A female stingray has managed to get pregnant despite not having access to any male stingrays‚ which has baffled scientists. The experts suspect that the stingray either got pregnant from a very rare virgin miracle birth or an interspecies impregnation. Charlotte is a female stingray at the Aquarium &; Shark Lab in Henderson‚ North Carolina. Charlotte is a round stingray indigenous to the coastal waters of the tropical and subtropical parts of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Charlotte — believed to be between 12 and 16 years old — recently got pregnant and is carrying between three and four pups‚ according to CBS News. She is expected to deliver her babies within two weeks. However‚ experts have no idea who the father is — or if there even is a father. Charlotte has had no access to male stingrays to get pregnant. "The unique thing about Charlotte is we do not have a male ray‚" said Brenda Ramer‚ founder and executive director of Team ECCO at the aquarium. In fact‚ Charlotte has not shared a tank with a male stingray for at least eight years. As to how the stingray got pregnant‚ scientists have two very different hypotheses. Ramer noted that while there are no other male stingrays there are two "very young male sharks."Ramer noted that the young sharks have already started biting Charlotte — a sign of shark mating."We didn't think anything about it until one day we were kind of like‚ 'Oh my gosh. Sharks bite when they mate‚'" Ramer explained. "There is a potential she mated with one of these young male sharks."The other possible explanation for the unusual pregnancy could be a very rare‚ virgin miracle birth."Pretty confident that this is parthenogenesis. And parthenogenesis literally translates into virgin birth or miracle birth‚" Ramer told the Associated Press. "It is very rare to happen."The National Library of Medicine defines parthenogenesis as: "An asexual reproduction in which a female can produce an embryo without fertilizing an egg with sperm. In Greek‚ it means the virgin creation. It occurs naturally in some jawed vertebrates such as the whiptail lizard‚ but in mammals‚ it is an unnatural event."According to CBS News‚ "In this process‚ smaller cells separate from the mother's eggs are created that then merge with the egg to create offspring. According to National Geographic‚ this creates offspring that are 'similar to the mother but not exact clones.' Sharks‚ which are very closely related scientifically to rays‚ have been documented as undergoing this process."Dr. April Smith‚ executive director at the North Carolina Science Trail‚ wrote‚ "First‚ you should know that parthenogenesis is asexual reproduction of an organism in which a female produces an embryo without a male present to fertilize the egg. This means the offspring are‚ typically‚ all female‚ and this occurs in a situation where there are no males present (i.e.‚ zoo/aquarium usually‚ or perhaps a secluded natural environment like the deep sea). It’s a survival mechanism that allows for the preservation of a species." Charlotte the stingray‚ possibly impregnated by shark‚ about to give birth at NC aquarium www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

National Geographic named a drag queen one of its nine "Travelers of the Year‚" and it faced some online backlash over the decision. Wyn Wylie performs under the name "Pattie Gonia" and claims to be an “intersectional environmentalist‚ drag queen‚ and advocate for inclusivity in the outdoors."The magazine said that Wylie "helps LGBTQ+ youth discover the wonders of the outdoors" through the nonprofit Outdoorist Oath‚ which Wylie co-founded. The drag queen was quoted in praise of the work done by the organization to spread the LGBTQ+ agenda. "Every year my community fundraises to send 10 queer youth on a fully scholarshipped backpacking trip‚" Wylie said. "One of the attendees told me and the group around the fire‚ ‘Being on this trip has helped me reclaim a childhood I didn’t get to have.’ That’s everything to me."The responseThe magazine was criticized by many on social media over the decision. "They really have to shove this in our faces everywhere. It’s not accidental. It’s all by design‚" said Chaya Raichik‚ the woman behind the popular Libs of TikTok account. "This post-Christian culture hates women. They love mocking women‚ they love exploiting women‚ they love abusing women‚" read another response. "Well looks like I can cancel that National Geographic subscription now…All this corporate woke BS is saving me $100’s‚" read another reply. Sarah Palin responded simply‚ "no words." "Hey‚ this has to be a farce. @NatGeo‚ please tell me this is a lying meme. If not‚ what exactly‚ are you trying to prove? Stop with the indoctrination‚" said another detractor. The activist has also been included in marketing campaigns by the North Face‚ an outdoor clothing store‚ and the National Audubon Society‚ a conservationist group. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Texas man allegedly attacked his sister and mother with a machete‚ and neighbors said the victims were found in pools of blood by police. The incident unfolded on Wednesday morning at about 10 a.m. at the Vista at Westchase apartments in Houston. Houston police said they responded to reports of a man slashing two women and found a man barricaded in an apartment. Eventually‚ the man gave himself up to police. Neighbors told KPRC-TV that the man had attacked his family members. Kiara Bailey said she went outside and found the wounded teenager on the ground. “I kept hearing‚ 'Help me‚ help me‚' screaming‚ 'help me‚ help me‚'” she said. “So‚ I immediately ran back in the house and called ambulance. They was telling me to apply pressure‚ but it was too many stab wounds to even apply pressure.” Jamia Hardy told KPRC that the man had a second knife as well as the machete. “It was the hand knife that you stick your hand into‚” she said. “And you can‚ like‚ stab stuff with. He used one of those.” KPRC said there were bloody footprints from the sister‚ who went to neighbors' homes looking for help. “They had serious injuries. Lacerations to the deep laceration to the forearm‚” said Eric Taylor‚ another neighbor. “She kept saying her brother did it. Her brother did it. He’s in the house. He went in the house‚” Bailey continued. Neighbors said that the standoff between the man and the SWAT team lasted about an hour. Houston police said he'll be charged with aggravated assault. “I seen he just bloody‚ bloody‚ just bloody. And he came out like nothing never happened‚” said Pamela Cunningham. Here's a local news report about the incident: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the U.S. remains firmly committed to defending the territory of all NATO members. "The United States will continue to stand with our NATO allies and to defend the sovereignty and the territory of every alliance member—every inch of it‚ as President Biden has repeatedly made clear. Our commitment to Article Five remains ironclad‚" Austin said in the statement. — (@) Article five of the North Atlantic Treaty stipulates that an attack that targets a party in Europe or North America should be viewed as an attack against all parties. "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that‚ if such an armed attack occurs‚ each of them‚ in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations‚ will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith‚ individually and in concert with the other Parties‚ such action as it deems necessary‚ including the use of armed force‚ to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area‚" Article five states.Austin also claimed that America can only be secure if the alliance is strong."NATO is the strongest military alliance in history‚ and it is crucial for America's continued security‚" he said in the statement. "A secure America is impossible without a strong NATO.""This mighty alliance's continued unity is vital to meet the strategic dangers posed by Putin's unprovoked aggression and imperial dreams‚" he asserted. "Allies also must continue to invest in their defense industrial bases‚ which is crucial to the future strength of the alliance‚" Austin declared.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Favored by the Aztecs‚ chinampas are man-made islands used to grow crops in freshwater lakes — and the agricultural system is still used in Mexico today. The post The Fascinating History Of Chinampas‚ The Mesoamerican Method Of Farming On Water appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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