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New Shrew Has Spine of Steel
sciencehabit writes "It's the size of large rat, but it can reportedly withstand the weight of an adult man standing on its back. Meet the hero shrew, a molelike creature that owes its near-mythological status to a remarkable spine, thickened by extensions of bone that interlock like fingers. The structure was thought to be unique among mammals — until now. An international team of researchers in the village of Baleko, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, made a surprising find: a slightly different shrew with a similarly 'heroic' backbone. Today in Biology Letters, they introduce Thor's hero shrew (S. thori), named for mammalogist Thorvald Holmes, but invoking the Norse god of strength. The researchers don't yet know how its strength compares to that of S. somereni. After exploring the shrews' swampy palm forests habitat, the researchers also have a new guess about why the spine evolved: They suggest that the creatures might wedge themselves between the trunk of a palm tree and the base of its leaves, then use the strength and flexion of their muscular spine to force open this crevice, revealing insect larvae—a food source that other animals can't access."
There will be no taming of this shrew!
Somewhere in a top secret government research lab, nestled in the hills of Canada next to a hydroelectric power plant, lies an organization that is grafting adamantium to the spine of these poor shrews.
sudo make me a sandwich
The researchers don't yet know how its strength compares to that of S. somereni.
In other words, they are currently writing up a research grant proposal that allows them to travel the world stepping on shrews. FOR SCIENCE!!!
seriously, is nobody trying to actually RTFA?
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
The structure in the first mammal was thought to be unique among all mammals, until they found a second mammal with the same structure.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Shrews are not rodents.
Sorry article but Thor is not the Norse god of strength, that's Magni the god of strength and brute force and son of Thor with is the Norse god of thunder.
Here's the thing I don't like about how evolution is presented...
researchers also have a new guess about why the spine evolved: They suggest that the creatures might wedge themselves between the trunk of a palm tree and the base of its leaves, then use the strength and flexion of their muscular spine to force open this crevice, revealing insect larvae
Um, no. The spine did not evolve to meet the needs of the animal, the animal is alive because it had the traits needed to live. This would make much more sense if the statement was that "researchers also have a new guess about why the species thrived while others died."
The way evolution is presented by most media makes it seem like after a species goes for a few generations it gains some ability like how one can gain a power up in a video game; "Ok... humans make it to the next level... they can either run faster, see further or have faster reflexes.... what will it be?"
If this animal didn't have the ability to do what it does then it would have probably failed and we would know it now as a collection of bones in some natural history museum instead of a living creature. Now, this is also to say that those with mutations that gave them a stronger spine would be more likely to survive but it's not as if the species had control over the evolution of the spine itself.
My ad is for a "water hammer arrestor" device that screws into a washing machine... ...that started me wondering just how powerful Thor's Water Hammer would be... blow the faucets right off the tops of the sink... fire the shower mixing valve out of the wall at high speed right into your junk...
and still waiting for the Stainless Steel Rat movies,
Please
Hey, she's a dog, they look like rodents to her.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
They might, but you should know better. How else will you teach her?
Hey, she's a dog, they look like rodents to her.
The look like rodents to me too. ;-)
I remember the first time I came across a shrew in the wild. I was deer hunting, trying to sit still in my blind and could hear something scurrying about in the leaves. Eventually I felt something on my foot, so I looked down, and there was a shrew gnawing on the tip of one of my boot laces. I gave it a little shake, which seemed to discourage it temporarily, but it came back a few times. They don't seem to frighten very easily.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
I have already instilled in her a fine sense of irony. I think that's pretty good.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
They suggest that the creatures might wedge themselves between the trunk of a palm tree and the base of its leaves, then use the strength and flexion of their muscular spine to force open this crevice, revealing insect larvaeâ"a food source that other animals can't access."
Yeah.. it could be that. Or, "ZOMFG WHAT IS THAT!?" (stomp) "ITS NOT DYING! DAMN YOU EVOLUTION... Daaaaaamn yoooouuuuuuu...."
As someone who's had pet rats before, I can totally believe that quote. If I was sitting on the floor, and he wanted to get on the other side of my leg, for example, he'd go UNDER it. Never mind that there was zero space, he'd just wedge his nose under, heave my leg off the floor, and keep going like that until he could squeeze through. They're quite strong that way.
I've occasionally had mice in my house. They've never done any damage and the cats/dog eventually get them.
One time there was (I assumed) a mouse that was just ripping things up and eating them, getting into (never opened) things of dog/cat treats, and being smart enough to stay in the cabinets.
Eventually I made a makeshift trap (i.e. a big enough box) and caught it myself and the first thing I thought was "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT???" It looked like a mouse and a mole had a baby. I guessed that it was a shrew for some reason. Then I let it go in a park.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
There are ads on /.?
Why is there an "insightful" mod and why isn't it "-1"? If I wanted insight, I wouldn't be reading
All I see is an add for adblock plus.
I read TFA and all I got was this lousy cookie
What, next to the row of little blue Pac-Man ghosts?
> They suggest that the creatures might wedge themselves between the trunk of a palm tree and the base of its leaves, then use the strength and flexion of their muscular spine to force open this crevice, revealing insect larvae—a food source that other animals can't access."
shrewd move
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
not the egg?
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Sherlock Holmes' stronger brother? Ian Holmes' weirder brother? Katie Holmes' less winning brother?
I drank what? -- Socrates
Ferrets are really cute and friendly animals. However they smell absolutely horrible, which makes them difficult to live with as pets.
I actually like their musky scent, but they're incredibly destructive, steal things, and rather than being litter trained they train YOU where to put the litter box(es). They'll dig to the bottom of every house plant, open drawers and strew the clothes around, climb to the top of things you thought unscalable, push everything off every shelf, and fill the space under the refrigerator with their stolen "treasures". I loved my ferret, but no one else would have ever put up with him.
"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
As someone who's had pet rats before, I can totally believe that quote.
Yes, but slashdot moderators, ever eagle-eyed for someone to attempt humor, have stomped on my comment. I suppose it's just further proof that while voles can evolve, moderators cannot.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
Wow, that sounds like a total PITA. I had one briefly, for a few days, which I found outside (probably someone's escaped pet). It was really nice, and we kept it in a bathroom, where it made a bed in the trash can. We gave it to a ferret rescue person as soon as we could. Being locked in the bathroom (to keep it away from our cats), we never saw those other issues, but I just couldn't get over the smell.
Really? Wow. That stepmother should really meet my Nigerian cousin-in-law. He needs someone that can help him transfer his inheritance out of the country. If you fax me your personal details we can set something up.
Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
....but invoking the Norse god of strength.
Magni, son of Thor, was the Norse god of strength... not Thor. Magni was stronger at 3 nights old, then Thor was in his prime.
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
When I clicked the title... I thought they had replaced the shrew's spine with metal. I was expecting a date for when they could replace mine. Damn!
Nope, that bathroom was never visited by the cats, and only rarely by humans. It was a spare bathroom and didn't get much use. That's why we locked him in there. Also, it was tile, so it was very easy to clean up. And I don't remember him peeing in there at all or making any kind of mess; he happily used the little litter box I made for him. When we let him run around the rest of the house, around the cats (for supervised play), he didn't cause any problems at all. If it weren't for the smell (of the ferret himself, not his pee) I probably would have wanted to keep him.
Now that society is all ferrocrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps in the joints...Only a stainless steel (shrew) can be at home in this environment.
Thanks to Harry Harrison for predicting this one.