October 8, 2005

• Florida biologist says, “Be afraid, be very afraid.”
  

  Nobody knows how many Burmese pythons, descendants of pets released
  into the wild, live in the Everglades.  At least 150 of them have
  been captured in the past two years.  Recently, a 13 -foot Burmese
  python burst after swallowing a six-foot alligator. 

  The introduced snakes compete with predator species and threaten many
  already endangered species of reptiles, otters, squirrels, woodstorks
  and sparrows.  Joe Wasilewski, the biologist I quoted above said
  they can even be a threat to unwary humans, especially children.

  I quoted him out of context, however.  What he actually said is, “This is not a, ‘Be afraid, be very afraid,’ situation.”

  Boston Globe

  Giant squid photographed alive in the wild for the first time.
  

  A Japanese research team used sperm whales to guide them to a location
  frequented by giant squid.  Squid beaks had been found in the
  stomachs of many sperm whales, indicating that they are a primary
  predator of the giant squid. 
  

  The film made by the researchers answers questions and resolves
  theoretical controversies regarding these animals which are among the
  largest of invertebrates and who have the largest eyes of any
  animals.  They are seen to be active predators, with great
  strength and quick movement.

  National Geographic

  Prosthetic dog testicle developer wins.
  Gregg
  Miller of Oak Grove, MO, won this year’s IG Nobel prize for
  medicine, for his invention of prosthetic testicles for neutered
  dogs.  He mortgaged his house and maxed out his credit cards to
  pay for mass-producing this humanitarian thingamabob.

  Other winners this year include:

  PHYSICS: Since 1927, researchers at the University of Queensland in
  Australia have been tracking a glob of congealed black tar as it drips
  through a funnel — at a rate of one drop every nine years.

  PEACE: Two researchers at Newcastle University in England monitored the
  brain activity of locusts as they watched clips from the movie “Star
  Wars.”

  CHEMISTRY: An experiment at the University of Minnesota
  was designed to prove whether people can swim faster or slower in syrup
  than in water.

  LITERATURE:  The Internet entrepreneurs of Nigeria, “for creating and
  then using e-mail to distribute a bold series of short stories, thus
  introducing millions of readers to a cast of rich characters – General
  Sani Abacha, Mrs Mariam Sanni Abacha, Barrister Jon A Mbeki Esq.”

  FLUID DYNAMICS:  Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow of International
  University Bremen, Germany, and the University of Oulu, Finland; and
  Jozsef Gal of Lorond Eotvos University in Hungary, for “Pressures
  Produced When Penguins Pooh – Calculations on Avian Defaecation,” an
  actual study published in 2003 in the journal Polar Biology.

  ECONOMICS:  Gauri Nanda of the Massachusetts Institute of
  Technology, for inventing an alarm clock that runs away and hides.

  NUTRITION: Yoshihiro Nakamatsu, for photographing and documenting every meal he has eaten for 34 years.

  Associated Press

  
  

  You Passed the US Citizenship Test

  Congratulations – you got 10 out of 10 correct!

  Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

  

  I’m a gorilla.

      You are known within your circle of friends as a
  rock solid, steadfast caretaker. You protect those you care about, no
  questions asked. Perhaps some see you as a little rough around the
  edges, but if you’d just stop baring your teeth, people will see
  straight through to your heart of pure gold.
      Still, you don’t have to abandon your in-your-face
  attitude, just lighten up a little and give people the chance to get to
  know you. Because when you make friends, they’re often friends for
  life.
      Interestingly enough, you might find that the people
  who are most drawn to you are those most unlike you, people who are
  excessively quiet and self-conscious. But that may be because they’re
  secretly attracted to the way you can comfort and care for people. You
  might not really attract other gorillas until it’s time to settle down.
  Otherwise, there’s too much opportunity for you to butt heads with
  someone as stubborn as you can be.
      Many of your gorilla brothers in the wild are
  especially fastidious around their nests. For that reason, we could
  understand if you’re the sort to take your shoes off at the front door.
  Just be sure to warn visitors if this is the case. No telling what kind
  of temper tantrum could flare up if they don’t wipe down the sink when
  they’re done with it.

  What kind of “monkey” are you?

  

  • 1:40 pm
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