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Hundreds of Crustacean-type animals’ fossils of the size of a pinhead have been discovered in Antarctica, according to scientists. These fossils known as ostracods, which are 14 million-year –old, were found in an ancient lake bed located in the Dry Valley region in the interior of the continent. These findings were highlighted in a new research study, which have been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The fossils, which are well preserved are probably the last remembrances of a warm Antarctica, prior to the setting in intense and massive climate cooling that set in. They are in the shape of footballs.

Lead author of the study, Mark Williams, geologist, University of Leicester is of the view that this discovery was a key factor in understanding the impact of  global warming.

These creatures were probably relics that survived after the continent broke away from South America about 30 million years ago according to study co-author Allan Ashworth, professor of paleontology, North Dakato State University.

Ostracods do not exist in Antarctica as of now. The nearest place they are found is around 620 miles (1,000 kilometres) in the subantarctica islands, claims Ashworth. These ostrocod shells were in different stages of growth cycle.

Pollen and mosses belonging to the tundra vegetation that existed during the same period were also found at the same site. This indicates that it was a warm period, warmer than the present Antarctica. A warm temperature is required for the survival of ostracods.

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In a crucial judgment late Friday federal judge listed gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Northern Rockies as endangered species again. Restoring the endangered species protection for gray wolves the decision was against the public wolf hunt supposedly to be conducted by 3 states this fall.

In Missoula, U.S. District Judge, Donald Molloy, decided a preliminary order for restoring endangered protection act for gray wolves in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho states. Whether the order should be implemented permanently will be decided by Molloy later.

It is estimated that there are around 2,000 gray wolves in the region. In the month of March after 10years of long restoration efforts, gray wolves were removed from endangered species list. Environmentalists took legal action in order to overturn the decision of public wolf hunts scheduled this fall. In the hope to stop the public hunt and to allow the wolf population to expand, environmentalists sought the injunction.

Attorney Doug Honnold in association with Earthjustice argued on behalf of 12 environmental groups before District Judge Molloy. After the argument Attorney Honnold said: “There were fall hunts scheduled that would call for perhaps as many as 500 wolves to be killed. We’re delighted those wolves will be saved.”

In the 40 page decision Molloy said that the federal government was unable to meet its wolf recovery standards which also included interbreeding of wolves between the 3 states to ensure healthy genetics. In the decision Molloy also wrote that “Genetic exchange has not taken place.”

Further adding to his decision Molloy said for the purpose of livestock attack state laws allowing hunting of wolves will further reduce the possibility of genetic exchanges to occur. Defending the decision to delist wolves from endangered species, Ed Bangs, Federal Biologist who also led “The Wolf Restoration Program” said it as “a very biologically sound package.”

Bangs further said: “The kind of hunting proposed by the states wouldn’t threaten the wolf population. We felt the science was rock solid and that the delisting was warranted.” As per Bangs government attorneys are evaluating Molloy’s decision and by next week will decide whether to appeal to 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

As per the federal and state officials argument hunting few wolves will not endanger the whole population until and unless the number decreases below 300 wolves. They also said that with the increased conflicts between livestock and wolves it is important to check the population of wolves. Hence public hunt or killing of wolves is totally justified.

Penguin rescuers and experts have reported that more than 400 hundred baby penguins have been washed ashore from the icy Patagonia and Antarctica shores to the Rio de Janeiro shores in the past two months.

Experts opine that though it is quiet common to witness both dead and alive penguins on the sea coasts of Rio de Janeiro owing to the harsh ocean currents coming from the Strait of Magellan, this year the numbers have certainly increased.

Rescuers are being efficiently divided to manage the sudden flock of dead penguins at the sea coast of Rio. Veterinarians like Thiago Muniz are of the opinion that due to the increased fishing, penguins are reaching further into the sea to catch fish, thereby becoming vulnerable to the strong ocean currents.

Muniz says that, Niteroi, the largest zoo has received as many as 100 penguins to be treated this year already. In addition, penguins are getting affected by the petroleum because of the Campos Oil field which lies on the coasts and supplies most of the oil to Brazil.

Muniz claims that no other pollutants are affecting the penguins except these two and yet the numbers to be treated are flocking at the zoo. Biologists who work with Muniz say that not just the oil from the Campos basin but the pollution is also leaving the penguins lungs vulnerable to infection and/pr bacterial invasion.

Some biologists though hold contradicting opinions like Erli Costa, who says that pollution may not be the case for penguins’ deaths. Instead, “global warming” could be a potential reason which often gave birth to strong cyclones and hence rough ocean currents which may have hit he young penguins in a large way.

Costa also explained that most of the penguins reported to be dead were one’s that just came out of their nest and were out in search for food. Hence, rough currents may have made it difficult for them to swim back to the shore.

It is also revealed that dozens of penguins attended to are airlifted back to the icy shore of Antarctica and Patagonia from the Brazil coasts.

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Federal Officials of US Government have officially declared Caribbean Monk Seal extinct. This declaration was made after a five years of efforts to find sightings of West Indian Seal. They also announced that this is the only seal species to extinct due to human causes.

Native of Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, West Indian Seal or Caribbean Monk Seal is the sole subtropical seal. It is believed that since last 50 years this species of seal has not been sighted even once. Last it was seen in 1952 at Seranilla Bank, between Jamaica and the Yucatan Peninsula.

Kyle Baker, Biologist, National Marine Fisheries Service, said: “Humans left the Caribbean monk seal population unsustainable after over-hunting them. Unfortunately, this led to their demise and labels the species as the only seal to go extinct from human causes.”

