Wiki World

Staying Out of the Sun Prevents Skin Cancer but Not Osteoporosis

Australians are so obsessed about staying out of the sun to prevent skin cancer that the number of people getting osteoporosis is increasing. This is a sad consequence of a positive behavior change. Osteoporosis would not be a problem if more people took calcium tablets with vitamin D each day. Unfortunately, many would rather spend their money on other things. The disease affects young people as well as the elderly.

The Nepean Consensus Statement meeting has been praised for making the disease more widely known. However, money spent on such activities is wasted, considering you can treat yourself without actually being diagnosed with the disease. Developing "fancy" management practises is unnecessary.

Giving calcium and vitamin D to the elderly who already suffer with osteoporosis is a waste of time, because once you have the disease it cannot be cured. A person need not adopt a calcium rich diet: calcium and vitamin D in tablet form are easily absorbed by the body. Even exercise is questionable, as this could cause bone fractures in susceptible people. Bone density tests just show that someone already has the disease.

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Health

Alzheimer's Can Now Be Diagnosed When No Symptoms Are Present

New findings on Alzheimer's have been released in Australia. The build up of beta-amyloid plaque is thought to be the main cause of Alzheimer's and it is also responsible for cognitive decline over the long term. The presence of plaque in the brain enables diagnosis of Alzheimer's even in people who show no immediate symptoms. This was announced by Dr Christopher Rowe, professor of nuclear medicine at Melbourme's Austin Hospital.

A patient can now know years in advance that he/she will develop Alzheimer's. Whether this is a good thing is debatable, though it does give time for a person to get their things in order. Depression could be the result of making such an emotive discovery.

Eighteen million people suffer from Alzheimer's worldwide. With the large segment of the population moving into the elderly group this is expected to reach 34 million by 2025. A new drug to fight plaque has been approved in the US. Hopefully, a medication can be found that will dissolve the plaque.

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Health

World Will Lose Greek Heritage

The culture of Greece is at risk and this is where democracy was born, Surely, funding can be found from other countries. National cuts have reduced the archaelogical workforce to a dangerous low level. Up to 50 per cent of workers in total will be dismissed, Just maintaining ancient structures is expensive.

Of more immediate threat are museum pieces, not fixed ancient buildings though illegal diggings are threatening these. museum security guards have been laid off. Armed robberies are increasing. Offical research projects funded from other countries are continuing. but all local digs have ceased as the money is stopped.

Work on ancient walls built in the time of Pericles located under the metro rail line, no longer takes place. The dig is important to understand how the access way from Athens to the sea affected the way the fleet of ships was used during the Peloponnesian War.

There will be a real loss of experienced specialists as they take early retirement. Those left spend all their time in the office as work planning stops. Important scientific papers are not being written, so the world scientific community loses.
People are digging holes all over the country to find small antiquities to sell for anything they can get. Income is falling for everyone and a few extra Euros feeds the family. Greek auction houses are getting a lot of the unprovenanced stock which they sell as no "genuine" artifacts are on the market.

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Archaeology

Evolution is Faster in the Tropics

It seems that with climate change we will lose some species but gain new ones - or have new "changed" species. Some species living at high altitudes have been changing as mountain tops become warmer with climate change. It was believed that accelerated evolution only occurs in cold regions, but it has been discovered that it also happens in the tropics.

While it has been accepted for a long time that plants and marine protists evolve faster, the process has only recently been recognized in mammals. What is unusual is that mammals are not directly affected by a warming climate because they naturally maintain a steady body heat.

It is now believed that evolution in the tropics is even faster that in temperate regions. There is a greater diversity of species in the tropics. This faster evolution and more species means that adaptation to changing conditions is rapid. The faster evolution actually makes for many more types of animals.

There must be something else, however, that is driving change in mammals than just a warming climate. Genes were studied from closely related mammals at both high and low altitudes. It was found that DNA substitution was much faster at low, warm latitudes. There are two theories on why this is happening: 1) mammals act in sympathy with other animals; and 2) mammals slow down and become torpid in a colder climate.

