When bird flu reached Turkey, experts thought it was carried from Russia by migrating geese or ducks. So when wild birds migrate to Germany this spring, will they bring the disease with them? Not necessarily, say scientists. Michael Kaatz, who works for a stork reserve in the eastern German city of Loburg, can see the headlines now: “Little Princess Brings Bird […]
Author Archive | Philip Bethge
Winter Sleepers: Researchers Ask – Can Humans Hibernate?
In a new take on hibernation, biologists now believe that mammals are not the only ones who use the winter months to store up energy. Birds, and even humans, may have the capacity to switch to standby mode. By Philip Bethge The Hopi Indians call it Hölchoko: “the sleeping one.” During winter the tiny animal, […]
Rentiere in Flammen
Wie gefährlich ist Weihnachten? Sehr! Von verletzten Seelen und Drogen im Lebkuchen ist zu berichten. Selbst Weihnachtsmann und Christkind bleiben nicht verschont. Von Philip Bethge Der Weihnachtsmann ist tot. Er verglühte bei dem Versuch, alle 378 Millionen Christen-Kinder der Erde binnen eines Tages zu beschenken. Ein Schlitten, gezogen von 214 200 Rentieren, beladen mit 321 […]
Stem Cell Flambé: Test-Tube T-Bones on the Horizon Say Researchers
A world which is free of caged chickens, slaughterhouses and avian flu is possible, researchers claim. All that’s needed is labaratory-made meat. While test-tube T-bones are still the domain of futurists, scientists have already taken the first important steps. The frog steaks were sautéed in a garlic and parsley sauce, then garnished with chives. When […]
Mad Cow Disease: British Pair Believe Cows got Sick By Eating Human Corpses
Did humans transmit Mad Cow Disease, or BSE, to cows? According to a new theory, diseased human body parts from India may have been fed to British cows. In traditional Hindu culture, after a person dies, the body gets ritually bathed, the corpse gets burned on a pyre and the head of the dead person […]
Brown Bears in the Alps: The Great Bear Comeback
The brown bear is returning to the mountains of Central Europe, thanks to resettlement projects in Italy, Austria and France. Biologists celebrate the animals’ return as a success in endangered species protection. But the general population has mixed feelings about welcoming back the predator. By Philip Bethge It was Christina Kröll’s dog which showed the […]
Extreme Caving: The Search for the Basement of the World
Everyone knows that Mt. Everest is the roof of the world. But where is the deepest cave? A team of Ukrainian cave explorers has broken the record for the deepest trip ever into the bowels of our planet. They descended two kilometers below the surface. The spot at which Yuri Kasjan and his team entered […]
The Plague: Locusts Swarm Europe
For months, vast swarms of locusts have been buzzing through Africa, eating everything in sight. Now, they have reached European shores. Can the plague be stopped? By Philip Bethge It was like deja vu, a flashback to that all-too-familiar invasion of feathered-friends from Hitchcock’s thriller “The Birds.” The difference: this time, the attackers had four […]