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South China Morning Post Channel on Youtube has the story.
More than 70 crocodiles escaped a breeding farm in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on September 12, 2023, when rainfall brought on by Typhoon Haikui caused a lake to overflow, according to authorities. An emergency team has been dispatched but dozens of crocodiles are still missing, as floodwaters pose a challenge to the operation.
A bear that became a social media celebrity after visitors claimed it looked like a “human in disguise” has been filmed appearing to wave at zoo-goers.
Some 20,000 visitors are heading to Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China every day - an increase of almost a third - since the sun bear, known as Angela, went viral.
Footage has now emerged of the bear standing on its hind legs waving its right paw to the people gathered around its enclosure.
The so-called sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus Helarctos) occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly 70 cm (28 in) at the shoulder and weighing 25–65 kg (55–143 lb). It is stockily built, with large paws, strongly curved claws, small, rounded ears and a short snout. The fur is generally jet black, but can vary from grey to red. The sun bear really gets its name from its characteristic colorful orange to cream-coloured chest patch. Its unique morphology—inward-turned front feet, flattened chest, powerful forelimbs with large claws—suggests adaptations for climbing.
The most arboreal (tree-living) of all bears, the sun bear is an excellent climber and sunbathes or sleeps in trees 2 to 7 m (7 to 23 ft) above the ground. It is mainly active during the day, though nocturnality might be more common in areas frequented by humans. Sun bears tend to remain solitary, but sometimes occur in twos (such as a mother and her cub). They do not seem to hibernate, possibly because food resources are available the whole year throughout the range. Being omnivores, sun bears' diet includes ants, bees, beetles, honey, termites, and plant material such as seeds and several kinds of fruits; vertebrates such as certain birds and deer are also eaten occasionally. They breed throughout the year; individuals become sexually mature at two to four years of age. Litters comprise one or two cubs that remain with their mother for around three years.
The range of the sun bear is bounded by northeastern India to the north then south to southeast through Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in mainland Asia to Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia to the south. These bears are threatened by heavy deforestation and illegal hunting for food and the wildlife trade; they are also harmed in conflicts with various humans when they enter farmlands, plantations, and orchards. The global population is estimated to have declined by 35% since the 1990s. The IUCN has listed this species as vulnerable.
Woman knocked over by out-of-control suitcase left on escalator.
South China Morning Post on YouTube has the story.
A woman was knocked over by an unattended suitcase which fell down an escalator at a metro station in eastern China’s Zhejiang province.
A so-called "escalator" is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizontal.
Escalators are often used around the world in places where lifts would be impractical, or they can be used in conjunction with them. Principal areas of usage include department stores, shopping malls, airports, transit systems (railway/railroad stations), convention centers, hotels, arenas, stadiums and public buildings.
Escalators have the capacity to really move large numbers of people. They have no waiting interval (except during very heavy traffic). They can be used to guide people toward main exits or special exhibits and may be weatherproofed for outdoor use. A non-functional escalator can function as a normal staircase, whereas many other methods of transport become useless when they break down or lose power.
‘Curious’ worker ignites foam, causes huge warehouse fire in China
South China Morning Post on Youtube has the story.
A warehouse storing EPE foam burst into flames after a worker ignited highly flammable foam rolls with a lighter in southern China’s Guangdong province.
Expanded polyethylene is an interesting product.
(Polyethylene foam) Expanded polyethylene (aka EPE foam) refers to foams made from polyethylene. Typically it is made from expanded pellets ('EPE bead') made with use of a blowing agent, followed by expansion into a mold in a steam chest - the process is similar to that used to make expanded polystyrene foam.
EPE foams are low density, semi-rigid, closed cell foam that are generally somewhere in stiffness/compliance between Expanded polystyrene and Polyurethane. Production of EPE foams is similar to that of expanded polystyrene, but starting with PE beads. Typical densities are 29 to 120 kg/m3 (49 to 202 lb/cu yd) with the lower figure being common. Densities as low as 14 kg/m3 (24 lb/cu yd) can be produced.
Base polymer for EPE foams range from Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) to High-density polyethylene (HDPE).
Expanded polyethylene copolymers (EPC) are also known - such as 50:50 (weight) materials with polystyrene. Though other properties are intermediate between the two bases, toughness for the copolymer exceeds either, with good tensile and puncture resistance. It is particularly applicable for re-usable products.
