s most densely populated cities might seem an unlikely refuge for endangered wildlife. While in Hong Kong, the unlikeliness of the setting has enabled them to fly largely under poachers’ radar. Professor Sung Yik-hei with a Big-headed turtle at a lab at Lingnan University in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. Courtesy Sung Yik-hei Professor Sung Yik-hei monitors an area near a river in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. A few hundred are left in Hong Kong, and perhaps even fewer in its other homes of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

☆ Goldman Prize winner 2023: Zambian who took on a UK mining giant and won
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chilekwa Mumba Courtesy Goldman Environmental PrizeOn Monday, Mumba, 38, was awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for his work for the community and setting legal precedent. The prize is awarded each year by The Goldman Environmental Foundation, with ceremonies in San Francisco and Washington, DC. CNN has contacted Vedanta and the Zambian state mining company for comments. The government, however, says that approved projects will follow environmental policies set by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). For Mumba, who now runs an orphanage in the Zambian capital Lusaka with his wife, the battle is far from over.

☆ Edward Koren, 87, Whose Cartoon Creatures Poked Fun at People, Dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Robert D. Mcfadden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Edward Koren, the New Yorker cartoonist who created a fantasy world of toothy, long-nosed, hairy creatures of indeterminate species that articulated the neuroses and banalities of middle-class America for six decades, died on Friday at his home in Brookfield, Vt. His wife, Curtis Koren, said the cause was lung cancer. In the gentle, affable kingdom of Koren, the beasts form a polite queue in the woods at a 24-hour banking A.T.M. With Charles Addams, James Thurber and Saul Steinberg, Mr. Koren was one of the most popular cartoonists in The New Yorker’s long love affair with humor. In a bed for three, a grimacing psychiatrist squeezed between battling spouses takes “couples therapy” notes.

☆ Hippo attacks: How to avoid one of Africa's most dangerous animals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

“Hippos attack not to eat people, but to get them the hell away from them,” Lewison said. Larger vessels can offer more protection from a sudden hippo attack. photocech/Adobe StockGet to know the signs of disturbed hippos, Muruthi advised, in case you wander too closely. … If you slap the water, the percussion 99.9 times out of 100 will turn the hippo,” Templer said. Remember to suck in air if on the surface.”Another hippo attack survivor in this National Geographic video also was able to conserve her breath.

☆ One of Russia's few remaining allies asked Moscow for guarantees that it would defend his country if it was attacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko asked Russia to defend it if attacked, state media reported. The embattled leader asked Russia to protect his country "as its own territory." Lukashenko met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Minsk on Monday, according to Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta. In the meeting, Lukashenko requested that "in case of aggression against Belarus the Russian Federation protects Belarus as its own territory," the outlet reporting him as saying. Belarus has avoided committing troops to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but has aided it by training Russian troops and allowing Russian use of its military bases.

☆ Netflix expands its product ambitions in a clothing collab that mashes up the Lacoste crocodile with 'Bridgerton,' 'Stranger Things,' and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Netflix has teamed with Lacoste to create a clothing collaboration inspired by eight of its popular shows, including "Bridgerton," "Stranger Things," and "Lupin." For the pieces, Lacoste reimagined its iconic crocodile logo with elements of the Netflix shows on a collection of polos, caps, sweatshirts, and tracksuits. For "Stranger Things," a sweatshirt features the crocodile with the face of the Demogorgon, the feared creature from Season 1. Lacoste apparel inspired by "Stranger Things." NetflixThe items cost $30 to $210 and will be sold at select Lacoste stores and on Lacoste.com and Netflix.shop.

☆ The 'mammoth meatball' grown in a lab probably doesn't taste like woolly mammoth at all
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It probably doesn't taste like woolly mammoth, a meat specialist and mammoth DNA researcher said. The Belgian startup Paleo says it added woolly mammoth myoglobin to a plant-based burger. The mammoth meatball doesn't have either of those elements from woolly mammoth. Mammoth myoglobin doesn't necessarily bring mammoth flavorThough he didn't taste it, Ryall said everyone could smell the meatball while it was cooking. So why make a mammoth meatball that doesn't taste like mammoth?

