tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30592901213676888932024-03-10T18:38:21.419-07:00AnimaliaNews articles about animals, animals images and articles.Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-6337685950726671282024-02-13T07:02:00.000-08:002024-02-13T17:25:38.802-08:00Cats as Companion Pets: A Comprehensive Guide for Prospective Owners<p>Cats have earned a special place in homes worldwide as <a href="https://petcompanioncare.website/" target="_blank">companion pets</a>. Their charm, independence, and mysterious personality make them fascinating and rewarding companions for many people. Throughout history, cats have been valued for their ability to control pests, but today they are primarily appreciated for their companionship and affection.</p><p>While cats may be known for their independent nature, their relationship with humans can be deeply rewarding. Studies have shown that owning a cat can reduce stress, improve mood, and provide a sense of companionship and comfort. However, understanding the needs and behaviors of cats is crucial to ensure a harmonious and fulfilling relationship.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFf0wXtj7lhHwLSHZL_Z-zQmj6OGcon69v1OyQr2BIPlDoqa3cLYhX2O9xZ9GWzbwC5mnphfvd2IEqokUF9X9zJZTFPcZ-A4lDQkHKMn4Ypo-8hB2qH0p7RyZURyCyGeRZUqk0izznw0iYVr3wSnUt-_pH9mmIAs7_JIuWAF-P_-Gm_kzQ1ecuRQ3z4VQ/s680/Cats%20as%20Companion%20Pets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFf0wXtj7lhHwLSHZL_Z-zQmj6OGcon69v1OyQr2BIPlDoqa3cLYhX2O9xZ9GWzbwC5mnphfvd2IEqokUF9X9zJZTFPcZ-A4lDQkHKMn4Ypo-8hB2qH0p7RyZURyCyGeRZUqk0izznw0iYVr3wSnUt-_pH9mmIAs7_JIuWAF-P_-Gm_kzQ1ecuRQ3z4VQ/w640-h640/Cats%20as%20Companion%20Pets.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">History and Evolution of Domestic Cats</h2><p>Cats have been associated with humans for thousands of years. It is believed that the wild ancestors of modern domestic cats began interacting with humans about 10,000 years ago when the first agricultural civilizations emerged in the Middle East. Throughout history, cats have played important roles in various cultures, from being revered as gods in ancient Egypt to being considered guardians of good luck in Japan.</p><p>The gradual domestication of cats has led to a wide variety of breeds and types of domestic cats. Today, there are hundreds of recognized breeds, each with its own unique characteristics in terms of appearance, temperament, and needs. From the sleek and energetic Abyssinian to the calm and affectionate Ragdoll, there is a cat to suit the preferences and lifestyles of nearly anyone.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Popular Cat Breeds</h2><p>Among the most popular cat breeds are the Maine Coon, known for its large size and friendly temperament, the Siamese, famous for its loud voice and outgoing personality, and the Persian, prized for its long, silky fur and calm temperament. However, there are also many lesser-known breeds that offer unique and charming qualities.</p><p>When choosing a cat breed, it is important to consider factors such as activity level, need for attention and care, and compatibility with other animals and children in the home. Additionally, it is crucial to remember that mixed-breed or crossbred cats can also be wonderful pets, with equally charming and affectionate personalities.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Preparing to Have a Cat at Home</h2><p>Before bringing a cat home, it is important to ensure that the environment is safe and welcoming for your new feline friend. This includes providing comfortable sleeping areas, play and climbing areas, and ensuring that there are no dangerous objects or toxins within the cat's reach. Additionally, it is essential to invest in basic supplies such as high-quality food, a litter box, toys, and grooming utensils.</p><p>In addition to physical preparation, it is also important to be emotionally prepared to care for a cat. This involves understanding the financial and time responsibilities associated with cat ownership, as well as being willing to commit to providing love, attention, and care for life.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Basic Cat Care</h2><p>A fundamental part of cat care is ensuring proper and balanced nutrition. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they require a diet rich in animal-derived proteins to stay healthy. Additionally, it is important to provide constant access to fresh, clean water to maintain proper hydration.</p><p>Maintaining feline hygiene is also crucial for the health and well-being of the cat. This includes regular brushing to keep the coat clean and free of knots, as well as trimming nails and cleaning teeth to prevent dental and claw problems. Additionally, keeping the litter box clean and well-ventilated is essential to prevent health and behavior problems related to improper elimination.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Understanding Feline Behavior</h2><p>Cats have a unique way of communicating with humans and other animals through a combination of vocalizations, body language, and facial expressions. By understanding the different behaviors and signals exhibited by cats, owners can strengthen their bond with their pets and address any behavior problems effectively.</p><p>Cats are naturally curious and playful creatures and need mental and physical stimulation to stay happy and healthy. Providing interactive toys, play areas, and opportunities to explore the environment can help meet these natural needs and prevent boredom and frustration.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Cat Health and Well-being</h2><p>Maintaining the health and well-being of the cat is a priority for any responsible owner. This includes scheduling regular visits to the veterinarian for preventive health exams, vaccinations, and deworming. Additionally, it is important to be vigilant for any signs of illness or discomfort and seek veterinary care immediately if necessary.</p><p>Spaying and neutering are important procedures to control the cat population and prevent behavior and health problems related to mating. Additionally, providing a clean and safe environment, proper nutrition, and plenty of love and attention are key components to ensuring a long and happy life for your cat.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Bonding and Environmental Enrichment</h2><p>The time and attention dedicated to bonding with your cat are crucial for strengthening your relationship and fostering an environment of trust and mutual affection. This may include spending time together petting, playing, and simply sharing space in silence. Additionally, providing an enriched environment with opportunities for exploration, play, and rest can enhance the emotional and physical well-being of your cat.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Cats as Pets in Multi-species Homes</h2><p>Cats can get along with a variety of other pets, including dogs, birds, rabbits, and more. However, it is important to introduce cats to a new multi-species environment gradually and under supervision to ensure a smooth and safe transition for all involved pets. Additionally, providing separate areas for each pet, as well as proper supervision and training, can help prevent conflicts and promote harmonious coexistence.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Ethical and Responsible Aspects of Having a Cat</h2><p><br /></p><p>Spaying and neutering are important procedures to control the cat population and prevent behavior and health problems related to mating. Additionally, providing a clean and safe environment, proper nutrition, and plenty of love and attention are key components to ensuring a long and happy life for your cat.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Conclusions</h4><p>Cats can offer companionship, joy, and affection to their owners in a unique and special way. However, owning a cat also comes with important responsibilities, including providing proper care and attention, ensuring the health and well-being of the cat, and promoting harmonious coexistence in the home. With proper care and a commitment to being a responsible owner, the relationship between a human and a cat can be an endless source of love, joy, and mutual companionship.</p>MS2http://www.blogger.com/profile/11765803565278277995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-83925091260606466642023-01-24T03:32:00.000-08:002024-02-13T17:25:48.163-08:005 Jacques Cousteau quotes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRerS85M_q9zlGW3HbXc4Lg95g0HGCv3ZJVIGL2YdgtOdS4PmYIGmQT100FJgmkPnSCzjT4P6RdmFl1utxEIwriL9W0C-lGS0Ac3sQxFKIMqq6aGb4flweAf96owf9H6ZtQFg8nU4df9udMcYmDkTreS9I9kedo9GO_iOF0fodG1fd-TJiBcuHHuOMVg/s1024/Jacques%20Cousteau.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRerS85M_q9zlGW3HbXc4Lg95g0HGCv3ZJVIGL2YdgtOdS4PmYIGmQT100FJgmkPnSCzjT4P6RdmFl1utxEIwriL9W0C-lGS0Ac3sQxFKIMqq6aGb4flweAf96owf9H6ZtQFg8nU4df9udMcYmDkTreS9I9kedo9GO_iOF0fodG1fd-TJiBcuHHuOMVg/w400-h225/Jacques%20Cousteau.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"The underwater world is the last great frontier on our planet."</li><br /><li>"Undersea life is so different, so strange, so beautiful, so full of surprises that you never get tired of exploring it."</li><br /><li>"The ocean is the origin of life, and if we destroy it, we destroy life on Earth."</li><br /><li>"Nature is the best teacher, and the sea is the best classroom."</li><br /><li>"The undersea world is so incredible, so beautiful, so full of surprises that you never tire of exploring it."</li></ul><p></p>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-85107562259294791342022-06-21T14:29:00.003-07:002024-02-13T17:25:57.096-08:00Organized crime and its obsession with exotic animals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyXYNQzP2HiJk13927TIlBr7QLSC_TugcARfF3RI0XbTlY8j1ihWrUnPo0WusIMCqdl9Hy07VHPgjkPDWGSZz-kOj_GHoSQOQY7K9d3pRs7sGNV5XLP2rRiATWI0wmYwRXGWtwJ9pyTwixnccTBCJaIAWl-yUJNB-t8QDnXlDIZMMldl4kKo3RqS2GA/s640/bengal%20tiger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="640" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyXYNQzP2HiJk13927TIlBr7QLSC_TugcARfF3RI0XbTlY8j1ihWrUnPo0WusIMCqdl9Hy07VHPgjkPDWGSZz-kOj_GHoSQOQY7K9d3pRs7sGNV5XLP2rRiATWI0wmYwRXGWtwJ9pyTwixnccTBCJaIAWl-yUJNB-t8QDnXlDIZMMldl4kKo3RqS2GA/w640-h373/bengal%20tiger.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Drug traffickers' predilection for exotic animals was on display once again this week, when a spider monkey dressed as a cartel mascot was killed in a shootout, a 200-kilogram Bengal tiger roamed the streets of Nayarit state, and a man died while trying to pet a captive tiger in an area dominated by a criminal group in Michoacan, Mexico.Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-77607042582517050062018-10-16T16:05:00.001-07:002024-02-13T17:26:08.984-08:00 Why do Huskies have blue eyes?<div style="text-align: justify;">Humans have been exercising selection in dogs since the domestication of the wolf. In the first instance we found a natural and quite gradual selection in the way in which the first dogs were domesticated; in second, an intense artificial selection during the formation of the most modern races.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">An unintended consequence of this selection is that the canine genome now encodes a phenotypic diversity - characteristics that a gene, eg, blue eyes or brown eyes - can express dramatically high. This variety is susceptible to genetic analysis, and this is demonstrated by the latest study published recently in the journal PLOS Genetics by Adam Boyko and Aaron Sams, of the company Embark Veterinary Inc, and conducted in collaboration with the University of Veterinary Medicine of Cornell.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwbqiIkD8OfL6IJ2BQsHXNH3v4zb1HOSM-C_S69mdNBfngeZ6p1aLmOQ1S4hYUZOT2u_BIFC6jNO7Alco7Ltar7qu0Dy8OtOvpb_RpchkgUkY5CYh_EkSC6RhyphenhyphenMAUexm1x0di1Rfo04R7/s1600/huskies+blue+eyes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="902" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwbqiIkD8OfL6IJ2BQsHXNH3v4zb1HOSM-C_S69mdNBfngeZ6p1aLmOQ1S4hYUZOT2u_BIFC6jNO7Alco7Ltar7qu0Dy8OtOvpb_RpchkgUkY5CYh_EkSC6RhyphenhyphenMAUexm1x0di1Rfo04R7/w640-h424/huskies+blue+eyes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the authors, this represents the first consumer genomics study conducted in a non-human model and the largest study of the canine genome to date. It addresses the reason why huskies have blue eyes. In dogs, the blue eyes are iconic of the Siberian husky, a race of northern latitudes and although it is known that two genetic variants underlie the color of blue eyes in some dogs, these do not serve to explain the trait of the huskies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To find out this last reason, Boyko and Sams who in his company had the sequenced genome of 6,070 dogs, made use of the information provided by the owners of the dogs and who, through online surveys and photographs, provided the scientists with data on the phenotype studied, in this case the eye color.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thus, scientists discovered that chromosome 18 near the ALX4 gene, which plays an important role in mammalian eye development, was strongly associated with the variation in blue color for the eyes, mainly in Siberian huskies, but also in the Australian shepherds that do not show the merle mutation (which dilutes the color of melanin in dogs and mice). Thus, only one copy of the variant is sufficient to cause blue eyes or heterochromia - blue and brown eyes - in many of the individuals studied.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, some dogs with the variant did not have blue eyes, so the researchers hypothesize that other genetic or environmental factors could be involved in the expression of this phenotype. Future studies on this mechanism may lead to the discovery of a new way in which blue eyes develop in mammals.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, from a broader perspective, the results emphasize the power of knowledge based on the data provided by consumers. In words that Aaron J. Sams sends us via press release: "by using the genetic data of our clients' pets, combined with the colors of the eyes reported by them, we have discovered a genetic duplication that is strongly associated with the color of blue eyes In a single year, we gathered enough data to make the largest canine study of its kind, "he adds. "In addition, we are currently conducting similar research projects with respect to morphological or health-related characteristics, which benefit reproduction efforts and the welfare of dogs in the first place, but are valuable in the same way for studies. in humans, since dogs and humans exhibit many physical features, behaviors and analogous diseases in a shared environment, with this new methodology we hope to achieve great advances in the field of genetics and medicine ", concludes the researcher.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-57026445424853780942018-09-27T18:33:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:26:23.886-08:00Rainforest animals<div style="text-align: justify;">What animals live in the rainforest?<br/>The tropical forests have an enormous biodiversity. It is estimated that up to half of the species that inhabit the planet, are living in this ecosystem. We can find jungles of this type in the vicinity of Ecuador, South America, Africa, some Southeast Asian Islands, Mexico, Central America, Madagascar, Indochina or Northwest Australia and in them we can find fascinating and very varied animals. In this article we talk about which animals live in the rainforest.</div>
<ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4515386948517866" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-layout="in-article" data-ad-slot="6805607731" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></ins><h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSm_81V6-bmMqhOWHxnxp5mwlSp7_owBVFyfAiyZ6H36eKUi1BmTpuLt1D7k9dWU1Hm5kO9AQyGOEo8c_fXydZbc3GZdQ3jh0aqK747m7yRIgDsiB56sgPZAayTapBokd9AeodlUjZg5X/s1600/animalia+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSm_81V6-bmMqhOWHxnxp5mwlSp7_owBVFyfAiyZ6H36eKUi1BmTpuLt1D7k9dWU1Hm5kO9AQyGOEo8c_fXydZbc3GZdQ3jh0aqK747m7yRIgDsiB56sgPZAayTapBokd9AeodlUjZg5X/w640-h426/animalia+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>What conditions do tropical forests have?</h2><div style="text-align: justify;">The conditions that occur in the rainforests are characteristic of the low latitudes in which they are found, with an average temperature of around 25ºC to 30ºC throughout the year and rainfall that can occur throughout the year, including daily , it is common to reach a minimum volume of 100 mm up to about 400 inches of rainfall per year, although this is quite variable. What is common is that these forests reach a very high humidity, from 75 to 90%. These forests, unlike others, do not change their conditions much over a year, but are more or less stable. Given this great humidity and heat, large clusters of clouds are created over these forests.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Due to this high degree of humidity, they are also very dense in terms of vegetation, being common a broadleaf vegetation: trees, shrubs, ferns, etc. That prevent sunlight from reaching the ground, so it also favors the development of mosses and fungi.</div><br />
<h2>Strata of the rainforest</h2><div style="text-align: justify;">These forests are usually divided into 4 zones or strata (from top to bottom) and they inhabit different animals, because in each stratum there are somewhat different conditions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Emerging stratum: it is the area determined by the tallest trees, which are usually hardwood and broadleaf, reaching up to 60 meters in height. In this area, the strong wind blows and pulls the seeds, which are deposited in the surrounding land for the new generation. It is an area inhabited by bats, butterflies, monkeys and birds.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Stratum of the canopy: it is considered the primary layer of the forest. It is formed by a labyrinth of branches and leaves that protect the lower strata of sunlight and rain. In this area food abounds and you can find butterflies, frogs, toucans and snakes.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Underbrush layer: also protects the lower layer of sunlight. In this stratum, shrubs of up to 4 meters live and most insects, tree frogs, snakes, jaguars and leopards inhabit it.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Stratum of the soil: it is a very dark zone, where vegetation hardly develops. This land cover, buds, branches and twigs. In this area, so-called soil recyclers live, such as giant anteaters, cockroaches and large millipedes. It is called recyclers because they are animals that feed and decompose leaves or plants.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<h2>Main animals that live in the tropical jungle</h2><div style="text-align: justify;">In these forests live so many animals that have not yet documented all the species that inhabit them. Some examples of animals that live in the jungle, both carnivores and herbivores, are:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><b>Jaguars</b>: are common in the jungles of America, is the largest predator of the jungle with other cats and crocodiles. It is a feline with golden and yellow fur with some small reddish to black spots. They can reach 130 kg in weight and 2.30 meters. It is an opportunistic carnivore that feeds on mammals, reptiles, insects, fish and invertebrates.</li>
<li><b>Pumas</b>: feline up to two meters and 72 kg in weight. It feeds on insects and large ungulates.</li>
<li><b>Ocelot</b>: feline of fur with spots and average size that measures up to 90 centimeters and weighs 11 kg. It feeds on rodents, monkeys or reptiles. It is one of the animals in danger of extinction in Mexico.</li>
<li><b>Tiger</b>: the largest feline there is. The tiger is a very fast animal that can reach 300 kg of weight and 380 centimeters.</li>
<li><b>Crocodile of the Nile</b>: it is a reptile that lives in jungles of Africa. It feeds on mammals, fish or other reptiles. Above all, he captures them when they come to drink.</li>
<li><b>Elephant</b>: are relatively medium elephants for their species, up to two and a half meters. There is an African elephant and Asian elephants, like the elephant of Sumatra, who live in the jungle. The rest of the elephants that are larger live in areas like the African savanna and not in jungles.</li>
<li><b>Capybaras</b>: are the largest rodents. They live in herds and are of twilight activity</li>
<li><b>Cockatoos</b>: there are up to 21 species of cockatoos in the jungle. They are very showy birds.</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Other animals in the rainforest are leopards, panthers, lemurs, anteaters, rock pythons, mambas, tapirs, eagles, macaws and numerous species of parrots, ostriches, chimpanzees and other monkeys.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-70653358385764850822018-09-17T12:37:00.001-07:002024-02-13T17:26:35.290-08:00Wild animals also age<div style="text-align: justify;">Until a few years ago, the scientific community defended the belief that wild animals died before getting old, mainly by the action of predators or by the presence of parasites. However, the elements opposed to them in a habitat or hostile ecosystem do not manage to get ahead completely over time. It was not until 2011 that aging and senescence in nature were first demonstrated.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">The first animals that were monitored to determine their pattern of aging were the blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii).</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjSEY_BdCIYyAmhCIil32xGaqEAKEPvveaixEXZzYNAjlmTbVGYN5yJGnxI5Ck7FyConDGiA5h5Is6OMYieoHKNjWuKg54g6AziEgceZQHN6VLGU_AwNXeeS2Inrv2hRjM8Tl6c1EZjvm/s1600/old+animals.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sula nebouxii" border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="760" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjSEY_BdCIYyAmhCIil32xGaqEAKEPvveaixEXZzYNAjlmTbVGYN5yJGnxI5Ck7FyConDGiA5h5Is6OMYieoHKNjWuKg54g6AziEgceZQHN6VLGU_AwNXeeS2Inrv2hRjM8Tl6c1EZjvm/w640-h480/old+animals.jpg" title="Sula nebouxii" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">These birds are especially long-lived and inhabit the Pacific coast between Mexico, the Galapagos Islands and Peru. The results obtained show that the germ line, the DNA that gives continuity to the following generations, can be damaged with age. Just as the offspring of men whose age exceeds 50 years is more at risk of genetic diseases, the same happens with these birds. The DNA of older birds is damaged and can make their offspring more prone to diseases or mutations.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">For the blue-footed boobies, it is precisely the color of their limbs that makes the difference. The coloring of the legs suffers aging and is an indicator of oxidative damage in sperm, so older males tend to have more muted colors, while middle-aged males have a less damaged germ line and more colorful legs. According to the study, females choose males based on the color of the legs and feel less attraction for older subjects, with legs of more subdued colors.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before this study, the general belief was that senescence, the natural problems or deteriorations of the body associated with the passage of time and age, only manifested in humans and domestic animals because we have a life expectancy much higher than that would correspond to us in a natural way; We live longer than we would touch. However, the discoveries made by Alberto Velando as the main leader of the research show that senescence exists in nature and that it affects the ability to live and reproduce of wild animals.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">The results of the research allowed to open a new field of perspectives on what is behind the sexual signals and served as a first indication of the importance of sexual selection to purge genetic mutations.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-1377167827715100682018-08-29T10:17:00.004-07:002024-02-13T17:26:45.928-08:00Marine life also counts<div style="text-align: justify;">For the first time in history, experts from around the world have met to talk at length about the life of the oceans at the First World Congress on Marine Biodiversity, held in Valencia, Spain. It has presented the progress of the project that, in the year 2000, brought together thousands of scientists from 82 countries with a common goal: to explore the biodiversity of the oceans. Although the catalog of species will not be completed until 2010, the Marine Life Census (CoML), as this network is known, has already provided some interesting data. For example, researchers have found evidence that first evidence that a large proportion of octopus species from around the world evolved from a common ancestor that still lives in the Antarctic. In this same ocean, giant starfish have been identified. And the Pacific has surprised us with a white shark coffee? and a "sturgeon park".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAr4Qp_tipwAH0DeOQjvumSa_-iiqTgNko0OH0tI1zmKtEGH0zxEeEto47dhXgCg-3dx681DlMvVhaVxVFELhdGwsNqZ6S05Kh2UebwDlZBGuqZmUBj4TwseOHeHouwnPKsGR18xtHdzkcT4zwnXZI4avd3xj_boi9wajgVgKcltsn1bWJge-_i54hlFs/s4032/marine%20life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAr4Qp_tipwAH0DeOQjvumSa_-iiqTgNko0OH0tI1zmKtEGH0zxEeEto47dhXgCg-3dx681DlMvVhaVxVFELhdGwsNqZ6S05Kh2UebwDlZBGuqZmUBj4TwseOHeHouwnPKsGR18xtHdzkcT4zwnXZI4avd3xj_boi9wajgVgKcltsn1bWJge-_i54hlFs/w640-h480/marine%20life.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Biologists do not want to leave anything behind. For they are exploring from the intertidal zones shared with humans to the dark trenches of more than 10,000 meters deep, from the microscopic plankton of the illuminated areas of the sea and the sea lions that dive in the depths to the worms that inhabit the abysmal sediments , from the organisms that live in the changing slopes of the seamounts to those that tolerate fiery oceanic sewers. In other words, 5% of the oceans that are regularly visited and 95% whose life remains unexplored.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-43489846000484249202018-07-31T15:18:00.001-07:002024-02-13T17:26:55.162-08:00Normal bees and killer bees<div style="text-align: justify;">Africanized bees, commonly known as "killer bees", are much more aggressive than their European counterparts. Now, a team of researchers have examined the changes in neuropeptides that take place in the brains of these bees during their aggressive behavior and have shown that they can turn normal bees into 'killer' by injecting certain peptides.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hdBQvv-F3fo3oBy3j7f-8TpYus8kUgwu2qdd0v9AEyM_o_lulfKN1Ig9NE_njJp4Rvlr9BLRPoJCuFtYfKqi5itHxCDVHB-jQWcoffn4c2WVkcZcrE96bERTdQRgSqw1xCbPgynYKyfr/s1600/bee.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="turning normal bees into killer bees" border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="760" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hdBQvv-F3fo3oBy3j7f-8TpYus8kUgwu2qdd0v9AEyM_o_lulfKN1Ig9NE_njJp4Rvlr9BLRPoJCuFtYfKqi5itHxCDVHB-jQWcoffn4c2WVkcZcrE96bERTdQRgSqw1xCbPgynYKyfr/w640-h480/bee.jpg" title="turning normal bees into killer bees" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Only a few neuropeptides make the difference between a honey bee and another that has an irritable need to wipe out everything that moves.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To discover what it is that makes Africanized "killer bees" so hostile, the State scientists at the University of São Paulo (Brazil) compared their neurochemistry with that of their more docile relatives and found that it is mostly due to a surprisingly simple chemical change.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The reputation of killer bees is well deserved. Its venom is no more lethal than average honey bees and they are even a little smaller, but they are incredibly aggressive, and it does not take much provocation to incite a swarm of these bees to become a furious and poignant pain machine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />
The more hostile an animal is, the more caution you have to have</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These bad-tempered striped insects appeared in the late 1950s, after Brazilian beekeepers imported an African variety of Apis mellifera scutellata in order to increase honey production. It seems that the bees did not understand the fine print very well and ended up paying for the honey bees.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since then, these aggressive hybrids have spread to northern California and remain a legitimate threat. Several hundred people have lost their lives due to their implacable twinge. And is that this subspecies is also extremely sensitive to the presence of humans. They usually attack the eyes and the face, and the only thing that can be done before them is to run away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But what happens in your brain to act in this way?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To get to the bottom of the mystery, the researchers of this last study had to collect a sample of killer bees (something not without danger). Using a rather curious trick they managed to catch them to observe their tiny brains.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The comparison of the full range of brain proteins from two bee samples using mass spectral imaging revealed a clear, but simple difference.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the suspected proteins was called Apis mellifera Allatostatins A, a neuroprotein that is already known to play a key role in the learning and memory of bees, as well as in their overall development.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other group of proteins, described as tachykinin-related peptides, seems to influence sensory processing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In aggressive hybrids, these two groups of neuropeptides had been cut into shorter proteins, and found in different groups of brain tissue called neuropiles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To verify that these proteins were significant in the transformation of the behavior of the bee, the scientists injected in the brain of a group of non-aggressive bees truncated forms of these neuropeptides.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As expected, the bees did not seem very happy when they woke up, because having modified their brain chemistry they had also become killer bees.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, it is still unknown why the size and distribution of these neuropeptides lead to such aggressive behavior. Learning more about the cascade of effects that these proteins have on the nervous system of a bee could tell us more about the development of the nervous systems of bees, as well as those of insects in general.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-17451505677578795552018-07-21T19:18:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:27:07.186-08:00 Curiosities about polar bears<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The lion is par excellence the king of the jungle, but if we change the scenery and drastically lower temperatures, the polar bear becomes, without any doubt, the new and legitimate monarch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These amazing creatures inhabit the waters covered by the Arctic ice, extending from Canada, Norway or Denmark, to some areas of Russia and even, to a lesser extent, in Iceland. This causes that the idea that the polar bears unfold with great ease in adverse conditions and extremely dangerous for any other type of living being is reaffirmed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTzftzMM2Vf1AZ09w67PelsdY31MpVrqZjJaAcK6dOejnsrLySsD2siYOGy0auD1N4KbEhw1lcRfu8Qr6jrH0UphXAL0pSvHiPFJhp0vyWb2p41HgLJr1JegpQZxU8YLSZHpHbDgzMG6Y/s1600/polar+bear.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1140" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTzftzMM2Vf1AZ09w67PelsdY31MpVrqZjJaAcK6dOejnsrLySsD2siYOGy0auD1N4KbEhw1lcRfu8Qr6jrH0UphXAL0pSvHiPFJhp0vyWb2p41HgLJr1JegpQZxU8YLSZHpHbDgzMG6Y/w640-h410/polar+bear.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is estimated that there are currently between 22,000 and 32,000 copies worldwide, indices that, due to their progressive decline, have awakened for years the concern of biologists and scientists. In fact, this species has become the reference for the health status of ecosystems. Unfortunately, the extreme situation of polar bears is a powerful indicator of the lack of effective environmental policies worldwide.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For more than twenty years, polar bears have been forced (and increasingly) to travel long distances during the summer periods in search of frozen areas. Precisely, it is the ice that depends on obtaining food from these animals, because it is what allows them to hunt. The rise of temperatures delays the solidification of the water and therefore, delay (and shorten) the feeding period of the bears. Unfortunately, it is increasingly common to find these animals in a serious state of malnutrition. The most prone to this are the females with puppies that inhabit the areas further south of their range.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Organizations such as the Oceanic Administration of the USA have carried out different research on the environmental impact of the melting of the Arctic plates. The latest results have been alarming, since 2016 recorded the smallest sea ice surface in the last 37 years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite the difficulties, the polar bear is still one of the most impressive creatures on the planet, as its characteristics make it an icon of the animal kingdom. In the next gallery we show you everything you need to know about this vulnerable, but powerful species.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Evolution</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) evolved from a population of brown bears during the Pleistocene. Some research suggests that this process began about 38 million years ago, when a large group of bears separated and adapted to new living conditions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>800 kilos</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is the largest terrestrial animal. It measures up to 3 meters from the snout at the end of the tail, and weighs up to 800 kilograms (the male). However, they have relatively small heads.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Family of 3</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The polar bears have two young per litter after a gestation period of 6.5 to 9 months. The young remain with the mother for 2 or 3 years. The rest of the time, they are solitary animals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Tireless travelers</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The polar bear can travel up to 1000 kilometers in the changing seasons, when the ice melts or freezes, either walking on the ice or swimming. His nose is so sharp that he can smell a seal 32 kilometers away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Black under a white coat</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Under the white fur, the polar bear's skin is black, which helps him absorb the sun's rays. In addition, it has a thick layer of grease to withstand polar temperatures. Its double fur coat repels water and, thanks to its white color, helps it to camouflage itself.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>At 37 degrees</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The polar bears, in addition, maintain an average temperature of 37 degrees. The reason why they endure extreme temperatures is that in addition to their thick and hard skin layer, these animals have a thick layer of extra fat. This is the cause of its thermoregulation. However, that same layer is what causes them to have a rapid overheating and can not withstand high temperatures.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">L<b>azy</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Polar bears are inactive most of the time (66.6% of their lives). Overheating is one of the main factors by which this species moves at a low speed and usually lie down to rest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Playing live more</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The polar bears that play live longer, enjoy better health and have more offspring, according to a recent study by the ethologist Robert Fagan of the University of Alaska.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>A great smell</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the most developed senses of the polar bear is its smell. It is so sharp that you can smell the seal of a seal more than 30 kilometers away, something very useful considering the difficulties to find food. In addition, it is very important to identify any type of danger that may lurk around you.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Feeding</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">They can eat up to 30 kilos of food in the same day. Its main source of food are seals. They have 42 sharp teeth, which allow them to easily devour their prey. These pieces are longer than those that the brown bear has in its mouth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>They dive</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sometimes, when stalking their prey, the polar bears are submerged in the water thanks to the adaptations of their legs. This activity is also performed to find algae, cleanse or reduce body temperature. It is estimated that they can remain submerged for 2 minutes at depths between 3 and 5 meters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Always clean</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This species is extremely clean, because after hunting and devour their prey, always spend time to remove with water and snow the remains of the animal in your body. Researchers suggest that, because they are so sensitive to smell, they are uncomfortable with the smell and need to remove it immediately.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Satellite tracking</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">WWF and Canon have developed the online tool (Polar Bear Tracker) that allows us to follow their migratory movements in the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, the Sea of Beaufort, Alaska, the Bay of Hudson and Canada. The use of collars with satellite devices helps to closely monitor their movements, expand knowledge of their habits and know how they are affecting the impacts of climate change.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In danger</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The polar bear is listed as a vulnerable species in the Red List of Endangered Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. According to reports from the World Wildlife Fund, these creatures could disappear during the next century if the destruction of their ecosystem is not stopped.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-18381956278059704402018-07-16T19:17:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:27:16.825-08:00Giraffes surprise scientists again<div style="text-align: justify;">So far, the theory that the size of groups of wild animals is larger when the risk of them being attacked by their direct enemies, the predators, is generally accepted. This is basically due to the fact that the more members that make up the collective, the more protected they will be and the more easily they will be able to detect and warn of a danger. However, a new study (the first to investigate this group tendency) of the University of Bristol (England) has shown that this assumption was not entirely true, or at least not in the case of giraffes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj2mA-5oVd5aEHW_OrzFzdiHVnCilMnO59P0dF2AZUcHCfwsuV0_ZHGgjPQhtmRYGGDGAiyokJT6Oj80lntpbZbnfP169xKpIwSLZ6Sxr1EQW6UOhzWwU9qndotkwO7YTxQ6Fc9FJedws/s1600/Giraffes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="760" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj2mA-5oVd5aEHW_OrzFzdiHVnCilMnO59P0dF2AZUcHCfwsuV0_ZHGgjPQhtmRYGGDGAiyokJT6Oj80lntpbZbnfP169xKpIwSLZ6Sxr1EQW6UOhzWwU9qndotkwO7YTxQ6Fc9FJedws/w640-h480/Giraffes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This study has been based on observing how the grouping of these animals differs from the rest in factors such as the risk of predation, the type of habitat and the characteristics of the individuals that haunt. The type of habitat had remarkable effects on the size of the group. However, the main change was reflected in the behavior of adult females, who tended to be in smaller groups when they were in procreation and had offspring. This last data belies another popular belief that giraffes were thought to form large groups for the community care of their offspring.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The researcher and doctoral student Zoe Muller says that "these data are surprising and reflect how little we know about giraffes, even in the most basic aspects of life. This research adds another important piece to the puzzle of understanding how giraffes live in nature. "</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b>Extraordinary animals in danger of extinction</b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is estimated that giraffe populations have decreased by approximately 40% in the last three decades. Among the survivors, it is thought that there are just under 98,000 individuals left in freedom. These figures have led to the inclusion of the species in the Red List of Endangered Species of the International Union for Conservation in Nature and has been classified as 'vulnerable'. Experts see this as a valuable step in recognizing the seriousness of their extinction, and understanding the threats and challenges they face in nature.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Giraffes are an endangered species that suffer a constant decline in Africa, and this research highlights how incredibly misunderstood they are, and we can only manage and conserve giraffe populations effectively if we understand their behavior and ecology, which is what we are just beginning to do, "says Muller.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another of the popular ideas of the society is that giraffes abound in Africa and for that reason, they point to it as an indisputable icon of the continent. However, the figures reveal a very different reality, since its decline is progressive and accelerated.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next step in this investigation is to expand the project to different areas of Africa, since this study has been carried out only in the eastern part. According to Muller, more research is needed to see if the same effects are observed in other groups of giraffes. The extracted results could be used to understand how the habitat alteration and other environmental and social variables can help the conservation of the populations of this species.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-37473309415315352272018-07-08T20:26:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:27:26.311-08:00 Good news for mountain gorillas<div style="text-align: justify;">If Dian Fossey, the popular zoologist author of the book "Gorillas in the Mist" was alive, surely today would have many reasons to be happy. And, according to the data of the last census, the population of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) has doubled in the last three decades.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">"This is one of those very rare conservation news," explains Martha Robbins, an expert gorilla researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "Despite the poaching, the degradation of their habitat and the civil war, the population of gorillas in the Virunga mountains has doubled."