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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Sep 4 2008, 07:43 PM
 Prairie Vole
While Edwards is a rat, and a vole is a rodent, we have to delve deeper. What do they have in common? Well, John Edwards is prone to infidelity….he is prone to being promiscuous. And guess what…so are voles. Actually, voles are highly promiscuous. Maybe Edwards is too.
Yes, this is another study.
“A man's tendency to be unfaithful may be influenced by his genes, research suggests. Men who inherit a genetic variant that affects an important attachment hormone are more likely than usual to have weaker relationships and marital problems, and less likely to be married, according to the research. Their wives and girlfriends are also more likely to be less satisfied with them as partners. While the study did not look directly at infidelity, the findings suggest that male monogamy might also be influenced by variations in a single gene. The study's authors cautioned that any effect would apply only on average, and that it was impossible to predict whether any individual would be unfaithful or a bad partner on the basis of his genes.
The gene in question affects the receptor for a hormone called vasopressin, which plays an important role in social behaviour, pair-bonding and sexual attachment. Its effects were first characterised by studies of different species of voles. Although the meadow and prairie voles are close cousins, their sexual behaviour is dramatically different. Like most mammals, male meadow voles are highly promiscuous, but male prairie voles are monogamous. When boy prairie vole meets girl, the two indulge in 24 to 36 hours of nearly continuous mating, which cements a bond that invariably lasts for life. When one partner dies, the survivor usually opts to remain celibate rather than find another mate. Male prairie vole brains contain much higher levels of vasopressin than those of meadow voles. There also genetic differences in the receptor for vasopressin in the two species. “
You've got to read the whole article...it's really interesting. Seriously.
Who knew?
You can find the complete article from Times Online HERE
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Sep 3 2008, 05:47 PM
If your ship is traveling in Canada’s northern arctic, that is…
More ice shelf has broken loose.
Global warming.
"A chunk of ice shelf nearly the size of Manhattan has broken away from Ellesmere Island in Canada's northern Arctic, another dramatic indication of how warmer temperatures are changing the polar frontier, scientists said Wednesday.
Large pieces of ice are seen drifting off the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf in this July file photo.
Derek Mueller, an Arctic ice shelf specialist at Trent University in Ontario, told The Associated Press that the 4,500-year-old Markham Ice Shelf separated in early August and the 19-square-mile shelf is now adrift in the Arctic Ocean.
"The Markham Ice Shelf was a big surprise because it suddenly disappeared. We went under cloud for a bit during our research and when the weather cleared up, all of a sudden there was no more ice shelf. It was a shocking event that underscores the rapidity of changes taking place in the Arctic," said Muller.
Muller also said that two large sections of ice detached from the Serson Ice Shelf, shrinking that ice feature by 47 square miles -- or 60 percent -- and that the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf has also continued to break up, losing an additional eight square miles."
Continue the article HERE
Information from NASA
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Sep 2 2008, 06:40 AM
I love space!
Who doesn’t love looking at the stars on a clear night?
You have heard NASA is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, haven’t you?
You’ve just got to check out this cool animated tour of NASA from the 50s through the future.
Make sure you move your cursor over EVERYTHING!
The site’s out of this world!
Give yourself some time though.
There’s 50 years of interesting history to see!
So
10
09
08
07
06
05
04
03
02
01
Blast off!
Click on the image to go to NASA...and once you are there...click anywhere on the main page.
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Sep 1 2008, 09:46 AM
Do you take a lot of medication?
If it could change you life, would you consider taking three, four, five pills?
Many of you love to exercise...it’s a way of life.
It’s for your body, mind and soul.
But many of you detest it.
What if you could just take a pill so you don’t have to exercise?
One so you could get some of the same benefits from exercising.
Did you know there is one being created?
Along with other pills that could change your life….
Exercise Pill
 photo by the U.S. Federal government
"Why spend the time and money on a gym membership when you can just pop a pill? An obvious future bestseller (and possibly the final fulfillment of the American dream), the pill that mimics exercise has been under development for some time. Developed at the Salk Institute in California, the pill caused sedentary mice to burn fat no matter how lazy they were. This pill would be for more than vanity, though, as obesity has grown into one of America’s biggest public health problems. A pill like this could both help the healthcare system and get you the six pack abs you want without having to step foot in a gym."
In the not-so-distant future, these six drugs--already in the works--will change how we live, and even how we die "
See the other five pills in Pop-Sci's photo article
HERE
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Aug 22 2008, 11:52 AM
Those wisdom teeth….nothing but trouble for most people.
