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The Cup of African Nations for Amputee Football (CANAF) concluded last month in Ghana, and Liberia won the tournament by defeating Ghana in the final game 4-2. Link -via Buzzfeed
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
It's not such a simple question, considering the history of the movie franchise. Are bad Star Wars movies better than no Star Wars movies?
The debate at Unreality magazine has commenters pouring out their feelings. Link
All of these questions are very much tied together. We all want MORE Star Wars movies, I think that’s not really up for debate for fans. But we want them to be GOOD, and recently that would seem to mean wrestling complete creative control away from George Lucas, something it’s clear he shouldn’t have. The first three Star Wars films were a collaborative effort between many, many people, but now? Lucas is supreme overlord of the property, and the new trilogy was him from start to finish. If the same rules applied to new movies, would you even want him to make them?
The debate at Unreality magazine has commenters pouring out their feelings. Link
When you watch a movie or TV show featuring characters in your own profession, it's natural to criticize the fact that the writers are not as familiar with that profession as someone who actually does it for a living. It would be nice to get professional credit for such criticism, wouldn't it? A doctor from the Netherlands managed to get his study published in a medical journal from research obtained by reading romance novels. The eight novels were set in the world of medicine, and the actual medicine in this fiction was found to be "sometimes incorrect."
I wonder if he got a grant for this. Read more at Improbable Research. Link
CONCLUSION: The doctors novels which were studied give an unbalanced and distorted view of medical practice. The medical information was sometimes incorrect, partly due to lack of knowledge by the author, partly due to incorrect translation from English. The reality of medical practice was not represented accurately in either of the series investigated, although the medical information in the ‘Doctors novels’ series appeared to be accurate more often than that in the ‘Dr. Anne’ series.
I wonder if he got a grant for this. Read more at Improbable Research. Link
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Elvis the crocodile lives at Australian Reptile Park near Sydney. He did not appreciate the noisy lawnmower that was invading his territory, so he captured it and pulled it into his underwater home. Elvis stood guard over his catch until park staff could lure him away with kangaroo meat. When they recovered the mower, two of Elvis' teeth were still embedded in the engine casing from the attack! Link -via Arbroath
Alexander Graham Bell and his Volta Laboratory Associates began research into recording sound in the early 1880s. They tried a variety of recording mediums, such as glass, wax, rubber, and metal. The experimental materials were eventually donated to the Smithsonian Institution, but they were not played back for fear of damaging the original material. But new technology is able to detect the recorded sound without scratching the cylinders and discs.
The new preservation laboratory at the Library of Congress has hundreds of early recordings, including 200 from Volta Laboratory, to work on, and four of them are digitized for you to listen to at the Berkeley Lab website. Link -via reddit
The recordings in the museum’s collection are in fragile condition due to their age and experimental nature. Until now, the technology to listen to the recordings without damaging the discs and cylinders was not available. The noninvasive optical technique used in this project to scan and recover sounds was first studied by Berkeley Lab in 2002–2004 and installed at the Library of Congress in 2006 and 2009. The process creates a high-resolution digital map of the disc or cylinder. This map is then processed to remove evidence of wear or damage (e.g., scratches and skips). Finally, software calculates the motion of a stylus moving through the disc or cylinder’s grooves, reproducing the audio content and producing a standard digital sound file.
The new preservation laboratory at the Library of Congress has hundreds of early recordings, including 200 from Volta Laboratory, to work on, and four of them are digitized for you to listen to at the Berkeley Lab website. Link -via reddit
The hottest thing about chili peppers isn't the way they taste; it's everything else they can do for you.
1. THEY STRANGLE CANCER
Human cells aren't the happy-go-lucky characters we'd like to imagine. In fact, our cells commit suicide on a regular basis, via a process called apoptosis. Unlike the messy deaths that happen when a cell is injured or diseased, apoptosis is a peaceful passing, wherein an otherwise healthy cell reaches the end of its life span, then shuts down, shrinks, and is absorbed by its neighbors. But with certain types of cancer, the natural process of apoptosis doesn't occur. Unwilling to go quietly into the great night, cancer cells rage on, refusing to die, continuing to multiply, and eventually forming tumors.
