1.1 Billion Year-Old Pink Pigment

Researchers have found fossilized chlorophyll, a pigment found in plants and bacteria, in rocks over one billion years old. The pigment was pink! Chlorophyll itself is actually green, but the molecular building blocks of chlorophyll, called porphyrins, can be red or purple. The ancient oceans were swimming with brightly-colored microscopic cyanobacteria!

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4 Fawns and a Pup

ZooAmerica at Hershey Park welcomed 5 new babies last month. Four pronghorn fawns were born, named Amy, Megan, Callum and Kathy. The pronghorn antelope is the fastest animal in North America! A harbor seal pup, named Cocoa, was also born. She already weighs twice as much as when she was born!

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Here Kitty, Kitty… Whoa!

Lynea Lattanzio loves cats. She started rescuing cats from overcrowded animal shelters, and taking in kittens. Soon, her house filled up and became “The Cat House on the Kings.” It’s home to 1100 cats! She moved out, and has 45 volunteers to help take care of them. She’s saved 28,000 cats over the last 24 years!

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Stone Age Monkeys

The rumors were true: a band of white-faced capuchin monkeys have entered the Stone Age. Tiny monkeys on Jicaron Island, in Panama’s Coiba National Park, use large stone tools to smash open nuts and shellfish. They also defend themselves with sticks. Researchers believe studying the group can help us understand early humans.

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Yawn. Yawwwwwwn. YAWN!

Yawn. Did that make you yawn? Yawn. Animals yawn when they’re tired, but why do you yawn when someone else does? Scientists say empathetic people, those who are sensitive to the feelings of others, are more likely to yawn in response. Some animals can even catch a yawn from humans. Try it with your pet!

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