First Venomous Crustacean Discovered

Scientists have discovered the first known venomous crustacean, which lives in underwater caves in the Caribbean, Canary Islands, and Western Australia.

Crustaceans are also known as arthropods, and krill, shrimp, lobsters, waterfleas, and crabs fall into this category. Crustaceans have their skeletons on the outside of their body to give them extra protection.

The "remipede" looks a lot like a centipede and is blind. It's venom is rich with toxins and has paralyzing agent, just like rattlesnake venom. The venom breaks down body tissues and and then the remipede is able to suck out its meal from its prey!

"The spider-like feeding technique of the remipede is unique among crustaceans. This venom is clearly a great adaptation for these blind cave-dwellers that live in nutrient-poor underwater caves," said Ronald Jenner, a zoologist at London's Natural History Museum.

Bjoern von Reumont of the Natural History Museum said, "This is the first time we have seen venom being used in crustaceans and the study adds a new major animal group to the roster of known venomous animals."

"While they can be as varied as tiny waterfleas, krill, crabs, and barnacles, not one of the approximately 70,000 described species of crustaceans was known, until now, to be venomous."

super news's first non-artical!

This is super news's first non-artical!

artical! On dogonews

you can win books or

movies if you click 1 of

these buttons!

Happy Hanukkah Or Should We Say Thanksgivukkah

On Thursday, Jewish families residing in the US are in for a double treat - Thanksgiving and the first full day of Hanukkah, which begins today (November 27th), at sundown. Also known as the Festival of Lights, the last time these two special celebrations coincided was in 1888 and the next? Probably not for at least another 77,798 years, which means that for those that observe both, this is a once in a lifetime celebration!

The reason for this convergence is all to do with the way the dates worked this year. Thanksgiving, which by law is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, is a little late, while the 25th day of Kislev, (the evening the holiday officially begins), which is determined by the lunar calendar, is the earliest it can be.

But given that Hanukkah is almost like an extended eight-day version of Thanksgiving in terms of the delicious food that families eat, the meeting of the two holidays is being welcomed by most with open arms. Kids are especially thrilled given that the early appearance means an extended Christmas because believe it or not, one of the rituals of this fun festival is receiving gifts every single day, for eight days!

The folklore behind this all-important Jewish holiday dates back 2,200 years, when a Greek king tried to impose his culture on his people despite that fact that most of them were Jewish. The residents rebelled and fought for three years before reclaiming the temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah. Inside, they discovered a small amount of oil, which they estimated would keep the temple light burning for one day. To their surprise, the oil lasted for eight days, which is why Hanukkah is celebrated for that length of time.

Thanks to the legend, the most important ritual of the holiday is the lighting of theMenorah, a holder that fits nine candles. Eight candles are lit one at time, to mark each day of the festival. The ninth, known as the Shamash (servant), is used to light the others. Over the years, Menorahs have become increasingly elaborate and unique. While in the past they have included ones carved out of chocolate, this year they have taken on a thanksgiving theme, with the traditional candleholders incorporating turkeys and even the Mayflower!

While families entertain themselves in many ways, the most traditional and popular game played is using a four-sided spinning top known as the Dreidel. The multiple player game entails each participant beginning with an equal number of game pieces - which range from candy to coins. Depending on their spinning prowessthey can either lose a few or all their pieces to a mutual pot, or get everything that'saccumulated inside, and be declared the winner.

As with most fun festivals, food is a big part of Hanukkah. While most years it largely comprises of favorites like Latkes, Challah and Sufganiyot, a jelly donut cooked in oil, this year there may have to be some compromises - Latkes or mashed potatoes? Challah or challurkey, (bread shaped like a turkey)? donuts filled with jelly or cranberries? No matter what is on the dinner table, it is bound to be delicious!

Happy Thanksgivukkah!

Resources: about.com, wikipedia.org, news.yahoo.com

Researchers Discover Active Volcano Under Antarctic Ice

While above-ground active volcanoes in the Antarctica are nothing new, finding one that is buried deep inside its thick ice layer, is certainly a first. The exciting discovery was revealed in the November issue of Nature Geoscience by researchers from the Washington University in St. Louis, who stumbled upon the frozen continent's well-kept secret, accidentally.

