It’s hard not to be totally captivated by the animal kingdom even when they’re just up to their normal activities. But when animals interact with the human world  in unexpected ways, they have our full attention – whether by crashing a car in search of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, giving us clues to ancient history or even helping us evolve.

Sandwich-Seeking Bear Crashes Car

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The Story family of Colorado got the surprise of their lives in July when the police called at 3:30am to inform them that a bear had taken their teenage son’s car on a joyride down the street before crashing it into some trees, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and proceeding to completely destroy the interior.

“So this bear opened the door on his own. Somehow the door closed behind him. He panicked and started thrashing around, hit the shifter and put the car, took it out of park,” Ralph Story told The Denver Channel. “It rolled back, down over the hill, and down into here, and stopped. The four way flashers were on. It’s like he knew what was going on, and kept hitting the horn.”

Sheriff’s deputies had to tie a rope around the car door handle and open it from afar. Eventually, the bear came out on its own and wandered off into the woods.

Oil Spill Turtles Get Disney Vacation

(image via: usfws/southeast)

For turtles, this year’s voyage to the Gulf of Mexico has been less than successful, with massive amounts of oil making it difficult to survive, let alone procreate. But 32 of the turtles rescued from the Gulf area are getting a treat that is decidedly rare among their kind: a trip to Disney World. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has taken in the turtles to treat and care for them while the spill is cleaned up.

“We actually swim test them, we will look at their general condition, we take body weights, and from there we will actually start a regiment to get them back into healthy condition to be released back into the wild,” Andy Daneault told WDBO Local News.

The turtles, which experienced ill health effects from the spill including abrasions and irritation, will be released back into the Gulf once the spill area is declared fully safe for wildlife.

Beer Bottled in Dead Animals

(image via: msnbc)

Some beer lovers will dish out a lot of dough for a bottle of high-gravity brew – but what makes BrewDog’s bottles clock in at $765 per bottle? Well, taxidermied squirrels and weasels don’t come cheap. The Scottish brewery has bottled its “The End of History” ale in the preserved carcasses of roadkill.

“We were making such a tiny amount that we wanted to do something epic,” BrewDog co-founder James Watt told msnbc.com. “We wanted to challenge people’s perceptions about how beer can be packaged; taxidermy helps open people’s eyes to the fact that beer doesn’t have to be made by a multi-national organization.”

Of course, animal activists aren’t thrilled about the decision, with some calling the packaging “terribly degrading” for the animals.

But bizarre and perhaps vomit-inducing packaging aside, the beer is special too – it’s 55% alcohol, with hints of cinnamon and juniper and the slightest tinge of musty fur.

Cat-Like Crocodile Hunted Dragonflies

(image via: the telegraph)

A newly-discovered ancient reptile seems to have more in common with today’s domesticated cats than with its own descendents, according to scientists studying remains of the “Paksuchus”. A precursor of crocodiles, this bizarre creature lived on land and had mammal-like teeth and a small, short skull.

“At first glance, this croc is trying very hard to be a mammal. Its head would fit in the palm of your hand,” Patrick O’Connor told The Telegraph.
“If you only looked at the teeth, you wouldn’t think this was a crocodile. You would wonder what kind of strange mammal or mammal-like reptile it is. This gives us a number of interesting evolutionary-developmental research questions to begin addressing using living crocodiles as models.”

Giant Jellyfish Attacks 150 People

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How can one jellyfish sting 150 people almost simultaneously? By dying and decomposing into hundreds of tiny pieces. That’s exactly what happened in July at New Hampshire’s Wallis Sands State Park. So many people reported itching and burning that the fire department had to call in backup from five other nearby departments to pick up all the sticky, gelatinous pieces with pitchforks.

The responsible party was a lion’s mane jellyfish, known as one of the largest jellyfish in the world. With bodies that reach 3 feet across and 150 tentacles that can each be as long as 32 feet, this billowy creature wouldn’t have too much trouble harming a lot of people. This species was far outside its usual range in the cooler areas of the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea and North Sea.

“In terms of a large lion’s mane being able to sting so many people, I know from smaller ones say ones that are only 6 inches [15 centimeters] in diameter, those little ones the might have tentacles that are trailing 5 or 10 feet [1.5 to 3 meters] behind them. So if you’ve got one much larger than that you can imagine how long the tentacles could be trailing,” marine biologist Sean Colin told MSNBC.

Dogs, Cats & Cows Helped Humans Evolve

(image via: wikimedia commons)

It may not be too surprising to learn that early humans experienced a huge uptick in intelligence after our formerly vegetarian species began eating brain-enriching meat. But it’s the way in which we managed that – and the role that domesticated animals played – that is truly incredible. Paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman of Penn State University believes that taking in animals and giving them work to do made humans more adept at hunting prey for food.

