Blogcation Part Two

Hey, everybody we are down the mountain for Pizza with friends so we're able  to update this blog.
The past few days we have been on top of the mountain camping with our friends and playing on the river.
It has been so nice we all decided to make it a full week of nature before we return to civilization.
So, we will return to our regular posting Wednesday (or Thursday) depending.
Be Happy and Have FUN.

Blogcation

We will be on 'Blogcation' for the next few days.
Unexpected fortune smiled and the forest beckons.
No WiFi and no hassles, OK, maybe a trout may give us a bother.

The Daily Drift

Welcome to the Wednesday Edition of  Carolina Naturally.

Our latest comment: 

It is always a pleasure to read this blog.

~ Jon Hausmann

Preach it, Albert ...!

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 205 countries around the world daily.   

  
Man's Best Friend  ... !

Today is - National Dog Day

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The Americas

Argentina - Brazil - Canada - Colombia - Ecuador - El Salvador - Mexico - Nicaragua - Peru 
Puerto Rico - Sint Eustatius/Saba - United States

Europe

Bosnia/Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Cyprus - England - Finland - France - Germany - Guernsey - Iceland  Ireland - Italy - Latvia - Macedonia - Malta - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Portugal - Russia
Scotland - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - Wales

Asia

Burma - China - India - Indonesia - Korea - Kuwait - Malaysia - Pakistan - Saudi Arabia - Sri Lanka  Thailand - United Arab Emirates

Africa

Rwanda - South Africa - Tanzania

The Pacific

Australia - Philippines

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Today in History

1071		Turks defeat the Byzantine army under Emperor Romanus IV at Manzikert, Eastern Turkey.
1429		Joan of Arc makes a triumphant entry into Paris.
1789		The Constituent Assembly in Versailles, France, approves the final version of the Declaration of Human Rights.
1862		Confederate General Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson seizes Manassas Junction, Virginia, and moves to encircle Union forces under General John Pope.
1883		The Indonesian island of Krakatoa erupts in the largest explosion recorded in history, heard 2,200 miles away in Madagascar. The resulting destruction sends volcanic ash up 50 miles into the atmosphere and kills almost 36,000 people–both on the island itself and from the resulting 131-foot tidal waves that obliterate 163 villages on the shores of nearby Java and Sumatra.
1920		The 19th Amendment to the Constitution is officially ratified, giving women the right to vote.
1943		The United States recognizes the French Committee of National Liberation.
1957		Ford Motor Company reveals the Edsel, its latest luxury car.
1966		South African Defense Force troops attack a People’s Liberation Army of Nambia at Omugulugwombashe, the first battle of the 22-year Namibian War of Independence.
1970		A nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality, led by Betty Friedan on the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment calls attention to unequal pay and other gender inequalities in America.
1977		The National Assembly of Quebec adopts Bill 101, Charter of the French Language, making French the official language of the Canadian province.
1978		Albino Luciani elected to the Papacy and chooses the name Pope John Paul I ; his 33-day reign is among the shortest in Papal history.
1978		Sigmund Jähn becomes first German to fly in space, on board Soviet Soyuz 31.
1999		Russia begins the Second Chechen War in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade.

Two people were in the news last week who represent the opposite extremes of public life in America

One is a profoundly decent man, deeply modest, humble and soft-spoken, who for years has worked quietly to improve human kind and achieve a more humane world, helping the poor, and shunning publicity. 

The other -- well, let's just say he doesn't share these same traits. 

The Strange Saga of George Washington’s Bedpan

Due to his role in the birth of the United States, George Washington was regarded as an almost mythical character even before his death in 1799. His possessions, even today, are revered relics of history. That even includes a bedpan. It had nothing to do with the Revolutionary War, or even his presidency, but it belonged to the Washingtons, and is therefore a cherished piece of history.   

An 18th-century bedpan isn’t all that different from one today. Then, it was round and made of pewter with a handle. In an era before plumbing and bathrooms, the bedpan could be gently heated and slipped under the covers of a sickbed. The elderly, ill, and women recovering from childbirth could use the bedpan without having to risk further injury by leaving their bed.  While healthy adults could use a chamberpot, which might be kept in a cabinet or attached beneath a hole in a chair seat, the bedpan was designed for the immobile.
This particular bedpan was made by a New York pewterer named Frederick Bassett in the late 18th century. It was most likely used by either or both George and Martha Washington at the end of their lives. Because of the meticulous records kept by the family, we can trace the journey of this lowly item through the19th century and up to its return to Mount Vernon in 1936. Why was it kept, and who could possibly have wanted it?

The story of the bedpan is the story of all of George and Martha’s household belongings. They come down to us through Martha’s descendants, with meticulously recorded provenance. However, somewhere along the line, the exact purpose of the bedpan was mislabeled. Read the story of one object and how it represents the legacy of the Father of our Country at Smithsonian. 

Art Exhibit Escapes from Museum, Rampages through City

The RedBall Project is a giant rubber ball measuring 15 feet across. Kurt Perschke, the artist who conceived it, takes it around the world. He often shoves it into tight spaces, like alleys.
Perschke has been doing this for several years. Perhaps he's become complacent. Perhaps he's forgotten that he's trying to control a wild ball--an enormous, dangerous predator.
The people of Toledo, Ohio learned that recently. Perschke took his RedBall to that city, planning to display it at the Toledo Museum of Art. But during transit, the RedBall broke free and rolled down the open streets. The Daily Mail reports:

A video of the incident shows the ball rolling around a corner before picking up speed and partially running over a car.
Museum staff and bystanders can be seen running after it before eventually catching up, grabbing hold of the ball and stopping it safely.
According to The Blade, spokesman for the Toledo Museum of Art Kelly Garrow said that the ball became dislodged by strong winds and a brief downpour.
It was also reported that the ball sustained damage in some areas during the escape and needed to be patched up.

No one died from the RedBall--this time.

Beautiful Swirling Stone Walls

Andreas Kunert and Naomi Zettl aren't just stonemasons. They're refined artists who can create vibrant images by arranging smooth stones into walls. They say that their "inspiration flows directly from nature and the pure simple forms and rhythms that are inherent within the creative forces of the Earth." You can see more of their amazing works at the Ancient Art of Stone. You can watch a video of them at work here.

In China, Pretty Girls Are Hired as Cheerleaders for Computer Programmers

Trending in China reports on an innovative approach some tech companies are taking to enhance employee morale: in-house cheerleaders. These are pretty young ladies who are hired to flirt with the engineers and programmers in order to make the work environment more appealing. The premise is that the workers will be more productive as a result.

IRS Getting Pressured To Crack Down On Televangelists Following John Oliver’s Segment

The IRS is getting pressured to begin cracking down on televangelists following a John Oliver segment on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight.”

Oliver blasted televangelists this past Sunday for what he called “seed faith,” where they tell donors they will reap the rewards by giving money to them.
“They preach something called the prosperity gospel which argues that wealth is a sign of dog’s favor and donations will result in wealth coming back to you. That idea sometimes takes the form of seed faith – the notion that donations are seeds that you will one day get to harvest,” Oliver said in the segment.
He continued, “The argument is ‘sow your money into the ground, you will reap returns multiple times over,’ except as an investment you’d be better off burying your money in the actual ground because at least that way there’s a chance your dog may dig it up and give it back to you one day.”
People have donated millions to televangelists through the “prosperity gospel,” believing by giving money, dog will help them.
“They keep trying to send more money, more money, more money so they can get healed,” Trinity Foundation president Ole Anthony, whose group investigates religious fraud, told CBS News.
Anthony explained to CBS News that televangelists are able to receive millions because the IRS has turned a “blind eye” to their tax-exempt cults.
“A few years ago, the IRS named Scientology a cult. Since that happened, anybody can call themselves a cult,” Anthony said.
CBS News reports the IRS only conducted three cult audits from 2013 to 2014 after suspending them completely from 2009 to 2013.
“You are always going to find abuses and excesses in the non-profit community, and even in the church world,” Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Erik Stanley told CBS News.
He added, “There is no surer way to destroy that free exercise of religion than to begin to tax it.”
Oliver set up his own cult called “Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption” to prove his point.
“Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption will not be able to accept donations from Cult supporters from the states of Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania, or South Carolina. We apologize for any inconvenience. Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption may choose to wind down and dissolve in the near future,” the website states. “Upon dissolution, any assets belonging to the Cult at that time will be distributed to Doctors Without Borders, a non-profit charitable organization that is tax-exempt under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (EIN: 13-3433452) and which provides emergency medical  aid in places where it is needed most.”

Psychopaths Don't Catch Yawns

Yawns are contagious. Or at least they're supposed to be.

So here's a quick test: yawn. If the person next to you--whether a stranger of someone you've known and loved all of your life--doesn't yawn, then he might be a psychopath.
That's how I'm misinterpreting a new study by researchers at Baylor University. They found a positive correlation between people who don't yawn when other people do and scores on questionnaires for psychopathic characteristics. Shaunacy Ferro writes for Mental Floss:

The higher the participants rated on measures of cold-heartedness, the less likely they were to catch another person’s yawn. Granted, people are less likely to feel empathy with a stranger they’re watching in a video than with someone they know, and the sample size was pretty small, so Baylor University probably isn’t full of a bunch of raging psychopaths. And not yawning when others do it doesn’t mean you should run off for a psych evaluation. "But what we found tells us there is a neurological connection—some overlap—between psychopathy and contagious yawning,” study author Brian Rundle says.

This Cop Throws A Huge Hissy Fit, Threatens A Group Of Teens For SMILING

This Texas cop just threw a huge hissy fit, all because these teens were SMILING. Then, he threatened to do this…..

Read more

Our Food System Is A Racist, Ecological Nightmare

Find out what people are doing to fight this injustice.
Read more 

Racists Flip Out Over Town’s Plan To Rename Road ‘President Barack Obama Highway’

A proposal to rename a section of highway in a Florida town after President Obama is not going over too well with some.

Read more 

Foo Fighters Hilariously Troll Hateful Westboro Baptist Cult At Concert

There are several amazing ways to counter-protest the Westboro baptist cult haters. The Foo Fighers are masters of one of them.

Read more 

‘Random guy’ in Josh Duggar’s OkCupid profile considering legal action

‘Random guy’ in Josh Duggar’s OkCupid profile considering legal action

The “random guy” whose image the embattled Josh Duggar used on his alleged OkCupid account is “considering his legal options,” and accuses Duggar of 'defamation of character."

Anti-Gay Evangelist 'Christian' Vlogger Caught With Ashley Madison Account, Says Dog Forgives Him

The one good thing about the Ashley Madison hack is that we all get to see just how hypocritical religio-wingnut “christians” are, and this douchebag is no exception.

Read more 

Florida priest has 200 ‘inappropriate’ pictures of parish children on computer

Florida priest arrested on suspicion of having 200 ‘inappropriate’ pictures of parish children on computer

Second Woman Claims Subway Knew Jared Fogle Was A Pedophile

“Eat Fresh” sandwich chain Subway may not be out of the woods regarding the recent revelations that their obviously creepy now-former spokesman...

Subway Knew Jared Fogle Was A Pedophile

This Is What The Center Of Our Galaxy Looks Like

Astronomers take an unprecedented, x-ray view of the black hole in the center of the Milky Way.

by Jacqueline Howard

This new, unprecedented image of the Milky Way shows that our galaxy's core is a pretty tumultuous place.

The compiled image of photos taken by the European Space Agency's x-ray satellite XMM-Newton (above) spans 1,000 light-years in the center of the galaxy, and shows dying stars, powerful winds, hot gas and, most notably, a supermassive black hole.

The galactic black hole, dubbed Sagittarius A*, and its surrounding emission are located in the brightest central region of the image.

Black holes don't emit light. But as the objects that surround Sagittarius A* in the Milky Way's center are pulled in by the black hole's strong gravitational grasp, the interaction emits light at various wavelengths, including x-rays.

This magnification shows the central 100 light-years of the galaxy's violent core. 
Here, only soft x-ray emissions are shown.

After analyzing the image, an international team of astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics has not only concluded that the center of the galaxy is a dramatic place, but that Sagittarius A*  may be partly to blame for the tumult. 

The black hole is so ginormous that it has a mass a few million times that of our sun. The new image of our galaxy's center may provide important insight into how our Milky Way and its black hole are evolving.

A paper describing the new image was published online in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on August 19, 2015.

Don't freak out, but scientists think octopuses 'might be aliens' after DNA study

Not to send you into a meltdown or anything but octopuses are basically ‘aliens’ – according to scientists.
Researchers have found a new map of the octopus genetic code that is so strange that it could be actually be an “alien”.
The first whole cephalopod genome sequence shows a striking level of complexity with 33,000 protein-coding genes identified – more than in a human.
Not only that, the octopus DNA is highly rearranged – like cards shuffled and reshuffled in a pack – containing numerous so-called “jumping genes” that can leap around the genome.
“The octopus appears to be utterly different from all other animals, even other molluscs, with its eight prehensile arms, its large brain and its clever problem-solving abilities,” said US researcher Dr Clifton Ragsdale, from the University of Chicago.
“The late British zoologist Martin Wells said the octopus is an alien. In this sense, then, our paper describes the first sequenced genome from an alien.”
The scientists sequenced the genome of the California two-spot octopus in a study published in the journal Nature.
They discovered unique genetic traits that are likely to have played a key role in the evolution of characteristics such as the complex nervous system and adaptive camouflage.
Analysis of 12 different tissues revealed hundreds of octopus-specific genes found in no other animal, many of them highly active in structures such as the brain, skin and suckers.
The scientists estimate that the two-spot octopus genome contains 2.7 billion base pairs – the chemical units of DNA – with long stretches of repeated sequences.
And although the genome is slightly smaller than a human’s, it is packed with more genes.
Reshuffling was a key characteristic of the creature’s genetic make-up. In most species, cohorts of certain genes tend to be close together on the double-helix DNA molecule.
A gene is a region of DNA that contains the coded instructions for making a protein.
In the octopus, however, there are no such groupings of genes with related functions. For instance, Hox genes – which control body plan development – cluster together in almost all animals but are scattered throughout the octopus genome.
It was as if the octopus genome had been “put into a blender and mixed”, said co-author Caroline Albertin, also from the University of Chicago.

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

Welcome to the Tuesday Edition of  Carolina Naturally.

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I am happy to find this blog very useful for me, as it contains lot of information. 
I always prefer to read the quality content and this thing I found in your blog.

~ Gayatri

People that do not know me think that my being quiet means I am shy - people that know me think OH, Shit, Run ...!

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 205 countries around the world daily.   

  
Everybody Loves Kisses  ... !

Today is - Kiss and Make Up Day

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Argentina - Brazil - Canada - Colombia - Ecuador - Mexico - Nicaragua - Peru - Puerto Rico - United States

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Belgium - Bosnia/Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia - Denmark - England - Finland - France - Germany  Guernsey - Iceland - Italy - Latvia - Luxembourg - Macedonia - Netherlands - Poland - Portugal - Russia  Scotland - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Switzerland - Ukraine - Wales

Asia

Bangladesh - China - India - Indonesia - Japan - Korea - Kuwait - Malaysia - Mauritius - Pakistan  Singapore - Sri Lanka - Thailand - United Arab Emirates - Vietnam

Africa

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The Pacific

Australia - Philippines

Don't forget to visit our sister blogs Here and Here.

Today in History

357		Julian Caesar defeats the Alamanni at Strousbourg in Gaul.
1346		Edward III of England defeats Philip VI’s army at the Battle of Crecy in France.
1758		The Prussian army defeats the invading Russians at the Battle of Zorndorf.
1765		In protest over the stamp tax, American colonists sack and burn the home of Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson.
1830		The "Tom Thumb" steam locomotive runs its famous race with a horse-drawn car. The horse wins because the engine, which had been ahead, breaks down.
1862		Union and Confederate troops skirmish at Waterloo Bridge, Virginia, during the Second Bull Run Campaign.
1864		Confederate General A.P. Hill pushes back Union General Winfield Scott Hancock from Reams Station where his army has spent several days destroying railroad tracks.
1875		"Captain" Matthew Webb becomes the first man to swim across the English Channel.
1916		The National Park Service is established as part of the Department of the Interior.
1921		The United States, which never ratified the Versailles Treaty ending World War I, finally signs a peace treaty with Germany.
1925		A. Phillip Randolph organizes the Sleeping Car Porters’ Union.
1940		The first parachute wedding ceremony is performed by Rev. Homer Tomlinson at the New York City World’s Fair for Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward. The minister, bride and groom, best man, maid of honor and four musicians were all suspended from parachutes.
1941		British and Soviet forces enter Iran, opening up a route to supply the Soviet Union.
1943		The Allies complete the occupation of New Georgia.
1944		Paris is liberated from German occupation by Free French Forces under General Jacques LeClerc.
1948		The House Un-American Activities Committee holds first-ever televised congressional hearing.
1950		President Harry Truman orders the U.S. Army to seize control of the nation’s railroads to avert a strike.
1980		Zimbabwe joins the United Nations.
1981		Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn.
1989		NASA scientists receive stuning photographs of Neptune and its moons from Voyager 2.
1989		Mayumi Moiyama, formerly head of Japan’s Environmental Agency, becomes Japan’s first female cabinet secretary
1991		The Airbus A340 makes its first flight.
1991		Belarus gains independence from the USSR.
1991		Croatian War of Independence: Battle of Vukovar begins, an 87-day siege of a Croatian city by the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), supported by various Serbian paramilitary forces.
2012		Severe flooding in Burma.

