Nature yays

Started by Jubal, August 27, 2014, 04:41:59 PM

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Jubal

For brief comments and news articles from the natural world.

To start off, check out this benefit scrounging single mother who faked a pregnancy to get more care. Thatcher would never have stood for it:

Spoiler



The world's first live broadcast of a panda birth has been called off after experts said the "mother" involved may have been faking the pregnancy to receive better treatment.

"Phantom pregnancies" are common among giant pandas – but keepers at her breeding centre in Sichuan province believe six-year-old Ai Hin could be exhibiting learned behaviour that marks her out as smarter than the average bear.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/giant-panda-in-china-fakes-pregnancy-to-receive-nicer-food-and-roundtheclock-care-9693743.html

:P
The duke, the wanderer, the philosopher, the mariner, the warrior, the strategist, the storyteller, the wizard, the wayfarer...

Glaurung

Another interesting BBC News article, about small marine organisms discovered in the ocean off Tasmania. At the moment they can't readily be placed in any of the identified taxonomic phyla, and the original scientific paper indicates that there is uncertainty about the relationships of some phyla in any case. There also seem to be some similiarities with some of the strange Precambrian creatures that we only know as fossils.

TTG4


comrade_general

Well, so much for the plot of Star Trek IV. :P


Glaurung

Quote from: comrade_general on September 06, 2014, 06:07:34 PMWell, so much for the plot of Star Trek IV. :P
As per your instructions in the chatbox:
Quote
comrade_general [07|Sep 12:14 AM]:   Someone point out to me in the nature yays thread that in ST: IV the whales were humpbacks and not blues.

comrade_general



I really need to get a life.  ;D

Jubal

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29661446

QuoteScientists believe they have discovered the origin of copulation.

An international team of researchers says a fish called Microbrachius dicki is the first-known animal to stop reproducing by spawning and instead mate by having sex.

The primitive bony fish, which was about 8cm long, lived in ancient lakes about 385 million years ago in what is now Scotland.

Okay, so things to take away from this:
- Sex has evolved multiple times
- The first creatures to have sex had to hold hands while doing it which is kind of adorable
- They called the creature Microbrachius dicki. Can we just take a moment to appreciate that please.
The duke, the wanderer, the philosopher, the mariner, the warrior, the strategist, the storyteller, the wizard, the wayfarer...

TTG4

We had a lecture in about the third week of first year which was 'why have sex?'

It's actually an interesting discussion in terms of evolutionary theory. I do love latin names though, but sometimes they can be a bit silly.

Pentagathus

So scotland is the birthplace of intimate relations? It won't be easy but I will manage to turn this into a chat up line somehow. Probably not an effective one but who really cares if it works.

comrade_general

But then you have to do it square-dance style.


comrade_general

People are portugaltards.

Jubal

Ooh, that's pretty cool  :)
The duke, the wanderer, the philosopher, the mariner, the warrior, the strategist, the storyteller, the wizard, the wayfarer...

comrade_general

The apple is cool, but people are definitely portugaltards.