Oral tradition in Kenya tells that 20 shipwrecked Chinese sailors washed up on shore in the 15th century and were given permission to settle and marry into local tribes. DNA tests conducted by China’s government in 2002 on one of the supposed descendants and found that she was of Chinese descent.
A Guy Accepted a Dare to Eat a Gecko and He Lost His Life
Bet you never thought you’d see that headline, right?
We all know that games of truth or dare can get out of hand on occasion, but the family of David Dowell – a husband and father of three – never expected his taking a Christmas party dare to eat a gecko might cost him his life.
The healthy 34-year-old ingested the animal on December 1, and by December 3, he was not feeling at all well.
“It was coming out both ends,” his sister Hannah told The Sydney Morning Herald. “He was really sick and the moment he started throwing up it was green. That’s when they rang the ambulance.”
It was weigh day today and Betty is up at 52g, Penny has gone down to 66g and Archie is at 30g. 
• • I’m going away again and wont be home until friday, so there probably wont be any pictures. #leopardgecko #leopardgeckos #leopardgeckosofinstagram #leopardgeckolove #gecko #geckoleopard #geckoofinstagram #geckos #geckolove #geckoaddict #geckoaddiction #geckoadvise #geckofeeding #leopardgeckofeeding #bhfyp #bhfyp
#leopardgeckoshedding #geckoshedding #eublepharismacularius • Reptifam 
@diego_the_leopardgecko @lillie_leopoard_gecko @leoo_ladies @leopardgecko.mm @tiny_the_leo @acid_the_gecko @mon.and.sienna @emile_et_une_patte @morethanagecko @sakr_the_gecko @reptiles_239Brisbane doctors originally believed he had a simple stomach bug, or maybe a hangover, but the family insisted it must be more and begged them not to discharge him. Dowell was admitted and eventually diagnosed with a Salmonella infection – one that began to worsen significantly during his hospital stay.
Little known fact: even though Salmonella is typically acquired by the mishandling of food, according to the CDC reptiles can also transfer the microbe to humans.
“Contact with reptiles can be a source of human Salmonella infections. Reptiles can be carrying Salmonella bacteria but appear healthy and clean and show no signs of illness.”
CDC tracking Salmonella outbreak linked to pet #geckos. Health tips: http://t.co/CaKk3yjbWw pic.twitter.com/93ZkVbTGqm
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 14, 2015
In fact that’s why turtles under a certain size are banned from being sold as pets – little kids kept getting salmonella.
Though it’s not clear whether David Dowell actually ate the gecko or simply handled it (stories from the party state either as having happened), there was no doubt he was in serious trouble. His mother told the newspaper that “his testicles were swollen up to grapefruits and there was fluid leaking from them. The doctors said that was normal, it was just all all of the fluid in his stomach cavity.”
Salmonella causes illness in around 1.2 million people in the US every year, and while most cases clear up on their own within a week, around 23,000 people are hospitalized and 450 don’t recover.
Sadly, Dowell found himself in the latter category. After spending time in a medically-induced coma, he passed away during emergency surgery 10 days after the incident with the gecko.
Though doctors never said for sure that it was the interaction that cost him his life, his partner, Allira, says “ingestion of a gecko” is what is listed on the “actual death certificate.”
The death of their loved one was sudden and unexpected, and the family is still reeling from the entire episode. Though they’ve opened an inquest into how things were handled at the hospital, they realize they may never have answers.
Allira does have some advice for anyone out there who thinks stunts like the one David pulled are all in good fun: “If you’re thinking of performing a similar stunt, don’t.”
Solid advice, if you ask me.
And one more reason to avoid the local wildlife whenever possible.
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Female Lionesses in Botswana Grew Long Manes and Started Acting like Males
Well, this is kinda cool.
Five lionesses in Botswana started behaving like male lions — long manes and all.
Male and female lions look and behave quite differently from each other. Male lions have big manes and they roar a lot. Female lions don’t have a mane and they’re not as vocal. The ladies also do the majority of the pride’s hunting.
