Life on Earth
Moderator: RJDiogenes
Life on Earth
Any way you slice it, this species is completely cray-cray: A Pet Crayfish Can Clone Itself, and It's Spreading Around the World
Here's what disappoints me about this (and all other) coverage: they're crayfish; they're overrunning Europe -- and NO ONE HAS REPORTED IF THESE ONES ARE TASTY!
Here's what disappoints me about this (and all other) coverage: they're crayfish; they're overrunning Europe -- and NO ONE HAS REPORTED IF THESE ONES ARE TASTY!
Re: Life on Earth
They call it a Kingfisher for a reason.
Re: Life on Earth
Marbled crayfish (Procambarus fallax f. virginalis - pretty animals) have fortunately not yet spread to my district. Other Procambarus species have, though, and cause a huge problem since they carry the crayfish plague, a fungus that kills native European species while the invasive American ones are immune. Whole rivers can die out within a couple of days. That's why we always carry 2 sets of boots and gloves when we sample: one is soaking in desinfectant while we wear the freshly desinfected ones; when we switch between streams, we also switch boots and gloves
We try to gradually solve the problem by simply eating the invaders. If a marbled one turns up, she'll land on someone's plate pretty quickly. I fancy they might be tasty with a little chervil.
In Germany, we call Kingfishers Eisvögel (ice birds) because of the blue sheen of their feathers. It's the same colour you sometimes find in glaciers:
My favourite animal is the Short-Eared Elephant Shrew. IMHO it's the living proof that evolution has a sense of humour. This little chap is Rudi, one of the two shrews I adopted at the local zoo
(It's a small zoo in urgent need of funds and therefore many people adopted animals. For example, the beavers have been adopted by a dentist, the storks by a group of midwives, a cross-eyed Meerkat was adopted by an ophthalmologist and the penguins by the workcrew of the ice hockey stadium while the team itself (Straubing Ice Tigers) adopted two Siberian tigers )
We try to gradually solve the problem by simply eating the invaders. If a marbled one turns up, she'll land on someone's plate pretty quickly. I fancy they might be tasty with a little chervil.
In Germany, we call Kingfishers Eisvögel (ice birds) because of the blue sheen of their feathers. It's the same colour you sometimes find in glaciers:
My favourite animal is the Short-Eared Elephant Shrew. IMHO it's the living proof that evolution has a sense of humour. This little chap is Rudi, one of the two shrews I adopted at the local zoo
(It's a small zoo in urgent need of funds and therefore many people adopted animals. For example, the beavers have been adopted by a dentist, the storks by a group of midwives, a cross-eyed Meerkat was adopted by an ophthalmologist and the penguins by the workcrew of the ice hockey stadium while the team itself (Straubing Ice Tigers) adopted two Siberian tigers )
a hug a day keeps the psychiatrist away
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Re: Life on Earth
This is a job for... Norton's AntiCrayfish!Orpheus wrote:Any way you slice it, this species is completely cray-cray: A Pet Crayfish Can Clone Itself, and It's Spreading Around the World
Sort an anti-V situation. That begs to become a TV series.huggle wrote:We try to gradually solve the problem by simply eating the invaders.
That's great.For example, the beavers have been adopted by a dentist, the storks by a group of midwives, a cross-eyed Meerkat was adopted by an ophthalmologist and the penguins by the workcrew of the ice hockey stadium while the team itself (Straubing Ice Tigers) adopted two Siberian tigers
Re: Life on Earth
Little known fact: Soylent Green is people, but Martian people. They taste/smell like super-chocolate. "War of the Worlds" was a coverup for what really happened at Grover's MIll.RJDiogenes wrote:Sort an anti-V situation. That begs to become a TV series.huggle wrote:We try to gradually solve the problem by simply eating the invaders.
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Re: Life on Earth
We're on the verge of a blockbuster here. To Serve Little Green Men.
Re: Life on Earth
coincidentially, I learned today that these parthenogenetic crayfish are now being sought by scientists in Heidelberg - they hope to use them for cancer studies. The crayfish apparently are a genetically purer clone than clone mice (and cheaper).
sorry - the article is available only in German: http://www.br.de/themen/wissen/marmorkr ... n-100.html
Only the last paragraph deals with the medical research. It's not very informative and was written by a layperson. It says:
Reaserching the marbled crayfish might offer a key to understanding tumors says Mr Lyko who leads the dept for epigenetics of the German Cancer Research Center. Like in these crayfish, the cells in a tumor have their origin in just one single cell. By multiplication it spreads rapidly. Exactly how this process works and what this implies regarding the growth of a tumor is not yet known. Furthermore, the scientists intend to find out what interplay between a clonal system - like the marbled crayfish - and its surroundings takes place. The crayfish might help in the development of a model for tumor growth.
sorry - the article is available only in German: http://www.br.de/themen/wissen/marmorkr ... n-100.html
Only the last paragraph deals with the medical research. It's not very informative and was written by a layperson. It says:
Reaserching the marbled crayfish might offer a key to understanding tumors says Mr Lyko who leads the dept for epigenetics of the German Cancer Research Center. Like in these crayfish, the cells in a tumor have their origin in just one single cell. By multiplication it spreads rapidly. Exactly how this process works and what this implies regarding the growth of a tumor is not yet known. Furthermore, the scientists intend to find out what interplay between a clonal system - like the marbled crayfish - and its surroundings takes place. The crayfish might help in the development of a model for tumor growth.
a hug a day keeps the psychiatrist away
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Re: Life on Earth
So the Earth is in danger of dying from Stage IV Crayfish?
Re: Life on Earth
Amusingly, the word for both cancer and crabs in German is "Krebs", IIRC.
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Re: Life on Earth
Those are very different diagnoses here.
Re: Life on Earth
IDK I am putting images of pretty parts of earth and effects and stuff here is that oK? just like things like this===
yes or no?
Thank you
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Re: Life on Earth
Beautiful pictures are always a "yes."