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Three new species of snailfish show there's still plenty of mystery surrounding the deep sea. Not to be dramatic, but I would die for this snailfish. Photo courtesy of MBARI, © 2019 MBARI ====================================================================== In 2019, scientists spotted something strange thousands of meters below the ocean surface. There, they filmed a pink bumpy blob with cartoonishly big eyes and more pectoral fin-rays than you could shake a stick at. Now, they’ve been able to confirm that this was a new-to-science species. It’s a snailfish, and better yet, it’s one of three new-to-science species described in a new study. There are...

Florida is host to a variety of invasive species, largely thanks to its history in the exotic pet trade. However, there’s one amphibian you may want to keep an eye out for, as it could prove dangerous. That’s the cane toad — also dubbed the “Bufo” toad — which was originally brought to Florida in the 1930s as part of a pest control program, according to the UF/IFAS. At the time, cane toads were used to eat beetles threatening sugar cane crops in the state, though the initial population didn’t survive this attempt. Instead, around 100 of these toads were...

his is the hilarious moment that a dog owner tries to outsmart his German Shepherd while offering her a treat, but it backfires as the smart girl works it out.Our pets deserve a treat every now and then – especially as a reward for good behaviour. And recently, one dog parent decided to make her German Sherpherd earn their treat. He thought it would take a while for the pooch to figure things out – but it quickly backfired when the clever girl managed to figure it out in seconds. So it was actually the owner who ended up learning...

A young bald eagle visited the nest of internet-famous raptors Jackie and Shadow. The youngster was likely Gizmo, the eagle couple’s daughter. Like Gizmo, this eagle had a dark tail, missing feathers on its left wing and an upturned mouth. When bald eagle power couple Jackie and Shadow’s two baby girls flew their Big Bear nest earlier this summer, it was bittersweet.Thousands of adoring fans had watched them hatch on a 24-hour webcam that monitors the family and now they were growing up — fast. But one of the internet-famous youngsters, Gizmo, may have just dropped by her childhood home,...

Facetotectans (aka y-larvae) have been a mystery since their discovery in the 1800s. Scientists are unsure of what they grow up to become, but we now know where these crustaceans fit in the tree of life. This image shows a cypris larvae, or y-cyprid. Credit: Niklas Dreyer Y-larvae, mysterious crustaceans related to barnacles, may be parasitic and are key to understanding barnacle evolution. When most people think of barnacles, they imagine shell-like organisms clinging to boats, docks, or even whales. Yet some barnacles go far beyond passive attachment — they can actually invade and take over their hosts. “Instead of...

A local therapy dog is in the running for a national award after providing much-needed support to first responders during the Los Angeles wildfires. Throw him a ball and 6-year-old Rudy will chase it. The poodle loves backrubs and playing with his buddies at their Chatsworth home, but when his vest comes on, he knows it's time for business. "We're trained by first responders, for first responders," said his owner, Steven Zonis. Zonis has been training Rudy to be a certified therapy dog since he was a puppy. It's become his passion after a long career as an engineer, where...

Tony Pirouet and his two pals had gone to pick up a new boat from Burnt Island before sailing back to North Queensferry on Saturday evening.This is the incredible moment when three friends captured a dolphin coming up to their boat in the Firth of Forth. Tony Pirouet and his two pals had gone to pick up a new boat from Burnt Island before sailing back to North Queensferry on Saturday evening. The trio, who are all in their early 50s, stopped off at St David's Bay for a spot of fishing - with little success - and then headed...

The Oregon Duck lost his head in the run up to the team's opener against Montana State on Saturday. No, it wasn't out of excitement for the game. The mascot was running out on the field at Autzen Stadium when he tripped and the head of his costume flew off. The headless Duck sprinted back into the tunnel while a helper grabbed the head and ran after him. Moments later the Duck returned to the field, fully restored. It is not the first time the Duck has had a wardrobe malfunction. He also lost his head when he tripped on...

Scribble & Clue can solve math by barking! Image credit: Gutmann & Neuhaus 2025, CC BY 4.0/A. Carpineti, IFLScience/Valentin Drull/Shutterstock.com In one of the most hilarious papers we have read this year, two scientists challenged some famous quantum factorization records, pointing out how these approaches are only possible using very specific numbers or by changing the problem into an altogether easier-to-solve one. The team calls it sleight of hand, and are calling it out using old computers, an abacus, and even a dog! You most likely learned factorization in elementary school. You take a number and, using some known rules...

