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A proposal to designate the tortilla as New Mexico’s official state bread had unanimous support from lawmakers. On Friday, though, it ended up falling flat. It wasn’t because Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t a fan of the round wraps that have long been a staple of Mexican, Central American and Southwestern U.S. cooking. It was because she believes lawmakers missed opportunities to debate bills that deal with weightier matters as the state faces extraordinary challenges. “Of course, I enjoy celebrating our unique culture,” she wrote in her veto message, ticking off numerous official state symbols and songs that New Mexico...

Have you ever wondered why you don't have thick hair covering your whole body like a dog, cat or gorilla does? Humans aren't the only mammals with sparse hair. Elephants, rhinos and naked mole rats also have very little hair. It's true for some marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, too. Scientists think the earliest mammals, which lived at the time of the dinosaurs, were quite hairy. But over hundreds of millions of years, a small handful of mammals, including humans, evolved to have less hair. What's the advantage of not growing your own fur coat? I'm a biologist...

Ants are among the most familiar insects on Earth today, but their origins remain cloaked in deep evolutionary history. Until now, the oldest known ant specimens came from amber deposits in France and Myanmar, dating to the Cretaceous period around 100 million years ago. But a new discovery—published recently in the journal Current Biology—pushes that timeline back even further. “Our team has discovered a new fossil ant species representing the earliest undisputable geological record of ants,” said lead author Anderson Lepeco in a recent statement. “What makes this discovery particularly interesting is that it belongs to the extinct ‘hell ant,’...

The tiny ice inhabitants darken the glacier’s surface, which can accelerate its melting. Glaciers are massive bodies of white ice that reflect a significant amount of sunlight. However, in areas where the snow has melted and the bare ice is exposed, dark patches often appear. These dark areas are caused by microscopic algae that grow directly on the ice. By darkening the surface, these algae reduce the glacier’s ability to reflect sunlight, leading to increased absorption of heat. This, in turn, causes the ice to warm and melt more quickly. Mysterious algae growth Little is known about how the tiny...

If you've ever wanted to roam around the forests as a cryptozoological hominid, now you can. "Catch and eat fish, insects, and other creatures," the game synopsis states. "Forage the forest for mushrooms, berries, and more. Build shelters to store your items in to get through the harsh winters. Earn extra points by breaking branches and scaring the wildlife." The game has its share of obstacles too, from Bigfoot hunters who try to take pictures of you to adverse weather conditions.

Albert Ostman (April 21st 1893 – 1975) was a Canadian prospector who reported that he was abducted by a Sasquatch and held captive for six days. He stated that the event took place near Toba Inlet, British Columbia in 1924. Albert was born in northern Sweden, in Arnäsvall, to Abraham and Albertina Östman (nee Strandberg). He emigrated from Sweden to Canada in 1913. He did not come forward publicly with his story until 1957. ALBERT OSTMAN'S STORY I have always followed logging and construction work. This time I had worked over one year on a construction job, and thought a...

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä have for the first time isolated a giant virus in Finland, Jyvaskylavirus, revealing that these large amoeba‑infecting viruses are more widespread in northern soils and waters than previously thought. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com ************************************************************************ Finland’s first giant virus, Jyvaskylavirus, shows these viruses are more widespread than thought and play key roles in ecosystems. For the first time in Finland, researchers at the University of Jyväskylä’s Nanoscience Center have isolated a giant virus, which they have named Jyvaskylavirus. This discovery suggests that giant viruses may be more widespread in northern regions than previously believed. It...

First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat Image credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute Behold: a live colossal squid in all its glory. After a century of searching, the extremely elusive cephalopod has been caught on camera alive in its natural habitat for the first time (and, for once, not inside the belly of a whale or washed up dead on a beach). The juvenile squid was filmed on March 9 at a depth of 600 meters (1,968...

After more than a decade of searching for evidence of the infamous British Bigfoot, an investigator claims to have found a print that was a terrifying 41cm from toe to heelAn investigator claims to have proof of the British Bigfoot. Lee Brickley found tracks and claw marks after a decade searching for the ape-like beast. The 33-year-old says the print was a terrifying 41cm from toe to heel – nearly twice the size of a man’s size eight. Lee knows people will think he is “mad” but he hopes to prove them wrong. He said: “When I show them the...

It’s game of clones!The dire wolf — a species that disappeared 13,000 years ago and was made famous by the beloved HBO series “Game of Thrones” — is making a comeback, thanks to the first-ever so-called “de-extinction.” Three dire wolf pups — aptly named Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — were successfully born using DNA from ancient dire wolf fossils and genes from their closest living relative, the gray wolf.The extraordinary results were revealed Monday by Colossal Biosciences, the same Texas-based genetic engineering company that created the adorable colossal woolly mouse. “Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a...

