05.26.06
Pigeon brained
Check outthis article titled “Pigeon-brained birds can think in logarithms”. The article infers that pigeons, unlike humans, do not prioritize small numbers. So, pigeons can think using, logarithms. Can you?
05.24.06
If god gives u lemons…
Found this article on yahoo news about how lemonade (or more simply lemon juice with water) may help reduce and prevent the formation of kidney stones. The article says lemonate may increase the production of urinary citrate, a chemical in the urine that prevents the formation of crystals that may build up into kidney stones
05.23.06
Fruits and Veggies not so good.
Check out Fruits, Veggies Not as Vitamin-Rich as in Past, Says New Data. The article talks about how farmer’s focus on the quantity, size, and weight in fruits and vegetables are decreasing the quality of the produce. Some vitamins and nutrients (ie calcium, vitamin C, iron) have decreased as much as 38% in recent decades.
05.15.06
The solar system to scale.
Check out these pictures showing how big the earth is in our solar system: Proportions – How Small We Are. Although its nothing new, I realize that my styrofoam model in elementary school was not to scale.
Working is good for Moms
This article on Scientific American states that working moms enjoy better health than their unemployed or childless peers. Not too many other details, but its a good, quick read.
05.14.06
Realtime Seismic Monitor
Check out the IRIS Seismic Monitor. It shows past seismic events on a world map.
Social Networks – The Place to Be.
This article on techweb.com states that the top 10 social networking websites drew in 47% of the web traffic. On the top of the list are: MySpace (38.4m unique visitors), Blogger (18.5m), ClassMates Online (12.9m), YouTube (12.5m) and MSN Groups (10.6m).
Over the last couple months I’ve been hearing about MySpace on tv, on the news and also from friends. Once social networks gain critical mass, they will grow exponentially until some competing service or technology arrises. I had read an article a couple months back stating that eventhough friendster got out the door first, it now falls a distant second to MySpace. I’ve heard a couple references for facebook, but I dont think it has caught enough momentum.
I didnt check the entire top 10, but my hunch would be that flickr.com is also high up there.
Brazilian Stonehenge
This article at the BBC talks about a 2,000 year old collection of stones found in northern Brazilian used to pinpoint the winter solstice.
DNA, immune systems and space
Heres a couple of short reads I’ve been looking at. First, Environmental DNA Damage may drive mutation. While this is not a new theory, i havent seen any mainstream articles on it in while. The gist of it is that ultraviolent light, environmental chemicals, by products of cellular metabolism, and other chemicals or toxins can assult DNA of living beings by oxidizing DNA. This new oxidized element is then misread and incorrectly paired during DNA replication.
Next, Gene that Shuts Down Immune Systems found in People of African Descent. Caspase-12 is a molecule with a death-wish. Found only in people of African descent, this protein shuts down our body’s immune system, opening the door to potentially lethal infections.
Also, you can check out ancient buildings and monoliths from space. Finally, heres an article at wired.com titled Power Up With Magnetic Bacteria. A high school student used naturally occuring magnetic bacteria to produce a current for 48 hours nonstop.
Baghdad on Google Earth
Check out this guys blog looking at Baghdad on google earth. In the pictures you can see tanks and helicopters.
Why is the ground brown?
Heres a short article at scientific american about why most ground is brown. A fraction of the compounds created from dead organic material (plants, bacteria, fungi) in the soil are chemically resistent to microbial enzymes in the soil.
Many soils are brown in color because they contain large amounts of carbon. In particular, carbon-containing polymers called humic compounds absorb most visible wavelengths of light and give soils a dark brown appearance. Often the majority of soil carbon is present as humic compounds, which means they have a large impact on soil chemistry and fertility.