Sunday, 8 June 2008
Monday, 2 June 2008
Make Way for Superfrog
X-Men fans rejoice: Wolverine has come to life, as a frog. When the comic book warrior faces a fight, metallic blades spring forth from his hand.
A new study concludes that certain African frogs are similarly equipped, having sharp, claw-shaped bones that pierce through their own fingertips when the animal is threatened.
More than 100 years ago, scientists observed the mysterious bony appendages in museum specimens of the Arthroleptidae frog family, but they had no idea what to make of them. Some speculated that the protrusions were an artifact of the preservation process.
Harvard University biologists David Blackburn decided to solve the mystery once and for all after having the frequent misfortune of being injured by the amphibians while doing field research in Cameroon. "The frogs will start kicking and drag these claws against your skin," he says. "I've gotten bloody scratches from them many a time."
Due to strict government regulations on removing live animals from Cameroon, Blackburn's team had to do their anatomical studies on preserved museum specimens. In addition to the talon-shaped finger bones others had seen, the researchers found a small bony nodule nestled in the tissue just beyond the frog's fingertip. When sheathed, each claw is anchored to the nodule with tough strands of collagen, but, as Blackburn had discovered firsthand, when the frog is grabbed or attacked, the frog breaks the nodule connection and forces its sharpened bones through the skin.
This bizarre skeletal feature is found in only 12 species within the Arthroleptidae family, Blackburn's team reports online this week in Biology Letters. Why some members of this family developed such a dramatic form of defense is still a mystery, though the researchers speculate that because amphibians have a remarkable flair for regeneration, the African frogs may heal up afterward, just like Wolverine.
Amphibian researcher and biologist David Wake of the University of California, Berkeley, says that this type of weaponry appears to be unique in the animal kingdom. But David Cannatella, a herpetologist at the University of Texas, Austin, questions whether the bony protrusions are meant for fighting. They could allow a frog's feet "to get a better grip on whatever rocky habitat they might be in," he says.
Mysterious Images Emerge From Mars
The space probe Phoenix touched down on Mars Sunday and beamed back some strange, new pictures of the planet and its alien surface.
The pictures sent from the Phoenix Lander depicted images of strange phenomena, including a distant white entity unlike anything else on the red planet's surface. Dismissive scientists believe it to be simply another large rock, but others aren't so quick to discount all possibilities.
"We'll take a closer look at it," said Peter Smith of the University of Arizona.
NASA is prepared for anything, officials said. The new Mars lander is equipped with the ability to communicate with extraterrestrials. Attached to the probe are computer disks that contain messages from Earth, including songs, pictures and poems.
The disks can be seen in some of the images sent back by the space probe.
Phoenix's claw is now poised to dig into the icy dust. It is 30 degrees below zero at the landing site, which is near the planet's north pole. NASA is trying to determine whether ice below the surface has ever been liquid water.
"That would be a major discovery," Smith said.
The theory is that Mars was once warmer, and that the ice on the north pole was once water. The now-frozen liquid could have possibly preserved organic molecules, which are the building blocks of life.
"We're not roving over the surface, we're digging into the surface," Smith said. "That's where the science discoveries are likely to be made."
The digging is slated to begin in about one week, NASA officials said.
Officials said the Phoenix Lander should be able to operate for about three months. Afterward, Mars will become so cold that the air will freeze, and the probe will be locked inside solid carbon dioxide.
Click here to see a slideshow of the pictures.
Source
The pictures sent from the Phoenix Lander depicted images of strange phenomena, including a distant white entity unlike anything else on the red planet's surface. Dismissive scientists believe it to be simply another large rock, but others aren't so quick to discount all possibilities.
"We'll take a closer look at it," said Peter Smith of the University of Arizona.
NASA is prepared for anything, officials said. The new Mars lander is equipped with the ability to communicate with extraterrestrials. Attached to the probe are computer disks that contain messages from Earth, including songs, pictures and poems.
The disks can be seen in some of the images sent back by the space probe.
Phoenix's claw is now poised to dig into the icy dust. It is 30 degrees below zero at the landing site, which is near the planet's north pole. NASA is trying to determine whether ice below the surface has ever been liquid water.
"That would be a major discovery," Smith said.
The theory is that Mars was once warmer, and that the ice on the north pole was once water. The now-frozen liquid could have possibly preserved organic molecules, which are the building blocks of life.
"We're not roving over the surface, we're digging into the surface," Smith said. "That's where the science discoveries are likely to be made."
The digging is slated to begin in about one week, NASA officials said.
Officials said the Phoenix Lander should be able to operate for about three months. Afterward, Mars will become so cold that the air will freeze, and the probe will be locked inside solid carbon dioxide.
Click here to see a slideshow of the pictures.
