Sara Lewis is fluent in firefly. On this night she walks through a farm field in eastern Massachusetts, watching the first fireflies of the evening rise into the air and begin to blink on and off. Dr. Lewis, an evolutionary ecologist at Tufts University, points out six species in this meadow, each with its own pattern of flashes.
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The 90-year Evolution Of Swine Flu
The current H1N1 swine flu strain has genetic roots in an illness that sickened pigs at the 1918 Cedar Rapids Swine Show in Iowa, report infectious disease experts at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their paper, published online June 29 and slated for the July 16 print issue, describes H1N1's nearly century-long and often convoluted journey, which may include the accidental resurrection of an extinct strain.
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Natural-Born Divers and the Molecular Traces of Evolution
An aquatic lifestyle imposes serious demands for the organism, and this is true even for the tiniest molecules that form our body. When the ancestors of present marine mammals initiated their return to the oceans, their physiology had to adapt radically to the new medium. Dr. Michael Berenbrink and his colleagues at Liverpool University have been studying how myoglobin, the molecule responsible for delivering oxygen to the muscles during locomotion, has been modified in seals and whales to help them cope with the needs of a life at sea.
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Holy Text Quote of the Day #2
"And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money." -Exodus 21:20-21
Vegetables That Look Suspiciously Animal
A little out of the ordinary post, but still relevant.
The biodiversity on this planet is just astounding. Even with loss of habitat and the threat to flora and fauna, there is still so much to uncover and appreciate. Here we’ve gathered just a few interesting specimens of plants and fungi for you to discover. Some are more common while others are super strange, and to make things even more interesting for you, they all resemble animals and human body parts. Enjoy!
The biodiversity on this planet is just astounding. Even with loss of habitat and the threat to flora and fauna, there is still so much to uncover and appreciate. Here we’ve gathered just a few interesting specimens of plants and fungi for you to discover. Some are more common while others are super strange, and to make things even more interesting for you, they all resemble animals and human body parts. Enjoy!
Holy Text Quote of the Day
I think I'm gonna start try to post one random silly scripture from holy book across the world. The majority will be from the Holy Bible and the Qu`ran though. I realize a lot of believers will simply say it is out of context, but to know if it really is they will have to do some research wont they. Besides some of this stuff you have to wonder how it can be from any loving or merciful being and be acceptable in any context. Without further explanation here is the one for today.
"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron." -Judges 1:19
"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron." -Judges 1:19
Remains Bridge Evolutionary Gap Between Flesh Eaters and Plant Eaters
If you thought piranhas were scary, be glad Megapiranha is no longer around.
Megapiranha was up to 3 feet long (1 meter) — a fish-beast four times as big as piranhas living today, studies of its jawbones indicate. It lived about 8 million to 10 million years ago and might have been quite comfortable stalking cartoon animals in an "Ice Age" movie.
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Megapiranha was up to 3 feet long (1 meter) — a fish-beast four times as big as piranhas living today, studies of its jawbones indicate. It lived about 8 million to 10 million years ago and might have been quite comfortable stalking cartoon animals in an "Ice Age" movie.
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Dinosaur Fossil Shows Finger Evolution
U.S. and Chinese scientists say their discovery of a beaked, plant-eating dinosaur fossil shows how birds' three-fingered claws evolved from dinosaurs.
The researchers said their finding also demonstrates theropod, or bird-footed, dinosaurs were more ecologically diverse in the Jurassic period than previously thought.
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The researchers said their finding also demonstrates theropod, or bird-footed, dinosaurs were more ecologically diverse in the Jurassic period than previously thought.
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God and Science Don't Mix
My practice as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil is going to interfere with its course; and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my professional career. I should therefore be intellectually dishonest if I were not also atheistic in the affairs of the world.
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Freedom From Religion Foundation
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, with more than 13,000 members, is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists and agnostics) in the United States. FFRF has been working since 1978 to promote freethought and to keep state and church separate.
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Evolution is Faster When it's Warmer
Climate could have a direct effect on the speed of "molecular evolution" in mammals, according to a study.
Researchers have found that, among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.
These mutations - where one letter of the DNA code is substituted for another - are a first step in evolution.
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Researchers have found that, among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate.
These mutations - where one letter of the DNA code is substituted for another - are a first step in evolution.
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Wanted: Freedom from religion
The Ogre does what ogres can,
Deeds quite impossible for Man,
But one prize is beyond his reach,
The Ogre cannot master Speech:
About a subjugated plain,
Among its desperate and slain,
The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
While drivel gushes from his lips.
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Deeds quite impossible for Man,
But one prize is beyond his reach,
The Ogre cannot master Speech:
About a subjugated plain,
Among its desperate and slain,
The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
While drivel gushes from his lips.
