Octopuses are Smart Suckers!? - The Cephalopod Page << Cephalopod Articles | By Dr. Jennifer Mather, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge and Roland C. Anderson, The Seattle Aquarium The same question about octopus behavior intrigued both authors, though at different places and from different backgrounds. When humans think of intelligence, we think of ourselves. An octopus is very different from a mammal. But, it is not enough to know that the anatomy predicts an animal to be intelligent without some idea of how it uses this ability. One of the insights into how we might view octopus intelligence came for the first author when reading Neisser's (1976) definition of cognition (i.e, thinking) as "all the processes by which sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered and used." Octopuses come well-equipped with an arsenal of different solutions for use in feeding. Play is a difficult and sometimes controversial area, as it does not delineate a separate category of behaviors.
How to Find and Care for a Pet Tardigrade ( Water Bear ) 'Water bears' is a colloquial name for tiny multicellular critters (typically 0.05-1.5mm long, depending on the species) that have always delighted microscopists. They are properly called tardigrades, and with four pairs of stumpy legs with a slow lumbering gait they do look like a microscopic bear (an eight legged, microscopic bear, that is). Tardigrades ( Water Bears ) live in moss and ferns. Temperatures as low as -200 °C (-328 °F) and as high as 151 °C (304 °F);Freezing in a block of ice,Lack of oxygen,Lack of water for as long as decade(s).Levels of X-ray radiation 1000x the lethal human dose,Most noxious chemicals,Boiling alcohol,Low pressure of a vacuum; like that of space,And high pressure (up to 6x the pressure of the deepest part of the ocean). They may be microscopic, but are very cool! Ad Steps Give us 3 minutes of knowledge! Can you tell us about Painting doors? Removing paint? Mosquito control? Halo 2 (video game)? Tips This can make a wonderful science project! Warnings
Harbour porpoise The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen hundreds of miles from the sea. Etymology The English word porpoise comes from the French pourpois (old French porpais, 12th century), which is from Medieval Latin porcopiscus, which is a compound of porcus (pig) and piscus (fish). Description Harbour porpoise skeleton on display The harbour porpoise is a little smaller than the other porpoises, at about 67–85 cm (26–33 in) long at birth, weighing 6.4–10 kg. Many anomalously white coloured individuals have been confirmed, mostly in the North Atlantic, but also notably around Turkish & British coasts, and in the Wadden Sea and Bay of Fundy.[12] Populations and distribution A harbour porpoise off Denmark Natural history Ecology Conservation
10 Enormous Numbers Technology One of the first questions that kids often ask is “What is the biggest number?” This question is an important step in transitioning to a world of abstract concepts. The answer is of course that numbers are generally considered endless, but there gets to be a point were numbers become so big that there really is no point in having them, they have no real importance outside of the fact that yes technically they do exist. To make a list like this I could simply write down a massive number for the first number, and then write +1, +2, +3 and so on for the rest of the list. Instead I chose to take out 10 numbers that do have some effect on the world and place them in ascending order, giving a brief explanation as to what they are and how they have some relevance on the world, albeit very small relevance, especially when compared to the size of the number itself. The third largest number on this list, the number of all the plank volumes in the universe, consists of 185 digits.
