Only slight variations in wing patterns distinguish the Russian population from a widely distributed moth species, Calyptra thalictri, in central and southern Europe known to feed only on fruit.

When the Russian moths were experimentally offered human hands this summer, the insects drilled their hook-and-barb-lined tongues under the skin and sucked blood.

Entomologist Jennifer Zaspel at the University of Florida in Gainesville said the discovery suggests the moth population could be on an "evolutionary trajectory" away from other C. thalictri populations.

In January, she will compare the Russian population's DNA to that of other populations and other species to confirm her suspicions.

"Based on geography, based on behavior, and based on a phenotypic variation we saw in the wing pattern, we can speculate that this represents something different, something new," Zaspel said.

"But it is really difficult to say without knowing genetic differences between individuals in that population, and among individuals from other populations, how different this group is going to be."

(Zaspel's research is funded in part by a grant from the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration. National Geographic owns National Geographic News.)

Blood Feeding

If it turns out that Zaspel has indeed caught a fruit-eating moth evolving blood-feeding behavior, it could provide clues as to how some moths develop a taste for blood.

(Related: "Vampire Bats Hunt by Sound of Victims' Breath" [June 19, 2006].)

Some researchers, she noted, hypothesize that blood-feeding in insects and animals evolved from behaviors such as feeding on tears, dung, and pus-filled wounds.

"We see a progression from nectar feeding and licking or lapping at fruit juices to different kinds of piercing behaviors of fruits and then finally culminating in this skin piercing and blood-feeding," she said.

Chris Nice, a biologist who studies butterfly evolution at Texas State University in San Marcos, said few butterfly and moth species are equipped with the hook-and-barb-lined tongues needed to pierce fruit.

"The fruit-piercing stage in the first place sets the stage, in a morphological sense, for further transitions into, in this case, the blood-feeding," he said.

Nice added that genetic research such as Zaspel's is the only way to test ideas on how certain behaviors evolve.

Sexual Gift?

The next question is why this Russian population of C. thalictri appears to have evolved blood-feeding behavior, Zaspel said.

Only male moths exhibit blood-feeding, she noted, raising the possibility that as in some species of butterflies and other moths, the Russian moths do it to pass on salt to females during copulation.

"There is no evidence it prolongs the life of the male, or anything like that," she said. "So we suspect that it is probably going to the female."

The sexual gift, she said, would provide a nutritional boost to young larvae that feed on leaf-rich, but sodium-poor, diets.

If salt is otherwise limited in the environment the sexual gift theory "would make sense," Nice added.
Unknown "Layana's Pet" :D - 16 years, 1 month, 29 days ago

CHAMPAGNE, check, strawberries, check, chocolate-flavoured willy spread - erm, come again.

The novelty food product may spice up your bedroom antics, but it could kill you.

The Food Standard's Agency today has issued a warning over a number of products, including the chocolate-flavoured willy spread and chocolate nipple spread, sold at some Ann Summers stores throughout the UK.

They contain melamine, the industrial chemical at the centre of the food scare in China.

The European Commission has said any product containing more than 15 per cent milk and more than 2.5mg/kg of melamine must be destroyed.

The levels of melamine detected in the affected products ranged from 126mg/kg to 259mg/kg.

Koala cookies containing the lethal ingredient have already been withdrawn.

Officials believe the problem was caused by suppliers in China boosting milk output by diluting it with water then adding melamine because it can fool tests verifying protein content.

Four people have died in China after drinking the milk, and 54,000 tots aged under two have developed problems.

bodypen

The products involved in the latest UK scare include:

'I love you' pen set containing:

Chocolate body pen, 40g

Advertisement
Virgin

Strawberry body pen, 40g

Chocolate flavoured willy spread, 40g

Chocolate flavoured nipple spread, 40g

A spokesperson from the FSA said: "This is a first. We’ve never had to put out an alert before on 'willy spread' – chocolate-flavoured or otherwise.

"But on a serious note, if anybody has used any of the affected products they shouldn’t worry, the risk from the melamine in these products is low and it is very unlikely to be harmful."
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Unknown "Layana's Pet" :D - 16 years, 1 month, 29 days ago

Cloud-making machine is sudding marvellous
by MILES ERWIN - Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Cloud-making machine makes a peace sign
When one-time magician Francisco Guerra decided to float an idea he really pulled a rabbit out of the hat - a cloud-making machine.

The clouds, or 'Flogos', come in any shape you want, from Mickey Mouse to the Olympic rings.

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They are made of soap and gases, such as helium, which allow them to fly off and retain their puffy texture.


Cloud-making machine makes a child figure
'They will fly for miles,' said Mr Guerra. 'They are durable so they last a while.'

Depending on the weather and the formula used, the Flogos can last from a few minutes to more than an hour.

