ScienceDaily reports on recently-published research at the University of Florida to create a hydrophobic surface that resembles spider hair.

The key, according to UF professor Wolfgang Sigmund, is the material's chaotic structure, which mixes long/short and curved/straight hairs.

The effect relies entirely on the material's structure. An oil-repellent version is also possible, though the relevant research is yet to be published.

Want to know how popular you are on Fur Affinity? FA Rank, by Taren Nauxen, will tell you.

The site uses a form of the PageRank algorithm, which forms the basis for Google's rankings. Watched users gain points which are distributed among their own watchlist.

Not everyone thinks it's a good idea, with an old straw poll showing 42% in favour of closing the site. However, FA admin Dragoneer appears unconcerned.

For those wishing to know full details, source code for the ranking system is available.

Yes, this is old news, but it was never covered here and the rankings were updated recently.

Dr. Kathy Gerbasi

Dr. Kathy Gerbasi has given an interview on her research to the Buffalo News. [credit: Higgs Raccoon/furrymedia]

Dr. Gerbasi was the lead author of Furries From A to Z, published in Society & Animals in 2008.

See also: Preliminary results from the Anthrocon 2009 survey

The Melbourne Herald Sun reports development of pig lungs compatible with human blood. Such organs could fill a real need; 200 died last year on waiting lists in Australia alone.

The genetically-modified pigs do not express a certain antigen that causes the blood to clot. Research on such "knock-out" pigs has been going on for over two decades.

There is an ongoing debate about the ethics of creating such "chimeras." Still, replacement of human heart valves with pig valves or cow cardiac tissue is already widespread.

Jennifer Smith and Dr. Kay Holekamp of Michigan State bring us cute photos of hyena cubs.

Their research (click names) on the social behavior of the Spotted Hyena is worth reading.

The BBC reports that like humans, gorillas play competitive games - even making the game fairer for those of lesser ability.

Dr Joanne Tanner and Professor Richard Byrne of the University of St Andrews performed the research, published in Animal Cognition.

A team of 18 working for the Supreme Council of Antiquities have discovered the ruins of a temple believed to be dedicated to the cat-god Bastet, according to Head of Antiquities Dr. Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud. Its presence suggests the continuing worship of the feline deity after the decline of ancient Egypt.

The temple belonged to Queen Berenice II; wife to Ptolemy III, who reigned 246–222 BCE and erected the Stone of Canopus - the first in the bilingual Rosetta stone series.

Initially depicted as a leonine, male figure, the being once known as Bast had, by this time acquired a more domestic, feminine persona nicknamed the perfumed protector; a suitable choice for a queen. However, the cat-god ultimately failed to prevent Berenice's son from murdering his mother and marrying his sister.

What can change the nature of a fox? Such was the question posed by Dmitry K. Belyaev, a Russian scientist whose work dated back to the time of Stalin.

Belyaev was a strong proponent of evolution - a distinctly unfashionable theory in early 1950s Russia - and thought he could select for the genetic traits leading to tameness. Taking 130 of the tamest foxes from a fur farm, he set to work, excluding those biting a gloved hand from breeding.

It turns out reproducing the domestication of dogs in another species isn't that hard . . .

A group at the University of Alaska is running a survey of the furry community.

The online survey - led by Dr. Tim Lower and Eric Olson - appears to focus on the community aspects of being a furry, and seeks to establish the effect of participating on individuals (also a goal of prior surveys by Dr. Kathleen Gerbasi at Anthrocon).

Read more: Survey of the efficacy of furry subculture online/in-person support network

(Source: Another furry survey --- links, thoughts by rex)

Preliminary results have been released for a psychological survey taken at Anthrocon 2009 this July.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The survey team was led by Dr. Kathy Gerbasi, a social psychologist and anthrozoologist at the Niagara County Community College, and supervised by the Kent State University Institutional Review Board.

The team has run surveys at Anthrocon since 2006, covering topics such as connections with other species, species dysphoria and gender identity disorder, happiness and social rejection, transliminality, the essential characteristics of being a furry, and the reasons furry fans wear (or do not wear) fursuits.^[6] Many topics were chosen to address prevalent stereotypes. The first portion of their work was published in the academic journal Society and Animals in 2008.^[7][8]

This year's survey focussed on determining sociability, empathy, sex role identification, and social desirability.^[9] There were 275 participants; fewer than in previous years due to IRB restrictions intended to prevent distribution of forms to minors.^[10]