News Snippets

As most of you know, science happens all the time, and usually I was really good at reporting all the fun science news. Then I got busy, then I got lazy (Twitter makes sharing stories to darn easy), then busy again... but who cares??? I have a blog to write! Who says all the post have to be long and amazing?!?!

Here are some stories that I have found to be interesting these past few days:

• Sixty Second Science did a podcast about sugar being able to flush out microbes. Sugar actually helps antibiotics work more effectively in chronic infections.
• There was a great video showing chimpanzees exhibiting what humans would consider "mourning behaviors" and, of course, was posted to National Geographic. What do you think? Are they just unusually quiet and curious or does it seem like mourning?
• Elevated levels of radiation were found in seaweed near the "injured" nuclear plant in Japan.
• Locally, one guys stupid laziness caused an island wide (two islands actually) power outage. Fantastic.
• Whales in the West Indies have West Indian accents. It's true. Studies have shown that whales have regional accents and dialects!

So go and read... You might learn something!

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Vervet Monkeys

These monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus) were imported to the Eastern Caribbean by Europeans who wanted them as pets. Due to their release, they are now part of the wildlife in St. Kitts and Nevis. They have many common names including savanna monkey, singe vert monkey, green monkey, and more.

They are native to Western Africa and their habitat varies widely. In the West Indies, they hang around densely populated areas and farms. They do this because of the opportunities to steal food. Many farmers' crops have been destroyed by these monkeys. Vervets, like chimpanzees and babboons, are very much omnivores. They do prefer manoges and other fruit, but a good part of their diet is insects and rodents.

They usually feed, sleep, and travel in groups. They are really small, wieghing between 9 and 17 pounds. Since the vervets are non-endangered, get high blood pressure, and more, they are commonly used for biomedical research. Being that they are not from St. Kitts and Nevis, the islands are allowed to capture and sell them to American reasearch companies for a decent bounty. They have been known to eat monkey in the West Indies in times past. It is said that the number of monkeys in St. Kitts and Nevis is double that of people... and they DO steal your beer.

Any questions?

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Chimp Culture

Our lovely cousins, the chimpanzees, have been in the news a bit recently. One article, however, really caught my eye. Researchers studying neighboring chimpanzee populations in Uganda found that different groups approached similar problems with different tools.

The problem was getting honey from inside a log. One group from Kibale Forest used sticks to get at the honey. A group from Budongo Forest used leaf sponges- absorbent wedges made from chewed up leaves. One scientist said the following as explanation:

The most reasonable explanation for this difference in tool use was that chimpanzees resorted to preexisting cultural knowledge in trying to solve the novel task. Culture, in other words, helped them in dealing with a novel problem.

Here, keep in mind, they use a really simple to understand basis of culture. Webster's defines culture as:

1. the ideas, customs, skills, arts, etc. of a people or group, that are transferred, communicated, or passed along, as in or to succeeding generations
2. such ideas, customs, etc. of a particular people or group in a particular period; civilization
3. the particular people or group having such ideas, customs, etc.

Using this definition, it's easy to see why we can relate the use of certain tools (a skill passed down through generations) as a cultural difference. You can read more about the experiment here.

Photo from

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davelau/ / CC BY 2.0

Don't forget: The Donor's Choose Challenge is going on 'til the end of October. Make a difference in school children's lives.

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Great Gorilla Run

The Great Gorilla Run is an annual costumed marathon charity event in London. It has also started expanding to other large cities like San Fransisco and New York. The participants dress as gorillas to raise money for gorilla conservation. Since it is the Year of the Gorilla, the UN ambassador for YoG2009 is participating in the race. It seems like a very fun way to help raise gorilla awareness. Nothing like a pack of 500 people running through London streets in ape costumes to get ones attention!

The ambassador, Ian Redmond, is currently traveling to gorilla habitats throughout Africa and you can follow along on his blog. If you are in the London area and wish to participate, they are still taking applications. There are many ways you can help.

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A Lemur Downfall

Climbing lemur
Originally uploaded by Tambako the Jaguar

Conservation International released photos earlier today showing the horrors of a lemur hunt. Please take heed, the photos are brutal. Since a coup that occurred earlier in the year, the very thing that draws visitors and money has been decimated. From the illegal destruction of the islands hardwood forests to the current mass poaching of the very animals that people go to Madagascar to see. All of this has lead to a drastic decline of ecotourism and a horrid decline on the ecology of this amazing place.

Earlier in the year, I mentioned amazing frog fossils that were found there, but it is more than that. it's estimated that 85%-90% of all wildlife in Madagascar is found no where else on earth! It is a veritable garden of Eden. Unfortunately, due to human interference, the island has lost about one-third its native vegetation since the 1970's. This latest catastrophe does not help.The poaching is done by groups of criminal gangs that are selling the meat to "luxury" restaurants.

