New research data from human resources tech companies like Harris Poll and Justworks demonstrates the impact of the current workforce on working parents. According to the surveys, around 48% or almost half of the parents with children under the age of 18 are severely worried about losing their jobs, while 38% of non-parent workers are not troubled by the thought. Also, as health insurance and other benefits are provided with several jobs, almost 54% of working parents in the country are highly concerned about a reduction in job perks. But the kicker is that 40% of working parents with children under the age of 18 are working longer hours now, compared to 31% of working non-parents or employees with older children.

While correlation doesn’t always equal causation, the cause behind the problem is not hard to guess here. While every employee is worried about their jobs now and then, dependent little kids make things much harder. Working parents are increasingly worried about their jobs, as it’s basically the lifeline in their lives. So, with layoffs hitting the market, they are trying their best to prove their worth and over-compensate by voluntarily working longer hours. While parents are not to blame here, this entire situation is an unfortunate indictment of a society and culture that ties far too much of our identities and livelihoods to our employment. And that’s why the working parents of the country are busy slogging past their bedtimes.

Us normal people often think that scientists already know all there is to know about popular animals. Well, a new study discovered the never-before-seen lasso-like climbing locomotion of a particular kind of snake. Apparently, the invasive brown tree snakes found in Guam have a peculiar way of getting around that biologists knew nothing about.

A New Kind of Snake Climbing Technique

Co-senior author of the study, Bruce Jayne from the University of Cincinnati, says that snakes typically choose steep and smooth branches or pipes to climb because it’s easier for them to bend sideways and grip on the surface in at least two places. This new lasso locomotion researchers have discovered, however, is completely different. By using the loop of the “lasso,” the invasive brown tree snake is able to form a single gripping section and climb up. It’s not an ideal method, as snakes tend to often slip when they do it and are generally slower, but it’s one they can resolve to when there’s prey at the top.

The Discovery Has Important Implications

The reason biologists first started looking into the climbing techniques of invasive brown tree snakes in Guam was related to bird restoration efforts in the region. Initially, researchers set up a three-foot-long metal baffle that was supposed to keep the snakes from climbing to the nest boxes. Those same baffles had already proven efficient in keeping raccoons and other snakes away from the birds, but it seemed like the brown tree snakes were equipped to climb up.

Thomas Seibert, who was also part of the study, explained that the entire team was extremely baffled when they saw a snake forming what resembled a lasso around the cylinder and then wiggling its body up. As soon as they saw that novel movement, Seibert and his team knew they had to come up with a new type of baffle that brown tree snakes couldn’t climb over. The researchers are planning to test the limits of these locomotor abilities and learn more about the anatomy involved in them.