Wiki World

Less Atractive Males Make do With Plainer Females

An audience affects the behavior of mating male fish. If a male Atlantic Molly (Poecilia mexicana) is left alone he will try to mate with the healthiest looking female - the best female in his eyes. If there are other males in the vicinity he will not choose this female.

It may be thought that he is giving up. This is not the case. He is thinking strategically. By choosing a less desirable female he leads other males away from the intended target best female. The male hopes to mate with this female later when the other rival males have gone.

Some males are just too ordinary and have to mate with lesser females because other fitter males stop them getting close to "ideal" females. Mating with any female is better than not mating at all.

This behavior could be present in humans. When a group of young men meet with a group of young females the handsomest men can be expected to pair off with the prettiest young ladies. The less attractive have to make do with second best. This means that some of the good genes carried by the plainer individuals can be passed on despite mating between the healthier, fitter thus better looking people being the norm.

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Society

Play Ball Dog

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Funny Animal Photos

Labels: ball , black , dog , fetch , game , get , play , tennis , throw

More Meat and Milk from Cloned Cows

The Pollard farm looks like an ordinary farm but there is something that makes it unique. Many cows there are identical. Indeed, 20 are clones. They are copies of the most productive animals around. It must be noted, however, that the clones real age is their actual age plus the age of the animal they were cloned from. This is the problem with cloning, but, in breeding animals that give more meat and milk there has been no major obstacles.

Less feed is required per pound of meat or liter of milk. Clones also reproduce quicker with reduced complications. This is good for the environment: less fertilizer and diesel is used.

There are issues with genetic tampering of animals and crops. Scientists are saying that despite decades of work no genetically modified crop has yet been adopted worldwide. Because only people from high-income countries eat meat, cloning of cows will not help world hunger.

The real challenge with cloning of cows is the high cost - $15,000 per animal. So meat from them will also be expensive. Genetically modified crops also have the same problem. Thus, cost is the main persisting barrier to acceptance of GM products.

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Agriculture

Cast-off Dog

"We're ready. Cast off."

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Funny Animal Photos

Problems in the Cattle Yard

There are problems in the cattle yard due a non-caring board. Richard Ogilve was voted off the Herefords Australia Limited (HAL) board. This infuriated members of the society because they believe Mr Ogilvie is the only one who knows what they want.

Richard Ogilvie owns a 5,000 strong cow herd in Millicent, South Australia. He says 10,000 of HAL members will leave and form their own association. This is nearly half the total membership of HAL.

Present members are upset by the board arguing political differences and passing time by running cattle shows, not concentrating on improving the Hereford industry. The industry for Angus cattle is booming. Many feel the Hereford market is not being managed properly. Mr Ogilvie is seen as a strong leader who can improve matters for Hereford breeders.

This is another case of those at the top fighting each other and concentrating on irrelevant issues while not doing what they are paid to do.

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Society

Stuffed Animal

"You're very quiet. Don't you ever do anything?"

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Funny Animal Photos

The Tax Working Group Makes Predictable Recommendations

The Tax Working Group (TWG) has reached the conclusion that there should be a corporate tax cut. This finding was not surprising considering it was set up for this purpose. It is said that this will bring more investment money into Australia. Considering the Australia currency is already far too strong and is slowing down exports because they are too expensive on the world market, the last thing we need is more money flowing in.

This can be funded by reducing tax offsets for R&D development, it says. What a silly idea this is. Reduce R&D and we will have nothing new to sell. This is like robbing Peter to pay Paul. These are the same companies who will enjoy the corporate tax cut. By cutting back on gas, oil, agriculture and transport tax write offs, there will no overall benefit. Furthermore, ending tax deductions for multinationals will slow foreign investment not improve it.

These inquiries are often a waste of public money. They make recommendations that are usually only the "moving of furniture around the room". Nothing fresh and forward looking is ever suggested by them. The TWG even says the government will collect more revenue by these changes, so it can lower the general tax rate. Great, everyone pays less tax.

What a wonderful state of affairs this will be. Of course, we will pay the "same" tax to government, whether it is direct tax or indirect tax. The TWG are in dreamland.

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Economics

Chicken Tippler

"Even a chicken likes a tipple now and again."

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Funny Animal Photos

Australia's Pipistrelle Bat Will Be Extict Within a Year

Australia is about to lose the Christmas Island pipistrelle bat forever. Wildlife experts say the government is not doing enough. Only 20 of the small bats remain on an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia. The small group are staying together under the bark of a tree.