The president of Conservation International, Dr. Russ Mittermeier, had the following to say:

What is happening to the biodiversity of Madagascar is truly appalling, and the slaughter for these delightful, gentle, and unique animals is simply unacceptable. And it is not for subsistence, but rather to serve what is certainly a “luxury” market in restaurants of larger towns in the region. More than anything else, these poachers are killing the goose that laid the golden egg, wiping out the very animals that people most want to see, and undercutting the country and especially local communities by robbing them of future ecotourism revenue.

In the last week Madagascar has taken important steps towards resolving its political crisis and move towards the restoration of democracy. It is counterproductive of the international donor community to continue denying conservation and development funding because this only encourages poor governance of the country’s natural resources. The world community must act now to support the dedicated local wildlife authorities who are battling to prevent this globally important resource from being destroyed.

Hopefully, there is some way we can save these creatures before it's too late.


Photo licensed under Creative Commons. Climbing lemur Originally uploaded by Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr.

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The Cost of Coltan

Coltan is something you may not have heard of. This is surprising because it is around you more than you think. It is a metallic or used in the production of capacitors... primarily the kind used in cell phones, video game systems, and laptops. Coltan is mined by hand in the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you remember some of my other posts, this is where many of the protected gorillas live. In fact, the mines are located in rebel-controlled areas in the National Parks. Not only that, but coltan is in incredibly high demand as we get more connected as a global market, making it valuable to both sides of the fight occurring in DRC. Some organizations and analysts have even gone so far as to state that coltan is at the center of this conflict because, besides being an ethnic war, it is also a war over resources.

Since the conflict began in 1998, many farmers were pushed off their land and sought jobs in the mines. In order to access more of the mines, they have gotten rid of valuable habitat and have killed off African elephants and eastern lowland gorillas. Both are protected species, but with a lack of serious funding and visibility in the media, there is only so much the park rangers can do. There is, however, something WE can do.

When many people get new cell phones or new electronics, they simply throw the old one away.Most people don't realize that many of the electronic devices are recyclable or reusable. Many companies will refurbish older units for resale or actually break down the pieces into it's components and use the raw materials in making something new. The EPA has an entire section of their site devoted to recycling electronics.

Many of the cell phone companies will simply take any old phones and parts. Big chain stores like Staples and Best Buy also have electronics recycling. If you don't have any of those around, call your local waste management. Chances are, they have an electronics collection program.

If we can reduce the demand for coltan, we can reduce the impact that its mining has had on some really amazing creatures.

You can find out more about coltan here.

Picture of the gorilla by nailbender on Flickr and is licensed under Creative Commons.

Remember, you can find out more about gorillas by click the link at the top of the page or by visiting Year of the Gorilla.

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End of Week Animal News Snippets

This has been an exciting week for animals in the news so we will just get to it:

• First off, there was that weird spider thing in Oklahoma. In the end, the body was destroyed (stupid) so we still don't know if it really was a Brazilian wandering spider or a Huntsman spider. People from the University of Tulsa and the Tulsa Zoo seem to disagree on the identification of it. Since there is no body, we may never know.
  
  

• A lizard that had not been found on mainland New Zealand for 200 years was finally found! The tuatara can grow to be up to almost 3 feet in length from nose to begining of tail. That is about the size of our giant iguanas on island. It was found by people at the Karori Sanctuary.

• Brown University led research found that all bats land differently.

• Scientists are figuring out why some birds are disappearing. Many of the factors causing the disappearance of our feathered friends include climate change, disease, invasive species and habitat loss.

• A pink elephant has been caught on camera. The super cute thing may be an albino which does not bode well for the little calf. The harsh environment of Botswana may give the calf skin problems, blindness, and more. Elephants are smart though and the little calf already only walks in the shade of it's mother.

• More proof of primates using tools has been recorded on film. Chimps in the Republic of Congo are on video making clubs out of branches and breaking open hives to reach the honey inside. If that wasn't enough, they then scoop the honey out using "dipping wands."

I hope this helps with your science fix. I know it helped mine.

Sorry I have been so absent. More hours at work has me a bit exhausted by the time I come home. There is only so much science you can teach in a day.

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Get Your Gorilla Education

So if you have been keeping up with the fact that this year is the Year of the Gorilla according to UN, you know that I am attempting to do a post a month with some gorilla news. You can keep up with all the ape business by clicking my fancy link all the way at the top of the page that says "Year of the Gorilla"... creative, I know. I even made a reading list with all sorts of great books on things gorilla. You can find that to the left. I'm done with the gorilla tour now on to the news.

