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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

Cannabis Can Cause Bronchitis and Cancer

If you thought smoking cannabis had no health dangers and was safer than smoking cigarettes, you would be wrong. The smoke from both have similar harmful gaseous and particulate chemicals.

Smoking cannabis is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes. This is due to the way people behave when inhaling. They try to keep the smoke in the lungs as long as possible in order to get the greatest euphoric effect.

Indeed, inhaling smoke from cannabis causes changes in the lungs consistent with bronchitis. Cellular dysplasia indicates malignancy could be the end result. Users believe lung cancer is solely due to smoking tobacco, but a cough and morning sputum production show cannabis use can lead to cancer.

Cannabis smoking is addictive and damages your health. Combining this pastime with cigarette smoking is doubly dangerous.

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Health

Cat Likes a Beer

"Don't spill any."

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Funny Animal Photos

What Are We to Do With Psychopaths If It Is Genetic?

Not all psychopaths are locked up in prison for committing crimes. Many are still out there in the community. Often one comes across a person who seems strange and does not respond to normal social cues. Psychopaths have no empathy with others, so one does nothing and can do nothing until a crime is committed.

The "disease" is now thought to be genetic. Psychopaths will soon be able to be identified by a DNA test. It is possible that in the future all criminals will be tested. What to do with them after they are identified will be a major problem for society. Are they to be locked up for a longer time, or will they go to an institution where they will be given medication and psychiatric treatment?

It could be some time before medical knowledge reaches the point where the "bad" genes can be silenced or eliminated. Furthermore, having some psychopaths in society may be an evolutionary imperative. Most of these people do not know if another person is angry or afraid. This is the basis of the odd behavior, but many are highly intelligent. Two per cent of the population are psychopaths and not all of them commit crimes. However, a genetic basis is proven with records of ancestors having problems fitting into society.

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Society

Computer Dog

"I've got to get this finished tonight"

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Funny Animal Photos

Mosquitoes Fly on After Being Hit by Raindrops

Mosquitoes are extremely robust. They can survive being hit by raindrops 50 times their size. The insect is knocked down a little by the raindrop travelling at 300 times normal gravity, but it recovers and flies on.

This attribute was discovered by videoing insects actually being hit by raindrops from artificial rain. There was no improvement in stopping the spread of malaria. Better ways of designing tiny flying robots was enhanced, however, because rain tends to knock mechanical drones off course. Even aeroplanes are detrimentally affected by rain.

The raindrops on mosquitoes tests were exciting to watch. As the rain hit them they dropped, then recovered and sheltered on the wall of the test area. They fell an average of 13 body lengths. Nearly all hits were glancing blows which made mosquitoes roll, pitch and yaw. A direct hit led to a fall of 20 body lengths.

The theory is that mosquitoes are so small the speed of raindrops falling to earth is not affected, This means little energy is transferred to mosquitoes by collisions.

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Science

Dog at Home

"I'm not in."

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Funny Animal Photos

People Choose Dogs That Look Like Them, But What About their Partners?

It's official! People choose dogs that look like themselves. In a research project subjects were asked to match pets with their owners. Owners of labradors, poodles or bull terriers were photographed. Questionnaires were filled in by non-dog owners and they matched owners with dog type correctly 60 percent of the time.

I would take this further and say it is wrong to assume that opposites attract when it comes to human relationships. People do select partners of the same physical type as themselves. This can be seen particularly in older couples who have lived together a long time. Sure humans have a part of the brain that mimics others and living with a person would give a partner similar lines on their face for example. But when you walk around the shopping malls and look at families, similarities in body type can easily be seen in parents.

Even if a European person marries an Asian, similar features can still be observed. This is also the case when there is an age difference. A factor that can go against this "trend" is when one partner is very wealthy, but even here similarity in type remains. A rich person can certainly attract younger more attractive partners. And it is not unusual for someone with great wealth to dump their present partner and family for that matter and marry a younger version of his/her first partner.

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Society

Strange Dog

"Have you seen anyone strange around here?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Western Adults Have Chronic Raised Immune Responses

People who live in industrialized countries are physically weak when they are attacked by parasites, microbes and viruses. This is because children are increasingly being brought up in clean, sterile environments. If they are not exposed to these dangers as children they could die if "bugs" invade their bodies when they become adults.

In Ecuador, the Shuar people have a high childhood death rate, three times that in Western countries. However, as adults their immune systems are stronger. A group of Shuar adults was tested for inflammatory levels. Some had very low levels. Others had moderately high levels, below the chronic level, probably because they were in the process of becoming ill or had been sick.

Western adults have a generally high level of inflammation, constantly. There bodies fight "minor" infections all the time. Consequently, damage is caused to the body resulting in diabetes, cancer, heart attack and stroke. A Chronic level of inflammation can be a killer.

As susceptible Shuar children die, adults develop the "correct" immune response, only fighting back strongly against dangerous infections. Western adults' immune systems are not "tuned", as childhood minor infections are prevented. Basically, this is why people in developing countries may die in an epidemic, but they can survive an infective environment better than first world adults. Third world adults carry infections and have a mild immune response, when Western people would probably not survive living in such muddy conditions, particularly with the dirty water.