They can fly up to 48km (30 miles) and go as high as 6km (four miles) but normally the little clouds level out at about 150m (500ft).

His machines can pump out your flying logo at a rate of one every 15 seconds.

The clouds can be made in 60cm (2ft) or 90cm (3ft) sizes but a 1.8m (6ft) generator is in the pipeline.

Current designs are only available in white but Mr Guerra plans to add colour options from next year.


Cloud-making machine makes the Olympics sign
Mr Guerra, whose US company Snowmakers creates weather effects for Hollywood movies, insisted Flogos are environmentally friendly because the soaps that make up the foamy shapes are plant-based.

'Eventually a Flogo just evaporates in the air. It does not pollute the skies,' he said.

'They're safer than mass balloon launches where the fragments pollute the environment and are dangerous to wildlife.'

The proto-clouds have also been cleared by the authorities of being a hazard to aeroplanes.
Unknown "Layana's Pet" :D - 16 years, 1 month, 29 days ago

Hamster survives giant shredder

Mike the hamster with new owner Liam Bull
A hamster has survived almost unscathed after spending several minutes passing through an industrial shredder.
The rodent is thought to have got into a skip of rubbish that was taken to Recyclo recycling plant in Flintshire.

It survived a giant shredder used to destroy waste such as washing machines and was found in a sorting area with no injuries other than a sore foot.

The hamster, named Mike, has been adopted by Liam Bull, 10, whose father Craig works at Recyclo.

Liam said: "I can't believe he's still alive after what happened, but he's doing fine now."

The hamster's ordeal, which lasted around four minutes, began when it arrived at the plant in Sandycroft, probably aboard one of the many skips of waste which arrive there daily.

As well as surviving the giant shredder, Mike passed through a rotating drum and vibrating grids before he was discovered by staff.

The plant's general manager, Tony Williams, said: "We deal with 300 to 400 tonnes of dry waste a day from all over Cheshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

"Some of the material is shredded and then goes through a series of conveyor belts and grids that enable smaller pieces of waste to fall through.

"It seems that the hamster was small enough to pass through the blades of the shredder, but big enough to pass along the trammel without falling through an aperture.

"We don't get very much animal activity here, but we're delighted Mike survived and is now being cared for."
Unknown "Layana's Pet" :D - 16 years, 1 month, 29 days ago

Meet Yoda the cat with FOUR ears

When Valerie and Ted Rock came across a kitten with four-ears, they couldn't believe their eyes.

But the endearing feline was so adorable they decided he was destined to be a part of their family.

The couple were in a Chicago bar two years ago when they noticed a little grey bundle of fur being passed around to the amazement of fellow drinkers - and their parental instincts kicked in.

The couple immediately fell for the freaky feline and asked the owner if they could adopt him. He agreed and the couple named the cat Yoda, after the pointy-eared Jedi knight in Star Wars.

Valerie, 65, said: 'We were at a pub on the south side of Chicago with a group of friends when we noticed a small cage sitting on the bar and people passing around a kitten.

'He had been part of a large litter and the owners were looking to find a home for him.

'Ted and I had just lost a cat that was our pet for over 20 years, and we were sure we were done with cats.

'When he was passed around he reached for Ted, crawled up into the crook of his neck and fell asleep - Ted was a goner.

'It was a done deal when the kitten made himself at home on Ted's shoulder.

'We decided to name him Yoda. I understand the Star Wars character was based on George Lucas' cat.'

After adopting the eight-week-old kitten into their Illinois home, Valerie decided to have Yoda checked out with the local vet.

But the vet was mystified by his unique appearance.

'The vet had never seen anything like it before,' explains Valerie. 'He immediately went to the internet and found the four-eared cat in Germany.

'We have spoken with other vets in our acquaintance, and they likewise had never encountered anything like this.

'We began to realise that we had something very special.

'As a result, he has been an indoor cat and has a chip installed in case he gets lost. Yoda is so different that we were concerned that he might be catnapped.'

Yoda's extra 'flaps' are separate to the base of his skull, with one placed slightly behind the other.

Yet despite his unusual looks, Valerie is sure Yoda's behaviour - and hearing - are quite normal.

'Yoda's hearing is normal as far as we know,' says Valerie. 'People do a double take when they see him or his picture. It is great fun showing him off.

We have actually had people ask if we had his ears cut to look this way.

'But he is a perfectly normal affectionate, curious cat and is a joy to have around.

'He is not afraid of anything and is very sociable unlike some of the other cats I have owned.

'But he does have an interesting obsession with bread - I can't leave bread on the counter for a moment.

'And when he purrs, it is not audible. The only way I know that he is purring is to put my finger on his throat to feel the vibration.

'He also is not very vocal. He meows, but only softly, and not very often which is a good thing.'
Unknown "Layana's Pet" :D - 16 years, 2 months ago