Endangered Cloned Ferret Has Babies in a World First - WhoWhatWhy Endangered Cloned Ferret Has Babies in a World First - WhoWhatWhy

nature, biodiversity, endangered species, black-footed ferret, clone, births
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Endangered Cloned Ferret Has Babies in a World First (Maria)

The author writes, “In a ‘groundbreaking achievement,’ a clone of an endangered species of ferret has given birth to babies for the very first time. The mother, named Antonia, is a clone of another black-footed ferret, named Willa, whose genetic material and tissue samples were collected in 1988 and stored ever since at the San Diego Zoo’s Frozen Zoo. Willa was genetically diverse, compared with the current population, so it is hoped that introducing her genetic material through cloning will help increase the chances of this recovering species’ survival. ‘The successful breeding and subsequent birth of Antonia’s kits marks a major milestone in endangered species conservation,’ said Paul Marinari, senior curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.”

Donald Trump Talks About Reporters Being Shot and Says He Shouldn’t Have Left White House in 2020 (Reader Jim)

The author writes, “On the final Sunday of a rollercoaster presidential contest, Republican nominee Donald Trump is asking voters in Pennsylvania again to make him leader of a ‘failed nation’ while also unleashing a profane, conspiracy-laden rant asserting U.S. elections are not legitimate in the first place.”

Raffensperger Urges Voters To Ignore X Ad Purporting Fraud: ‘Don’t Fall for It’ (DonkeyHotey)

The author writes, “Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensbegrer addresses a video falsely depicting a Haitian immigrant voting numerous times during a Friday CNN appearance. ‘As we checked it out, came to a conclusion real quick. So we responded very quickly, you know, on Twitter and then also with a press release, just to let people know it’s fake, don’t fall for it,’ Raffensperger said. ‘Because in effect, what people want to do, these nation state actors, is really get us fighting among ourselves.’”

Trump Told Netanyahu He Wants Gaza War Over by Time He Enters Office (Sean)

From The Times of Israel: “Republican nominee has repeatedly called for Israel to end war quickly, but ex-Trump aide and Israeli official are first to reveal that the request has a timeline attached.”

Donald Trump Hired Him To Find Voting Fraud. He Debunked It Instead (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “Four years ago, Donald Trump insisted that voting fraud cost him the election, and he hired Ken Block to prove it. A data analyst, Block did his best, searching for dead voters, double-voting and absentee ballot fraud. But he found only about a dozen examples of fraud in Georgia — far short of the 11,780 votes Trump needed to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.”

The Washington Post isn’t alone: Roughly 3/4 of Major American Newspapers Aren’t Endorsing Anyone for President This Year (Gerry)

From The Nieman Lab: “Led by risk-averse corporate owners, dozens of the biggest U.S. newspapers have decided their editorials should express opinions on everything except who should be president.”

Facebook Is Auto-Generating Militia Group Pages as Extremists Continue to Organize in Plain Sight (Dana)

From Wired: “Anti-government militias are using Facebook to recruit, coordinate training, and promote ballot box stakeouts. Meta isn’t shutting their groups down and is even auto-generating pages.”

The Small Midwestern Cities That Could Play a Pivotal Role in This Year’s Elections (Al)

From ProPublica and The New York Times: “For all the talk about big-city Democrats and rural Republicans, it’s the voters in overlooked places like Sandusky, Ohio, and Racine, Wisconsin, who could decide everything from key congressional races to the presidency.”

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