Bear shot and escaped authorities.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – After being shot, a black bear escapes authorities, according to the latest reports from Denville. The animal broke into a basement, but the police managed to chase it into the woods.
The bear escaped just with a superficial wound and it is less likely to come back after such an experience. According to Paul Nigro, a police captain, the authorities used rubber bullets at first to scare the bear away, but the state Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife couldn’t find the bear after a thorough search of a few hours.
The animal had probably hidden somewhere to make sure that no one would find it. The animal’s behavior was labeled as an immediate danger to human safety, so authorities were allowed to use firepower to deal with the wild animal.
It was classified as Category1 bear because it posed not only a threat to human safety but also to properties and farmlands. State officials allow Category 1 bears to be immediately euthanized to make sure that the public is safe from any other threat.
The first report that caught the attention of the authorities was that someone spotted a bear eating garbage on the Riverside Drive. Then, a police officer saw a broken basement’s window and spotted the bear inside.
State officials reported that the house was unoccupied. The animal was chased by the police across the Rockaway River into the forest, but it suddenly began eating from a garbage can from a neighboring area. Soon the authorities understood that they need to take drastic measures, so an officer was instructed to shoot the starving bear.
The bear was wounded in the shoulder and ran into a wooded area. More conditioning shots were fired to make sure that the bear runs into the forest. Fish and Wildlife officials joined their efforts with the authorities to find the bear and treat its wounds, but they were unable to track it.
However, the wound was superficial, so the bear would most likely recover from it. The Category 1 bears are regarded as showing a dangerous behavior including attacks or kills of pets, beehives, livestock, crops, tent entries, and humans.
Residents are strongly recommended to stick to the safety guidelines by securing trash and food sources that might be easy to reach by a hungry bear. Also, all people will have to use a bear-proof trash can that will discourage the animals if they attempt to open it.
Image Source:Tape Ciarnia
Australia Reef affected by heat wave.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Over 90 percent of the Great Barrier Reef, which is the largest in the world, was affected by the biggest bleaching event in history.
Scientists discovered in April that this reef is in a critical situation, one that might be irreversible. This phenomenon is caused by climate change and possibly pollution.
Back in 2011, the Australian Great Southern Reef, which is 1,400-mile long, was devastated by a heat wave that destroyed 43 percent of the kelp forests. It was established that 62 miles of the coastline lost every single kelp forest.
According to Thomas Wernberg, lead author of the study from the University of Western Australia’s Ocean Institute, even if five years have passed since that unfortunate event, there are still no signs that the reef is going to recover.
There are also some species of fish which feed on the kelp, preventing in from growing back. These fish appeared in the Southern Reef area after the kelp forests were destroyed by the heat wave.
The Australia Southern Reef is part of the Indian Ocean ecosystem. This ocean gets warm twice faster than any other ocean or sea, meaning that there is a higher risk for such a phenomenon to occur. These waters get so warm because of the south current of the Great Southern Reef.
Even the slightest temperature rise can have a massive impact on the sensitive biodiversity of the ocean. For example, the ocean waters experienced temperatures with only 4 degrees F higher back in 2011, when the kelp forests were devastated.
Experts stress that these weather events predict that the situation will most likely escalate in Europe and Japan as well in the future. According to Adriana Verges, University of New South Wales marine ecologist, this phenomenon has brought the most concrete evidence that the world’s ecosystem is in dire need of help.
Governments, scientists, and many of the world’s organizations must become aware of the fact that they need to bring their contribution to improving the wellbeing of the oceans’ biodiversity. Otherwise, in a few years, we will see just deep water from the Southern Reef to Antarctica.
It means that many species of fish, seabirds, and mammals will most likely die because they will experience an unusual change in their environment to which they won’t be able to adapt. It is like a cycle. If seaweed dies, fish feeding on it will die too and so will many predatory fish which rely on other species as a food source.
Image Source:Creme De La Mere
How you should talk with Dementia patients.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – As dementia and Alzheimer’s are a growing concern throughout the United States, it is important to know how to talk with people suffering from a brain disease to make sure that you do not upset them in any way.
Alzheimer’s is a brain condition that progresses to dementia in its advanced stages and it is a disease that cannot be cured or treated. The best way to deal with Alzheimer’s is to have a healthy lifestyle that will help you maintain your brain active and your whole body healthy.
Scientists thought of a few tips that everyone should know in case they interacted with an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient.
As such a disease implies the fact that the patients do not remember a lot of things, you should always avoid debating with them. By contradicting that person, you will only cause more stress, and you will make the situation worse.
Also, you should accept their reality. Patients with dementia have a different view of the present and the past, so they most likely do not remember who died and who still lives. In other words, they might ask you, „Where can I see my father?” but you know that the father is dead, so you wouldn’t answer, „Your father has passed away.”
