Taking The Puff Out Of The Puff Piece 23/6/06

Friday, June 23, 2006, 10:29 AM

Welcome to what I hope will be a regular fixture here at Couch Culture, and won't fall victim to a hideous, horrible trainwreck like an Australian comedy show. No need to explain, it does what it says on the can, so let's get into it.

From The ABC (21/6/06):

There has been another escape from Auckland Zoo.

Three otters are the latest to make their dash for freedom after they slipped out of their newly repaired nesting box a week ago.

One of them - a female called Jin - was spotted 10 kilometres away, having made her escape down a creek and across Auckland Harbour.

The zoo has already had to deal with a number of escapes this year.

A ringtail lemur, a serval cat and two spider monkeys all got out of their enclosures in February.

The otters are expected to return once they realise how bad the Auckland nightlife is.

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From The Age (22/6/06):

Top New York endocrine surgeon William B. Inabnet listens to the Red Hot Chili Peppers while performing difficult operations because he believes "that's good pancreas music".

Doctor Inabnet says his next experiment will be listening to James Blunt while performing gall bladder surgery, because "listening to that shit sure keeps my gall bladder working".

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From The ABC (22/6/06):

Chinese scientists have discovered an orchid that reproduces in an adverse climate by twisting its male sexual organ so that it can fertilise its female organ.

It is believed to be the first known case in the plant world.

The pink-flowered orchid, Holcoglossum amesianum, defies gravity by turning its anther through 360 degrees in order to insert pollen at its tip into the female cavity, the stigma.

The plant's clever form of self-pollination "is likely to be an adaptation to the orchid's dry and insect-scarce habitat and may be widespread among species growing in similar environments," suggest the authors, led by Huang Laiqiang of Tsinghua University in southern China.

The study is published in the British weekly science journal Nature.

This discovery has come as no shock to Australian TV audiences, who are adamant Don Burke has been self-fertilizing for years.
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