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Why A Low Calorie Diet Extends Lifespans: Critical Enzyme Pair Identified
Experiment after experiment confirms that a diet on the brink of starvation expands lifespan in mice and many other species. But the molecular mechanism that links nutrition and survival is still poorly understood. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a pivotal role for two enzymes that work together to determine the health benefits of diet restriction.
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54 Mn Year Old Skull Reveals Early Evolution of Primate Brains
Researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Winnipeg have developed the first detailed images of a primitive primate brain, unexpectedly revealing that cousins of our earliest ancestors relied on smell more than sight.
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Istanbul Prosecutor: 'Drop Case of "God Delusion" Book'
Prosecutor Yakışan, speaking at the hearing, said that Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights also included the freedom of religion and conscience. He added, "In order for science to progress, we accept that every issue has to be approaced critically and with a questioning mind; otherwise, the whole of society is held hostage by dogmas."
The prosecutor pointed out that the European Convention protected the rights of both those with religious beliefs and of atheists, and that this had been confirmed in case law. Evaluated as a whole, the book was written as a criticism of religion and God in general, and the author did not target any particular religious group.
Yakışan reminded the court that the previous court case had ended in acquittal and thus demanded the case to be dropped. Otherwise, he warned, "publishers and writers will continuously be on trial, which would lead to personal suffering."
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The prosecutor pointed out that the European Convention protected the rights of both those with religious beliefs and of atheists, and that this had been confirmed in case law. Evaluated as a whole, the book was written as a criticism of religion and God in general, and the author did not target any particular religious group.
Yakışan reminded the court that the previous court case had ended in acquittal and thus demanded the case to be dropped. Otherwise, he warned, "publishers and writers will continuously be on trial, which would lead to personal suffering."
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DNA Template Could Explain Evolutionary Shifts
Rearrangements of all sizes in genomes, genes and exons can result from a glitch in DNA copying that occurs when the process stalls at a critical point and then shifts to a different genetic template, duplicating and even triplicating genes or just shuffling or deleting part of the code within them, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a recent report in the journal Nature Genetics.
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Two thirds of teenagers don't believe in God
Teenagers even say family, friends, money, music and even reality television are more important than religion.
It also emerged six out of ten 10 children (59 per cent) believe that religion "has a negative influence on the world".
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It also emerged six out of ten 10 children (59 per cent) believe that religion "has a negative influence on the world".
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Inside Nature's Giants
Of the many extraordinary sights revealed in Channel 4’s upcoming four-part series Inside Nature’s Giants, which uses dissection to take us inside the bodies of an elephant, giraffe and crocodile, the most remarkable is surely afforded by an autopsy carried out on a 65-foot long, 60-ton fin whale (a species second only in size to the blue whale) beached off the coast of Ireland.
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Planning Ahead Bacteria
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute in Israel, led by Prof. Yitzhak Pilpel, have recently shown that bacteria can anticipate certain future events in their environment and prepare for the upcoming changes. According to the scientists, these findings do not only improve our understanding of genetic adaptation processes, but may also have practical implications in the future for purposes such as green fuels' production.
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Among Many Peoples, Little Genomic Variety
There is a simplicity and all-inclusiveness to the number three -- the triangle, the Holy Trinity, three peas in a pod. So it's perhaps not surprising that the Family of Man is divided that way, too.
All of Earth's people, according to a new analysis of the genomes of 53 populations, fall into just three genetic groups. They are the products of the first and most important journey our species made -- the walk out of Africa about 70,000 years ago by a small fraction of ancestral Homo sapiens.
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All of Earth's people, according to a new analysis of the genomes of 53 populations, fall into just three genetic groups. They are the products of the first and most important journey our species made -- the walk out of Africa about 70,000 years ago by a small fraction of ancestral Homo sapiens.
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Why Some People Are Gay
We have known for at least a decade that hundreds of animal species — including birds, reptiles, mollusks and, of course, humans — engage in same-gender sexual acts. But no one is quite sure why. After all, same-sex couplings don't usually result in offspring. (I say usually because when male marine snails pair with other males, one partner conveniently changes sex, allowing for reproduction.) Evolutionarily speaking, homosexuality should have disappeared long ago.
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The Plant that Pretends to be ill
A plant that pretends to be ill has been found growing in the rainforests of Ecuador.
The plants feigns sickness to stop it being attacked by insect pests known as mining moths, which would otherwise eat its healthy leaves.
It is the first known example of a plant that mimics being ill, and could also explain a common pattern seen on plant leaves known as variegation.
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The plants feigns sickness to stop it being attacked by insect pests known as mining moths, which would otherwise eat its healthy leaves.