You wonder why they are there in the first place?
For most they end up being extracted.
Actually not everyone has them removed…I still have mine.
Maybe more people will decide to hang on to them if they have room for them in their mouths, but if not, that's okay too, since they can be frozen …
Frozen?
Why would we want to do that?
"Japanese scientists said Friday they had derived stem cells from wisdom teeth opening another way to study deadly diseases without the ethical controversy of using embryos.
Researchers at the government-backed National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology said they created stem cells of the type found in human embryos using the removed wisdom teeth of a 10-year-old girl.
"This is significant in two ways," team leader Hajime Ogushi told AFP. "One is that we can avoid the ethical issues of stem cells because wisdom teeth are destined to be thrown away anyway.
"Also, we used teeth that had been extracted three years ago and had been preserved in a freezer. That means that it's easy for us to stock this source of stem cells."
The announcement follows the groundbreaking discovery by US and Japanese scientists last year that they could produce stem cells from skin, a finding that was hailed by the Vatican and US President George W. Bush"
We hear about many different studies going on in the world, and some seem so useless. Every once in a while we get fantastic breakthroughs.
Read the article
HERE
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According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, approximately 50 million Americans will need to have their wisdom teeth removed before the age of 25.
The average mouth has thirty-two teeth, sixteen on top and sixteen on the bottom.
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The four 1st molars come in around age six and are called "six year molars". |
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The four 2nd molars come in around the age 12 and are called the "12 year molars". |
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The four 3rd molars come in around the age of 17 (age range of 15-25) when most individuals become adults thus they are called "wiser or wisdom teeth".
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Aug 18 2008, 06:45 AM
Well, who doesn’t like a pretty bird?
I spend a fortune feeding them, that’s how much I like them…Goldfinches in particular.
Are there any other bird lovers out there who can explain to me why the price of thistle seed/Nyjer seed doubled in price this year? Is it just because of shipping costs?
That said....
There really has been a new species of bird discovered. Considering how many species of insects and birds there are in the world, I suppose a new one popping up should be expected. But I find it interesting, expecially when it is as pretty as this little guy...
Image: Brian Schmidt
Welcome to a new species of an African Forest Robin from Gabon…Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus
"Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution have discovered a new species of bird in Gabon, Africa, that was, until now, unknown to the scientific community. Their findings were published in the international science journal Zootaxa, Aug. 15.
The newly found olive-backed forest robin (Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus) was named by the scientists for its distinctive olive back and rump. Adult birds measure 4.5 inches in length and average 18 grams in weight. Males exhibit a fiery orange throat and breast, yellow belly, olive back and black feathers on the head. Females are similar, but less vibrant. Both sexes have a distinctive white dot on their face in front of each eye. "
Image: Brian Schmidt.
Brian Schmidt, an ornithologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History discovered he had found something new while researching and comparing several different specimens of birds to those already in the Smithsonian's bird collection.
"I suspected something when I found the first bird in Gabon since it didn't exactly match any of the species descriptions in the field guides," said Schmidt. "Once I was able to compare them side by side to other specimens in our collections it was clear that these birds were special. You, of course, have to be cautious, but I was still very excited at the prospect of possibly having found a new species of bird."
The new bird species was first seen in southwest Gabon in 2001during a biological survey of tropical rainforest species.
Smithsonian Scientists Discover New Bird Species
And in keeping with the theme, I’ll end with a very short clip from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, one of my favorite movies.
But I warn you ahead of time of a danger in this clip that was carried throughout the movie…
The main character, played by Tippi Hedren, smokes : ) Just thought I'd warn you since you don't often see that in movies anymore.
You can view four more clips HERE
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Aug 17 2008, 08:12 AM
And with the higher gas prices, and the prices of practically everything going up, it’s tempting to believe those deals that sound too good to be true.
Some of them may have basic scientific fact behind them, like this one…
Run Your Car On Water
and Double Your Gas Mileage…
Water can be used to fuel a car when used as a supplement to gasoline. In fact, very little water is needed! only one quart of water provides over 1800 gallons of HHO gas which can literally last for months and significantly increase your vehicle's fuel efficiently, improve emissions quality, and save you money.
Thousands of successful water-conversions around the world are proof that this technology works and will soon catch on! Some industry insiders say its just a matter of time before this water-burning technology will be standard in new automobiles. One expert estimates most cars will be using this technology by 2012, but until the auto manufacturers catch up, you can use this technology for yourself today at a very reasonable set-up cost.