Personally, neither of these two theories seem realistic. Why should mammals act in Sympathy? Moreover, mammals in cold climates actually appear to be more active.

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Science

Dog Reads Cat News

"I'm going to find out all I can about these pesky cats."

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Funny Animal Photos

Academic Papers Could Soon Be Publicly Available

The era of academic journals being closed off from the general public by financial barriers is coming to an end. Publishers are terrified by this. It means they will have to get funding from other sources rather than annual subscriptions. There will be a time limit placed on articles, so after a short period they will have to be released so everyone can read them.

This move is being put forward by the UK government. It is pushing for open access from the very beginning of publication. Unfortunately, the government intends to make authors pay publishers. This is unrealistic. Admittedly, university lecturers are in a secure financial position. However, scientists find it difficult to get funding and allocating part of income on publication is another financial burden.

Universities are saying that the government is looking after publishers, protecting their income while passing the cost onto educational institutions. Martin Hall says we must move forward to get full funding in advance. Unfortunately, he does say how this money is to be obtained. UK researchers are planning to offer some work for free while saving their best for payment from journal publishers. This is too much like the present where only 5 per cent of articles are in gold open access.

This does look bleak for publishers who will steadily "go to the wall", and Universities who will pay either way. If most articles are going to be free, then the cost of the fewer "advanced" papers will cost much more. Governments will ultimately pay for the cost as the institutions are largely public bodies. In the current economic climate this cannot be sustained.

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Science

Cornered Cat

"You! You did it.
No I didn't, honest."

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Funny Animal Photos

Crocodile Hunting Safaris Could Go Ahead in the Northern Territory

Crocodile safaris in Australia could soon be established - take a trip to Australia and go hunting. Saltwater crocodiles are carefully managed to assure their survival, so hunting will not seriously affect their numbers. Indeed, present numbers are at an all-time high.

If the Federal government agrees to safaris, money will flood into the Northern Territory providing jobs for Aboriginals. The Northern Territory government is in favor of it. Initially, it is intended for 50 crocodiles to be hunted over a two year period. This is very low and there will be strong demand from overseas visitors to hunt more.

The Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) claims that killing crocodiles with guns is a skilled job. Ordinary people with guns will botch up the kill and crocodiles will suffer. The Northern Territory environment minister, Karl Hampton counters this by saying wild pigs and Buffalo are already efficiently killed by hunters. Any crocodile safaris will be regulated under the Animal Welfare Act.

Crocodile numbers in Australia are topping 150,000. Two people die every year as they walk along river banks or swim. Protection of the seven meter long animals has been ongoing since the 1970s.

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Tourism

Cat Ponders

"You don't say? Well, in my opinion it's everything in moderation."

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Funny Animal Photos

Neanderthals and Humans Could Have Fertile Offspring

The presumption that humans and Neanderthals interbred is gaining ground among scientists, despite the two lines having a different number of chromosomes (this is not yet absolutely proven to be scientific fact). Horses and donkeys interbreed to produce mules. Occasionally a few of these mules are fertile and can have offspring, so a different number of chromosomes is not an absolute barrier.

Neanderthal DNA is present in humans. However, there is no mitochondrial DNA: this is passed along the line of the mother. Visual evidence of interbreeding can be observed. Tatjana Schmidt-Derstroff noted decades ago that there are two types of Australian Aboriginals, desert living long-legged gracillis and coastal living muscular robustus. Both are dark skinned. Robustus carry a red/blond haired gene (not passed on by shipwrecked European sailors). The more muscular type is roughly similar in features to Neanderthals. For the most part these two different kinds of Aboriginal remained separate, though some interbreeding did occur. Today, most Aboriginals have part European ancestry.

Tatjana Schmidt-Derstroff is happy with the hypothesis that humans and Neanderthals had fertile offspring, along the male line of course. This would engender a male Neanderthal mating with a female human. With male offspring passing on respective genes. Ms Schmidt-Derstroff also holds that the major leap from Neanderthal to human is about to take place again to modern space-travelling humans. Well, this change is already taking place as people move to new countries and different "races" interbreed to create a new tan colored human.

