A new species of giant spitting cobra, measuring nearly nine feet and possessing enough venom to kill at least 15 people, has been discovered in Kenya.
Naja Ashei
WildlifeDirect said the cobras were the world’s largest and had been identified as unique. The species has been named Naja Ashei (Ashe’s Spitting Cobra) after James Ashe, who founded Bio-Ken snake farm on Kenya’s tropical coast where the gigantic serpents are found.
The aggressive reptile was previously identified as a brown-colored variant of the black-necked spitting cobra, though researchers had long suspected that it merited its own species. Now blood and tissue analysis have confirmed this theory to be true.
The snake dwells in the dry lowlands of north and east Kenya, as well as in Uganda and Ethiopia.
[Nationalgeographic and Reuters]
According to Australian scientists, Kangaroo farts might play a big role in fighting global warming.
Thanks to a special bacteria in their stomachs, kangaroos do not emit harmful methane gas when they let off a stinker. Australian scientists are now planning to transfer that bacteria into cows and sheep to make their flatulence eco-friendly.
It will take researchers about three years to isolate the bacteria before they can think of a way to transfer it to other animals. [Metro]
Methane is the principal component of natural gas, and also a potent greenhouse gas that could trap 25 times as much heat of carbon dioxide of the same mass.
With billions of cows and sheeps worldwide… the methane released from their fart could have serious impact on global warming.
More than 350 people lay in a field at Auckland, New Zealand, to spell out the words “Climate SOS” in conjunction with the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference which is taking place in Bali, Indonesia, on Dec 3-14.
Thousands of environmentalist around the globe are joining forces in demonstrations to draw attention to climate change and to urge government leaders to take serious action.
Red Tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, or “bloom”. These algae, more specifically phytoplankton, are microscopic, single-celled protists, plant-like organisms that can form dense, visible patches near the water’s surface.
Certain species of phytoplankton contain photosynthetic pigments that vary in color from green to brown to red, and when the algae are present in high concentrations, the water appears to be discolored or murky, varying in color from white to almost black, normally being red or brown.
Red Tide caused by Dinoflagellates off the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Pier, La Jolla California (Image courtesy of P. Alejandro Díaz)
Not all algal blooms are dense enough to cause water discoloration, and not all discolored waters associated with algal blooms are red. Additionally, red tides are not typically associated with tidal movement of water, hence the preference among scientists to use the term algal bloom. [Wikipedia]
An interesting music video teasing the current trend in internet world, where billions of dollars are pilled into startup companies that have no proven track record besides some optimistic forecast.
The song is not really great… but what a piece of viral marketing gem by the Richterscales.
Divorce can be bad for the environment, because it tends to result in more households and less sharing of resources, according to a study published.
Divorce rates are rising around the world, and each time a family dissolves, the result is two new households. More households use more land, water, and energy - three critical resources. [Nationalgeographic]
Interesting point of view… never thought of that before. I doubt though, that environmental issues would come in mind when a couple is separating… global warming would be their least concern when divorce is inevitable.
Young chimpanzees can beat adult humans in a task involving remembering numbers, reveals a new study by Tokyo researchers. It is the first time chimps have outperformed humans at a cognitive task.
The chimps had previously been taught the ascending order of the numbers. Using an ability akin to photographic memory, the young chimps were able to memorise the location of the numerals with better accuracy than humans performing the same task. [Newscientist]
Former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler on TV show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” last week and stunned the audiences with some dumb moment.
She was asked: “Budapest is the capital of what European country?”
Well, there is nothing wrong if we don’t know where is Budapest; my first guess was Romania and I got it wrong as well (the correct answer is Hungary)… Kellie’s responses beat me though.
Regardless, Kellie managed to raise at least US$25,000 for charity by appearing on the show… it doesn’t matter if she is dumb or not, she is probably doing better than most of us in contributing to the society. Thumbs up for that.