You can go to the ad's website by clicking HERE
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Of course there are several things wrong with this picture...
They want you to convert your car to run with water and gas.
This does sound dangerous for the average person, even though they say it isn't.
And, it doesn't sound like it will work.
The Laws of Thermodynamics
Since you need to use electricity to separate the water into the "Brown's gas," doesn't that defeat the purpose of saving energy/money?
And aren't people too smart to fall for this anyway?
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Aug 16 2008, 06:45 PM
For years the German’s have been protecting their highest peak, the Zugspitz, by spreading reflective foil tarps over the ski slopes. They believe this “sun screen” of sorts will fight against “global warming.”
"The cover keeps off the heat and channels away rainwater," said Manfred Haas, who manages a team that grooms the ski area with bulldozers and graders. "Every autumn we make note of where the glacier has melted the most and cover those places the following spring."
Only the ski area on the mountain is covered with tarps
The German’s believe covering up glacial areas can highly reduce melting. But they also know that this is not very practical Now they've come up wih a wind screen.
"Geographer Hans-Joachim Fuchs in the western German city Mainz has another idea. He wants to harness the power of cold mountain winds -- so-called kabatic winds, or streams of cold, dense air that flow downhill -- with windscreens. The screens would keep the cool air on top of the glaciers, perhaps preserving them for a little while longer.
Fuchs has been proposing this idea for years, and this week he's putting it to the test. On Monday, Fuchs and 27 students headed to the Rhone glacier in Switzerland to install a windscreen measuring 15 meters long (50 feet) and 3 meters high at an elevation of 2,300 meters (7,545 feet) on the leading edge of the glacier. He'll be measuring the effectiveness of the screen to see if it's a viable solution."
Click on the picture to see a photo slide show of Fuchs and his students :
Read the full article about Fuchs and what a glaciolgist has to say
HERE
Don't you wish you could have a job like that?
"Windscreen Could Save Glaciers?" Covers over the ski slopes? There's a lot of crazy stuff going on that most of us have never heard about. I'll be waiting to hear the results of this colossal experiment. That's if a giant gust of mountain wind doesn't knock over the screen first.
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Aug 15 2008, 11:02 PM
This video clip just left me speechless….
Myotonic goats are also called Wooden Leg goats, "stiff leg" or Tennessee fainting goats. These are one of the few goats that are indigenous to the U.S. There are two strains of this animal. Most of those found in Tennessee and the eastern U.S. are smaller. Most Texas herds tend to be somewhat larger, probably due to selective breeding for the meat market. In fact, some ranchers have renamed them Tennessee Meat Goats. They also have a market as pets because they are unique. Myotonic means when they are frightened or excited they "lock up" and often fall over (faint) and lie very stiff for a few seconds. It is an over-simplification, but the chemicals which are rushed to humans' muscles and joints to prepare them for "fight or flight" are withheld in the Myotonic under exciting or frightful circumstances.
No one really knows their origin. There are two theories. One of the possibilities is that a private herd sold to a Tennessee farmer around 1880 was the beginning of the breed. A man named John Tinsley arrived in Marshall County, Tennessee, with four goats, a billy and three nannies, which he had brought from Nova Scotia. When he moved on a year later, he left his goats behind. It is believed that all the Fainting goats in the U.S. can trace their orgins back to these four. The other is that there was a spontaneous mutation of a herd in Tennessee about 1885 which resulted in the recessive gene.
Read the entire article HEREThe goat keeled over and he continued to munch on grass!
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jul 28 2008, 07:04 AM
Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, says aliens have been visiting the earth for the past sixty years.
Read the short article at Reuters HERE
The aliens have landed.
Thus declared Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell on Saturday to more than 200 admirers.
"A few insiders know the truth . . . and are studying the bodies that have been discovered," said Mitchell, who was the sixth man to walk on the moon.
[...]
Besides aliens, Mitchell talked about being freed of prostate cancer during a healing ceremony and his epiphany while returning from the moon.
From an interview Mitchell had with the St. Petersburg times in 2004...
There was a time when American astronauts were thought to be heroes. Can you imagine, back in the sixties, what it must have felt like to be the ultimate adventurer? Then you are just tossed aside and forgotten. Is this just a way to gain attention? Edgar Mitchell has quite an interesting life. Frankly, I believe that if Dr. Mitchell were going to be an astronaut today, he would not pass the testing beforehand...if you know what I mean.
