Spider-Bite Survivor Sets Record? Video -- National Geographic

Spider-Bite Survivor Sets Record? Video April 23, 2009—A 94-year-old Australian woman may be the oldest person known to survive the bite of a male Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the world's deadliest spiders.Welcome to the National Geographic video player.Video Sections

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- "Cradle of Civilization" in Peril - April 21, 2009—Iraq's southern marshes were largely restored after Saddam Hussein drained them following the 1991 Gulf War. But now a drought threatens the ancient wetlands' recovery.
- "Missing Link" Found - May 20, 2009—A "missing link" found in Germany may be a key to human evolution—a nearly intact skeleton of a 47-million-year-old lemur-like creature.
- "Extinct" Beavers Back in U.K. - June 1, 2009—After 400 years beavers are once again gnawing at British branches. But because hunting made native beavers regionally extinct, the new generation had to be shipped in from Norway.
- "Grunting" Worms to the Surface - June 25, 2009—In a Florida forest, worm "grunters" use an unusual technique to catch earthworms to sell for bait.
- "Panda Porn" Trumped by AI - May 28, 2009—When panda pornography didn't entice a male panda to mate with his female partner at a Thai zoo, staff next tried artificial insemination, which resulted in a surprise birth this week.
- "Ugly" Salamander, New Frog Found - June 16, 2009—A bug-eyed salamander and a colorful poison frog are among 12 species possibly new to science recently found in the mountains of Ecuador.
- Animals Find New Hope - April 13, 2009—A Brazilian mountain animal rehabilitation center nurses everything from monkeys to wolves, birds to boas.
- Ape Tickling Spurs Laughter - June 4, 2009—Apes laugh too, say researchers who tickled gorillas, chimps, orangutans, bonobos, and human babies—suggesting laughter began in a prehistoric ape-human ancestor.
- Arctic Ice Thinner, Smaller - April 7, 2009—New reports show ice in Antarctica continues melting at an advanced rate in summer months, and ice in the Arctic region is re-forming at a slower rate in winter months.
- Arranged Marriages Boosted by Web - June 23, 2009—In India the age-old custom of arranged marriages are increasingly made through Internet connections.
- Atlantis Damaged on Launch - May 13, 2009—Space shuttle Atlantis sustained minor damage to its thermal tiles during its Monday launch, likely from debris that came off the fuel tank after lift off.
- Boat Alarm Could Save Manatees - June 4, 2009—Manatees can't hear the low sounds of boat engines, which is why the animals are frequently injured, a researcher says. A high-pitched alarm could solve the problem.
- Boxes to Save Penguin Chicks? - April 2, 2009—African penguins, or jackass penguins—the only penguins to breed on the African continent—are dwindling in number, mainly because of pollution and overfishing. Now conservationists hope a fiberglass box can help penguin chicks survive.
- Cat "Army" Guards Treasures - June 12, 2009—Fighting off, and feeding on, rodents that would gnaw away at masterpieces, dozens of "working" cats patrol the labyrinthine storerooms of Russia's Hermitage museum.
- Chimps Recover at Brazil Rehab - May 12, 2009—A sanctuary is giving chimpanzees a second chance at life by rescuing them from harmful and abusive zoos, research laboratories, circuses, and homes.
- Cleopatra Tomb Site Found? - April 20, 2009—Cleopatra and Marc Anthony are likely buried together in one of three sites at an ancient temple, archaeologists announced in Egypt Sunday.
- Cockfighters Flout Ban in India - April 9, 2009—Despite being banned in India, cockfighting continues at an annual Hindu festival. "According to tradition, once the festival is over, there should be blood stains on the festival ground," one participant said.
- Crow-Meat Comeback - June 9, 2009—In Lithuania, eating crow isn't an exercise in public humiliation, as the English idiom suggests. Here, crow is literally eaten, and says one connoisseur, "it increases sexual potency."
- Deep Eruption, Odd Shrimp Seen - May 7, 2009—For the first time, scientists have caught a fast-growing, 12-story underwater volcano erupting—along with odd creatures evolved to survive its toxic emissions.
- Dogs Save Cheetahs - March 26, 2009—Dogs are used to protect sheep and other livestock from the cheetahs in Africa&8212;thereby saving the big cats from potential shootings by aggrieved farmers.
- Dolphin "Talk" Visualized - April 8, 2009—An acoustics engineer in the UK claims he's got a key tool in decoding the language of dolphins. He's invented a device that visualizes dolphin sounds, but skeptics have their doubts.
- Donkey Bookmobile Is a Hit - April 14, 2009—On weekends a Colombian schoolteacher straps book bags to a donkey he calls a biblioburro and travels into the countryside to lend books to eager young readers.
