Indonesian Kangaroos are being Set Free

In Jakarta, Indonesia, rescuers are returning seventeen rare pygmy kangaroos to the Papuan rain forest. These kangaroos were rescued in recent years from illegal traders and private zoos. These animals are very rare and it is unknown as to how many are left in the world today. These kangaroos can grow up to be three feet long and weigh twentyfive pounds. The animals being released were born to six males and females cared for by the Cikananga Animal Rescue Center on West Java where they have been reared to survive on their own again in their natural habitat. I feel that it is so important that there are still people in our world today who care for animals the way the rescuers did. Thanks to them, these kangaroos are safe and have been retrained as to how to survive in the wild. Now the kangaroos will be able to live normal lives again back in their natural habitat.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19046182/

Animal Ringtones are Used to Lure Leopards

In Ahmedabad, India, forest gurads are using cellphone ringtones to lure leopards from villages. The ringtones are sounds of cows mooing, goats bleating, and roosters crowing. Rather than using these actual animals, such as using a goat to attract the leopards, forest guards feel that this is a much safer way to get the leopards out of the village. The leopards have wandered into the villages in search of food, which ofter results in many human attacks. Therefore, it is important that the leopards are removed from the villages as quickly as possible. The guards play the ringtones for up to two hours and eventually, the cats come out and are tricked into going into cages with a meal inside. Once the cats are caught, they are placed back into the wild. Since the newest ringtone idea, five of the cats from the village have been caught. The guards are thankful for this new method of trapping because so far, the ringtones seem to work and no animals are harmed.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/06/05/leopards.ringtones.reut/index.html

Activists Want Chimp Declared a Person

In Vienna, Austria, animal-rights advocates are looking to get 26-year-old male chimpanzee Hiasl legally declared a person. Activists are looking to get the chimp basic humans rights, such as the right to life, the right not to be tortured, and freedom under certain conditions. This situtation all started when Hiasl and another chimp Rosi's animal sanctuary went bankrupt, where they lived for 25 years. Activists want to make sure that the chimps do not end up homeless if the shelter closes. Both chimps have already been through enough: They were captured as babies and smuggled to a lab where they were used for pharmaceutical testing. Their food and veterinary bills are known to be about $6,800 a month. Donors have offered to help, but under Austrian law, only a person can receive personal donations. Activist hope that if Hiasl is deemed a person, he will be allowed to own property. Then, if people want to make donations towards him, he will be able to accept them. A date for the appeal has not been set yet, so the struggle to earn Hiasl "person" rights will continue on.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18498435/

Opossum's Genetic Code May Help Humans

The opossum became the first marsupial animal to have its DNA decoded on Wednesday. Research is being conducted on these animals because they get melanoma skin cancer just as much as people do. Also, these furry animals' newborns can regenerate a severed spinal cord. Scientists hope that studying the animals' genome can help the cause of finding a cure for treating human cancer. By studying these creatures, scientists are provided with an understanding of how mammalian genomes have evolved over millions of years and is providing insight as to what the origins of the human genome is. Scientists hope that after all tests and experiments are complete, they will have a better understanding of the human genome and a better lead on cures for cancer.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18596452/

Orangutans Playing with Video Games!

At Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta Georgia, Orangutans are playing video games! Four-year-old Bernas and his mother Madu are learning to use a touch-screen system built into a tree-like structure while researchers study their cognitive skills. Researchers are hoping that by studying the orangutans thinking process, they will be able to discover what the primates need to survive. This whole experiment is very important because the whole orangutan population is expected to completely disappear within the next decade, so this video game experiment may help provide keys to their survival and show people how smart orangutans really are. Not only are researchers learning, but video cameras enable visitors to watch the primates' every move from in front of the exhibit.
The computer games that the orangutans play around on test the primates' memory, reasoning, and learning. The computer games consist of various mini games, including matching sounds and pictures and even creating their own drawings. Correct answers in these games are awarded with food pellets. Hopefully, this new experiment will lead to the answers researchers are looking for in order to keep the estimated 37,000 orangutans from becoming extinct.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/04/12/orangutan.videogames.ap/index.html

Red Pandas

On Wednesday, baby twin red pandas were exposed to the public for the first time in the Sydney Taronga Zoo. The zoo features a breeding program that aims to help prevent the extinction of endangered species. The pandas are three months old and are named Jishnu and Tenzin. The pandas parents are Wanmei and Mayhem. Their mother, Wanmei, was brought from Erie Zoo to mate with Mayhem and to establish a significant new bloodline in the Australian breeding program. Fortythree cubs have been born at the zoo since the program began in 1977. This program is a great help because there have been guessed to be as low as only 2500 Red Pandas left in the world today. Thanks to the Taronga Zoo, these Red Pandas will recieve the care, attention, and protection they need while still living in a healthy enviornment.

http://www.zoo.nsw.gov.au/content/view.asp?id=1243

Punnett Square

Throughout the topic of genetics in science class, we have been learning about and using the Punnett Square. The Punnett Square is a type of grid, in the topic of genetics, used to show the gametes of each parent and their possible offspring, or a type of grid that can indicate all the possible outcomes of a genetic cross; also called [checkerboard]. We have done various experiments and activities that involve using Punnett Squares, such as Hamster Vacation, the Super Hero project, Toothpick Fish Activity, and various coin flipping activities. To see a Punnett Square, click the link below:

http://www.geocities.com/geneinfo/graphics/dominant.jpg

Throughout the genetics topic, I have learned that Punnett Squares show all of the possible combinations of alleles, that a Punnett Square is used like a multiplication table, and that a capital letter on the Punnett Square will always represent the dominant gene, and the lower case letter on the Punnett Square will always represent the recessive gene. I believe that knowing how to read a Punnett Square is very important and useful because it is a quick and simple way to figure out a child's allele possibilities and can be used throughout life. To learn how to use a Punnett Square, follow the steps below:

Steps to Using a Punnett Square-

1. Draw a box that is two blocks by two blocks

2. Label one of the dominant allele combination's alleles in each of the boxes across the top.

3. Label one of the recessive allele combination's alleles in each of the boxes along the right-hand side

4. Use the Punnett Square like a multiplication table
(dominant allele comes before recessive)

5. Determine the outcome by counting the number of new dominant and recessive allele pairs