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCsvpzYI7XvxrTH5-ITV841afL-OSj4iqx3Srs_ovz6LSRbxirFQUt3-m4VbnSEzZJk7oBVWmEBnUdqIToCe2nPmZNoNN73OC3Iz4svqZ8QGx8J7y63s4ngKKnArIiMaFR8_XvoGIqyDqMg33yU9to7QO9KL3Rakz4IjbTD3-6zE4H9sMo9CoPFyB4lo/s1140/mountain%20gorillas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1140" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCsvpzYI7XvxrTH5-ITV841afL-OSj4iqx3Srs_ovz6LSRbxirFQUt3-m4VbnSEzZJk7oBVWmEBnUdqIToCe2nPmZNoNN73OC3Iz4svqZ8QGx8J7y63s4ngKKnArIiMaFR8_XvoGIqyDqMg33yU9to7QO9KL3Rakz4IjbTD3-6zE4H9sMo9CoPFyB4lo/w640-h432/mountain%20gorillas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">To estimate the number of individuals of this endangered species, a field campaign was conducted between 2015 and 2016. The teams kicked more than 2,000 kilometers through the Virunga Mountains looking for tracks and other signs of the presence of gorillas. In addition, genetic analyzes were made that took more than 18 months to complete and studied more than a thousand fecal samples, determining that there are at least 186 gorillas not used to human contact. The researchers estimate that the current total population of mountain gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes surpasses the six hundred specimens that would be distributed in 41 social groups, and 14 of them would be solitary males. To this figure we must add the approximately 400 individuals that live in the Impenetrable National Park of Bwindi, in Uganda, for which we speak of a total of more than 1,000 gorillas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>More accurate census methods</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The last census had been made in 2010 and estimated a population of 480 gorillas. The current figure represents an increase of 26% in a period of only six years, which means an annual growth rate of 3.8%. Although it is true that the study methods are now much more precise, so it is possible that in previous censuses had estimated "down", the truth is that there has been real growth in the population, as reported by the Max Institute Planck.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The genetic analysis of fecal samples allows us to count gorillas without having to observe them," explains Linda Vigilant, director of the genetics laboratory specializing in primatology in Leipzig. "It will also allow us to obtain more information about how social groups are formed and the changes that occur in them over time."</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">"This result is the result of the efforts made by the governments of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to keep the great apes in danger of extinction and, in particular, the hard work of the staff working in the field," says Robbins . "The spectacular increase in the population of gorillas shows that the efforts made in terms of sustainable tourism, veterinary work and community projects can have a positive impact on one of our closest living relatives."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Much remains to be done in the Virunga mountains, for example, to improve the security of forest agents and tourists. Only in the last ten months have twelve workers been killed in the park, and in the last incident two British tourists were abducted. Due to this, the Virunga National Park is currently closed to the public to improve its security protocols and, according to The Guardian, will not open its doors until next year.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-86136489388821212922018-07-01T18:29:00.000-07:002024-02-13T03:27:27.196-08:00 DNA from ancient animals will help trace cultural exchanges in China<div style="text-align: justify;">Chinese archaeologists plan to use DNA from ancient domestic animals to establish their importance in cultural exchanges along the Silk Road in China.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Experts from Jilin University, located in the city of Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, northeast China, will collect samples of remains of domestic animals that have been discovered at various sites along the Silk Road. , to perform analysis of the entire genome.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Domesticated animals contributed to trade and trade as a stable resource of protein and energy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cai Dawei, a professor at the university, said the research would be a new vision of the development of the Silk Road.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycLMvJFRON5RrKfdNWwe5LANET1_yMTKjyN5D5BRtG5QKlkJykArLejKlE2Bu35exsU0uLqENZh6xTKVXHw2VbjecGJIhq2HuFDfZd4_QCtELYYk5oD_21ul7HxmSGnAcyJNVHFCDzHRiyXC33n-RBMZUJe5rxW-lGt4N92MugaGzC1do8r0YL84LlUI/s779/silk%20road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="779" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycLMvJFRON5RrKfdNWwe5LANET1_yMTKjyN5D5BRtG5QKlkJykArLejKlE2Bu35exsU0uLqENZh6xTKVXHw2VbjecGJIhq2HuFDfZd4_QCtELYYk5oD_21ul7HxmSGnAcyJNVHFCDzHRiyXC33n-RBMZUJe5rxW-lGt4N92MugaGzC1do8r0YL84LlUI/w640-h314/silk%20road.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The trip of an imperial emissary named Zhang Qian to the western regions around the year 140 a. C. is generally considered to be the beginning of cultural exchanges between East and West, but recent archaeological finds show that such activities actually began in prehistoric times. According to Cai, at the end of the Paleolithic they would already be taking place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Among the first examples of exchanges are the arrival in the East of bronze smelting and domesticated animals, such as horses and cattle, and the introduction in the West of millet and decorated pottery.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">The researchers, who have the support of China's National Social Science Fund and the cooperation of archaeologists from Central Asia and Europe, hope to complete their studies in 2022.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-4719892900767281922018-06-26T18:16:00.002-07:002024-02-13T17:27:43.946-08:00Brazilian researchers discover 12 new species of animals in the Amazon<div style="text-align: justify;">Brazilian researchers discovered 12 new species of animals in the Amazon, the largest forest in the world, in two expeditions that were used to analyze more than 1,700 specimens of more than 200 species of animals and plants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">According to state agency Agencia Brasil, the 12 new species are toads and lizards, as well as an owl.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">All of them were identified in two expeditions, one carried out at the end of last year and the other between April and May of this year, financed by the Research Support Foundation of the State of Sao Paulo (Fapesp, for its acronym in Portuguese).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfdwnJkTJjLiebhEZZtH84oKrRO0NnpellL2LhO7x48xDPYPYSoAzJPpJ0BbdUjKo80JqQ1yqDn-4RsAX5dhaEWb2f12W4yQG7rQiWtqUbidldkOv8-BoSKdyEhZjCgZDAQWgzB7zHYEwZ9bwSlBDE_YMd6GT0QoWzI6yFVrfLSyn_b9WCSMemSsfNPk/s1200/amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfdwnJkTJjLiebhEZZtH84oKrRO0NnpellL2LhO7x48xDPYPYSoAzJPpJ0BbdUjKo80JqQ1yqDn-4RsAX5dhaEWb2f12W4yQG7rQiWtqUbidldkOv8-BoSKdyEhZjCgZDAQWgzB7zHYEwZ9bwSlBDE_YMd6GT0QoWzI6yFVrfLSyn_b9WCSMemSsfNPk/w640-h426/amazon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">As explained by the zoologist of the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and leader of the expeditions, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, the objective was "to study the influence of the waters of the Rio Branco on the diversity and abundance of species".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Rio Branco is an Amazonian river in Brazil and the main tributary of the northern margin of the Río Negro, which runs entirely through the northern state of Roraima, bordering Venezuela and Guyana.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The expedition also collected data to study the influence of the Río Negro as a barrier to the transit of species.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"For this reason we collected on both sides," added Trefaut Rodrigues, who said that the Rio Negro (the largest of all tributaries of the Amazon River and the largest blackwater in the world) does not have many species of animals to have very acidic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The expedition also aimed to understand the origin of lizards of the genus Loxopholis that reproduce asexually and that has several species formed only by females.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">The material obtained will be used to analyze the evolutionary patterns of the fauna of South America.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Several groups of animals are being studied from a genetic, morphological and physiological point of view, and some of these studies will help understand the extinction risk of these species if the temperature rises in the next few years," he said.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-53447820347685613822018-06-18T17:57:00.004-07:002024-02-13T17:27:52.813-08:00Animals are getting more nocturnal to avoid humans<div style="text-align: justify;">Animals that are millions of years old being diurnal are moving into the night. Whether big or small, forest or savanna, predators or prey, species from all over the planet are transferring the bulk of their activity to the night time. A large study points to the expansive human presence as the cause of changes that can disrupt the dynamics of entire ecosystems.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">The impact of humans on wildlife has many edges. The most obvious is the contraction of the space available to animals as the human race has been expanding throughout the planet. In addition, these natural spaces are increasingly reduced and quartered and their quality is reduced with each new infrastructure that surrounds them. One of the consequences of all this is that animals move less and less in areas with human presence and take refuge in increasingly smaller areas. But there is another way to hide from humans: leave when they go to bed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg9b1Zm0lcTojJ2Aay9YVsn52Y3cAfme-2UiyxjUKBoMIyxhArvOgOeYTM7-BInQiGnH-c3OoD0IdmenQrB6KfVG9vqqV82cIvXnUmiPm6XiNOTtdn_vFYSUI_bqEV8g4BgyiJCILJmGOBUrPNk1by1sN2BN8D3MVJvMMHS6GmP6W5k9XAq04FM0I6wk/s1248/animals%20more%20nocturnal%20to%20avoid%20humans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1248" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg9b1Zm0lcTojJ2Aay9YVsn52Y3cAfme-2UiyxjUKBoMIyxhArvOgOeYTM7-BInQiGnH-c3OoD0IdmenQrB6KfVG9vqqV82cIvXnUmiPm6XiNOTtdn_vFYSUI_bqEV8g4BgyiJCILJmGOBUrPNk1by1sN2BN8D3MVJvMMHS6GmP6W5k9XAq04FM0I6wk/w640-h358/animals%20more%20nocturnal%20to%20avoid%20humans.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">A group of researchers from the United States has verified the global nature of this translation of animal life to the hours in which the great diurnal predator rests. Compiling the results of dozens of studies on the movements of some 60 species of mammals from five continents, scientists have found that, where there is a human disturbance, mammals are, on average, 1.36 times more nocturnal. This means that an animal that, without disturbances, equally distributes its activities between day and night, would increase its nocturnal activity up to 68%.</div>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There is evidence to suggest that animals everywhere are adjusting their daily activity patterns to avoid humans over time, as it is increasingly difficult to avoid them in space," says the researcher at the University of California at Berkeley. (USA) and principal author of the study, Kaitlyn Gaynor. "As people are more active by day, animals are moving into the night," he adds. This transfer occurs whether it is herbivores or large carnivores such as the tiger. The pattern is repeated both in smaller mammals such as the opossum, and in those weighing more than 3,500 kilograms, such as the African elephant.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The most striking aspect of this review, published in the journal Science, may be that animals are becoming more nocturnal regardless of the level of danger that humans pose. "We expected to find a tendency to increase nocturnality in the vicinity of humans, but We have been surprised by the consistency of the results. The animals respond to all types of human disturbance, regardless of whether it really poses a direct threat, "he adds.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gaynor's work is based on dozens of studies that used various tracking techniques (beacons, collars with radio transmitters, GPS, phototraps or direct observation) of the movements of the animals before a range of human presences, from hikers to hunters, going through fields or roads. One of those studies tracked a species as opportunistic as the fox for lands of Castilla-La Mancha in a series of minor environments (Cabañeros national park) to greater human presence (around Ciudad Real).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Although it is a twilight animal, the more human disturbance, the fox tended to reduce its diurnal activity," says the biologist at the University of Malaga and co-author of that study, Francisco Díaz. For the most nocturnal foxes, there was a temporary mismatch with their main prey, the rabbit, eminently diurnal. Fortunately for them, the foxes are among the most adaptive animals. "But there are other species with millions of years of adaptation to daytime behavior that are not so plastic," Díaz recalls.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">The consequences of this transfer to the night of so many species are still uncertain. In principle, it would seem that the abandonment of the day in favor of humans would facilitate the coexistence between humans and animals. But such a widespread and rapid change of patterns of activity molded over millennia can alter an entire ecosystem. "In the case of predators not adapted to hunting at night, there could be an increase in the population of the ungulates that were their prey, which would affect the availability of vegetation cover, producing a cascading effect," says the Researcher at Radboud University, Niimega (The Netherlands), Ana Benítez.