Food Turns Feathers Pink Flamingos are large birds that are identifiable by their long necks sticklike legs and pink or reddish feathers.
The pink and reddish colors of a flamingo's feathers come from eating pigments found in algae and invertebrates.
and meat makes them omnivores. Flamingos are pink because the algae they consume are loaded with beta carotene an organic chemical that contains a reddish-orange pigment.
Carotenoid levels in their food vary in different parts of the world which is why American flamingos are usually bright red
If a flamingo were to stop eating food containing carotenoids its new feathers would begin growing in with a much paler shade
and duck their beaks down into the mud and water to catch their meal. Groups of flamingos are called colonies or flocks.
and the female will lay one egg at a time according to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Each egg is a little bigger than a large chicken egg at 3 to 3. 5 inches (78 to 90 millimeters) long and 4 to 4. 9 ounces (115
to 140 grams. The egg will take 27 to 31 days to hatch and the emerging chick will only be 2. 5 to 3. 2 ounces (73 to 90 g). Young reach maturity at 3 to 5 years old.
Baby flamingos are gray or white. They will turn pink within the first couple years of life.
as long as they have access to plenty of water and food. In East Africa more than 1 million flamingos have been known to gather together forming the largest flock known according to the Philadelphia Zoo o
#Flashy New'Chicken from Hell'Dino Discovered A beaky crested dinosaur nicknamed the chicken from hell has been discovered in both North and South dakota.
This was not a chicken you'd want to stumble across in the barnyard: The new dino dubbed Anzu wyliei was about 11 feet (3. 5 meters) long and about 10 feet (3 m) tall.
Naming the hell chicken That work has finally come to fruition with the researchers publishing their findings today (March 19) in the journal PLOS ONE.
It was likely omnivorous eating plants eggs and perhaps small animals. One of the specimens was found with debris of shells
and tiny vertebrae between its ribs and pelvis but the scientists aren't sure whether these fossils represent gut contents
what looks like a broken and slightly healed rib. One of the South dakota specimens shows bony healing suggesting trauma to the toe.
These stains typically develop because of your diet. 8 Foods for Healthy Teeth Not surprisingly dark-colored foods
and beverages including coffee red wine black tea colas dark sauces and various fruits such as grapes blueberries and pomegranates have the greatest potential to stain teeth.
Acidic foods and beverages can worsen matters by eroding tooth enamel and making it easier for chromogens to latch onto the teeth.
Tannin a bitter compound found in wine and tea also helps chromogens attach to tooth enamel. Additionally smoking and chewing tobacco are well-known culprits behind extrinsic stains as is poor dental hygiene
which allows dental plaque to accumulate on the teeth. Intrinsic stains occur within the tooth when various factors alter the light-transmitting properties of the enamel and the underlying dentin.
It has long been a health mantra that too much saturated fat like cheese and butter contributes to higher cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease.
But an editorial published in Open Heart suggests that saturated fats aren t as bad as we have been led to believe.
since fat is the most#calorie-dense of the macro-nutrients a reduction in its consumption would lead to a reduction in calories
But turning to carbohydrates such as sugar and corn syrup has led to a parallel increase in diabetes and obesity in the US.
Instead there s a strong argument that the increase in the consumption of refined carbohydrates was the causative dietary factor for diabetes
while diets low in saturated fat can lower bad#LDL cholesterol switching to carbohydrates may increase another type of LDL cholesterol In a study that compared two low-calorie diets one low-fat and one low
Overall he argued no large observational studies have shown that low fat diets cut heart disease risk.
and fish) and monounsaturates (found in red meat olives avocados) have a good reputation when it comes to lowering cholesterol
while saturated fats (meat cheese) and artificial trans fats such as hydrogenated vegetable oil aren t so good.
and nearly 350000 subjects concluded there was no significant evidence#that dietary saturated fat was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease.
#oelow-fat diets have made paradoxically people more obese because people are consuming more things like sugar that are seen typically as low calorie#he said.#
We need people to go back to eating normal food which includes eating saturated fats like cheese.#
#He said normal#meant avoiding things marketed as low fat and low in cholesterol and said the Mediterranean diet would be the ideal;
rich in olive oil nuts fruit and vegetables and low in refined carbohydrates. Saturated fat was part of a healthy diet he said but not from fast food.