Once in a while, though, lionesses start to act more like “one of the guys.”
OKC Zoo veterinary caretakers are working to solve a very curious case; Bridget, the Zoo’s 18-year-old African lioness,…
Posted by Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden on Monday, February 19, 2018
Researchers observed five lionesses at the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana exhibiting male behaviors, like growing long manes, marking their territory, mounting other females, and roaring.
These changes are likely due to increased levels of testosterone, scientists say.
“While some of the maned lionesses were observed mating, none of them became pregnant, suggesting they are infertile, a known consequence of high levels of androgens such as testosterone in females,” Katherine Alexander at Virginia Tech explained. “The behavioral changes suggest this is likely the case.”
This isn’t the only time that a lioness has undergone this change. An 18-year-old female called Bridget, born into captivity at the Oklahoma City Zoo, grew a “mini-mane.” In 2011, a captive lioness called Emma in South Africa grew a mane, too, and tests revealed high levels of testosterone due to an issue with her ovaries.
However, this phenomenon is most common in Botswana’s Okavanago Delta, where maned lionesses are a regularity, likely due to a genetic predisposition.
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A Photographer Specializes in Close-Up Shots of Insects and Spiders
Alexander Mett is a wildlife photographer from Germany, and his work is pretty incredible. He gets extremely up close and personal with insects and spiders, and I do mean extremely up close.
I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen the intricate details on the faces of little critters like this before.
Take a look at Mett’s photos and be sure to follow him on Instagram.
1. Dewdrops
2. Creepy crawler
3. WOW
. . . #makrofotografie #naturfotografie #wunderdernatur #wanzen #nabu #macrophotography #macro_captures #insects #macro_freaks #macro_brilliance #top_macro #igbest_macros #macro_highlight #macro_holic #macroshot #majestic_macros #macro_mood #macroworld #macro_kings #macrolove #macro_maniac #invert_macro #NatGeoDE4. Bug eyes
5. Bzzzzzzzzzz
6. Great shot
7. Rock star spider
8. Bloodsucker
9. Male yellow sac spider
10. Making the jump
11. Terminator
12. King of the forest
13. Queen wasp
14. Look at that face
15. Yikes
Those are very impressive, don’t you think?
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Here Are 7 Scientific Benefits of Kissing
You’re in for a treat because these 7 scientifically proven benefits might convince you to keep puckering up far into your golden years!
7. It can boost your immunity.
Tut es Kissing is fun, sure, but it’s also a bacteria exchange. On a bad day that could give you a virus, but the upside is that the more germs your immune system is exposed to, the better your body will be at fighting bacteria and viruses in the future.
A 2014 study found that couples who kiss frequently (at least 9 times per day) are more likely to share bacteria, so get working on that.
6. It releases endorphins.
The brain’s reward system releases feel-good chemicals like oxytocin when your lips touch, which helps us bond and improves our mood. It also reduces stress hormones, freeing your body up to rest from the cumulative crap weighing on your mind.
5. It could reduce your allergy symptoms.
At least one Ig Nobel-winning study proved that habitual kissing (and the reduced cortisol that comes from it) can help people who struggle with seasonal allergies.
4. It can give you a jolt.
Kissing can also stimulate the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline, both of which increase your heart rate, make you more alert, and prepare you for action.
Heh.
Who needs coffee?
3. It could keep the dentist away.
Kissing encourages the production of saliva, which helps remove cavity-causing particles that can stick in your teeth after a meal. No dentists have weighed in, but I mean, it definitely can’t hurt!
2. It reduces stress – and cholesterol.
According to affection exchange theory, physical exchanges of affection “buffer the individual against the physiological effects of stress.”
The same study authors theorize that if affectionate behavior reduces stress, “then it is logical to predict that it will also effect improvements on physiological parameters that are exacerbated by stress” such as cholesterol. Cholesterol has a number of essential physiological functions, they write, “including maintaining membrane fluidity, producing bile, and contributing to the metabolism of fat-soluble vitamins.” It’s also “largely responsible” for the production of steroid hormones, such as cortisol, aldosterone, progesterone, the estrogens, and testosterone.
