But those "for it's size"-comparisons don't really mean anything. It implies a scalability that isn't there. Saying "an ant could lift XYZ if it were human size" is wrong. It couldn't lift it's own body-weight, because insect muscles are not as efficient as mammal muscles and weight increases by a dramatically faster rate than size.
Sames goes for speed. Who ever thought, defining speed by travelling multiples of one's own body-length (which is often done in articles like that, but not here to be fair) is some sort of "objective" standard? That way a human would have a much faster "objective speed" than a train.
All the points were kind of "Oh really? I never knew!", as other posters have already commented.
One thing I'd like to ad: while you are not slower in Zero Gravity, it is not advisable to move as fast as you could, as you will be sent tumbling into the next wall. There is a reason, why real astronauts are just "floating slowly around the cockpit" - the author just didn't get it.
- The chameleon claim is wrong. They do change color according to their environment (I've seen it several times in real life). That doesn't necessarily mean, that they don't communicate emotion in that way as well.
- Second: The picture shows an emu not an ostrich.
- Third: The bumblebee-picture actually shows bees, which are even harder to confuse that emus an ostriches.
While the question "is there an evolutionary benefit to ?" is legit, I really dislike how these studies are presented in the media. As a depression patient myself I would argue that malfunctions are most of the time just that. Malfunctions. There have to be no "evolutionary roots" whatsoever. As long as it doesn't mess with the patients capability to reproduce (much), evolution isn't in the picture at all.
I was in the area for a few weeks last october, and I have to say, not everything in the article is strictly true. The Uro culture is not in danger of being absorbed, it is actually dead. The last woman who was pure-blood Uro died in the 1950s (if I remember correctly).
Everyone there tends to agree (if you ask them off the record): The islands are run now strictly for the touristic value, and are mostly just a spot to put the souvenir stands on. You also won't find many old people there. Those are enjoying the dryness and the comfort of the main land too much.
The island are a wonderful sight, nonetheless. Interesting is also that the new "Uros" have a valuable environmental function: They keep the Titicaca lake clean of plastic bottles, as they discovered they can be used as effective floating bodies hidden inside their reed-boats. :-) That is a relatively new technology, as you might guess.
I doubt George Lukas knew anything about him. It seems more likely that he has drawn his inspiration for the character from the Allan-Quatermain-Books.
Great. Just what we needed: a cross between Godzilla and the Blairwitch Project. Let's hope the movie is not as blunt as that trailer makes it look like.
But those "for it's size"-comparisons don't really mean anything. It implies a scalability that isn't there. Saying "an ant could lift XYZ if it were human size" is wrong. It couldn't lift it's own body-weight, because insect muscles are not as efficient as mammal muscles and weight increases by a dramatically faster rate than size.
Sames goes for speed. Who ever thought, defining speed by travelling multiples of one's own body-length (which is often done in articles like that, but not here to be fair) is some sort of "objective" standard? That way a human would have a much faster "objective speed" than a train.
Aren't we all Canadians somehow?
It is about an homeopathic emergency room. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0
One thing I'd like to ad: while you are not slower in Zero Gravity, it is not advisable to move as fast as you could, as you will be sent tumbling into the next wall. There is a reason, why real astronauts are just "floating slowly around the cockpit" - the author just didn't get it.
For outsiders - like me, I am from Europe - this is as weird as Jerry Lewis and the French or the Japanese and girls panties.
- The chameleon claim is wrong. They do change color according to their environment (I've seen it several times in real life). That doesn't necessarily mean, that they don't communicate emotion in that way as well.
- Second: The picture shows an emu not an ostrich.
- Third: The bumblebee-picture actually shows bees, which are even harder to confuse that emus an ostriches.
As a depression patient myself I would argue that malfunctions are most of the time just that. Malfunctions. There have to be no "evolutionary roots" whatsoever. As long as it doesn't mess with the patients capability to reproduce (much), evolution isn't in the picture at all.
Everyone there tends to agree (if you ask them off the record): The islands are run now strictly for the touristic value, and are mostly just a spot to put the souvenir stands on. You also won't find many old people there. Those are enjoying the dryness and the comfort of the main land too much.
The island are a wonderful sight, nonetheless. Interesting is also that the new "Uros" have a valuable environmental function: They keep the Titicaca lake clean of plastic bottles, as they discovered they can be used as effective floating bodies hidden inside their reed-boats. :-) That is a relatively new technology, as you might guess.