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the Spanish ecologist, who has also investigated the different human impacts on animal life, the most relevant of this research is that it confirms a hypothesis raised in the 60s by the biologist Fritz R. Walther: "Animals respond equally to humans , they always see us as predators, "he says. This leads to the question whether the impact of a hunter can be the same as that of a nature-loving hiker. For Gaynor, his research "suggests that our mere presence is enough to interfere with natural behavior patterns".</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-89044346557518474362008-10-20T04:28:00.000-07:002024-02-14T04:36:03.651-08:00Social Clocks: How do cave bats know when it is dark outside?<p> Casinos on the infamous Vegas "strip" spare no expenses when it comes to extravagant decorations and architecture. You can find everything from indoor gondola rides to full-sized pirate ships that are sunk in mock-battles multiple times each day. One thing that you might notice, however, is that these massive, opulent buildings almost always lack windows in the rooms where major gambling activity takes place. The massive interior rooms echo with the bells of slot machines and the soft buzz of cards being dealt at hundreds of tables all throughout the day and night, and after several hours inside one of these caverns of opulence it is easy to forget what time of day it is supposed to be. That, of course, is the point: if you aren't able to keep track of the passing hours by subtle cues such as the angle of the sun, casino managers hope that it will keep you (and your money) around for longer periods of time.</p><p>Fortunately, whether you are a high-rolling VIP showing off your Rolex or a more budget-minded tourist playing the quarter slots with your trusty plastic Aquatech strapped to your wrist, chances are you have some way to tell time even when you are sequestered from typical environmental day length clues. Other mammals, however, don't have the luxury of mechanical time instruments. If even a few hours inside a windowless casino is enough to distort our natural perception of time, how do other mammals manage to keep regular daily rhythms?</p><p>Obviously, most mammals do not hang out in windowless casinos, and thus are able maintain circadian rhythms using external cues such as day length and temperature. Bora recently gave an excellent primer on mammalian circadian clocks, definitely check out that post for detailed information on how these rhythms are regulated.</p>
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<p>Light cycles are crucial for proper circadian clock calibration, but some animals live in large, isolated places that lack both sunlight and slot machines. The most notable cave mammals are bats, the winged wonders of the mammal world. The idea that all bats are caves-dwellers is actually a misconception. Many bat species roost in trees, buildings, or "bat houses" put out by helpful humans in areas where natural forest roots have been destroyed. Studies have shown that day length is the most common factor regulating bats' daily activity cycles. Foraging strategies and diet specialization seem to have an impact on what time of night specific species emerge from their roosts. Insectivorous species often begin foraging a bit before true sunset, in spite of exposing themselves to increased predation risk, in order to take advantage of the peaks in insect activity at dusk (Jones and Rydell 1994). Fruit eating bats can afford to sleep in a little, because their "prey" isn't likely to go anywhere between dusk and full darkness, so it's not worth risking increased predation by diurnal or crepuscular predators. Thus, being able to detect the rising and setting of the sun is crucial for these bats to regulate their activity cycles.</p><p>While many common species of bats never even venture into caves, some species do indeed roost in large caves that are entirely devoid of light. Without being able to see when the sun rises and sets, how do these little guys maintain regular circadian rhythms?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g6osZjgnzoeW7StGwwY6Y9FKsfdsE75xsYZZqzrNjrymuhT-U3u2zI5X-r1cSNhZ27slXA-KqtDkfrvVTl9VVGWTzDEAEa5b-Vba9o5sGwEXHf05LN19bSbYqGqsN_ISfDpo21K_zt-sAqNOh3o9F7TvoUXE78MAgPW7R-0Ahviczho8puRfHvn7Xb4/s200/bat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g6osZjgnzoeW7StGwwY6Y9FKsfdsE75xsYZZqzrNjrymuhT-U3u2zI5X-r1cSNhZ27slXA-KqtDkfrvVTl9VVGWTzDEAEa5b-Vba9o5sGwEXHf05LN19bSbYqGqsN_ISfDpo21K_zt-sAqNOh3o9F7TvoUXE78MAgPW7R-0Ahviczho8puRfHvn7Xb4/w320-h240/bat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The most extensive studies of the circadian rhythms of cave bats have focused on Hipposideros speoris, Schneider's roundleaf bat, which is native to India and Sri Lanka. Back in the 1980s, a group from Madurai Kamaraj University did some fascinating work to determine how these bats are able to tell when it is time to leave the cave for foraging each night (Marimuthu et al. 1981). Within the cave roost, bats are isolated from both light and temperature fluctuations, so the researchers sought another explanation for how they calibrate their circadian clocks. They did this by capturing some of the bats within a large colony of H. speoris, then putting them in holding cages inside the original cave, to observe their activity patterns in situ without ever letting them access a chamber of the cave that could give them external light or noise cues.</p><p>So, what did the Cave Cage experiment tell us? Surprisingly, it appears that social interactions are the key. The bats were observed to become mildly active within the cave well before the sun went down, and they spent some time grooming and flitting around within the roost chamber. Some of those bats ventured in between the roost chamber and into an outer portion of the cave, "sampling" the light. Once adequate darkness set in, all of the bats (not just the "samplers," left the cave to forage. The caged bats also increased their activity in sync with the rest of the colony, even though they were unable to "sample" the outer chambers. The researchers concluded that the bats' circadian rhythms were entrained by social cues. Bats could have been responding to the noise of the wingbeats of the first bats to leave the cage, or there could have been active vocal signaling. Pheromones could also come into play, if specific hormones are released by "samplers" as they prepare to leave for foraging, signaling the rest of the colony that it is time to leave.</p>
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<p>One question that immediately crossed my mind was how the bats know when to start stirring around in the first place, It seems probable that the nightly emergence "sets" their clocks so that they're properly entrained to wake up slightly before sunset, using hormones such as melatonin to control the length of their sleep cycle. These are largely tropical bats, so day length does not vary much throughout the year, allowing them to have a fairly constant interval of sleep in between returning from foraging in the morning and waking up in the evening.</p><p>The group also observed activity patterns of captive bats kept inside a cave after exterminating all of the other bats that roosted there (not the most conscientious field method, but not quite as terrible as it sounds: it was a small bachelor roost and only two bats were killed). They found that bats that were isolated from conspecifics displayed "free run" activity cycles that were significantly less than 24 hours long. Thus, it appears that the bats use social cues from other colony members to time their outflight.</p><p>There is no information on whether the same individuals are "samplers" each night, although that would be a fascinating study. While social cues do appear to play a large factor in determining the circadian rhythms of H.speoris colonies, sunlight is still a factor: the "samplers" couldn't determine the time of day without sunlight available for sampling. The researchers did a follow-up study a few years later that shows that both light and conspecific communication are necessary to maintain accurate cycles. This time, they illuminated a cave around the clock (Marimuthu and Chandrashekaran 1983). Being exposed to constant light, with conspecifics resulted in free run cycles longer than 24 hours, as opposed to the shortened cycles displayed by isolated bats in constant darkness, showing that light cues facilitated by social communication appear to entrain the circadian clocks of these bats.</p><p>So, it appears that some bats depend upon social cues to help regulate their circadian clocks, with a few individuals in the colony serving as light "samplers" and alerting the other bats when it is time to emerge for nightly foraging. They still depend upon light cues for regulation, but the significant factor is that only a few actually see the light levels before emerging each evening, the rest rely upon social cues to tell them when it's dinner time and entrain their internal clocks.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">References:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jones, and Rydell. 1994. Foraging strategy and predation risk as factors influencing emergence time in echolocating bats. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. 345: 445-455.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marimuthu, G.S. and M.K. Chandrashekaran. 1983. Continuous light inside a cave abolishes the social synchronization of the circadian rhythm in a bat. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 12: 321-323.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marimuthu, G., S. Rajan, and M.K. Chandrashekaran. 1981. Social entrainment of the circadian rhythm in the flight activity o fthe microchiropteran bat Hipposideros speoris. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 8: 147-150.</span></p>MS2http://www.blogger.com/profile/11765803565278277995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-20626831097731147642007-11-14T13:02:00.000-08:002024-02-13T17:30:14.530-08:00Nigersaurus: just when you thought you'd seen everything...<p> Today is an exciting day in the world of palaeontology. This morning Paul Sereno went public with a PLoS paper on one of the most amazing dinosaur finds to date: Nigersaurus taqueti. This possibly the one of the most interesting fossils ever discovered, in my opinion. I really urge you to check out the Project Exploration website devoted to it. The dinosaur itself is obviously the main attraction, but the announcement is significant for another reason as well. Sereno is making a significant statement by choosing to publish this ground-breaking data in PLoS ONE, which is an open-access journal with many innovative features that allow readers to participate in commentary and discussions about articles. Open-access is a major issue in the world of science publishing right now (just yesterday a bill including open access legislation was vetoed), and this support from Sereno will bring more attention to PLoS and the services it offers.</p><p>Now on to the dinosaur itself! The title of the paper is "Structural Extremes in a Cretaceous Dinosaur," and Sereno does not exaggerate. This African sauropod's cranial anatomy is truly astonishing. Its jaws are actually wider than the rest of its skull, creating a very distinctive face shape (see the above portrait by Todd Marshall). There are over 500 tiny teeth arranged along the front of the jaw (see the photo, taken by M. Hettwer). It seems that the animal had a foraging strategy similar to that of a lawn-mower, reaching its long neck down to crop plants from the ground. This is interesting, because it belongs to the diplodocoid radiation of sauropods, which are generally thought to have fed upon treetop vegetation, reaching up instead of down to the ground.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYDcqKThlfl2U7z9d4o72XKoF-C0DtWBI8KoDIgAzsqYj6spy97vxrrD1SkrrR5nwaXdzZc52nO3dB28iq6Xe6hsQPBMgsIZOZ14MZ3_exGTQR2_pSj8vvy7nFGqdB6MxcayrQsDoGVMJ075n54jAbDGqFReAeVtmP4BkpuL7gcXPQgoXjvX1yyK6zxQ/s1080/nigersaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYDcqKThlfl2U7z9d4o72XKoF-C0DtWBI8KoDIgAzsqYj6spy97vxrrD1SkrrR5nwaXdzZc52nO3dB28iq6Xe6hsQPBMgsIZOZ14MZ3_exGTQR2_pSj8vvy7nFGqdB6MxcayrQsDoGVMJ075n54jAbDGqFReAeVtmP4BkpuL7gcXPQgoXjvX1yyK6zxQ/w640-h360/nigersaurus.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Like many sauropods, these were animals of immense size, measuring about 30 feet long and 8 feet high at the hip. What makes them unique, however, is that their bones are surprisingly delicate: they are hollow. The image at right shows how thin the bones are, light can penetrate through them, definitely not what you would expect from a lumbering creature the size of a school bus. Partly due to the pneumatization of the bones, it is estimated that Nigersaurus only weighed around 4 tons, about the same as a modern elephant. This hollowing of bones is very similar to that found in modern birds, which have air sacs extending throughout much of their skeleton to reduce weight for flight. Keep in mind, however, that although birds do descend from dinosaurs, they are derived from the theropods, not the sauropods. This shows that extensive pneumatic skeletons have evolved independently multiple times, and possibly for different purposes (reducing weight due to sheer size versus reducing weight for flight and other physiological functions). It has been known for a while that sauropods had some hollow bones to minimize weight, but the degree seen in this specimen is truly amazing.</p><p>This specimen is going to be on display at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. until March 15, I am not sure where it is scheduled to go after that. I highly encourage everyone to go download the paper from PLoS ONE (no subscription required!) and to check out all the photos and special features on the Project Exploration website.</p>MS2http://www.blogger.com/profile/11765803565278277995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-10206953454357163942007-09-18T15:15:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:30:23.852-08:00Bats show diverse mutations in "language gene"<p> As I've mentioned before, some of my activities as a research assistant have involved various field biology surveys of bats. Despite their bad reputations, they really are amazing to work with, I am absolutely in awe about everything about them, they are so incredibly specialized in so many ways. They are great examples of adaptive radiation, you can find them on every continent except Antarctica, and with around 1100 species they make up about 20% of all mammal species. They are also a ton of fun to work with, it's really interesting to observe how much temperament varies between different species.