- Egypt Killing All Swine - April 30, 2009—Even though no cases of swine flu have been found in Egypt—in pigs or humans—the government has ordered an estimated 300,000-plus pigs slaughtered as a swine flu precaution.
- Electricity Still "New" for Tribe - May 18, 2009—Tribespeople in northwestern Taiwan had no electricity until the late 1970s and even more recently carried flaming torches at night. But now a research institute has upgraded their lighting systems.
- Elephant Relocation Halted - June 11, 2009—Hoisted—upside down—onto flatbeds, tranquilized Malawian elephants were being trucked away after deadly encounters with local people. Now the community, fearing loss of tourism revenue, says the animals should stay.
- Europe vs. Canada Over Seal Hunt - May 6, 2009—The European Parliament has voted to ban the import of seal products, mainly from Canada, in an effort to stop that country's annual seal hunt—angering some Canadian fishers and Inuit people. Warning: graphic video.
- Extreme Lengths Keep Wild Cats Wild - May 8, 2009—At a Brazilian wild cat conservation center, experts go to extremes to keep rare cats from going tame—from hiding food to smearing chicken blood.
- Final Ride on Wild China River? - April 23, 2009—An adventure ride down a section of China's Yangtze River could be the last before planned hydroelectric dams flood the rapids and alter the landscape.
- First Spacewalk a Success - May 15, 2009—Atlantis' astronauts completed the first of five spacewalks to repair the Hubble telescope. They installed a new camera that will see farther into the universe than ever before.
- Fossil Found in Kitchen Counter - May 5, 2009—After a factory had found a 40-million-year-old whale fossil in a limestone kitchen counter, researchers investigated the stone's fossil-packed quarry, which could shed light on the origins of African wildlife.
- GeoBee 2009: Winning Question - May 20, 2009—Watch the tense final moments of the 2009 National Geographic Bee as host Alex Trebek grills the finalists in Washington, D.C.
- Giant Prehistoric Elephant Found - June 22, 2009—Scientists in Indonesia claim they have unearthed the 200,000-year-old skeleton of a giant elephant that stood more than 13 feet (4 meters) tall.
- Glowing Puppies Created? - April 29, 2009—A South Korean research team claims to have cloned beagles with an implanted fluorescent gene. The dogs "glow in the dark." Some researchers say the technique could be applied to treatment of human diseases.
- How Flu Viruses Attack - May 1, 2009—See how a flu virus attacks, mutates, and becomes contagious—perhaps resulting in an outbreak or even pandemic.
- Hubble Floats Away From Shuttle - May 19, 2009—Space shuttle astronauts on Tuesday morning released the Hubble Space Telescope, following five spacewalks to repair and improve the 19-year-old spacecraft.
- Hubble Repair Mission Launches - May 11, 2009—Astronauts aboard space shuttle Atlantis will install new tools in the Hubble Space Telescope to see deeper into the universe than ever before.
- Illegal Bees Live High in NYC - May 29, 2009—In New York City, where beekeeping is illegal due to health concerns, bee lovers often put hives on rooftops to avoid detection.
- Italy Quake Hits Historic Towns - April 6, 2009—A major earthquake struck mountainous, central Italy, killing more than 90 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Buildings more than 500 years old in the medieval town of L'Aquila were among those damaged.
- Jackass Penguins Freed After Rehab - June 17, 2009—After surviving an oil slick off the Namibian coast and being rehabilitated in South Africa, close to a hundred jackass penguins were set free and began swimming hundreds of miles home in May.
- Komodo Dragons Attack Islanders - May 26, 2009—Recent Komodo dragon attacks on Indonesians—including a park ranger who shows his Komodo scars—have convinced some villagers that the man-size lizards are becoming more aggressive.
- Leonardo da Vinci Portrait Found? - April 3, 2009—A medieval historian in Italy found what is believed to be a portrait, hidden beneath another painting, of Leonardo da Vinci.
- Lobsters vs. Sea Urchins - May 21, 2009—Voracious sea urchins are stripping coral reefs off Australia, depriving fish of key habitat, scientists say. The potential solution? Strategic deployment of urchin-eating lobsters.
- Mass Toad Killing in Australia - March 30, 2009—Hundreds of people captured tens of thousands of invasive, poisonous cane toads Sunday. After being "humanely" killed, many of the toads will be ground into fertilizer.
- Meat Ants vs. Alien Toads - April 17, 2009—Deliberately introduced to hunt beetles, invasive cane toad populations have exploded in Australia. Now scientists propose attacking the alien species with ants that feast on cane toad flesh.
