Close
today i learned (til)

All About Water Puppies

November 30, 2024

Hippopotamuses(not, hippomotami) are the third largest land mammal, following elephants and white rhinos. They are semi aquatic animals, so they enjoy the best of both worlds. If you’ve ever been to the zoo, you’ve probably seen them peeking out of the water with their little floppy ears. It’s quite cute, take a visit if you haven’t. Despite them being known as “water puppies”, hippos are actually pretty dangerous. Not only can they weigh up to 5 tons, but their mouths can open up to a whopping 150 degrees(obtuse angle for you math nerds). You definitely don’t wanna be caught in their mouths.

There are actually two types of hippos: regular hippos and pygmy hippos. Pygmy hippos are much much smaller, weighing up to only about 600 lbs(African Wildlife Foundation). They’re not nearly as tall either, only getting up to about 5 ft in length. They’re like mini hippos. They’re also quite adorable, some may argue even more so than their larger counterparts. Now they do have different scientific names, which I find extremely interesting. According to the San Diego Wildlife Alliance, the common hippos scientific name is Hippopotamus amphibius while pygmies are called Choeropsis liberiensis. They’re cousins, not siblings. Both water puppies are herbivores and are unfortunately prey to other animals like lions and crocodiles. I imagine pygmies are much easier targets, which is so sad because they are SO cute. They’re also targeted by humans, for their meat and ivory tusks(African Wildlife Foundation). Really people? Elephants, rhinos, and now hippos? We really need to stop hunting animals, especially the big and cute(but deadly) ones. I actually saw a TikTok a couple days ago about a 50 year old White African Elephant that is now being guarded by soldiers 24/7 to prevent poaching attempts. This is the energy we need to give to all endangered animals. And stop killing them for money! Capitalism. The only creatures I’d happily allowed to be “poached” are wasps. They are the most annoying and quite frankly rude little pests to ever buzz around this earth. Yes, I do go to a school whose mascot is the Yellow Jacket. Buzz would never hurt me though.

Anyways, back to hippos. The reason I’m writing this article is to hopefully give you a 3-5 minute distraction from whatever tasks you may be doing(grading papers, doing homework, sending riveting emails, realizing that climate change is rapidly sucking the life out of our dear planet, etc). I’m talking about hippos because of this new sensation that has been born at a Thailand Zoo.

Meet Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo who has taken over the internet. Moo Deng, or translated “Bouncy Pork” is famous because of her lovable personality(Jaijongkit, 2024).

All she does is run around her enclosure and wreak havoc. She doesn’t like baths, she refuses to eat unless it’s on her own terms, and she is constantly bothering her mom. She’s made the zoo a hit and people have traveled thousands of miles just to see her. Would I ever travel across the world for a hippo? Maybe. After reading this article, let me know if you go see her, or her siblings(yes, there’s more of them!)

Baby hippos can’t swim, here’s a pic of a baby hippo getting bounced around the floor by his mommy. 2020. Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/nkpdsl/baby_hippos_cant_swim_heres_a_pic_of_a_baby_hippo/. Accessed 2024.

Big Craig Of The Amboseli: A 50 Year Old Male African Elephant Whose Tusks Weigh 100 Lbs Each & Is Guarded From Poachers By Maasai Warriors 24/7. 2023. Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/AbsoluteUnits/comments/14s9kbm/big_craig_of_the_amboseli_a_50_year_old_male/. Accessed 2024.

Jaijongkit, Por. “Explaining the Food Names of Moo Deng and Company.” Medium, Medium, 28 Sept. 2024, medium.com/@pjaijongkit/explaining-the-food-names-of-moo-deng-and-company-916eff75e107.

Lover, Hippo. Cute Hippo. 2024. Instagram, https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/nkpdsl/baby_hippos_cant_swim_heres_a_pic_of_a_baby_hippo/. Accessed 2024.

“Hippopotamus.” African Wildlife Foundation, African Wildlife Foundation, www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/hippopotamus. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

“Pygmy Hippopotamus.” San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants, animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/pygmy-hippopotamus. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

0Likes
About Author

You May Also Like

today i learned (til)
Bioinformatics and Genome Sequencing in the Fight Against Infectious Diseases
today i learned (til)
Volcanoes: Quick and Easy
today i learned (til)
Stephen Hawking Tribute Comic Review
today i learned (til)
The Do’s and Don’ts of Georgia Tech

Your journey starts here! Let’s talk!

ThemeRex © 2026. All rights reserved.
  Timothy Durham was convicted of rape when a test showed his DNA genotype matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene. Eye witnesses testified that Durham was in a different state at the time of the incident, but he wasn’t exonerated from his 3000 year sentence until follow up DNA analysis showed that the preliminary forensic analysis used in the trial was misinterpreted (Thomas et al.). DNA testing serves an invaluable part in our criminal justice system, but it comes with complications and bias that can lead to wrongful convictions and misinformed juries.  