In 2010, PhD students Amanda Lough and Andrew Lloyd led a group through the frozen continent's treacherous icy terrain to place seismometers across Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica. Their research project dubbed POLENET was not intended to seek out volcanic or earthquake activity, but to try reconstruct Antarctica's climate history for which they needed to first research the structure of the earth's mantle - the layer that lies between the crust and the outer core.

But those plans changed when the seismometers recorded two earthquake swarms almost a year apart - In January 2010 and March 2011. Recorded at depths of about 15-25 miles under the earth's surface, the tremors, which measured only 0.8 and 2.1 in magnitude, were close to the boundary between the crust and mantle and therefore, much deeper than normal earthquakes. Referred to as Deep Long Periodearthquakes or DLP's, they have previously been observed near active volcanic areas in Alaska and Washington.

While scientists are not completely sure of why DLP's occur, Amanda Loughtheorized that they may be the result of movement of magma and other fluids which create pressure induced vibrations in cracks within the volcanic system. These register on seismometers as 'earthquakes'.

In order to verify her suspicions, the research team narrowed down the area where the seismic activity had been recorded. Sure enough, both the earthquake swarms had emanated from a small area near a series of subaerial volcanic mountains known as the Executive Committee Range. What was even more interesting is that the 'earthquakes' had occurred close to the youngest mountains in the range. But given that they had been weak and of very low frequency, the team knew that they were not caused by tectonic activity. This helped further solidify their suspicions of the existence of an active volcano under the ice.

In order to investigate further, they used airborne radar to create topographic maps of the bedrock. This is when they discovered a layer of ash laying in the ice at about a depth of 1.4 km, right in the vicinity where the most recent seismic swarms had been recorded. Estimated to be 8,000 years old, it helped confirm Lough's suspicion that it was indeed an active underground volcano, one that had erupted before, albeit some time ago.

Though this is the first time an active volcano has been discovered under the thick ice, Lough maintains that the volcanic complex underneath the ground has been operating and probably erupting for millions of years, without disrupting the ice layer above. Given that the ice is at least a half-mile thick, it would take anextraordinarily large eruption - one that would release a thousand times more energy than a typical volcano, to break through. Amanda believes the chances of that ever happening, are pretty slim. 

What the team can envision however, is a subglacial eruption that would melt some of the ice underneath and send large amounts of water to the nearby MacAyeal Ice Stream. If that were to occur, it may hasten the ice loss mass in West Antarctica and maybe even raise sea levels slightly.

As to when this will occur or even how and why these volcanoes were formed so deep underneath? For the moment, those questions must go unanswered. That's because the seismometers that recorded this volcanic system have since been moved to other locations of the continent. But the interest this discovery hasspurred in the glaciological community is bound to result in further investigation - so stay tuned!

Resources: foxnews.com,sci-news.com, dailymail.co.uk

Listen to the Article:

'Playing' With Food Has Never Looked So Good!

A mosaic of a tea picker, a wild flower meadow and a working camera all made from sugar, were just some of the extraordinary sights in store for the thousands of people fortunate enough to attend the annual Experimental Food Society Spectacular held on November 8 & 9th, at London'sTruman Brewery.

Now in its fourth year, the event is the brainchild of Alexa Perrin who is trying to change people's perception of food from something they just swallow to something they admire as an art form. Each year, she invites some of England's finest food artists ranging from butter sculptors to experimental confectioners and even food landscape artists, to demonstrate their artistic skills by 'playing' with their food.

The results as you can see from this chocolate snail made by British confectioners'Boy Eats Bug' can range from a little slimy and unappetizing, to just plain magical like the glow in the dark ice cream cone below. Created by food inventor Charlie Harry Francis, its secret ingredient is calcium-activated luminescence jellyfish protein that lights up when someone 'agitates' it, by taking a lick! But magic like this does not come cheap - It cost Francis $140 USD to create this one scoop, which means that the ice cream is not coming to a store near you, anytime soon.

