In Other News

[BeBMan]

You'd think that org crime allows for a luxury lifestyle with only the best food available, but:

Police carrying out a drugs raid on a cannabis farm in southern Italy have seized a stash of 235 frozen dormice - said to be a mafia delicacy.

After discovering more than 700 cannabis plants, police searched outbuildings and found cages of dormice and freezers filled with carcasses.

Three people at the site were arrested.

Wildlife groups say baked dormice are served to honour high-ranking gangsters at banquets organised by the powerful Calabrian 'Ndrangheta mafia clan.

(...)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58938494

[BeBMan]

Too bad, it looks kinda nice...maybe distracting tho.

[-Jrabbit]

Portland removes ‘Merge Simpson’ sign from NW Portland freeway ramp

https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2021/10/portland-removes-merge-simpson-sign-from-nw-portland-freeway-ramp.html

[Uncle Sparky]

Raptors play basketball in Canada...

[Ming]

Next: T-Rex and Raptors. What could go wrong?

[BeBMan]

Biotech firm says it can resurrect extinct woolly mammoth

A technology entrepreneur and a geneticist on Monday launched a new biotech firm which they say will bring the extinct woolly mammoth back to life.

What do we know about the project?

Calling itself Colossal, the biosciences company claims CRISPR genetic technology can be used to bring back the animal, which went extinct during the Holocene epoch over 11,000 years ago.

"Never before has humanity been able to harness the power of this technology to rebuild ecosystems, heal our Earth and preserve its future through the repopulation of extinct animals," technology entrepreneur and Colossal co-founder Ben Lamm said in a statement.

Harvard University geneticist George Church is also a co-founder of the company.

"Colossal leverages the exponential progress made in technologies for reading and writing DNA and applies it to iconic ecological conservation and carbon sequestration issues," Church said.

Scientists have managed to find mammoth tusks, bones and other material to try to sequence the animal's DNA. This DNA would then be inserted into the genome of the Asian elephant to form an "elephant-mammoth hybrid," according to the company.

The firm says it has managed to raise $15 million (€12.6 million) so far from investors.

Advocates of "de-extinction" say the process could help humans gain new knowledge regarding biology, evolution and technology. Supporters may also believe it is morally just to bring back species that went extinct due to human activities.

The resurrection of extinct species could also repair damaged ecosystems. In the case of the woolly mammoth, Colossal believes the animal could revitalize the Arctic grasslands, whose properties can mitigate global warming. The company offered no details on how.

Could there be downsides to de-extinction?

The idea of de-extinction could have its drawbacks, however.

A March 2017 study published in the Nature Ecology & Evolution journal found that de-extinction programs would be incredibly expensive.

The scientists behind the study believe the public or private money spent on de-extinction efforts would be better used to protect existing species.

Other downsides include resurrected animals carrying new pathogens that could possibly infect humans, along with how they will impact the environment. De-extinction may also raise animal welfare concerns, along with those who see the process as "playing God."

The United Nations said in a 2019 report that 1 million animals, plant and fungi species face extinction in the coming decades. Climate change is also taking a toll on species such as polar bears, cheetahs and green turtles.

https://www.dw.com/en/biotech-firm-says-it-can-resurrect-extinct-woolly-mammoth/a-59171358

Next: T-Rex and Raptors. What could go wrong?

[BeBMan]

[N35t0r]

It is now roaming the hills tyrelessly

[SlowwHand]

[Broken_Erika]

Elk wandering Colorado for two years with tyre around neck is freed


An elk roaming the hills of the US state of Colorado with a tyre around its neck for two years has finally been freed, wildlife officials say.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58878732

[Broken_Erika]

This Alberta bear came in the bedroom window. The family's dilemma was how to get it out

An uncommonly close encounter at an acreage near Fort McMurray, Alta.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/this-alberta-bear-came-in-the-bedroom-window-the-family-s-dilemma-was-how-to-get-it-out-1.6202364

[BeBMan]

Earl Grey. Hot!

[Broken_Erika]

Tea and sympathy: Canadian frigate helps Royal Navy solve a high-seas catering crisis

HMCS Winnipeg boosted British morale with three boxes of Earl Grey

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hmcs-winnipeg-tea-royal-navy-queen-elizabeth-1.6205366

[BeBMan]

Monty Python's Hell's Grannies have become reality it seems.

Across China’s public parks and squares, in the early hours of the morning or late in the afternoon, the grannies gather.

The gangs, made up mostly of middle-aged and older women who went through the Cultural Revolution, take to a corner of a local park or sporting ground and dance in unison to Chinese music. Loud music.

The tradition has led to alarming standoffs, with the blaring music frequently blamed for disturbing the peace in often high-density residential areas. But many are too scared to confront the women.

The dilemma of the dancing grannies has prompted some to seek out tech solutions. One went viral online this week: a remote stun gun-style device that claims to be able to disable a speaker from 50 metres away.

Reviews of the item were positive. “Downstairs is finally quiet. For two days the grannies thought their speaker is not working!”, said one on Taobao, China’s version of eBay.

“Great invention, with this tool I will be the boss in the neighbourhood now,” said another. “This is not just a regular product, it is social justice!”

(...)

Bolding by me.

full: https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ables-speakers

[BeBMan]