Instead, you should find a way to avoid the truth with answers such as, „Let’s go next week” and change the subject.
Another important advice would be to avoid giving instruction. A better approach might be to make the person feel useful, so ask them to help. For example, „Can you help me wash the dishes?” Everyone want to know that someone needs them.
Always introduce yourself when you enter the room, despite the fact that the patient might be a close relative. Otherwise, these persons might have a shock when someone suddenly enters their room.
It is worth mentioning that you must not quiz the patient by asking questions such as „Do you remember me?”, or „Do you remember what you had for lunch?” because they can upset the person very much. Struggling to remember is a stressful process that might have other consequences on the health of dementia patients.
Instead, you should have a calm voice, call the person by the name, make eye contact, do not interrupt them when they talk, and offer gentle reminders such as showing some pictures saying „Look who is here: It’s your granddaughter Carla.”
Make sure that patients with dementia always focus on the conversation by turning off distractions which might upset them such as the TV or radio.
Image Source:Health News And Views
Relay for Life keeps up the good work.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – The initiative of the Relay for Life event continues, this time in Battle Creek, at Lakeview High School. It will be an event where participants will walk for 14 hours. Over 150 people will attend this year’s Relay and everyone has a reason.
Some come to celebrate the survivors, while others come to get inspired and encouraged in their fight against cancer. Other participants take part in the event to raise funds and to honor the ones who passed away.
The Relay for Life is a great initiative organized by volunteers from many cities to raise awareness and funds to support the research of the American Cancer Society. Many people gather to bring their contribution, whereas some find their inspiration and the power to keep fighting.
Jessica Metheny, a cancer survivor, is one these participants who never gave up even if she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during her six-month pregnancy. Don Kinsley, another survivor, confessed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2009.
Both of them are cancer survivors who decided to bring their contribution every year in the Battle Creek Relay for Life. This initiative began in 1985, and it has now spread throughout the whole world.
Metheny also stressed that after her grandmother had died of breast cancer, she did her best to raise awareness for cancer, but Metheny never thought that she would also get diagnosed at 27 years old.
Fortunately, her son was born healthy and safe, and then she started the chemotherapy treatment to deal with all cancer cells. She confessed that a cure existed for her type of cancer, but not everyone gets that opportunity.
That is why she decided to be a part of this event and to bring her contribution by raising awareness and funds so that all cancer fighters would see that they are not alone. You should never feel alone, especially in the battle with this devastating disease.
This is probably the most important goal of the Relay for Life because it gathers people from everywhere and it encourages them to share their stories, support and inspire each other.
Kinsley stated that he is in remission but that he had to fight a fierce battle with cancer. Still, he stressed that the most vital thing is that you must never give up. There is a huge difference between being afraid and being afraid to fight.
Everyone is afraid of something, and it is natural, but we should never be afraid to fight. The teams participating in this year’s Relay have already raised over $22,000, but their goal is $64,000.
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Ghost fish was discovered in Mariana Trench.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – The Okeanos Explorer team of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recently discovered a ghost fish similar to an eel.
The discovery was made 1.5 miles in the Mariana Trench, which is located in the surroundings of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Mariana Trench has always been a mysterious place for scientists as it is rich with new species of plants and animals most of which haven’t been discovered by scientists yet. More precisely, only five percent of this enormous area has been studied by marine biologists.
Experts established that the ghost fish belongs to the Aphyonidae family, of which most scientists have little information and only a couple of dead samples that provided them with some additional information.
According to Bruce Mundy, NOAA fisheries biologist, this species of fish is the first living specimen ever recorded belonging to the Aphyonidae family, making this discovery a biological breakthrough for marine scientists.
Mundy stressed that until now, experts have only dreamt of discovering such a species of fish which might hold many secrets and answers about the marine life in the Mariana Trench.
This discovery represents just the beginning of the long journey that scientists have to make in order to learn more about the rich wildlife hiding in the depths of the Mariana Trench.
Mundy underlined that marine biologists have countless of questions regarding the species which have been found living in these waters. Also, there are many other species of plants and species which scientists are looking forward to discovering and studying.
According to NOAA officials, the ghost fish has a gelatinous and transparent skin. Shirley Pomponi, lead researcher of the Okeanos Explorer team, associated this species of fish with a creature, known as Falkor, from a classic 1984 movie called Never Ending Story.
Marine biologists will double their efforts to learn more about this new species which might provide them with valuable information that could be used in other scientific fields. Scientists have always used wildlife as a source of inspiration to improve the medical and technological field.
For instance, planes were designed to imitate the body shape of birds, whereas submarines were built to look like fish. Experts will investigate the new ghost fish hoping to lead them to further discoveries.
