The good folks at Cornell lab of  Ornithology in conjunction with National Geographic have been making some fabulous videos. From their website: "It took 8 years and 18 expeditions to New Guinea, Australia, and nearby islands, but Cornell Lab scientist Ed Scholes and National Geographic photographer Tim Laman succeeded in capturing images of all 39 species in the bird-of-paradise family for the first time ever. This video gives a sense of their monumental undertaking and the spectacular footage that resulted." There is much of interest, including some nifty videos, about these fabulous birds. Below is a favorite.

The time-tested palliative of sheep-counting for sleeplessness has a significant technical problem: it is difficult to see the sheep at night. Fortunately, a research team in Uruguay has made a major breakthrough to solve this stubborn problem. They have engineered fluorescent sheep. Sheep have now joined a list of several animals, that include mice, cats, flies, rabbits, pigs and zebrafish  that have had a green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, originally derived from a jellyfish, introduced into their genome. Insomniacs may now count sheep without turning on the light and potentially disturbing their partners.  
    On a more serious note, GFP has been used for several years as an important tracer in molecular biology experiments. It discoverers were awarded a Nobel prize in 2008. The original gene has been genetically modified to create a stronger signal, "enhanced" GFP, and it has even been modified to produce at least eight different fluorescent colors. I recommend the Wiki entry for GFP if you want more information on this interesting tool, that is not only very useful to molecular biologists, but ranks way-high on the kewl factor.

Bring it Rev. Billy! Toads rule! We at Do Ya Think Blog Headquarters knew it all along.