If you have a diet that has saturated fat in it and non-processed foods then effect is nominal and maybe even slightly beneficial.#
#He added: The message going out has to be the right message clearly the reality is that it hasn worked t.#
#While Brian Ratcliffe professor of nutrition at Robert Gordon University in Scotland praised Dinicolantonio for a welcome addition to the debate#that challenged dietary dogma#other experts warned that the article was only likely to lead to confusion.
David Sullivan clinical associate professor at Sydney University said: This article and others like it slip between nonidentical terms to suit their argument.
but that this was understandable in the complex field of nutrition.##He said the 2010 meta-analysis (supported by the National Dairy Council) also found that evidence from studies was consistent in finding that the risk of coronary heart disease was reduced
Sullivan said a Mediterranean style diet recommended by Dinicolantonio was most definitely a low saturated fat diet.#
and then goes on to put the blame on sugar.##oeit is beyond reasonable doubt that elevated LDL cholesterol is a major determinant of risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Sugar intake does not affect LDL-cholesterol or blood pressure.##So what are we to believe?
The Mediterranean diet (ironically developed by Keys) healthy (but not low-fat) rich in omega-3 fatty acids lots of fruit
and vegetables and less red meat appears to go some way in bridging the gap.
#and agreement on the benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables especially to substitute other aspects of the diet.#
Specifically the pest is attacking arabica coffee trees (Coffea arabica) that produce the high-end superior brews favored by cappuccino drinkers worldwide.
though some strict quarantine efforts have proven effective at minimizing the spread of the fungus.
The USAID-Texas A&m program is just one part of the federal government's Feed the Future initiative an international anti-hunger
when the oil is drizzled on other foods new research in mice suggests. Olive oil's unsaturated fat reacts with certain compounds in vegetables to form a third compound that can reduce blood pressure the researchers found.
The findings may explain why the Mediterranean diet which is high in both olive oil and vegetables appears to lower blood pressure
which have been shown to keep blood pressure in check in animals according to the researchers. 7 Foods Your Heart Will Hate The scientists used mice to investigate how nitro fatty acids may lead to reduced blood pressure looking specifically at
and were given olive oil omega-6 fatty acids along with sodium nitrite to mimic components of a Mediterranean diet for five days.
The results showed that the diet increased the level of nitro fatty acids in mice and lowered their blood pressure.
despite having had the same diet according to the study. The Mediterranean diet includes unsaturated fats found in olive oil fish
which means they eat only meat. In the wild jaguars will use their speed and stealth to take down deer peccary monkeys birds frogs fish alligators and small rodents.
If wild food is scarce these large cats will also hunt domestic livestock. Their jaws are stronger than any other species of cat.
In fact in the zoo bones are part of a jaguars'regular diet. Jaguars typically live in forests
They also don't like to share their food. Jaguars will only eat their prey after dragging into the trees
The egg of a parasite that still infects people today was found in the burial plot of a child who lived 6200 years ago in an ancient farming community.
The oldest Schistosoma egg found previously in Egyptian mummies was dated to 5200 years ago. The parasite egg hails from the Fertile Crescent a region around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the middle East where some of the first irrigation techniques were invented about 7500 years ago.
That suggests that advances in farming technologies caused the rise of human infections with the waterborne worm Mitchell told Live Science. 7 Stunning Archaeological Sites in Syria Bloody worms Schistosoma parasites live in freshwater snails
The parasite can spread when eggs are shed in the feces or urine of infected people.
Agricultural technologies are tied to the parasite's prevalence experts say. Studies in Africa in modern times have shown that farming irrigation
Ancient site The egg was uncovered in a cemetery with 26 skeletons at a site called Tell Zeidan in Syria.
which served as a control (eggs found there would suggest the soil at the site was contaminated with the parasite more recently).
The researchers sifted through the soil looking for particles that were the right size to be the parasite's egg just 0. 003 inches (0. 1 millimeter) in diameter Mitchell said.
The researchers found one egg in the soil around the abdomen and pelvis of a child's skeleton.
When the rivers overflowed their banks water would have spread across the adjacent plains and inhabitants may have built little mud retaining walls to keep the water on the fields for longer.