1. It’s good for the overall health of your relationship.
Romantic kissing, as well as other forms of physical contact, strengthens feelings of attachment and increases the feeling over overall satisfaction between partners.
A 2013 study found that couples who kiss more often feel happier and more satisfied in their relationship (and the same correlation was not found when people had more sex, interestingly).
Mwah!
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Scientists Discovered a Giant Structure Under the Surface of the Moon
Space keeps getting less and less mysterious every day, doesn’t it?
This most recent discovery concerns the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon, one of the largest preserved impact craters in the Solar System. The US and China, among others, have been particularly interested in the area, and now NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission has discovered something truly massive beneath it.
: "I'm coming out I want the world to know Got to let it show! 
" Stepping out on the world stage tonight is the final & brightest #supermoon for 2019. Just in time for the first day of spring, venture outside and look up to the night's sky for one of our favorite celestial neighbors. In this photo, a plane is seen flying in front of the second full moon for the month of July on Friday, July 31, 2015 in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: NASA/Joel KowskyThe structure weighs 2.18 billion kilograms and stretches more than 186 miles deep, suggesting that it might be leftover from the asteroid that formed the crater, says lead author Peter B. James.
“Imagine taking a pile of metal five times larger than the Big Island of Hawaii and burying it underground. That’s roughly how much unexpected mass we detected.”
The mission was out to measure subtle changes in the gravitational field of the moon, then use the observations to study the moon’s internal composition, but what they discovered was a surprise to everyone involved.
“When we combined that [data] with lunar topography data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we discovered the unexpectedly large amount of mass hundreds of miles underneath the South Pole-Aitken basin. One of the explanations of this extra mass is that the metal from the asteroid that formed this crater is still embedded in the Moon’s mantle.”
The team isn’t sure exactly what they’ve found at this point, though computer simulations indicate it is possible that when an asteroid hit the moon roughly 4 billion years ago it embedded itself in the mantle, never sinking into the moon’s core.
Credit: NASA/Ernie Wright #nasa #space #moon #lro #blue #pictureoftheday #science #solarsystem #universe #wow #beautiful #moonlight #clairdelune #apollo11Another theory is that the mass formed when the moon was still solidifying – as the magma of the moon cooled and hardened, perhaps a concentration of oxides may have developed.
More research will follow, but anything we learn from the unique basin should help scientists understand how and when the moon formed, as well as give us an idea as to how it might weather an impact from an asteroid in the future.
And when it comes to space, the more information we have, the better.
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This Is Why the Summer Heat Makes People Grumpy
Summer makes a whole lot of people very irritable, am I right?
Well, everything in science needs to have evidence, so researchers Liuba Y. Belkin and Maryam Kouchaki, from Lehigh and Northwestern Universities, conducted three experiments that tested the effects of being uncomfortably hot on human behavior. Their findings, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, claim that people are cranky, uncooperative, and less likely to help others when they’re dealing with their own discomfort.
#oversummerheat #bringonwinter
Kayla JeanThey began with data from a “secret shopper” experiment in Russia, one that was conducted when the country was experiencing a “mega-heatwave” back in 2010, and found that the shoppers’ experiences and the store employees ratings decreased significantly during the stifling heat.
Employees, for example, were 59% less likely to ask customers if they needed help, to make suggestions, volunteer assistance, or show signs of active listening. They didn’t seem to struggle with the non-customer related portions of their duties, either – only interacting pleasantly was a problem.
Then they recruited 160 people to take an online trivia quiz, and instructed half of the participants to imagine themselves in an uncomfortably warm setting. Afterward, all of the participants were asked to complete a short survey about their experience.
The results found that people who had been instructed to imagine themselves being hot were less likely to agree to take the survey at all, and when they did, they reported feeling tired and less happy than the people who weren’t instructed on their environment at all.
