[links] The vampire squid and other cool things

Yes, there really is such a thing as a vampire squid, and it's even cooler than the name suggests.

A ‘living fossil,’ the vampire squid inhabits the deep waters of all the world’s ocean basins at depths from 500 to 3,000 m. The species is a soft-bodied, passive creature, about the size, shape, and color of a football. It has a dark red body, huge blue eyes, and a cloak-like web that stretches between its eight arms. When threatened, the squid turns inside out, exposing rows of wicked-looking ‘cirri.’

Bats are pollinators, too. And a lot more cuddly than bees.

The birds and the bees may rule the daytime, but as soon as the sun sets, it is the bats that get to work pollinating. Worldwide, over 500 species of flowers in at least 67 plant families rely on bats as their major or exclusive pollinators.

For Doctor Who fans: an amazing woman pianist plays theme music from the series, filmed wearing costumes from all twelve Doctors. Just a delight (unless, of course, you're immune to The Doctor's charms).

Last but not least...DINOSAUR FEATHERS!

Today a group of paleontologists announced the results of an extensive study of several well-preserved dinosaur feathers encased in amber. Their work, which included samples

from many stages in the evolution of feathers, bolstered the findings of other scientists who've suggested that dinosaurs (winged and otherwise) had multicolored and transparent feathers of the sort you might see on birds today. The researchers also presented evidence, based on the feathers' pigmentation and structures, that today's bird feathers could have evolved from dinosaur feathers.