Humans have created a new top predator that is taking over the Northeast

Nwo Report

Source: Business Insider

Humans are not newcomers when it comes to messing around with nature. While we haven’t created Frankenstein’s monster yet, what we do transforms the natural world.

One recent example is the creation of the coywolf — a hybrid of the coyote and the wolf that is also known as the Eastern coyote. According to a new article from The Economist, their population seems to have reached more than a million.

These animals have a completely new genetic makeup: Their genes are about one-quarter wolf DNA and two-thirds coyote DNA; the rest is from domesticated dogs. A 2013 study suggests this dog DNA is mostly from a few specific breeds, including German Shepherds and Doberman Pincers.

Human activity likely played a role in the species’ creation. As humans cut down wolves’ forest homes and hunted down their populations, the lack of available partners for wolves led…

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Most Table Salt Is Probably Full of Plastic

Nwo Report

550 and 681 microplastic particles per kilogram of table salt

Source: Richard Macauley | The Atlantic |

Scientists have discovered that various brands of table salt sold in China contain a range of plastic pollution, which might make food unsafe.

The highest proportion of plastic was found in sea salt, according to a paper from researchers at Shanghai’s East China Normal University. But even salt from salt mines, briny lakes, and wells contained significant amounts.

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“Microplastics are a particular threat to organisms due to their small size and their capacity to absorb persistent organic pollutants,” said the report, led by Shi Huahong of the university’s Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Research and peer-reviewed in Environmental Science and Technology.

Shi and his colleagues discovered between 550 and 681 microplastic particles per kilogram of table salt that originated from…

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Zimbabwe Elephants May Have Been Poisoned by Park Rangers, Not Poachers | Care2 Causes

http://www.care2.com/causes/zimbabwe-elephants-may-have-been-poisoned-by-park-rangers-not-poachers.html

The ‘Devil’ Gets His Due: Elephant Poaching Kingpin Arrested | TakePart

https://www.takepart.com/article/2015/10/30/devil-captured-elephant-poaching-kingpin-arrested?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2015-10-30-PoachingKingpinArrested