Forever Young [Turritopsis Nutricula Jellyfish Life Cycle Revert]

This article on Mother Nature Network makes mention of the rather unique ability of the turritopsis nutricula to revert back to its polyp stage after reaching maturity, which presumably allows the organism to escape the confines of a normal life span.


I wish it was so easy for the rest of us to start all over again.

Brown Panda [Sounds like Drugs]

Rare brown panda found in China.

Initial scrubbings suggest it is not "just dirty".


I swear to god I knew a guy who got busted with "brown panda".

What Am I an Aggregator? II

Wow, that title is a throwback, son! Man, has this year flown by.

Here's a little best of Kotaku:

New School, Meet Old Skool

An old friend decries the decision to bring minigames back for Super Street Fighter IV.

Oh, and this essay by Guido Pellegrini, sounds like something I outlined to Big Sis Prinny about game antagonists being identified with game designers. Should've written that.

And a couple non-Kotaku items:

Deer got into the lion's den at the National Zoological park. Here's a clip via Hulu through the safe confines of Google Video. ALso, please enjoy 52 year old Guamanian Ann Curry being so stoic.

Oh, and I did some iPhone trolling over at Greater Debater.

Oh, and just for fun, this:

Nom³

via HC13

Hungry, Hungry, (Dead.)

As reported by Reuters, one of cocaine monarch Pablo Escobar's beloved hippos, Pepe, has been shot.

I mean, you take a man's life, ruin his drug empire, but... But to kill his hippopotamus?


That's fucking wrong, Colombia.


That shit is all fucked up.

Showdown

My surveillance team has relayed images of a small Giant Panda figurine placed next to a miniature version of my venue. It's pretty clear what's happening.

Someone is calling me out.

Hello, Komodo [National Zoo]

Called in slick to work on Monday and headed down to Woodley Park for a visit to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, the best zoo this side of the Mississippi. (That's an arbitrary point; merely vs. the San Diego Zoo, natch.)


It was a very warm day, something of which I am not so fond, and the pollen count was high, and I was nigh constantly assailed with fits of violent sneezing, but despite climate and plant sex, I was able to have a very enjoyable time viewing fauna.

Of note, we saw Tian Tian, the adult male Giant Panda. I was fortunate to have seen Mei Xiang and Tai Shan playing outside last time through, and had to settle for seeing Dad lazily sprawled inside the Panda house. Would have very much liked to have seen TS again, but c'est la vie. Hopefully we'll reconvene before he returns home.


Being a big octopod fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the Invertebrate house. Had a stare down with an aggressive cuttlefish. Sensing my sinister nature he presented an imposing facade to frighten me off, to no avail. Also a Maryland Blue Crab (W00t!) seemed to fancy Big Sis Prinny, and put on an elaborate show any time she was within eyeshot of his tank. I postulated he had been conditioned to call attention to a "Save the Bay" placard that had since been removed.

We also had some great time with a Komodo Dragon (pictured above) that seemed to relish the company. Some excellent shots of him, def.

Oh, and due to what was described to me as an unfortunate incident, the National Zoo no longer serves alcohol. Boo-urns.

Eagle Vs. Akita [Zoology]

Had the fortune to meet with two animals today. A bald eagle, and an Akita puppy. Vastly preferred interacting with the canine.

Now, I know I'm known for my penchant for advanced predators (maybe not so much), but I'm not a big fan of avians. Sure, that relatively gianormous hypothalamus and its complex vector calculations are cool. So is that mile+ vision. But birds have no zest! No anima! Nada excitamente. No thoughts behind those twitchy eyes. They are much less evolved than virtually all mammals. Especially dogs.

And especially the Akita, renowned as one of the most loyal breeds, specifically due to one famous specimen. Dogs are genetically closer to humans, and their behavioral and morphological evolution has been driven and directed by their symbiosis with early man.

That puppy was super cute-ums!



...But I bet that eagle would be delicious.