The Wild Dolphin Project - Home Interpretations of quantum mechanics An interpretation of quantum mechanics is a set of statements which attempt to explain how quantum mechanics informs our understanding of nature. Although quantum mechanics has held up to rigorous and thorough experimental testing, many of these experiments are open to different interpretations. There exist a number of contending schools of thought, differing over whether quantum mechanics can be understood to be deterministic, which elements of quantum mechanics can be considered "real", and other matters. This question is of special interest to philosophers of physics, as physicists continue to show a strong interest in the subject. They usually consider an interpretation of quantum mechanics as an interpretation of the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics, specifying the physical meaning of the mathematical entities of the theory. History of interpretations[edit] Main quantum mechanics interpreters Nature of interpretation[edit] Two qualities vary among interpretations:
Ladybug Classification: Types and Species of Ladybugs This pink-spotted ladybug is a different shape than most, but is still a ladybug. Ladybug Taxonomy How are Ladybugs Classified? Kingdom: Animalia (All animals) Phylum: Arthopoda (Invertebrates) Class: Insecta (Insects) Order: Coleoptera (Beetles.) When you want to learn all there is to know about ladybugs, ladybug classification is just one thing you should know. Ladybugs come in all sorts of types Of course, the Order is not the only part of ladybug classification in which you should be interested. Ladybugs come many colors and have different numbers of spots. 125 Great Science Videos: From Astronomy to Physics & Psychology Astronomy & Space Travel A Brief, Wondrous Tour of Earth (From Outer Space) - Video - Recorded from August to October, 2011 at the International Space Station, this HD footage offers a brilliant tour of our planet and stunning views of the aurora borealis.A Universe from Nothing - Video - In 53 minutes, theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss answers some big enchilada questions, including how the universe came from nothing.A Year of the Moon in 2.5 Minutes - Video - The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been orbiting the moon for over a year. The footage gets compressed into 2 slick minutes.A Day on Earth (as Seen From Space) - Video - Astronaut Don Pettit trained his camera on planet Earth, took a photo once every 15 seconds, and then created a brilliant time-lapse film.Atlantis's Final Landing at Kennedy Space Center - Video - After more than 30 years, the space shuttle era comes to a close. Video runs 30 minutes. Physics Biology & Chemistry Environment, Geology and & Ecology
Dawn chorus (birds) In the UK the dawn chorus may begin as early as 3am in early summer. The most often heard species of birds are, in order of them beginning to sing:[citation needed] ^ Jump up to: a b Jamieson, Barrie Gillean Molyneux (editor) (2007) Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Birds: Sexual selection, behavior, conservation, embryology, genetics (Part B of Reproductive Biology and Phylogeny of Birds) Science Publishers, Enfield, New Hampshire, page 183, ISBN 978-1-57808-386-2Jump up ^ Moller, A.P., (1992). Interspecific response to playback of bird song.
The 7th Row of the Periodic Table is Finally Complete The New Periodic Table And with a single announcement, millions of text books around the world have been made incomplete—out of date. This comes as four new elements are added to the periodic table, finally completing the table’s seventh row. The elements, 113, 115, 117, and 118 were discovered by scientists working in Japan, Russia, and America. Now, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC, the body that is charged with overseeing standards in the world of chemistry) has confirmed the finds. Ultimately, these are the first elements to be added to the table since 2011. At the time of the announcement, the IUPAC stated that a united Russian-American team of scientists, located at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, had produced sufficient evidence to claim the discovery of elements 115, 117, and 118. Notably, all of the elements in question are synthetic. Image credit WikiMedia A Table in Flux
Do animals have a sense of humor? New evidence suggests that all mammals have a funny bone. Fuse/iStockphoto, chrisbrignell/iStockphoto. Photo illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo. Right now, in a high-security research lab at Northwestern University’s Falk Center for Molecular Therapeutics, scientists are tickling rats. Their goal? To develop a pharmaceutical-grade happiness pill. Scientists believe human laughter evolved from the distinctive panting emitted by our great-ape relatives during rough and tumble play; that panting functions as a signal that the play is all in good fun and nobody’s about to tear anybody else’s throat out. Nonhuman primates don’t just laugh—there’s evidence they can crack their own jokes. But what about other members of the animal kingdom—do they have funny bones? As Bekoff points out, Darwin argued that the difference between human and animal intelligence is a matter of degree, not of kind. We met Burgdorf at his office at Northwestern’s Falk Center, where as a biomedical engineering professor he’s continued his rat-tickling efforts.
Helter Skelter: Negli aeroporti americani conosceranno il teorema di Bayes? I dubbi di un viaggiatore potenziale terrorista Chi è stato in un aeroporto degli Stati Uniti dopo l'11 settembre sa che, al momento di imbarcarsi per ritornare a casa, i controlli antiterrorismo sono molto severi. In particolare, oltre a farti togliere scarpe, cinture, protesi dentali e cateteri, c'è il test anti esplosivo. Tipicamente ti passano un tampone sulle mani, sui vestiti e sulla valigia e poi lo cacciano in un macchinino da cui dipende il tuo destino. Il macchinino ingoia il tampone, ci pensa un attimo e poi fa muovere una lancetta su una scala graduata. A sinistra della lancetta, colorato in verde, c'è scritto "Va bene, per questa volta puoi andare", mentre dall'altra parte, colorato in un bel rosso acceso, che scritto "mò so' cazzi". Tutte le volte che mi è capitato di imbarcarmi in un aeroporto americano ho pensato a questa eventualità, non perché io sia un terrorista, né perché maneggi abitualmente esplosivi. Questo può succedere per i motivi più disparati. Dove: PS.