Sending animals to do our dirty work—specifically of the drug-sniffing, bomb-hunting variety—isn't a novel concept by any means. But while an animal bomb-sniffing squad might conjure up the image of a noble K9 dog, Croatians are now depending on a very different, perhaps not quite as lovable bomb fiend: the common honeybee. Read More >>
Featured comment by Piercy:
"that said i thought they were using them to destroy (set them of) them. Thinking about it that might not be such a good idea." More »
45 mice, 15 newts, eight gerbils and a handful of snails returned to Earth today after a month in space in a Russian capsule. The Bion-M completed a parachute-assisted landing about 750 miles southeast of Moscow, and researchers immediately set up a mobile lab near the capsule to begin tests on the animals. Read More >>
These wine racks are incredibly simple but absolutely adorable in its design. Made out of wood, the wine racks have the shape of animals with a body of a wine bottle. You can see an elephant, a penguin, a reindeer and a dog. I want them all. They would be perfect in my non existent winter cabin. Read More >>
Given you rarely see owls in the day outside of a zoo or museum setting, you've probably never thought of them as stone cold killers. But when hunting at night they can be as terrifying as a hawk, particularly if you happen to see them swooping in from a mouse's point of view. Read More >>
Lacking claws, armor, or stabbing teeth, humans are easy targets for predation. But thanks to our big, beautiful brains, we figured out early on how to co-opt the killing tools of nature's top hunters for our own defense—and offense. Here are some of the best examples of technology mimicking nature. Or just straight up stealing from it. Read More >>
BBC Earth Productions is back with another mesmerising bit of high-speed footage that captures hawks as they're swooping in to attack their prey. Seeing all of the bird's complex feather mechanics in action as it slows mid-air to snatch its target is utterly fascinating, and seeing it extend those terrifying claws will make you happy you're not a tiny rodent caught in its crosshairs. [YouTube via Laughing Squid] Read More >>
In a display of blatant disregard for Nancy Reagan and her pleas to the contrary, Russia's bears, no longer able to resist the sweet temptation of jet fuel, have a drug problem. Read More >>
Here's everything you need to know about the Internet's favourite animal: cats. All the things you ever wondered about your furry friend? Right here. ASAP Science explains why they like catnip, how they always fall on their feet, why they purr, and how their eyes work. Did you know they spend 85 per cent of the day doing nothing and that drinking, eating and mating only takes up 4 per cent of their day. The question: what kind of catty things are they doing the other 11 per cent? [ASAP Science] Read More >>
Last week at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok authorities arrested a Thai man after discovering 54 Ploughshare Tortoises in a suitcase he retrieved from a luggage carousel. That's a lot of tortoises, particularly when you consider that the Ploughshare is one of the rarest species on the planet, numbering just 400 around the world. Read More >>
Slo-mo footage of wet dogs shaking themselves dry are a pound a penny online. But wet dogs and wet hedgehogs and rats? Now that's something new, and we can thank BBC Earth Productions for this mesmerising footage. Read More >>
A Chinese fishmonger was going about his business when he randomly discovered a bomb... inside the stomach of a squid he was gutting. Apparently, a three-pound squid had swallowed an eight-inch bomb on accident. The bomb was live. Read More >>
The dangers of drinking and visiting safari parks have been illustrated by young Adam Steff, who stole a giant tortoise from Woburn Safari Park. You know, for a laugh. Read More >>
Swallows that nest on roadsides appear to have evolved shorter wings to help them maneuver better and avoid cars, claim a team of scientists from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. Read More >>
Penguins are pretty great looking, but they offer more than just swagger. They can play iPad games and have a good time doing it. Or, you know, not really grasp what's going on. Read More >>
Look, it's just a given that people love their dogs stupid a lot. They also love Instagram effects and cute animals, broadly defined. We know this. But somehow Pack is only showing up now. Read More >>
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