Image Source:The Guardian
Keep your dogs calm on the 4th of July.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Veterinarians warn dog owners that their dogs won’t have as much fun as people during the fireworks show on the 4th of July.
Many other animals become scared when they hear booms, whizzes, and pops from the fireworks. For them it’s like a trigger that they are in danger so they will try to hide or worse, they will show aggressive behavior.
Also, they are unaware what the source of the noise is, and they will panic without knowing what to do. According to Susan Nelson, Kansas State University clinical associate professor, and veterinarian, people are advised to prevent their pets from hearing the noises from outside by keeping them indoors and secured.
They can keep curtains drawn to prevent the pets from seeing the flashes in the sky, and to keep their windows closed to reduce the sound intensity. People who have basements can keep their pets there with the TV or radio turned on to distract them from the fireworks noise.
Veterinarians also recommend pet owners who have dogs who are terrified of fireworks to use the medication in order to calm the animals. Pet anxiety can be observed in pets staying very close to their owners, hiding underneath objects, showing an instinct of jumping through an open window or door, having no interest in eating, rapid pacing back and forth, a furrowed brow, and showing signs of heavy panting.
Nelson underlines that in this cases it is clear that your pet might be suffering from a noise phobia. But anti-anxiety medications will make them feel comfortable and calm. In the worst case scenario, veterinarians allow pet owners to use a small dose of sedative to calm their dogs.
However, people should always consult a veterinarian before taking any decision regarding their pets, especially when it comes to anti-anxiety medication including sedatives and drugs.
And even if some dogs are not afraid of fireworks sounds, pet owners should never have their dogs around them when they light the fireworks. This could trigger a particular type of behavior in the dog, causing the animal to run and fetch used materials from fireworks.
In this situation, dogs can severely hurt themselves as these materials might be very hot or on fire. Worse, there is always the risk that the animal might accidently ingest them and even die.
According to Cate McManus from Dallas Animal Services, anyone who notices a stray pet on the streets should not approach it because it might manifest a defensive behavior. Your best bet is to contact the local animal services, and they will send qualified people who will take care of the confused animal.
Image Source:Pexels
Light pollution has consequences.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Scientists have recently started to investigate more the problem of light pollution that has taken its toll on various parts of the world.
It was established that 99 percent of the Europe population does not see the stars or the Milky Way during night time. But it is not only a problem of visual perspective but one that affects humans, animals, insects, and plants as well.
The most recent discovery is that light pollution affects the seasons as well. Based on the latest study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Exeter, spring is coming earlier every year. Worse, the spring start has been already shifted to one week sooner than the average period, especially in highly populated areas.
Scientists have come to this conclusion after they observed how trees react to the winter-spring transition. In areas where trees were surrounded by neon signs and street lamps, they started to manifest a spring-like behavior with 7.5 days earlier than usual.
Compared to this, trees from darker areas had no change in their behavior. According to Richard Constant, lead author of the study, the shifting season caused by this type of pollution might lead to a severe imbalance in the ecosystem.
For instance, moths rely on light to have a normal cycle of life, but artificial light is as strong as the daylight, these insects become confused and most probably they start dying. Winter moth caterpillars hatch based on the rhythm of the oak.
But if this rhythm becomes chaotic, they will no longer hatch normally. As a consequence, birds which rely on these caterpillars as a source of food will most likely starve, or they will have to search for food somewhere else.
Cities officials will receive the data collected during this study and hopefully, they will take active measures to tackle this situation. Humans are also affected by light pollution because we generally feel the need to sleep when the sun sets.
However, when artificial light replaces sunlight, a shift in our behavior occurs, so we become less likely to sleep. Changing our rest rhythm was associated by experts with depression, headaches, and the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Efforts are being made to replace the artificial light with LED lights that were discovered to be less harmful than the previous ones. This initiative and many others are expected to be proposed by scientists in order to deal with light pollution.
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Low-Fat chocolate will be on the market.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Researchers have worked hard over the last few years to find a chocolate recipe that would be low in fat and tasty at the same time.
It seems that their efforts have finally paid off as a team of scientists from Temple University have discovered a way to produce a chocolate product with just 20 percent fat. They even claim that it tastes really sweet.
The study turned out to be successful after they thought of using an electrified sieve to process the liquid milk chocolate. Before acquiring its hardened form, chocolate is first fluid. This form relies mostly on cocoa butter which makes the liquid chocolate flow through the machines.
Previous attempts failed because the butter became too solid, blocking the machines. According to Rongjia Tao, lead researcher, this cocoa liquid transforms when it is affected by an electric field. After discovering that liquid chocolate is a smart fluid, the team of scientists understood that electric shocks might help it thicken.