White Coat Waste Project (WCW), a watchdog group dedicated to ending taxpayer-funded animal experiments, has discovered that millions in taxpayer dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the State of Florida are being spent on bizarre experiments to create “transgender” monkeys by pumping male rhesus macaques full of estrogen and then injecting them with mRNA vaccines. The research, published in Cell Reports earlier this month, says that the experiments are aimed at modeling feminizing hormone therapy (FHT) as used by transgender biological males transitioning to “female.” According to the paper, “To investigate the immune effects of estrogen within...

University of Minnesota researchers developed a 3D-printed scaffold that directs stem cells to grow into functioning nerve cells, successfully restoring movement in rats with severed spinal cords. This promising technique could transform future treatment for spinal cord injuries.

A deranged fan threatened to kill the dog of Red Sox pitcher Dustin May in response to a social media post by the pitcher’s wife. May’s wife, Amelia, shared an Instagram Story that contained a picture of the couple’s dog, along with a message from an account called dustinmaywilldie, which read, “I’ll cook this dog for dinner.” The threatening note came after May allowed five runs in the Red Sox’s loss to the Yankees on August 24. The menacing message toward May and his pet marks only the most recent example of a disturbing trend in which Red Sox players...

The first time I ate a raccoon was about 11 years ago. Some were raiding the chicken coop where we lived, so my roommate and I were charged with dispatching. We trapped one in a Hav-a-Hart, killed it, and being equal parts curious and broke, we cooked it. We braised the first raccoon with a bunch of chili peppers, aromatics, and stock. I was honestly conflicted about the whole ordeal. On the one hand, it smelled damn good as it was cooking. On the other hand, I had a mental block on raccoon as a food. I was brought up...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted two separate shipments of bushmeat at Detroit Metropolitan Airport last month, including one haul of primate meat, in seizures officials say highlight the dangers of disease entering the United States. Bushmeat—defined by U.S. health agencies as meat from wild animals such as bats, monkeys, and cane rats—is illegal to import into the country. CBPOps and DFODetroit announced the discoveries Saturday in a joint post on Instagram, writing, “Scary!!! @DFODetroit CBP agriculture specialists intercepted back-to-back bushmeat at @DTWShots. Bushmeat poses serious risks to public health and violates federal regulations. CBP remains vigilant in protecting...

One snake, two venoms — and the wrong antivenom could make the difference between life and death. Credit: Shutterstock Researchers have uncovered a hidden split in the venom of Australia’s deadly Eastern Brown Snake. Southern populations create rock-solid blood clots, while northern snakes produce fragile clots that collapse almost instantly — two very different paths to the same deadly outcome. This discovery raises urgent concerns about whether current antivenoms, made from pooled venoms of unclear origin, can fully protect patients across regions. Antivenom Effectiveness Questioned A new study from the University of Queensland suggests that the antivenom used to treat...

Bearded dragons are famous for their ability to change sex depending on heat and genes. Two new genome projects have revealed the likely master gene, Amh, behind this switch — finally solving a reptile mystery that has baffled scientists for years. Credit: Shutterstock Scientists have finally cracked one of the strangest mysteries in reptile biology: how bearded dragons decide their sex. Breakthrough Genomes Reveal Bearded Dragon’s Secrets Two separate research teams have now released near-complete reference genomes of the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps), a lizard species that ranges widely across central eastern Australia and is also a favorite pet...

Monkeys in trunks. Uncle Benny in tanks. Pinky slinging pure fire ink. Welcome to PV Tattoo Supply Co. — where chaos meets craft and every story leaves a mark.

See the so-called evidence that allegedly proves Bigfoot's existenceA CAMPER believes he's unlocked the secret behind one of the world's most famous cryptids after finding a so-called Bigfoot corpse. Charles “Snake” Stuart, also known as the Bigfoot hunter, presented his stunning findings in a bizarre exhibition on Wednesday. He brought the massive 8-foot-tall hairy body to the New York State Fair in Syracuse and displayed it behind a glass case. The grisly figure was placed on top of a wooden coffin in a dark room with spooky growls playing on speakers. Beside the alleged body is a video of Star...

A Maryland resident who traveled to El Salvador has been diagnosed with New World screwworm — the first reported U.S. case tied to travel to a country with a current outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the diagnosis on Aug. 4. Federal health officials acknowledged the infection in an emailed statement Monday. The person has recovered, and investigators found no transmission to any other people or animals, Maryland health officials said. The CDC investigated the case in coordination with Maryland's health department. Here's what to know. What is New World screwworm? New World screwworm (NWS) is a...