More Similarities Between Gorillas and Humans
Observing gorillas for ten years, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) recorded cases of gorillas in the Congolese forest using detached objects as tools. In two cases, the gorillas used sticks to test the depth of muddy water in order to cross the swampy areas. “In the first case, we had a female crossing a pool, and this female has crossed this pool by using a detached stick and testing the water depth, and trying to use it as a walking stick,” said Dr. Thomas Breuer from WCS, who heads the study team in Nouabalé- Ndoki National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the second case, another female gorilla used the trunk of a dead shrub to lean on while looking for food in a swamp, and then placed it on the ground to use as a bridge. “What’s fascinating about these observations is the similarity between what these creatures have done, and what we do in the context of crossing a pond,” added Thomas.
Source: BBC News
Spider-Man Protests
A British man and long-time resident of Hong Kong awaits trial for dressing up as a comic book hero and climbing a television screen to protest the injustices of Tiananmen Square in 1989 in Beijing, China. First disguised as a construction worker, 30-year-old English teacher Matt Pearce stopped traffic in Hong Kong’s Central District the day before the anniversary of Tiananmen Square, by climbing the LED screen used for news broadcasts and advertisements. With his one-man protest underway, he unrolled a banner that read “Tiananmen Square 4. 6. 1989 Justice Must Prevail” then tore off his clothes to reveal the Spider-Man costume underneath. While the Central District was disrupted by his protest, Matt calmly talked on his cell phone and ate a takeout Chinese lunch. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and creating a public nuisance and if found guilty could face up to two years in prison and receive a maximum $1,500 fine.
Source: Associated Press
Mouse Grounds Plane
An unexpected passenger grounded a Qatar Airways plane at a Manila airport in the Philippines for over 12 hours. The unwanted passenger was a mouse spotted darting across an aisle by a crew member, forcing the airline to unload its 243 passengers and their luggage, and fumigate the Airbus 330-200 for two hours. Although it was only one rodent, allowing the mouse to remain on the plane may have been dangerous because it could have chewed up important electrical wiring. Unfortunately, the mouse was never found; it is believed to have either died or escaped.
Source: Associated Press
Extra Fingers and Toes
With two extra fingers and three extra toes — six fingers on each hand, six toes on one foot and seven on the other — 10-year-old Devender Harne from Nagpur, India, believes his rare birth defect gives him an extra advantage. He’s able to work faster than the average child. His daily life is unaffected by the abnormality as he plays soccer and hangs out with friends. Guinness World Records is investigating to see if Devender has the most useful fingers and toes in the world.
Source: NBC 4 TV
T-Shirt Controversy
A T-shirt that reads “Dress Code Violation” is at the centre of acontroversy between teachers and parents of the students attending Green Mountain High School near Denver, Colorado. For students attending Green Mountain, failing to follow the school’s dress code means a day of humiliation by wearing the T-shirt, which also lists the school’s dress code policy on the back. Annie Klane, a student at Green Mountain, believes the T-shirt is failing to coerce students into following the school dress code. “I don’t really think they’re getting the point across, because then you see girls wearing the shirts and they’re rolling the shirts up, rolling the sleeves up, to show their stomachs,” said Annie.
Source: NBC 4 TV
Reseach and summaries by Faze contibutor Amanda Robinson
Comments are closed.