ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 497
May 2, 2016
Scientists Just Found This Weird Jellyfish Deep In The Pacific Ocean
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NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas/oceanexplorergov/YouTube
The deeper into the ocean you go, the weirder life seems to get. It may look like a spaceship out of a sci-fi film, but the creature in this video from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is actually a jellyfish.
On April 24, the alien-like hydromedusa was spotted at a depth of around 3,700 meters (12,100 feet) in an area of the Mariana Trench called the Enigma Seamount in the Pacific Ocean.
These Are The Biggest Threats To The Future Of Humanity
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The report looks at those threats that would wipe out at least 10 percent of the global population. lassedesignen/Shutterstock
What is likely to be the biggest threat to humans over the next few years? Super volcanoes, artificial intelligence, or global pandemics? Well, according to the new Global Catastrophic Risks report published this week, it seems that we might well have to be prepared for all these things, with an asteroid impact, nuclear war, and climate change thrown in for good measure.
Kennewick Man To Be Repatriated To Pacific Northwest Tribes After DNA Tests Confirm Relationship
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A plastic casting of Kennewick Man's skull, the remains of which have been the focus of intense debate. ELAINE THOMPSON/AP/Press Association Images
When the 9,000-year-old remains of a man were discovered in Washington state in 1996, it sparked a debate that would last decades. The most complete skeleton ever discovered in North America, Kennewick Man came from a critical period in the continent's history, at a time when many believe humans first colonized the land mass. This makes the ancient remains of incredible significance to scientists. But they were not the only group to give it such gravity.
A Scientist Explains Why Your Cat Is So Weird
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Cats are pretty shady creatures, aren't they? Margot Petrowski/Shutterstock
If you own a cat, you are probably acutely aware that they are mad, mischievous mysteries. These curious critters do some incredibly bizarre things that appear to have no immediate explanation remarkably often. Why do they like sitting inside boxes all the time? What’s the deal with them digging their claws into your skin as you diligently pet them? Why do they revel in murderous activity so much?
Can You Spot The Mistake In This Simple Viral Puzzle?
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krsmanovic/Shutterstock
Playbuzz have a new puzzle to get you scratching your head and kicking yourself with frustration.
The puzzle features the numbers one to nine written in the different colors of the rainbow. Your only job is to spot the mistake in less than five seconds. Click the image to discover the answer.
Can You Solve This Viral Mathematics Puzzle That’s Splitting The Internet?
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wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock
Brain Dare have posted this mathematical brain teaser on their Facebook page and it’s been causing quite the rift in the comments section. The puzzle doesn’t give much away, but to obtain the solution to the fourth equation, you must uncover the method used to answer the previous three equations. Essentially, you have to find the hidden algorithm.
Answer Monday
These were the teeth of a xenacanth, genus Orthacanthus: a freshwater shark found from the Devonian to the Permian—400 million years ago to 250 million years ago. Timothy J. Bradley, who wrote and illustrated the excellent children’s book Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest (2007), explains:
Orthacanthus developed an eel-like shape, with a long fin running down its back. Orthacanthus was 10 feet long and had a massive set of powerful jaws, with double-fanged teeth in its wide mouth—perfect for catching the slippery fish and amphibians that swam through the muddy waters of what is now Europe and North America.
I am pleased to be able to give Bradley’s book a little plug. When we corresponded a few years ago, I told him that a young acquaintance enjoyed his book and he kindly sent a sketch of a Helicoprion in reply. See, virtue is rewarded, eventually.
I hope that it helped that I described the Orthacanthus teeth as double-fanged. Most of the pointy bits in the photograph aren’t especially pointy because they’re broken. But hey, let’s see how intact your teeth are after hundreds of millions of years of fossilization.
Congratulations to Dan Coleman for being the first to identify the teeth’s owner, if amid a series of three suggestions, and a tip of the bicuspid hat to Dan Phelps for providing the photograph.
In the Classroom: A Scientist’s-Eye View
My day as a "scientist in the classroom" was a fun, collaborative experience with Robin Bulleri, an energetic AP Biology teacher, and her awesome class. Once we were connected through NCSE's Scientists in the Classroom program, Robin and I discussed what aspect of evolution I would cover with her class. As a visiting scientist, we decided it made the most sense for me to talk about the tools and evidence that scientists use to study evolution.
In the classroom, I presented information on how scientists use the fossil record, extant species, and DNA evidence to build phylogenetic trees. In the process I touched upon some bigger concepts in evolution (e.g. homology) and talked about evidence of evolutionary processes observable within our lifetime (e.g. pesticide resistance in some insect species). Since her students had been studying evolution for a couple weeks before my visit, they were quick to offer their ideas and suggestions when I posed questions. I had come across a group of science-savvy young people!
For the classroom activity, the students worked in groups to construct phylogenetic trees using an imaginary animal called Caminalcules. The activity, which I found on the nifty resource bank on NCSEteach’s website, required students to think through several challenging concepts surrounding relatedness. One of the main challenges of the exercise was piecing together the incomplete fossil record while also considering which species were still extant. It was rewarding to weave around the classroom and answer questions as students puzzled over the project and worked together to complete the phylogenetic tree. This was my favorite part of the classroom visit because it allowed for me to get to know the students on a personal level and answer their insightful questions about the activity at hand, as well as what it is like to be a scientist.
Beyond the topic of evolution, I also spent a portion of my time in the classroom talking about my life as a scientist. As I described my field of work and specialty, I incorporated the day to day questions and thought processes that all scientists go through in order to “do science”. My goal was to broaden their ideas of what scientists do, how they do it, and even what they look like (i.e. not just an older gentleman). Finally, I touched on my own academic path, which was circuitous at times, to show them that it is not essential to have a defined career path at the beginning of college. Rather, I encouraged them to let their interests guide their academic journey. Interestingly, this aspect of my visit piqued the interest of several students. They asked a lot of questions about local institutions and the science and engineering degree programs available. Who knows, maybe I’ll be having some of the students join me at North Carolina State soon!
Scientists in the Classroom was a really fun opportunity for me to dip my toes into teaching, contribute to evolution education, and connect with educators and students within my community. This journey isn’t over quite yet; Robin and I have continued to work together into the spring!
Allison Camp is a graduate student studying Environmental Toxicology at North Carolina State University. She was a part of the Scientists in the Classroom pilot program and is an enthusiastic supporter of science education in her community.
Disease Evolution: The Origins Of Anorexia And How It’s Shaped By Culture And Time
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Anorexia is often seen as an assertion of autonomy and control by a young woman who is engaged in a battle with her family and therapists. Mary Lock/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND
There are fashions in diseases, as in anything else. It’s understandable that a new, infectious and life-threatening malady could preoccupy us, such as cholera in the 19th century or Ebola in recent times.
Gene Linked To Youthful Appearance May Help Solve Ageing Puzzle
Photo credit:
magicinfoto/Shutterstoc
How long you live depends in part on the genes you inherit. For example, those suffering from Werner’s syndrome have inherited two defective copies of a gene coding for an enzyme that is involved in DNA replication and repair.
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