EPE foams were first manufactured in the 1970s.
Production of the PE beads is usually by extrusion, followed by chopping, producing a 'pellet'. Autoclave expansion is the most common route the bead foam. Butane or pentane is often used as a blowing agent (before 1992 CFCs may have been used). Depending on the specific process uses the beads may be cross-linked either by electron beam irradiation (see Electron beam processing), or by the addition of a chemical agent such as Dicumyl peroxide.
How easily does butane ignite? The Effects of Butane Exposure are interesting. Butane is highly flammable and can ignite easily through static electricity, open flames, or other ignition sources. As a combustible gas, butane concentrations anywhere between 1.6% and 8.4% can provide an explosive mixture with air.
An alternate route (JSP Process) to the beads uses carbon dioxide as a blowing agent which is impregnated into the pellets in an autoclave at a temperature close to the plastic's crystalline melting point. The pellets are foamed by "flashing" into the (lower pressure) atmosphere to expand.
Finally molding is done by steam chest compression molding; usually the low pressure variant of the process is used, though the high pressure variant may be used for HDPE based EPE foams.
This smart animal could be smart enough to go to outer space.
BBC Earth on Youtube shows: Azy the Orangutan communicates with his tutor via symbols and can even use verbs!
The world is an amazing place full of stories, beauty and natural wonder. At BBC EARTH, you will find 50 years worth of astounding, entertaining, thought-provoking and educational natural history content.
So-called "Orangutans" are really great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were originally considered to be one species. From 1996, they were divided into two species: the Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus, with three subspecies) and the Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii). A third species, the Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis), was identified definitively in 2017. The orangutans are the only surviving species of the subfamily Ponginae, which diverged genetically from the other hominids (gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans) between 19.3 and 15.7 million years ago.
The most arboreal of the great apes, orangutans spend most of their time in trees. They have proportionally long arms and short legs, and have reddish-brown hair covering their bodies. Adult males weigh about 75 kg (165 lb), while females reach about 37 kg (82 lb). Dominant adult males develop distinctive cheek pads or flanges and make long calls that attract females and intimidate rivals; younger subordinate males do not and more resemble adult females. Orangutans are the most solitary of the great apes: social bonds occur primarily between mothers and their dependent offspring. Fruit is the most important component of an orangutan's diet; but they will also eat vegetation, bark, honey, insects and bird eggs. They can live over 30 years, both in the wild and in captivity.
Orangutans are certainly among the most intelligent primates. They use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. The apes' learning abilities have been studied extensively. There may be distinctive cultures within populations. Orangutans have been featured in literature and art since at least the 18th century, particularly in works that comment on human society. Field studies of the apes were pioneered by primatologist Birutė Galdikas and they have been kept in captive facilities around the world since at least the early 19th century.
Which is smartest of the apes? Deemed really some of the smartest apes on the planet, orangutans are exceptional creatures with expressive faces. Overall, the species considered most intelligent among the ape species, apart from humans, are orangutans. A few methods and ideas build this foundational thought on which species are the smartest.
More facts:
Which is smarter: gorilla or chimp? Though the chimpanzees are smaller in size they have bigger brains than the mountain gorillas hence making them more intelligent than the gorillas. This makes the chimpanzees more clever and tricky animals than the mountain gorillas.
Difference between apes and monkeys? The easiest way to distinguish between a monkey or an ape is to see if it has a tail. Almost all monkeys have tails, while apes do not. Also take note of the primate's body shape, size, and other physical attributes. Apes are generally larger with wider chests and almost naked faces.
Apes are generally more intelligent than monkeys, and most species of apes exhibit some use of tools. While both monkeys and apes can use sounds and gestures to communicate, apes have demonstrated higher ability with language, and some individual apes have been trained to learn human sign languages.
African Gray Parrots are thought to be one of the most intelligent species on the planet, rivaling even apes. Some researchers have suggested that these certain parrots have a reasoning ability akin to a three- or four-year-old human child.
What is the friendliest primate to humans? Bonobo apes are kind to strangers. According to the study, bonobos will go out of their way to help strangers - even when there is no guarantee of any payback.
