Pythons and anacondas are taking over the Florida Everglades, and officials are scrambling to prevent them from spreading north. Researchers noted in a new study that in the southernmost tip of the Everglades National Park, 99 percent of raccoons were gone, along with 88 percent of bobcats. Marsh and cottontail rabbits, as well as foxes, were nowhere to be found—unless maybe you’re looking in a giant snake’s digestive tract.
The Russians Say 'They Saw Life On Venus'
...Did It Look Like This???
The Indo-Asian News Service reported Saturday that a Russian scientist has published what he
claims is evidence of life on Venus, Earth’s nearest neighbor in
the direction of the sun.
Leonid Ksanfomaliti, an astronomer based at
the Space Research Institute of Russia’s Academy of Sciences, analyzed photographs taken by a
Russian landing probe during a 1982 during a mission to explore the heavily
acid-clouded planet.
Venus is roughly the same size as Earth, but
it has a thick atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide. With an atmospheric
pressure 92 times Earth’s, a waterless and volcano-riddled surface and a surface
temperature of 894 degrees, the planet has never been considered a serious
target of research into the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
But in his article, published in the
magazine Solar System Research, Ksanfomaliti says the Russian photographs depict
objects resembling a “disk,” a “black flap” and a “scorpion.”
“What if we forget about the current
theories about the non-existence of life on Venus?” he wrote. “Let’s boldly
suggest that the objects’ morphological features would allow us to say that they
are living.”
Other research has suggested that liquid
water may have once covered Venus, but the scientific consensus suggests that
there have been no oceans there for at least 2 billion years.
Crouching Snake, Leaping Mongoose!
...NATURE ...
A beautiful Bromeliad, one of 2170 variety.
The bromeliads
Bromeliads are a varied group of organisms, adapted to a number of climates. Foliage take different shapes, from needle thin to broad and flat, symmetrical to irregular, spiky and soft. The foliage, which usually grows in a rosette, is the most widely patterned and colored of any plant in the world. Leaf colors range from maroon, through shades of green, to gold. Varieties may have leaves with red, yellow, white and cream variegations. Others may be spotted with purple, red, or cream, while others have different colors on the tops and bottoms of the leaves.
The inflorescence produced by bromeliads are also regarded as considerably more diverse than any other plant family. Some flower spikes may reach 10 meters tall while others only measure 2–3 mm across. Upright stalks may be branched or simple with spikes retaining their color from two weeks up to twelve months, depending on species. In some species the flower remains unseen, growing deep in the base of the plants.