Then, there was this gorgeous cocktail glass made by Fernando Laposse, artist and sugar blower extraordinaire. The glass as you may have guessed doubles up as a drink holder and dessert - For after the drink is done, it can be savored, one sweet bite at a time!

While this life-sized model of a chicken created by Kyle Bean using just eggshells is definitely not edible, it sure is cute to look at!

As for this amazing rendition of the city of Venice? Though it may look like a beautiful oil painting it is actually made from the 'Lego' of the food world - pasta, by photographer and food landscape artist, Carl Warner! Playing with food is not all that bad is it?

Resources: cablouinartinfo.com, msn.com

Critical Thinking Challenge:

What was your favorite food creation? Why?

Alaska's Rat Island Returns To Being A Bird Paradise

While the presence of rats in homes may cause anxiety and annoyance, they rarely result in driving out the residents. But that is exactly what happened to theinhabitants of the 10-square-mile Hawadax Island off the coast of Alaska, almost 230 years ago. Now thanks to a five-year effort by conservationists, the eerily silent 'Rat Island' as it had been dubbed for many years, has been returned to its rightful owners - birds!

Hawadax Island is part of a chain of volcanic islands in the Bering Sea called theAleutian Islands.The rats that arrived there in 1780 when a Japanese ship carrying them broke down nearby, completely decimated the native population because the environment of the island was not built to defend its animals from these predators. The main issue? The Island is treeless, which meant that the birds were accustomed to building their nests low in the ground, giving the rodents easy access to both eggs and baby chicks. As years passed, the birds that had called the island home for thousands of years, became endangered and eventually, disappeared completely.

In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started a serious initiative to rid the island of the rats and try bring back the beautiful birds that had once called it home. Given that there were an estimated 10,000 rodents inhabiting 'Rat Island' and the fact that they re-produce rapidly, it was not an easy task. But by 2009, the Island was officially declared rat free!

Then slowly but surely, the birds began to return. Unfortunately, some of the pioneers were inadvertently killed from the remnants of the rat poison that had been used to wipe out the rodents. But now it seems things are becoming more stable and the Island is starting to increasingly look like its former self. Before the transformation 'Hawadax' AKA 'Rat Island' was a silent and ghostly place with bird bones, snail remains and rocks covered in rat feces.

Today, the sounds of chirping birds flying in and out is a common sight. Tufted puffins and song sparrows, which had long disappeared, are gradually making their way back. Conservationists have also been observing an increase in ground nesting and shorebirds. Though the Island is still not back to its full glory, the signs are encouraging and things can only get better, as time passes. With the constant discussion of global warming and species extinction around us, it is reassuring to see proof that the trends can be reversed.

Resources:news.yahoo.com,businessinsider.com

Listen to the Article:

Critical Thinking Challenge:

Do you think the birds sensed that the rats were gone or was their return just a coincidence?

Are You Smarter Than An Eighth Grader (In 1912)?

Given the advances in technology and learning methodologies, it is a naturalassumption that modern-day US students have it harder than those that were educated in 1912. However, the recent discovery of an eighth grade test paper set by educators at Kentucky's Bullitt County School District a century ago, seems to indicate that things were not as easy as one would have thought!

During the 1900's schools in Bullitt County were scattered all over the ruralcountryside. Though they all taught the same curriculum, there was no real way ofverifying what kids were learning except, by testing them with a 'common exam'once or twice a year that encompassed everything from language arts to social studies and mathematics.

This was an important test that teachers and students both worked hard to prepare for. It was particularly crucial for those in eighth grade because it meant a chance to earn a scholarship to attend high school. While this may not seem like a big deal today, it was a century ago, because after eighth grade most students were forced to drop out and work in their family farms.

The sample of this common eighth grade exam was donated to the Bullitt County History Museum last year in honor of its 100th anniversary. While it has been on display there since, it lay unnoticed until recently, and has now become a ragecountrywide as students step up to the challenge to see if they are smarter than a (1912) eighth grader! If you are amongst them, be sure to let us know how you did, by adding your comments below.

