DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ In Bats, Clues to Fighting Human Diseases
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Betsy Mckay | Photographs Dylan Nelson For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

To many people, bats are a terrifying menace, vampirish carriers of dangerous viruses—including, likely, an ancestor to Covid-19. But to researchers and biotech investors, they are a miracle mammal that could help prevent pandemics and reveal blockbuster treatments for deadly human diseases or to slow aging.

☆ A cross between domestic pigs and wild boars was intentionally bred in Canada. The resulting 'super pigs' escaped captivity and could be invading the US.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

When the market collapsed, the "super pigs" escaped and have spread rapidly across the country. The environmentally destructive pigs may be invading the US, where feral pigs already pose problems in the South. Then the boar market peaked, collapsing in 2001, and many of the super pigs were simply let go. Others escaped, as the super pigs were stronger and more adept at getting under or over fencing. But the super pigs from Canada could easily survive the frigid winters of places like Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, or Minnesota.

☆ A dolphin 'bullied' by other dolphins refuses to leave a freshwater creek in Virginia. Staying there could lead to its death.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's been living in a freshwater creek for three weeks. The scientist who has been trying to get it out told WAVY that dolphins are not supposed to be in freshwater. Costidis said that lesions began to appear on its skin — a sign of freshwater skin disease, which could prove fatal. "The freshwater is our biggest concern," Costidis told WAVY. In January, 28 researchers in Clearwater, Florida formed a human chain to guide a dolphin back to the ocean after it got stuck in a freshwater creek.

☆ For T. rex and kin, it was a stiff upper lip, not a toothy grin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] The skeleton of "SUE", the Tyrannosaurus rex is displayed at the Field Museum of Natural History in this undated handout picture. Sealed lips would help saliva secretions in the mouth keep teeth, particularly the enamel, hydrated, Cullen said. An examination of the relationship between tooth size and skull size undercut the idea that large theropods simply had teeth too big to be covered by lips. The study identified large lizard species with lips alive today that possess teeth proportionally bigger than T. rex, relative to skull size. In crocs, teeth show asymmetrical wear, with the side of the exposed teeth facing outward more beat up than the inner side.

☆ Eight Dolphins Died After Washing Up on Jersey Shore
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Joseph De Avila | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dolphins washed up on the beach of Sea Isle City, N.J., according to a nonprofit group that rescues stranded marine mammals. A pod of eight dolphins died after washing ashore a New Jersey beach, according to a local animal-rescue organization. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a nonprofit group that rescues and rehabilitates stranded marine mammals, said the dolphins appeared Tuesday on the beach of Sea Isle City, N.J., located about 30 miles south of Atlantic City.

☆ Kiska, Canada's last captive killer whale, dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Kiska, the last captive orca or killer whale in Canada, swims in her concrete tank in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, February 6, 2023 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Phil Demers/ Instagram & TikTok @UrgenSeas/via REUTERSMarch 10 (Reuters) - Kiska, the last captive killer whale in Canada, has died, the Ontario government said late on Friday, adding it was informed of the death by the theme park where Kiska lived. "The ministry was advised by MarineLand that the whale named Kiska passed away at MarineLand on March 9, 2023. Canadian non-profit group Animal Justice, which advocates for animal rights, called for a probe into MarineLand's treatment of the killer whale. "Animal Welfare Services was onsite to determine compliance with the Standards of Care," Ross said.

☆ The coast of Southern California is becoming a hotspot for great white sharks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Great white shark numbers are increasing off the coast of Southern California's beaches. Adult white sharks can reach 12-20 feet, but they rarely come close to the shoreline. California banned actively targeting white sharks in 1994, as well as certain fishing nets that often entrapped the sharks. Warning signs for shark sightings remain in Long Beach, California, on May 16, 2017, where Great White sharks and their pups have been sighted regularly off southern California beaches. Researchers emphasized it is still safe to swim along the Southern California coast, which sharks have historically inhabited longer than us.

☆ Flu experts gather with H5N1 risk on the agenda
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But it is also a chance to discuss the risk of animal viruses spilling over to humans and causing a pandemic. At this week's meeting, H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b was a key topic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and global flu experts told Reuters. They will brief reporters on both the seasonal flu vaccine composition and spillover risks later on Friday. "We need to really continue the efforts for a flu pandemic." A number of companies that produce seasonal flu vaccines can also make pandemic flu vaccines.

☆ Analysis: Why public health officials are not panicked about bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

They say the attributes that have made this virus thrive in wild birds likely make it less infectious to people. Although the exact changes required for a bird flu virus to become easily transmissible in people are not known, a pair of landmark studies done a decade ago offer some clues. Mink have both avian and human-type receptors, but avian receptors are scarce in humans and located deep in the lungs. That change is a must if a bird flu virus is to spread easily in people. None of the experts discounted the possibility that H5N1 or another avian flu virus could mutate and spark a pandemic, and many believe the world has not seen its last flu pandemic.

