White-nose syndrome, a disease that has decimated bat populations across the East Coast, appears to have spread to bats in Maryland, state wildlife officials said Wednesday.
Officials said they found several dead bats in a cave in western Maryland's Allegany County on Friday, as well as more than 200 other bats that appeared "visibly affected" by the disease.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, the state said, this would be the first time white-nose syndrome has been found in Maryland.
Earth Changes
© Associated Press
In this Jan. 8, 2010 file photo, an endangered Siberian tiger runs away with a chicken tossed by tourists at the Harbin Tiger Park in Harbin.
In this Jan. 8, 2010 file photo, an endangered Siberian tiger runs away with a chicken tossed by tourists at the Harbin Tiger Park in Harbin.
A manager at the Shenyang Forest Wild Animal Zoo in Liaoning province, however, said the animals had died of disease.
Siberian tigers are one of the world's rarest species, with just 300 believed remaining in the wild.
Liu Xiaoqiang, vice chief of the Shenyang Wild Animal Protection Station, a local animal protection agency, was quoted by the China Daily as saying 11 of the zoo's tigers died of malnutrition in the last three months after subsisting on a meager diet of chicken bones.
Two others were shot dead by police in November after the hungry animals attacked a zookeeper, the report said.
The Liaoshen Evening Post, a local Shenyang newspaper, reported on its Web site that the company that owns the zoo was trying unsuccessfully to auction the zoo property, and many staffers complained they hadn't been paid in 18 months.
Rare, deep-sea oarfish have been washing ashore, and they've got ecologists and superstitious fishermen worried:
Oar fish live in the depths of the ocean, surfacing infrequently when they are sick or damaged. In Japan it is believed the appearance of oar fish means an earthquake is imminent. Since November, over 19 of the rare fish have washed up on the shores of Japan. The animal is thought to be the origin of ancient mariner myths of sea serpents.
Oar fish live in the depths of the ocean, surfacing infrequently when they are sick or damaged. In Japan it is believed the appearance of oar fish means an earthquake is imminent. Since November, over 19 of the rare fish have washed up on the shores of Japan. The animal is thought to be the origin of ancient mariner myths of sea serpents.
Throughout much of agriculture, a remarkable span of 10,000 years, farmers were largely the stewards of the land and the crops that they grew. Seeds collected from one year's harvest were selected, stored, and used again for successive growing seasons. As Frank Morton, an organic seed breeder explains in this segment of the Seeds Of Life series, the role of the farmer at the center of agriculture began to change with the advent of hybrid seed development beginning with hybrid varieties of corn in the 1930's.
© Bobby-Jo Vial/Reuters
Taronga Zoo veterinarians give treatment to a newborn elephant calf as its mother Porntip (R) stands next to it in Sydney March 10, 2010.
Taronga Zoo veterinarians give treatment to a newborn elephant calf as its mother Porntip (R) stands next to it in Sydney March 10, 2010.
The Asian elephant mother delivered the male baby in the early hours of Wednesday in what Taronga Park Zoo officials said was "unbelievable good fortune".
"Dedicated keepers reported the amazing news early this morning that the calf had been born and was showing signs of life," said zoo director Cameron Kerr.
On Monday, Kerr said despite an expert team of vets who had prepared for every eventuality, the calf had not survived after six days of labor, and ultrasounds found there was no chance of a successful birth.
Officials said they now believe the calf was in a coma throughout the labor. They said the calf had since taken its first steps, but it was too early to know if it would survive.
© USGS
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 14:55:30 UTC
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 11:55:30 AM at epicenter
Location:
34.287°S, 71.657°W
Depth:
44.4 km (27.6 miles)
Distances:
85 km (55 miles) W of Rancagua, Chile
125 km (80 miles) N of Talca, Chile
130 km (80 miles) SW of SANTIAGO, Chile
140 km (85 miles) S of Valparaiso, Chile
© USGS
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 14:39:48 UTC
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 11:39:48 AM at epicenter
Location:
34.290°S, 71.950°W
Depth:
35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Region:
LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
Distances:
110 km (70 miles) W of Rancagua, Chile
130 km (80 miles) NNW of Talca, Chile
140 km (90 miles) SSW of Valparaiso, Chile
150 km (95 miles) SW of SANTIAGO, Chile
The very morning following the widely celebrated Woman's Day - people in Southern Russia could not believe their eyes when they found purple snow piled on city streets.
Scientists confirmed a multi-coloured snowfall - ranging from light purple to brown - had landed in Russia's Stavropol Region.
Having analysed the samples, climatologists ruled that the snow is perfectly safe. However, eating purple snow is still not recommended as scientists say it is full of dust from Africa.
© Andrew Wallace/Toronto Star
People revel in springlike weather at Toronto City Hall on March 8 as temperatures hit 14C
People revel in springlike weather at Toronto City Hall on March 8 as temperatures hit 14C
The previous record was set in the winter of 2005/2006 when it was 3.9 degrees Celsius above normal. The winter of 1971/1972 remains the coldest in Environment Canada's records - at 3.9 degrees below normal.
This winter is also the driest out of the 63 years of record keeping with precipitation across the country down 22 per cent below normal. The previous driest winter was 1977/1978 when precipitation was 20.1 per cent below normal.
The Australian Greens today urged ABC journalists to ignore the anti-science nonsense peddled by the Chair of their board and instead increase their strong coverage of climate change.
ABC Board Chair, Maurice Newman, today told senior ABC staff that climate change was an "emotional issue" and that journalists were too "intolerant" of climate sceptics.
"I trust that ABC journalists will not be cowed by the anti-science speech delivered by the Chair of their board," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
ABC Board Chair, Maurice Newman, today told senior ABC staff that climate change was an "emotional issue" and that journalists were too "intolerant" of climate sceptics.
"I trust that ABC journalists will not be cowed by the anti-science speech delivered by the Chair of their board," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
Comment: Well, this shows us exactly how our Green Party politicians think and what contempt they have for anybody who dares to violate their party/ religious line.
"How dare anybody suggest that people should have an open mind about climate change!! That is outrageous and anti-science. We can't have the sheeple thinking for themselves about climate change, (or anything else either) We are the experts and they really need to just take our expert opinions and accept them unthinkingly. Your job is just to pay for the programs we implement"
Comment: Very interesting. According to the media, we are living in a fairy tale, with purple snow and rosy future. While, in fact, the reality is quite different, and far grimmer (no pun intended).
It is not the first time that we hear about the cases of colorful precipitation. Take this and this articles for example. And we are wondering, what's going on?
In one of the previous Connecting the Dots articles, we pondered on a similar topic: Also, consider the following from Laura Knight Jadczyk's article Meteorites, Asteroids, and Comets: Damages, Disasters, Injuries, Deaths, and Very Close Calls: