Male pregnancy in seahorses?!

Yes, you have not mistaken. The closest thing we can relate to is probably, hermaphroditic animals whose reproductive organs are normally associated with both male and female sexes. This is a common phenomenon in snails and slugs, in which both partners can act as the "female" or the "male".

However, we are looking at an unusual event where the male and female counterparts bear opposite responsibilities to what it would normally be perceived as, particularly in reproduction.
The female seahorse would deposit its unfertilized eggs into the male's body, and to be exact, in the brood pouch on its ventral side. After internal fertilization, the pouch provides the necessary nutrients for the embryo to mature. The eggs then hatch in the pouch, before they are being released into the sea. The father protects the young until they are able to survive on their own.

The rarity of such reproduction has unusual implications on the seahorses' mating rituals and behavioral patterns. They are thought to be monogamous, however, it seems that the females have multiple partners, while the males are only able to mate with one female at a time. As opposed from many other species, the female competes for the male in order to mate. After which, she visits him daily for “morning greetings” during gestation. In reminiscence of courtship, they interact for about 6 minutes, and she swims away and returns only the next morning.

Scientist worry over spread of new SUPERBUG

The superbug containing NDM-1 gene, is a newly identified phenomenon which enables bacteria to develop resistance against almost every antibiotic, and has now become a possible threat to the world. The ease of replication and horizontal transfer to and fro cells of different strains has rendered it effective in causing infectious diseases and resistant against treatment. Its presence, commonly detected in gram negative E.coli bacteria cells, has been known to cause urinary tract infection (UTI).

To be more accurate, NDM-1, New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase is an enzyme that allows bacteria to be more resistant against beta-lactamase antibiotics.

This superbug gene has been increasingly spotted in areas such as Britain, and has already been circulating in India to say the least. People travel to India for elective procedures such as cosmetic surgery, and return to their native countries carrying the harmful gene. Therefore, the booming medical tourism in places like India and Pakistan could cause a surge in antibiotic resistance, which could massively spread to the rest of the world.



Klebsiella pneumoniae, the bacterium in which NDM-1 was first identified.

FIRE ANTS. they are NOT all that puny afterall.

Heard of ants that can rip apart the flesh of small animals in minutes? Yupp, you did not hear me wrong. They are the almighty fire ants, typically a variety of stinging ants with over 280 species worldwide.

Wonder why they are called fire ants? This is due to the painful sensation felt by humans when they are stung by a fire ant. It is analogous to what one feels when he or she has been burnt by fire. Thus, the name.

These tiny predators are unlike the harmless-looking ants we notice everywhere; they bite to get a grip of their prey, spray acid on its wound, and finally sting (from the abdomen) to inject a toxic called Solenopsin, a compound from the class of piperidines. How nasty. They usually feed on young plants, seeds and crickets, but often attack small animals and kill them. They usually attack in a group, which escorts efficiency to a much higher level.

Marsupials

Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by a distinctive pouch (called the marsupium), in which females carry their young through early infancy.

Marsupials usually undergo premature births (about 4-5weeks), exposing the infants to great environmental risks. Due to early birth, there is insufficient time for a complex placenta to be formed to protect the embryo from its mother's immune system.

When the infants are borned, their front limbs are much more developed then the rest of their body. Hence, the limbs are vital in helping them to climb to their mother's nipples which are located inside the marsupium. Every adult marsupial has 6-7 nipples, each catering to one newborn. The offsprings feed on milk that lactates from their mother's nipples, providing them with the necessary nutrients to grow.













Kangaroo newborn sucking on its mother's nipples in the pouch.

Sonic black hole

Black holes are intimidating and cruel. It swallows you in one gulp and leaves no traces behind.
However, this recent sonic black hole created by mankind, is not known to pose any threat to Earth. In fact, it makes our planet less noisy.

The new foolproof invention owes its success to the Israel scientists who created a black hole for sound. It sucks the sound waves in, and prevents any form of escape. Since atoms moving between the clouds are faster than sound, any sound wave trying to escape will fall farther and farther behind, never able to escape the sonic event horizon.

This theory was structured back in the early 1980s but it has only materialised now. The black hole will generate more links to the existence of Hawking radiation, an unfounded hypothesis about some sort of emission just outside of a black hole. Though this research may not appeared to be advantageous to the day to day life yet, it gives deeper understanding of how the universe works.

Condom "cedit cards" ??

The one thing that drives many people to use their credit cards to purchase items is the rebate policy. But ever heard of the condom policy in credit cards? I bet not.

Britain has the highest teen-pregnancy rate in Europe. In order to salvage their reputation, a plan has emerged from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Boys as young as 12 are to get condom "credit cards" by attending a safe-sex counselling session. They can get condoms by using these cards at football grounds, barbers' shops and scout huts.

Currently, some local councils have already started issuing the cards. They will available nationwide for boys aged 13 and above by the end of the year.

Higher hopes for transplants

Stem cells are known as the "do-it-all" cells simply because they are able to differentiate into all kinds of specialised cells and tissue in your body. Embryonic stem cells are the most undifferentiated and unspecialised cells which have the highest potential to differentiate into any kind of cell. Although this theory doesn't see eye to eye with some religious groups, many people are beginning to understand the underlying purpose of such technology. It presents a route to saving more lives and creating new ones. Obama has overturn Bush's limits on using federal dollars for embryonic stem cell research, with advisers calling the move a clearer signal to science.

Recently, researchers have found a safe way to turn skin cells to stem cells- just like transforming an adult into a baby. This is the first safe method of generating patient specific stem cells, further reducing the probablity of tissue rejection in organ transplant. And it also eliminates some of the religious conflicts as this doesn't involve or destroy embryos.

This technology will soon allow us to expand the range of possible stem cell therapies for the entire human body and accelerate the field of regenerative medicine. It is so promising that researchers are hoping to apply for approval to begin clinic trials by the middle of next year.