Killing trees

A man accused of injecting poison into his neighbor's 60-foot-tall silver maple tree to kill it has been scheduled to appear in court in late September.

- (Murfreesboro Tenn) Daily News Journal/azcentral (link here)

If he had killed an oak in certain parts of ancient Europe, it would have been the death penalty.

Fossil iridescence

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/46827/title/Oops%2C_missed_that_fossil_iridescence

Fascinating.

Note the Yale connection.

Wolves vs. Dogs

"There was almost nothing left: The end of her tail, a bit of rib cage and her collar. Your heart just drops. Me and her were pretty tight."

- Bruce Mell, quoted by the Star Tribune, describing what happened to his dog (link here)

As explained in the article, wolves are going to defend their turf.

This is Life in the Food Chain.

Haunted by ghosts

Interesting article on the ancient wars between lancewood trees and the now extinct moa from Science News (link here).

Tasmanian Devils

But Tasmanian devils’ social networking practices could affect the spread of a deadly and infectious facial tumor.

- Science News (link here)

Leading to the extinction of the species?

Beware bears

Wildlife officers are looking for a bear that forced its way into a home and attacked the homeowner, and may have been behind other break-ins in the Aspen [Colorado] area this summer.

- AP/Miami Herald (link here)

This what happens when the rich & famous build homes in prime bear habitat.

Beware wild dogs

The mauling deaths of a retired UGA professor and his wife, a longtime librarian at the university, are almost as mysterious as they are tragic.

- Atlanta Journal-Constitution (link here)

Bizarre story.

Bird wings

When trees fall in the forest, unheard or not, they may change the shape of bird wings.

- Science News (link here)

Rapid evolution?

Fish breaks windshield

Authorities in northwest Ohio say the fish - a Lake Erie freshwater drum, known as a sheepshead - smashed a car windshield Tuesday when an eagle dropped its catch from a height of about 40 feet.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

Seems improbable.

Sting Pain Index

(Thanks to Elizabeth for calling my attention to this piece.)

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/oh-sting-where-is-thy-death/?emc=eta1

I definitely want to avoid that Brazilian bullet ant.

Beware otters

The otters hissed and then followed the woman to shore before biting her. She's getting rabies shots but holds no grudge against the animals.

- Duluth News Tribune (link here)

It would be difficult to swim with a loaded handgun.

Camel burgers

Thousands of camels in Australia's remote Outback could be killed by marksmen in helicopters under a government proposal aimed at cutting down the population of the havoc-wreaking creatures.

- AP/ajc (link here)

Tasty treats?

Hank bites the big one

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/1179068.html

Hank the Crocosaurus checks out at 47.

It was a shame he died so young.

Isoprene

Worldwide, plants release more than 550 million metric tons of the hydrocarbon isoprene into the atmosphere each year.

- Science News (link here)

It would be interesting to know how this number compares with volcanic emissions.

Manipulative parasites

A fungus that attacks living ants apparently manipulates their behavior for its own benefit, an international research team reports in the September American Naturalist.

- Science News (link here)

Very interesting.

Might make a good plot for a horror movie.

Crows

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/46196/title/Tool_use_to_crow_about

Interesting report on tool-use and problem-solving by crows.

I particularly liked the reference to Aesop's Fables.

Bear attack

The Colorado Division of Wildlife said a woman has died from injuries believed to be from a bear attack.

- Denver Post (link here)

There is a risk involved with feeding bears.

DEET

“DEET is a good chemical for protection against insects,” he says. “But prolonged exposure results in neurological damage, and this is enhanced by other chemicals and medications.”

Bahie Abou-Donia of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., quoted by Science News (link here)

For those of us who live in mosquito infested areas, it tough to avoid West Nile, etc. without using DEET.

Hummingbirds

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/46148/title/Tiny_bird%2C_tiny_genome

Hummingbirds have less DNA than other birds.

Very interesting.

Dinosaur Burrows

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/45721/title/Diggin%E2%80%99_dinos

Very interesting article on fossilized dinosaur burrows.

What else could they be?

Ticks

"I looked down and noticed the spot where the tick bit me was black, the size of my fist. And when I urinated, it was the color of maple syrup."

- Mike Lee, quoted by the Star Tribune (link here)

Very unpleasant.