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TEL AVIV/FRANKFURT, March 12 (Reuters) - Two years after scientists cooked up the first test tube beef hamburger, researchers in Israel are working on an even trickier recipe: the world's first lab-grown chicken. Professor Amit Gefen, a bioengineer at Tel Aviv University, has begun a year-long feasibility study into manufacturing chicken in a lab, funded by a non-profit group called the Modern Agriculture Foundation which hopes "cultured meat" will one day replace the raising of animals for slaughter. The foundation's co-founder Shir Friedman hopes to have produced "a recipe for how to culture chicken cells" by the end of the...

A stingray weighing nearly 800lb has become the largest freshwater fish ever caught by rod and line. The gigantic flat fish, which was 8ft wide and 14ft long, took nearly two hours to reel in. It was caught by American TV nature conservationist Jeff Corwin on the Mae Klong river in Thailand earlier this week.

A trio of paleontologists has announced the discovery of a fossil belonging to a new species of ancient arthropod that rivals the largest ever found. They detail their finding in Wednesday's publication of the journal Nature. Hundreds of millions of years ago, arthropods, which include modern-day spiders, insects, and crustaceans, were much larger, and we're not talking the size of a small dog. An extinct millipede called Arthropleura reached up to 8.5 feet in length, making it the largest land invertebrate ever known to exist. Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, which extended 8.2 feet, dwelled in the water (pictured right).

Pit bulls and kittens are a lethal combo: they may seriously kill you with cuteness. When the two are combined, all sorts of terrible things can happen. We have the perfect countdown of videos displaying all kinds of unforgivable behavior. Warning: The videos below may simulate the emotional effect of sticks of dynamite packed with “AWWWW.” We strongly suggest you endure the pain.

A new bill has been proposed which would allow police officers to enter any home, regardless of whether or not they have a warrant, if there is a pit bull on the property. Even worse, the bill would allow officers to shoot and kill the dog if only a handful of conditions were met. The Huffington Post reported that measure would make Mississippi the only state in history with a policy against a specific dog breed. House Bill 1261 not only says police may enter homes without warrants, but they could actually kill the animal if they determine the dogs...

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) – Police in Fairfield, Connecticut, are investigating the discovery of two dead skunks with a sign reading “Obama Stinks.” Article at link I think

West Virginia police say a 62-year-old man has died after being mauled to death by a pit bull that attacked him as he tried to revive the dog’s unconscious owner following a heart attack. ... police believe Wallace suffered a heart attack. Higgenbotham was attacked as he tried to resuscitate Wallace. ... the pit bull was not registered with the city, despite an ordinance that requires all pit bulls in the city be registered.

A second dog is reported to have died after appearing at Crufts, amid fears that at least six of the animals were deliberately poisoned at the world famous show. The shih tzu is believed to have died over the weekend, just hours after the 'murder' of Irish setter Jagger. The three-year-old died on Friday after eating meat which his owners say was laced with poison. Today, Jagger's bereft co-owners are preparing to cremate the prize-winning dog at his rural home in Belgium, before scattering his ashes across a field where he used to love walking. It comes as the show's...

Last week the internet went mental after a wildlife photographer snapped a picture of a feisty weasel hitching a ride of the back of a woodpecker.This week’s battle of the species is between a cat… and a tortoise.The shelled creatures are usually best known for taking on hares in running races.But this tortoise decided he fancied a game of “tag” with his fluffy feline friend, sneaking round a garden post.Happy Sunday.

If you like the idea of having a conversation with your pet cat then you better look away now. Flam, a cat in Nashville, Tennessee, may well be the first of its kind to have had a conversation with a human being. But sadly, as documented on video, the little chat didn't go down that well with the feline.

A garbage man found two tiny orphan day-old kittens in a brush pile. “I couldn’t leave them there,” he said. “Simon has needed the most love and attention (he got sick and weak a couple times – but he’s fine now), if he were left in the alley where we collected the brush pile that day, I know in my heart he would not be alive right now.

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Washington's wolf population grew by more than 30 percent last year and formed four new packs. ... The state also found there are now 16 wolf packs and at least five successful breeding pairs.

Beaver dams are causing a problem in Beaverton, Oregon, in the Beaver State. SNIP The Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District knows better than to dismantle the dam, because the animals would just build it right back up again. SNIP

It is sometimes necessary for men wanting to attract the opposite sex to come out of their shell. Yet it seems that by often choosing the bolder males, women may be missing out on the best possible mate. Researchers have found that the shyest males actually have the most to offer a potential lover - at least in the world of hermit crabs.

Kevin Hines was battling mental illness when he tried to commit suicide, but believed the sea creature kept him afloat and saved his lifeA man who was suffering from mental illness and depression has revealed how a sea lion saved his life after he tried to kill himself. Kevin Hines jumped off San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in 2000, but against all the odds he managed to survive. Hines told how his depression had led him to see life through a "bit of tunnel vision," leading him to think he had to die. SNIP He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:...

We feed them, groom them, clothe them and otherwise shell out the big bucks to protect and pamper our pets. The American Pet Products Association’s annual report on pet industry spending says Americans spent $58 billion in 2014 on their 397 million pets, which range from freshwater fish and reptiles to cats and dogs. …

Samsung's smartphones might be losing market share, but the South Korean tech giant is em-barking into a new area—hi-tech, luxury dog kennels. On Wednesday, Samsung Electronics unveiled the "Dream Doghouse," which cost £20,000 ($30,600) to make. Aimed at "tech-savvy pampered pooches," the one-off design will be on display this month at Crufts, the world's largest dog show, of which Samsung is a long-term sponsor. The kennel will not go on sale but is available as a prize in a competition across Samsung's social media channels. The Dream Doghouse was six weeks in creation and comes with two indoor living...

Attacks the past two weeks on at least 16 farms across several rural South Carolina counties killed an estimated 300,000 chickens and cost the owners roughly $1.7 million. Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett said someone familiar with alarm systems used in chicken houses is responsible. Those alarms also control the heat, air conditioning and ventilation units and notify farmers by cellphone when buildings get too hot or cold. Chickens can die in about an hour if the ventilation and heating systems are turned off. “The chicks, you have to maintain the temperature at 95 to 100 degrees, and when they...

One curious lion came right up to the family’s car, peered in and then managed to open the car door with its mouth.