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biology

Internet tackles the mystery of why there are no monkeys in Ibaraki Prefecture

Can the collective Internet come up with a possible solution, or just crack a bunch of monkey jokes?

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They have teeth in their stomaches! And 6 other fun facts about cockroaches

Ever wonder why cockroaches are so shiny? Well, let’s put our fears aside and learn a little more about one of the urban human’s greatest foes.

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New action manga stars… anthropomorphized blood cells?

If there’s anything we learned from the 1980s sci-fi classic Innerspace, other than that young Dennis Quaid was super dreamy, it’s that there is tons and tons of untold drama taking place amidst the complicated inner workings of our bodies. Also, it taught us that probably you shouldn’t sign up for mysterious medical experiments, lest you end up shrunk down to the size of a microbe and find yourself hurtling around someone’s rectal cavity at breakneck speeds.

Recognizing that there’s a lot of potential for action and adventure in a story set inside the human body, a Japanese manga artist has introduced a new manga series which follows a team of red and white blood cells trying to protect the human body they call home.

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Recently discovered Japanese pufferfish included in list of top ten new species

The ocean is full of a massive array of undiscovered species, so scientists are always finding new types of creatures lurking offshore. The circle-making pufferfish discovered in 2013 are one great example of a species mankind only recently encountered for the first time.

But you don’t have to take our word for it — the International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) even included it in their 2015 Top Ten New Species list!

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Japanese netizens lament over the long, but sad life of sea urchins

Although the spiny, horrifying outside may scare you off, the insides of a sea urchin are one of the most delicious things to come out of the ocean. In Japan, sea urchin, or uni in Japanese, can be enjoyed with sushi, on top of rice or just own its own. Sea urchins are a treat for any seafood fan, but recently a group of Japanese netizens found out a little bit more about the life of the sea creature and began a deep discussion about the spiny little critters.

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Real-life Winnie the Pooh caught stealing honey, on run from the law

When wildlife researchers in Kochi Prefecture set up an unmanned camera in a local forest to find the cheeky wilderness creature stealing honey from an animal trap they’d set up, they probably expected to find a clever squirrel or some other creature too small or quick to set off the trap door.

Instead, what they found in video footage was what can only be described as real-life Winnie the Pooh turned to petty crime to fund his hopeless honey addiction.

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Fructose and water: The recipe for invisibility!

When sitting around drinking late at night, the conversation inevitably turns to superpowers and which one everyone wants.

Aside from a super healing factor and flight, one of the top picks is surely invisibility–though usually for some pretty diabolical reasons, like stealing your neighbor’s newspaper.

While we’re still not quite at the level of full-on invisibility cloaks, scientists have developed a way to make cells transparent! Invisible Woman this isn’t, but maybe it’s enough to sneak a midnight snack?

(Warning: some images may not be for the squeamish.)

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Beautiful “transparent” biological specimens a work of art – you can actually buy them and they look amazing!

Have you heard of a series of unique creations called “Transparent Specimens” produced by Iori Tomita? It may sound bizarre, but they are specimens of different living creatures including fish, arthropods, reptiles and mammals that have been specially treated to make them transparent. And the end result is far from bizarre – in fact, the specimens are so beautiful that the series of work have a considerable following of fans.

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