Smart Birds

Researchers have found that rooks, a member of the crow family, are capable of using and making tools, modifying them to make them work and using two tools in a sequence. The rooks quickly learned to drop a stone to collapse a platform and acquire a piece of food, and subsequently showed the ability to choose the right size and shape of stone without any training.

Not only could they use stones to solve the task, but they were flexible in their tool choice, using and modifying sticks to achieve the same goal. When the correct tool was out of reach, they used another tool to get it, demonstrating the ability to use tools sequentially. They also bent a straight piece of wire to make the hook to reach the food.

Speaking of BCE

My son told me about the new designations for BC and AD, so I had to go look it up. - There really is no difference between an AD/BC and BCE/CE system when it comes to historical dates. The year 23 AD is exactly the same as the year 23 CE, and 4004 BC is also 4004 BCE.

References to historical dates under either classification shouldn't create confusion. Major historical dates such as 1492 AD is now 1492 CE and 1776 AD is 1776 CE.

The AD/BC method of identifying historical dates is traced back to Catholic historians working in the early Middle Ages. Identifying historical dates until that point was often a complicated proposition, since different historians worked under different calendars. Converting historical dates to the standard Gregorian calendar would not have been easy, so they began using the birth of Jesus Christ as a central point.

The term BC is short for "Before Christ". Historical dates before the birth of Christ become smaller as they approach the theoretical Year Zero.

Historical dates after the birth of Christ are classified as AD, short for the Latin phrase Anno Domini, or "in the year of our Lord". Another goodie that we learned in school has become useless - and that was one of the few things I actually remembered.

More Robot Stuff

Albert Hubo is 3.3-foot-tall battery-powered walking humanoid with realistic, human like facial expressions. The robotic body was developed by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and the head is a creation of Hanson Robotics, a Texas company that makes interactive conversational robots.

Eyes

The term "it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" is not from your mother. It is from ancient Rome, where the only rule during wrestling matches was no eye gouging. The only way to be disqualified was to poke someone's eyes out. And I thought my mother made that up.

Pig Fact

A typical American eats 28 pigs in his/her lifetime.

Women Smell Better

Scientists collected microdroplets of perspiration, and had men and women sniff the vials. According to both, the odors were equally rich. Subjects were then asked to rate odor strength when sniffing the sweat mixed one by one with 32 different fragrances. Only two of the fragrances stopped women from smelling the sweat. But 19 fragrances successfully blocked it from male noses.

The researchers also concluded that men’s body odor is harder to mask than women’s, regardless of who sniffs. Only a fifth of the fragrances could cover up male odor. But half of the scents masked female odor. The researchers suggest that for women there may be important biological information contained in male sweat. I have long known that women smell good, now I know they also smell better.

Patently Obvious

Did you know Michael Jackson has a patent? Remember how he leaned in defiance of gravity in the video for “Smooth Criminal”?
He wore a pair of specially designed shoes that could hitch into a device hidden beneath the stage. Jackson and two co-inventors patented this method for creating anti-gravity illusion in 1993.

Stink Free Underwear

The first Japanese astronaut to live aboard the International Space Station had a research project to test newly invented odor-free briefs named J-ware.

The briefs were created by textile experts at Japan Women's University in Tokyo. They are designed to kill bacteria, absorb water, insulate the body and dry quickly. Not only that, but they resist fire and static.

According to the Japanese researchers they are also comfortable and "stylish". The first use is in space stations and commercial release will follow. One official said that they can be worn for a week. There are so many things I could say here, but I'll resist.

Library of Congress

The U.S. Library of Congress has begun uploading its audio archives to iTunes, and it will soon begin to post videos on YouTube, in an effort to make its materials easier for the public to access.

The decision to post audio and video on iTunes and YouTube follows a successful launch early last year of a library photo archive on Flickr. Since January 2008, the library's photos on Flickr have been viewed about 15.7 million times, and more than 20,000 Flickr users have added the Library of Congress as a contact.

Some items - 100-year-old films from Thomas Edison's studio, book talks with contemporary authors, early industrial films from Westinghouse factories, first-person audio accounts, a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and the contents of President Abraham Lincoln's pockets on the night of his assassination.

