RelentlesslyOptimistic

Startling but true: Giraffes eat bones

That's not a cigar in this giraffe's mouthit's a bone. Apparently, although giraffes mostly eat the leaves of thorny trees such as acacias, they occasionally supplement their diets with minerals from other sources, such as bones they find on the ground.

via www.scientificamerican.com

Tickling for science!

According to the BBC, researchers in the UK have essentially invented for themselves what might be the greatest job in the world: ticklin' for science. Their focus has been on how gorillas at a local wildlife park vocalize in response to some well-placed fingertip rub downs in order to learn more about how laughter may have evolved in humans. What they found were more similarities than differences, says Dr. Marina Davila-Ross of the University of Portsmouth.

The camel laughing above sounds just like Stuart from MadTV

From www.treehugger.com via LookAtThis

Patient: Bruce Wayne

Patient: Wayne, Bruce

DOB: 2/16/1971

Occupation: Industrialist

Insurance: Self-pay

Interval History: Patient was seen for his last annual physical approximately one year ago. Since that time he has had numerous visits for acute illnesses or injuries, generally accompanied either by his companion Mr. Grayson or Alfred, a senior member of his household staff...

Orthopedic: By far the greatest contributor to patient’s ongoing morbidity are his multiple and seemingly ceaseless musculoskeletal injuries.  The most significant of these was sustained several years ago, when he was rushed to GCGH with several fractures of his lumbar vertebrae, reportedly after falling while rappelling.   Skeletal series obtained at that time revealed numerous (>20) areas of orthopedic injury in various states of healing, which could not be fully explained by recent fall, including areas of all extremities and many ribs; confirmatory bone scan similarly showed many areas of increased uptake.  

Patient’s robust stature is not consistent with osteogenesis imperfecta, and skin biopsy was negative for abnormal collagen and P3H1 or CRTAP genetic defects. Malignancy was suspected, but eventually ruled out following oncology consultation. Patient explained most of these (and most subsequent) injuries as being the result of membership in a private and apparently quite intense mixed martial arts club. Patient has denied being the victim of domestic abuse by Mr. Grayson following indirect and direct questioning on numerous occasions.

From ordinary-gentlemen.com via jwz.org

image from www.geardiary.com

Science: Your mother

via worldofbarbee.tumblr.com

Cool picture break: Child’s Skull Showing Both Baby and Adult Teeth

Hunterian Museum at The Royal College of Surgeons of England in London has this fascinating medical specimen on display that shows what a child’s skull looks like when its adult teeth are waiting in the wings.

via laughingsquid.com

The World of Beetles

via thedailywh.at

Fun fact: Finding Nemo

Male clownfish change gender after losing the female in their school. That means that for the entirety of Finding Nemo, Nemo’s dad was turning into Nemo’s mom.

via afternoonsnoozebutton.com

"Why not do the thing that’s the coolest thing in the world to do?”

The New Yorker profiles David Eagleman, a neuroscientist who "has spent the past decade tracing the neural and psychological circuitry of the brain’s biological clocks."

David Eagleman has a talent for testing the untestable, for taking seemingly sophomoric notions and using them to nail down the slippery stuff of consciousness. “There are an infinite number of boring things to do in science,” he told me. “But we live these short life spans. Why not do the thing that’s the coolest thing in the world to do?”

In other words, as long as you are doing it you may as well have fun at the same time.

via www.newyorker.com

On the effectiveness of Aluminum Foil Helmets: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies...certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use...We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.

via Miss Cellania

The Molten Core is beneath you

via xkcd.com

Are eggs actually chicken menstruation?

Yes, and honey is actually bee vomit. Thank you, science!

via www.soberinanightclub.com

"Justice is served...how food-breaks sway the decisions of judges

The vertical axis is the proportion of cases where the judges granted parole. The horizontal axis shows the order in which the cases were heard during the day. And the dotted lines, they represent the points where the judges went away for a morning snack and their lunch break.

The graph is dramatic. It shows that the odds that prisoners will be successfully paroled start off fairly high at around 65% and quickly plummet to nothing over a few hours (although, see footnote). After the judges have returned from their breaks, the odds abruptly climb back up to 65%, before resuming their downward slide.

via Not Exactley Rocket Science Blog at discovermagazine.com

Choose your ant color!

Ants with a translucent abdomen (either ghost ants or Argentine ants) change color based on the color of the food they consume.

via thedailywh.at

Daniel Kish — The blind man who taught himself to see

Short version: blind people can be taught to echolocate well enough to ride bicycles, hike in the wilderness, and more!

via www.bookofjoe.com

Recycling: Pervert!

I love the smile on the Anthrax guy's face.

via www.smbc-comics.com