Fingerprints could actually save the world’s most endangered species
File this one under simple ideas that are so genius, it’s a wonder we didn’t start using them sooner. We’ve been solving crimes with fingerprinting techniques since the 1980s, so it was really only a matter of time before someone thought of applying the science to the world of wildlife crime, too. Especially when it … Continued
10 animals still hunted for debunked healing properties
To date scientists have managed to isolate over 12,000 different plant compounds, hundreds of which are utilised in modern medicine. In stark contrast, not one single useful compound has ever been identified in the body parts of the endangered species that are hunted for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Even so, TCM remains a … Continued
10 animals that are being eaten to extinction in the 21st century
Around 2 million years ago our ancestors first began the act of purposefully hunting and killing animals in the grasslands of Africa for food. Coincidentally, the fossil record shows that it was around this time that our brains and bodies grew in size—quite possibly fuelled by our new diet—and it wasn’t long (evolutionarily speaking) before … Continued