Animals

Health & Safety

The Pros And Cons Of Exploring Your Dog's DNA

9:54am December 09, 2019

by Patti Neighmond

More pet owners are doing it — sending in dog saliva to find out the genetic history of their dog. Curiosity is one big reason but the test can also help with disease prevention and health promotion.

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World News

Scorpions Infest Brazilian Cities

8:30am December 07, 2019

NPR's Scott Simon asks University of São Paulo researcher Hamilton Carvalho about an explosion in the scorpion population in Brazilian urban centers.

National

Cockfighting Is About To Become Illegal In Puerto Rico

4:23pm December 05, 2019

by Adrian Florido

In the rural communities of Puerto Rico's central mountains, cockfighting has been a way of life for centuries. But on Dec. 20, the practice will become illegal on the island.

The Tennessee Aquarium says a system connected to an electric eel's tank enables his shocks to power strands of lights on the nearby tree.

Noeel: Electric Eel Lights Up Christmas Tree In Tennessee

5:52pm December 04, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

Every time the electric eel named Miguel Wattson releases a jolt of electricity, a festively decorated Christmas tree next to his tank at the Tennessee Aquarium flickers and glows.

Angela Haseltine Pozzi founded Washed Ashore in 2010. The nonprofit turns plastics taken from Oregon's beaches into eye-opening sculptures of threatened marine life.

On The Oregon Coast, Turning Pollution Into Art With A Purpose

11:58am December 04, 2019

by Kirk Siegler

A local artist is turning the mountains of plastic garbage that wash up on beaches into dramatic sculptures of the very marine life threatened by the deluge of plastics.

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Internet Mourns Death Of Feline Star Lil Bub

5:02am December 04, 2019

We remember Lil Bub, a cat whose great big eyes, droopy tongue and permanent kitten looks turned her into an Internet darling. She died on Sunday.

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One of over 130 northern koalas (Phascol

No, Koalas Aren't 'Functionally Extinct.' But They Are In Danger.

1:53pm December 03, 2019

Amid a catastrophic fire season in Australia, what do we know about the fate of the koala?

Elk In North Carolina Gets Tangled Up In Homeowner's Hammock

6:55am December 03, 2019

Jim Beaver told the Haywood County Sheriff's Office on Thanksgiving that an elk was stuck in his yard after getting caught up in a hammock, local news outlets report. A deputy helped to free the elk.

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National

For A 2nd Year In A Row, Mortality Rate Is High For Grizzlies In Montana

6:23am December 03, 2019

by Aaron Bolton

A record number of grizzly bears were killed this year near Glacier National Park. They're dying at record levels — at the same time the White House wants to remove them from the endangered list.

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To Help Coral Reefs Come Back, Fake It (With Sound) 'Til Fish Make It

9:15am December 01, 2019

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Researchers have found that by playing the sounds of healthy reefs in places where coral has died, fish are more readily attracted back, and help speed the reef's recovery.

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