It is the first known example of a plant that mimics being ill, and could also explain a common pattern seen on plant leaves known as variegation.
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Audio slideshow: Darwin's Endless Forms
The scientific legacy of Charles Darwin is well documented, but the impact he had on the 19th Century art world is less well known.
As part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of his birth, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is hosting an exhibition which reveals art's debt to Darwin. Take a guided tour with the curators Diana Donald and Jane Munro.
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As part of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of his birth, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is hosting an exhibition which reveals art's debt to Darwin. Take a guided tour with the curators Diana Donald and Jane Munro.
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Oldest Known Evidence of Multicellular Life on Earth
"They are between 400 and 600 million years older than any multicellular life found anywhere on the planet," Professor Rasmussen, of Curtin University of Technology, said.
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Mexican Salamander May Yield Clues for Amputees
Scientists are genetically modifying a bizarre looking Mexican salamander, which according to ancient mythology is a transformed Aztec god, in the hope its ability to regenerate body parts will one day help human amputees.
Also known as "water monsters," the half-foot-long (15-cm-long) axolotl is nearly extinct in its only remaining habitat: the polluted vestiges of Aztec canals that snake though southern Mexico City, packed with colorful boats carrying tourists and mariachi musicians.
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Also known as "water monsters," the half-foot-long (15-cm-long) axolotl is nearly extinct in its only remaining habitat: the polluted vestiges of Aztec canals that snake though southern Mexico City, packed with colorful boats carrying tourists and mariachi musicians.
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Wired Science News for Your Neurons Fossil Catches Dinosaur Red-Handed, Evolving Into Bird
A newly discovered dinosaur provides a fossil snapshot of the reptiles’ evolution into birds, and neatly fills a troublesome transitional gap.
Living 159 million years ago in what is now Western China, Limusaurus inextricabilis was a small, herbivorous member of the theropod family. The coelurosaur branch of that family survives today, in highly modified form, as birds.
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Living 159 million years ago in what is now Western China, Limusaurus inextricabilis was a small, herbivorous member of the theropod family. The coelurosaur branch of that family survives today, in highly modified form, as birds.
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Sonic Black Hole Traps Sound Waves
A black hole created by Israeli scientists won't destroy Earth, but it could make our planet just a little bit less noisy.
Using Bose-Einstein condensates, the scientists created a black hole for sound. The new research could help scientists learn more about true black holes and help confirm the existence of as-yet to be discovered Hawking radiation.
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Using Bose-Einstein condensates, the scientists created a black hole for sound. The new research could help scientists learn more about true black holes and help confirm the existence of as-yet to be discovered Hawking radiation.
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Tiny Frozen Microbe May Hold Clues To Extraterrestrial Life
A novel bacterium -- trapped more than three kilometres under glacial ice in Greenland for over 120,000 years -- may hold clues as to what life forms might exist on other planets.
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Sea gives up Neanderthal fossil
Part of a Neanderthal man's skull has been dredged up from the North Sea, in the first confirmed find of its kind.
Scientists in Leiden, in the Netherlands, have unveiled the specimen - a fragment from the front of a skull belonging to a young adult male.
Analysis of chemical "isotopes" in the 60,000-year-old fossil suggest a carnivorous diet, matching results from other Neanderthal specimens.
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Scientists in Leiden, in the Netherlands, have unveiled the specimen - a fragment from the front of a skull belonging to a young adult male.
Analysis of chemical "isotopes" in the 60,000-year-old fossil suggest a carnivorous diet, matching results from other Neanderthal specimens.
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Gene Evolution Process Discovered
One of the mechanisms governing how our physical features and behavioral traits have evolved over centuries has been discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds.
Darwin proposed that such traits are passed from a parent to their offspring, with natural selection favoring those that give the greatest advantage for survival, but did not have a scientific explanation for this process.
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Darwin proposed that such traits are passed from a parent to their offspring, with natural selection favoring those that give the greatest advantage for survival, but did not have a scientific explanation for this process.
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Moray Eels Are Everywhere and There Is One Over Your Shoulder Right Now!
Reece’s approach to this question is to examine what limits and shapes species ranges of eels. Morays have extraordinary larvae, the Leptocephalus, that is an enigma in itself. The larvae contain no digestive track and no yolk but can maintain themselves in the water column from 6-24 months.
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Dr. Dino’s League of Stupid
Eric Hovind, infinite fail spawn of one notorious Kent Hovind, has a blog. And guess what? It’s crapola. It’s hard to read without shedding a tear for humanity. In fact, it’s actually worse than Ray Comfort’s absurdly named Atheist Central. And that’s really saying something.
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