Mews of the Weird

For the past couple of months, I've been saving news clips that I enjoyed reading on my morning commute. After reviewing some of these articles, I noticed a theme: I like snuggly animals. And exotic poop.

Examples:

Tabby Gracie Mae's odyssey ended happily after she crawled into her owner's suitcase, went through an airport X-ray machine, was loaded onto a plane, thrown onto a baggage belt and mistakenly picked up far from home. The pet was returned by a stranger who went home with the wrong bag. "I went to unpack and saw it wasn't my suitcase," said Rob Carter. "A kitten jumped out and ran under the bed. I screamed like a little girl."-- January 24, 2008

Japanese scientists say they've used genetic engineering to create mice that show no fear of felines, a development that may shed new light on the nature of fear itself. Scientists at Tokyo University say they were able to successfully switch off a mouse's instinct to cower at the smell or presence of cats -- showing that fear is genetically hardwired. "Mice are naturally terrified of cats and usually panic or flee at the smell of one. But mice with certain nasal cells removed through genetic engineering didn't display any fear," said team leader Ko Kobayakawa. In his experiment, the genetically altered mice approached cats and even snuggled up to them. -- December 18, 2007


Who wouldn't want one of these kitties?

Not only are these cats clones -- they are clones that glow in the dark. Technically, says South Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology, they have a fluorescence protein gene that causes them to glow under ultraviolet beams. The technology could help develop treatments for human genetic diseases. -- December 14, 2007

Stumped about what to give that special someone? How about rhino dung? The International Rhino Foundation is auctioning separately on eBay four pieces from the endangered species and will use the proceeds to fund conservation efforts. The pieces come from four of the five types of rhino: white, black, Indian and Sumatran. The Javan rhino is so rare, a sample could not be collected. Each piece is mounted in a clear trophy case and marked with the type of rhino that produced it. -- December 7, 2007

Addendum: This is a little gem that Paul P. sent me this morning: Click here.