“On the face of it, you are wasting your resources. So this is a very weird behavior,” Shipman told Discovery News.

But, Shipman says, managing all these animals forced humans to develop tools and technology that spurred growth in other areas as well – like compassion. Humans that were caring enough to keep dogs healthy might have prospered more than others, and passed this compassion down to their offspring.

Rodent Poop the Key to Discovering Ancient Climates

(image via: greencolander)

How much rain did Chile’s Atacama Desert get thousands of years ago? We might never have known, if it weren’t for big pits full of fossilized rodent feces. Paleoecologists at Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago believe they can tell just by the size of these poop pellets whether a particular period of history experienced lush rainfall or parched drought.

Ancient rodent latrines – made up of lots of these pellets, cemented together with crystallized urine – provide a trove of data, not just about the animals that excreted the waste, but about the climate of the region. The scientists studied chinchilla waste pits; radio carbon dating provided an approximate age. Other known gauges of approximate rainfall were used to back up the results.

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Every other year, some of the best and brightest college and university students come together to built amazing solar-powered home designs. Designs are judged based on their efficiency, their comfort, and their architectural structure, among other factors. The 2010 Solar Decathlon took place in Madrid, Spain, marking the first time that the competition was held in Europe. One of the main focal points of the contest is to highlight the fact that eco-friendly dwellings can be exceptionally modern and attractive, contrary to many assumptions. The designs that came out of this year’s competition were some of the most forward-thinking and creative solar homes that the world has ever seen; these five were the judges’ top picks.

Lumenhaus

(image via: afagen)

Lumenhaus, the winning 2010 design from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University team, is a fantastically open home that emphasizes a “whole building” design. The shape and overall look of the home were influenced by the all-glass Farnsworth House designed by Mies van der Rohe. The two glass exterior walls of the Lumenhaus, along with its open floor plan, bathe the entire house in natural sunlight. A distinctive mixture of high-tech features and low-tech features are what make this design a winner: a solar roof, radiant in-floor heating, an energy-efficient central computer system, grey water recycling, and the use of passive energy. Moreover, the modular design is extremely portable and units can be added with very little effort, making the Lumenhaus the perfect expandable Earth-friendly home for the family of tomorrow.

Ikaros

A very close second place went to the team from the University of Applied Sciences, Rosenheim for their Ikaros design. The Ikaros house features a visually striking exterior design, but that’s far from being its only impressive side. The house produces four times more solar energy than it uses, meaning that future residents could sell their “extra” electricity to the power company and make some extra money every month. That distinctive exterior design serves to shade the home so that it will require less energy to cool in the summer months, and excess energy from the home’s systems is used to keep the home warm in the winter.

home+

The team from Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences walked away with third place for their home+ design. The glittering home is covered in lovely photovoltaic cells that lend a very distinctive look to the exterior while producing far more energy than the home’s residents would need. The idea behind the home was to produce a prototype that uses the least amount of traditional grid power possible but that was comfortable and pleasant to look at. The home+ design includes a wind tower (for passive cooling), phase changing-materials for moving heated or cooled air to where it’s most needed, and a modular design that lets users configure the four-part dwelling in whatever way works best for them.

Armadillo Box

Despite its funny name, the Armadillo Box from the Ecole National Superieure darchitecture de Grenoble team is serious about solar design. Like the desert-dwelling creature that shares its name, the Armadillo Box is great at conserving energy and withstanding brutal heat. The home features a nucleus that houses all of its technical equipment, keeping it safe while acting as the “heart” of the sustainable, flexible home meant for two people. Large windows help to provide natural sunlight, while overhangs reduce the amount of heat that seeps in through those windows. And of course, a massive photovoltaic array is prominently featured on the exterior of the house.

Luukku

Team Finland rounded out the top five with its simply beautiful Luukku design. The team drew inspiration from traditional Finnish summer houses which use slightly elevated foundations and natural materials to make beautiful and functional buildings. The overall feel of this design is one of simplicity: sustainable wood, water heated by solar collectors, high-efficiency insulation and windows, and – naturally – a large and effective photovoltaic system. What’s best about the Finnish design is that it’s meant for cold climates that don’t get much sun – so even in Finland the home can produce at least as much power as it needs for the family living inside.