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has teamed up with YOG 2009 to bring you an amazing manual/educational resource aimed at teaching people about gorillas. While the PDF is aimed at children, it is well worth the read. I learned a lot reading it myself. I can now tell the difference between apes by their noses and found out what an apes daily schedule looks like. I also learned that a gorillas upper body strength is six times that of a human. I won't tell you anymore because I don't want to spoil the fun. There are even little mini games to test yourself with. It's 36 pages of gorilla madness. There are even "logs" for gorilla watching and other activities if you go to the zoo and it's all finished off with a fantastic ape mask. The above is a snapshot of the manual. So go and read... I promise you will learn something, unless you wrote the manual of course!

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Happy Gorilla News

In case you forgot, 2009 is the Year of the Gorilla. I figured I would attempt to do one post a month on these amazing creatures and today was the day for January. Luckily, I have some really happy news this time. Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo just completed a survey stating that despite the conflicts, habitat loss, and poachers, gorilla numbers are up 12.5%. The press release is here and everyone is excited. There are even stories on the yog2009 site, BBC, and National Geographic.

Why all the publicity for these guys? Well, it is officially Year of the Gorilla and there is a serious war going on in the Congo. The most amazing part of all this? The apes went without protection for about 15 months during the conflict. The national park has a 680 person strong ranger force to protect the now estimated at 211 gorillas. Ten babies were born during the 15 month the rangers could not be there.

They still, however, need our help. There are lots of things you can do to ensure these majestic animals will be around a bit longer. To find out more, you can go to yog2009 (Year of the Gorilla official website) or GRASP (run by United Nations).


Photo is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 to bertieboy70 on flickr. You can find the original here.

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Sorry and Science

Sorry about the delay between posts. I am actually trying to line up some special things for the new year for us here at Potspoon! Productions locally. Without further ado, however, more science food for thought...

In association with my previous posts about gorillas, I have more primate news. Normally I use my own photos or photos licensed under creative commons, but this photo was so amazing I had to break my rules for a sec. It is from the BBC News article that this post is about.

The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is a critically endangered animal thought to have had fewer than 250 individuals in the wild. Most of these were located in northeastern Vietnam. Scientists just discovered a group of about 20 in northwestern Vietnam. While the numbers aren't fantastic, this means that there are more than anticipated and with proper control, we can save this species.

More Info

Scientific Name: Rhinopithecus avunculus

• There is not too much information on these stunning creatures. They have only wieghed four of them with the females around 8 kg (18 lbs) and the one male around 15 kg (32 lbs) so they are not very big.

• Their diet is primarily (as recorded so far) leaves, especially from bamboo, and fruit. They are found in very small groups in northern Vietnamese lowlands.
  

• They group like most primates having one male to many females. Other males form "bachelor" groups. It is unknown if the females are unrelated as in the gorillas or if there is kinship like chimpanzees.
  

• They have lost more than 70% of their habitat since 1986.

• In 1994, they were placed on the endangered species list. In 1996 they were moved to critically endangered.
  

Biologists from Fauna and Flora International are the ones that found this new group. Loss of habitat and use in medicines (really?!) are what have lead to this primate's decline.

That is it for now... Happy Monday!

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2009 is the Year of the Gorilla

It's official. UN has made 2009 the Year of the Gorilla. This was done in an effort to raise awareness for this closely related to us endangered species. Initiatives include education about the animal and efforts on conserving their habitats as well. This is quite important as many experts believe that gorillas will be extinct in the wild in the next 10 years. This is believed because in the past ten years the population has dropped from 17,000 to just 5,000 in the Eastern Lowland Gorillas in the Congo. That is a frightening number. The decline is staggering and has a number of contributing factors. Conflicts, habitat loss, disease and poaching for bushmeat are some of their biggest threats.

The picture here is a Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei). The species was first describe in 1847 by Thomas Staughton Savage, an American physician missionary. The males blue-black saddle (back side) turns white or silver with age, hence the term "silverbacks." Mountain Gorillas like high altitude terrains and are found in protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. These gentle giants are herbivorous meaning they only eat plants.

The social groupings they form are called harems. They are called such because the one or two dominant males surround themselves with unrelated females. This is unusual because in many other primates the females are all related. It is usually the kinship bonds between the females that allow for stable groups in these other primates, but in these gorillas the relationships are based purely on the individual relationships of the females to the silverback. When young gorillas reach maturity they leave the group. A young female will attach herself to another young male or find a new harem to incorporate herself into. Young males will remain solitary until they can attract females to themselves and start a harem of their own.

The mountain gorillas have some of the smallest populations of gorillas and it is estimated that between 650 and 680 individuals exist in the wild (Gray et al., 2003 and McNeilage et al., 2001).

To find out more, click the links above or go to Year of the Gorilla, Koko.org, or the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Just to help you remember, Koko is the gorilla who has an amazing vocabulary in American Sign Language and Dian Fossey wrote the book Gorillas in the Mist. The movie was based on her life.



Photo is copyright under Creative Commons Non-Commercial-Attribution License from YoungRobV's Flickr Photostream. You can find the original here.

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