Recently
Same Old Song (Not)
Birds are not born with a song in their hearts or their heads. They must learn them from other birds.
So naturally, it seems only reasonable that these songs evolve, with each generation tweaking tunes to fit their times.
And, in fact, this is what …Read more.
Walleye Fans See Danger in Duo
Walleyes reside at the apex of the natural food chain in the Great Lakes and are a prized sports fish, critical to a $7 billion-a-year local fishery. But that lofty and much-admired perch (the spot, not the fish) is becoming increasingly precarious, …Read more.
Digging Up Trouble
A different kind of mine disaster may be in the offing as researchers watch and worry about the human and environmental consequences of mining antimony, an element whose effects in nature and upon the human body are largely unknown.
"Antimony …Read more.
Digging Up Trouble
A different kind of mine disaster may be in the offing as researchers watch and worry about the human and environmental consequences of mining antimony, an element whose effects in nature and upon the human body are largely unknown.
"Antimony …Read more.
more articles
|
Pachyderms on PaceDo elephants run? And if they do, what exactly does it look like? These are not silly questions. Well, not entirely. A charging elephant can clearly cover a lot of ground fast, but is it really running? Or just walking very fast? John Hutchinson of the Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom set out to find out. Hutchinson constructed an elephant-sized force platform and induced a number of Asian elephants to move rapidly across it. He found that elephants move very economically, using one-third less energy (relative to mass) than humans and one-thirtieth compared to mice. As to whether elephants actually run (defined by a high-speed, bouncing motion of limbs), the answer is elephants walk and run at the same time. They keep two, and often three, feet on the ground at any time. And when moving at great speed, the front legs of an elephant assume a trotting motion, while the hind legs simply walk faster.
QUIRKS OF NATURE New genetic research indicates tigers are less closely related to lions, leopards and jaguars than these other big cats are to each other. The division turns out to be quite old: Ancestors of the tiger began evolving away from other big cats 3.2 million years ago. The tiger's closest living relative, genetically speaking, is the snow leopard. The two cats share something else: Both are highly endangered.
BRAIN SWEAT How many common English words can you make from the letters DRIBA? Use all of the letters each time.
'TRUE FACTS' An Israeli study found that bees prefer nectar containing small amounts of (naturally occurring) nicotine and caffeine more than nectar containing neither.
BRAIN SWEAT ANSWER BRAID AND RABID are the only two commonly accepted anagrams of DRIBA.
JUST ASKING If space is a vacuum, who changes the bags?
PATENTLY ABSURD Who hasn't said to themselves: "You know what I need? I need something that reminds me every moment of the day to do something, a reminder that batters my brain into subconscious mush." It's not clear that these "subliminal glasses," patented in 1992, do that, but they're certainly on the right track.
WHAT IS IT? ANSWER A stairwell in Antonio Gaudi's cathedral Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Gaudi (1852-1926) drew much inspiration from natural forms and structures — the stairwell clearly reminiscent of a seashell. The cathedral, which Gaudi began in 1882, is still being constructed. It is scheduled to be finished in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM   
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