The finding suggests the reptiles prefer to play it safe rather than conserve energy researchers say.
Varner is studying pikas in Oregon's Columbia river Gorge where this rabbit relative munches on moss instead of grass and flowers.
I had watched them construct their little food caches and the caches were just a pile of ashes.
The mammal's body is shaped like a ball to help conserve heat. Furry Bundles: The World's 5 Smallest Mammals Because of their temperature sensitivity pikas are bellwethers of climate change.
Test Reveals Hidden Coffee Ingredients Cream and sugar may not be the only additives in your morning cup of coffee.
Tough growing conditions and rising demand are leading some coffee producers to mix in wheat soybean brown sugar rye barley acai seeds corn twigs and even dirt.
But these additives could be a serious problem for people with soy or wheat allergies said Suzana Lucy Nixdorf a researcher at Universidade Estadual de Londrina in Brazil.
and a batch with unwanted ingredients. 10 Things You Need to Know About Coffee Coffee shortage According to a 2013 report from the National Coffee Association 83 percent of Americans drink coffee up from 78
which produce one of the most popular kinds of coffee bean and are grown in high-altitude farms in Central and South america.
and coffee lovers should start hoarding coffee beans. Producers will likely be able to keep up with the growing demand
Nixdorf said it is common for Brazilian growers to produce very dark roasts so the filler ingredients blend in better.
The filler ingredients have different sugar levels than the natural compounds in coffee and they leave behind distinct stains.
or buy from reliable brands and coffee shops they trust. Nixdorf's research was presented at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in San francisco last week.
Regardless the FWS is again considering delisting the roughly 700 bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem contending they are supplementing their diet with more meat.
#Do Your Kids'Brown-Bag Lunches Have Enough Calcium? There are many benefits of packing a lunch for your child.
In most cases you save money and gain the peace of mind of knowing that your kids aren't left to their own devices in the lunch line (french fries and apple pie anyone?).
But are you giving your kids the best meal they could eat? It turns out that the brown-bag lunches we make may be less nutritious than we think they are according to a study published last month in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The study showed that most home-packed lunches flunked when they were graded based on the criteria set by the National School Lunch Program.
This organization requires that school lunches contain servings from all five major food groups: fruit veggies grains protein and dairy.
But when researchers studied lunches from over 600 third and fourth graders the results showed that none of the home-packed lunches contained servings from all of the food groups.
None. 10 Ways to Promote Kids Healthy Eating Habits In fact only 27 percent of the lunches contained three or more food groups.
The typical lunch contained a sandwich chips and water. Sugar-sweetened beverages were a close second beverage choice.
Milk an excellent source of calcium was missing from most lunches. It could be an oversight personal preference
or lactose intolerance that is causing this issue but milk seems to be an unpopular choice.
Here are some great non-milk sources of calcium that may work well in those brown-bag lunches:
Kale chips: Baked kale chips are an amazing replacement for those greasy potato chips. Not only is kale a calcium-rich food
but it's also a great source of many other vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin a iron and potassium.
Oranges: Just one large navel orange provides 74 milligrams of calcium which equates to about 7 percent of the recommended daily value.
For a calcium boost include oranges in a lunch along with another item on this list.
Sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds can be fun for kids to open and eat as long as they are old enough to handle the task
and one cup contains 109 milligrams of calcium. They are also quite filling with 12 grams of fiber.
Sanjaya Rajaram winner of the 2014 World Food Prize used an innovative breeding technique to develop 480 new wheat varieties.
Growing demand and limited agricultural land means that the only way to increase the amount of food we can produce is more crops per unit area of land.
These grasses combined to give the bread wheat we know today. The trouble is that this giant genome makes bread wheat genetically very different to its wild relatives
Plant scientists at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in the UK are trying to create synthetic#wheat by breeding bread wheat with the ancient grasses it is related to.
which plants convert the sun s energy into sugars for growth and storage. In wheat like in other crops this process results in more energy-rich grains.
It is not just the increasing world population that puts pressure on global food supply.
#New GMO-Free Cheerios Arguably Less Nutritious Responding to public distrust of genetically modified food ingredients General mills
Original Cheerios used to provide 25 percent of the daily value of riboflavin or Vitamin b2 per serving according to the trade publication Food Navigator.