Scientific Myths Debunked

You heard it here.
It takes 7 years to digest gum. Not true, it digests as fast as any other food.

Hair and fingernails keep growing after death. Not true, the body dehydrates so fast that this is just an optical illusion.

Chickens can live with their heads cut off. True, because part of the brain stem is left intact when the head is chopped off.

There is no gravity in outer space. Not true, the effect of gravity diminishes with distance, but it never truly goes away. BTW space is not a vacuum, either.

Eating a poppyseed bun mimics opiates on blood tests. True, eating two of them can mimic opiates on a blood screen test.

Toilet Seat scale

Check this out. I think it is a bit odd, but some think it is a very neat idea.

Emilio Marcos Palma is Thirty

He was the first person known to be born on the continent of Antarctica in January, 1978. He is also listed in Guinness Records as the only known first-born on any continent.

Emilio had secured a scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering in the Army because he was an 'Anartic', but lost it by having to work on a website as a consultant, and then none of his brothers responded with a military vocation.

He is the fourth of five brothers, Carlos Jorge, María Silvia, Juan Santos, and Luciano, who was born 20 years after Emilio in the same bed, in the same room, in the same hospital in Neuquén, where his father was transferred.

Telling Time the Hard Way

Here is a robotic clock. Fully functional, accurate, interesting for a minute, but not very practical.

Inspiring Words

The Latin root "spir," which means "to breathe life into," is found in words like inspiration, respiration, spirit, and perspiration.

Awesome miniature Railroad

It takes about 4 minutes to watch this video, but the view is truly amazing. Leave it to the Germans to outdo themselves once again. You might even get sidetracked by the steampunk robots like I did (the link is on the left of the video). They are becoming popular again.

Toothbrush Fountain

Here is a novel idea from Amron Experimental.

This is a toothbrush that redirects water to your mouth so you don't need a glass or get your hands wet. They are cheap at $1.18. I bet the kids would love this. Of course my first test would be to see how far it would shoot.

Names vs. Income

Not surprisingly, a study conducted in Sweden showed that African, Asian, or Slavic immigrants who changed their name to be more neutral or Swedish sounding increased their earnings the year after their name was changed. The researchers believe that employers (unconsciously or not) sort out names of job applicants, based on their past experiences and perception of stereotypes of nationalities. A year after name changes, earnings rose and average of 141%. Don't you ever wonder who pays for these studies and why? Maybe it is for the infinitely curious folks that read about them.

Got Salt

Our bodies need salt to function, but an interesting tidbit many do not know is that salt stimulates a pleasant sensation in the brain, according to a new study by the University of Iowa. Salt deprivation is one of the symptoms associated with depression. There are many long and involved studies show the goodness of salt and overuse leading to other health problems. I'll leave them for another day.
Other things from salt - The salt shaker ministries in Kentucky, the word salary comes from the Greek word for salt, one of the four taste sensations is saltiness (along with sweet, bitter, and sour), Roman soldiers were paid in salt. Taking a dip in the Dead Sea is good for healing psoriasis.

(A fifth, less often mentioned taste sensation is Umami is a whole new sensual pleasure. It is a multidimensional taste sensation that is not only savory, brothy and mouth filling but actually interacts with the other taste receptors, think of MSG, and fermented fish sauces, such as Worcestershire. It is a powerful taste that we have known since we were a baby, yet its mysterious interaction with other taste receptors make it hard to describe.)

Old wives' tale - Salt does raise water's boiling point, but you would need a full ounce per quart to raise it one degree.

Sea salt and table salt have the same nutritional value, but taste different because of other chemicals. Sea salt has more calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Did you know table salt has iodine and additives that prevent it from caking, like it did in the old days? I am not ready to start salting my bacon, but I like salt, because it makes me feel good. Bottom line: just like many other things that make you feel good - use it, but don't abuse it.

Sears Tower - Willis Tower

The world famous Sears Tower in Chicago is getting a name change to the Willis Tower after new tenants London-based Willis Group Holdings. The new name is part of the terms of a rental agreement between the owners of the Sears Tower and the Willis Group. Willis Group is not paying any extra money to make the name change. Somehow, that just doesn't sound right.

Life Expectancy

Which country has the lowest life expectancy and spends the most per capita? Scary isn't it.