Friday, June 19, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Photography from the National Geographic
Photo Credit: Josh Exell
National Geographic is absolutely known for their astonishing and beautiful photography and they have a portion of their website dedicated to sharing some of their very best images with the public.
Their main headings include: Photo Galleries, Wallpapers, Photo of the Day, Photographers, Photo Tips, and Buy Prints.
You can also "Browse Photos by Topic" in these categories:
Adventure & Exploration
Best Of
History
Life in Color
People & Culture
Travel
Photo Camp
Latest News Photos
Animals
Black & White
Landscapes
Nature & Weather
Science & Space
Underwater
Patterns in Nature
Photography Videos
Then, they also have "special" caegories like "Drives of a Lifetime Photo Gallery" and Best of Photo of the Day.
And lots, lots more! This website is an absolute must-see.
Armpits Are "Rain Forests" for Bacteria
On the microbial level, a person's underarms are akin to lush rain forests brimming with diversity—and that's a good thing—according to a new "topographic map" of human skin.
Most of our skin is like an arid desert, said study co-author Julia Segre, of the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
"But as you walk through this desert you encounter an oasis, which is the inside of your nose," she said. "You encounter a stream, which is a moist crease. [These] areas are like habitats rich in diversity."
And like the "friendly" bugs in the human digestive system, these native bacteria of the epidermis promote skin health and could even help scientists find new ways to treat skin diseases.
MORE OF THIS ARTICLE HERE...
(Related: "Beach Bacteria Warning: That Sand May Be Contaminated.")
Monday, May 18, 2009
Neanderthals' grisly fate: devoured by humans
One of science's most puzzling mysteries - the disappearance of the Neanderthals - may have been solved. Modern humans ate them, says a leading fossil expert.
The controversial suggestion follows publication of a study in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences about a Neanderthal jawbone apparently butchered by modern humans. Now the leader of the research team says he believes the flesh had been eaten by humans, while its teeth may have been used to make a necklace.
Fernando Rozzi, of Paris's Centre National de la Récherche Scientifique, said the jawbone had probably been cut into to remove flesh, including the tongue. Crucially, the butchery was similar to that used by humans to cut up deer carcass in the early Stone Age. "Neanderthals met a violent end at our hands and in some cases we ate them," Rozzi said.
The idea will provoke considerable opposition from scientists who believe Neanderthals disappeared for reasons that did not involve violence. Neanderthals were a sturdy species who evolved in Europe 300,000 years ago, made complex stone tools and survived several ice ages before they disappeared 30,000 years ago - just as modern human beings arrived in Europe from Africa.
Some researchers believe Neanderthals may have failed to compete effectively with Homo sapiens for resources, or were more susceptible to the impact of climate change. But others believe our interactions were violent and terminal for the Neanderthals. According to Rozzi, the discovery at Les Rois in south-west France provides compelling support for that argument.
MORE...
ALSO, SEE: "Unravelling the DNA of our ancient relatives"
Ssshhh... don't tell those just-a-little-bit-strange folks who think humans and dinosaurs lived together starting only 6,000 years ago.
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