☆ Ancient Egyptian zodiac symbols were found in a temple after archaeologists cleared away 2,000 years' worth of grime
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ancient Egyptian star signs were found under a thick layer of soot and dust in the Temple of Esna. The colors in the full set of Egyptian zodiac symbols are vivid after being protected by the grime. The set is just one of three full sets of ancient Egyptian zodiac signs uncovered in Egyptian temples, said Dr. Daniel von Recklinghausen, a Tübingen Egyptologist who worked on the project. These zodiac symbols were uncovered in the latest series of renovations, which revealed the designs in brilliant colors. Ancient Egyptians adopted astrology late in their reignThese symbols show the decans, which are zodiac symbols representing the 12 hours of the night.

[1/3] A meatball made from flesh cultivated using the DNA of an extinct woolly mammoth is presented at NEMO Science Museum created by a cultured meat company, in Amsterdam, Netherlands March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de WouwAMSTERDAM, March 28 (Reuters) - A giant meatball made from flesh cultivated using the DNA of an extinct woolly mammoth was unveiled on Tuesday at Nemo, a science museum in the Netherlands. The meatball was made of sheep cells inserted with a singular mammoth gene called myoglobin. While creating cultured meat usually means using blood of a dead calf, Vow used an alternative, meaning no animals were killed in the making of the mammoth meatball. Vow hopes to put cultured meat on the map in the European Union, a market where such meat as food is not regulated yet.

☆ Paleontologists explain the most glaring errors in Adam Driver's new dinosaur film '65'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Erin Heger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Adam Driver stars in a new film "65," which takes place 65 million years ago. But like other Hollywood portrayals of dinosaurs, "65" gets several dinosaur facts wrong, according to paleontologists. The film's title is off my a million yearsThere were probably no dinosaurs around 65 million years ago. SonyLet's start with the title: "65" — named for when the film takes place 65 million years ago. It's a movie, not a science lectureThe film "65" has a 64% audience score on rotten tomatoes, so even if it got the science wrong, it managed to entertain some folks.

☆ US Trade Rep fires back at GOP House member who said she has 'too nice a smile' to do her job: 'I don't need your pity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A US House member said the US Trade Representative had "too nice a smile" to do her job. "I don't need your pity. "I don't need your pity. "You don't need his crocodile tears," she added. A member of Biden's Cabinet, Tai is the principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on U.S. trade policy.

☆ Oldest fossils of remarkable marine reptiles found in Arctic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Fossils dating to about 250 million years ago unearthed in a harsh and remote locale - Norway's Arctic island of Spitsbergen - are now providing surprising insight into the rise of ichthyosaurs. The fossils showed this one, which has not yet been given a scientific name, was quite advanced anatomically. The site where the fossils were found is a classic Arctic landscape with high snow-capped mountains along the coast of a deep fjord. The mass extinction shook up land and marine ecosystems and opened opportunities for new species to fill ecological roles vacated by extinct creatures. Fossils show ichthyosaurs giving live birth to their young.

☆ A fugitive billionaire just auctioned off $3.2 million worth of luxury handbags — see highlights from his prized collection
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Billionaire Joseph Lau sold $3.2 million worth of luxury handbags at a Sotheby's auction. Lau is a prolific collector who's purchased roughly 1,500 Hermès bags, Bloomberg reported. The collection included one Chanel bag and 76 Hermès bags, including both the iconic Birkin and Kelly styles. Lau's collection extends beyond handbags to diamonds — including a $53 million 12-carat blue diamond — and art by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bloomberg reported. Lau has auctioned off other pieces in his collection over the years, including $20 million worth of art and fine wine.