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Health

Dog cooks Up a Storm

Dog Cooks up a Storm in the Kitchen

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Funny Animal Photos

Plastic Surgery Does More Harm Than Good

Dr. Craig Layt a plastic surgeon says potential patients should consult a qualified surgeon before going ahead with surgery. I thought people were doing that already. If the government is allowing unqualified practitioners to do plastic surgery then shame on them. Governments must be held responsible if things go wrong when "upstarts" do surgery.

Apparently, women who have breast enhancements are not told whether they will be able to breast feed in the future. Surely, patients are thoroughly informed of the operation and the possible consequences.

Women can breast feed after the operation, but breast feeding can completely ruin the implants. They can sag. Furthermore, liposuction should not be used just to lose weight. This procedure can leave a visible indentation in the body. Facelifts are notoriously visible when celebrities tippytoe to the surgeon. Patients who have plastic surgery may have improved self-esteem. This may be due to others not telling them the truth.

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Health

Pelican Dinner

"Ah, dinner."

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Funny Animal Photos

Marine Animals Die With Unusual Warming off the Coast of Peru

Something is going on out there. Mysterious deaths of particular species of animals occur regularly. Recently dolphins died in their hundreds while thousands of pelicans died off the coast of Lima, Peru. This was followed by thousands of crustaceans dying.

The crustacean affected is red krill. It is known that some species of dolphin eat this food. Pelicans also surface feed for krill. Why would a food source die after poisoning other animals?

These deaths are not being caused directly by humans with perhaps chemicals or pesticides. The reason is the ocean off the coast of Lima is warming up. Krill have been moving closer to the coast to avoid the heat. Environmentalists blame offshore oil exploration. The government says they died of natural causes, but the seemingly static La Niña with cool weather in the western Pacific (oddly currently warm in the east) is not natural.

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Nature

Are You Ready Guys?

"Are you ready yet guys? No, not quite, wait a minute."

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Funny Animal Photos

Death Adders Are Causing Their Own Extinction

Australia's death adder is contributing to its own extinction. Moving around to hunt their prey is not their method. An adder tempts its victims by laying in ambush and wiggling its tail tip. By wiggling its tail, however, it is noticed by cane toads, frogs and lizards who eagerly gulp down the tasty meal.

After cane toads were introduced into Australia death adder numbers plummeted. Ironically as the cane toad attacks the snake it is bitten, so after its meal the cane toad dies - mutual suicide. Even if the snake eats the toad it will end up dead because cane toads are poisonous.

For millions of years death adders have survived by enticing their prey within easy reach. Now this behavior is leading to their demise. Man cannot intervene to prevent this. There is nothing that can be done.

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Wildlife

Abelisaurids Took the Place of T.rex in Australia

Tyrannosaurus rex did not roam ancient Australia. Perhaps another animal had already filled the niche. A new kind of dinosaur could have been the Australian killer and scavenger. The animal had stubby arms and could not live in central Australia because it was a vast desert.

The abelisaurid was a strange looking creature but it was the top killer. They not only dominated Australia. Their presence was felt right across the Southern Hemisphere. Different species of the animal reigned in various regions. The 21 foot long abelisaurid enjoyed a hot climate that changed from very wet to dry.

They existed for a long time, right back to Pangea the supercontinent. Like Tyrannosaurus rex they had a vicious bite. Abelesaurids had arms even less useful than Tyrannosaurus rex : abelesaurids had no wrists.

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Paleontology

Cat a Lot

"Wow! Is that all for me?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Dog Breath

"Gorblimey! Can't you do something about your bad breath?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Fungal Infections Kill Many People

Fungal infection is the most difficult thing to treat. Taking medication and applying ointment may seem to solve the problem - for a while. Unfortunately, the skin may appear to be free of infection but it is still there and will reappear.

It is not commonly known that deaths from fungal infection are higher than all the deaths from malaria and tuberculosis. Treatment for other ailments can involve immunossuppressive medication. This allows fungal infections to run wild.

You would think there is enough demand and money for pharmaceutical companies to develop better anti-fungal drugs. However, sufferers do not know how deadly the "disease" can be, so they are not prepared to pay a high price for new treatments. This is despite the fact that fungal infection can appear in any part of the body.

Unfortunately, the World Health Organization shows little interest in the problem. Doctors also tend to brush aside fungal infections when examining patients. If asked, doctors say it is common and people live with it without treatment. This is a great mistake. It should be treated when first seen in order to stop it becoming well established, because long term fungal infection is difficult to treat.

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Health

Dog Star

"I'm a star!"

If you move as fast as superman you may be able to make yourself invisible, but for the ordinary person it is just not possible. Theories exist though that "prove" it is possible to make yourself invisible. Doctor Jensen Li and Professor John Pendry have written a paper which surmises making invisible paint.