Lastly, Belkin recruited 73 of her students and taught the same class twice – once in a stuffy 80 degree F room and once with the air conditioner running. At the end, the students completed a 100 question survey they were told supported a nonprofit dedicated to helping underprivileged children.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Students who took the course in the hot room answered fewer of the survey questions, possibly because they wanted out of the stuffy space sooner. As Belkin pointed out, the heat affected their behavior.
“The point of our study is that ambient temperature affects individual states that shape emotional and behavioral reactions, so people help less in an uncomfortable environment, whatever the reason they come up with to justify why they cannot do certain things.”
They believe their findings apply to not only students who need a comfortably environment to learn, but to employees who require a temperate workplace in order to be the most efficient at their jobs.
So, better figure out the best temperature for everyone, managers of the world. If you want the best from people day in and day out, they’re going to have to be thinking of something other than when they’ll be able to escape.
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10 Facts About Chernobyl That Will Give You the Creeps
A devastating nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union on April 26, 1986. The incident is back in the public consciousness right now due to the success of the HBO show Chernobyl that dramatizes the events surrounding the accident.
Much of what happened before, during, and after the 1986 event is still the cause of much debate due to the secrecy of the Soviet Union. But one thing is for sure: the Chernobyl accident is considered the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history.
Here are 10 facts about the terrifying Chernobyl disaster and its aftermath.
1. Casualty rate: Unknown
The number of victims that can be blamed on the accident ranges anywhere from 4,000 to 90,000. Two people died in the initial blast, 29 people died from radiation sickness in the months after the accident, and there are literally thousands that may die from radiation-related causes in the future.
2. A gruesome death
The first message about the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant appeared in the Soviet media on April 27, 36 hours after the disaster. ⠀ 
CHERNOBYL INSIDEROne of the first firefighters who responded to the accident scene was Vasily Ignatenko. He suffered a terrible two-week death from his exposure to radiation, including excreting blood and mucus 25 times a day and coughing up pieces of his own internal organs.
3. Other ailments
People in neighboring areas had to flee their homes and complained of such symptoms as “black spots,” bodies getting “fat, like a barrel,” and turning “black, like coal, and shrinking.”
4. Radiophobia
Because women were terrified of possible radiation poisoning, there were an estimated 100,000-200,000 abortions in Europe after the Chernobyl disaster.
5. Dead trees everywhere
Such spectacular views can be seen on our tours. ⠀ The area around the nuclear power plant became known as The Red Forest because the trees died and turned a ginger color after the accident.
6. Lingerers
Although it’s illegal to live in the area around the plant known as the Zone of Alienation, or the Exclusion Zone, it’s estimated that 130-150 people still live there, many of them older women taking care of their family’s land.
7. Poor animals
If you’ve seen the show, you know that people were not allowed to evacuate with their pets. This actually happened and units were sent in to put the animals down.
8. But…there are still hundreds of dogs there
Descendants of the dogs who survived the aftermath of the disaster still live in the Exclusion Zone. There are an estimated 300 stray dogs here. You can help them out by donating HERE.
9. Tourist spot
. . . . . #chernobyl #visitkyiv #ukraine #travelinspiration #pripyat #solotravellers #wanderrach #easterneurope #travelgirls #travellergramTourists can visit the Exclusion Zone, and it’s actually become pretty trendy after the success of the HBO show about the disaster.
10. Ghost town
There is an abandoned amusement park in nearby Pripyat that looks like something out of a horror film.
While it’s truly terrifying what happened at Chernobyl, the strength that the people of Russia have shown in the face of unimaginable devastation should be commended.
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Scientists found that…
Scientists found that deleting a certain gene in mice can make them smarter by unlocking a mysterious region of the brain considered to be relatively inflexible. It is called the ‘Homer Simpson Gene.’
Brave Women Are Sharing Their Abortion Stories with the Hashtag #YouKnowMe
Right now is a scary time to be a woman in America.
People who support a woman’s right to choose what she does with her reproductive health are trying anything they can to make sure the message is spread far and wide that even if people don’t think they know somebody who has had an abortion… they do.
A lot of people have shared their story, but Busy Philipps recently shared a story on her talk show about her experience…
Thank you for your strength in sharing your story, @BusyPhilipps.