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(Images via: South Villa Orlando, Flickr, Wikimedia)

Since the sad and shocking death of a SeaWorld trainer who was attacked by a killer whale earlier this week, much speculation has ensued about what would happen to Tilikum, the 12,000 pound orca in question. Earlier today, SeaWorld’s president announced that Tilikum will not be euthanised or punished for the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, who suffered multiple injuries and drowned after being grabbed by the ponytail and dragged into the water by the whale during a session of SeaWorld’s Shamu Believe Show on Wednesday.

In a press conference this morning, SeaWorld added that the controversial Tilikum, which had been linked with two prior human deaths, will continue to be featured in the park’s upcoming shows, set to resume on Saturday. While a review of the killer whale attack is ongoing, SeaWorld said that trainers will not be allowed to swim with any of the park’s killer whales, which have been cast into a national spotlight following this tragedy.

The Misleading Name of the Killer Whale

(Images via: Yale, Yukul, Nature Crusaders)

Here are a few surprising facts about killer whales before examining this week’s stunning attack in more detail. Killer whales, or orcas, are not actually whales but the world’s largest dolphins. Powerful predators that stalk seals, sea lions, and even other whales and sharks for food and survival, killer whales are generally not seen as a threat to humans. While there have been several killer whale attacks on humans in confined settings over the years, these situations have often been described as isolated and rare incidents.

So What May Have Prompted the Killer Whale Attack?

(Image via: Julie Fletcher/Orlando Sentinel/Associated Press)

While SeaWorld has not admitted human error on behalf of Brancheau (seen above), her mentor has indicated that she likely made a mistake by getting too close to the whale’s face. According to some reports, Brancheau was lying in rather than standing in an area meant to interact with the whale. It is suspected that Brancheau’s hair may have brushed Tilikum’s face and even its mouth, which may have confused the whale and caused it to attack the trainer. Sadly, this event happened in front of an audience that was initially unsure what was occurring until the orca started violently thrashing the trainer.

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Tilikum’s Controversial Past Adds to Mystery

(Images via: Free Webs, MySpace)

Even before this week’s attack, SeaWorld trainers reportedly were not supposed to be in the water with Tilikum due to the killer whale’s history. Tilikum was one of three killer whales that drowned a SeaWorld trainer in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1991. Eight years later, a dead man was found floating on Tilikum’s back. It was later determined that the man sneaked into the whale’s tank and drowned. With the whale’s history in light of this week’s death, there has naturally been some people who’ve wondered if Tilikum is a danger to its trainers and should be killed. Apparently, SeaWorld does not feel that this is the case, as evident in its decision to keep the killer whale a part of its shows and its explanation that the circumstances surrounding all three deaths varied.

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Early Reaction to SeaWorld’s Handling of Tilikum

(Images via: Thunda Funda, Answers in Genesis, SMH)

According to those close to Brancheau, she would have never wanted Tillikum to be harmed, thus suggesting that she would have been happy with the park’s decision. Likely not as happy with the decision, PETA and other organizations have argued that this killer whale attack is further evidence of the dangers of taking animals out of their natural habitats, and then called for Tilikum to be released gradually into the wild, a scenario that others say is not viable since the whale has become so dependent on humans for its survival. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to monitor when Tilikum is incorporated back into SeaWorld’s shows and to gauge how killer whales in general are viewed in terms of audience attendance and public opinion. Also worth noting, SeaWorld has said that Tilikum has not been separated from the park’s other orcas since the attack, although the whale was not present in a glass tank of killer whales that was directly behind today’s press conference.

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Space . . . the final frontier. In the past, we’ve been awed with images from the Hubble. But now mankind can now tweet from outer space. The time has come for us to delve deeper into the unknown.  Attention: Calling all explorers for a Martian treasure hunt! No spacesuit is required. The human race can help discover new alien landscapes from the comfort of their computer chairs. Ready, set, click! Mars or bust…

Mars and Phobos

(image credit:TopTechWriter.US)

Once upon a time, this was all the closer we had ever come to Mars. The smaller object is little more than an asteroid, but Phobos is the biggest of Mars’ two moons. Phobos has no atmosphere and very little gravity. President Obama did not give a good review to NASA’s human space exploration policy. With limited funding, neither man nor rockets may be going to the moon, nevertheless Mars, anytime soon. Is Phobos really all the closer mankind will come to Mars in the future?

Rover Spirit About To Bite the Big One

(image credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Red Rover, Red Rover, your mission is nearly over. The above image is from the front hazard-avoidance camera on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, taken on Jan. 23, 2010. It was the 2,154th Martian day of the rover’s mission on Mars. After six years exploring the Red Planet, NASA’s Rover Spirit is no longer a free roaming robot. Rover is reduced to a stationary science platform. Although it is not yet dead, its final resting place will be the sand trap where Rover Spirit is stuck.