Critical Thinking Challenge:

There is a spelling error in one of the sections of the exam. Can you find it? Hint: It's in the spelling section.

Why We Celebrate Veterans Day

For most of us Veterans Day just means a chance to enjoy an extra day off from school or work. However this November 11th, be sure to spend a few minutes on its true purpose, by acknowledging the men and women who have served in our armed forces. These include the members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and the Coast Guard.

And you don't have to stop at just this one day. Join the over 10,000 youth members of the Young Marines group that honor these brave men and women all year long with special events and thoroughly spoil them for an entire week, from November 4 - 11th, by visiting hospitalized veterans, performing chores for disabled veterans and even organizing community-wide social events. The program open to kids ranging from the age of eight all the way to high school, is a great way to not only show your appreciation, but also, get a chance to do some fun activities with like-minded kids and make a real difference in a veterans life.

Originally dubbed Armistice Day, the holiday was first celebrated in 1938 to honor the soldiers that served in World War 1. November 11th was picked as the date because the war ended at 11 am on 11.11.1918. In 1954, after the US had been involved in two additional wars - World War II and the Korean War, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day, to honor the brave soldiers that had fought in all three wars.

People often believe that Memorial Day and Veterans Day are celebrated for the same reason. There is however a subtle but important difference between the two. While both honor our military personnel, the former is a day to remember and pay respect to all the men and women that died serving our country in a war, while Veterans Day is to celebrate the soldiers who are still alive and served in the forces at anytime, during peace or war.

Though several other countries celebrate this day in honor of their own veterans, the significance is slightly different for each one. Some like the United Kingdom,celebrate it in honor of all soldiers - living or dead, while others like Canadacelebrate it to honor all living veterans. They also call it different names. France andNew Zealand still call it Armistice Day. In the United Kingdom, Australia andCanada it is referred to as Remembrance Day, while Malta and South Africa celebrate it as Poppy Day.

No matter what it is called, the reason for observing the day is the same - To show our gratitude to the brave men and women who sacrifice everything to make this world a safer place for the rest of us.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

Listen to the Article:

Critical Thinking Challenge:

What are some of the things you could do to show your appreciation to veterans?

Remembering The Legacy Of John F. Kennedy

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of America's beloved President John Fitzgerald Kennedy or as he was affectionately called, JFK. The November 22nd, 1963, tragedy that occurred as the 35th leader of the United States of America and his elegant wife Jacqueline, were riding in an open motorcade through downtown Dallas, is regarded as a defining moment in American history, one that many will never forget.

Why a lone gunman by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald decided to shoot thischarismatic man who had brought so much hope to the country, remains a mystery to this day - That's because two days after the assassination, while being transferred from the police headquarters to the county jail, Oswald was shot and killed by Dallas resident Jack Ruby.

In 1964, the Warren Commission set up to investigate the President's death concluded that Oswald had acted alone. However, not everyone is convinced. Over the years, many conspiracy theories have emerged - Some believe it was theMafia, others that it was the CIA or FBI. The truth is that nobody will ever really know. The one thing everybody does know however is that John F. Kennedy is and will probably remain one of the best-loved Presidents of the United States!

America's youngest President was everything its people could hope for - Smart, handsome, brave, intelligent and most importantly, inspiring! JFK made Americans believe that they could achieve anything they set their minds to. He and his beautiful wife, Jacqueline, brought a never before seen glamour to the White House. His dapper looks and her sense of fashion were followed and revered not just by Americans, but also, people all over the world. But of course there was much more to this President than just good looks.

The World War II veteran who was born into one of America's wealthiest families, displayed amazing bravery and leadership very early in life, when a Japanese warship destroyed the boat under his command. Determined to save the 9 men that were still alive, he convinced them to swim the four miles to the nearest island. However one was too injured to make it on his own and pleaded to be left to his fate. Refusing to abandon him, JFK caught the strap of the marine's life vest by his teeth, and dragged him to safety.

