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mouse

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 21178 Location: under the bed
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:03 pm Post subject: |
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i'm going to put this here, because reading it gave me pleasure, and also since it's a link to the new yorker and i'm not sure everyone can read it, i don't want to upset anyone because they can't read Something Important.
anyway, it turns out dung beetles can use the milky way to navigate at night.
which is a) cool and b) reminded me how fun, and funny, scientists can be.
well, here:
Quote: | To test they idea, they built a circular, wooden table several feet in diameter, with a moat around the edge to catch beetles when they fell off. A high wall around the perimeter, lined with black cloth, blocked the view of trees and other potential landmarks. One by one, a beetle and his dung ball would be placed in the middle of the arena and timed to see how long it took him to reach the edge. This was all done in the dark. “They were completely unobserved,” Byrne said. “It was pretty weird. We’d release them, then you’d hear their footsteps pattering across the woodwork, then they’d fall into the trough with a thump.”
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i can hear that so clearly, and imagine both the excitement of the scientists as their prediction was proven, and the annoyance of the poor beetles.
and also:
tiny black cardboard hats! on beetles! god, i miss field science.
well, except for the part where you are working literally night and day for weeks out in the kalahari.
i would like to see the milky way from there, though. _________________ aka: neverscared!
a flux of vibrant matter |
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ShadowCell
Joined: 02 Aug 2008 Posts: 7395 Location: California
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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that article is the most amazing thing ever
dung beetles! navigating by the light of one of the grandest celestial bodies we know! while rolling along balls of poop! it's sublime |
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fritterdonut

Joined: 24 Jul 2012 Posts: 1460
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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Bees use the earth's magnetic field to navigate, as do homing pigeons. In addition to that, magnetic bones and a magnetosensitive protein have been found in the human nose and eye.
Couple that with the fact that scientists have found the Earth's magnetic field is about 10% weaker than it was when Gauss first began measuring it in the 1840's, and you may have one of the reasons for the disappearance and hive collapse of honeybees lately.
Science (almost) always makes me happy. _________________ The Thirties dreamed white marble and slipstream chrome, immortal crystal and burnished bronze, but the rockets on the covers of the Gernsback pulps had fallen on London in the dead of night, screaming. - William Gibson, The Gernsback Continuum |
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Kitten

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 1614 Location: mil pitos
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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cutest and smelliest story of the year? |
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cixelsyD

Joined: 09 Oct 2010 Posts: 1360
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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You know you are a gangster ass beetle when you are kicking around tiger poo. _________________ (\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")o |
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Yorick

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 12261 Location: Lagrangia
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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Samsally wrote: | I did my taxes last night before I went to bed and by the time I woke up this morning I had a text saying my federal taxes have already been approved.
Cool! |
I did mine in the midday, and the message about being approved arrived right before I went to bed (which was around 1am) |
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DeD CHiKn

Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 10229 Location: Baltimore, Maryla*gunshot*
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:26 am Post subject: |
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fritterdonut wrote: | one of the reasons for the disappearance and hive collapse of honeybees lately.
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Gooooood... goooooood.... |
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mouse

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 21178 Location: under the bed
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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nono, honey bees are _good_.
they really and truly aren't the same as wasps.
really, if you aren't careful, you are going to get a reputation as some sort of hymenopterist. _________________ aka: neverscared!
a flux of vibrant matter |
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fritterdonut

Joined: 24 Jul 2012 Posts: 1460
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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I've always liked bees. They always seem friendly.
Wasps are the devil incarnate, however. _________________ The Thirties dreamed white marble and slipstream chrome, immortal crystal and burnished bronze, but the rockets on the covers of the Gernsback pulps had fallen on London in the dead of night, screaming. - William Gibson, The Gernsback Continuum |
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Falkonn
Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Posts: 307 Location: Beneath the pile of babies~
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 6:14 am Post subject: |
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I got to do my first treatment on a patient in my small group class yesterday. Totally incredible experience. It was so cool to see someone walk into the room one way at the beginning of the treatment, and describe themselves as more at peace then they had been in a long time just before they walked out the door. I feel super lucky to get to be a part of this incredibly rewarding work! |
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Finnegan

Joined: 30 Apr 2007 Posts: 1081 Location: in that cool mountain air, on an appalachian trail
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 7:18 am Post subject: |
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what is it that you do? _________________ Formerly Green_Finn
hey! rock bottom's not that bad
we've got glow-in-the-dark fish down here that's rad |
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Halen

Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 1885 Location: England
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 7:51 am Post subject: |
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Prostitute. |
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Falkonn
Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Posts: 307 Location: Beneath the pile of babies~
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 8:10 am Post subject: |
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I'm working on a master's of acupuncture and a master's of oriental medicine right now. The second one will allow me to use chinese herbs in my practice. So basically I had a bunch of the purple drank and I'm a certified hippie or something. |
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Finnegan

Joined: 30 Apr 2007 Posts: 1081 Location: in that cool mountain air, on an appalachian trail
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 8:30 am Post subject: |
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cool. unfortunately, I've never had much luck in that area but that's not to say I don't see it as a valid and legitimate therapy technique. it just didn't help with my chronic migraines. I'm search for a crainio-sacral therapist currently. I had it done a few times when I was in Chicago for a month it so last november and it was amazing. can't find anyone locally though. _________________ Formerly Green_Finn
hey! rock bottom's not that bad
we've got glow-in-the-dark fish down here that's rad |
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Falkonn
Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Posts: 307 Location: Beneath the pile of babies~
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 8:48 am Post subject: |
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Sorry to hear that it didn't help with your migraines. I'm glad that you tried it out though because acupuncture does have a pretty good track record with headaches (I know its suggested pretty frequently when western medicine doesn't seem to be helping). Hopefully you find something that does help!
Edit: Also where do you live? |
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