Ride the bus for free if you read a book

As reported by The Independent:

Those who can’t resist reading a good book on public transport have been rewarded by a city in Romania, which offered a free bus ride to anyone who read a book during their journey...
Miron said that he wanted to “encourage more people to read on public transportation”...
“I believe that it’s better to promote reading by rewarding those who read, instead of criticizing the ones who don’t,” said Miron...

July Was the World's Hottest Month on Record

July Was the World's Hottest Month on Record

The month was the warmest since records began in 1880.

Ice Age and Greenhouse Gas

Greenhouse gases caused glacial retreat during last Ice Age

A recalculation of the dates at which boulders were uncovered by melting glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age has conclusively shown that the glacial retreat was due […]

Nazi Gold Train

Nazi Train Full of Gold Rumored to Be Found

Two men, a German and a Pole, claim to have found a 400-500 foot-long train once used by the Nazis.

Health News

Chestnut leaves yield extract that disarms deadly staph bacteria

Leaves of the European chestnut tree contain ingredients with the power to disarm dangerous staph bacteria without boosting its drug resistance, scientists have found. PLOS ONE is publishing the study […]

Blood cleaning devices scrubs toxins, pathogens from the red stuff

A team of scientists at the Wyss Institute last year described the development of a device to treat sepsis that works by mimicking the human spleen. The device cleanses pathogens […]

John Oliver lifted the lid on prosperity gospel pastors ...

... here’s how their IRS enablers make you help pay their way

John Oliver’s segment on televangelist prosperity preachers this week has exposed what some say is a massive system of fraud that is being carried out on vulnerable people with no government enforcement or oversight.

Woman faked her own kidnapping to avoid returning to work

A certified nursing assistant in Panama City, Florida, faked her own kidnapping rather than go back to work, police have said. On Monday officers with the Panama City Police Department responded to a report of a local woman being kidnapped.

The woman left the nursing establishment on a break with her boyfriend and failed to return. A concerned co-worker called the woman to see if she needed a ride back to work and she claimed her boyfriend was holding her against her will and preventing her from returning.
The boyfriend could be heard in the background, telling the female she was not getting out of the car. Two detectives and numerous officers from five different law enforcement agencies worked for several hours on the case. The woman, Beverly F Brooks, 43, and her boyfriend, James Vincent Hill Fennell Jr, 35, were both located in Port St Joe, Florida.
"Brooks was found to be in no distress and admitted that she simply did not want to go back to work and made up the reported incident," officials wrote. Brooks and Fennell were later charged with false report of commission of a crime and booked into the Bay County Jail.

Woman known as 'Kayla Kupcakes' flashed judge in court

A Florida judge was talking to a suspect via closed circuit television when she suddenly lifted her shirt and flashed him.

Susan Surrette, 54, who says she works as an escort and porn star, was arrested for disorderly intoxication.
As Surette, who also goes by the name “Kayla Kupcakes,” was discussing her case with the judge, she lifted her shirt to show apparent bruises from a recent assault.

YouTube link.

After a brief laugh, the judge set her bond at $100 and ordered her to undergo a mental health evaluation.

KKK Member Convicted On Charges Of Making X-Ray Machine To Zap Muslims

KKK Member Convicted On Charges Of Making X-Ray Machine To Zap Muslims

Glendon Scott Crawford was convicted of making a weapon of mass destruction.

Florida college head was carjacked as retaliation for exploiting teen girls

Florida college head was carjacked as retaliation for exploiting teen girls

"When you have a 60-year-old man sending 50 text messages to a 15-year-old, that's not good," Police Chief Mike Chitwood said.

