Aren't you glad humans don't have poison glands?

New Venomous Primate Species Discovered In Borneo

The slow loris may have gained popular fame through YouTube videos in which terrified lorises grasp umbrellas, but it's actually a fascinating animal even when it's not fearing for its life. (Yep, that's what's going on in those videos: when threatened, lorises become docile and passive, which is different from being friendly. Oh, and the pet trade in lorises is brutal and horrifying, just FYI.) It's one of very few venomous mammals and even fewer venomous primates; it has a poison gland on its elbow which it licks to mix with its saliva, giving it a venomous bite. It also has a highly peculiar arrangement of blood vessels in its hands and feet, so that it can grasp branches for hours on end, supporting its own weight, without losing sensation

I think primates are much smarter than people give them credit for

I don't think we're on the verge of Planet of the Apes, mind you, but still. The evidence of various monkeys and non-human apes using tools is one example. And of course there are the various language skills that have been taught in captivity, although those can sometimes be controversial.

I do have a problem with keeping apes and other primates in captivity, I have to admit. I'm not saying we should go liberating them from zoos. I do have particular issues with some medical experiments and the psychological and physical indignities that the animals endure. That can be said of any lab animal, of course, but given that we are close cousins to other primates, it seems worse.

Mandrill monkey makes 'pedicuring' tool

A crude "pedicure" carried out by a mandrill at Chester Zoo suggests the monkeys are capable of more advanced tool use than previously thought.

Scientists from Durham University, UK, filmed the mandrill stripping a twig and using the resulting tool to clean under its toenails.

They published the findings in the journal Behavioural Processes.

Mandrills are the fifth species of Old World monkey seen deliberately modifying tools.

Non-human apes, including chimpanzees and orangutans, can adapt basic tools for specific jobs.

On a lighter note, one person I know on Facebook posted the following to his status: "When the space shuttle gets back from its last mission, it would be hilarious if we were all dressed as apes."

It's a little sad to see the space shuttle programme wind down. I feel sorry for those who gave their all and are now getting pink slips, although of course they have known it was coming and at least were able to hopefully prepare. One of my friends works for NASA, but she is in the division that studies Mars.

The first time I saw a space shuttle, it was the prototype Enterprise, which was being moved back and forth at Edwards Air Force Base on Boeings when I was a kid there. A couple of years later, the first of the working shuttles launched after I'd already moved, so I didn't get to see it land firsthand. That would have been great.

Later, there were the setbacks of Challenger and Columbia. Challenger was especially a shock. Up to 9/11, I would say it was the the most intense tragic nation-wide event I'd experienced. At the time, my ex-husband, whom I was dating, had planned to go into NASA. He was devastated, and we sat and watched the news for hours.

But there was so much success as well. I hope NASA continues to get funding so that we can reach beyond Earth's orbit and take the necessary steps to get us out into space. It feels odd to not have a hand in getting people and supplies to the International Space Station, too, after being a frontrunner in space for so long.

I wish the astronauts and support crews well as they transition to other things. It was a great run. Hopefully private enterprise can take up the mantle, and NASA can concentrate on 'infinity and beyond'.

Does anyone other than me think this is just *wrong*???

Glowing Monkeys Make More Glowing Monkeys the Old-Fashioned Way

The first genetically modified primates that can pass their modifications to their offpsring have been created by Japanese scientists.

The marmosets...express a green fluorescent protein in their skin. The gene for producing the glow was delivered to the first marmoset embryos via a modified virus. But now that modification method could become unnecessary. One male marmoset, number 666, fathered a child...that also contained the transgenes.

666? Oh, the wingnuts will have fun with that! But seriously, I've been saying that transgenetics is a dangerous thing because of its capacity to reproduce in the wild. What happens when this happens outside of a lab? And these are primates, our cousins. What's next, making our kids glow green under UV light? How will they feel about it? Like a freak? And how will those who don't have the novelty of glowing green feel? Normal? or freaks? Argggh!

It looks like, from the pictures, that the child glows stronger than the parent. What also disturbs me is that glowing transgenetic animals aren't made that way just to prove our scientists can. They're made to study all sorts of human diseases. Although I do believe scientific work to cure disease is important, I have trouble with the idea of creating an entire line of designer animals just so you can experiment on it. Not to sound like a religious zealot, but I think there is a point where we have wonder if some people play God in the name of science (As I'm sure you realise from reading this blog, I'm a great advocate of science. But science can run amuck, as its study and manipulation is in the hands of humans, who are in essence imperfect. I give to you the atom bomb and its unforeseen effects.)

Isn't it cute?

Pint-sized primates were first in North America: Leaping, furry mini-monkeys crossed Bering land bridge long before humans

Check out the page above for a drawing of Teilhardina magnoliana, a tiny primate (weighing about one ounce) whose fossil remains have been unearthed near Meridian, Mississipi (which is kind of funny, because they crossed the Bering Strait, as did the American Indians, and I know someone from Meridian who believes in parallel co-evolution of races. Of course, he's also blond, blue-eyed, and keeps doing creative genealogical math to prove he's more and more Indian than he really is. and muttering about what the White Man did to his ancestors, totally ignoring that he's more white than Indian. But I'll reserve judgement on the town for crazy factor and not just base my opinion on Mike.)

Speaking of blonds/blondes (one is masculine, one is feminine, just for those of you confused by proper English--nowadays it often seems to be used randomly regardless of gender, mostly as 'blonde'), there was a blonde hoax a few years ago claiming that natural blondes would die out in a few years. Several news agencies were taken in by the story, including the BBC. I guess they didn't really do their basic genetics portion of high school biology.