Biology Fact of the Day

[McQ]

Behold!  The mighty Leviathan!

This is obviously a fake by evolutionists. Whales definitely don't live in the desert. Ha! How could you be so stupid to fall for that one! Hahahahahahahaha!

(I'm just sayin'......somebody out there is gonna say this. Just beating them to the punch).
 

Very cool find. Thanks for posting the video. Hadn't seen this yet.

[Sophus]

This one deals with your Biology: the secret to a deep sleep is a busy brain....

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/08/busy-brains-make-for-deeper-slee.html

[Tank]

This one deals with your Biology: the secret to a deep sleep is a busy brain....

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/08/busy-brains-make-for-deeper-slee.html

Interesting link. This appears to be true in the 5 members of our family.

[Squid]

From my blog:

In the latest edition of the medical journal Lancet: Infectious Diseases, an article details the detection of a new superbug. The culprit is a gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae which has shown resistance to most known antibiotics so far with the exception of tigecycline and colistin.

Enterobacteriaceae is not a single bacterium but a family of bacteria which includes some bugs that people are more familiar with like Salmonella and E.coli. Gram negative refers to the reaction of the bacteria to a staining procedure sometimes called Gram's method but most widely called Gram staining. Gram refers not to a unit of measurement but the name of the Danish scientist who developed the technique, Hans Gram.

Tigecycline was approved by the FDA in 2005 and was developed in response to antibiotic resistance bacterial strain prevalence. Colistin is an antibiotic and another drug targeted at resistant bacteria but is not approved for use in the U.S.

The bacteria apparently gained their resistance from a particular gene which was given the name New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 or NDM-1. The researchers analyzed samples from areas in Southern and Northern India and cases referred to the U.K.'s national reference laboratory.

The researchers identified 44 isolates which carried the NDM-1 gene in India, the U.K. and Pakistan. The NDM-1 gene was found mostly in E. coli and K. pneumoniae. However, the really troubling part is that the gene was found in most of the isolates to be carried on plasmids. Why is this troubling? Let me explain.

Plasmids are "rings" of DNA found naturally within bacteria and a few other microorganisms. Plasmids can replicate independently in a viable host and are often transferred between bacteria. Since the NDM-1 gene is found mostly on plasmids this means the motility of that gene and the possibly of it spreading quickly is a great concern.

The CDC released a short statement about NDM-1 in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report back during the last week of June warning of the detection of the NDM-1 gene here in the U.S.:

"Antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is a well-recognized problem, and a new resistance mechanism found in three U.S. Enterobacteriaceae could compound this challenge. This new mechanism, New Delhi Metalol-beta-lactamase (NDM-1), is linked to receipt of medical care in India or Pakistan, where it is common among enteric bacteria. NDM-1 is an enzyme that destroys many commonly used antibiotics, rendering them ineffective. It is carried on a mobile element that can readily spread to other bacteria. In order to prevent transmission of bacteria possessing NDM-1 in the U.S., CDC is alerting clinicians to be aware of NDM-1 in patients who have recently received medical care in India or Pakistan and requesting that carbapenem-resistant enteric bacteria from these patients be sent to CDC for further investigation. Also, CDC is reiterating the importance of implementing CDC recommendations to prevent the spread of these highly resistant organisms."

[joeactor]

Thanks Squid... Great explanation, and a frightening little bugger!

After reading the book "Panati's Endings", I'm amazed we haven't had a more recent pandemic.

[hackenslash]

Dunno about any sites that provide this, but I wouldn't mind betting we coome come up with a new biology fact every day that the majority aren't aware of. Here's one that I didn't know until a short while ago, and it was one that surprised me somewhat:

The fusion of chromosome #2 in humans accounts for none of the difference between humans and chimpanzees.

[Tank]

Dunno about any sites that provide this, but I wouldn't mind betting we coome come up with a new biology fact every day that the majority aren't aware of. Here's one that I didn't know until a short while ago, and it was one that surprised me somewhat:

The fusion of chromosome #2 in humans accounts for none of the difference between humans and chimpanzees.

Where did you find his interesting little snippet?  

[hackenslash]

I can't remember. It was probably from one of the biology geeks at RDF.

Oh, and since I've posted today, I might as well provide an factoid:

Koala fingerprints are indistinguishable from human fingerprints.

[Tank]

I can't remember. It was probably from one of the biology geeks at RDF.

Oh, and since I've posted today, I might as well provide an factoid:

Koala fingerprints are indistinguishable from human fingerprints.

So the Koala did it!

[Tank]

Mitochondrial Eve': Mother of All Humans Lived 200,000 Years Ago

ScienceDaily (Aug. 17, 2010) â€" The most robust statistical examination to date of our species' genetic links to "mitochondrial Eve" -- the maternal ancestor of all living humans -- confirms that she lived about 200,000 years ago. The Rice University study was based on a side-by-side comparison of 10 human genetic models that each aim to determine when Eve lived using a very different set of assumptions about the way humans migrated, expanded and spread across Earth...

[hackenslash]

Interesting. Incidentally, it isn't remotely clear that mitochondrial Eve was actually an example of Homo sapiens. This has to be stated, of course, with due reference to the 'discontinuity of mind' inherent in any discussion of species. In reality, organismal history doesn't fit into neat little boxes. Speaking of which, it's always amusing that cretinists talk about the gaps in the fossil record. If the fossil record were actually complete, the concept of species would be absolutely meaningless and without merit, because we simply wouldn't be able to draw lines between one species and another, or at least, not within a particular lineage.

[Sophus]

Here's a Biology question for the day: Why do pelicans vuln?

[humblesmurph]

Here's a Biology question for the day: Why do pelicans vuln?

To feed their young?

[Sophus]

Here's a Biology question for the day: Why do pelicans vuln?

To feed their young?

I don't know. The dictionary reads that it was "originally thought" that it was done to feed their young. Has that belief changed?

[notself]

Here's a Biology question for the day: Why do pelicans vuln?

To feed their young?

I don't know. The dictionary reads that it was "originally thought" that it was done to feed their young. Has that belief changed?

They do it to strain the water out before they swallow fish.  They also turn their pouches inside out which really looks weird.  They probably do that to pop the feather mites off the sides of their bills.  Brown Pelican bills have two razor sharp ridges toward the inside center of the bill.  These ridges run the entire length of the inside of the bill.  If grabbed by a pelican do not pull away without opening the bill first.  Otherwise you will be bleeding.   I love pelicans.  Used to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center.  Hard work, great fun.
Here is a video of two rehabbers washing a pelican.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pdXQlCtw8o

The woman is holding the pelican's mouth open because pelicans don't have nares (nostrils).  If the mouth were held closed the pelican would suffocate.

When an oiled bird comes the first step is to remove the oil by lifting it off the feathers with Canola oil.  When the petrochemicals or tar are gone the Canola oil is removed by washing the bird with Dawn dish washing soap and then rinsing thoroughly.  Canola oil is the easiest oil to remove and Dawn is the best detergent because it rinses clean.  This process is used all over the world. A lightly oiled bird or animal will take about 1 hour to clean not counting drying time.