Panda poo isn’t just for kitschy gifts anymore.  Scientist presented an interesting study at the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society that suggests the microbes present in panda poo can be used to help make biofuel production a more viable option in energy production…

Who would have guessed that ‘panda poop’ might help solve one of the major hurdles to producing biofuels, which is optimizing the breakdown of the raw plant materials used to make the fuels?” said study co-author Ashli Brown, Ph.D. “We hope our research will help expand the use of biofuels in the future and help cut dependency on foreign oil. We also hope it will reinforce the importance of wildlife conservation.”

Yay pandas! Show your support with a panda poo t-shirt from Enjoi. Get one at PacSun for a mere $20.

Watching this video is like instant stress relief, which I need since I’m in the final stretch of writing my Master’s Thesis.

I said  ‘Aaaaaah’ and ‘Awwwww!’ throughout; hopefully you’ll find it as relaxing as I did.

The video is after a cut because it starts itself when the page loads and that drives me insane!

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Ummm… Yeah. Here’s some cute, yet odd panda news:

A researcher dressed in a panda costume puts a panda cub into a box before its physical examination at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan province December 3, 2010. The 4-month old cub, the first in the centre to be trained for reintroduction into the wild, is monitored by hidden cameras. Researchers performing physical examinations on the cub wear panda costumes to ensure that the cub’s environment is devoid of human influence, according to local media.

Source: Reuters

On November 3rd, another adorable panda baby was brought into the world at the Atlanta Zoo.  He’s a little over 2lbs now, but started life weighing less than a pound. Look at all the adorable photos below (more at the source!) and read all about the little guy on the Atlanta Zoo’s panda blog.

Oh how I wish I had heard of this sooner!

“Six panda lovers have been named as “pambassadors” after the grand finals of a global competition for panda keepers held Wednesday (9/22/2010) afternoon in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The six winners will spend one month taking care of six giant pandas in Chengdu and blog about their experiences at pandahome.com in an effort to raise awareness about the endangered animal’s plight.”

Super jealous!

Source (Xinhua)

Happy New Year! To start off the year right, check out this adorable little girl, Wen Li, trying to escape her playpen at the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Institute.

[Source]

It’s getting close to 100 days for our panda cubbie at the San Diego Zoo, and you k now what that means…a name! Here’s a post from the keepers at the San Diego Zoo:

At two months old, our male giant panda cub is doing well. Following Chinese tradition, the little guy will be bestowed a name after he is 100 days old. But what name?

Visitors to the San Diego Zoo will have an opportunity to name the cub. Beginning Saturday, October 10, through Monday, October 19, we are asking the community to visit the Giant Panda Research Station to suggest a name. The names should be in Chinese (Pinyin), have an English translation, be symbolic in meaning, and delivered in person to the panda exhibit October 10–19.

For those who cannot come to the Zoo during that time, we’ll also be offering a special link where you can submit your name suggestion, following the same naming criteria listed above. We’ll post that link as soon as it’s ready.

After this 10-day period, the Zoo’s giant panda team, comprised of keepers, veterinarians, scientists, and others, will choose several names from suggestions made by Zoo visitors. The Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association will then review the selected names. Once approved, the names will be posted on our Web site and on our Facebook page for a final vote by the global community.

Check the Panda Cam page for updates on when to vote online. The name that receives the most votes will be announced at a ceremony held at the Zoo on Tuesday, November 17, when the cub is 104 days old. We look forward to your name suggestions!

Awww, he looks so smug here! Too cute!

Oh. My. Goodness. Look how adorable our newest little panda cubbie is getting! I just want to cuddle and squeeze him all the time.

He had his last exam on Tuesday the 22nd, and all looks good! He’s a whopping 5.73lbs! Bigger than all the previous cubbies at the same age. Be sure to check him out on the panda cam!

I’m sorry about the lack of updates recently. I just moved into a new apartment, turned 30 and started grad school within the last two weeks so I’ve been VERY preoccupied. However, things are starting to get back to normal, so I’ll be sure to update with lots of panda-y goodness very soon!

But, I can’t help but mention that the new panda cubby at the San Diego Zoo is a boy! Here’s the scoop straight from the source:

It’s a boy! We are thrilled that our newest panda is a sturdy little male that is healthy and well fed. His first exam, on September 3, also told us that at four weeks of age he weighs 2.8 pounds (1,259 grams) and is 14.7 inches (37 centimeters) long.

Be sure to visit the panda cam often. Before you know it the little guy will be a big boy!

Head on over to the San Diego Zoo website to watch an ADORABLE video of the new panda cub. I can’t wait for the color photos!