That's where chili peppers come in. New studies have shown that capsaicin -the chemical compound that gives chili peppers their kick- may be the key to controlling cancer cells. During the past few years, research has indicated that capsaicin can induce apoptosis in cancer of the lungs, pancreas, and prostate. In the case of prostate cancer, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that capsaicin also slows the cancer's ability to grow. This means chili pepper treatments could be lifesavers for men who've survived one bout of cancer but are at risk of another.
Of course, that doesn't mean that people should feast on pepper-only diets just yet. Right now, there's little evidence that gorging on chiles will prevent healthy males from getting the disease. In fact, thus far, all research tests on capsaicin have been limited to Petri dishes and some very unlucky mice. That said, scientists remain optimistic about the pepper's potential to help control the disease.
2. THEY PROTECT MEN AT SEA
Any good sailor knows that barnacles are bad news. If enough of these water-dwelling pests clamp onto a boat's hull, it becomes less hydrodynamic. In fact, barnacle build-ups can force ships to use as much as 30 percent more fuel. That's why many seafarers choose to safeguard their vessels by coating them with anti-barnacle paint. The only problem is that these paints are generally filled with toxic chemicals and metals.
Fortunately, in the early 1990s, an American sailor named Ken Fischer came up with a better idea. While chowing down on a Tabasco-laced sandwich, Fischer realized that barnacles might not share his love of spicy food. His hunch was right. Before long, Fischer was making millions off his pepper-based repellant, Barnacle Ban.
Surprisingly, barnacles might not be the only sea creatures averse to chili peppers. The Kuna tribe of Panama reportedly still sails with strings of chilies tied to their boats. The peppers supposedly make the ships (and the Kuna themselves) less appetizing to sharks.
3. THEY NUMB THE PAIN
In addition to killing cancer and fending off barnacles, capsaicin has the ability to dull pain. When it hits the tongue, the spice activates pain receptors that fire up the burning sensation. But after a while, the same process depletes the body of Substance P, a chemical involved in the perception of pain. The message "ouch" stops getting through to your brain, and your discomfort fades.
Medical science has already turned this trick into an over-the-counter cream for arthritis, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Have you noticed that after a trip to the dentist, you talk funny and can't move parts of your face? That's because traditional anesthesia temporarily deadens your senses to the extent that you lose control over those body parts. In October 2007, however, researchers at Harvard Medical School announced that they'd used capsaicin to numb rats without rendering them immobile. The researchers first injected rats with capsaicin and then with a local anesthetic. As the capsaicin flowed through the pain receptor pathways, the anesthetic followed in its footsteps, deadening any discomfort while leaving the rats free to scurry about their cages.
In the future, this could mean better painkillers -ones that could make it possible for women in labor to be mobile after an epidural or allow dental patients to move their faces normally after getting a filling.
4. THEY MAKE YOU FORGET HOW BAD THEY TASTE
Although pepper fanatics are always itching for new ways to assault their taste buds, chilies aren't actually addictive. Numerous scientific studies have shown that chili peppers don't induce physical cravings, withdrawal, or loss of control -the classic signs of addiction. Yet, there is something about peppers that keeps people coming back for more.
(Title image credit: Flickr user cMeFiSh (What's Next)
Be sure to visit mental_floss' entertaining website and blog for more fun stuff!
1. THEY STRANGLE CANCER
Human cells aren't the happy-go-lucky characters we'd like to imagine. In fact, our cells commit suicide on a regular basis, via a process called apoptosis. Unlike the messy deaths that happen when a cell is injured or diseased, apoptosis is a peaceful passing, wherein an otherwise healthy cell reaches the end of its life span, then shuts down, shrinks, and is absorbed by its neighbors. But with certain types of cancer, the natural process of apoptosis doesn't occur. Unwilling to go quietly into the great night, cancer cells rage on, refusing to die, continuing to multiply, and eventually forming tumors.
