Every year thousands of people are bitten by dogs.  Usually these bites can be prevented if you learn the right way to interact with both familiar and strange dogs.  For information on dog bite prevention visit the link below!

Researchers at the University of Mississippi are working hard to take a natural substance found in laundry detergents and use it to stop oil from sticking to birds during oil spills.  The oil gets absorbed into the birds' feathers, making them unable to fly well, unable to float well, and unable to regulate their body temperatures. The substance, called soy lecithin, is found in everything from candy to cough syrup, and binds around the oil droplets, preventing them from sticking to anything.  The soy lecithin also still allows microbes to penetrate into the oil, ensuring that it will still be broken down.  This may prove to be a valuable tool in the future to minimize damage caused to marine wildlife during oil spills.

A recent head count of these great sharks off the coast of California yielded a sighting of only 219 adults, which is far less than expected.  Currently Great Whites are listed as vulnerable, but if similar head counts reveal low numbers in Africa and Australia, they may move into the endangered or critically endangered areas. 

Albuquerque, several cities in California, and most recently Austin, TX are all places where it is no longer legal to sell pets from retail pet stores.  The purpose of these bans is to increase the number of pets adopted from rescue groups and local animal shelters, as well as to decrease the puppies and kittens produced and sold from substandard breeders, often termed "puppy mills" or "kitten mills".  El Paso, TX is the next city to have this ban under review by lawmakers.

Since implementing this ban in 2007, Albuquerque's euthanasia numbers have dramatically dropped at local shelters.

Fruit flies eating predominantly apple diets lived 10% longer, a recent study showed.  The thought is that helpful antioxidants in the apples increased health and longevity.  Other human studies have also shown the benefit of apples, with one showing a 13-22% decreased risk of heart disease in women who routinely ate apples.