Beautiful footage of a Lioness making off with a GoPro.
Totally go watch the video!
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Roller Coaster Helps Pass Kidney Stones
Yesterday I didn’t blog because I was with my husband at the hospital getting a monster of a Kidney Stone dealt with. That makes this for today’s post extra fitting.
Live Science has reported that Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster was found by scientists to be perfect for aiding in the passing of Kidney Stones.
Studying this phenomenon required a bit of ingenuity from the researchers. To test the effects of riding a roller coaster with kidney stones, they created a 3D model of a kidney that could be taken along for the ride (concealed in a backpack, of course).
In the experiment, the researchers placed three real kidney stones and some urine in the model kidney. The kidney stones were different sizes: small (4.5 cubic millimeters), medium (13.5 cubic mm) and large (64.6 cubic mm).
The researchers took the model kidney on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster 20 times. They experimented with the position of the different sizes of kidney stones in different parts of their kidney model. On one ride, for example, the largest stone was placed in the upper part of the kidney; on another, the large stone was placed in the middle of the kidney. Ultimately, each stone was placed in each location of the kidney for at least one ride.
I think this might be another case of “Science is Weird”.
Rec: Facts about Opossums
There are more than 60 species of opossum. The species that many people think of when hearing about this animal is the common opossum, also known as Virginia opossum. However, these are two different species. The common opossum’s scientific name is Didelphis marsupialis, and the Virginia opossum’s scientific name is Didelphis virginiana.
These types of opossums have a cone-shaped nose with a pink tip, a long hairless tail, and white, gray and black fur. Opossums are the only marsupial found naturally in North America.
Rec: Facts About Minks
Minks are small mammals with long, thin bodies, short legs, pointed snouts and claws. These soft creatures are related to ermines, ferrets and weasels and look much like their relatives. Their fur is highly valued.
There are two species of minks: European minks and American minks. They were once classified in the same genus, Mustela, but recent research has led to the American mink being classified separately in the Neovisongenus, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).