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Anthropology

Cats Gang Up on Mouse

"Thought of a way in yet guys?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Monkey Overeat Like Humans but the Animals Do Not Get Fat

Monkeys, like humans, overeat. Monkeys gorge themselves on low protein fruit. Extremely large quantities are ingested which could lead to an increase in body fat. Food intake for monkeys is tied to the level of protein in food. If food has a high protein level they will eat less of it before feeling full.

Shoots and leaves have a high protein level. So they eat less of these to obtain their daily intake of 12 grams of protein. The reason that eating fruit does not make them fat is that it takes a lot of energy to obtain the fruit.

In Western countries we seek high carbohydrate food because we are trying to satisfy our craving for protein. The conclusion has been reached by scientists that human obesity began 40,000 years ago when people substituted meat with crude bread made out of wild grain. Humans have become fatter as easier ways of harvesting grains have developed.

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Evolution

Good Cat

"You're a very nice cat, a good cat. Aren't you?"

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Cave Art in Spain Was Made by Neanderthals

It was believed that early humans painted the cave art in Europe. Scientists are leaning toward associating this art with Neanderthals. The old theory surmised that humans created cave art soon after they moved into Europe from Africa.

New tests show the paintings are older than first thought. They are now known to go back 41,000 years. This puts them clearly in the era of Neanderthals. Art was not a sudden achievement. It developed slowly over tens of thousands of years.

The age of cave paintings was established by U-series dating. Samples of calcite that directly covered the paintings were taken. Paintings in El Castilo Spain were dated specifically to 40,800 years ago. Art in other Spanish caves were pushed back in time from 17,000 to 35,000 years. At this time humans were new to Europe but Neanderthals had been for there much longer. Early jewelry and use of ochre were part of Neanderthal culture.

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Anthropology

Panda Dog

Panda Dog

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Funny Animal Photos

More Support for Euthanasia

Hopes rise for the right to die as the world population ages. Opponents, generally based on a fixed belief system about the afterlife, fight on to stop it. Despite greater tolerance in Western countries toward religious belief, strongly religious people continue to force their views on others. Everyone is entitled to follow some form of religion, established or otherwise. The right to choose when and how to die, as well as abortion will always be areas of contention.

As the proportion of elderly people in the world population increases, a point will be reached where there will not be sufficient resources to look after them. Euthanasia will then be seen as a potential option. In the bible it is said: "Though shalt not kill". Nowhere does it say: "Though shalt not take one's own life". The problem should not be fought on religious grounds.

The new French President has said he supports euthanasia "under strict conditions". Politicians in other countries are waiting for one 'mainstream' government to bring it into law. Then the floodgate will open. Germany will probably follow France. With half of all medical costs being spent on the last six months of life, clearly some change has to be made. More and more people are flying into Switzerland to end their lives in a way that they chose, with little impact on others. Even close relatives are in favor of it because it reduces suffering.

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Society

Cat Hanging Around

"No, don't want to come down. I'm just hanging around."

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Funny Animal Photos

Birds Learn Alarm Calls of Other Species

Birds "talk" to each other, between species! For, example it was found that fairy-wrens learn the alarm calls of other types of bird. These birds have calls with similar acoustic structures. And they learn by living side by side with other birds over time.

Alarm calls of scrubwrens were played to wrens in Canberra and Macquarie. Only fairy-wrens in Canberra (where there are scrubwrens) fled for cover. Fairy wrens in Macquarie (where there are no scrubwrens) did not respond. In another test, recordings of honeyeaters were also played to fairy-wrens. The fairy-wrens sought cover. They had learned the honeyeater calls.

Professor Gisela Kaplan believes that the behavior is not totally due to learning. She believes that the brains of birds are preprogrammed to act when they hear alarms of other birds. Tests done on magpies showed that they found cover only if the alarm calls of other birds were played close to them.

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Environment

Busy Cat

"Come on. What do you want to know? I haven't got all day."

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Funny Animal Photos

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