Animals

Environmental artists bring nature to life

Anyone that has seen the sun shine through forest branches or experienced the beauty of a sunset knows that nature and art are closely connected. As the world works to educate people about the importance of environmentalism, that link has solidified.

Environmental artists use drawings, sculpture, photos and other medium to show and educate people about the importance of the environment. Paintings feature rich and elaborate habitats and the plants and animals that inhabit them. Many are large scale, painting not only color, but texture as well.

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Environmental group sues feds over Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act is the single greatest tool in protecting wildlife from extinction and it has always been up to the federal government for enforcement. Recently, the feds decided to give the state of Florida the duties of enforcement and management of the act and that's got environmental groups up in arms.

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Alternative Easter basket ideas

When you aren’t religious and you don’t want to fill your kid’s entire basket with sugar, what do you do for Easter? Over the years, my family and I have done some pretty creative things. This year, we were short on time so I bought most of my daughter’s goodies from Jo-Ann’s Craft Store; even so, here are some fun ideas for an alternative Easter basket your child will love.

Handmade goodies

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Back from the brink?

Resurrecting dinosaurs like in Jurassic Park may be a long ways off, but science may be close to saving the endangered Iberian lynx from extinction by animal surrogacy.

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People know what their dog is feeling, a recent study shows.

Do you think you know how your dog is feeling? I know I've felt that way sometimes. Our German shepherd, Apache, displays a range of emotions. She is happy when praised, given a treat, or asked to play a game. She is sad when reprimanded. She is afraid of loud thunder, evident not only by her expression, but by the fact that she hides under my desk. Until now, if I told you that I could accurately read her emotions, you may think I'm just a crazy pet owner. A recent study shows, though, that humans can predict a dog's emotions by looking at its facial expressions.

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The Art Factory hostel

Byron Bay has become almost like a pilgrimage for backpackers heading to Australia. If you are going to be on the east coast, locals and travelers alike will all preach about how amazing a stop in Byron Bay can be. While the small beach town does have a lot to offer, I found myself more amazed by the confines of my accommodation known as the Arts Factory.

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Probiotics may help reduce anxiety

More news from the yogurt aisle: early research shows that certain probiotics may have a remarkable effect on calming anxiety. Researchers did a study with mice and found that those which had been given a particular strain of lactobacillus were markedly more calm and laid back compared to those who were not.

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Les Village des Automates

If you want to get a look at what an amusement park would look like were it made without the billions of dollars that a big name like Disney puts into their own rides, check out a little place in the small town of Saint Cannat, France, by the name of Les Village des Automates. It’s a strange sort of place in the woods filled with, as the name implies, a number of automated characters. Through rides and automated displays, the park relates to visitors many of the classic tales of childhood.

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Red Rock Canyon lures you in

In an ancient age the western edge of North America perched on the rim of a tectonic plate far inland from the coast we know today. That site, now the Red Rock Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas, holds remnants of that early coastline in the rusty iron oxide that flows ribbon-like across the hillsides. The striated patterns are visible from miles away.

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Lazarus Project scientists create an embryo from extinct frog DNA

Mike Archer at the University of New South Wales has been working on what is referred to as the "Lazarus Project." His goal: To resurrect the southern gastric brooding frog. He and his team have a good start on it.

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