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBSxE5kLyqEojWT1oSARbsMGpw2tKZ8LFiaCGsCOt2BYriKsmY-UebjTXDjo45r0Bt89oVwphIeROKiZcbz9_01n2evHhMaN6B2SG9w14vZIJeYBqQEnKlCO_eOye9wHW0NlJVod1UWGNJEdQOdEYwgPqkPJDhu6v1-A5dJoVDCx0ge6hNhp-pimHrC0/s1248/bats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1248" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBSxE5kLyqEojWT1oSARbsMGpw2tKZ8LFiaCGsCOt2BYriKsmY-UebjTXDjo45r0Bt89oVwphIeROKiZcbz9_01n2evHhMaN6B2SG9w14vZIJeYBqQEnKlCO_eOye9wHW0NlJVod1UWGNJEdQOdEYwgPqkPJDhu6v1-A5dJoVDCx0ge6hNhp-pimHrC0/w640-h358/bats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>So, on the newswire today, new insights into a possible way to use genetics to trace variation in echolocation calls. The study is freely available courtsey of PLoS, highly recommended reading!</p><p>First for a little bit of background, a while back researchers identified a gene called FOXP2 that appears to play a role in the development of language skills. The human and chimpanzee versions of the gene differ by only two mutations, leading to much speculation that those mutations were the keys that opened the door to complex language for our distant ancestors.</p><p>FOXP2 was thought to be highly conserved among vertebrates, supporting the fact that those two mutations in humans could be so crucial, but further research has shown that isn't necessarily the case: the new paper shows that bats have a diverse set of mutations in the gene. Snipped from the abstract:</p><p>We found that contrary to previous reports, FoxP2 is not highly conserved across all nonhuman mammals but is extremely diverse in echolocating bats. We detected divergent selection (a change in selective pressure) at FoxP2 between bats with contrasting sonar systems, suggesting the intriguing possibility of a role for FoxP2 in the evolution and development of echolocation. We speculate that observed accelerated evolution of FoxP2 in bats supports a previously proposed function in sensorimotor coordination.</p><p>This is cool for several reasons:</p><p>1) A gene we thought was highly conserved is actually highly divergent, within one taxa at least.</p><p>2) Said gene might have a new function (sensorimotor) besides the one originally attributed to it (verbal language).</p><p>3) This could give us clues to develop a more detailed picture of the evolution of bats. They are regrettably scanty in the fossil record, and if this could help develop a clearer picture of their divergence patterns, it will be really fascinating.</p><p>4) If it is this divergent in bats, what about other taxa that haven't been studied yet. The paper mentions that they didn't find the same levels of divergence in dolphins, which also echolocate, but I'm sure there are many other species worth studying in terms of FOXP2 traits. Up until now FOXP2 research has been a little anthropocentric, focused on how we differ from our closest relatives, maybe this study will be a gateway to research on a broader sample of vertebrates. What about birds, they're highly vocal, what patterns do their FOXP2 genes show?</p><p>5) Have I mentioned that bats are just plain amazing?</p><p><br /></p>MS2http://www.blogger.com/profile/11765803565278277995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-85885677309702548352007-09-14T17:05:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:30:35.669-08:00Hybridogenesis: Who's your daddy? And does it matter?<p> Earlier this year there were reports on a study that showed how two different species of butterfly could hybridize to produce a third. This is truly amazing, but could it occur in something other than an insect, say, maybe a vertebrate? If so, how exactly does it work?</p><p>The answer is that it can and, more importantly, that a similar phenomenon (not identical, because the offspring don't breed with each other, although they do reproduce to make more hybrids like themselves...read on!), known as hybridogenesis, does indeed occur in vertebrates. There are two fascinating species of Mexican livebearing topminnows, Poeciliopsis monacha and P. lucida, that are known to hybridize and produce offspring which then reproduce themselves parthenogenetically.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yXU4H_fWrbseXlJFKqyBizDpobVImregV_-KXzv7KyMUdhLDOMKrp3mqN04Q_Fv_Z3zsfquUA-cu9fsPLUQ0T_gXWnKrt1TYORNTTRwo0dr912Fs8MHX9k6agwteALv32017lvjdPwWVwYqBkepjc5fj7Eh7hoVL_1CKeZtr2GEw3cegb6bMgu0Z00g/s284/unisex_fish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="284" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8yXU4H_fWrbseXlJFKqyBizDpobVImregV_-KXzv7KyMUdhLDOMKrp3mqN04Q_Fv_Z3zsfquUA-cu9fsPLUQ0T_gXWnKrt1TYORNTTRwo0dr912Fs8MHX9k6agwteALv32017lvjdPwWVwYqBkepjc5fj7Eh7hoVL_1CKeZtr2GEw3cegb6bMgu0Z00g/w320-h224/unisex_fish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In this case, the hybrid does not have its own scientific name, it is simply notated as P. monacha x lucida, although there is another example from this genus, possibly the topic of a future post, in which the hybrid has indeed been given its own name.</p><p>So, down to business, what is the story about how these two separate fish species manage to hybridize and yield offspring which can go on to reproduce themselves? Fish in the famile Poecilidae are known as the "livebearers" because they do not deposit eggs, but house them in their bodies until they hatch. While they are commonly referred to as ovoviviparous, it is important to note that different species show different methods of nourishing the young within the body. Some are purely lecithotrophic, meaning that the offspring gain all their nourishment from materials within the egg, but some show varying degrees of matrotrophy, in which they obtain nutrients from the mother's body.</p><p>This is of particular interest, because the species in question show markedly different styles of nourishing their young: P. monacha is considered to be purely lecithotrophic, while P. lucida shows a moderate level of matrotrophy. Studies have shown that among human couples, disagreements over how to raise children are the biggest source of marital conflict. As any bickering human couple could probably attest, it's hard to raise a kid if you can't even agree on how to feed it, adding another fascinating layer to the story of how these fish not only reproduce successfully, but create offspring that are themselves fertile.</p>
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<p>The first step in the process is for the initial event, mating between a male P. lucida and a female P. monarcha. The cross is sex-specific, it doesn't happen successfuly the other way around. Male P. lucida will actively court the females of the other species, and can apparently succeed in attracting them for a copulation.</p><p>Now we have fertilization, and hybrid offspring. How are these offspring going to overcome the fact that they possess chromosomes from two different species? P. monacha has 48 chromosomes, while populations of P. lucida have been shown to have either 48 or 72, but in both cases they can hybridize successfully.</p><p>In many cases, hybrids are sterile for a simple reason: chromosomes. For example, mules are almost always sterile (almost, because about one in a million female mules are fertile, although there have been no cases of fertility in males). This is because donkeys have 64 chromosomes and horses have 62, yielding offspring with 63. Dividing chromosomes evenly is a crucial part of meiosis: when you have an odd number, it just doesn't work correctly. This is the best known explanation for many cases of hybrid sterility.</p><p>How to overcome the chromosome problem? The key here is a phenomenon known as meiotic drive. This happens when alleles become tightly linked, violating Mendel's law of independent assortment and leading to over-representation of genes from a single parent in gametes produced by an offspring.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI8eHzOshtIU9CjWJTD1zLHFdbZBiz9-B4doMoP6n8VGwdz55FwTGSOkxJkAGeihxiCT_GF4Es1VY0YfKeXnjoyXuRv8DL7G3BALFUcQ0pQov3LYQxVHVsrAyI9xqBLA9p59cbSs3ZS0GOaudUVTh-PibErg6VcCeNWPncLxBv26rl3pnnmVx75wzaAg/s334/cd4t.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="334" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI8eHzOshtIU9CjWJTD1zLHFdbZBiz9-B4doMoP6n8VGwdz55FwTGSOkxJkAGeihxiCT_GF4Es1VY0YfKeXnjoyXuRv8DL7G3BALFUcQ0pQov3LYQxVHVsrAyI9xqBLA9p59cbSs3ZS0GOaudUVTh-PibErg6VcCeNWPncLxBv26rl3pnnmVx75wzaAg/w320-h311/cd4t.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>When chromosomes line up along the metaphase plate during meiosis, we expect to see a random mix of maternal/paternal alleles on each side. Due to meiotic drive, however, P. monacha x lucida cells show distinct segregation of maternal and paternal cells: all P. monacha cells on one side, all P. lucida cells on the other side. The cell then undergoes an uneven division, producing a daughter gamete (which gets all the "good stuff": organelles, energy, cytoplasm, etc) and a polar body, which is discarded. This is the crucial event: the polar body contained the P. lucida genome, and the haploid cell (destined to become the egg) contains the P. monacha genome.</p><p>So what has effectively happened: the two species hybridized, which should have mixed their genomes, leading to offspring with sexual identity issues which will never be able to reproduce. BUT, we have meiotic drive, which allows the offspring to sort the genomes out, toss dad's genes, and produce eggs identical to the P. monacha eggs they hatched from in the first place. So even though the P. monacha x lucida individuals are hybrids, reproductively they are still P. monacha, if you go by their gametes alone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHAwDjnN6zspRL72trkQw0f-mHEyOcEE8rDoejA6TPP8suRjfajlgvG0IQiccRjNdMCG4eC-TaHFCJevJmILvyYnPHnk8kklakEE2EGby8c2HpRdVkQ95bJxRvVXzCo-Q6CCyM7iBYIEDHel0lFlYzuRgogm_Y1wlUXW-aa2IP5QaSs-TLMXwdN06B8A/s312/image145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="312" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHAwDjnN6zspRL72trkQw0f-mHEyOcEE8rDoejA6TPP8suRjfajlgvG0IQiccRjNdMCG4eC-TaHFCJevJmILvyYnPHnk8kklakEE2EGby8c2HpRdVkQ95bJxRvVXzCo-Q6CCyM7iBYIEDHel0lFlYzuRgogm_Y1wlUXW-aa2IP5QaSs-TLMXwdN06B8A/w320-h294/image145.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The story isn't over yet, though, there's another twist. The P. monacha x P. lucida individuals are always female, and can only produce females. It doesn't take an experienced biologist to realize that there are going to be no hybrid x hybrid crosses here. So how does the all female line perpetuate itself?</p><p><br /></p><p>Interestingly the hybrid animals all choose to mate with male P. lucida, and the males appear to prefer the hybrids over their own species! So the all female line can continue as long as it keeps mating with those dupey P. lucida, the chucking out the male genes and putting forth only their female P. monacha genome for reproduction. This is not a clonal line of females, however, they are hemiclones. They all carry the same maternal genome, but can get a paternal genome from any P. lucida male they mate with, so all the individuals within the hybrid population will not be genetically identical (although their gametes will be).</p><p>This process, again, is known as hybridogenesis. Poecilids actually show a truly amazing variety of reproductive modes, including a way to produce lines of true female clones instead of the hemiclones produced here. Stay tuned for the details of that process in an upcoming post!</p><p>By the way, if you're interested in learning more about hybrid species, Messy Beast has tons of information. It is focused on felids, but also covers a variety of mammals and birds, I highly recommend it!</p>MS2http://www.blogger.com/profile/11765803565278277995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-36666068061244470752007-07-16T13:53:00.001-07:002024-02-13T17:30:46.077-08:00Harry Potter Science # 4: The Botany of Wands<p> Continuing the Harry Potter Science series (read parts one, two, and three if you missed them!), today we're looking at one of the aspects of wizarding life that is extremely important but also seems to be taken for granted: wands. Although it is possible to cast spells without using a wand, this is difficult and as a general rule a wizard/witch must have their wand on them at all times. This makes the disappearance of the legendary wand-crafter Ollivander especially disturbing, you can buy wands from other places but his shop is known to be the best. His disappearance only warranted a couple of mentions in Book 6, but I am predicting it will be highly significant in Book 7.</p><p>So, on to wands. Each wizard's wand is unique, and they vary in length, flexibility, wood type, and core. For example, Harry has an eleven inch wand made of holly, with a phoenix feather core. (This feather, incidentally, came from Dumbledore's very own phoenix, Fawkes, and the only other wand with one of Fawkes' feathers belongs to You Know Who...). Hermione has a dragon heartstring core, and Ron's wand has a unicorn hair core. (The phoenix, dragon, and unicorn cores are the only ones that Ollivander uses).</p><p>While the core of the wand seems to be highly significant, the wooden sheath has much to say about the wand owner as well. "The Trio," consisting of the protagonists Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all have wands made of the wood that the Celts assigned to the particular time of year of their birth (kind of like a tree-based zodiac). Harry's wand is holly, Hermione's is vine wood, and Ron's is ash. These are the only characters whose wands correspond to the Celtic tradition, but, as we shall see, the wand wood of all the characters is hardly arbitrary.</p><p>So we know Harry's wand is holly, what does that say about him, besides identifying an approximate date of birth? Although the berries can be slightly toxic, after they have frosted and thawed a few times they soften and provide food for many birds and insects. Also, holly bushes are known to be used by birds as refuges from predators. This seems to correspond to Harry very well. He is a very powerful wizard, and has traces of dark magic lurking in him despite his general heroics, such as his talents as a Parselmouth, something all wizards associate with the "toxic" dark arts. Just like holly berries, though, over the years his Parseltongue incidents have shown to be benign and he has regained the trust of those that were originally repelled when they learned about this hidden talent. As for providing refuge from predators, Harry is a star student in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and starts a club, Dumbledore's Army, in which he tutors other students on defensive techniques.