- Mind-Controlled Robot Tech Debuts - March 31, 2009—New technology allows a person limited control of a humanoid robot, according to the Honda Research Institute. Based on the flow of electricity and blood in a person's brain, the robot reportedly can move its hand, run, and "eat."
- Moon Pics Fixed at Old McDonald's - May 5, 2009—It might sound like going from the frying pan to the Frymaster, but it's actually a good thing that historic moon pictures have been moved from dusty storage to an old McDonald's--a "pretty cool place" for restoration work.
- Mt. Everest Records to Fall? - April 10, 2009—Three Sherpa brothers seek to break a time record by staying 24 hours on top. Another Sherpa may shatter his own record for most trips—19.
- New Snakes, Butterflies Found - June 18, 2009—A U.K. team has found several species that may be new to science in a Mozambique mountain range that had no previous record of exploration.
- New Species Found at Great Barrier - May 21, 2009—In and around Australia's Great Barrier Reef, researchers with the Census of Marine Life have discovered hundreds of new species.
- New Terra-Cotta Army Dig Begins - June 15, 2009—Archaeologists have begun excavating more of the famed terra-cotta warriors, life-size clay figures created to guard the tomb of China's first emperor.
- Oldest Woman is 130? - April 1, 2009—A Kazakh woman claims to be 130 years old, making her the oldest living human in history. Her doctor believes she's 130, and her passport is offered as proof, but skeptics question the claim.
- Orphaned Orangutan Rescued - June 2, 2009—The rescue of an orangutan in Indonesia underscores threats posed by the expansion of palm oil plantations. Orangutans could be extinct in parts of Borneo within two years, experts say.
- Painted Egypt Coffins Unearthed - April 27, 2009—Archaeologists in Egypt have found 53 rock tombs containing preserved mummies and painted coffins dating back as far as 4,000 years.
- Penguin Poop Seen From Space - June 3, 2009—Researchers have discovered ten new emperor penguin colonies by spotting penguin excrement stains on the ice from satellite images.
- Pig Poop Helps Power Netherlands - June 10, 2009—Methane-rich pig excrement on a large Netherlands farm is being turned into electricity and partially fed into the national power grid.
- Polar Trek Shows Ice Loss - April 22, 2009—Braving long walks across frigid Arctic terrain, a group of British explorers is gathering vital ground-based data about the extent of sea ice shrinkage.
- Spider-Bite Survivor Sets Record? - April 23, 2009—A 94-year-old Australian woman may be the oldest person known to survive the bite of a male Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the world's deadliest spiders.
- Stray Dogs Overwhelming Bangkok - June 8, 2009—Thailand's capital city of Bangkok is struggling to cope with a growing population of stray dogs. It's estimated as many as 300,000 strays wander the streets.
- Swine Flu Going Global - April 29, 2009—Swine flu has been detected in eight countries, and the first death outside Mexico is confirmed in the U.S. But so far, all confirmed cases are in people who have traveled to, or live in, Mexico.
- Swine Flu's Mysterious First Death - May 1, 2009—When Maria Adela Gutierrez died just weeks ago, her illness was a mystery. Now, experts have uncovered clues as to how she became Mexico's first fatality in the 2009 swine flu outbreak.
- Thai Monkeys Get Help - May 14, 2009—Nearly 1,000 long-tailed macaques live in Lopburi, near Bangkok, Thailand. Volunteers care for the monkeys when they are sick or injured.
- Thousands of Sardines Flood Beach - April 16, 2009—In the same Chilean town where 1,500 penguins had washed up a week and a half ago, thousands of dead sardines mysteriously tuned up on beaches.
- Tigers vs. Humans - May 5, 2009—In India's Sundarbans region, tiger-human conflicts are on the rise as tiger habitat and prey disappear and as rising seas push humans into tiger territory.
- Tornadoes, Lightning in Rare Video - April 3, 2009—As tornado season touches down in the U.S., see a high-tech tornado chaser's stunning footage of twisters—and of lightning as you've never seen it, in superslow motion.
- Tree Found in Man's Lung? - April 15, 2009—Doctors found a nearly two-inch (five-centimeter) fir tree growing inside a man's lung when they operated for a suspected tumor, Russian media are reporting.
- Whales Re-Beach Themselves - March 26, 2009—Many of the whales rescued from a mass stranding in Australia this week have re-beached themselves and died.
- Whales Tagged to Prevent Collisions - June 18, 2009—In the busy waters off Massachusetts, researchers are hand-tagging humpback whales to learn how to protect the species from potentially lethal collisions with ships.
- White Tiger Kills Keeper - May 27, 2009—A white tiger mauled and killed one of its keepers at a wildlife park in New Zealand on Wednesday in front of visitors.
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