As President, he fought for equal rights in a country that was still adjusting to theabolishment of segregation. It was he who asked Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill that would give all Americans equal access to public places - the same bill that led to the now famous March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I have a dream' speech.

And his legacy does not just end on earth! It is thanks to his vision that the USA is till today, the first and only country in the world, to land men on the moon! Unfortunately, the young President did not live long enough to see either the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or, to hear Neil Armstrong's famous words - 'That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

Besides sending shock waves around the world, the assassination changed the way US Presidents interact with the general public. Security became of paramountimportance, transforming the once sleepy Secret Service Agency with its staff of 350 and budget of $3.5 million USD to a behemoth that now employs over 3,500 agents and spends $1.5 billion USD annually.

As for a President traveling in a convertible with its top down? That has never happened again. President Barack Obama travels in an armored limousine that is often dubbed 'The Beast' and for a good reason too - Equipped with its own oxygen supply and tools to give the President even a blood transfusion if necessary. It's doors weigh as much as that of a Boeing 757 and the chassis is strong enough to protect the President against biological and chemical attacks. Even the fuel tank is sealed with foam, so that it doesn't explode, if attacked.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of America's favorite leader most cities have planned special events. Dallas, where it all happened, is at the forefront with a week-long schedule that ends on Friday, November, 22nd, with a day ofobservance at the Dealey Plaza where the tragic event occurred.

The Arlington National Cemetery has re-ignited the flame over the slain President's grave and opened its doors to allow the general public to pay their respects. Among the people visiting this week, will be President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama along with former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Does your town, city or even school have anything planned for this momentous day? Be sure to let us know, by adding your comments below.

Resources: whowasjfk, news.yahoo.com, wikipedia.org

Listen to the Article:

Critical Thinking Challenge:

What in your opinion made President Kennedy so popular?

World's Oldest 'Non-Colonial' Animal Was Even More Ancient Than Previously Thought

A tiny clam that was dredged up from its home under the sea in 2006 and named world's oldest 'non-colonial' animal is making headlines again. That's because scientists had grossly miscalculated the age of the ancient mollusk. Turns out that Ming was not 405 years old as had been originally believed, but an astounding 507, when discovered.

Scooped up from 262-feet deep waters off the coast of Iceland by researchers from Britain's Bangor University as part of a project to study the effects of climate change on long-living clams, its initial age was arrived at by analyzing the lines on its shells. That's because similar to trees, mollusks add a layer or ring, each year. After counting 405, the scientists decided to name it Ming in honor of the Chinesedynasty (1368-1644) during which it was born.

Though initially named the world's oldest animal, its status was slightly downgradedafter some scientists argued that the 'oldest animal' designation should only be assigned to animals that grow in colonies - like some of the ancient corals that have been discovered. Since mollusks are loners, Ming became the world's oldest non-colonial animal. The Guinness Book of Records came up with an even simpler solution by calling Ming what it really was - The world's oldest mollusk!

With everyone happy, Ming was placed back in the archives and almost forgotten until November 6th, when the Bangor University scientists announced that they may have been too hasty in proclaiming its age. Paul Butler, a researcher at the University says that a recount of Ming's rings together with sophisticated age estimating techniques like carbon dating-14 had made them realize that the oceanquahog was about a century older than they had previously thought or to be exact - 507 years old! Their initial count had been off because as clams grow older, their rate of size increase diminishes, which means that the rings get closer and closer making it hard to count accurately. However this time around, they are sure they have Ming's age right!

While this doesn't really change Ming's status because it was and continues to remain the world's oldest non colonial animal, it does change the era it lived through. Pushing its birth date back by a century, means that it was born a mere seven years after Columbus discovered America and had lived through historical events like the building of India's Taj Mahal as well as, two world wars.

This time around, the researchers used a variety of techniques to verify the clam's age. In addition to counting the bands on its outside and near the ligaments where the shells of the two halves join, the team used carbon-14 dating and even compared changes in more recent growth bands with other organisms that lived in the same environment. They are confident they have the age right this time.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-11-reveals-ming-mollusk-years-older.html#jCp

Alas, the ancient creature is no more - That's because when it was lifted off its centuries old home, the scientistsinadvertently killed it. While there is a debate about whether it was the freezer that it was put into along with the 200 other samples collected or the researchers prying its shell open to calculate its age that caused its demise, the unfortunate truth is that Ming officially died at the ripe old age of 507!