Watchers say the only answer is to collect all of them and try to breed them in captivity. Otherwise, they will be lost. The government has offered to set up a breeding program for a related small bat, but this will not save the pipistrelle. A zoologist, Mr Penney, says the species will not exist this time next year.

Scientists are planning to collect the bats and set up a breeding program themselves, ignoring the government. The government is not paying attention to the scientists, so that is what will happen.

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Conservation

Dog Tired

"It's really tiring this eating business."

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Funny Animal Photos

Triathletes Need to Consume Carbohydrates

This subject is topical at the moment with the Olympic Games in full swing. The triathlon is a popular sport where spectators admire the determination of athletes to push through the pain barrier and keep on going to the finish. Little work has been done on understanding how much damages is done to the body.

The half triathlon also called the intermediate or Standard distance run at the Olympics has become popular with many who just want to keep fit. Tests show significant reduction in knee extensor and flexure muscle strength at the end of an event. The ability to jump up off the ground is also reduced.

Considering dehydration and stores of carbohydrates which have been lost it is no surprise that weakness continues for some time after competing. However, dehydration was only minor in tested athletes. It seems the fat and muscle loss is the main cause. Participants in triathlons should concentrate on ingesting carbohydrates as well as fluid. Keeping blood glucose high has been found to maintain muscle force. Male athletes improved their race times by consuming carbohydrates. This was not the case for females. The reason for this is not clearly understood. Female metabolism must preserve carbohydrate stores even during strenuous exercise, but carbohydrate intake is recommended for women during an event.

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Sport

Geckos Cannot "Stick" to Wet Surfaces

Geckos are being studied to find out how they can climb across ceilings without falling off. Their toe pads can support weight equivalent to two people.

Like many animals with the capacity to "stick" to things, the main reason they can hold on is the many tiny hairs on their suckers. A hair is further divided into hundreds of gripping setae. The attraction between molecules in the surface and the millions of setae add up to significant sticking power.

Water is their enemy. If a surface is wet they fall off. Even on a dry surface, when gecko's feet are soaked in water they cannot hold on. Water tends to stop the superhydrophobic attracted between molecules. This is why geckos lose their wonderful climbing ability. In the wild they would be open to attack from predators in wet conditions. Furthermore, the hope of creating a new adhesive based on geckos is dashed.

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Science

Hampster Master Of Ceremony

"Let's all be upstanding for a toast to the bride and groom."

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Funny Animal Photos

Dangerous Chemicals in Household Products

Be careful what you put on your skin - the skin absorbs chemicals on its surface. In other words your body consumes and ingests things like soap and toxins in engine oil, etc. Little research is done on this serious issue. In New Zealand a dangerous chemical which lowers IQ in children has been found in sunscreens. It is as damaging as lead paint.

Even spraying the chemical into the air where is can be breathed in and ingested can lower IQ. Piperonyl butoxide is also present in insect spray. Cancer Society products even contain the substance.

Low vitamin D has been blamed for many diseases when in fact it could be trace chemical in commonly used household goods. If vitamin D deficiency is causal then people in temperate countries would have higher cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, autism, depression and ADHD than those in tropical regions. This is only true for some of these illnesses. Too say 31 per cent of Australians in this hot country are deficient is ridiculous.

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Society

Smarty Cat

"You can call me smartypants, if you like. Heh, heh!"

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Funny Animal Photos

The Energy Crisis Has Been Solved

The energy crisis has been solved - no more pollution or high fuel prices! Just get a "slave" to pedal away all day while you enjoy the electricity generated. A joke? No this is no joke. Scientists are using mice with special nanowire jackets to create power while running around in their exercise wheels.

But this is just the beginning. The jackets will be made "human" size. So you can generate electricity to run your iPod for example. Jackets will even be made to put on your dog. Taking a dog for a walk will no longer be a waste of human time.

The nanowire generators can be put on anything that moves or vibrates. They can be put on bicycles, cars, air conditioners, heaters and so on. It will take some time, however, to make them smaller and cheaper. Research on this is being done.

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Society

The Aim Is to Eradicate Polio

Smallpox was a serious problem in the 20th century. The World Health Organization declared in 1979 that smallpox was no longer a danger to the world's population. The aim has been to "silence" other diseases. It was hoped that polio could also be eradicated, but a stubborn region for this has remained in Pakistan. More cases were identified in Pakistan than in any other country in 2011.