Bad Cops

Philly cop threatens to impound man’s car unless he buys tickets to police fundraiser

"You and your friend got any money to buy these thrill show tickets? Support your police department? Ten bucks each, man," Zagursky tells the driver. 

New Orleans Cop Found Guilty Of Raping Child, Faces Life In Prison

The trial of New Orleans police officer Michael Thomassie ended last Friday afternoon. The jury found him guilty of raping a young girl in October ...

Guilty Of Raping Child

Massive Human Skull Rack

Massive Human Skull Rack Found at Aztec Temple

The recovered skulls feature holes on both sides -- suggesting they had been arranged on wooden poles and displayed.

Deadliest Predators

Forget Sharks, Lions: People Are Deadliest Predators

It’s an animal-kill-animal world, and we are the worst killers of all, according to new research.

Fossil of a four-legged snake

Found... in a museum!

Fossil-hunters have found several extinct snakes with stunted hind legs, and modern boas and pythons still have a pair of little spurs. “But no snake has ever been found with four legs. This is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.”
Martill called the creature Tetrapodophis: four-legged snake. “This little animal is the Archaeopteryx of the squamate world,” he says. (Squamates are the snakes and lizards.)

This finding has substantial implications regarding the evolution of snakes.  More details at Ed Yong's incomparable Not Exactly Rocket Science blog at National Geographic.

Unwelcome bear broke into bear rescue center

Officials at Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, Tennessee, said they had a tense 24 hours from Tuesday night into Wednesday when an intruder bear made its way into their enclosure area. At the last feeding before sundown on Tuesday night, Head Curator Coy Blair noticed an extra bear in the enclosure where cubs Bobbie Blue, Ridgeway, Marvin, Carter, Noli and Sola are living. The intruder appeared to be an adolescent male, around 150 to 175 pounds.
The bear had got past two sets of fencing, barbed wire, an electric wire and scaled a protective sleeve around a hemlock tree, coming to a rest in its highest branches. “Kind of had some finesse getting in there to be 166 pounds. I do imagine that he got zapped at least once probably by electric, but at that point he probably just dropped right in just eight feet or so,” said Blair. Blair called the Parks Service and TWRA to help. ABR says male bears are not friendly to cubs and if the intruder saw them as competition, he could have done them harm.
There was also a chance the cubs might see the intruder in the same way and initiate a confrontation. “They definitely noticed him. They definitely seemed on edge,” said Blair. “Larger bears like that can definitely hurt them especially if there was some kind of competition between the food source.” Parks officers and curators used paint ball and bean bag guns to encourage the intruder to come down, without success. Humane traps were then set to either capture the intruder or lure the cubs out of harm’s way. Only one cub cooperated. In the early morning, officers were able to sedate the intruder. They measured it, took fur samples and ear tagged it.
It weighted in at 166 pounds. It was released in a location far from ABR. Officials say they do not fault the bear and hope to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Curators believe the bear followed his nose into their enclosure in search of food. “There is something going on right now in the wild. Bears are turning up everywhere. They’re having a very hard time. I’m hopeful that the hard mast will be sufficient enough to care for all the bears, but there’s a good chance it won’t,” said Blair. Appalachian Bear Rescue is a nonprofit group working to black bears that are orphaned, injured or in need of medical care.

Animal News

Only Four Northern White Rhinos Left. Can They Be Saved?

When a northern white rhino died in the Czech Republic recently, it left four remaining -- on the entire planet! Julia explains the science behind how animals are deemed to be extinct or endangered.

Family of Bears Cools Off in NJ Backyard Pool

A family in Rockaway Township, N.J. shoots beyond-adorable video of a family of bears taking over their backyard playthings.

Archerfish Shoots Down Prey with Water Cannon

The archerfish is a sharpshooting threat even to creatures outside of the water.

Sumatran Rhinos Now Extinct in Malaysia

The survival of the species now rests with around 100 rhinos in the wild in Indonesia and nine in captivity.

Drone Video Captures Kayaker Paddling with Blue Whales

Filmmaker Patrick Dykstra's footage highlights the sheer size of the gentle aquatic giants.

Hummingbird's Tongue Works Like a Micropump

The slender hummingbird tongue has been misunderstood for more than 180 years, a new study finds.