Save the Bears!

Polar bears may get endangered status

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday that protection may be warranted under the Endangered Species Act, and began a review process to consider if the bears should be listed.

The agency will seek information about population distribution, habitat, effects of climate change on the bears and their prey, potential threats from development, contaminants and poaching during the next 60 days.

This could bode well for much of the Alaskan wildlife.  I'll be keeping an eye out for the decision.

If the polar bear were listed as a threatened species, federal regulatory agencies would be required to consider how their decisions affect polar bears.

A listing could affect industries seeking permission to release greenhouse gases or decisions such as setting fuel economy standards for vehicles, Siegel said.

Keep the faith!

You're Welcome, Mom

Heard this on Morning Edition on NPR on the way in this morning:

Babies' Fetal Cells May Protect Mother

Some scientists have proposed that when a woman has a baby, she gets not just a son or a daughter, but a gift of cells that stays behind and protects her for the rest of her life. That's because a baby's cells linger in its mom's body for decades and -- like stem cells -- may help to repair damage when she gets sick. It's such an enticing idea that even the scientists who came up with the idea worry that it may be too beautiful to be true.

If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense.  Babies, who are clearly the Masters of the Universe, have plenty of reasons to keep their mothers around and healthy, especially during the first 20 years of their lives, when they are most vulnerable to attack.  I see this as just another piece of the puzzle in my theory on the insidiousness of Babies.





I keed!  I keed!