September 13, 2016

Did you know that any female bee larvae can become queen? In fact, the selection process is pretty random. When it comes time to choosing a new ruler for the hive, worker bees select several female larvae and provide them with large amounts of royal jelly. Future drones and worker bees are only given a small amount of royal jelly. They are fed the secretion as it's produced. However the future queen bees are bathed in it and their royal jelly contains royalactin. The royalactin turns on the genes that will have the larvae develop into a fertile females.

September 2, 2016

Did you know that bear bile can be used as medicine? Bear bile has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for centuries. It contains ursodeoxycholic acid which can be used to dissolve gallbladder stones when surgery cannot be used. However just because it works doesn't mean black bears should be stuffed into small cages and have needles poked into their gallbladder to extract the bile. Like with pangolin scales, there are herbal alternatives. Although bear bile farms have been found in both China and Vietnam, the practice is only illegal in Vietnam. Luckily in a 2011 poll, 87% of the Chinese people disagreed with the practice. Traditional medicine experts even stated that a lack of bear bile would not harm anyone.

September 1, 2016

Did you know that there are scaly mammals? The pangolin's body is covered in keratin scales (your hair and nails of made of that same material). When threatened, the pangolin can roll up in a ball. Don't confuse that with the armadillo which has a leather shell made of plates of dermal bone. The pangolin is hunted for bushmeat and medicine. Because of hunting and deforestation, many species of pangolin are endangered. Despite international efforts to ban pangolin scale and meat trade, illegal trafficking still exists in East Asia (and Africa) due to the belief that pangolin scales can cure cancer and help with lactation issues. Despite several Chinese medicinal experts listing other herbs that have the same effect, demand for pangolin scales has only grown.