Have you heard the one about the cat that could open a large door at an aircraft plant? Or the dog that helped a rancher by sniffing out buried irrigation valves? Or the fox that resorted to trickery to escape pursuing hounds?

Monte, the mascot for the University of Montana, has been chosen as the nation's best mascot during the Capitol One Bowl.

Full Story Here

The journal Nature published two studies today which show that rising temperatures are affecting all manner of plant and animal life. From egg-laying, to flower-blooming, to migration periods, these changes may signal bad news for many species. Many news agencies carry this story including The Chicago Tribune and The Edmonton Journal.

These days it's hard to avoid hearing of U.S. plans to invade Iraq, and those in favour of such action are looking to some strange places for support - including the recent release of The Two Towers. Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), is quite upset with the film being used for pro-war purposes, as he and fellow actor Elijah Wood (Frodo) voiced last month with interviewer Charlie Rose.

Two recent articles on the BBC website have pointed to further advancements in the understanding of ape intellegence. Orang-utans, not one of the most social of great apes, still seem to be social enough to have developed regional cultures, everything from making a bronx cheer before sleeping to riding falling dead trees for the excitement. And like human cultures, once these groups are seperated, or extinct, the culture is gone too.
A group of researchers is claiming a pygmy chimpanzee they work with is talking. Well, not in full phrases, but the ape, kept as part of a linguistics group, has been noted making distinct sounds to accompany things like 'yes' or 'banana.' Given that he'll say the same sounding 'yes' whether happy or angry, it seems to be a case of spontanious vocal development, something thought not in the range of chimps.