The companies declined to explain the vitamin loss to Food Navigator but the reason likely has to do with the difficulty of sourcing vitamins from non-genetically modified sources.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) American Medical Association (AMA) the World health organization (WHO) among others have found no health risks from consuming genetically modified foods on the market.
Vitamins are tough to certify as GMO-free however according to Food Navigator. They may be manufactured from genetically modified organisms
or soy products to prevent them from degrading. These additives might also be modified genetically as in fact are 90 percent of the soy cotton canola corn
and sugar beets sold in the U s. Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter and Google+.+Follow us@livescience Facebook & Google
More than half a billion people depend on forests for their jobs their food their clean water said Andrew Steer the CEO of the World Resources Institute (WRI) which launched the website today (Feb 20.
One example is the food company Nestlã which committed to a zero-deforestation policy in 2010.
They spread their famous hoods which are made of flaps of skin attached to long ribs when feeling angry or threatened.
which in addition to signaling a willingness to attack helps them search for food. Cobras may hiss loudly at predators and other threats and some species also spit.
7 Shocking Snake Stories Cobras reproduce by laying eggs. Females typically lay 20 to 40 eggs at a time
which incubate between 60 and 80 days. Cobras will stay near the eggs and defend them until they hatch.
Wild boars and mongooses are known to steal cobra eggs. The mongoose is the best-known enemy of the cobra.
Mongooses have thick fur to protect against cobra fangs and often defeat cobras in fights using their speed and agility.
Often they eat birds small mammals lizards eggs carrion and other snakes They slither through the wilderness silently following their prey until they are ready to attack.
#Coloring Easter eggs with Natural Dyes Fun Science Experiments Easter is the time of year when many of us do something special with our breakfast food.
In this experiment we are going to use science to color eggs using natural dyes. While using natural dyes is a bit more time consuming than those little tablets you buy at the store gathering
and preparing them can be an interesting alternative. Begin by looking through your kitchen for brightly colored materials that stain
Coffee tea grape juice and red wine make interesting egg dyes. Plant materials from fruits vegetables and kitchen spices can also be used to make interesting dyes.
To get different colors use these materials: Other materials that you can try include spices like cayenne pepper dill seed and turmeric.
You could also try grated orange or lemon peels. It is helpful to chop or grate the plant materials into small pieces as you prepare your dye.
You also may want to add white vinegar to your dye. With liquids use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts dye.
With vegetables and fruits use 1 cup of water and 2 or 3 teaspoons of vinegar for every handful of plant material.
The vinegar acts as a mordant. A mordant is a substance that reacts with the dye changing its chemical bonds
so that the dye attaches to the object being dyed. A mordant may change the color of the dye so don t be surprised
Experiment with leaving the eggs in the dye for different amounts of time. Put the mixture of plant material water
and vinegar into a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil for at least 5 minutes then strain out the plant material
and allow the dye to cool before submerging your eggs. You may want to hard-boil the eggs first
and then submerge them in your chosen dye overnight. Alternatively you may want to try cooking the eggs by boiling them in your chosen dye.
You get richer colors when you allow the eggs to remain in the dye overnight.
If experimenting with your Easter eggs was interesting you may also want to experiment with using natural dyes to color cloth.
Use small test squares of white cotton or wool and experiment with different plant materials or even colored soils like yellow ochre or red clay.
and use a pot that you will not use to cook food. Some common plants in your yard can be irritating to the skin
University of Idaho biologist John Byersreports on a few field studies that show that play can be risky including observations of young lambs falling to their death while playing.
when the egg is released most women have ovulated within three days after the temperature spike. Basal body temperature can be affected by alcohol consumption cigarettes not enough sleep
and a fever or cold so be sure to take those aspects into consideration. Calendar method The calendar method requires a woman to record her menstrual cycle on a calendar for roughly eight to 12 months.
and can fertilize the egg at any point during this time. Though a special diet is required not to get pregnant it can certainly help a woman's chances.
Certain nutrients can help ready your body for pregnancy while other foods and drink can lower your chances of getting pregnant.
Caffeine has not been proven to affect a woman's ability to get pregnant but it still should be consumed in moderation.
