Our Daily Planet: Brazil Mudslides and a Cross-Eyed Opossum

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe.

Brazil mudslides: More than 300 people are dead after pouring rain triggered mudslides north of Rio de Janeiro.

Illegal fishing: Italy is among six nations that illegally fished in 2009 and 2010, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported.

Panda diet: Bamboo from old-growth forests is the preferred food of giant pandas, a finding that could help save the endangered species.

Cross-eyed opossum: Germans have fallen in love with a cross-eyed opossum named Heidi, even though she's yet to debut at the Leipzig Zoo.

Previously on Our Daily Planet: Philippine Floods and Northeastern Snow Storm

Reach OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel at bisrael@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @btisrael.

Brett Israel was a staff writer for Live Science with a focus on environmental issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from The University of Georgia, a master’s degree in journalism from New York University, and has studied doctorate-level biochemistry at Emory University.