Strange-looking orange lizards are popping up across Florida. Here's how they could upend its ecosystems
An invasive lizard species that looks as if its head was dunked in bright orange mac-and-cheese powder is taking over Florida.
Peter's rock agama are darting around neighborhoods this spring, and experts say they're likely to be increasingly more common in coming months.
That's concerning for native populations, including the Reef Gecko. Peter's rock agama may pose a threat to small native insects and reptiles by preying upon native species and out-competing them for resources.
'Peters's rock agama are larger than most geckos in Florida (note we only have one native species of gecko),' Dr. Steve Johnson told WKMG.
'The agama have spiny scales and a somewhat rough appearance, whereas our geckos have small, flat scales and look much smoother. Also, Peters's rock agama are active during the day, but the geckos are active mainly at night,' he noted.
The males are up to a foot long, while the females are less than half that size. Breeding males have an orange or red head, a black or indigo body, and a multicolored tail.
Native to sub-Saharan Africa, Peter's rock agama were first documented in the Sunshine State in 1976, and have been found in more than half of Florida's 67 counties, according to The Palm Beach Post.
They're particularly hard to catch, according to the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission encourages residents to report sightings.
'Eradication of established populations in Florida is likely not feasible,' the agency notes.
In addition to eating insects — such as the grasshoppers and crickets — they also eat their own young. They are allowed to be humanely killed on private property with landowner permission, and year-round without a permit or hunting license on 32 Commission-managed lands in southern Florida.
Although they are confined largely to residential areas, they don't pose a threat to pets or people, although their bite could be painful, according to the University of Florida.
Very little research has been conducted, but it seems unlikely that they have made significant negative impacts on Florida's environment.
'Because they feed on insects and other small invertebrates, they do have the potential to negatively impact imperiled butterflies, especially in south Florida and the Keys. However, this has not been studied,' the university said.
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The Independent
05-05-2025
- The Independent
Strange-looking orange lizards are popping up across Florida. Here's how they could upend its ecosystems
An invasive lizard species that looks as if its head was dunked in bright orange mac-and-cheese powder is taking over Florida. Peter's rock agama are darting around neighborhoods this spring, and experts say they're likely to be increasingly more common in coming months. That's concerning for native populations, including the Reef Gecko. Peter's rock agama may pose a threat to small native insects and reptiles by preying upon native species and out-competing them for resources. 'Peters's rock agama are larger than most geckos in Florida (note we only have one native species of gecko),' Dr. Steve Johnson told WKMG. 'The agama have spiny scales and a somewhat rough appearance, whereas our geckos have small, flat scales and look much smoother. Also, Peters's rock agama are active during the day, but the geckos are active mainly at night,' he noted. The males are up to a foot long, while the females are less than half that size. Breeding males have an orange or red head, a black or indigo body, and a multicolored tail. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, Peter's rock agama were first documented in the Sunshine State in 1976, and have been found in more than half of Florida's 67 counties, according to The Palm Beach Post. They're particularly hard to catch, according to the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission encourages residents to report sightings. 'Eradication of established populations in Florida is likely not feasible,' the agency notes. In addition to eating insects — such as the grasshoppers and crickets — they also eat their own young. They are allowed to be humanely killed on private property with landowner permission, and year-round without a permit or hunting license on 32 Commission-managed lands in southern Florida. Although they are confined largely to residential areas, they don't pose a threat to pets or people, although their bite could be painful, according to the University of Florida. Very little research has been conducted, but it seems unlikely that they have made significant negative impacts on Florida's environment. 'Because they feed on insects and other small invertebrates, they do have the potential to negatively impact imperiled butterflies, especially in south Florida and the Keys. However, this has not been studied,' the university said.