If people look at cocoa solid on the microscope, they will see that cocoa solids are in fact circular and pile up in high densities, becoming jammed. Cocoa butter is the ingredient responsible for making these solids move again.
During an experiment, Tao, and his colleagues introduced an electric sieve into the liquid chocolate to see what happens. They were surprised to find out that cocoa solids started to turn into bag magnets, lined one after the other, resulting in a smooth flowing process of the chocolate.
In other words, the liquid became flat, so it was easier for it to flow through the machine. It is also worth mentioning that Tao believes this low-fat chocolate is also healthier and tastier than other products. Still, many chocolate substitutes failed until now, and the concept of taste might be quite tricky as people have various preferences.
According to John Hayes, a food expert, and director of the Sensory Evaluation Center at Penn State University, this low-fat chocolate might still have a long way to go until it can be considered the ideal substitute.
The team of scientists needs to continue the research to establish how healthy this type of chocolate is compared with other products on the market. Plus, they need to determine if it will be a valuable asset in everyday diets.
Image Source:Pixabay
E-cigarettes are dangerous for your health.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Recent research has shown that e-cigarettes might be as dangerous as normal cigarettes. Over the last few years, these electronic devices have been regarded as a possible replacement for traditional cigarettes.
However, many experts stated that people should be encouraged to quit smoking instead of receiving poor replacements that will do nothing more than keeping them addicted to nicotine. Plus, the costs are the same and even higher.
In addition to this, researchers have now accounted also for the consequences of e-cigarettes on our immune system. During the latest study, a team of scientists analyzed and compared the gene-expression profiles in e-cigarette users, cigarette smokers, and non-smokers.
Based on the results, they established that the use of e-cigarettes leads to significant changes in the nasal mucosa. More precisely, these abnormalities occur in the immune-related gene expression. It is also worth mentioning that these changes have been previously observed in cigarette smokers, meaning that e-cigarettes might have the same effect on our organism as traditional cigarettes.
Nevertheless, further research is needed in order to determine the whole variety of consequences brought by the use of e-cigarettes. Until now, experts are positive that these electronic devices and everything that implies vaping definitely have an effect on the health of consumers.
According to Ilona Jaspers, Ph.D. of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, latest research has proved that e-cigarettes are clearly not a safe alternative for smokers. Furthermore, the data collected until now showed that further investigation is needed to establish the specific risks of using these electronic devices.
She also stated that vaping affects the respiratory immune health, so everyone must be aware of this fact. Worse, based on the results of the latest study, participants who were e-cigarettes users had a greater impact on their gene-expression profile compared to the participants who were cigarette smokers.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no smoke-free law in Southeast states, at least not one that would prevent teenagers and children to start smoking. According to Corinne Graffunder, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, such a regulation is very useful as it helps smokers quit, improve indoor air quality, and it changes people’s perspective.
Plus, smoke-free laws also reduce asthma hospitalizations and decrease the risk of heart attack among Americans who are non-smokers. Hopefully, scientists will find out more about the use of e-cigarettes as soon as possible in order to raise awareness about the potential risks of using these electronic devices.
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There will be no bear hunt this year.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – A bear hunt will not be encouraged after all this year. There have always been two sides, one aiming to protect bears and the other thinking that killing them is the only solution.
Nevertheless, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission won with four votes to three against the project of a bear hunt in October 2016.
One of the key facts behind their decision is that the last bear hunt in 2015 led to the death of 304 bears in just two days. Therefore, most people came to the conclusion that it was not a hunt but a massacre.
Bears have been protected since 1994 after they had been brought on the verge of extinction. Nowadays, some people began thinking that the growing population of bears has become a primary reason for concern. However, when animal rights activists and other organizations heard that the FWC took into consideration holding another hunt, a huge debate occurred between these activists and hunters.
Even if a bear hunt would be part of a bear management program, many people consider this idea dangerous as it might lead to a critical number of bears killed. Most importantly, this hunt might not be a reason for bear management after all, but a source of ‘fun’ for hunters.
One of the FWC commissioners, Richard Corbett, stated that these bears are too dangerous for the human population living around the forests. However, Laura Bevan, region director of the Humane Society of the United States’ southern region, underlined that such a hunt would aim for the bears in the woods, not for the bears that pose a problem. In other words, it would be a hunt held for the wrong reasons.
It is also worth mentioning that officials have already taken care of any possible situation of human-bear contact, and they are prepared for the worst case scenarios. Plus, a better solution would be for people to start using bear-proof trash cans that will discourage the animals from getting used to feeding on what they find in the garbage.
Experts and officials believe that instead of a bear hunt, people should be educated to change their perspective and to find a better approach to deal with the risk of encountering bears. Therefore, they should keep the food inside, use bear-proof trash cans, and immediately call the officials if they spot a bear near their houses.
Image Source:Static Flickr