Source
Stonehenge may have been royal cemetery
Stonehenge may have been a burial ground for an ancient royal family, British researchers said on Thursday.
New radiocarbon dates of human remains excavated from the ancient stone monument in southwest England suggest it was used as a cemetery from its inception just after 3000 BC until well after the larger circle of stones went up around 2500 BC.
Previously, archaeologists had believed people were buried at Stonehenge between 2700 and 2600 B.C.
"The hypothesis we are working on is that Stonehenge represents a place of the dead," said Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at the University of Sheffield, who is leading an excavation of the site. "That seems to be very clear."
"A further twist is that the people buried at Stonehenge may have been the elite of their society, an ancient royal British dynasty, perhaps."
Built between 3000 and 1600 BC as a temple, burial ground, astronomical calendar or all three, the stone circle is sometimes called "Britain's pyramids."
Tourists are drawn to Stonehenge throughout the year and on the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere -- up to 30,000 revelers and druids converge on the stones for a night of celebration.
Who built Stonehenge and why is debated among scientists, although growing evidence points to the monument's use as a burial place, Parker Pearson told reporters.
Last year the same researchers found evidence of a large settlement of houses nearby. They said the latest findings reinforced their belief that the settlement and Stonehenge form part of a larger ancient ceremonial complex along the nearby River Avon.
"What we suspect is that the river is the conduit between the two realms of the living and the dead," Parker Pearson said. "It was the prehistoric version of the river Styx."
The team estimates that between 150 to 240 men, women and children were buried at Stonehenge over a 600-year period, making it likely that the relatively low figure over such a long points to a single elite family.
A clue is the few burials in Stonehenge's earliest phase, a number that grows larger in following centuries as offspring would have multiplied, said Andrew Chamberlain, a specialist in ancient demography at the University of Sheffield.
Placement of the graves and artifacts such as a small stone mace are evidence the site was reserved as a "domain of the dead" for the elite, Parker Pearson added.
"I don't think it was the common people getting buried at Stonehenge -- it was clearly a special place at the time," he said. "One has to assume anyone buried there had some good credentials."
Source
New radiocarbon dates of human remains excavated from the ancient stone monument in southwest England suggest it was used as a cemetery from its inception just after 3000 BC until well after the larger circle of stones went up around 2500 BC.
Previously, archaeologists had believed people were buried at Stonehenge between 2700 and 2600 B.C.
"The hypothesis we are working on is that Stonehenge represents a place of the dead," said Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at the University of Sheffield, who is leading an excavation of the site. "That seems to be very clear."
"A further twist is that the people buried at Stonehenge may have been the elite of their society, an ancient royal British dynasty, perhaps."
Built between 3000 and 1600 BC as a temple, burial ground, astronomical calendar or all three, the stone circle is sometimes called "Britain's pyramids."
Tourists are drawn to Stonehenge throughout the year and on the summer solstice -- the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere -- up to 30,000 revelers and druids converge on the stones for a night of celebration.
Who built Stonehenge and why is debated among scientists, although growing evidence points to the monument's use as a burial place, Parker Pearson told reporters.
Last year the same researchers found evidence of a large settlement of houses nearby. They said the latest findings reinforced their belief that the settlement and Stonehenge form part of a larger ancient ceremonial complex along the nearby River Avon.
"What we suspect is that the river is the conduit between the two realms of the living and the dead," Parker Pearson said. "It was the prehistoric version of the river Styx."
The team estimates that between 150 to 240 men, women and children were buried at Stonehenge over a 600-year period, making it likely that the relatively low figure over such a long points to a single elite family.
A clue is the few burials in Stonehenge's earliest phase, a number that grows larger in following centuries as offspring would have multiplied, said Andrew Chamberlain, a specialist in ancient demography at the University of Sheffield.
Placement of the graves and artifacts such as a small stone mace are evidence the site was reserved as a "domain of the dead" for the elite, Parker Pearson added.
"I don't think it was the common people getting buried at Stonehenge -- it was clearly a special place at the time," he said. "One has to assume anyone buried there had some good credentials."
Source
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Florida Substitute Teacher Fired, Accused of Wizardry
A Florida teacher may have to pull an unemployment check out of his hat after performing magic in front of students, according to reports.
Jim Piculas said he made a toothpick disappear and reappear in front of students at the Rushe Middle School in Land 'O Lakes, Fla., Local6.com reported. He said he later got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he had been accused of wizardry.
"I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'" he told Local6.com.
Piculas said he’s concerned the incident may prevent him from being considered for future jobs.
Source
Jim Piculas said he made a toothpick disappear and reappear in front of students at the Rushe Middle School in Land 'O Lakes, Fla., Local6.com reported. He said he later got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he had been accused of wizardry.
"I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'" he told Local6.com.
Piculas said he’s concerned the incident may prevent him from being considered for future jobs.
Source
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