Animals

Zoo In Taipei Releases Proof-Of-Life Photo Of Panda Rumored To Be Dead

8:12am May 19, 2016

Chinese newspapers have reported that 11-year-old Tuan Tuan died of distemper. Not so, the Taipei Zoo says — releasing photos of the panda, complete with recent newspapers, as evidence.

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Pamela, the cow prize, hangs out in the backyard of DigitalMania Studio's office in Tunis, Tunisia.

Health & Safety

It Sounds Udderly Ridiculous, But Video Gamers In Tunisia Can Win A Cow

7:25pm May 18, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

That's one way to get people — and especially farmers — to play. After all, a cow is worth $1,500 in Tunisia.

Debnath Mondal was attacked by a tiger in 2010. He continues to work as a guard in the national park in the Sundarbans.

Experts Fear Climate Change Will Lead To More Tiger Attacks In The Sundarbans

2:26pm May 18, 2016

by Ari Shapiro

Deep in the world's largest mangrove forest, which spans India's border with Bangladesh, rangers protect wild Bengal tigers. Rising seas may have rangers and tigers competing for a place to live.

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A proof-of-life photo of the panda Tuan Tuan was released by the Taipei Zoo on Facebook this week.

World News

Taipei Zoo Releases Proof-Of-Life Photo Of Panda Rumored To Be Dead

11:34am May 18, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Chinese newspapers have reported that 11-year-old Tuan Tuan died of distemper. Not so, the Taipei Zoo says — releasing photos of the panda, complete with recent newspapers, as evidence.

Cannes Hotel Unleashes Hawks To Control Thieving Seagulls

7:16am May 17, 2016

Movie stars flock to the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival. Flocks of seagulls are known to snatch food off the plates of the stars. Hawks will now trace menacing circles over the hotel.

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Fish swim amid bleached coral near Lizard Island, Australia.

New Photos Show The Rapid Pace Of Great Barrier Reef Bleaching

1:38pm May 14, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Over six months, healthy coral is bleached and then covered with algae. Scientists say bleaching has hit 93 percent of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia's "biggest ever environmental disaster."

Thomas Thwaites says his exoskeleton was meant to help him feel like a goat, as opposed to helping him look like one.

Books
Arts

When Being Human Got His Goat, This Designer Became One

8:47am May 14, 2016

by NPR Staff

To be human is to worry, but "you look at a goat," says Thomas Thwaites, "and it's just ... free." In GoatMan, Thwaites explains how he learned to walk, eat and think like the ruminant.

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Scientists at the University of Lund in Sweden have shown that dung beetles use mental "snapshots" of the Milky Way to navigate.

Dung Beetles Navigate Poop-Pile Getaways Using Celestial 'Snapshots'

5:17pm May 13, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The tiny waste harvesters use the Milky Way as a guide to roll their dung meals away to safety. Now researchers say the beetles take "snapshots" of the constellation and store them in their brains.

Abandoned Pet Pig Found Safe After Fort McMurray Evacuations

7:20am May 13, 2016

When fires swept through the Canadian town, families had to pick up and go — sometimes leaving beloved animals behind. One family is relieved. They found out Marshall, their beer loving pig is safe.

Normandy cows feed on alfalfa before milking at a farm in Courcite, northwestern France. Feeding cows alfalfa could reduce how much they burp. So could feeding them oregano, which has belch-squelching essential oils.

Can Oregano Fight Cow Belches — And Climate Change?

7:19pm May 12, 2016

by Sidsel Overgaard

Gassy cows account for a good deal of the methane — a powerful greenhouse gas — generated by livestock farming. Danish researchers think feeding cows oregano might help rein in the bovine burps.