#BusyTonight pic.twitter.com/Ryqz7WGEVN
— Busy Tonight (@BusyTonightTV) May 8, 2019
Busy also shared some statistics… with the hashtag #YouKnowMe
1 in 4 women have had an abortion. Many people think they don’t know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let’s do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let’s share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth.
— Busy Philipps (@BusyPhilipps) May 15, 2019
Folks, 25% of all women have had an abortion at some point in their lives. If you didn’t know that stat before, now you do.
Naturally, people are taking up the hashtag and sharing their stories…
Yes, women will die.
I was sixteen. I had been raped by a school volunteer. The fetus had caused internal bleeding and I was fifteen minutes from dying. I was a Sophomore in high school…dying because of the choice of one man. It was either me or the fetus that was going to die anyway. #youknowme
— The Salt Well (@TheSaltWell) May 15, 2019
Lots and lots of women.
I was 24, full-time college student, in a mentally & physically abusive relationship. My OB just found clump of cervical cancer & said going through with pregnancy would mean complications & could possibly risk my life. I had an abortion @ 7wks. 1 in 4 women have them #youknowme
— ZombiUnicorn
Nati Ⓥ (@TheZombiUnicorn) May 15, 2019
And it doesn’t matter what their reason is..
I was 19, in college, and supporting my alcoholic father and little brother with a shit job. I was on the pill. I was doing everything I was “supposed” to do to pull myself from poverty. I’m now married to the father and we are raising 2 children in a great life #youknowme
— Mrs Marmo (@MissMarmo) May 15, 2019
Because these are incredibly difficult choices…
I am here and able to mother my incredible daughter because of the health- and life-saving abortion I had when she was three years old. #YouKnowMe
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) May 15, 2019
And without those choices, women literally lose their rights as human beings…
In 2012 I had an abortion, I wasn’t ready in any means to have a child I am 1 in 4 and #YouKnowMe. Post procedure I immediately cried, it was one of the hardest decisions to make but I would have not been able to grow the way I did the last 7 years if I didn’t make that decision https://t.co/nZ6kTZVd6e
— Nelini Stamp (@NelStamp) May 15, 2019
Because imagine a world where rapists just get to have children because they commit a crime…
#YouKnowMe I had an abortion after the morning after pill did not work when I was date raped
— ☆Shine (@BurntShine) May 15, 2019
And the only option being a hotel room in the middle of nowhere…
#YouKnowMe my neighbor is an elderly woman who runs the food share program in town. In high school, she piled into a S.C. hotel room with a bunch of girls in similar straights to have an illegal abortion. One girl bled out and died. She still shakes when she tells the story.
— PRE-EXISTING KATE (@KONTENTLY) May 15, 2019
Women need to be able to plan their lives…
16, had zero support system with family or partner. I came from a young mother, who came from a young mother. I refused to continue the cycle #youknowme
— CrissCross Applesauce (@kassy_cameron) May 15, 2019
Without fear of consequence for ONE moment taking over their entire life…
#YouKnowMe I was 17, a senior in high school, with scholarships to UA so my Dad wouldn’t have to pay for my school. I decided to have a future and had an abortion instead of being stuck in the small town with an abusive boyfriend’s child.
— S. N. King (@MDBTrumpet) May 15, 2019
Again, these are health care decisions, first and foremost…
We were in love, in college and not ready for a baby, I called my doctor. Found out it was a tubal pregnancy, so I had an abortion. My partner was so loving and kind during all of it, it brought us closer together. We now have 2 kids, we’ve been together for 20yrs. #YouKnowMe
— Caitlin Papp (@Caitlpapp) May 15, 2019
And nobody should ever make that decision for another person.
If I didn’t, I would have died, my husband would have been a widow, and my one-year old would have grown up without a mother. #youknowme
— Fashion Meets Fifty
(@charharreveld) May 15, 2019
Yes, we all know somebody who had an abortion. And their reasons, while their own, are completely justifiable.
Anybody who tells you differently is just trying to interfere with a woman’s civil rights.
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