</p><p>Moving on: everyone's favorite naturalist, Rubeus Hagrid. His wand is actually broken, and is concealed in a pink umbrella, but seems to serve him well nonetheless. It is oak, a tree also known as "King of the Forest," which seems fitting for Hogwart's grounds keeper and Care of Magical Creatures instructor. Oak also symbolizes strength and protection, which fits someone of Hagrids huge stature ("twice as tall as a normal man and five times as wide") and kind nature.</p><p>James Potter's wand was mahogany, a symbol of strength, which must have been true since he was known to be a powerful wizard and gave his life to save Harry. Also, there is a type of wood known as "stag mahogany", which is interesting because James was an animagus and his animal form was a stag. Interestingly, Lily Potter's wand was willow. It may not seem like a wand that symbols much robustness, but willow is commonly used in landscape management to prevent erosion, as a shelter/windbreak, and to help with biofiltration, all protective/caring functions fitting a good mother figure like Lily. Also notable, if not scientific: it has traditionally been thought to protect from evil, which is exactly what Lily did in the final act of her life: by dying for Harry, she somehow gave him a power over Voldemort that saved his life that fateful night and has served as his most potent weapon ever since. We still don't know the details of how this happened, hopefully it will be revealed in the last book.</p><p>And last, the one you've surely been wondering about: we know Voldemort's wand has the same core as Harry's, but what wood is it made out of? Yew. Yew trees are notable for two things that relate to Voldemort. The first is toxicity. The leaves, seeds, and fruit of this plant all contain poisonous alkaloids, which have been shown to cause potentially fatal heart problems in mammals. Nasty stuff that you don't want to play around with, much like everyone's favorite villian.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XztI_-ujBBtEzTB3ICtDs2XjhcInbYaf8EdFN5M2nlnQAJHdbKpuHiUhEdowTXU_XP6dsNwh7DHpm2sGat0RMb7q08LpdP-IUwPkXYVDCQkHqv9g17GJfmO0agSZgPSFFYdJs3bvjTM8oWIsPhUCie0m6RpGh5pdAz7lB_8eOTUxxOZCdGzcCFI0Yg/s558/yew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XztI_-ujBBtEzTB3ICtDs2XjhcInbYaf8EdFN5M2nlnQAJHdbKpuHiUhEdowTXU_XP6dsNwh7DHpm2sGat0RMb7q08LpdP-IUwPkXYVDCQkHqv9g17GJfmO0agSZgPSFFYdJs3bvjTM8oWIsPhUCie0m6RpGh5pdAz7lB_8eOTUxxOZCdGzcCFI0Yg/s16000/yew.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Druid cults often honor the yew: ("Dark tree, warder of time and ghosts buried long ago") for its extremely long life. There is a yew tree in Scotland that is thought to be 5,000 years old (picture credit to Barry Dunford). This is extremely significant, as Voldemort has been existing on the edge of death--but not quite gone--for sixteen years now, having partitioned his soul between horcruxes in his attempts to achieve immortality. The yew is also known as a tree of knowledge, and is often associated with fortresses--fitting to represent one of the most powerful wizards in the world.</p><p>So, there you have it, something as seemingly mundane as a species of tree can tell us much about a wizard/witch's character. Both the biological properties and legends about each type of wand wood seem to be highly significant, and it's worth the effort to pay attention to details of each character's wand, to see if JKR is dropping hints for us. I personally think that the issue of wands will be highly significant in the next book. We know that Ollivander has disappeared, and also that he had a wand displayed in his window that seemed to be highly prized by him, although we were never told why. We also know that Voldemort sought after relics from the founders of Hogwarts when gathering objects to use as horcruxes...could Ollivander be gone because he possessed the wand of Rowena Ravenclaw?</p><p>Also, we know that the last wand that Ollivander sold before he died was to Neville Longbottom, who is absolutely my favorite character. I have high hopes for Neville in the last book, and I think this detail about the wand is a clue that he is going to have a critical role in the final battles of the book.</p><p>By the way, Neville's wand was cherry, known for being strong and durable, (and also dense, a hat tip to his clumsiness and struggles in school). It was traditionally thought to protect from evil, and it contains anthocyanins (used to reduce pain and inflammation) and anti-oxidants, known to be beneficial for the immune system. I would say that this definitely supports my long-held view that Neville is definitely a guy you want on your team.</p><p>As a final parting note, just for fun: if all this wand talk has you hankering for one of your own, you can customize one here. The franchise opportunities never end!</p>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-8880235839604074432007-07-15T17:33:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:30:59.349-08:00Harry Potter Science # 3: Conservation Biology<p> After reading about the Amazon dam story I am riled up on conservation indignation and am carrying the theme into my Harry Potter posts (click here for parts one and two of the series).</p><p>So, today's Harry Potter Science: conservation in the wizarding world. While this isn't an overriding theme in the books, a careful look at the world of Harry Potter shows that wizards do indeed recognize when there is a need for conservation of some of their magical creatures. Part of this conscientiousness stems from the need to manage animals in order to prevent muggles from sighting magical creatures: it is crucial for wizards to be aware of the status of the populations of all the magical species. The Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures places severe restrictions on the wildlife trade, and there are extreme penalties for illegal breeding and selling of magical creatures. The 1965 Ban on Experimental Breeding made the creation of new species illegal, allowing effort and resources to be focused on managing extant species.</p><p>We know that Charlie Weasley works as a "dragon keeper" in Romania, and while his exact duties aren't explained in detail, it is safe to assume he works with the Romanian Longhorn, the only species known for that region. According to Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, "the Longhorn has been the subject of an intensive breeding programme because its numbers have fallen so low in recent years, largely because of the trade in its horns, which are now a Class B Tradeable Material."</p><p>Despite their bad reputations, dragons are magnificent animals and it is good to know that it seems at least some attention is being given to the management of the world's declining dragon populations (lest they meet the fate of Dracorex hogwartsia, whom we met yesterday).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOYXnafU568yOcOxtMBWWgsCFy-gPK65t9Ot7hMAHyAjbxhAbOoW_W8rrzVX5viuJW-21b-aP2ew76hycxQP97uvarpq6QkLw6_jPWzg2v6j0irZ32CcvGEuFoSNTLNiVFNUc_H1wA4-jsPEtzGiYKfx3PShNoTORW9VBOa8Mtd47dPwfX-9WV2Q5NMI/s500/Dodo1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="500" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOYXnafU568yOcOxtMBWWgsCFy-gPK65t9Ot7hMAHyAjbxhAbOoW_W8rrzVX5viuJW-21b-aP2ew76hycxQP97uvarpq6QkLw6_jPWzg2v6j0irZ32CcvGEuFoSNTLNiVFNUc_H1wA4-jsPEtzGiYKfx3PShNoTORW9VBOa8Mtd47dPwfX-9WV2Q5NMI/w400-h341/Dodo1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The magical world has also served as a refuge for species persecuted to the point of extinction by us (muggles). An example is the fate of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), one of the most common examples of a species that was driven to extinction by humans in recent history. This was a large, plump, flightless bird that lived on the islands of Mauritius until it was discovered to have an unfortunate combination of traits: being tasty and moving slowly. While the last muggle sighting of a Dodo dates to the late seventeenth century, the species, known as the Diricawl to wizards, was saved by its magical abilities. According to Scamander, "it can vanish in a puff of feathers and reappear elsewhere." This ability to disapparate when necessary explains why none have been seen by humans for centuries: it doesn't take a birdbrain to figure out that humans spell trouble for island species, obviously the Diricawl learned this the hard way. (By the way, Disapparating/Apparating is a skill which wizards may only legally perform after vigorous training and a tough exam at age 17. Is this bird's talent analgous to turkeys cruising down the highways in minivans?).</p>
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<p>Not all birds have been so lucky in the magical world, however. Case in point: the Golden Snidget. It is labeled as "protected" by Scamander, after being brought to the verge of extinction by hunters in the thirteenth century. The tiny round bird has "jewel-like" red eyes, and the extraordinary anatomy of its wings allows it to use rotating joints for exceptional maneuverability. (Thanks to the HP Lexicon for the picture)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbBcBpVz8amPJdsg_ywMFBdg5_SIJBQOQO93vUBZ5IT5JDzHEn7GQSkNvo0c8SoWpONik-1fhau1FkFXcR-aT9wL5mypEgOVs16oJqWpAYtomvrxp2GQK0J2RF1ORhaLvdS6UM4qaEQOsajKM7_3Co3ZklVwGqxYV84AzpEWFZhFomHAPY62i3aJEyLk/s366/snidgit-cs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="366" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbBcBpVz8amPJdsg_ywMFBdg5_SIJBQOQO93vUBZ5IT5JDzHEn7GQSkNvo0c8SoWpONik-1fhau1FkFXcR-aT9wL5mypEgOVs16oJqWpAYtomvrxp2GQK0J2RF1ORhaLvdS6UM4qaEQOsajKM7_3Co3ZklVwGqxYV84AzpEWFZhFomHAPY62i3aJEyLk/w400-h394/snidgit-cs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>This agility is what got the bird into trouble in the first place. It was originally common in Northern Europe, but the thirteenth century brought a turning point for Snidget populations. While its feathers and eyes have always been highly prized for decorations and potions, its athletic ability turned out to be its downfall. It became highly sought after when it was incorporated into the game of quidditch in 1269. According to quidditch historian Kennilworthy Whisp, the Chief of the Wizard's Council at the time decided to bring a Snidget to a match and offer a prize of 150 galleons (equal to over a million galleons today) to any player that could catch the bird during the game. This started a new tradition, and quidditch matches couldn't end until the Seeker caught the bird, which was confined to the field with Repelling Charms by the spectators. Snidgets became extremely hot commodities, as they were now required equipment for the most popular sport in the wizarding world.</p><p>It took less than one hundred years for the Wizard's Council to recognize its folly (fairly fast, considering we are talking about a government not only admitting the mistake of an official but being proactive in finding a solution). Elfrida Clagg, the new Chieftainess of the Council, declared the Snidget protected, making it illegal to either kill one or use it in a quidditch game for any purpose. (In recognition of her contribution to conservation science, Clagg was honored as "Wizard of the Month for June 2005 on J.K. Rowling's website). The mechanical golden snitch was invented as a replacement, and the birds were no longer exploited for sport.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfxttdbF3NLEX9O_um7gJvUXAUzmX7tzSYQ038tZTw7Cdu_jYM9eIzTfHiEi2V6NHtzPCowCTmb6Ct4wthqb-KC-KbF8_oO008ekwIYJ8r0WcUQM4tLF8b2WJNB44FqGcnixhuU7p0S0y7IfINRRzkxyDvvhbzG4Aa1hzeOR6HU-ECZRSSA_gZXXlHVQ/s500/C21_Bottleneck_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfxttdbF3NLEX9O_um7gJvUXAUzmX7tzSYQ038tZTw7Cdu_jYM9eIzTfHiEi2V6NHtzPCowCTmb6Ct4wthqb-KC-KbF8_oO008ekwIYJ8r0WcUQM4tLF8b2WJNB44FqGcnixhuU7p0S0y7IfINRRzkxyDvvhbzG4Aa1hzeOR6HU-ECZRSSA_gZXXlHVQ/w400-h400/C21_Bottleneck_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Despite being protected for over 600 years now, the Snidget remains a rare bird, never having recovered its populations to previous levels. It is probably safe to assume that it suffered a severe population bottleneck when its numbers sank below a critical level, and is now less able to adapt due to loss of heterozygosity. Being a small, rare animal it could also be suffering from the Allee effect, which happens when population density in an animal's habitat falls to such low levels that they have difficulty locating mates. This is typically seen in species that are sessile or have low dispersal abilities, but the effect can happen with any animal the reaches certain critical low densities.</p><p>This is an important lesson that both muggles and wizards should heed: once a population sinks below a critical point, rehabilitating the species is extremely difficult.</p><p>So, while some may think that wizards are insensitive to issues about animals (any trip through a potHogwarts supply room could double as an anatomy lesson of the many species used to concoct various potions), it is obvious that the magical world does indeed recognize the need for conservation, and has taken proactive steps for preventing the prevention of some of its amazing animals. For information on conservation in the muggle world, check out the Society for Conservation Biology , Conservation International, or the Wildlife Conservation Society for great information and links. You can see if any of them have a chapter or facility near you. If they don't, consider starting your own, I did that with the SCB last fall and have found them to be extremely enthusiastic about helping new chapters get up and running.</p>MS2http://www.blogger.com/profile/11765803565278277995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-60351060637996148032007-07-13T14:25:00.007-07:002024-02-13T17:31:10.150-08:00Harry Potter Science # 1: The Genetics of Wizards<p> In anticipation of the release of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (one week from tomorrow!), I'm going to do a series of posts linking the HP series and science in some way. I am a huge fan of the books (the movies are a waste of time, they are a disgrace to the books, READ THE BOOKS!), and even though they take place in a magical world, they can inspire a lot of interesting scientific questions to kick around for fun.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17SW499HX5im009QHkgfk9foeSbmjWHxvuuDwTj3XZw8VxglkTqu0NJa9-1vQKy2C_OtMARPMRtaBc6LmKmt7ZzIAvwIdlHmhphVv3K_htKyj8DZqm29auHGisWUHnq4cniuofI_u5J0qVCSZtChhofLP7fX3OhGNVrPOwGm59s577KBcBtkT7ZHuIrQ/s766/harry%20potter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="766" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17SW499HX5im009QHkgfk9foeSbmjWHxvuuDwTj3XZw8VxglkTqu0NJa9-1vQKy2C_OtMARPMRtaBc6LmKmt7ZzIAvwIdlHmhphVv3K_htKyj8DZqm29auHGisWUHnq4cniuofI_u5J0qVCSZtChhofLP7fX3OhGNVrPOwGm59s577KBcBtkT7ZHuIrQ/w640-h640/harry%20potter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>First up: the genetics of wizardry. What makes a person a wizard, and not a muggle? There was actually some discussion in the journal Nature on this very topic, back in 2005: a letter (Craig, J. Dow, R. and Aitken, M. Harry Potter and the Recessive Allele. Nature. Vol 436: 776.) and a rebuttal letter (Dodd, A., Hotta, C. and Gardner, M. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Presumptions. Nature. Vol 437, p 318.).</p><p>The first letter claims that being being magical must depend upon a recessive allele. Wizards can have a variety of family histories: they can be born from a purely magical family, they can come from a strictly nonmagical family, or they can have one magical and one nonmagical parent (commonly scorned as "mudbloods" by haughty purebloods such as the Malfoys). Since wizards/witches can be born into muggle (nonmagical) families, Craig et al suggest that magical ability is a recessive trait (they designate the wizard allele as W and the muggle allele as M). They hypothesize that all wizards/witches are WW, which can result from a cross between two muggle "carriers" that are MW.</p><p>In the world of Harry Potter, pedigree is a point of pride in "pure blood" wizard families, and there are several times in the series when a character mentions that all of the remaining pure blooded families are linked by blood in some way, reminiscent of royal families that have limited their gene pools by avoiding out breeding. This implies that pure families such as the Malfoys and the Weaseleys are WW, since they have had no expression of dominant alleles in their recorded histories.</p><p>This isn't addressed in the letter, but it should be noted that in this system Harry must be a pureblood (WW), even though his mother came from a muggle family. Both of his parents were indeed magical, and if the gene is recessive then they must have both been homozygous for the trait.</p><p>It is not quite this simple, however, since sometimes magical families produce offspring that either lack magical abilities or have extremely restricted skills (these are referred to as "squibs", the Hogwarts hall Nazi, Filch, is an example). Also, Craig et al suggest that differences in levels of natural talent among wizards could be due to things like incomplete penetrance, or mutations, they give the hopelessly accident-prone Neville as an example.</p><p>The rebuttal letter, however, criticizes the view that magical ability can be chalked up to a monogenic trait. They argue that Neville cannot be a case of incomplete penetrance, because incomplete penetrance does not result in an intermediately expressed trait, it means that not all individuals inheriting the trait will express it, but those that do WILL express it fully. Dodd et al also point out that whether you claim incomplete penetrance or concede "variable expressivity", both of those phenomena are associated with dominant alleles, and couldn't apply to the recessive W. This letter concludes that it is not possible to determine that magical ability is unambiguously a heritable trait.</p><p>While Craig et al's original letter seemed intuitive, the Dodd et al letter makes some good points. Granted, you could chalk squibs up to mutations, and you could counter their problem with Hermione (how do we know she really has no family history of magic? It could be either intentionally or accidentally lost in family records, recessive alleles can hang around in the shadow for many generations). But their point about incomplete penetrance does strike a blow to the monogenic theory, and it does seem that something as complex and encompassing as magical ability would depend on more than a single locus.</p><p>So, the verdict, readers? If wizardry isn't a simple recessive allele, how, if at all, do you think it is inherited? Dodd et all claim there isn't enough evidence to show that magic is heritable, but how do you explain family trees like the Blacks, Malfoys, and Weaselys, with nothing but magic as far back as they go? There is obvious genetic isolation, with those families marrying only other magical families, but if the trait were not genetic then that shouldn't prevent muggles (or squibs, as they would be called in this case) from popping up at least occasionally...</p><p>This brings up another question, what could cause some magical families to produce squibs while some have no record of them? Where the Filches just unlucky, or are they genetically inferior to the Malfoys, as far as wizarding abilities go? Magical abilities develop with age, so by the time a squib became apparent it would be too late for infanticide. The poor nonmagical children could be sent off somewhere and not discussed again, but again, by the time a child is that age the community has usually noticed them and it would be difficult to explain their sudden disappearance. Plus, being a squib is undoubtedly embarassing, but the social stigma doesn't seem extreme enough to warrant exile: Filch has no redeeming physical OR personality traits to make him likeable, yet he still has a job at Hogwarts, one of the most important institutions in the wizarding world.</p><p>I have to close with one thing statement that needs to be made, although it doesn't directly relate to genetics: I don't agree with them using Neville as an example of partial/poor wizarding ability. He is by far my favorite character, and I think too many people underestimate him (I also HATE the casting for him in the movies, bah). Yes, he is awkward, forgetful, unlucky, and accident-prone. But he has shown courage in many critical moments, and it is known that the prophecy about Voldemort and Harry's fates could have equally applied to Neville, Voldemort unwittingly chose his enemy and it was just chance that it turned out to be Harry facing the Avada Kevdavra that night instead.</p><p>Also, Neville has developed a strong talent for herbology. He is not a dunce, he just took a while to find his niche, it seems. My biggest prediction for book 7 is that Neville will have a key role as a hero, I've been saying that since the 2nd or 3rd book. He got noticeably short shrift in the last book (6, Half-Blood Prince), but I think he will come back strong in the finale.</p><p>Ok, that's all for now, look for more Harry Potter science in the days to come!</p>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-14366032785528079822007-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:31:20.009-08:00Brightly Colored Birds More Affected By Chernobyl<div style="text-align: justify;">On ScienceDaily today, a really fascinating report on how the Chernobyl meltdown has affected some bird species more than others. They studied 57 species, and found that those that have had the most drastic declines since the disaster fall into four groups:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">1. Species that depend upon dietary carotenoids for their red, yellow, or orange plumage (orioles, blackbirds, blue tits, for example).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Species with relatively large eggs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Species that migrate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Species with wide dispersal patterns.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apparently all of those groups have lifestyles that place a high demand on antioxidants (for plumage coloration, flight energetics, etc). The study suggests that high levels of radiation have a disproportionately negative impact on species that require lots of antioxidant compounds. Radiation levels in a normal (ie not post-meltdown) environment vary due to natural things like differences in isotopes between different geological features, and the researchers suggest that these new discoveries can be used to make predictions about species success in places where radiation levels can be quantified.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwujFFDKA8zCLNfiZzAu_EXxiCy2Grzjk80ZDE5vykIMf5tfVz93_p4qSl0YM_AUsZOYbrI2Oj3pEe47a-lNtlU_yDzmL_vaqPailRGQLJax7v9MH7-WktJekZ8ueELnSbEsNBVEC4lYrg/s1600/Hooded+Oriole.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwujFFDKA8zCLNfiZzAu_EXxiCy2Grzjk80ZDE5vykIMf5tfVz93_p4qSl0YM_AUsZOYbrI2Oj3pEe47a-lNtlU_yDzmL_vaqPailRGQLJax7v9MH7-WktJekZ8ueELnSbEsNBVEC4lYrg/w640-h466/Hooded+Oriole.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is important to realize, from the data in their report, that some of the species studied fall into more than one of the high-risk groups: for example, orioles depend on carotenoids for their yellow plumage (see image), and also migrate long distances.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also, another thing I gathered from the report that I thought warranted a note: bird species that are taxonomically close might not be impacted to the same degree as less-related species with similar lifestyles (meaning, you can't necessarily predict the impact on a species by looking at stats on a sister species). For example, in the family Paridae, blue tits, which are highly dependent on carotenoids, have faced much sharper declines than coal tits.</div><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">I've always been fascinated with the Chernobyl meltdown (it's one of the landmark events in the year I was born, btw) and its impacts on the local wildlife. Despite my unabashed mammal and dino bias as far as interests go, the radiation-eating fungus recently discovered there is still definitely my favorite science story of 2007 (see my blog post on it here). One thing that is both interesting and sad is that some reports have shown that wildlife has actually benefited, in some ways, from the catastrophe, since human activities in the area have effectively ceased.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-37838864554509654282007-07-11T13:34:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:33:06.440-08:00Quotes of the day<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEFtH_P4L5KI_gY-IEPRgLryHTzsznh4eil2GUbxQEKWEH7AsZaXZSl6O1eprXcOdolx4nvVQ-HrtAPS0REEwXrNyg2aspEqwa5xW3jPy9AJCw9YRF5IbOl1t67nO_qt44_PkynhCgN9-9nBpyVxtZk3vXqf_xnmSFDsmRHU0pXMhEGL-MLg933XZtVY/s750/carl%20sagan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEFtH_P4L5KI_gY-IEPRgLryHTzsznh4eil2GUbxQEKWEH7AsZaXZSl6O1eprXcOdolx4nvVQ-HrtAPS0REEwXrNyg2aspEqwa5xW3jPy9AJCw9YRF5IbOl1t67nO_qt44_PkynhCgN9-9nBpyVxtZk3vXqf_xnmSFDsmRHU0pXMhEGL-MLg933XZtVY/w640-h480/carl%20sagan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><i>"How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, 'this is better than we thought!' The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant'? Instead they say, 'No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.' A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Carl Sagan in <i>The Pale Blue Dot</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"The distinguished embryologist Lewis Wolpert once admitted that science is occasionally arrogant, and he went on to remark, mildly, that science has a certain amount to be arrogant about."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Richard Dawkins in <i>Unweaving the Rainbow</i></div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-49072258737699398852007-07-09T09:00:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:33:18.225-08:00Worm-like jellyfish<div style="text-align: justify;">There is a really fascinating article on Science Daily today about Buddenbrockia, a small organism previously that has long been thought to be a nematode worm, but now known to be most closely related to anemones and jellyfish. It has no gut, mouth, brain, or nerve cord, and although it was long thought to be a type of nematode, it has a very different body plan (the main distinction: Buddenbrockia is symmetrical).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Researchers from the University of Oxford compared 50 genes with a variety of organisms to determine where this enigmatic species fits into the animal kingdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are practical implications for this as well: apparently Buddenbrockia is closely related to a parasite that causes trouble for salmon farms (I don't have time to go into my issues with salmon farming the first place, though...). Current and future studies of it will hoepfully shed light on how to conquer the parasite, although I think that the taxonomic revelations are pretty cool all on their own.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllS33ZaSHBb_58ZmTk16ZtxoDWkjRCK-p4DwcQsnH7p5DA2M_mPCrL-vsIcUqCp_dgmoxN0B2Vbv2Kja9tAt-2X8bp8LE_DNqLNxtM1aLPkSHQeIVF0FJyNd8_kcC1aRs6XiOwf57_WM9/s1600/001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllS33ZaSHBb_58ZmTk16ZtxoDWkjRCK-p4DwcQsnH7p5DA2M_mPCrL-vsIcUqCp_dgmoxN0B2Vbv2Kja9tAt-2X8bp8LE_DNqLNxtM1aLPkSHQeIVF0FJyNd8_kcC1aRs6XiOwf57_WM9/w640-h405/001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo credit: University of Oxford)</span></div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3059290121367688893.post-52966563597658719482007-07-08T08:50:00.000-07:002024-02-13T17:33:27.924-08:00Could you solve it?<div style="text-align: justify;">Scenario: You are shown a tall cylinder with a tasty nut in the bottom. How do you go about getting it out, assuming the cylinder is too tall and narrow for you to reach the bottom, and that it is fused to a tabletop (you can't dump it out)?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">Could you create a strategy for getting the nut? Orangutans in one study showed amazing problem-solving skills to obtain the nut: they took mouthfuls of drinking water and spat into the cylinder, to make the nut float within finger-grasping range.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The five orangutans tested needed an average of nine minutes to realize that they could float a peanut to the top of the container, you can see an example here:</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="428" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qw1WzCBZ9Kc?rel=0" width="570"></iframe></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Pretty amazing, I think! Orangs are infamous for using tools and escaping enclosures in captivity (read about the legendary escapades of Fu Manchu here), which is interesting because in the wild they have not been observed to use tools to the same degree as other apes, or to captive members of their own species. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If I could pick one primate to study it would definitely be the orangutan, there is so much about the species that is unique from the other great apes. They are so imperiled right now, though, and often from places people wouldn't expect, like efforts to promote biofuels instead of fossil fuels. You can learn more about orangutan conservation efforts here, the statistics are very disturbing.</div>Piahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00790313899382790917noreply@blogger.com0