So what does that mean for mankind? It means it’s time for us to step up to the plate and investigate Mars ourselves.

Did you snort with disbelief? We can do it with the help of High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, and an online tool called HiWish. HiRISE is one of six instruments on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). And now the public has been invited to propose imaging targets to see your favorite spot on Mars at people-scale resolution. We can pick pixels to view images the size of a desk.

Candidate Landing Site in NE Syrtis Major

(image credits:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing. This image lies in the middle of a candidate landing site near a huge shield volcano and a giant impact basin. The bedrock could be more than 4 billions years old! This is but one recently released HiRISE image that is suggested as an excellent place to explore early Mars . . . when the environment might have been favorable for life. Men may be from Mars and women may be from Venus, but with the help of HiWish, we can unite to discover new treasures on the Red Planet.

Mars: Then and Now

(image credits:NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona,ESA,NASA,NASA/JPL/University of Arizona,NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

The top furry looking picture was taken by HiRise and is of the Starburst Spider. Before HiRISE kicked into high gear on Mars in 2006, the Mars Express Orbiter provided the HRSC image on the upper right. It was one of the first good shots of ice in a Martian crater. The image on the middle left was captured by Spirit’s panoramic camera during its 1,892nd Martian day. It is three images combined to show the soft soil exposed when wheels of NASA’s Rover Spirit dug into a patch of ground dubbed “Troy.” At the bottom left is a digital terrain model of Victoria Crater, a possible Opportunity Rover Landing Site. On the right are contortions on the floor of Hellas Basin, a basin often hidden by atmospheric haze and dust. This clear shot shows that materials like ice appear to have flowed in a viscous manner.

Digital Terrain Models

(image credits:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

HiRISE DTMs are stereo pairs, made from two images of the same area on the ground, but they are taken from different angles. The three basic stages of creating a DTM are complicated tasks, involving sophisticated software, long computing times and lots of man-hours. Above, from left to right are the following DTMs:1)Layered rock outcrops in southwest Candor Chasma. 2)North Polar Trough with curved exposure. 3)Ring and cone structures, plus dunes and other landforms in Athabasca Valles. 4)Putative salt deposits in Terra Sirenum. 5)Potential new gully with bright deposits. 6)Dissected wall of Mojave Crater. 7)Mars Exploration Rover landing site at Gusev Crater. 8)Eroded scallops with layers.

Colorful Streaks

(image credit:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

HiRISE captured these colorful streaks in the central pit of an impact crater, located in the ancient Martian highlands. The HiRISE camera onboard the MRO is the most powerful one of its kind ever sent to another planet. Its extremely high resolution allows us to see Mars like never before, helping other missions choose a safe landing site for future exploration. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the MRO, but the HiRISE camera is operated by the University of Arizona.

Megabreccia in Toro Crater

(image credit:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

This false color image covers the western half of Toro Crater’s central peak. This 42 kilometer diameter crater is in Syrtis Major. Colorful patches of megabreccia make Toro Crater a great target for HiRISE. Scientists think that megabreccia may have formed during a period of frequent impact craters in Mars’ early history. HiRISE frequently targets the central peaks of craters because these features tend to bring up rocks like megabreccia that are usually buried under the surface. So far, HiRISE has found megabreccia in more than a hundred places on Mars.

18 Science Themes

(image credits:HiRise)

To join in the hunt, go to the HiWish Public Suggestion Page. Use the online tool HiWish and place your rectangle on the map of Mars where you’d like to look. Anyone, regardless of education, can nominate a target. First identify the location on a map, give an observation title, and then explain the potential scientific benefit of HiRISE photographing the site. Lastly, put the suggestion into one of the camera team’s 18 science themes that can be found above and voilà! Submit your potential Martian treasure. Our suggestions are looked at, science themes are prioritized, observations are validated, and if imaged, then released to the public.

Cool Mars HiRISE Images

(image credits:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Not all of the HiRISE images have spectacular names, but the pictures are astounding. You could help with that and submit your choice, your wish, with HiWish. Without further ado, here are some more cool pictures of Mars. The top left is titled USGS Dune Database Entry (ESP_014426_2070). On the top right is The Dark Spot on Mars. Those blotchy spots at the middle left are of the South Polar Carbon Dioxide Ice Cap. The middle right image is the Sand Dunes and Ripples in Proctor Crater. On the bottom left is Jezero Crater. At the bottom right, Falling Material Kicks Up a Cloud of Dust on Dunes.

