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New Rodent Species Found
IZ Reloaded writes "A new species of rodent has been discovered by World Conservation Society researcher Dr. Robert Timmins. He found this creature in a hunter's market in Central Laos. The creature known as Kha-Nyou to the locals is so unique it represents an entire new family of wildlife. Kha-Nyou diverged from other rodents millions of years ago."
known as Kha-Nyou to the locals
How could it be discovered if it's already known to someone?
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I think the "discovered" used here was in the sense of the old Han Solo line, "What an incredible new smell you've discovered!" As in, everybody stationed on board the Death Star knew the smell was there, but they had the good sense not to go rooting around through it.
I'm really tired of hearing of "Newly discover species" found by some guy from the western hemisphere that have been known by other regions forever.
How about saying "Western scientists, too lazy to ask around, stumble across a species well known outside their back yard"
Yes. They found a new species that is so differenty they had to make a new family and genus for it.
The articles really short. It took me about 30 seconds to read.
Mod me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
Even boing boing (boing boing!) reported that hours ago.
Slashdot is getting really really lame. That's not news anymore, that's old crap one has been reading on any other blog thousand times.
FYI, the only reason why I visit slashdot is to read the trolls and the funny comments, all the other stuff was reported everywhere else long time before slashdot.
Headline should read: "Pompous university jerk buys what working class already found."
I suggest you read Slashdot
It's disturbing enough that there are people out there eating rodents.
North American rodents quite commonly found on someone's dinner table include, porcupine, squirrel, woodchuck, prarie dog, marmot, and yes, beaver (he, he!)
Just because you can't find it wrapped in plastic and the Grand Union or Piggly Wiggly don't mean it ain't damn good eatin'.
I suppose you're going to get really weirded out when I mention that there are huge swaths of the US where a good cicada "hatch" is considered a bit of a tasty holiday time.
KFG
What idiot modded your post insightful??!! that was the most idiotic thing I read today; Just because you can munch and swallow doesn't make you an expert in the scientific field of nutrition. Likewise, just because you caught a rodent and put it on sale doesn't make you an expert contributor to the scienfific classification of species.
...it's called "sin". Sin is deadly. Especially, apparently, to newborn children who presumably are the worst sinners of all.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
I'm sure you can name the genus and species of every creature you shove into your mouth, keeping in mind the variety of rodents and insects you ingest with your fruit and vegetable products.
Unless you've actually tried rodent meat, you really have no place judging people for eating it. What would you do if a Hindu person popped in here and started berating Americans for eating beef and using cow products? At least in their case it's a religious issue.
"He does look a bit Oompa like, even if his Loompa is a bit off-kilter."
Well yeah, it does. Microevolution inevitably leads to macroevolution and therefore species splits. This too, we have observed and documented. Crationists just refuse to acknowledge. That's what is fun to laugh at.
The totally nonexistent distinction between "microevolution" and "macroevolution" is a classic example of the way religious believers are constantly forced to "move the goalposts" by scientific evidence. The game goes something like this:
... okay ... so the "days" were really, really long. But He still created everything in the form it has today. That's what we meant to say all along.
... okay ... so change can occur within species. But species themselves do not change, and they are the "kinds" referred to in the Bible. That's what we meant to say all along.
... okay ... so some species can evolve into others, but only within taxonomic families. Families are the "kinds" referred to in the Bible, and are eternal. Except for humans, of course, which are different from all other animals. That's what we meant to say all along.
... okay ... (etc.)
Religion: God created every living thing in its current form in six days.
Science: Actually, the Earth is a whole lot older than any literal reading of the Book of Genesis can account for, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
Science: Actually, populations of living things change all the time, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
Science: Actually, new species do arise from existing species, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
Science: Actually, humans aren't all that different from other animals, and here's the proof.
Religion: Um
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.