Bradford's Giant Rat? Coypu? If You Meet One: Does the Name Matter?

"Invasion of the Giant Rats"
Sun (U.K.) (August 19, 2010)

"HORRIFIED neighbours told yesterday how their homes are being invaded by giant rats - including a 30-INCH LONG monster that was shot dead.

"The rodents, twice the size of common types, are plaguing an estate in Bradford, West Yorks, often appearing in kitchens and lounges.

"It is feared some could be 'super rats' from South America.

"Pictured above is a monster 2½ft rat killed on the estate...."

Four other critters about the same size got away while Brandon Goddard was gunning that one down.

There seems to be a colony of those - things - in the area.

Which is a sort of good news / bad news thing.

The bad news is that folks living around there are sharing territory with rat-things that are bigger than some of their dogs.

The good news is that critter experts have something interesting to study.

"...Last night experts called the shot rat "extraordinary" and said the colony was worth investigating.

"Laura Drake, of the Mammal Society, speculated it could be a coypu - a South American rodent often referred to as a 'giant rat'.

"Coypus were thought to have been eradicated in Britain in a cull 20 years ago. But Laura said it was 'not impossible' there had been survivors...."

The Coypu look a bit like outsize rats: but where rats have our habit of eating just about anything, the coypu are plant-eaters. More about coypu:

• "Nutria (Myocastor coypus)"
  Introduced Species Summary Project, Columbia University in the City of New York

Mars, Mud Volcanoes, and the Search for Life

"Mud Volcanoes May Help Search for Life on Mars "
Space.com (August 19, 2010)

"If life does — or ever did — exist on Mars, signs of such life might well be found in a region in the northern plains called Acidalia Planitia, according to a new study.

"The region appears to be dotted with what scientists believe are geological structures known as mud volcanoes, spewing out muddy sediments from underground. These sediments might contain organic materials that could be biosignatures of possible past and present life.

" 'If there was life on Mars, it probably developed in a fluid-rich environment,' said lead author Dorothy Oehler, a research scientist at the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate at NASA's Johnson Space Center. 'Mud volcanoes themselves are an indicator of a fluid-rich subsurface, and they bring up material from relatively deep parts of the subsurface that we might not have a chance to see otherwise.'..."

Mud volcanoes are fairly common on Earth: the Space.com article shows a photo of one in America's Yellowstone National Park. They're also associated with petroleum deposits.

On Mars? Well, we don't know what will be found. Yet. But if good evidence for mud volcanoes shows up in orbital surveys, my guess is that the site will be on wish lists for an upcoming lander.

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Other posts, about

• "Mars, Mostly"

Related posts, at

• "A Serious Search for Other Worlds, Life, and - Maybe - Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence"

Salmonella in Eggs: It's Enough to Make You Sick

Looks like those salmonella-tainted eggs are going to be in the news for a while.

I've pulled together information from the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the news. With links:

Salmonella in eggs:

• "Salmonella in Eggs: CDC Update and Rambling"
  (September 7, 2010)
• "Salmonella in Eggs: Let the Blames Begin"
  (September 2, 2010)
• "Salmonella, Eggs, and Manure: Good News, the Mice are Alive"
  (August 31, 2010)
• "Salmonella in Eggs: What Happens When Nobody's In Charge"
  (August 24, 2010)
• "Salmonella: A Half-Billion Bad Eggs; and Another Sort of Bad Egg"
  (August 23, 2010)
• "Salmonella: More Bad Eggs - Maybe"
  (August 21, 2010)
• "Salmonella: On Packaging, In Food; But Right Now, Mostly in Eggs"
  (August 20, 2010)
• "Bad Eggs in Minnesota, California"
  (August 19, 2010)