The Question: Hello, I can’t believe I’m even asking you this, but can an animal evolve shape-shifting abilities or is it completely fantasy? Submitted by: Alexander, England (click on photos and graphics to expand)...
Read MoreThe Question: On two different occasions we have retrieved similar strange objects floating in the lake we stay at in New Hampshire. I know it looks like it could be latex or some other man-made material-but it had a...
Read MoreThe Question: Look what my dog dragged into our home! Can you help us identify who/what/where this claw came from?? It was about the size of my palm. My son says it looks like a dragon paw! Submitted by: Susan, Wisconsin, USA...
Read MoreThe Question: Your answer to an earlier person taught me a lot about the behavior I’ve been seeing at my man-made pond at an apt complex. But isn’t it against rational “selection” that: (1) drakes...
Read MoreThe Question: We saw this bird with a flock of Canada geese on Long Island, NY. What is it? Submitted by: Jon-David, New York, USA The Short Answer: This is a hybrid goose. Probably a cross between a Canada goose (Branta...
Read MoreThe Question: I have been all over the internet trying to ID this flower … can you help? It was found in a meadow in north central Pennsylvania and the plant was about a foot tall. Thanks! Submitted by: Nancy,...
Read MoreThe Question: I live in North Texas. When I grabbed a pair of pants out of my closet, a spider dropped out. It was black everywhere but the top half of the abdomen, which was bright orange. It was fairly slender and the legs...
Read MoreThe Question: This wildflower is new to me and not one I have ever seen before in the Texas Hill Country. The plants have invaded my garden and are very lush and hearty. I’ve not seen them anywhere else in the pasture. The...
Read MoreThe Question: I enjoyed your article on the Indian Pipe (at CuriousNature.net). I live in SE Wisconsin and I was thrilled to find some of these wonderful plants in my wooded yard. How rare is this plant? I have lived in this...
Read MoreThe Question: In Michigan in early July, thousands of tiny, clear, oily, bead-like things were scattered all over the beach along the water line. We were wondering if they were a natural occurrence or some kind of pollution....
Read More[Are Sharks Immune to
Disease and Cancer?] The
Question: I recently read
that sharks are immune to
all disease. Is this true?
Submitted by: Marion F.,
Somerville, MA The Short
Answer: No, it’s not
true. Sharks get bacterial
infections, viral infections,
and they suffer from
parasites, in short, the
entire suite of infectious
diseases from which all
animals and plants must
protect themselves. Sharks
also get cancer, contrary
to another widely
disseminated myth. More
Info: The claim that sharks
don’t get disease or
suffer from cancer is
mostly spread by
advertisements for dietary
supplements made from
sharks, such as shark
cartilage. These