A colossal squid has been filmed in its natural environment for the first time since the species was discovered 100 years ago. The 30cm-long (11.8in) juvenile was caught on camera at a depth of 600m (1,968ft), near the South Sandwich Islands in the south Atlantic Ocean. A team of scientists, led by a University of Essex academic, recorded the footage in March during a 35-day quest to find new marine life. Experts believe colossal squid can grow up to 7m (23ft) in length and weigh up to 500kg (1,100lb) - making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet.

Using a novel iterative genome assembly method, the company produced the most complete dire wolf genomes to date. caretaker feeding an infant dire wolf. Colossal Biosciences For decades, dire wolves have captivated the imaginations of gamers, musicians, and fantasy fans. From Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft to Game of Thrones, these prehistoric predators have lived on as cultural icons far more than biological realities –until now. In a stunning scientific breakthrough, Dallas-based Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences has brought the legendary canid back from extinction, making it the world’s first successfully de-extincted animal. Three litters of dire wolves have...

For more than a decade, scientists have chased the idea of reviving extinct species, a process sometimes called de-extinction. Now, a company called Colossal Biosciences appears to have done it, or something close, with the dire wolf, a giant, extinct species made famous by the television series “Game of Thrones.” In 2021, a separate team of scientists managed to retrieve DNA from the fossils of dire wolves, which went extinct about 13,000 years ago. With the discovery of additional DNA, the Colossal researchers have now edited 20 genes of gray wolves to imbue the animals with key features of dire...

The world’s most expensive — and unique — dog has sold for a fetching $5.7 million. Being the first of its kind, this is pooch is a cross between an actual wolf and a Caucasian Shepherd — which can sound like a sci-fi movie plot. An Indian dog enthusiast barked up the big bucks for the “wolfdog” named Cadabomb Okami, touted as the rarest dog in the world. This extravagant pup was born in the US and is only eight months old — but already weighs over 165 lbs and is 30 inches tall. Being part Shepherd, at heart Okami...

Even in today's cynical world, real heartwarming underdog stories can still happen. That's what happened to a once-maligned fish that has now won a prestigious award. The blobfish, which had previously been named the "World's Ugliest Animal" has staged a comeback of epic proportions and officially won a vote for New Zealand's "Fish of the Year." According to The New York Post, the inspiring sea creature beat out all opponents by a wide margin to stand tall. The decidedly unattractive creature dominated the competition in the contest run by Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, claiming the title with 1,286 votes...

Call it a UFO: an unidentified floating object. Beachcombers were baffled over a creepy, “skeleton-like” figure with fins that washed ashore in the UK, as seen in viral photos making waves online. “For the life of me, I can’t tell you what it was,” Paula Regan told South West News Service. “It was the weirdest thing.” She had reportedly stumbled upon the freaky flotsam on March 10 while strolling the shore in Margate, Kent, with her husband Dave.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Beaverton residents are on alert after a cougar was recorded walking through the backyard of a Cedar Hills neighborhood home at 1:45 a.m. on March 18. The sighting occurred 0.2 miles from Cedar Hills Crossing, a popular shopping center in the area. On Thursday, a second sighting was reported a mile away from the first sighting, Deputy David Huey of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told KOIN. “Today, WCSO received a notice of a sighting near the 13,000 block of SW Foothill Drive,” Huey said. “They are fairly close to each other on the map.”

A female individual of Alsodes vittatus (Credit: Edvin Riveros) CONCEPCIÓN, Chile — For 130 years, a small Chilean frog vanished from scientific view. Biologists searched. Nature enthusiasts kept their eyes open. But Alsodes vittatus remained stubbornly invisible, known only from a single preserved specimen and the yellowed pages of a century-old scientific description. That changed when a team of determined researchers from Chilean universities finally located not one but three populations of this mythical amphibian hiding in remote Andean streams. Their March 2025 paper in the journal ZooKeys documents what might be the most exciting amphibian rediscovery in South America...

One of the most interesting things about humanity is how it manages to take something dangerous to it, and make it useful to itself. We took wolves and domesticated them, turning them into dogs, which have done everything from help us hunt, find dangerous items, warn us of impending danger, or even just sit on our laps and lower our blood pressure. Mankind does a lot of things with its miraculous intelligence, but one of the things it's actually best at is taming that which threatens us. And it looks like mankind has now gotten around to taming one of...

Well, this guy's a little cranky. :^) The HORRIFYING Truth About Stonehenge... | 12:54 Adam Morgan Ibbotson | 8.73K subscribers | 55,374 views | March 4, 2025