But given that Arctica islandica bivalve mollusks (the kind Ming was) are known to live hundreds of years, there may be an even older specimen still lying quietly in the depth of our oceans hoping, that it will never be discovered!

Listen to the Article:

Critical Thinking Challenge:

If Ming were to be renamed what do you think it would be called?

Glowing Coin Is Coin Of The Year

The Royal Canadian Mint's glow-in-the-dark quarter has been named Krause Publications' 2014 Coin of the Year!

Every year the Coin of the Year competition receives lots of submissions by coin representatives and collectors. The judging is done by a panel of the world's leading mint journalists, medalists, and central bank and museum officials.

The quarter was first launched in March 2012. It has a skeleton of aPachyrhinosaurus Lakustai –a newly discovered species of dinosaurfound in Alberta– on it.

In regular light the coin looks just like another (but slightly larger) quarter with a cool dinosaur in the centre, but when the lights go out, the dinosaur turns into a skeleton that glows in the dark!

It was the first glow-in-the-dark coin in the world and became an instant hit all over the world. Only 25,000 were ever printed, and all other glow-in-the-dark coins made by the mint sold out almost instantly! 

"By recognizing out unique glow-in-the-dark colouring technology as the best coin innovation of 2012, this Coin of the Year Award elevates our reputation as a world leader in advancing the art and science of coin manufacturing," said Ian Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.

When the original Pachyrhinosaurus Lakustai collector coin first came out it cost $29.95, but now it is selling for between $200 and $500 on eBay! 

BatKid Saves Gotham City!

Five-year-old Miles Scott, a leukemia patient, got to become BatKid for a day and saved Gotham City (which was really the city of San Francisco) from bad guys! Click on the links below for photos of the day as it happened!

Scott was diagnosed with leukemia when he was only 18 months old, but he is currently in remission! Eleven thousand Make-A-Wish Foundation volunteers worked together to make his dream of becoming a superhero for a day true, just like they did for seven-year-old Alex Lelenoa.

San Francisco's NFL and baseball teams even got involved! The San Francisco 49ers tweeted "Our hero has arrived. The streets of San Francisco are safe today," which attracted a lot of people to watch BatKid in action.

The Obamas even showed their support for BatKid on Twitter! Michelle wrote, "Thanks for catching all those bad guys #SFBatKid! You're an inspiration to us all," and President Obama posted a video congratulating him for saving Gotham City.

BatKid took to the streets with Batman at 9:30 a.m. on Friday after police chief Greg Suhr told them there was a damsel in distress needing BatKid's help!

The damsel was tied up to a green 'bomb' covered in question marks in the middle of a busy road. BatKidfigured out that it must have been the Riddler who was responsible and saved the damsel!

Police helped BatKid catch the Riddler in the middle of a bank robbery and he was thrown into jail. 

After the Riddler was taken care of, the Penguin sent out tweets announcing that his plan to "dampen spirits in this town" was almost complete and that he and his henchman were preparing to kidnap the San Francisco Giants' mascot, Lou Seal!

The Penguin drove Lou Seal to AT&T Park, where he and Batman had to complete obstacles before getting in. Once inside, the Penguin tied up Lou Seal...but not for long. BatKid united Lou Seal and cornered the Penguin so police could capture him and take him to jail with the Riddler.

Next BatKid went to San Francisco's City Hall to accept the key to the city from Mayor Edwin M. Lee and thousands of people turned out for the ceremony.

The San Francisco Chronicle even printed a special edition newspaper where it changed it's name to the Gotham City Chronicle. BatKid was featured on the front page of the paper under the headline "BatKid Saves City."

Way to go, BatKid! Gotham City wouldn't be safe without you!

Batkid from San Francisco Chronicle on Vimeo.