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jul 7 2008, 11:54 AM
There are many doctors and scientists benefiting from grants doing studies that last for years for everything under the sun. Some of the things they study are laughable. Some of the things they find are by accident, byproducts of current studies they are already doing.
Many medical findings, especially regarding drugs, we take to heart, only to find out years later that the information was misleading. Live and learn, I suppose, but usually at the expense of someone’s health or life.
There is a new report out regarding the testing of cholesterol for children. I have never been much for cholesterol testing. I don’t like getting results of tests like that, and then being complained to by the doctor (like with the awful BMI). Fortunately, I have a very low cholesterol count. Heredity…but I still don’t like the annoyance of being tested for it. But my husband’s side of the family has high cholesterol counts due to heredity.
Years ago one of my kids came back with a high cholesterol count. Because of the heredity aspect, I got worried. I ended up having to take my child to an endocrinologist to be mapped out for risk of heart disease. This was at twelve years old. With the knowledge I gained, we were able to determine that my child was at the same risk that my husband, his father, and his grandmother all had, and that my child would most likely have to go on medication at an early age so as not to end up with the same problems…which have been major.
This was valuable knowledge. It could be lifesaving. But something happened to alter the events. Because of that early cholesterol test at age twelve…when my child (and their spouse) was supposed to start medication, instead they altered their lifestyle so drastically with diet and exercise, that now medication is not necessary.
So, while the link to the study that I am going to give you would to me normally sound frivolous, this time I’m going to agree with it. Children need to eat nutritious food. Mine did all their lives at home…totally balanced meals. But when you have a hereditary problem, you’ve got to go a little bit further.
Panel Wants Cholesterol Tests for More Kids í here
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jul 1 2008, 10:20 PM
When I was a kid we would head out to a picnic with a huge watermelon and store it in the fresh, cool brook at my aunt’s country home in Connecticut. The brook fed her pond. While we swam in the pond until lunchtime, the watermelon would get nice and ice cold.
Well, guys…this July 4th, you may want to keep your watermelon at room temperature, at least according to the latest study .
This one’s for you...
From Science Blog
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jun 30 2008, 01:26 PM
Arctic sea ice is seen off the coast of Uummannaq, North Greenland.
It’s true…the ice at the North Pole could melt by the end of summer…
This would be the first time this has ever occurred.
What does that mean? A hotter planet.
The disappearance of Arctic sea ice may mean an even hotter planet, since the region's ice pack helps cool the earth by bouncing the sun's rays back into outer space. This reflective property, known as albedo, also prevents the rays from reaching the ocean, where heat is absorbed. Less sea ice means more dark open water to absorb the heat, which melts the sea ice even further. "Losing the ice sheet means losing an important way of cooling down," Mahoney said. "As a result, global warming would accelerate as the ice retreats."
Read the article from ABC News
Me? I’ll have to wait and see what happens.
I still blame any major “global warming” on the loss of rain forests.
When our world leaders can get a handle on that, which has been out of control for 30 years, then we can start micromanaging daily living.
Scientists believe North Pole ice may melt completely, but briefly, for the first time this summer. Tony Blair talks to Maggie Rodriguez about his efforts to make climate change a real global issue.
Also re-visit:
The Camouflaged Cause of So-called Global Warming
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Jun 20 2008, 11:47 AM
They're convinced....scientists, that is....
Those chunks on Mars?
They must be ice.
That's cool!
 "Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that vaporized after digging exposed it.
"It must be ice," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt. Salt can't do that."
Read the story from NASA Ê here
Bright Chunks at Phoenix Lander's Mars Site Must Have Been Ice
NASA main web page
Phoenix Mars Lander
NASA
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jun 9 2008, 06:45 AM
 Siberian mountains
You’re being sent to Siberia!
The frozen tundra...
A death sentence for some ….
Because of Siberia’s remoteness, people would be exiled there with no hope of escape due to extreme temperatures, forests, animals; it was a huge prison….
At least that’s how it used to be in old-time Russia.
But times have changed.
Black Gold....
Photograph by: Gerd Ludwig, National Geographic June 2008
Under communist rule, the U.S.S.R. was a major oil producer, with western Siberia providing most of the supply. Soviet production peaked in 1988 at around 12.5 million barrels per day (bbd), two-thirds of which came from western Siberia. Just before communism collapsed in 1991, oil production began falling, bottoming out in the mid-1990s at a little over six million bbd. Not until the late 1990s did production take off again.
