NH man snares a rare, cobalt-blue lobster, donates crustacean to science center

September 7th, 2009 VIENNA - Ripe bananas glow blue in ultraviolet light, possibly helping monkeys to spot choice fruit, Austrian researchers have found in a study. "When brown spots develop, blue halos appear around them," said Bernhard Kraeutler, an organic chemist at the University of Innsbruck who published the work of his team in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Monday.

September 5th, 2009 Cobalt International files for IPONEW YORK — Oil exploration company Cobalt International Energy Inc. said it plans to raise up to $1.15 billion with an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

July 5th, 2009 Maine pound shows off rare orange, live lobstersYORK, Maine — Two orange lobsters that look as though they've just emerged from a steamer pot are definitely alive and pinching in Maine. Jeremy Mirick, co-owner of the lobster pound at the York Fitness Center in York, Maine, says the two orange lobsters in his tank aren't for sale.

June 23rd, 2009 Desperate Maine lobstermen sell from trucks, homesSCARBOROUGH, Maine — Lobsterman Greg Turner keeps a sandwich-board sign at the end of his driveway that advertises fresh lobster for sale from his garage, an attempt to claw for a few extra dollars by reaching buyers directly. With prices stuck on low and expected to fall further this summer, he's skirting the traditional sales route by cutting out the dealers who usually sell lobster catches to retailers, restaurants, processors and other buyers.

June 19th, 2009 Lobster, wine and sleep follow Maine break-inPORTLAND, Maine — A man suspected of breaking into a Maine restaurant will have to get used to jailhouse food after workers at the eatery discovered lobsters and wine missing — and the suspect asleep on a bench. Police say Paul Bruneau broke into the Portland Lobster Co.

June 18th, 2009 Tiny crustacean big on reproductionWASHINGTON — When it comes to sexual reproduction, it turns out that size does matter, at least for a group of ancient crustaceans called ostracods. Modern versions of these tiny animals also have extra large sperm, but not to the extent of their relatives 100 million years ago, researchers report in Thursday's edition of the journal Science.

June 12th, 2009 Former Texas governor gives medical school $100MDALLAS — Former Texas Gov. Bill Clements has given the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center a landmark $100 million gift.

June 11th, 2009 China not sending 3 rare golden monkeys to LA ZooLOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Zoo will not get a trio of rare golden monkeys from China as promised, after the city spent more than $7 million to build them a new home and hired a feng shui expert to see that it was suitable. City Councilman Tom LaBonge said Wednesday that withholding the monkeys was a decision by the Chinese government.

June 11th, 2009 Mass. yellow lobster is a 1 in 30 million rarityEASTHAM, Mass. — This lobster will catch your eye, but not because you're imagining its tail dipped in butter.

June 7th, 2009 Giant lobster roll rolls into Portland, MainePORTLAND, Maine — What could be the world's longest lobster roll turned out to be even longer than expected. The giant sandwich unveiled Sunday during Maine's Old Port Festival in Portland measured 61 feet 9.5 inches — more than a foot longer than organizers were aiming for.

June 5th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - The government of Malawi is teaming up with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to move over 60 elephants from a densely-populated area where at least 10 people have been killed by elephants scavenging for food, IFAW said Friday. A spokeswoman for IFAW told DPA Friday that the operation to move the wild elephants from Mangoche district on the southern shores of Lake Malawi to a wildlife reserve would begin at the weekend.

May 28th, 2009 WELLINGTON - A rare blue whale, measured at 27 metres long and estimated to weigh about 150 tonnes, has washed up dead on a New Zealand beach, news reports said Thursday. The animal, found by abalone divers in a remote spot near the northern tip of the South Island, had several shark bites, but whale expert Anton van Helden of the Te Papa national museum told the Dominion Post newspaper it was likely to have been attacked after dying at sea.

May 12th, 2009 Rare blue diamond to fetch up to $8.5M at auctionGENEVA — A rare 7.03-carat blue diamond is expected to fetch up to $8.5 million at auction in Geneva Tuesday. The buyer will be able to name the diamond, auctioneer Sotheby's said.

May 12th, 2009 Rare blue diamond fetches over $8.4M at auctionGENEVA — A rare 7.03-carat blue diamond sold for 9.3 million Swiss francs (more than $8.4 million) Tuesday, the highest price ever for a gem of its kind, according to auctioneers Sotheby's. Including commission, the successful bidder will pay around 10.5 million francs ($9.5 million).

May 11th, 2009 Star Trek items at NH science centerCONCORD, N.H. — In honor of the new "Star Trek" movie, some rare items from an old movie and a TV show are boldly on display at New Hampshire's McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.