More Awesome Martian Landscapes Captured by HiRISE

(image credits:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

The top image is of the Mars Endurance Crater. The image in the middle shows dune symmetry inside a Martian crater. The photo on bottom shows dunes again, but these are frost-covered dunes inside a crater.

More From Mars

(image credits:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona,NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

It is at this time unknown if mankind will ever take an outer space adventure on the scale of moving to and inhabiting Mars. How mind-blowing would it be, however, to live there and to look out over such alien landscapes? That scaly looking image on the top left is of bright layered deposits with clues of acidic water. On the top right is an oblique view of the Victoria Crater. The middle right image gives us a closer look at water-related geologic activity on Mars. The bottom left is a meter-scale morphology of the north polar region of Mars. At the bottom right, that bizarre image has an uninspiring title, USGS Dune Database Entry.

Conspiracy Theory: Man on Mars?

(image credits:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

We’ve all heard of crop circles and pyramids designed by aliens, possibly Martians. There are also “ancient landing strips” theoretically created by ancient aliens who once lived on Earth. We’ve also heard of the “man in the moon,” but this USGS Dune Database Entry Number seems to resemble a man’s outline on Mars. Or it is a Martian’s outline? Conspiracy theories will never die, so if you are a conspiracy theorist then you too had better get busy using HiWish to get the view you most wish to see on Mars. Despite the thousands of pictures already taken, less than 1% of the Red Planet’s surface has been imaged. The HiRISE science team will evaluate suggestions and put high-priority ones into a queue. Thousands of pending targets from scientists as well as the public will be imaged.

Earth & Moon As Seen From Mars…Our Future?

(image credit:NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

This is the view from Mars, looking out at Earth and the moon. Will it someday be the view of some brave souls who moved to the Red Planet? Here’s your Martian treasure map, HiRISE online image viewer, to get started. Take part in HiRISE and HiWish. If your children or grandchildren someday ask, wouldn’t you like to say you answered the call and helped explore Mars?

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The biggest period of overindulgence of the entire year is nearly behind us now. With only the New Year celebrations to go, many of us find that our jeans are fitting a little tighter and our dietary rules are getting a little lax. It’s the perfect time to take a look at what’s happening in the world of food, farming and nutrition.

Human-Powered Vending Machine

We’d all be a little better off if we were forced to confront just how many calories are in those holiday snacks we enjoy so much. Spanish inventor Pep Torres has created an extremely clever vending machine that only gives up the goods once you’ve burned calories equal to the calories in the treat. The candy inside the machine, currently on display at a shopping center in Barcelona, is free once the user hops onto the exercise bike and pedals off the calories in his chosen confection. Torres hopes to educate children and adults about the nutritional cost of  empty calorie sweets; he’d like to see his machine installed in schools and metro stations.

Grocery Waste Feeds London

On December 16th, hundreds of people waited in line to eat garbage in Trafalgar Square. More accurately, they were lining up to eat a delicious, nutritious meal made entirely of food that would have otherwise been wasted by grocery stores, farmers and other food distributors. The fruits and vegetables were all perfectly safe to eat, but because they were the wrong size, shape or color, or a day beyond their “sell by” date, they couldn’t be sold. The event was meant to raise awareness of the horrifying amounts of edible food wasted every day by stores and restaurants, and to call for government regulations on retailers’ food waste.

Promiseland Livestock Loses Organic Certification

In the latest part of a long-reaching organic industry scandal, Promiseland Livestock has had its organic certification suspended for four years. While they aren’t accused of directly defrauding consumers, the organic livestock giant is accused of blocking the USDA from inspecting their facilities as well as their financial and organic records. The suspension comes as a victory for organic industry watchdog The Cornucopia Institute, which has filed complaints against Promiseland as well as many “organic” dairies and distributors.

Helping Sustain Kenya, One Backpack at a Time

A new program may help Kenyans grow their own food and maintain the delicate ecosystem in which they live. Backpack Farm provides everything a new farmer needs to start growing food, and it’s all contained within a backpack. Each pack carries drought-resistant seeds, a collapsible drip irrigation kit, plant food, mosquito pesticide, farm tools, a chemical sprayer, training manuals, and a diary for keeping track of the farm’s progress. The goal is to feed every hungry person and engender a sense of community while teaching self-reliance through farming.

Too Fat to Serve

We all know that Americans are trending more and more toward obesity every year, but what effect is that having on national security? According to a new study from Mission: Readiness, 1/3 of young Americans are too fat to serve in the military. With current troops being overextended and sent on multiple grueling deployments, the military is forced to turn down 15,000 potential new recruits every year based on their body weight.

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