Pet stores in China are struggling to meet demand for the country’s latest animal craze—chow dogs dyed black-and-white to make them look like pandas. “Ten years ago the natural instinct of a Chinese person was to eat a dog,” said pet-store owner Hsin Ch’en. “Now we are like Westerners and want one as a companion.” Hsin said the panda dogs […]
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A British fisherman was arrested after stealing a sea bass from an aquarium to win a fishing competition. Matthew Clark, 29, won a trophy and $1,300 in prize money for the 13-pound fish. But rival anglers quickly recognized the bass’s distinctive markings from a local aquarium and reported him to police. Clark confessed and said he sold the prizewinner to […]
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■ Dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend, but a black Labrador has become the inseparable pal of an elephant living in a Myrtle Beach, S.C., safari park. The 32-year-old pachyderm Bubbles has formed a bond with Bella, a 6-year-old dog abandoned at the preserve by a contractor hired to build a pool there. Bubbles has learned to throw […]
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Red lights may prevent deadly auto accidents, but waiting at one poses a different kind of hazard to your health. Car exhausts emit harmful pollutants, known as nanoparticles, which have been linked to heart and lung disease. When researchers from the University of Surrey in England analyzed drivers’ exposure to these pollutants at various points in their typical daily commutes, […]
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In the Russian village Chirka, the fuss is all about a lamb. It was born with what appears to be a ‘human face’. Neighbors refer to it as the “angry old man with a big nose”. The farm owner could not believe his eyes when he first laid eyes on it. “We have a fairly heavy winter behind us”, said […]
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The Dutch city of Utrecht will give unconditional monthly payments of about $1,000 to select citizens starting in January 2016 to see whether “basic income” can work as a means of welfare. Various other governments have resorted to unusual handouts to achieve certain ends: DUBAI City officials tried to boost public transport in November by raffling off prizes, including 8.8-lb. […]
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Back about 40,000 years ago the Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens coexisted for several thousand years in Eurasia. Researchers have found that during the coexistence they were able to breed. Humans that are not of African heritage do show Neanderthal DNA throughout their homo sapien genes. A study shows that about 40% of Neanderthal genes are contained in modern human genes. […]
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“Harper Estelle Wolfeld-Gosk has 6,282 Twitter followers,” said Joe Coscarelli in NYMag.com. “She’s 2 weeks old.” The infant daughter of Today show correspondent Jenna Wolfe is just one of thousands of kids who have Twitter accounts that are written in their voices but are “set up, maintained, and authored by parents.” Here’s a sample of little Harper’s tweets: “Pooped AND […]
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The “stoner” stereotype isn’t just a myth. Heavy use of marijuana in the teenage years dulls intelligence—and the loss of IQ points may last for life, according to a new study. Researchers tested the IQs of more than 1,000 New Zealand schoolchildren at age 13, before most had tried marijuana, and again at age 38. In between, they regularly surveyed […]
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■ Kim Kardashian underwent special toe liposuction so that she could fit into a stylish pair of stilettos for her recent wedding to rapper Kanye West, said Look (U.K.).The reality star spent $5,000 on an operation in which podiatrists “use tiny instruments to remove a small amount of fat— typically from the big toes,” said cosmetic surgeon Wendy Lewis. The […]
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