That's where chili peppers come in. New studies have shown that capsaicin -the chemical compound that gives chili peppers their kick- may be the key to controlling cancer cells. During the past few years, research has indicated that capsaicin can induce apoptosis in cancer of the lungs, pancreas, and prostate. In the case of prostate cancer, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that capsaicin also slows the cancer's ability to grow. This means chili pepper treatments could be lifesavers for men who've survived one bout of cancer but are at risk of another.
Of course, that doesn't mean that people should feast on pepper-only diets just yet. Right now, there's little evidence that gorging on chiles will prevent healthy males from getting the disease. In fact, thus far, all research tests on capsaicin have been limited to Petri dishes and some very unlucky mice. That said, scientists remain optimistic about the pepper's potential to help control the disease.
2. THEY PROTECT MEN AT SEA
Any good sailor knows that barnacles are bad news. If enough of these water-dwelling pests clamp onto a boat's hull, it becomes less hydrodynamic. In fact, barnacle build-ups can force ships to use as much as 30 percent more fuel. That's why many seafarers choose to safeguard their vessels by coating them with anti-barnacle paint. The only problem is that these paints are generally filled with toxic chemicals and metals.
Fortunately, in the early 1990s, an American sailor named Ken Fischer came up with a better idea. While chowing down on a Tabasco-laced sandwich, Fischer realized that barnacles might not share his love of spicy food. His hunch was right. Before long, Fischer was making millions off his pepper-based repellant, Barnacle Ban.
Surprisingly, barnacles might not be the only sea creatures averse to chili peppers. The Kuna tribe of Panama reportedly still sails with strings of chilies tied to their boats. The peppers supposedly make the ships (and the Kuna themselves) less appetizing to sharks.
3. THEY NUMB THE PAIN
In addition to killing cancer and fending off barnacles, capsaicin has the ability to dull pain. When it hits the tongue, the spice activates pain receptors that fire up the burning sensation. But after a while, the same process depletes the body of Substance P, a chemical involved in the perception of pain. The message "ouch" stops getting through to your brain, and your discomfort fades.
Medical science has already turned this trick into an over-the-counter cream for arthritis, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Have you noticed that after a trip to the dentist, you talk funny and can't move parts of your face? That's because traditional anesthesia temporarily deadens your senses to the extent that you lose control over those body parts. In October 2007, however, researchers at Harvard Medical School announced that they'd used capsaicin to numb rats without rendering them immobile. The researchers first injected rats with capsaicin and then with a local anesthetic. As the capsaicin flowed through the pain receptor pathways, the anesthetic followed in its footsteps, deadening any discomfort while leaving the rats free to scurry about their cages.
In the future, this could mean better painkillers -ones that could make it possible for women in labor to be mobile after an epidural or allow dental patients to move their faces normally after getting a filling.
4. THEY MAKE YOU FORGET HOW BAD THEY TASTE
Although pepper fanatics are always itching for new ways to assault their taste buds, chilies aren't actually addictive. Numerous scientific studies have shown that chili peppers don't induce physical cravings, withdrawal, or loss of control -the classic signs of addiction. Yet, there is something about peppers that keeps people coming back for more.
(Image credit: Flickr user Esteban Cavrico)
Scientists think that when pain receptors come into contact with capsaicin, it triggers the body to release endorphins -chemicals that bind to the same receptors in the brain as opiates such as heroin and morphine. And while endorphin highs from peppers aren't like the ones in Trainspotting, they can provide enough of a euphoric kick to keep people engaged in the actions that release them, such as jogging or bungee jumping. This observation may go a long way toward explaining why humans are the only mammals that keep eating chili peppers, even though the sensation burns. Scientists believe that the little high we get from the spice has helped us convince ourselves that we like the taste. The truth is that we do the same thing -for the same sort of pleasurable payout- with other bitter flavors such as coffee, tobacco, and beer.(Title image credit: Flickr user cMeFiSh (What's Next)
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The above article by Maggie Koerth-Baker is reprinted with permission from the Scatterbrained section of the September-October 2008 issue of mental_floss magazine.Be sure to visit mental_floss' entertaining website and blog for more fun stuff!