The Edhi Foundation, a major charity, and the Pakistan government are working with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to target the disease. Cases have fallen so that now Nigeria is the main trouble spot. There are fears that the progress could be short lived and figures could rise again.

Polio spreads far more easily than smallpox. The smallpox vaccine lasts for five years and is very effective. For the war on polio to be won, just about every person must be vaccinated. As the disease can only spread from person to person this goal must be achieved.

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Health

Elephant in the Mirror

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Those in Developing Countries Suffer More Depression

Only Western people get depressed due to their fast way of living - right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. Those in developing countries are also stressed as they struggle to survive. While Westerners do not have to worry too much about securing food, getting adequate sustenance for themselves and families is in many cases the main priority for the Third World population.

An examination of depression in developing countries by the University of Queensland on 480,000 subjects highlights this disturbing finding. People in Third World nations just do not go to doctors for treatment. The survey in 91 countries shows that stress is common across the board.

There is a fine line between depression and stress. Many would say they are the same thing. Anxiety was found to be higher in the USA with depression there being the lowest. Examining depression specifically, developing countries had more than twice the rate of the US - 9 per cent.

Political and military conflict was the main factor in causing depression. Getting correct data was the issue for researchers. Many surveyed didn't differentiate between anxiety and depression. They said they experienced mental suffering. If we in the West have difficulty in clearly defining stress and depression, it must be really challenging for those in developing countries.

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Society

Scientists Are Studying New Zealand's Extinct Moa Bird

It seems we can study what animals looked like even though they are extinct. Australian and New Zealand scientists are studying prehistoric feathers to find out what birds were like. DNA has been obtained from the extinct Moa bird of New Zealand from feathers 2,500 years old. Moa are thought to have been still alive 1200 years ago It was 8 feet tall and could not fly. Material has been gleaned from three types of Moa: the stout legged; the heavy footed; and the upland Moa.

Somehow they have worked out that wing feathers had speckled white tips. This was to camouflage the bird from predators. The very large Haast eagle once existed that preyed on them. It is claimed that because the plumage of other flightless NZ birds is dull with speckled tips this idea is valid.

The scientists plan to get feathers from the end of the quill and further down the quill to compare coloration. It is hoped the findings will enable researchers to correctly reconstruct life-like models of extinct birds.

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Ornithology

Opioid Addiction Caused by Long Wait for Operation

The medical community has just noticed a fact that many have known for years - Waiting a long time for an operation can lead to opioid addiction. It is easy to get opiates from GPs just by telling them that you are in excruciating pain and an operation is a long way off. Shane Jackson president of the Tasmanian Pharmaceutical Society says money should be spent on more pain management specialist. This is a waste considering they only tell patients to take paracetamol that does not stop strong pain.

Setting up a data base will only lead to patients being denied opiates so they experience more pain and suffering. Blame the patients has always been easy to do. A data base will stop people getting morphine derivatives from all GPs. This creates an added problem. The solution is more medical staff and facilities to do more operations.

Reducing the risk of opiate addiction can be solved by denying patients access to such drugs, Though they may turn up in the hospital emergency department for an overdoes of paracetamol. When people are in serious pain rationality goes out the window. When the cause of a problem is obvious why do researchers take the shortest path to "sooth" the situation?

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Health

Bird Likes Real Cheddar Cheese

"Great, real Cheddar cheese?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Synthetic Heart Repair Conduit

Treatment for heart disease is advancing at a rapid pace. Soon, a tiny piece of artery will be removed from a patient and a new heart conduit will be formed. This is for minor problems in the heart, less that 5mm wide.

Conduits are also being made from synthetic materials. Toleration of foreign substances is not a problems because it degrades quickly. They are used to go over the outside of a graft to stop bleeding. The synthetic conduits are made of a fine poly-(glycerol sebacate) net coated with polycaprolactone and the anticoagulant heparin. Mesh holes are too small for blood to pass through. Nothing of the implant remains after three months. A new structure of endogenous cells with M2 macrophages (which reduces inflammation) remains.

Though tests have only been done on rats, use in humans will probably be just as successful. Large grafts using the material will be done to see if this is feasible. This will be a welcome advance in medicine. A graft made of the body's own tissue will last much longer and patients will not need to be treated again for obstruction in the new graft.

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Health

Individual, Selfish Behavior Makes Sheep Flock Together

"Where for art thou Romeo?"

