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Damage From Hurricanes and Tornadoes Still Not Foreseen

Natural disasters on this planet cause human pain and suffering. This includes financial loss from destroyed properties. The science in forecasting such events is still developing. Tornadoes are very unpredictable. Hurricanes move slower; yet the amount of damage is still an unknown quantity.

The whole history of the US has included repeated "attacks" by hurricanes and tornadoes. Tracking of these events began in 1873 with the first hurricane warning by the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Advances were made in understanding flooding from storm surges. This did not prevent the most destructive hurricane of 1900 hitting without warning killing 12,000 citizens.

In 1943 a pilot was sent into the eye of a hurricane. This marked the beginning of an intensive period of study into natural weather events. Ultimately, hurricane forecast models were developed. The 1960s saw the first use of satellites. In 1975 the Saffir-Simpson scale rating hurricane strength of one to five was formulated by two scientists. Consequently, the number of lives lost fell. Twenty three people died during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The amount of damage remained high - $26 billion. Building better levees after Hurricane Katrina of 2005 only resulted in flooding of regions further along the coast during Hurricane Isaac.

Predicting the paths of hurricanes and tornadoes is improving. There seems to be little hope of reducing property damage. The is a difficult conundrum to accept. Even Mankind cannot overcome every problem.

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Science

It's a What?

Can work this picture out?

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Funny Animal Photos

Who Is Spoilt Mr Forrest?

Andrew Forrest chairman of Fortescue Metals Group has been a critic of the mining tax. This appears to be for mainly selfish reasons though he does claim that the tax will reduce investment in the mining sector. He does not come across as a caring person and worrying about the future economic welfare of other Australians seems to be far from his thoughts.

It is odd that when people criticize others the name calling seems to apply more appropriately to the caller than the target. When he calls environmentalists "spoilt children" a good look at him shows he is the spoilt one. As well as mining he is a farmer, so he often faces harassment from greenies.

Being a free society Mr Forrest has a right to say this, or say anything else that intends to bring all environmentalists down. However, a cursory glance at Andrew Forrest makes one feel that there isn't much in his almost empty head apart from a dollar sign.

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Politics

"Mammy. How I-luv-yuh, how I-luv-yuh. My dear old Mammy."

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Funny Animal Photos

Animal To Human Transplants Allowed in Australia

An old joke: Do you want a new heart? Then get one from a gorilla - "grunt!"

This is not a joke any longer. Australia has just given the go ahead for animal-to-human transplants. This is a turn around from the outright banning of such transplants in 2004. There are two conditions: one, a monitoring system must be in place: and two, there must be a patient register. New Zealand allowed transplants in 2005. The first "transplant" involved implanting insulin producing pig cells into volunteer diabetics.

This change has happened when direct research on animals such as chimpanzees is being reduced because tests can more effectively be done in a test tube. Results in many instances are quite different for chimpanzees, for example. This was discovered in AIDs research when chimpanzees didn't get AIDs. They became carriers of the disease. Animals are proving more useful when material at a cellular level is transplanted. Using animals as hosts is far more beneficial than just infecting them and seeing what happens. Soon, infusion of material to patients suffering from Parkinson's disease will begin.

The medical world is hoping that research done in Australia will be of a high standard and will add to knowledge about new medical techniques. Great care is needed in housing animals such as pigs in sterile environments. It is hoped that improved transplant success from animals will reduce the waiting lists for organ transplants.

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Science

Dancing Cat

"One two, one-two-three, dance on man!"

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Funny Animal Photos

Higher Carbon Levels in Sea Water Changes Hermit Crab Behavior

More research is proving that the theory of animals becoming bolder with climate is correct. Sea water is retaining more carbon dioxide. This is altering the body chemistry of some animals.

Tests were done on the hermit crab and a "toy" of its main predator the octopus. In a laboratory, hermit crabs were split into two group and put into aquariums. The water in one aquarium was at a pH of 7.6; the other had a pH of 7.1. This may seem to be only a small amount of difference in acidity but it was significant on behavior.

The flicking of antennae (testing for danger of preying animals) and oxygen levels were measured. The hermit crabs in the more acidic pH 7.1 water flicked their antennae less often. Crabs in the 7.6 aquarium definitely responded much quicker when a toy octopus was dipped into the water.

Visitors at the Third International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World had a good laugh at the crab behavior. A more serious problems could be the declining level of safe hermit crab abodes. Higher acidity is dissolving abandoned shells that hermit crabs jump into and carry around as homes.

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Marine Biology

Shiny Dogs

"Yeah. We're real shiny man."

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Funny Animal Photos

Mothers Keep the DNA of Their Sons

Mothers keep the DNA of their children in their system for a lifetime, particularly the genes of male offspring. The DNA resides in the mother's brain. It is not know what the overall effect is on a woman. It was found, however, that presence of male DNA reduced the incidence of Alzheimer's.

All mammals exchange DNA in this way. It is called fetal microchimerism and has bad effects as well as good. While improving disease resistance it can lower autoimmune reactions.

Until recently humans were not known to have microchimerism, though other animals such as rats did. Autopsies on middle aged deceased woman found male DNA spread throughout the brain. A 101 year old lady had DNA present even at her advanced age.