Meet the new Siberia à here
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jun 1 2008, 02:05 PM
By Janet Evans
Thursday, May 29 2008, 11:50 AM
Flying while intoxicated? In Space?
Well, I hope not....but who knows what tricks space travel and gravity can do to you.
And, in space?
Well, yes...Sometime soon, Astronauts may be able to enjoy a cold beer after a long day flying, or walking in space.
That could make for an interesting sobriety test.
Could you walk a straight line please?
Touch your finger to your nose?
Anyway, it seems a Japanese brewery, Sapporo Holdings, is putting out the first "space beer" using the third-generation descendants of barley grown on the International Space Station.
Read about it at AFP í here
And let’s hope NASA gets that Space Station toilet working before the beer is ready.
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, May 17 2008, 08:10 PM
It’s been missing since 1999 and NASA is asking for your help to find it now….
What is it?
"Mars Polar Lander was due to reach the Red Planet's south polar region in 1999, but it went out of contact during its descent from the surface and was never heard from again. Investigators surmised that a glitch with the spacecraft's thruster system led to a catastrophically hard landing."
Mars Polar Lander, shown in this
artist's conception, disappeared
during its descent in 1999. NASA
I’m serious.....
NASA is looking for help in finding it.
The University of Arizona Department of Planetary Sciences site has many high resolution imaging maps taken from the one below for you to look over.
Click on the image below to join in or to read what other people have found:
And read the story about it on MSNBC
PORING OVER MARS PICTURES
Happy hunting!
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, May 17 2008, 02:05 PM
It's time to get rid of some of those misconceptions about animals that we've had since we were kids... |
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MYTH: Piranhas are deadly
FACT: As anyone who has ever seen You Only Live Twice will recall, James Bond's enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld keeps a pool filled with Amazonian piranha fish. "You will see that my piranha fish get very hungry," says Blofeld, stroking his white cat. "They can strip a man to the bone in 30 seconds." The point is soon demonstrated, at an unfortunate flunkey's expense. What a pity it's nonsense. Piranhas do have sharp little teeth, and can give you a nasty nip. And they do sometimes swim in large schools, but only to defend themselves against natural predators, such as river dolphins.
Piranhas are predators (of smaller fish and shrimp), and they do have to be kept in even-numbered groups in aquariums to stop them ganging up on an odd one out. But, whatever Blofeld says, they won't gang up on you.
from the Daily Mail, check out more facts regarding animal myths for
Sloths
Goldfish
Ostriches
Camels
Cows
Bats
Lemmings
Sharks
Dogs
Surprising Truths Behind Great Animal Myths à here
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By Janet Evans
Monday, May 5 2008, 06:40 AM
OR Global Warming….
This one will go under global warming, according to “some experts.”
What is it this time?
This....
"Two deaths in the waters off California and Mexico last week and a spate of shark-inflicted injuries to surfers off Florida's Atlantic coast have left beachgoers seeking an explanation for a sudden surge in the number of strikes.
In the first four months of this year, there were four fatal shark attacks worldwide, compared with one in the whole of 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville."
Read the article from The Guardian Observer
Surge in fatal shark attacks blamed on global warming í here
I guess that's enough to convince me.
How about you?
Nah...it really wasn't.
How about some statistics.
The easiest place to find those...Wikipedia, :
In 2000, there were 79 shark attacks reported worldwide, 11 of them fatal. In 2005 and 2006 this number dropped to 61 and 62 respectively, while the number of fatalities dropped to only four per year. Of these attacks, the majority occurred in the United States (53 in 2000, 40 in 2005 and 38 in 2006). For the same period, the Global Shark Attack File records 69 unprovoked attacks of which five were fatal.
2008 attacks
An Austrian tourist died February 24, 2008 after being bitten by a shark while diving near the Bahamas in waters that had been baited with bloody fish parts to attract the predators.
A 16-year-old Australian boy died on April 8, 2008 after being attacked by a shark in the coastal town of Ballina, on the mid-coast. The boy died whilst bodyboarding when he and a friend were taking advantage of a teacher's strike; the teenager's friend is now being considered for a bravery award. The shark responsible was thought to be a bull shark.
A 66-year-old man died on April 25, 2008 off the coast of the Southern California city of Solana Beach. The species of shark was a great white shark. A 25-year-old man died on April 30, 2008 off the coast of Mexico. The species of shark was a nurse shark.
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Why Sharks Attack...
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