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Funny Animal Photos

Water is the Problem not Oil

We are obsessed with the oil crisis. So much so that we fail to see other problems that face us in the near future. For example, what about fresh drinking water. If nothing is done soon, the world will be in crisis. Even countries with cold climates, in Europe, are facing a shortage of potable water because of the high population density. As people become Westernized they consume more water. They change from bathing when they can, to having showers every day.

Production oil also impacts on the availability of water. it takes 2.5 liters of water to produce every liter of oil. Even growing bio fuels puts pressure on water, with a thousand liters of water needed to make a liter of bio fuel. The modern way of life is water "heavy":

Wealthy people use 3,000 liters of water each day to live their lives. More drought in the world is putting prices of everything up. When water gets short it does so locally. Moving water from one place to another in bulk is problematical. In the short term it is possible, but in the longer term it is not. Food production will fall behind what is needed over the next two decades if nothing is done.

The oil crisis and carbon pollution are problems but a shortage of water will hurt most of all.

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Society

Times Get Tougher for Sole Mothers

There is little sympathy for sole mothers from others in society or government. Social security payments have been tightened up by the federal Government. If sole mothers do not work they must go back to school, probably learning something that is useless for their future.

Not many full-time workers have brought up children as well without paying someone else to care for their babies and toddlers. Older children are consistently being left alone as mothers do some sort of part-time work. This is reality. Part-time jobs do not pay well enough to provide money for carers. When Single mothers come home they not only look after their children, they must do all the household chores as well as do repair work to the home.

The government's new harsher policy comes into force next January. Welfare payments will fall. Even those working part-time will lose some of the part-payment they get from social security. Children will be the real losers as food and heating/cooling are reduced. As the number of sole parents below the poverty line increases from 10 per cent to 20 per cent, things will be tough. The loss of $40 a week from next year for those fully reliant on welfare payments is a massive amount. Two thousand dollars a year is a significant fall in income.

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Society

Views on Climate Change Has Altered in the US

The common view on climate change (CC) has shifted. This is due to the shocking weather in the US over the last few years. A survey of respondents at Yale University shows those who believe that global warming is happening has increased from 57 per cent in 2010 to 66 per cent currently.

People with common views have been identified:

Alarmed - 13%
Concerned - 26%
Cautious - 29%
Dismissive - 10%
Disengaged - 6%
Doubtful - 15%

These figures were obtained in 2011, a year before the Yale study which noted the changes as follows:

Alarmed - 13%
Concerned - 26%
Cautious - 34%
Dismissive - 10%
Disengaged - 2%
Doubtful - 15%

Other important opinions in each group include:

Alarmed - 57% = Extremely sure CC is happening
Dismissive - 94% = Strongly dstrust Pres. Obama
........"....- 70% = Strongly distrust climate scientists
All Respondents - 58% = US could afford to act on CC
........"..........- 79% = Solar & wind power are answers

People have to directly "live" dramatic change in weather for their view to alter. This is the experience in the US and it is probably the same elsewhere. As bad weather occurrences become permanent the global common opinion will be that damage has been done to the world's climate by human activity.

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Science

Vaccinate All Cattle to Stop Food Poisoning?

Why bother to be hygienic. We can feed cattle all sorts of filthy stuff, and when we eat it we still remain fit and healthy. This is the message being sent by the president of company Bioniche. In order to promote his new product the president is making dramatic claims. Cattle can all be vaccinated against e.coli, can eat anything and wander around in rubbish, apparently. Such is Mr Rick Culbert's faith in the success rate of his product.

The e.coli "bug" lives in all of us both humans and animals. Only dangerous species make us sick. This vaccine will kill all e.coli in the body. Wait a minute! Don't antibiotics kill useful flora in the gut, so we must not take them regularly? What happens to a cow with no e.coli in its system is unknown. Eating such "clean" meat could be dangerous to our health.

Outbreaks of food poisoning occur in every country. The fight for cleanliness in food handling must continue. If beef is guaranteed free of e.coli wouldn't butchers have less pressure to work in a sterile environment? Radiating ingredients in manufactured goods is widespread now. There is a cost. Buy a frozen pizza from a supermarket. Take it home and put it in the oven. It looks great. The tomato is a nice bright red color, the cheese looks appetizing, but everything tastes the same. It tastes just like cardboard.