Gorillas are the largest apes (not monkeys!) and the strongest primate, known for their impressive strength. These powerful animals weigh up to 200 kg, and can lift almost 2,000 kg - 10 times their body weight.
Which animal has the lowest IQ? Ostriches. The bird species dominate the list of animals with low intelligence, including the ostrich, despite being the largest bird. Ostriches have small brains that weigh only 26.34 grams, making up about 0.015% of their body weight.
Which animal has 32 brains? Leech: Leech is an annelid. Leech's external and internal segmentation do not correspond to each other. If the internal body is examined, it can be seen that the body is divided into 32 parts or segments which have their own corresponding brain.
Who would win in a fight: orangutan vs gorilla? Gorillas are really far better fighters and far more capable of inflicting fatal trauma on enemies. An orangutan might escape a gorilla by climbing trees, but that is not going to defeat the gorilla.
Humans have bodies that are genetically and structurally very similar to those of the Great Apes and so we are classified in the Great Apes sub-group which is also known as the hominids (Family Hominidae).
Pound for pound, humans are definitely the weakest apes. Muscle fibers come in two varieties, fast-twitch and slow-twitch. The fast twitch muscles act faster (obviously) and exert more force in less time.
Which rarest great ape on earth could soon go extinct? Tapanuli orangutans. Less than 800 Tapanuli orangutans remain confined to the small mountainous region of Batang Toru in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
An unarmed human could not beat a chimpanzee in a fight. This may work for the biggest, strongest humans, but certainly not the average ones.
Who wins in a fight: a baboon or a chimpanzee? A chimpanzee is really much stronger than a baboon given that a chimpanzee is much larger, sometimes even twice as large, since only a handful of baboons weigh more than about 50 pounds, while a chimpanzee weighs about 70 to 100 pounds.
Interestingly, the fascinating name "orangutan" (also written orang-utan, orang utan, orangutang, and ourang-outang) is derived from the Malay words orang, meaning "person", and hutan, meaning "forest". The locals originally used the name to refer to actual forest-dwelling human beings, but the word underwent a semantic extension to include apes of the Pongo genus at an early stage in the history of Malay.
Chinese:
这种聪明的动物可能聪明到可以去外太空。
YouTube 上的 BBC Earth 节目显示：猩猩 Azy 通过符号与他的导师交流，甚至可以使用动词！
世界是一个充满故事、美丽和自然奇观的神奇地方。 在 BBC EARTH，您将发现 50 年来令人惊叹、有趣、发人深省且具有教育意义的自然历史内容。
WION Channel on Youtube shows that a female passenger had her left leg amputated after it got stuck in a travelator. Doctors couldn't reattach her leg. Will the airport consider changing its old travelators? Molly Gambhir tells you more.
A mother whose leg was crushed by a faulty airport travelator has taken her first steps again after it was amputated.
The woman, 57, walked with the help of two physiotherapists and a frame at a hospital today after the horror injury at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 29.
It comes as police demand the owners Airports of Thailand cooperate with an investigation into the incident after they refused to give officers CCTV of what happened.
The woman was walking along the travelator when her leg 'fell through a gap' and was dragged under, severing her muscles, tendon and bones, according to witnesses.
Paramedics amputated her leg at the airport and she was carried out on a stretcher as her limb was placed in a foam box an put in an ambulance.
The woman was walking along the travelator when her leg 'fell through a gap' and was dragged under, severing her muscles, tendon and bones.
Her son Kittirat said she complains 'it's like being a child learning to walk again' and has vowed to sue the airport over the allegedly badly maintained travelator.
He added: 'My mum walked for 15 minutes and must practice every day. It's very encouraging.
'She's still as beautiful as ever despite everything that has happened. I hope that soon she'll be running faster than me.'
Airport bosses admitted the automatic walkway used by tens of thousands of people every day was to blame as three bolts holding the metal surface plate the woman was standing on suddenly gave way.
But Police Colonel Adirek Thongkaemkaew, chief of the city's Don Muang district police, said the airport's owners still had not handed over CCTV evidence of the incident.
Mr Thongkaemkaew added he would 'continue to repeat the requests for CCTV' as the force gathered witness statements.
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Interesting Statistics:
Incidents involving elevators and escalators kill about 30 and seriously injure about 17,000 people each year in the United States, according to data provided by the USA Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates an average of 6,000 people per year are injured on escalators.
