Tag Archives: animals

Robotic Plants Serve an Altruistic Purpose (Video)

Photo via Designboom Japanese artist Akira Nakayasu’s specialty is robotic plants. He creates things like sunflowers that react to human movement, making the flower seem to communicate with the people around it. His latest work is called “Plant,” an interactive piece that was inspired by grass blowing in the wind. With 169 artificial leaves that react independently to the presence of a human’s body, such as a hand waving over it, the unarguably interesting and relatively cool piece begs the question, “What’s the point?”… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Robotic Plants Serve an Altruistic Purpose (Video)

Newly Discovered Wood-Eating Catfish Has Spoon-Shaped Teeth

Photos via The Nature Conservancy , credit: Paulo Petry Turns out deep sea crabs aren’t the only underwater wildlife to eat wood. An Amazonian armored catfish does too. A new species with teeth shaped like spoons for scooping up wood from fallen logs has been discovered by freshwater scientist Paulo Petry in the Fitzgarald arch, a remote part of the Peruvian Amazon. And, in what seems to be the daily narrative of newly di… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Newly Discovered Wood-Eating Catfish Has Spoon-Shaped Teeth

The Fascinating Life and Times of the Humble Pigeon

Photo via fabriziogiordano23 If you´re a city dweller, chances are you see them everyday – strolling down the sidewalk with their friends, having lunch at a local cafe, or just hanging out in the park. But for as much as we share with our urban lifestyles , few animals are as misunderstood or as maligned as the humble pigeon . They are such a part of life around the world that it´s not so strange to… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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The Fascinating Life and Times of the Humble Pigeon

August Eco-Tidbits from Turkey

The rare brown fish-owls recently spotted in Turkey are threatened by continued dam construction, against which protests have been increasing. The sign at right reads “We are taking ownership of our rivers, our culture, our future.” Photos via the Hürriyet Daily News (left) and Bianet (right). The annual heat and humidity of August — and, this year, the start of the f… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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August Eco-Tidbits from Turkey

The Week in Pictures: The Week in Pictures: Microbes Eat Gulf Oil Plume, Bubblegum Rubber, Real Life Sea Monsters, and More (Slideshow)

What oil plume? Scientists have reported that the miles-long deep sea oil plume which resulted from the BP oil spill has essentially vanished, apparently eaten by microbes previously unknown to science. Also this week, an argument published by the Guardian calls for the FDA to lighten up on the regulatory process for approving genetically engineered animals; researchers have created a new kind of concrete that’s made out of waste products from coal plants; and wildlife photographer Paolo Torchio discovered a mysterious “bearded” antelope in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. This news and more in our photo roundup of the most p… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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The Week in Pictures: The Week in Pictures: Microbes Eat Gulf Oil Plume, Bubblegum Rubber, Real Life Sea Monsters, and More (Slideshow)

Two Tons of Illegal Ivory Seized in Kenya

Image credit: AP Photo/Bullit Marquez More than two tons of illegal ivory were seized when conservation officers in Kenya found it in boxes labeled “avocados” destined for Malaysia. The seizure, made at Nairobi’s international airport, included 317 individual elephant pieces and five rhino horns. It was the largest find of its type in several years and a clear sign, officials said, that poaching in Kenya is on the rise…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Two Tons of Illegal Ivory Seized in Kenya

Japan’s Ice Aquarium Displays Fish Frozen In Mid-Swim

Image via Crave What a way to explore the ocean… Japan’s Kori no Suizokukan (Ice Aquarium) in Kesennuma, northeastern Japan has about 450 specimens of about 80 species on display for anyone to examine or ponder. But they aren’t floating or zipping through aquariums. Nope…they’re frozen in blocks of ice. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Japan’s Ice Aquarium Displays Fish Frozen In Mid-Swim

Not-So-Secret Origins of "Eat Da Poo Poo"

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Not-So-Secret Origins of "Eat Da Poo Poo"

From The Kid’s Kouch: Does iCarly Suck?

Have a seat on the “Kid’s Kouch” — as infoMania’s Ben Hoffman sits down with some youthful experts to dish about Nickelodeon’s iCarly .

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From The Kid’s Kouch: Does iCarly Suck?

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back to the Movies

Piranha 3D is just the latest in a cinematic tradition known as Wild Animals Love Killing People On-Screen. Brett Erlich counts down the top five killer animals in the movies.

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Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back to the Movies