In 1967 United States included this seal species in endangered species list. Now the fisheries services will remove Caribbean Monk Seal from the list. It is believed that during the second voyage of Columbus in 1494, Caribbean Monk Seal were first discovered. This species of seal were exploited extensively during the European colonization mainly for their blubber, zoological collection, food and scientific studies.

The blubber so obtained from the seal was processed for the production of oil. This oil was used for lubrication, as cooking and lamp oil and coating the bottom of boats. Its skin was used to make trunk linings, bags, straps and articles of clothing.

Biologists Word on Caribbean Monk Seal Extinction:

The other two monk seal species: Mediterranean and Hawaiian are already endangered and at a risk of extinction. The population of these two species has reduced to 500 and 1200 individuals respectively. Baker said: “Worldwide, populations of the two remaining monk seal species are declining. We hope we’ve learned from the extinction of Caribbean monk seals, and can provide stronger protection for their Hawaiian and Mediterranean relatives.”

Bud Antonelis, NMFS Biologist said: “The Hawaiian monk seal is a treasure to preserve for future generations. The fisheries service has developed a monk seal recovery plan, but we need continued support from organizations and the public if we are to have a chance at saving it from extinction. Time is running out.”

Vicki Cornish, Ocean Conservancy said: “The fate of the Caribbean monk seal is a wake-up call for us to act quickly to protect other endangered monk seal populations. We must learn from our mistakes. We must act now to reduce threats to existing monk seal populations before it’s too late. These animals are important to the balance and health of the ocean — we can’t afford to wait.”

Climatic Impact:

According to Ocean Conservancy some of the climatic changes have contributed in the extinction of monk seal species. Climatic changes mainly include debris and erosion, El Nino weather pattern and the rising sea levels. Ocean Conservancy said: “El Nino events, which cause storms similar to those expected to occur with increasing frequency as a result of climate change, drive marine debris closer to monk seal beaches and near-shore waters.” It further added and said: “Seal pups play with trash, which can lead to entanglement and eventual death. Increased numbers of Hawaiian monk seals have been found entangled in marine debris after El Nino events.”

According to the latest research conducted by a Swiss University in case of flies ignorance is bliss for longer lifespan. Scientists Joep Burger and Tadeusz Kawecki at the University of Lausanne said that “a negative correlation between an improvement in a fly’s mental capacity and its longevity has been discovered by them.”

The results of their research project are published in the Evolution Journal. To conduct their research study flies from the Basel region of North-Western Switzerland were divided into 2 groups. Intelligence of one group of flies was enhanced with the help of Pavlovian method where as the other group was left in their natural state. In Pavlovian method involves association of taste and smell with a particular food or other experiences involved.

At least 30-40 generations of flies underwent Pavlovian method resulting in flies that remembered and learned things better and longer. The group of flies left in their natural state had longer lifespan as compared to their intelligent counterparts. It was found that flies in the natural state had an average lifespan of 80-85 days whereas other group flies had of 50-60 days.

The scientists involved in the research study said: “In other terms, the more the fly becomes intelligent, the shorter its lifespan.” Scientists speculated that the increase in fly’s neural activities weakens its other life support system. They said: “This would explain why flies, like most other animals, have hardly developed their neural capacities.”

“Beauty,” the bald eagle finds a new beak after 3 years when a poacher shot her upper beak down. Around the middle of May 2008, a team of volunteers attached a beak to the 15 pound eagle thereby not just enhancing her appearance but also enabling her to grasp food for herself.

Nate Calvin, an engineer who has spent around 200 hours designing the beak for the bird says in a joke “She’s got a grill.” Nate says that the grill got slightly exposed when the outer synthetic covering peeled off. However, the new beak is a temporary attachment. It is presumed that a final beak will be made tougher and attached later.

However, volunteers and her saviors have no intention of throwing the bird back into the wild for the simple reason that the eagle has lived so long between humans that she would find it hard to tear her prey in the wild.

Jane Fink Cantwell claims that the temporary and/or artificial beak is certainly a big endeavor in giving the eagle a new means for survival. Jane explains that the eagle has the capacity to live for decades and with a broken beak, the bird couldn’t depend on humans to feed her food all the time. It was also observed that the bald eagle couldn’t even drink water or groom her feathers.

Anchorage, a bird recovery center, was where Beauty was taken and fed by humans. They waited in vain for a new beak to grow but it didn’t. Then Jane agreed to take her to her own Birds of Prey Northwest Ranch. At the ranch, she fed the bald eagle with strips of salmon with the help of tongs.

Finally, at an engagement in Boise, Jane met Calvin who offered to design an artificial beak for Beauty.

Beauty’s saviors are of the opinion that the nylon-laid beak will help the bird to drink water and grasp foods for her survival. Though there are numerous critics who feel that it isn’t that important to give attention to one bird that no more falls into the endangered species list, Jane is of the opinion that the bird can breed and be a foster mother to many orphaned eagles.

Jane Cantwell also sought an opportunity to give lectures around the country thereby encouraging people to not target such raptors.

It was a difficult task for the volunteers to fit the new beak onto the bird because she was a nervous wild animal as Jane claimed. Beauty was strapped and was consciously awake when the artificial beak was put on and removed from time to time to make proper adjustments. The Boeing Co., a synthetic skin maker in California has accepted to make a permanent and stronger beak for the bald eagle. After the surgery, Jane comforted the bald eagle and rejoiced with the words “The eagle has landed, and she has a beak.”