Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I FIND THIS VERY INTERESTING!


http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/rare-brown-and-white-panda-could-be-the-result-of-inbreeding.php

Giant pandas are rare in the wild—WWF estimates the population is around 1,600—but seeing a giant panda with brown fur instead of black is nearly unheard of. When a brown and white panda cub was discovered in China in November, it became the seventh ever observed.While it is not certain what causes the variation, new research suggests that it might be the result of inbreeding which would have serious implications for the viability of the giant panda population in the wild.

"It's time we had a debate about what is causing this because it could be telling us something very important," Tiejun Wang, a spatial ecologist at the University of Twente in Enschede, the Netherlands, explained.

Based on historical and anecdotal observations, Wang believes that the variation may be caused by a double recessive gene. If this is the case, both the mother and father of a brown-furred cub would have to posses the recessive trait.This would explain why the variation is so rare. It would also suggest that its appearance is indicative of inbreeding in the population. Wang explained:The habitat in the Qinling Mountains is seriously fragmented and the population density is very high...the brown pandas could be an indication of local inbreeding.Such inbreeding is a concern for conservationists because it leads to a population that relies on the same set of adaptations to overcome threats, increasing the probability of extinction.

Studies of the genome, too, have shown that little inbreeding has occurred among pandas. At this point, researchers said, only a careful study of gene sequences and morphology can determine whether the source of the brown panda variation is in the air, the soil, or the shrinking genetic diversity of the giant pandas.


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Open House / Valentine's Day



Hey there blogger & readers....I know it has been ages that I've been out of touch from posting in here so here I am sharing some pictures with you from the Open House in Bannex & Rolex.
Three Beautiful Ladies in the Valentine's Color.
DaiSy's CriP :-)


Wow wow ....Wat's you doin' man? Ahahaha u guys are FUNNY!
I can obviously see how SMALL my room is (wink)
T'NeL was here LoL....
Alii....Palaun in my Crip, I'm luvin' it....


LAST VISITOR!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Guam Quarter Scarcest For 2009

According to the paper today, Guam quarter which issued by the US Mint on May 26 is now the scarcest among the new 2009 designs with a total production of 42.6 million pieces. I haven't seen one yet but I am desperately looking forward to have one as an addition to my quarter collection. I am almost done collecting, I only need a couple more!

Prince Caspian in the Library

Hello there bloggers and avid readers. I know it's been ages that I haven't pose in here but as they say "better than never" so here I am sharing a couple of pictures with you. Surprisingly, we had an exciting visit from Prince Caspian in the Library today. Mrs. May even asked him "Who are you?" (smile) Isn't it that GREAT! :-)
THIS IS AFTER A LONG FIGHT! ISN'T HE CUTE!




Thursday, February 26, 2009

Giant Stingray Captured- World Record

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92308/?fp=1
According to the source ABC News - A man went fishing in Thailand and caught a giant stingray. Thirteen (13) men helped him carried it out of the water. "Thailand capture of the massive female stingray was part of a program to tag such Maeklong River" they said. I still remember my ESL Team back in Thailand, we used to hang out beside this river and we would have fruit shakes and tried Thai food [wink]. Anyways, believe it or not the International Union for Conservation of Nature measured this huge stingray as 7 feet by 7 feet. That doesn't include the 10-foot-long poisonous tail and it weigh 771 pounds (Almost 800 lbs). Such creatures are dangerous, of course: Famed Australian TV personality Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin died from a stingray barb at the Great Barrier Reef in 2006 [According to the Source].

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Mickey Beckham

I had a chance to talk to Mickey Beckham [the fundraiser-developer] from South Carolina during the BBQ with the board members on Wednesday (Feb 11th). He was sharing to me about a plan of having a group from PIBC going on a mission trip to the U.S. and speak to some Churches there. I think that is a wonderful idea and we should start praying about it!