Earthworms eat seeds and seedlings, scientists have found.
The discovery they eat live rather than just dead plants will change the way we think about earthworms, which had been thought to benefit plants by recycling soil nutrients.
Earthworms eat live rather than just dead plants
It may offer a way for gardeners and farmers to encourage more earthworms into their soil, for example.
But it also means invasive earthworms could be reducing populations of plants in once pristine soils.
Confirmation that earthworms feed on living plants is published in the journal Soil Biology and Biochemistry by Dr Nico Eisenhauer of the Georg-August-University Göttingen in Germany.
With colleagues, Dr Eisenhauer made the discovery studying the behaviour of Lumbricus terrestris, an anecic earthworm that inhabits soils around the world.
Originating in Europe, the worm occurs in grasslands, agricultural fields and forests and is invading soils across the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Previous studies have shown that some earthworms will swallow plant seeds, while others appear to collect seeds, burying them in their burrows.
The Loch Ness monster was believed to exist according to a 1930s declassified document.
In 1938, the chief constable of Inverness-shire raised concerns about protecting Nessie from hunters!
In a letter released by the National Archives of Scotland (NAS), he wrote: “That there is some strange fish [creature] in Loch Ness now seems beyond doubt.”
Interestingly he refers to it as a “strange fish“, and not a creature or monster.
But what is clear is at the time there was a real concern for the safety of the locals, tourists and the monster itself (if it exists!).
Another hairless creature has been found, this time near Panama City.
The creature, dumbed a Montauk Monster look-a-like was allegedly spotted by teenagers crawling out of a cave near the town of Cerro Azul, north of Panama City.
Fearing for their safety as the beast moved towards them, they attacked the creature with sticks before throwing it into a pool of water.
They later returned to take pictures of the hairless, rubbery body, which were then posted on the website of the Central American Telemetro Television station.
The story and photos have now been reported on almost every Cryptozoology website with varying theories and explanations – hairless sloth seems to be one theory?
I’m a bit sceptical and suspect we will continue to see more and more of these weird things.
The ability to digest the milk sugar lactose first evolved in dairy farming communities in central Europe, not in more northern groups as was previously thought, finds a new study led by UCL (University College London) scientists published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology. The genetic change that enabled early Europeans to drink milk without getting sick has been mapped to dairying farmers who lived around 7,500 years ago in a region between the central Balkans and central Europe. Previously, it was thought that natural selection favoured milk drinkers only in more northern regions because of their greater need for vitamin D in their diet. People living in most parts of the world make vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin, but in northern latitudes there isn’t enough sunlight to do this for most of the year.
In the collaborative study, the team used a computer simulation model to explore the spread of lactase persistence, dairy farming, other food gathering practices and genes in Europe. The model integrated genetic and archaeological data using newly developed statistical approaches.
The study simulated the spread of lactase persistence and farming in Europe, and found that lactase persistence appears to have begun around 7,500 years ago between the central Balkans and central Europe, probably among people of the Linearbandkeramik culture. But contrary to popular belief, they also found that a need for dietary vitamin D was not necessary to explain why lactase persistence is common in northern Europe today.
I foolishly forgot to do this in June, but thought it a good idea to let you know the Top 10 Most Read Stories in July (2009).
The alleged Sewer Monster!
1) Very Weird Unknown life form found in Sewers! (Video)
Unsurprisingly, the Sewer monster is still the top read post. What is it? The debate seems to still be ongoing. Read more, watch the video and decide for yourselves >>>
2) Sewer Creature is REAL – but not what you’d expect!
Following in 2nd place is one possible answer – Bloodworms (Tubifex tubifex) – what’s your thoughts? Watch the video here >>>
Girl catches Giant Catfish!
3) Schoolgirl catches Monster Catfish
Schoolgirl angler Jessica Wanstall netted a record when she hooked this monster fish that was more than twice the size of her. Read the full story (with photo) here >>>
4) Tall Blond Haired Aliens spotted by Police Officer in Wiltshire?
A Police Sergeant has come forward claiming to have seen three exceptionally tall beings inspecting a crop circle near Silbury Hill, Wiltshire. Read the full story here >>>
5) Jumbo Squid found on beach after Earthquake! (Video)
Residents near a San Diego beach awoke on Saturday (11th July 2009) to find dozens of jumbo squid (Humboldt squid) flapping helplessly on the shore — about an hour after an earthquake – any connection? Watch the video here >>>
6) Tiny Monkey found in Amazon!
