In Other News

[BeBMan]

NASA to launch babies into orbit. Baby Squid that is:

More than 100 baby squid and 5,000 microscopic animals are set to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday.

The creatures, along with other equipment for experiments, will head to the ISS aboard Space X's Falcon 9 rocket.

Its hoped that the experiments will be able to help scientists understand the effects of spaceflight.

The launch at 13:29 EDT (17:29 GMT) will be broadcast live by Nasa.

The 128 baby bobtail squid will be used as part of research into the effects of spaceflight on beneficial interactions between microbes and animals.

The squid have an immune system which is similar to that of humans.

Nasa says the experiment could support the development of protective measures to preserve astronaut health during long space missions.

(...)

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57339989

[Dinner]

Ok, just give every new player an intelligence test before they are allowed to start play and that will work.

[giblets]

The NFL on Wednesday pledged to halt the use of “race-norming” — which assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function — in the $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims and review past scores for any potential race bias.

Guess the source!

[Uncle Sparky]

Chocolate crunchy frog. Yum!

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

-Saving that pic for a Heresson project...

[BeBMan]

Scientists discover new 'chocolate frog' in swamp

A team of Australian scientists has discovered a curious "chocolate frog" tree frog in the lowland rainforests of New Guinea.

Tree frogs are known for their green skin -- but due to its brown coloring, researchers named it "chocolate frog" -- and the name stuck.

(...)

It may be only fake choc, but looks very cute

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/29/asia/chocolate-tree-frog-intl-scli-scn/index.html

[BeBMan]

Seals need to use tinfoil hats or they'll lose their freedom:

Known as the Earth's "thermostat," Antarctica plays a vital role in regulating the planet's complex climate system.

Scientists are investigating how environmental changes in Antarctica will impact the rest of the world, but the continent's remote location and hostile climate, with winter temperatures that plummet to well below -100°F, make it an incredibly challenging environment for humans.

That's why a team from the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, enlisted the help of some of Antarctica's permanent residents: seals.

The furry, aquatic mammals thrive year-round in the freezing climate and can dive up to 3,000 feet below the water's surface says Lars Boehme, an oceanographer and one of the project's leaders.

By fitting the seals with sensors, the researchers gain insight into the seals habits and ecology, while also gathering data from inaccessible parts of the ocean.

Scientists around the world are now drawing on this data to learn more about the Antarctic environment and how it could impact climate change.

(...)

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/26/world/antarctica-seals-scientists-glaciers-scn-c2e-hnk-spc-intl/index.html

[BeBMan]

Stegosaurus is people.

[Uncle Sparky]

I've been to Barcelona... typical way to die there.

[Broken_Erika]

Body of missing man found in Spanish dinosaur statue

Spanish police are investigating the death of a 39-year-old man whose body was found inside a dinosaur statue.

Authorities were alerted on Saturday after a father and his son noticed a smell emanating from the papier-mâché figure in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a suburb of Barcelona.

The father then saw the corpse through a crack in the Stegosaurus' hollow leg.

Police said the man had been reported missing by his family, and no foul play is suspected.

Three fire brigade teams were called to scene after the body was discovered, and firefighters cut open the dinosaur leg to retrieve it.

Local media report the man - who has not been named - was trying to retrieve a mobile phone he dropped inside the statue. He then fell inside the decorative figure and was left trapped upside down, unable to call for help.

Police have not confirmed how the man ended up inside the dinosaur, and are awaiting the results of his autopsy to find out how he died.

The decorative statue has been removed from its place outside the city's Cubic Building, where it had been used to advertise an old cinema.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57226774

[Dauphin]

Who footed the bill?

[BeBMan]

I guess the hospital worker was just pulling his leg(s).

[Uncle Sparky]

That's because legal fees would have cost him an arm and a leg.

[Dauphin]

He tried to sue, but was told by his lawyer he didn't have a leg to stand on.

[BeBMan]

Ouch

An elderly man had the wrong leg amputated during surgery, a hospital in Austria has admitted.

The 82-year-old was due to have his left leg removed on Tuesday, but due to "human error" the right leg was amputated above the knee instead, the Freistadt Clinic said Friday.

The error occurred after a hospital worker mistakenly put a preoperative mark on the wrong leg, the hospital said.

(...)

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/21/health/austria-amputation-wrong-leg-scli-intl/index.html