Oddity Central |
- The Glowing Firefly Squids of Toyama Bay
- The Man Who Courted a Crane for Three Years to Save Its Species
- Chinese Companies Accused of Selling Potentially Deadly Plastic Rice
| The Glowing Firefly Squids of Toyama Bay Posted: 24 Jun 2015 04:30 AM PDT Every year, between March and June, the 14-km shoreline of Japan’s Toyama Bay is lit up in blue. The electrifying light show isn't man-made; it's a natural phenomenon, caused by thousands of bioluminescent cephalopods known as 'Glowing Firefly Squids'. These fascinating creatures normally live 1,200 ft underwater, but are pushed to the surface by waves during the Hotaru Ika (firefly squid) season. Firefly Squid, or Watasenia Scintillans, are normally about three inches long and covered with photophores. Large photophores are present around their eyes and on the tips of their tentacles, while tiny photophores cover the entire body. These photophores contain light-producing chemicals that are responsible for the squid's bioluminescence. Fireflies have similar photophores, so the squid are named after them.
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| The Man Who Courted a Crane for Three Years to Save Its Species Posted: 24 Jun 2015 04:00 AM PDT Award winning ornithologist George Archibald is a living legend among his peers. This man actually courted a female whooping crane for three years, until she laid eggs. He managed to form an unlikely bond with the bird, and is believed to have played a big role in saving the entire species from extinction. The story goes back to the spring of 1976, when Tex the crane was the only female of her species at the San Antonio Zoo. She was also one of about 100 surviving whooping cranes in the world. Researchers at the International Crane Foundation – co-founded by George in 1973 – had realised that Tex's genes could contribute to increasing the population of cranes, if she would breed in captivity. There was only one problem: Tex thought she was human!
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| Chinese Companies Accused of Selling Potentially Deadly Plastic Rice Posted: 24 Jun 2015 03:30 AM PDT A major food safety scandal involving fake rice recently rocked China; news reports suggested that the grains were made by mixing potatoes with industrial synthetic resin. There were also rumors of the "cheap but profitable" rice being exported to other Asian countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. The fake grains supposedly cannot be distinguished from natural rice when raw. The only way to identify plastic rice is by cooking it – it remains hard and is difficult to digest. One publication explained that soup cooked with plastic rice will form a plastic film over the top, which burns when heated. Health experts are warning people that these grains, if consumed, could wreak havoc on the digestive system. According to an official from the Chinese Restaurant Association, eating three bowls of plastic rice would equal consuming one plastic bag!
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