If you’ve ever thought about getting a new dog, you’ve heard the arguments adopting or purchasing from a responsible breeder. But what makes a responsible breeder. One very important criteria is that the breeder does genetic testing on their breeding pairs so as not to pass on genetic disorders. In Finlandor Brazil, one in every three Brazilian Terriers carries a mutation that could lead to a skeletal disorder in puppies that doesn’t allow them to stand or walk. A new test will allow breeders to test their dogs in order to prevent this disease from ever affecting another puppy.
Archive for the ‘Science’ Category
Curiosity
06
Aug
Curious about Mars? So is most of NASA, and last night, the new Curiosity rover arrived on Mars safe and sound after 8 months of travel. Just like a good teenager, it texted it’s safe arrival back home and shortly after landing posted some sight seeing pictures.
The plan is for Curiosity to be working and sending back data for two years, though scientists hope it will last longer than that. And they have good reason to hope. The Spirit andOpportunityrovers landed in 2004. Spirit stopped working after 6 years.Opportunityis still sending data home.
Congratulations NASA.
Meanwhile, in Turkey
01
Aug
Once again, an exciting find by archeologists that makes me vaguely regret my decision not to go into museum studies. (Only vaguely because there are very few museum jobs out there.) InTurkey, an international team uncovered a giant human statue that they believe marked a gate on the border between the worlds of the human and the divine. The figure is most likely one of a king, as they played the important role of guiding their subjects between the two realms. The Suppiluliuma statue is over 2,500 years old, and beautifully preserved, with the head and torso still intact.
The Temple of the Night Sun
26
Jul
It’s not the name of a song, movie, or book. It is an actual Mayan temple, recently discovered in the midst of the Guatemalan jungle. TheTemple of the Night Sun was part of the El Zotz Mayan kingdom, and had faces of the sun god, painted red, carved into the sides. Archeologists have been working at the site for close to three years but just recently announced the find. It is one of the best preserved Mayan sites, and many specialists hope that it will be able to prove or disprove theories about their view of the sun god.
The Family Graveyard
11
Jul
Before property lines, deeded lands, even before the written word was common, how would you show that land belonged to you and your family? Perhaps by showing where your ancestors were buried on the property? But what happened when one family married into another and the land now belonged to both? No one wants too many bodies around, so how about taking parts from multiple bodies among the families, binding them together, mummifying them, and then burying them?
Sound too strange to be true? It’s actually one of the theories surrounding mummies in England that are composed from multiple people.
Mono Lake Does NOT Contain “Alien” Life
10
Jul
Back in December 2010, I wrote about Terrestrial Alien Life- referring to a study that claimed a specific microbe could replace phosphorous with arsenic. When we think of what is essential to life, most lay people don’t think of phosphorous, but it is one of the major chemical building blocks.
As an update to that post, two new studies have now been released that dispute the original claims. They do believe the microbe is significant for it’s ability to grow using very little phosphorous and survive in an arsenic rich environment, but it does not re-write the playbook on life.
#MythBusters: Bug Special
25
Jun
No new content in last night’s Bug Special. I don’t mind that they sometimes group similar type myths into themed specials. They did that last week, too, though last week there was also plenty of new content. I do wish, when they did these theme shows, if they aren’t going to show us a new myth, that maybe they show us some additional content on each myth- maybe a minute or two of footage that for each myth that had previously been on the cutting room floor. That way there is something for those of us who watch every episode.
#MythBusters (ep 192)
18
Jun
Apparently, if you are going to shoot with a gun in each hand, you should fire simultaneously. Still, that puts firing two guns at the “as effective as” one gun point, using twice the ammo.
But I have a methodology question. They are taking their number of points and dividing it by the time it took. When not firing simultaneously, shouldn’t it take twice as long? One shot at a time, with two guns, should take twice as long as one gun, or simultaneous fire with two guns.
So is it really less effective? Or does it just take longer?
#MythBusters (ep 191)
11
Jun
I understand that in some circumstances, you could bring a knife to a gunfight, but I think I would skip that experience anyway. As for the myth about reaction being faster than action, I understand why they tested it the way they did, but I remember that myth always having the reactor being the more skilled- so I think skill and skill differential might matter.
Chinese rocket arrows are cool. No, they aren’t super accurate, but I don’t think that would have prevented them from being used. Warfare did not used to be quite as bloody as it is nowadays.
#MythBusters (ep190)
04
Jun
I love bubble wrap as much as the next person, and maybe love popping the bubbles in bubble wrap more than most people over the age of 10, but I cannot imagine wrapping myself in it, let alone then jumping off a building. So what that all boils down to is I am glad Adam is okay, and the myth was busted.
As for the build team myth, sometimes I want MythBusters to remember it’s own history. Adam and Jamie built a working ejector seat. I would have loved to seen the ejector seat roll over myth tried with that.