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It was already a special day for Caleb Newton and Phil Wilcox — the two friends enjoying a bass-fishing bachelor party on the Potomac River. But when the men spotted a long shadow swimming among the reeds, they knew things were only going to get more interesting. Gliding among the grass was a northern snakehead, a gruesome animal known as a “Frankenfish” by some. And it was big. But it wasn’t until they wrestled it into the boat that they realized it might be the biggest anyone has ever caught with a hook and line. “I knew it was a...

The artificial jellyfish replica is made from silicone polymer and rat heart cells ... a proof of concept for reverse engineering a variety of muscular organs and simple life forms. ... jellyfish use a muscle to pump their way through the water ... similar to that of a human heart. The work also points to a broader definition of "synthetic life" in an emerging field of science that has until now focused on replicating life's building blocks... ... to challenge the traditional view of synthetic biology which is "focused on genetic manipulations of cells". Instead of building just a cell,...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A crab species from China has been discovered in the Patapsco River, state authorities said Friday, prompting fears about the potentially invasive species' presence in the Chesapeake Bay. The crab, a mature male Chinese mitten crab, was collected at the mouth of the Patapsco several weeks ago by a commercial waterman using fishing crab pots. The species, scientific name Eriocheir sinensis, is considered a potentially invasive species, the state Department of Natural Resources said Friday. "This is the first confirmed recorded case for the Chesapeake Bay," Lynn Fegley, a DNR fisheries biologist said in a statement. "Only...

Now it's time for a little payback. Mr. Gardner is leading a band of 13 commissioners from Western counties who have filed to seek protection for a rare new species: the northern snakehead fish, also known as the ?Frankenfish.? Yes, Mr. Gardner understands that the carnivorous, Asian-bred fish not only can swim but also crawl across land and wreck havoc on local wildlife. And no, he lives nowhere near the Potomac River, where the snakehead makes its home — and that's the point. "As I read about this fish in the Potomac, I thought, 'You know, that sounds like an...

SHARPSBURG, Md. - Male fish that are growing eggs have been found in the Potomac River near Sharpsburg, a sign that a little-understood type of pollution is spreading downstream from West Virginia, a federal scientist says. The so-called intersex abnormality may be caused by pollutants from sewage plants, feedlots and factories that can interfere with animals' hormone systems, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Nine male smallmouth bass taken from the Potomac near Sharpsburg, about 60 miles upstream from Washington, were found to have developed eggs inside their sex organs, said Vicki S. Blazer, a scientist overseeing the research for the...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The dreaded Northern Snakehead, a voracious predator dubbed the "Frankenfish" that can breathe out of water and wriggle across land, has invaded the Great Lakes, authorities said on Friday. Scientists with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources identified the 18-inch-long (46-cm-long), sharp-toothed fish netted over the weekend in a harbor near Chicago's downtown by a fisherman, who put it in his freezer and posted a photograph of the creature on the Internet. A native of China, the Northern Snakehead was first discovered in 2002 breeding in East Coast ponds -- one of which was poisoned and...

**FILE PHOTO** A captured snakehead fish is displayed at Wheaton Regional Park in Wheaton, Md., Wednesday, April 28, 2004, where the fish was caught by a fisherman. Maryland officials said a second northern snakehead has been caught by a fisherman in the Potomac River, a sign that the destructive alien species may have invaded the Washington area's largest river. (AP Photo/Leslie E. Kossoff) Second Snakehead Found in Potomac River Fri May 14, 10:17 AM ET By STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press Writer ROCKVILLE, Md. - A second northern snakehead has been caught by a fisherman in the Potomac River, Maryland officials...

SACRAMENTO -- Starting next month, the nation's first genetically altered household pet -- a fish -- will start appearing in stores -- except in California. The "GloFish" is altered to glow in the dark, but environmental and public interest groups call it "Frankenfish." They oppose an exemption to the state's ban on lab-engineered species that the state Fish and Game Commission will take up Wednesday State wildlife officials say the Florida-grown Zebra fish poses no danger. Officials say the fish, which scientists turned green or red by inserting genes from other species, are less tolerant of cold water and would...

Erroneous Report by Feds Miffs Maine Officials LEWISTON, Maine (AP) The snakehead, a toothy, torpedo-shaped fish, has been found in Maine, federal officials warned Tuesday. There was one catch, as it turned out: The fish was captured 26 years ago. The mix-up began in Washington D.C., where Interior Secretary Gale Norton proposed banning the importation of 28 species of snakehead. A 26-inch long northern snakehead was caught by a Maryland angler earlier this month in a 9-acre pond behind a strip mall. Since then, more than 100 juvenile snakeheads about the size of a finger have been caught there. The...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The land-walking snakehead fish that is native to Asia has been found in seven U.S. states and the Bush administration will announce on Tuesday a ban on U.S. imports of the predatory fish. The snakehead, which can grow up to 3 feet long, eats other fish and can walk across land to find new sources of food in other lakes and streams. The fish can stay out of water for up to three days. The fish came to light this summer after several snakeheads were found in a Maryland pond. The so-called Frankenfish were dumped there by...