☆ Canadian 'super pigs' set to spread disease and damage the environment in the US, expert warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The expert called for a campaign to cut down the size of the feral pig population. These pigs are a cross between wild boars and domestic pigs, and were bred in Canada in the 1980s to diversify agriculture. The size and intelligence of the Canadian pigs has helped them survive the tough Canadian winters, and they can burrow tunnel ls into the snow, evading predators and freezing conditions, according to report. An expert told Fox News that the pigs can carry diseases transferable to humans, such as E. coli and hepatitis, and can devastate the environment. Brook called for a campaign to cut down the size of the Canadian pig population before they cause damage in the US.

☆ Bird flu kills sea lions and thousands of pelicans in Peru's protected areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - Bird flu has killed tens of thousands of birds, mostly pelicans, and at least 716 sea lions in protected areas across Peru, the authorities said, as the H5N1 strain spreads throughout the region. Peru recorded its first case of the virus in November in birds in the north of the country. "We have also recorded since mid-January the unusual death of many sea lions, so far we have about 716 dead sea lions in seven protected natural areas of the coast," said Roberto Gutierrez, head of surveillance of the National Service of Natural Protected Areas. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda 1 2 3 4 5In South America, bird flu cases have been detected in Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and recently in Argentina and Uruguay. In recent weeks, crews from Peru's National Forestry and Wildlife Service, in protective plastic suits, gloves and masks, have collected and buried hundreds of sea lions from several beaches along Peru's central coast.

☆ Here's what happens when US Navy special operators go up against dolphins trained to keep them out of sensitive bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Navy has been training dolphins and sea lions to detect undersea threats since the 1960s. "Those mammals were very real and very scary," a former US Navy SEAL officer told Insider. The program tested out a number of animals but found dolphins and sea lions to be the best suited for the mission. The US military wasn't the only one using dolphins and sea lions to protect its warships and ports. BUD/S course instructors "have a sadistic tendency to scare the shit out of students before open-water swims," the former Navy SEAL officer said.

☆ Polar bear emerged unseen from snowstorm to kill mom and son before it was shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

It was the first fatal polar bear attack in 30 years in Alaska, the only U.S. state that is home to the animals. The view from the front of the school in Wales, Alaska, on Sunday. However, polar bears see humans as prey, said Geoff York, the senior director of conservation at Polar Bear International. Polar bears are the largest bear species, according to the U.S. Polar bears generally feed on seals, but also walruses and beluga whales.

☆ 411 is going out of service for millions of Americans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Starting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won’t be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance. The human telephone operator, a job that came to be dominated by White women during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 2021, there were fewer than 4,000 telephone operators, down from a peak of around 420,000 in the 1970s, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. “0” became universal for operator assistance and “411” was the number for directory assistance. By 2004, at the dawn of the smartphone age, 56,000 people were employed as telephone operators.

☆ For 60 years, the US Navy has been training dolphins and sea lions to keep rivals away from its most sensitive hardware
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Gidget Fuentes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The US Navy has been training dolphins and sea lions to detect undersea threats since the 1960s. A US Navy trainer with a Mark 5 Marine Mammal sea lion in Key West in October 1990. The program worked with sharks, rays, and sea turtles but settled on dolphins and sea lions. US NavyThe Navy Marine Mammal Program's budget for 2023 provides $40 million for "food, medicine, veterinary care, husbandry, and facilities," Wilson said. A US Navy sea lion jumps into a riverine command boat during a mine-countermeasures exercise in Bahrain in November 2014.

☆ An 120 million-year-old dinosaur fossil with the bones of its final snack still inside of it reveals its enjoyed eating our ancestors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Paleontologist Hans Larsson found a small mammal foot in the rib of a dinosaur fossil. The reptile was carnivorous and bird-like, according to McGill University. It's one of only 21 dinosaur fossils ever found with its food inside of it. Only 20 other fossils have been found with the fossilized bones of their meals inside, according to McGill, and this is the first time a fossil has shown that any dinosaur ate mammals, the Economic Times reported. Scientists have speculated that the species likely died out because it had four wings, and the two additional wings created drag when it moved.

Here are 12 of the weirdest and most fascinating animal behaviors scientists spotted in 2022. Here are 12 bizarre and amazing things animals were spotted doing, some of which had never been seen before. It turned out that at least 12 species of primates had been reported doing so, a review published in the Journal of Zoology in October found. A dolphin swallowed 8 venomous sea snakesA sea snake (indicated with pink arrow), moments before it is captured and eaten by a Navy dolphin. Though animals have often been spotted using tools, these usually are used to give the animal a clear survival advantage.

☆ Here's how the US government is developing 5G for underwater Navy sensors and bomb disposal on land
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Clara Mcmichael | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US government is working to integrate 5G into technology that addresses environmental hazards. The Navy is working with an Energy Department subsidiary on 5G tech meant to detect marine life. This article is part of "How 5G Is Changing Everything," a series about transformational 5G tech across industries. The lab collaborates with other government agencies to weave the latest 5G technology into their operations and has worked on projects ranging from underwater sensors to land-based bomb-disposal robots. The Navy is particularly interested in working on 5G underwater, where it could enable faster data collection and analysis, more efficient environmental monitoring, and better communication with the Navy's underwater assets.

