On Thursday, New Zealand's Department of Conservation announced that 800 endangered giant snails froze to death after a temperature gauge malfunctioned in Hokitika. The snails were being kept in a temperature-controlled room after being rescued from the site of a mining operation. "First, their natural home was destroyed for a coalmine on Stockton Plateau, and now they've died in captivity," said Nicola Vallance of New Zealand's Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society. "This tragedy was entir... Read More
The women's marathon world record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 will stand, despite the advent of new rules mandating that women's marathon world records be set in women-only races. The IAAF announced the decision on Wednesday. Radcliffe, 37, set the 2-hour, 15 minute, 25-second mark at the London Olympics, a mixed-gender race, and track officials later expressed concerns that she had benefitted from male pace-setters. The IAAF is now widely expected to implement a two-track system that recog... Read More
Two weeks before a ban on the sale of bottled water was to go into effect in Grand Canyon National Park last January, the top federal parks official abruptly blocked the initiative after consulting with Coca-Cola. In emails leaked to the New York Times and released on Thursday, the top federal parks official, Jon Jarvis, “reiterated his decision to have the Grand Canyon hold off on implementation” until “we have hosted a meeting with the major producers of bottled water.&rdqu... Read More
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the Western black rhino extinct. Rhino populations worldwide are threatened by poachers, who stand to earn up to $200,000 for the sale of a large rhino horn. “In the case of both the Western Black Rhino and the Northern White Rhino the situation could have had very different results if the suggested conservation measures had been implemented," said Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
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A Boulder, Colorado, woman stole her bicyle back after seeing it advertised on Craigslist. Kathryn Lucas had left the bike locked outside a sports bar. When she discovered it missing, she scanned Craigslist and spotted a similar bike, a black Trek 1.2 with red handlebar tape. She emailed the seller, Denzel Crawford, and arranged to see the bike. Upon determining it was her bike, she went for a test ride—directly to her car. Police later apprehended Crawford, who admitted to stealing the ... Read More
