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Here’s what’s worth reading today, Tuesday, August 6, 2019:
‘This photograph was the hardest I’ve ever had to make’ As I stood underneath the tree in Australia’s Northern Territory, I thought about what the saltwater crocodile hanging from it had lived through. Born some 50 years ago, the reptile had grown from a two-and-a-half-ounce hatchling into a 15-foot-long colossus weighing 1,000 pounds. It hatched toward the end of a 25-year period of intensive commercial hunting that had pushed the species to the brink of extinction. It was the perfect predator, and I feared that I was somehow celebrating its death. I made this photograph to commemorate an epic hunt and the men who took part in it. Some might assume that because they took its life, the men standing beside the crocodile have no respect for the animal. But I’ve learned that it’s possible for hunters to love the creatures that they kill — and to be part of a solution that saves a species. This is the complex situation I wanted to explore when I documented crocodile hunting for National Geographic.
Children who spend more time outdoors have less nearsightedness: At night Lisa Ostrin’s lab at the University of Houston College of Optometry often looks like the setting of a disco slumber party, a place where a child, aged 7 to 14, accompanied by a guardian, sleeps over and is periodically exposed to blue or red lights. “At night we become a five-star hotel,” said assistant professor Ostrin, good humoredly explaining part of her $1.8 million research grant, sponsored by the National Eye Institute. The goal is to find why an ever-increasing number of youngsters need glasses and, specifically, if exposure to specific types of light might prevent myopia, or nearsightedness. While light from computers, video games and cellphones continues to be studied for its impact on myopia, a new clue has emerged: Outdoor light, or ambient illumination. “The strongest evidence is that children who spend more time outdoors have less nearsightedness, so now we are trying to find out why that is happening,” said Ostrin.
Wild game recipes to clean out your freezer: At the Stewards of the Wild Dallas Chapter second annual wild game cooking class in conjunction with the Central Market Cooking School, the demonstration taught 20 young outdoorsmen and women how to “clean out their freezer” with recipes that utilize wild game. The recipes were specifically selected to showcase the flavors of wild game while keeping them simple and not complicated nor intimidating. “The cooking classes have been a great way to help teach the next generation the techniques to prepare healthy and delicious wild game recipes for their friends and family,” said Chris Landers, president of the Dallas chapter.
Shark attack victim off Key Biscayne remains hospitalized in Miami: A spearfisherman, bleeding, crawled into a charter boat without knowing a group of nurses were there ready to help, Hot Shot Charters employee Kayle Evans said Monday. A good Samaritan used a blue fabric to apply a tourniquet to the man’s left arm. It was likely a life-saving move. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes.
Disease transmitting ticks are expanding, including one linked to a red meat allergy: We all know to be careful about ticks when we’re out in grassy, wooded areas. Ticks can carry nasty diseases that can make you pretty sick. But one tick that’s getting a lot of attention lately could leave you with an unusual allergy. The lone star tick is especially intriguing because it’s making some people allergic to red meat. It’s not entirely clear to scientists why a bite from the lone star tick causes alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat. It’s also unknown how common the condition is, but it’s important to note that it does not happen to everybody who’s bitten by such a tick.
Why New Zealand is the new wild west of waterfowl hunting: If you’ve ever wondered what waterfowling was like in the days before strict regulations, you don’t need a time machine. You just have to get to New Zealand. That’s no short order either, because reaching the island nation takes a minimum 15-hour flight at a hefty ticket price. But those who make the trek will find public land, relatively little hunting competition, and 50-duck limits.
Alaska national park wolf hunting boundary dispute continues: A group of Alaska advocates is petitioning for an end to wolf hunting in a national park boundary area. The group is concerned about a decrease in the number of wolf sightings in part of Denali National Park. The group sent petitions about the Denali Park Road area to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game commissioner and the state Board of Game. Members say hunting is impacting the number of wolves in packs that roam near the road corridor. The National Park Service has submitted its own proposal to the game board requesting a partial closure to wolf hunting.
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