Background:

Forensic genetics aims to identify the origin of a biological sample. It can be traced back to Karl Landsteiner who discovered human ABO blood groups. With blood groups, suspects could be eliminated based on their blood type. For example, if a suspect had type A blood and there was type B blood left at the scene by the perpetrator, the investigators could rule out the suspect. Unfortunately, the reverse didn’t work. If the suspect and perpetrator both had the same blood type, it can’t be concluded that the suspect was guilty. Blood identifiers evolved into 8 distinct categories which improved the ability to eliminate suspects, but could only conclude that (if the system matched) it might be the perpetrator or this person might be related to the perpetrator (Jobling and Gill). The field evolved in the 1980s with the discovery of Minisatellites, lines of repetitive DNA that don’t encode proteins. Minisatellite patterns in DNA create what we know today as the DNA fingerprint, and it has a much higher accuracy rate than previous methods (Augustyn et al.). Around the same time, a breakthrough for victims of sexual assault was discovered. In the case of assault, bodily fluids of both the victim and the assaulter can get mixed. A process called differential lysis was created which could selectively increase the concentration of sperm in a fluid sample thereby allowing for accurate DNA testing (Jobling and Gill). Forensics evolved to use single-locus probe testing after several years because of its ease of interpretation. It looked at specific minisatellites that had high variability between subjects. This was the first DNA-based method to be used in a criminal investigation. Two murder homicides from several years apart were connected using DNA evidence. The evidence was then used to exonerate an innocent man, and the guilty party was found when he tried to evade mandatory DNA testing for all men in the small town. His guilt was then reinforced when the DNA profiles matched, and he gave a confession (Jobling and Gill). Finding DNA at a crime scene doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find a murderer. There are issues with non-pure samples and limited samples that make DNA work difficult, and accreditation of facilities and new techniques and take time (Jobling and Gill).  

Subjectivity of DNA Interpretation:

In a 2009 publication, the National Academy of Science discusses the possibility for subjective influence in lab based forensics. The interpretation bias happens in complex cases where, for example, there could be a mixture of DNA. A study published in 2011 looked specifically at this issue. A gang rape happened in Georgia, and the mixture in DNA from the case was used to prosecute one suspect after another suspect took a plea bargain to testify against him. With DNA mixtures, there are three possible conclusions: suspect excluded, suspect cannot be excluded, and inconclusive. If the suspect is excluded, it means that there’s little to no possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. If the suspect cannot be excluded, it means that there’s a possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. In the trial, the DNA examiners who knew the context of the case concluded that the suspect being prosecuted could not be excluded. The 2011 study gave the DNA evidence from this case and the DNA profiles of the suspects to 17 forensic examiners. These examiners had no context of the case, and they all worked independently. Of the 17, only 1 came to the same conclusion (suspect cannot be excluded) as the examiners who knew the context of the case. Twelve of the 17 concluded that the suspect who was prosecuted and convicted had no relation to the DNA found in the sample. Not only does this show that subjectivity occurs due to the context of the case, but the 17 examiners came up with different findings based on their past experiences meaning that not all DNA analysis is objective. Some organizations like the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods say that quantitative statistical evidence should be presented with every categorical conclusion, but the US doesn’t require this (Dror and Hampikian).

False Positives:

There are two categories that cause wrongful identification in a DNA report: coincidental matches and false positives. Coincidental matches are DNA matches between two unrelated people. The probability of these matches is about 1 to 500,000 for white individuals and about 1 to 350,000 for black individuals. This small probability of coincidental matches makes people feel confident in DNA evidence. False positives, on the other hand, are matches between DNA and test DNA that result from issues in the forensics lab. There have been multiple cases of forensics labs accidentally switching victim and suspected rapist DNA which lead to convictions that were later overturned when the lab realized the error. There are also cases of misreading or misunderstanding a sample. In a case from 1993, a man was convicted of rape because someone interpreted a mixed sample of victim and perpetrator DNA as an individual sample. The conviction was again overturned. To prevent false convictions, retesting DNA is allowed, but it’s not an efficient solution. Many people are pushing for statistical information on the probability of false positives, so that the jurors can make accurate judgements based on DNA evidence (Thomas et al.).  

Conclusion:

DNA analysis is a useful tool for the criminal justice system, but subjectivity can be an issue in forensic testing. To combat wrongful convictions, there are organizations like The Innocence Project who use DNA testing to free the innocent, but reformed forensic testing standards should be put in place to prevent subjectivity and to ensure juries are correctly informed during trials. https://www.innocenceproject.org/    

Citation:

Augustyn , Adam, et al. “DNA Finerprinting.” Encyclopedia Britannica , 26 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/DNA-fingerprinting#ref153186. Dror, Itiel E., and Greg Hampikian. “Subjectivity and Bias in Forensic DNA Mixture Interpretation.” Science & Justice, vol. 51, no. 4, 2011, pp. 204–208., doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2011.08.004. Jobling, Mark A., and Peter Gill. “Encoded Evidence: DNA in Forensic Analysis.” Nature Reviews: Genetics, vol. 5, no. 10, Oct. 2004, pp. 739–751., doi:10.1038/nrg1455. Thompson, William C, et al. “How the Probability of a False Positive Affects the Value of DNA Evidence.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan. 2003, pp. 1–8., doi:10.1520/jfs2001171.