The Sperm is Coming Update!!
You may remember a few weeks ago we shared a meme we discovered on Twitter about the resilient nature of sperm… Well, it turns out the author of said meme may not have been entirely wrong, had they been referring to flatworms.
Scientists have discovered that a hermaphrodite flatworm, if left alone will use its barb like penis to inject sperm into its own head in order to reproduce. The sperm then travels to the appropriate area so that the flatworm can inseminate itself! Eeek.
Apparently when there is more than one worm involved in the process they still inject the sperm with a barb, a process referred to as “traumatic insemination”. The who thing sounds pretty traumatic to us!!
Find out more in this report, but be warned, it contains swearings.
Festival of Dogs
As most of you know, Diwali is known as the Festival of Light. What you might not know, is that in Nepal they dedicate an entire day of Diwali to celebrating the relationship between humans and dogs. Dogs are dressed up with flowery garlands as a mark of respect and given red markings on their faces. Known as “tika”, this marks the dog as an object for devotion. Food is left out for stray dogs and pets are pampered. We know a certain canine correspondent who might be heading to Nepal soon…
Colour Me Protected!
Some teens at London’s Isaac Newton academy have won the Health category of the Teen Tech Awards by inventing a condom that changes colour when it comes into contact with STDs. Better than a cold show, the device even has a different colour for different conditions, so you will know exactly which ailment your partner has before deciding to, er, take the plunge, so to speak. Now, if only they could invent one that both detects and cures, they’d be onto a winner!!