☆ Explainer: What the world's nature-rich nations want out of a global conservation deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoMONTREAL, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Tangled expanses of Amazon rainforest, high mountains of the Himalayas, and cloud-shrouded forests are just some of the unique landscapes contained within the world's most nature-rich nations. Governments are trying to work out a new global agreement to guide conservation and wildlife protection through 2030 at a U.N. summit in Montreal this week. Of the nearly 200 countries assembled, five are considered to be among the world's most biodiverse nations — measured in the number of unique species. That's more than a third of all the world’s flowering plants, and more than half of all bird and mammal species on Earth. Here's what some of the world's most nature-rich nations want to happen at the talks.

☆ Abalone and Dugongs threatened with extinction, warns IUCN Red List
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The effects of human activity from climate change to pollution are “devastating” marine life, with nearly a tenth of underwater plants and animals assessed so far threatened with extinction, the latest Red List of Threatened Species showed on Friday. “It shows that we are having quite a devastating impact on marine species,” Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List, said. Linda Lombardi/AP/FILEHilton-Taylor said the portion of marine species facing extinction was likely much higher than current data shows because those analyzed so far have tended to be widespread fish species, not currently under threat. The latest list reviews abalone species, a type of mollusc sold as a luxury seafood item, for the first time and found that around 44% of them face extinction. “The awful status of these species should shock us and engage us for urgent action,” said Amanda Vincent, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Conservation Committee.

☆ Nearly 10% of marine life threatened with extinction -Red List
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary IUCN releases biodiversity barometer during U.N. talksClimate change, pollution 'devastating' marine speciesDugongs number in just the hundreds in some regionsGENEVA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The effects of human activity from climate change to pollution are "devastating" marine life, with nearly a tenth of underwater plants and animals assessed so far threatened with extinction, the latest Red List of Threatened Species showed on Friday. "It shows that we are having quite a devastating impact on marine species," Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List, told Reuters. Hilton-Taylor said the portion of marine species facing extinction was likely much higher than current data shows because those analysed so far have tended to be widespread fish species, not currently under threat. The latest list reviews abalone species, a type of mollusc sold as a luxury seafood item, for the first time and found that around 44% of them face extinction. "The awful status of these species should shock us and engage us for urgent action," said Amanda Vincent, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Conservation Committee.

☆ Australia proposes to overhaul 'broken' environment laws
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Australia will overhaul its environment laws and set up a new nature protection agency which would have powers to make decisions on the approval of development projects, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Thursday. The move by the centre-left Labor government comes more than two years after an independent review found Australia's environment laws were outdated and required fundamental reform. The independent Environment Protection Agency (EPA) will be responsible for all project assessments and decisions but the federal environment minister will retain the power to review EPA approvals. What we are seeking is a win-win - a win for the environment and a win for business," Plibersek told reporters. The EPA will act as "a tough cop on the beat" that can help reverse the deterioration of Australia's environment, Plibersek said.

☆ 2,500 endangered Caspian seals mysteriously washed up dead on a Russian coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian officials announced that thousands of dead Caspian seals washed up on their shores. There have been a handful of events in the past decade where Caspian seals have died en masse. The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Dagestan wrote in a Telegram post that environmental specialists were still counting the number of dead seals but that the current count stood at 2,500. The Caspian Seals Conservation Agency has reported multiple occurrences of large numbers of dead Caspian seals washing up on the shores of Dagestan over the past decade, including as recently as May. Caspian Seals, the only marine mammal found in the Caspian Sea, is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

☆ Fact Check-PCR test for COVID-19 uses gene cloning but cannot be used to clone humans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for COVID-19 use what’s known as gene cloning – not reproductive cloning – to detect the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but social media posts claim that humans are being cloned using COVID-19 PCR tests. The claim appears to originate from an Aug. 18 segment of the Stew Peters Show titled, “Patent PCR Test Linked To Human Cloning Video Shows Animal Experiments, Cross Species Genetics” (here). The 2015 paper by Hoseini and Sauer explains methods for gene cloning with PCR and used a gene encoding a red fluorescent protein as its example. PCR tests for COVID-19 cannot be used for human cloning. Molecular cloning, or gene cloning, that is described in a 2015 paper about using PCR to copy individual genes is an entirely different process.

☆ Bats use same techniques as death metal singers to vocalize, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Death metal fans might just have a new animal mascot. Some bats use the same vocal structures as death metal singers to make their unique vocalizations, a new study has found. This allowed the scientists to directly observe the vocal membranes and ventricular folds, also called “false vocal folds,” vibrating at different frequencies. These are “the first direct observations” of these vocal structures in Daubenton’s bats, the researchers said. Ventricular folds, or false vocal folds, are located on top of the true vocal cords.

Search resuls for: "Mammal"

25 mentions found