Telegraph
27-04-2025
- Telegraph
Do you have the fat gene? This test could soon tell you
For some, it can seem like a never-ending battle to keep the pounds off. Where friends and family appear able to indulge with little consequences, there are those who feel like, no matter how healthily they eat, the scales just keep going up. Scientists now think people who struggle with their weight may have drawn the genetic short-straw – and soon people will be able to find out if their genes are to blame for the struggle. Work has begun in the UK on developing new tests that will spot if someone has 'fat genes'. The project, which seeks to create simple blood or saliva tests, is being undertaken by a team at Oxford gene start-up Genomics and Novo Nordisk, the Danish drug giant behind blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy and Ozempic. The tests are expected to work by identifying if someone has the differences in their DNA that make them more prone to obesity. Sir Peter Donnelly, chief executive of Genomics, said genetics is 'four times more important than lifestyle factors' when it comes to mapping if someone will become obese. Studies have suggested that somebody with unhelpful genetics is around 10 times more likely to be obese in middle age than someone with helpful genes. It can mean those people with these obesity genes have to work much harder to keep on top of their weight. Research in the US has found that someone with 'unhelpful genetics' would have to walk 10,000 more steps than someone with 'helpful genetics' to maintain a healthy weight. Sir Peter said: 'There's not a single gene which matters for obesity or for heart disease or other diseases. There are more than a million places in our DNA, each of which has a tiny impact on our propensity for obesity.' Scientists from Genomics will create an algorithm that can accurately map which DNA differences are most important in determining someone's likelihood of becoming obese. The team says they expect to launch tests within the next few years. Sir Peter said change was needed over how people view obesity, adding: 'We have to start thinking about obesity as a condition, rather than some consequence of poor willpower.' It comes as governments step up attempts to tackle the obesity crisis amid concerns that more people are becoming severely overweight. Figures released last month revealed that more than three in four adults in the UK will be obese or overweight by 2050. Nadeem Sarwar, who heads up Novo Nordisk's 'transformational prevention unit', said the UK could be a pioneer in tackling obesity by stopping it before the disease progresses. Novo Nordisk recently set up the 'transformational prevention unit' (TPU), which is anchored in the UK, to 'predict, pre-empt and prevent' obesity. Alongside the tests for obesity, Novo Nordisk is also seeking to develop treatments that can then be targetted to those who test positive for fat genes. Mr Sarwar said: 'Just telling someone, 'You're high risk for disease, good luck' is not really going to help them that much. So at the TPU, we're putting in as much effort on developing products that will help prevent the risk as much as we are to pre-empt the risk.' Wes Streeing, the Health Secretary, has said he wants to shift the NHS's focus from 'sickness to prevention'. Already, the Government has clamped down on junk food ads in an attempt to curb obesity levels, saying the disease costs the NHS billions of pounds every year. Mr Sarwar said: 'The UK, I think rightly, is emphasising the importance of prevention.' Novo Nordisk is developing more preventative treatments for obesity as competition heats up in the weight-loss market. Up until this point, Novo Nordisk has been outselling US rival Eli Lilly for its weight-loss treatments, which help people lose an average of 15pc of their body mass by suppressing appetite. However, the two companies have been battling to break new ground on weight-loss treatments. Earlier this month, Novo Nordisk's shares dropped as much as 7pc after Eli Lilly released trial data suggesting it had created a weight-loss pill that worked just as well as Wegovy.
BBC News
09-11-2024
- BBC News
We never knew our dad helped to build the Colossus computer
The family of an electrical engineer said it was "really quite extraordinary" to discover he had worked on the Colossus codebreaking computer in World War contribution of Fred Martin at Bletchley Park's secret wartime centre only came to light in 2012, almost 40 years after he died."It's such a shame we couldn't have conversations about it," said his son Peter Martin, who is attending an event at the National Museum of Computing on Saturday to mark the 80th anniversary of the world's first electronic, digital sister, Jane Martin, is hoping to meet other descendants of Colossus designer Tommy Flowers and those whose family members worked on the project. Mr Flowers designed and built Colossus to help decipher encrypted German messages between Hitler and his generals, while Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman's Bombe machine helped to crack the German Enigma machines were credited with helping glean vital information that cut short the war and saved thousands of Flowers and Mr Martin both worked as research engineers at the General Post Office, and Peter said his father "certainly worked with Tommy Flowers". Jane and Peter knew nothing of their father's wartime achievements due to the Official Secrets Act."The house was full of electrical things. He made a TV for us, a hairdryer, an electric blanket. I knew how to rewire a plug from the age of about six," recalled Jane. Peter said he had read quite a lot about the Colossus machine before discovering his dad's involvement. "The first time I saw Colossus, I noticed the metal framework on which the contraption was built was very similar to a framework dad had in the garage."He said Mr Flowers and his team took "considerable risk in making the thing"."Someone said 'You can't do that', and Tommy said 'You can - with valves'. "There were a lot of problems to solve in terms of 'How do you make this work?'" Jane said: "I remember asking dad what he did during the war – he said 'I worked on various radio stations and had a lot of fun with the Wrens, letting down people's lilos as pranks'."Jane and Peter are convinced their mother, who had died before the news came out in 2012, was also in the dark about her husband's work on Colossus.A family friend, who worked in telecoms, had helped them to discover the truth."He found dad's name at Bletchley Park and got a certificate for us all."We were quite excited and really rather sad that we couldn't talk to our father about it, so we quickly went up to Bletchley Park. A lot of what was there was familiar."It was really quite extraordinary when all those years later we should find out that he worked there," she added. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
