For people who are blind or visually impaired(视力受损的), the world is often a little different. So when the guide dog comes along, everything becomes a whole lot better.

“Love it when he plays with me and how excited he gets when he sees me come home from school. He jumps up and down!” This report is from Luke Herbert, aged 8 of Ft. Lewis-McChord Wash. He’s talking about Yeti, his 2-year-old yellow dog.

Wait-there’s more. “Yeti also gives the best slobber( 口水) kisses!”, he tells Daily Paws. Yep, that’s the good thing right there.

Few relationships compare to the one between a boy and his dog, but Luke and Yeti are an extra-special team. Luke has braved 14 operations in his young life and is legally blind. His parents, Stephanie and Matthew Herbert, requested help from Guide Dogs for the Blind’s K9 Buddy Program.

Now Luke and Yeti are like brothers and his parents are surprised. They’ve seen an extra increase of confidence in their son who loves to take Yeti exploring with him and can approach his partners more easily if Yeti is by his side.

Luke has also just grown so much as an individual by really learning to take care of someone other than himself. The Herberts say “He’s learning real-life skills from taking care of Yeti which will benefit him far into adulthood. We are so proud of both of them and can’t wait to see where their relationship takes them!”

Luke added that he loves having Yeti.especially, since he always makes him feel better when he’s sad or doesn’t feel good. More importantly. “I get to keep him forever!” he says. Now Luke Herbert and his guide dog, Yeti, are ready for a new adventure.

Evidence of a worm-like creature about the size of a grain of rice has been uncovered in South Australia, and researchers believe it is the oldest ancestor on the family tree that includes humans and most animals. The creature lived about 535 million years ago. It is considered to be an evolutionary step forward for early life on Earth.

Researchers have been trying to find evidence of the common ancestor of most animals. Developing its body structure and organization successfully allowed life to move in specific, purposeful directions. This includes everything from worms and dinosaurs to amphibians(两栖动物) and humans. But for our common ancestor, they knew that fossils(化石) of the tiny , simple creatures they imagined would be nearly impossible to find because of its size and soft body. Then, they turned to fossilized burrows, dated to the Ediacaran Period, found in South Australia.

For 15 years, scientists knew the burrows were created by the creature. There was no evidence of what made the burrows and lived in them until researchers decided to take a closer look at the burrows. Geology professor Mary Droser spotted impressions shaped like ovals near the burrows.

A 3-D laser scan revealed the impressions containing evidence of a body shaped and sized like a rice grain, with a noticeable head and tail which suggested it had muscles. The muscles would have enabled the creature to move and create the burrows, like the way a worm moves. And the size of the creature matched with the size of the burrows they found.

The researchers involved in the study named the creature Ikaria wariootia. The first name translates as “meeting place” in the Adnyamathanha language. Adnyamathanha is the name of Australian people that live in the area where the fossil was found.

Careers in zoology are extremely varied and unique, and can provide incredible learning and work opportunities for anyone devoted to animal studies and welfare. Zoology, or the study of animals, is a wide field with many specialties, including research, conservation, veterinary (兽医的) medicine, and the care of animals. For people with a love of animals and some training, dreams of careers in zoology may come true.       

Some careers in zoology focus on research and scientific studies. These careers may allow those with a good theoretical science background to develop and run studies that improve human understanding of the animal world. Research in zoology can help create safer and more effective products for animals or can teach humans more about animal behavior in order to aid in conservation, breeding programs, and habitat preservation.

Careers in zoology that focus on conservation attach great importance to the continued survival and increased protection of animal species. Conservationists may work with political groups or governments to help make laws to protect and preserve animals, or may work in the field gathering information on potential threats to the health of global ecosystems. Some conservationists work in educational fields, trying to improve human efforts to save animals from extinction.   

Animals are subject to illness and injury, and some careers in zoology help to create a safe, stable animal population. Veterinary medicine is an important specialty field, and may take several years of intensive training to qualify as a certified veterinarian. While many veterinarians focus on the small-animal practice of domestic pets, vets in rural areas often work with large farm animals and more adventurous veterinarians may work with exotic species in zoos and wildlife preserves. .

Humans love to observe animals, and modern-day zoos and wildlife preserves help meet that interest while providing facilities to assist with conservation programs. Zoology careers in zoos can range from overseeing breeding programs, to creating the proper diet for a deer, to cleaning the tiger’s cage. Many volunteer and entry-level jobs are available for people that love animals.

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