Such material has to be extremely thin, having a structure smaller than the wavelength of visible light. Scientists have already made a small object invisible by cloaking it in a material comprised of tiny structures. If a material can be developed from nano-sized pieces it could be painted on an object and it would "bend" the light away from sight, i.e., the background would be visible.

Such a material has to be made from silica and silicon because variation in interpreting light is necessary. A person viewing a cloaked object would see a mirage of the background. Don't be too hasty though - we are not in the Star Trek world yet. A person would experience only an illusion of the background!

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Science

Duck Trains Dogs

"I know dogs are not suited to be trained as marines: unlike myself - I'm a duck!"

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Funny Animal Photos

Blaming Rewiring of the Brain for Chronic Pain is Too Simplistic

What a cop out, medical "professionals" are now saying chronic pain is caused by a mixed-up brain. This cannot be the case when you have an open wound and it really hurts. They are saying we should not feel any pain at all. People with leprosy feel no pain and look what damage they do to themselves.

Pain is functional. It stops one using a limb when there is damage to it. Otherwise, it wouldn't heal properly. Most back pain is caused by damage to the spine that cannot be detected with current technology and knowledge.

Those "in the know" are now saying the brain rewires itself when there is an injury so that when the damage is repaired pain still continues. If this is the case then it is very selective. Why doesn't this happen when you cut your finger? We know if a limb is lost pain can continue, but saying the brain rewires itself after an injury is far too simplistic.

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Health

Don't Talk About This Dog

"You're not talking about me, are you?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Labels: after , angry , bite , dog , get , going , look , puppy , sneer , you

New Anti-Melanoma Treatment Is Promising

Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world. People will not listen. Many still regularly tan themselves in the sun or even go to solariums. Any improvement in treating melanoma is sorely needed in this country.

Tumors put up defences against drugs that aim to destroy them. Combining drugs can break down these barriers. A new kind of anti-melanoma drug, the BRAF inhibitor, has been developed. It is not a "golden bullet". Life expectancy can be increased from 8 months to 15 months.

Better results have been obtained by combining BRAF with another inhibitor called MEK. They slow down the growth of the cancer. Some tumor were shrunk. Though the tests were done on only 24 patients, improvement in treatment is promising.

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Health

Cats on the Funny Side

"Can't you see the funny side?"

"Well frankly, I cannot!"

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Funny Animal Photos

Worry Over Job Security Increases With Casual Work

Gone are the days of local business monopolies where shops, for example, had a higher profit margin so they could keep employees in secure employment for decades. In the past shopping centers didn't exist and a firm had a local licence. Only one type of business could operate in a regional center. If a shop had the fish licence and decided to sell only fish, no fish and chips, you as a customers had to go without a quick hot meal.

The proportion of casual workers is increasing every year. Just how these employees manage to build up capital for retirement is anyone's guess. Holiday pay is said to be built into casual rates, but this is a myth. Such workers hardly ever take a day off because they will not get any pay.

People worry more over job security than anything else. Despite all the troubles in the world, Macquarie University found employees experience more anxiety over losing their jobs than any other issue. This affects men more than women. Seventy per cent of men worry compared to 60 per cent of women. Young people suffered most: eighty per cent were concerned.

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Society

Sherlock Dog

"It's elementary my dear Watson."

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Funny Animal Photos

Magnets Stop Crocodiles Returning to Their Home Range

We have been told that magnets have wonderful powers: not only can they be used to generate electricity, they can be used to reduce pain, etc. Now a new use has been found: crocodiles have been fitted with magnets to stop them returning to their home area.

In Florida they have been carrying out an experiment to find out if magnets can be used to disrupt crocodiles' homing ability. Though small in number, crocodiles do cause problems when they wander into populated areas. People fear them even though they are are small and usually run away from humans. In contrast alligators are larger and more dangerous.

Once a "rogue" crocodile has been caught it is relocated to an area free of humans. Magnets are put on the crocodile's head. This affects the animals natural homing abilities so that it remains where it is placed. The population has increased because fewer wander onto roads. This is a good thing as the species is endangered.

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Nature

Cat Swimming Lessons

"My swimming lessons are going well, thank you."

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Funny Animal Photos

Higher Rates of Birth Defects With "Injected" ICSI Babies

For many years we have heard nothing but good things about test tube babies, how they are strong and grow faster, etc. Maybe the "authorities" are telling us what we want to hear, with women choosing to have children later in life.

Older women having babies had their age taken into account when measuring birth defects. If they smoked this was also given a mathematical allowance. This could be distorting the true picture.

There has been a change in the way the "art" of test tube babies is done. Today, an individual sperm is injected into an egg. In the normal fertilization process only the fastest, healthiest sperm is successful.

Evaluation of babies shows that birth defects occur in "injected" babies at a rate of 10 per cent. This compares to 6 per cent for naturally conceived babies. Couples who choose the older form of freezing embryos had normal rates of healthy babies. The attempt to get more embryos by injecting sperm, ICSI, seems to have backfired.

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Health

Handsome Gorilla

"I love posing for photographs, because I'm so handsome."

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Funny Animal Photos

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