More than 33,000 escalators and 900,000 elevators are operating in the USA. While the number of escalators is much less than the number of elevators, escalators account for 15 times more injuries than elevators.
While escalator and elevator injuries are certainly terrifying, the overall odds you'll actually be in one remain pretty small. In fact, according to research published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine, stairs are the most frequent offender behind injuries incurred while traveling between floors.
There are risks to escalators. If the steps and pallets are not designed properly and made of proper materials, they could simply cause slipping of a passenger and since the steps are moving, it could cause the other passengers to fall on each other. In addition, a wet or slippery spot on the escalator could cause the passengers to trip or fall.
Keep your hands, feet and clothing clear of the side panels of the escalator. Do not sit on the steps or stand close to the sides of an escalator. Once at the end of an escalator, step off immediately. Do not let your feet slide off the end of an escalator.
Do not go in the opposite direction of the escalator. Do not take wheelchairs, electric scooters, strollers, hand carts, luggage carts or similar items on the escalator. When riding escalators: Keep loose clothing clear of steps and sides.
The world's longest escalator system is Hong Kong's Central Hillside Escalator Link. The 800-m. (2,624-ft) long system of covered moving walkways carries commuters between the Mid-Levels district and Central Market close to the waterfront on Hong Kong Island.
There are approximately 900,000 elevators in the United States and the odds of getting stuck in an elevator are 1 in every 100,000 elevator ride.
Hold the railing or someone's hand. This can help with your sense of balance and perception of depth while on the escalator. Some people who suffer from a fear of escalators find wearing practical, sturdy shoes while on an escalator can give them a sense of security and comfort.
About 5 percent of the global population suffers from claustrophobia, according to Villines. When it comes to elevators specifically, those who suffer may fear not just the malfunction, but the fear of experiencing a panic attack.
When you ride an escalator, you might not realize that it's probably one of the biggest and most expensive machines you use regularly. Despite their size and cost, though, they're actually fairly simple machines. Escalators are basically just long conveyor belts.
Reno, a graduate of Lehigh University, produced the first working escalator (called the "inclined elevator") and installed it alongside the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island, New York City in 1896.
Made from blocks of ice - cool amazing Chinese city amusement park 由冰块制成 - 酷炫的中国城市游乐园
Harbin (simplified Chinese: 哈尔滨; traditional Chinese: 哈爾濱; pinyin: Hā'ěrbīn) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest city by metropolitan population (urban and rural together) in Northeast China.
Harbin has direct jurisdiction over nine metropolitan districts, two county-level cities and seven counties, and is the eighth most populous Chinese city according to the 2020 census. The built-up area of Harbin (which consists of all districts except Shuangcheng and Acheng) had 5,841,929 inhabitants, while the total metropolitan population was up to 10,009,854, making it one of the 50 largest urban areas in the world.
Harbin, whose name was originally a Manchu word meaning "a place for drying fishing nets", grew from a small rural settlement on the Songhua River to become one of the largest cities in Northeast China. Founded in 1898 with the coming of the Chinese Eastern Railway, the city first prospered as a region inhabited by an overwhelming majority of immigrants from the Russian Empire. In the 1920s, the city was considered China's fashion capital since new designs from Paris and Moscow reached here first before arriving in Shanghai. From 1932 until 1945, Harbin was the largest city in the Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo.
Known for its bitterly cold winters, Harbin is heralded as the Ice City (冰城) for its winter tourism and recreations. Harbin is notable for its ice sculpture festival in the winter. Being well known for its historical Russian legacy and architecture - the city is famed for its European influence, and serves as an important gateway in Sino-Russian trade today. Harbin serves as a key political, economic, scientific, cultural and communications hub in Northeast China, as well as an important industrial base of the nation. The city was voted "China Top Tourist City" by the China National Tourism Administration in 2004.
Harbin is one of the top 100 cities and metropolitan areas in the world by scientific research output as tracked by the Nature Index. The city hosts several major universities in Northeast China, including Harbin Engineering, Harbin Medical, Northeast Agricultural, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin Normal, Northeast Forestry, and Heilongjiang. Notably, Harbin Institute of Technology is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world for engineering.
