Coffee and Provocation

Dogecoin, a Joke Cryptocurrency, Is Now Worth $2 Billion
Dogecoin, a joke cryptocurrencey set up in 2013 by Jackson Palmer and Billy Markus, and inspired by the then-popular Shiba Inu “Doge” internet meme, has skyrocketed in value.

Real Fire Birds
Some Australian birds of prey pick up burning twigs and branches to start fires in other areas in order to drive out prey species. Black Kites (Milvus migrans), Whistling Kites (Haliastur sphenurus) and Brown Falcons (Falco berigora) have been observed engaging in the behavior.

That Cardboard Coffee Sleeve
The cardboard sleeve that your hot drink slides into is called a zarf.

Norway is Better Than We Are
In Norway, the government buys 1,000 copies of any new book, as long as it passes quality control, and distributes them to libraries. This keeps small publishers in business, and gives writers generous royalties. All public universities are free to attend in Norway, and the literacy rate is 100 percent.

An Island Larger Than the Lake It Sits In
René-Levasseur Island in Canada is larger in area than the lake in which it is situated.  The odd geological feature was created by the impact of a meteorite 214 million years ago combined with man-made flooding.

The Jug Life of Tap Water
Tap water in a jug has a shelf-life of 6 months, after which chlorine dissipates and bacteria starts to grow.

Training the Trainers
Dolphins at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi are rewarded with food for cleaning litter out of their tanks, including the occasional dead seagull. In order to get more treats, the dolphins have taken to tearing up paper and other trash in order to get more rewards. Carrying the idea one step farther, they have also taken to hiding some of the fish they are given, using it to lure seagulls into the water, and then catching the seagulls for an even bigger fish reward.

Salmon Making Mountains
Scientists calculate that salmon nest-making during spawning may have moved enough gravel and silt down stream to have caused some riverbeds in the Pacific Nortwest to be 30 percent lower than if no spawning had taken place.

How Do Alligators Survive a Freak Freeze?
It turns out they stick just their noses above the freeze line and ice forms around their snout, with their body in torpor under water.  The result: their nose alone sticks out of the ice.

Time to End Welfare for Wildlife?
A new regulation requires all protected species to be actively looking for new habitat in order to receive funding.

Robert Smalls, American Hero
Robert Smalls escaped slavery by stealing a confederate ship and then sold the ship to buy his master's house. Smalls later served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.