ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 690
September 14, 2015
Costa Rican Surge In Snakebites Linked To El Niño Cycles
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Terciopelo, an aggressive snake species responsible for most snakebite envenomations in the neotropics. Davinia Beneyto
El Niño is a climate phenomenon that warms up the Pacific Ocean around the equator. In the western U.S., that typically means torrential downpour; in Australia, that might mean bush fires. For the tropics, it’s associated with cycles of diseases – and now snakebites too. According to new work published in Science Advances, viper envenomation is far more prevalent in Costa Rica during both the hottest and coldest El Niño years.
Lovesick Birds Are Worse Parents Than Happy Couples
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Together forever – Zebra finches mate for life. Wang LiQiang/Shutterstock
You may judge people who are clearly shallow individuals, but if we look at the wider animal kingdom, it’s easy to see humans are not unique in their propensity to hold looks in high regard. Take birds, for example – males with the biggest or boldest plumage tend to be the winners when it comes to the ladies.
September 12, 2015
According To This Sleep Expert, Work And School Shouldn’t Start Until After 10am
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Ollyy/Shutterstock
Sleep is money for the brain, and young adults are accruing as much as 10 hours of sleep debt each week. According to sleep expert Paul Kelley, a sleep-deprivation crisis is burdening young adults in today's world.
The First Human Head Transplant Has Been Scheduled For 2017
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Werdnig-Hoffmann Disease sufferer Valery Spiridonov has volunteered for the procedure. X_L/Shutterstock
Earlier this year Italian neuroscientist Sergio Canavero shocked the world when he announced he would perform the world’s first human head transplant. This week Canavero announced the procedure is scheduled for December 2017, and he has recruited a head surgeon (pun intended) to lead the controversial procedure.
How To Tell If Someone Is A Psychopath
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Patrick Bateman from American Psycho is a prime example of a confident, manipulative psychopath. Paul Gardner/Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
The likelihood is that we all know at least one psychopath, as it’s estimated that between 1-4% of the population fall somewhere on the psychopathic scale. These people are often overly confident, manipulative, and lack empathy and remorse. Some are even violent, but not all.
Watch Today’s Solar Eclipse LIVE From Your Computer
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Hinode's view of the eclipse on Jan. 4, 2011. Image Credit: NASA/Hinode/XRT
September is a special month for eclipses, and Slooh Community Observatory are looking to bring you all the action right to your screens at home. During the month, certain parts of the world will be privy to a partial solar eclipse, as well as a rare total lunar eclipse.
Rare Javan Rhino Calves Spotted On Camera
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Rare Javan rhino calf has been spotted. YouTube screenshot/BBC
Three critically endangered Javan rhinoceros calves where spotted on camera in an Indonesian national park, much to the excitement of staff and rhino lovers.
The three calves, two males and a female, all belong to different mothers and “looked healthy.”
Filmed in Ujung Kulon park, where the entire Java rhino population live, the three calves up the total population to 60.
Watch A Bridge Be Demolished In Just Three Seconds
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The Lishui Bridge in Zhangjiajie being demolished. Reuters
The Lishui Bridge in Zhangjiajie, China, was demolished this week, making for some impressive footage as it exploded and disappeared into the water in just three seconds.
The 44-year-old bridge was being removed to make way for a newer structure.
It took roughly a ton of dynamite fitted into 15 sections along the bridge to blow up the 244-meter (800-foot) structure in the blink of an eye.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqclN...]
Astronomers Spot Signs Of Some Of The Earliest Galaxies Ever To Form
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The Hubble Extreme Deep Field. NASA.
Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, a team of researchers has discovered galaxies previously unknown to astronomers. And there isn't just a handful of these hidden galaxies: They are rolling out of every crevice in the universe. But how did the sky get so packed without anyone ever realizing it?
Dams In Sub-Saharan Africa Linked To An Increase In Malaria Rates
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The increase in standing water could contribute to an increase in malaria for surrounding communities. Peter Bay/Shutterstock
A massive push has seen hydropower projects cropping up all over the African continent. Touted as a way of producing lots of cheap green energy for developing nations, they’re often met with controversy. From the eviction of tribal communities from their ancestral lands to doubts about their eco-friendly credentials, a new study has picked up another issue to add to the list. Researchers have found that living next to a dam in sub-Saharan Africa could increase one's risk of contracting malaria.
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