Weird - But Wonderful

Were you intrigued by the idea of the duck-billed platypus when you were at school? This crazy Australian marsupial that was thought a fake when one was first brought to England.   After all, this creature ...

• has a beak like a duck
• lays eggs like a bird
• is actually a semi -aquatic mammal 
• has feet with retractable webbing
• the males' legs have spurs which can shoot venom
• feeds its young with milk
• has no nipples- the mother's milk is sweated out through the skin

How bizarre is all that? But what is amazing is that some Australian scientists have investigated this milk, and discovered it has amazing antibiotic properties, probably because it is much more exposed than regular mammalian milk which is sucked direct from the breast into the baby's mouth. It possesses a unique protein, which is formed in ringlet shapes. 

They have called it the "Shirley Temple" protein, after the child star with the corkscrew curls.

The exciting news is the possibility that these natural antibiotics may prove a way forward in the war against the so-called Superbugs . Since 2010, scientists have been working on this project.

Wow! that's thrilling enough to make anyone burst into a chorus of "The Good Ship Lollipop"

The Psalmist's view of Creation is absolutely right - everything is  fearfully and wonderfully made.

Watch this brief video of these enchanting creatures...

What do you get if you cross a hungry cat with a roast duck?

A duck-filled-fatty-puss!