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Food

Tree Grows Inside a Man

A man had severe pains in his chest and began coughing up blood. Doctor Vladimir Kamashev x-rayed the man's chest and had a big shock. He had to call his assistant for a second opinion. The assistant confirmed the doctor's diagnosis. The man had a fir tree growing inside him.

Fungus can grow inside a human body but it was not believed that plants could take root and grow there. Surgeons removed a young five-centimeter fir tree from the man's chest. Needles from the plant dug into the capillaries and caused bleeding. The man consequently coughed up blood.

Obviously a small "cutting" from a fir tree was inhaled. It found sustenance inside body tissue. What is surprising is that a biopsy of the plant showed the fir needles to be green, so the tree somehow got enough sunlight to survive. Parts of the plant have been preserved for further study.

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Society

Rain Forest in Northern Australia Doing Well

The northern part of Australia is getting hotter, but it is no drier. A comparison of data from the 1950s and the present shows the borders between rain forest and eucalyptus forest remained the same. However, the density of rain forest increased by 732 ha. Neither drainage, geology, topography, aspect or elevation are responsible. The climate has definitely changed. Despite a series of El Nino dry spells since the 1950s, the country is becoming wetter.

This rain forest expansion has slowed over the last 2000 years, with 25 per cent being tall open forest. Eucalyptus forests are spread out in irregular shaped pockets which are very stable. Higher CO₂ is responsible for the increasing density of rain forest. The humidity keeps damage from fires low.

Overall, this is good news for the world generally. Brazilian rain forest stores 250-300 C ha^–1 (carbon per hectare). Though Australian rain forest stores less, it is still significant. There is a possibility that local factors in Australia are having this effect. Yet indicators do point to global warming.

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Environment

Windows 8 Crashes

THE END OF THE ROAD FOR EASY WEB DESIGN

Windows 8 means more problems for web page designers. What Internet Explorer reproduces in Windows 8 on a personal computer is not what comes out on a tablet. Internet Explorer 10 is the worst culprit. Having IE10 built into Windows 8 with no possibility of going back to IE9 is a nuisance. Text goes right off the background square. On a PC, fonts are either extended too long and go over the background square at the bottom, or there is a line gap under the full stop because text is too short.

Nearly all the other browsers reproduce correctly, except FireFox with the last word on some fonts extending to the next line. This is rare though. Obviously, the problem lies in the operating system itself which is designed specifically for tablets. Personal computers are only of secondary consideration.

There is a "war" going on in the US at the moment over how images will be shown on tablets and even mobile phones. The powers that be are in a battle with professional code writers over what system will be used. This wonderful image system is called Picture Fill. The font problem with Windows 8 will make the fight more complex.

Designers will now have to put images onto a web page knowing that in some circumstances fonts may write over the image or go behind it. Windows 8 is being released far too early. It is not yet known whether the new coding will be in HTML5 or left for HTML6. Whichever way it goes Windows 8 will be obsolete.

The new code for Picture Fill put forward by designers has four images being uploaded to the server at four different pixel densities. This is for each image on the web page. The lowest size and pixel strength will be downloaded by small devices. High definition sites on personal computers will download the highest definition image version. This will definitely make download times longer for all systems, and take up more memory on servers.

Your $40 will be wasted on upgrading to Windows 8. The problems are countless. You cannot set up a network in your home because security turns off and prevents access to Windows Firewall. This blocks all attempts at accessing other devices. Many older versions of software keep shutting down despite compatibility settings. You have to give Microsoft your email address and your correct password as you are logged on at startup. They are surely going to look at your email

Stay with Windows 7. It is the last Windows system written exclusively for PCs.

★

~~~~~Computers~~~~~

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Tasmanian Devil Cancer Is Parasitic

Tasmanian devils have a unique form of cancer. It is the only type that is contagious. Just how it is transmitted is the unknown factor. Scientists studying the disease now believe it should be reclassified as a parasite. Though at first glance it seems to be a cancer it has many characteristics of a parasite.

The parasitic cancer stays in a host until the sufferer is irretrievably damaged then it will move on to a new host. It uses the Tasmanian devils predilection for violence to spread itself. It remains alive by sticking to the teeth. When devils fight they snap at each others' mouths causing blood to flow.

It is really a new category of disease. Though a cancer it not in other animals. A parasite will exist in many animals. The disease originated in one female devil during the 1990s. Just how it originated is not known. It is such a difficult disease to treat. The Tasmanian devil could reach its demise in less than 15 years.

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Science

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