Tag: animals
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The Weird and Wonderful Platypus
Sophie Teall explores some of the more surprising features of this unusual mammal. Imagine a glowing creature with venomous spikes that stalks its prey in the night with eyes shut tight. It may sound like a thing of legends (or nightmares), but this creature is very much real. It is also surprisingly adorable, covered in…
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Secrets of the water bear
Tardigrades (also known as water bears or moss piglets) are among the most resilient animals on the planet. They are termed “extremotolerant”, as while they are not true extremophiles – organisms, usually unicellular, which are adapted to thrive in extreme conditions – these incredible micro-animals are found in the most intense conditions our planet has…
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RZSS share the impact of lockdown on conservation
Talking to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, who own Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, Ailie McWhinnie investigates the vital conservation work in Scotland and around the world that has taken a hit during the pandemic, and what we can do to help. The Cairngorm plateau, a wild and rugged landscape strewn with…
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Turning invisible: lessons from cephalopod cells
Ellie Bennett looks at the way in which cephalopod cells might hold the key to turning our dreams of invisibility into a reality, albeit at the cellular level. There are few other classes of animal that conjure up such feverish images of deep-sea monsters or otherworldly aliens than that of the cephalopods. Translating from Greek…
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You are what you eat: is cannibalism a good idea?
During lockdown I, like many, have been watching more TV shows. My most recent watch was Hannibal. For those who don’t know, Hannibal is a horror-thriller TV series which follows Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a forensic scientist and secret cannibal. Recently, writers and directors have been reframing cannibalism for entertainment purposes, treating their subjects not as…