(YouTube link)
Slate V imagines LEGO sets that reflect what is going on in the world, in your choice of Occupy Wall Street or Arab Spring versions. If these really existed, I would be in line to get one! Then it would be easy to illustrate the events of the past year in LEGO. Link -via I Am Bored
These two photographs of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's funeral procession were taken only seconds apart, but the top photo was taken by Japanese press outlet Kyodo News, and the bottom one was provided to journalists by North Korea’s state news agency. North Korea is no stranger to photo manipulation; in this case it serves only the purpose of making the procession look more "perfect." The details are at the New York Times photography blog. Link -via Metafilter
(Image credits: Associated Press, via Kyodo News; Korean Central News Agency, via European Pressphoto Agency)
Friday has been canceled in Samoa. The South Pacific nation is switching to a different time zone, which will put them on the other side of the International Date Line.
If this had happened in any part of the U.S., you can bet we'd skip Monday before messing with a Friday. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/28/144385201/there-will-be-no-friday-this-week-in-samoa?ft=1&f=1001 -via reddit
(Image credit: Wikipedia user Plenz)
People in Samoa (population 193,000) want to be closer time-wise to Australia, New Zealand, China and Tonga because they do so much more day-to-day business with those relatively nearby nations than with the rest of the world. And the problem until now, for example, has been that when it's 8 a.m. Monday in Samoa it's 8 a.m. Tuesday in Tonga. Business people in Samoa have kind of been losing a working day when it comes to dealing with their nearest neighbors.
Now the time, literally, has come. When 11:59:59 p.m. strikes Thursday in Samoa, the next tick will take folks there to Saturday.
And no one will be born or die on Dec. 30, 2011, in Samoa. Weird.
If this had happened in any part of the U.S., you can bet we'd skip Monday before messing with a Friday. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/28/144385201/there-will-be-no-friday-this-week-in-samoa?ft=1&f=1001 -via reddit
(Image credit: Wikipedia user Plenz)
It's once again time for our collaboration with the always interesting What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what the pictured item is? Or can you make up something amusing?
Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will win T-shirt from the NeatoShop.
Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?
For another picture from a different angle, check out the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!
Update: the object in question is a Holmes Steering Gear Clamp for towing automobiles (an antique). Aaron Rosen was the first commenter who knew what it was for, but he did not select a shirt. TDM had the funniest answer: A clothespin for chain-mail! For that, TDM wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop. You'll find the answers to all this week's mystery items posted at the What Is It? blog.
The cats from Kagonekoshiro (Basket Cat Blog) are ready for a holiday party! Which will keep their hat on the longest? My money is on Shiro -not only because he's the most patient and balanced cat ever, but also because I've watched the video. -via Buzzfeed
You can see penguins in zoos all over the world, but to enjoy these birds in their natural habitat, you want to go to where they live. And you don't have to go to Antarctica. Penguins thrive in twelve nations that are much easier to get to -as far north as Ecuador! Read about each of them and the penguins they have at The World Geography. Link -Thanks, Bosko!
Here is why all recipes should be thoroughly tested before publication. The Chilean newspaper La Tercera printed a recipe for churros in 2004. Now they must pay damages varying from $279 to $48,000 to eleven woman who were injured trying the recipe.
Link -via Arbroath
(Image credit: Flickr user cherrypatter)
Judges determined that the newspaper failed to fully test it before publication, and that if readers followed the recipe exactly, the churros had a good chance of exploding once the oil reached the suggested temperature. Grupo Copesa, which publishes the paper, said it will abide by the ruling.
Days after the recipe was published in the paper's "Woman" magazine in 2004, hospitals around the country began treating women for burns suffered when the dough boiling in oil suddenly shot out of kitchen pots.
Link -via Arbroath
(Image credit: Flickr user cherrypatter)
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Artist and musician Rhe De Ville had recorded a danceable update to her joyful holiday anthem "Happy New Year" for 2012, with a new video, too! Of course, the original is nice, too. -Thanks, Rhe!
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Is it perfect timing, coincidence, or a message from beyond about the viability of this marriage? No, the wedding party didn't run for cover, but neither did they suffer from a tornado or air raid. It was most likely just a siren test. -via reddit
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