☆ Everything coming to — and leaving — Netflix next month, from 'You' season 4 to new episodes of 'Outer Banks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Netflix just released the list of TV shows and movies that are coming to and leaving the site next month. New seasons of "You" and "Outer Banks" will be added, as will all three "Lord of the Rings" movies. But some titles, including "Scream 4" and "Shutter Island," will be removed in February. NetflixAvailable 2/10/23"10 Days of a Good Man" — Netflix Film"Love is Blind: After the Altar Season 3" — Netflix Series"Love to Hate You" — Netflix Series"Your Place or Mine" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/13/23"Squared Love All Over Again" — Netflix Film"VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/14/23"All the Places" — Netflix Film"A Sunday Affair" — Netflix Film"In Love All Over Again" — Netflix Series"Jim Jefferies: High n' Dry" — Netflix Comedy"Pasión de Gavilanes: Seasons 1-2""Perfect Match" — Netflix Series"Re/Member" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/15/23"#NoFilter" — Netflix Series"African Queens: Njinga" — Netflix Documentary"CoComelon: Season 7""Eva Lasting" — Netflix Series"Full Swing" — Netflix Documentary"The Law According to Lidia Poët" — Netflix Series"Red Rose" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/16/23"47 Meters Down: Uncaged""Ouija""The Upshaws: Part 3" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/17/23"A Girl and an Astronaut" — Netflix Series"Community Squad" — Netflix Series"Ganglands: Season 2" — Netflix Series"Unlocked" — Netflix FilmAvailable 2/19/23"Whindersson Nunes: Preaching to the Choir" — Netflix ComedyAvailable 2/20/23"Operation Finale""VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/21/23"Perfect Match" — Netflix Series (new episodes)Available 2/22/23"Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" — Netflix Documentary"The Strays" — Netflix Film"Triptych" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/23/23"Call Me Chihiro" — Netflix Film"Outer Banks: Season 3" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/24/23"Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Season 5" — Netflix Documentary"Oddballs: Season 2" — Netflix Family"Married at First Sight: Season 12""Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series: Part 2" — Netflix Family"The Real World: Season 12""We Have a Ghost" — Netflix Film"Who Were We Running From?" — Netflix SeriesAvailable 2/27/23"VINLAND SAGA: Season 2" (new episodes)Available 2/28/23"A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou" — Netflix Comedy"American Pickers: Season 15""Perfect Match" — Netflix Series (new episodes)"Too Hot to Handle: Germany" — Netflix SeriesEmma Roberts in "Scream 4."

☆ Photos show 10 mummified crocodiles found in an Egyptian tomb, likely after being sacrificed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A ancient Egyptian tomb was uncovered containing ten mummified crocodiles. The tomb's contents was likely sacrificed for the crocodile-headed god Sobek. The leading theory is that the crocodiles were sacrificed as an offering to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of the Nile and fertility. Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertilitySobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility, is shown in hieroglyphs in Kom Ombo, southern Egypt. "In theory, it was an area where there was not much devotion to the crocodile god Sobek."

☆ Self-proclaimed 'Crocodile of Wall Street' gets tech job while under house arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Heather Morgan, aka "Razzlekhan," has been in house arrest facing charges in a massive crypto scheme. A D.C. federal court is now letting her leave home just to work at a tech company's NYC office. Morgan has managed to wrangle some freedoms during her house arrest so far. "While awaiting resolution of this matter, Ms. Morgan has sought to be productive," her lawyer told the court in November. Morgan wore a few hats in her past life, calling herself the "Crocodile of Wall Street," and writing columns.

☆ Lacoste Owner Looks to Snap Up More Brands as Sales Surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Nick Kostov | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lacoste has closed smaller stores in favor of larger flagships in key locations such as the Champs-Elysee in Paris. PARIS—The parent company of Lacoste is on the hunt for acquisitions to expand its portfolio of brands after the upmarket French label reported record annual sales. Sales at Lacoste, best known for its crocodile-logo polo shirts embraced by tennis stars, rose 26% to more than €2.5 billion, about $2.69 billion, last year, Chief Executive Thierry Guibert said in an interview. He credited the gain to attracting younger consumers in part through a more fashionable offering and buzzy collaborations with musicians and artists in recent years.

Adam Rich, the youngest member of the "Eight Is Enough" television ensemble, died at age 54 at his Los Angeles home Saturday. An official cause of death is pending a scheduled autopsy, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office said. "Eight Is Enough" actors Jimmy Van Patten, Connie Needham, Dianne Kay, Laurie Walters and Adam Rich at the Los Angeles premiere of the musical "Hello Dolly" on Jan. 30, 2019. The youngest member of the Bradford family, Rich endeared himself to viewers as a mop-topped child star. Rich's last credits are from 2003, when he played himself in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," along with a guest spot portraying Crocodile Dundee in "Reel Comedy."

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