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced that is had discovered a new monkey in a remote region of the Amazon in Brazil. Read the full story here >>>
Strange Lights over London
7) Orange balls of light seem over South London
Crowds of people gathered in Balham and Tooting (South London) to watch two sets of orange lights fly in formation across the night sky.
Still a very popular story – now with 62+ comments. Read the full story here >>>
8 ) Ancient blood-sucking lamprey found in River Thames
An ancient blood-sucking fish has been found in the Thames by a 13-year-old boy. Read the full story here >>>
9) Multicoloured Triangular Shaped UFO filmed over China (Video)
Strange multicoloured UFO filmed over Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province in China. The object looks triangular in shape, but could perhaps be just a reflection? Watch the video here >>>
10) Monster Snake spotted in Rumford Canal!
Police told the Sun Journal of Lewiston that two people contacted them Wednesday (1st July 2009) saying they had seen a monster snake, perhaps up to 17 feet long, enter the canal behind a local store. Read the full story here >>
This is brilliant – a little old, but perfectly relevant seeing how it’s the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.
Buzz Aldrin is confronted by a moon landing skeptic! The man angrily calls Aldrin a “coward” and a “liar.” Aldrin tells the man to get away from him, and when he refuses, Aldrin promptly punches him in the face.
The conspiracy theorist tried to sue Aldrin but the judge threw out the case, saying he had it coming!
Joggers have been left bloodied and scarred following a spate of attacks by buzzards.
Attacked by Buzzards
It is like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, with unsuspecting victims swooped on by avian attackers.
Stuart Urquhart, a solicitor from Bristol, was on holiday with his wife and two children in Helford, Cornwall, when he suffered three six-inch cuts to his head in a buzzard attack.
Mr Urquhart, 36, was jogging on a quiet lane near a river at around 9am, when he felt a searing pain in the back of his head before turning around to see a buzzard flying away.
He said: “I thought somebody had thrown some heavy sacking or carpet at me but I couldn’t see anyone. I carried on a few paces and then saw blood running down me and noticed a buzzard flying off into the trees.
“I have brown hair and I wasn’t sure if the buzzard had mistaken me for a big, slow rabbit, so I decided not to take any chances, and invested in a hat.”
Mr Urquhart, who was given a tetanus injection after the attack earlier this month, spotted the buzzard two days later on a telegraph pole. It swooped down with its talons out but Mr Urquhart managed to dive out of the way.
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Last week, Paul Powell, a plasterer from Shurdington, Glos, was also attacked by a buzzard while out jogging.
Mr Powell, 38, suffered four puncture wounds to his scalp after a bird sunk its talons into his head.
He said: “I felt an almighty thud at the back of my head. At first I thought someone had hit me… and then I saw this big bird flying just above me. Then I felt a burning sensation and noticed there was blood dripping on to the ground.”
Mr Powell ran for cover, but the buzzard attacked him a second time. He was taken to hospital and also given a tetanus injection.
Ciaran Nelson of the RSPB said that it was very rare to see a spate of buzzard attacks.
“These are the only incidents of buzzards attacking humans we have heard of in the last year, so to have two in such a short period is exceptionally unusual,” he said.
“It is most likely that the birds are feeling territorial and are being extra defensive, as July and August is the period when their young will be starting to leave the nests.
A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.
Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile)
Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another.
The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.
What’s more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica.
These introduced Argentine ants are renowned for forming large colonies, and for becoming a significant pest, attacking native animals and crops.
In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the “Californian large”, extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.
While ants are usually highly territorial, those living within each super-colony are tolerant of one another, even if they live tens or hundreds of kilometres apart. Each super-colony, however, was thought to be quite distinct.
But it now appears that billions of Argentine ants around the world all actually belong to one single global mega-colony.
Six minuets and one second, a hell of a lot of fakes, but still an interesting slideshow of some the most weird and wonderful Cryptid, Monster, Alien and UFO photos on the planet – possible?
There may be a prize for the first person to name all the photos/events (or as many as possible).
Scientists think they have resolved one of the most controversial environmental issues of the past decade: the curious case of the missing frogs’ legs.
Around the world, frogs are found with missing or misshaped limbs, a striking deformity that many researchers believe is caused by chemical pollution.
However, tests on frogs and toads have revealed a more natural, benign cause.
The deformed frogs are actually victims of the predatory habits of dragonfly nymphs, which eat the legs of tadpoles.