The American Pregnancy Association notes that caffeine can block the body's ability to absorb iron and calcium
which are key nutrients for pregnant women. Before pregnancy the menstrual cycle can strip the body of iron as well so it's important for women trying to get pregnant to load up on iron either through meat or multivitamins.
Refined carbs should be avoided. When carbs are processed key nutrients are stripped from the grain including antioxidants B vitamins and iron all of
which boost fertility. Whole grains are much more conducive to helping the body get ready to conceive as they contain many more nutrients than refined carbs such as white bread white rice and pasta.
Try whole grain bread and cereal instead and try other grains like wild rice and quinoa.
Consuming fresh vegetables and fruits can help boost a woman's chances of getting pregnant.
and limit their alcohol intake. Related: Trying to Conceive: Tips for Men Seafood and fish have gotten a bad rap with mercury counts
but the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids can help boost the body's optimal fertility.
Seafood is the best source for these kinds of essential fats and there are many seafood types that do not contain a lot of mercury.
The FDA recommends that women trying to conceive can eat up to 12 ounces a week of low-mercury seafood like shrimp salmon or tilapia.
Avoid tuna swordfish mackerel or shark k
#7 Things You Need To Know About Cancer This article was published originally at The Conversation.
Things like diet tobacco and alcohol; infections and chronic inflammation; but also environmental pollutants; and genetics.
Some good news many cancers can be prevented. 30%of cancers are preventable through not using tobacco having a healthy diet being physically active limiting alcohol use
#Pork Producers Prohibit Painful Pig Pens (Op-Ed) Matthew Prescott is food policy director for The Humane Society of the United states. He contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices:
Recently Cargill America's largest private corporation rocked the food world when it announced plans to eliminate gestation crates from its supply system.
This announcement from Cargill is the latest in a series of triumphs for animal protection advocates veterinarians food companies
and other pork-production stakeholders who oppose enclosing animals to such an extreme degree. We believe it is the right thing to do for the long term future of pork production in the U s
. and our customers agree with us and support our decision said Mike Luker president of Cargill Pork.
Luker is right. Putting aside for a moment the animal-welfare implications of locking animals in cages
In the past two years alone dozens of global food companies including Mcdonald's Burger king Costco Kroger Safeway Oscar Mayer
and about 60 others have announced they intend to drop from their supply chains pork producers that use gestation crates.
Jeff Worstell vice president of livestock production for Cargill Pork put it best: If you want to be a viable supplier you respond to the signals your customers send.
Temple Grandin a well-known and highly regarded pork-industry animal welfare expert believes the crates have got to Go in Improving Animal Welfare:
For example when the Prairie Swine Center a prestigious pork industry research firm compared animal housing systems that confine pigs in gestation crates with group housing
#Science plus consumer support have motivated some major pork producers to move toward group housing. In 2007 Smithfield foods the world's largest pork producer announced that it would eliminate gestation crates from all company-owned barns;
earlier this year it extended that commitment to affect all the contractors producing piglets for the company.
In 2012 Hormel foods the maker of SPAM followed suit. And last January Tyson foods announced it had advised the farmers in its system that future sow housing should allow animals to turn around
and engage in other natural behaviors that gestation-crate confinement prevents. As encouraging as this movement is it still is not universal.
Others in the pork industry still resist what their customers demand. So our animals can t turn around for the 2. 5 years that they are in the stalls producing piglets Dave Warner spokesman for the National Pork Producers Council once remarked in a National Journal interview.
I don t know who asked the sow if she wanted to turn around. Warner's and the Pork Council's callous statements about how animals should be treated are out of step with both what mainstream Americans want for animals and
what 21st-century science tells us animals need. Cargill's announcement is one more blow to the pork industry s most extreme form of routine abuse.
Now industry holdouts like Seaboard Foods The National Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board have a choice:
They can continue to defend outdated practices and risk turning away even more customers or join the momentum and switch to group housing.
Scientists veterinarians and the world's largest food brands not to mention several top producers like Cargill have made it clear that gestation crates are outdated and on their way out.
Those of us in a civil society who value a healthy sustainable food system one that treats animals as more than factory widgets believe that this move toward a more humane way of farming
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