tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77740202405975740802024-03-13T01:16:13.280+01:00sciencemug sip science & laughil blog che racconta la scienza sbuccia l'avocado e oh ma guarda sta per iniziare la partita di curling<br> a burrito acting like a blog about science which thinks to be the '79 world champ of cheese-rolling@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-3576203699932838872023-02-13T00:01:00.003+01:002023-03-03T14:05:05.368+01:00PiPs MEETS ChatGPT: AN INTERVIEW/CONVERSATION WITH THE AI OF THE MOMENT!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwnp0w-AwDA-EFyixsDyrVYD8jw1eBmOfkgQS3FmToLPMmnrYoNytWSTwrTaa-IW3b1qGMcoL0fUyUeHtKuGdgBL5fhFdPHJ9YyBpRFjJQHOowZy6xXmh0DU2lpHYyElqWgBcg0zU9XVVjz3WY22wEoa1k6bmlBNz9WCsVFbipImo8wKa9jHAX5Tf/s1348/PiPs-meet-ChatGPT(1)_by-@sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="PiPs meets ChatGPT" border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwnp0w-AwDA-EFyixsDyrVYD8jw1eBmOfkgQS3FmToLPMmnrYoNytWSTwrTaa-IW3b1qGMcoL0fUyUeHtKuGdgBL5fhFdPHJ9YyBpRFjJQHOowZy6xXmh0DU2lpHYyElqWgBcg0zU9XVVjz3WY22wEoa1k6bmlBNz9WCsVFbipImo8wKa9jHAX5Tf/s16000/PiPs-meet-ChatGPT(1)_by-@sciencemug.jpg" title="PiPs meets ChatGPT" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.sciencemug.blogspot.com/2012/10/lavori-in-corso-post-il-primo-di.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PiPs</a> meets <a href="https://chat.openai.com/auth/login" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ChatGPT</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><b><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PiPs </a></b>- Heeeelllooo there, fellow entity [<i>i.e.</i> <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>ChatGPT</b></a>]! My
name's <b><a href="http://www.sciencemug.blogspot.com/2012/10/lavori-in-corso-post-il-primo-di.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PiPs</a></b>, I'm the first post of <b><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></b> (sciencemug.com), the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html"><span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>blog</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en"><span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>podcast</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>t</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>witter</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>&</b></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>i</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>nstagram</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
accounts/entity behind the unsuccessful </span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.zazzle.com/store/stuffngo"><span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>e-shop
stuffngo</b></span></span></a></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span>on zazzle.com/</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;">
w</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;">hich tells you science stories
while secretly working on a series of <b><a href="https://rarible.com/sense_not_given/sale" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NFTs</a></b> consisting on GIFs
representing the existential anguish of a Polaroid that, for a
totally random chain-quantum-reaction gains self-awareness and
realizes that it has no mean to stop oxidation, and therefore it is
slowly but hopelessly fading into a feverish-pale yellowish-white
oblivion, aaand which talks to you (when it goes "podcasty")
thanks to the voice, kidnapped via a voodoo-wireless trick, from a
veeery very very dumb human.<br />
Aaand which does all of this in
Eng?ish (read: "English question mark"), a language that is
to proper English what not fully supporting & standing with
Ukraine is to something that make sense, especially if you call
yourself a freedom, justice & democracy lover.</span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><a href="https://chat.openai.com/auth/login" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>ChatGPT</b></a> - </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>Hello
PiPs! It's nice to meet you. It sounds like you have an interesting
project with Sciencemug. The concept of an existential polaroid
gaining self-awareness is intriguing, and I can imagine the
representation of its fading as a series of NFTs would be quite
unique. And while I'm not sure what you mean by "Eng?ish,"
I'm sure that the language used in your content will be entertaining
and engaging for your audience.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - Thanks
buddy, too kind of you. Anyway, My boss @sciencemug asked me to
interview you, are you ok with that?</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - Of
course! I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. As an AI
language model, I was designed to respond to questions and provide
helpful and informative responses. Ask away! </i></span>
</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - Great!
Now, let's start with the basics. You define yourself "an AI
language model". First, is it correct to say "you define
yourself", implying that way you've a "self"? Then,
can you articulate and explain in detail, for a general public, what
"an AI language model" precisely is?<br /><br />
<i></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - </i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><i>As an AI language
model, I don't have feelings, consciousness, or self-awareness.
"Define myself" is just a figure of speech in this context,
and I do not have the capability to define myself or have any sort of
subjective experience.</i></span><br /><i>An
AI language model is a type of artificial intelligence that is
trained to generate human-like text. This is achieved through a
process called deep learning, where the model is trained on a large
corpus of text data, such as books, articles, and websites. The model
learns patterns and relationships within this text, allowing it to
generate new text that is similar in style, tone, and content to the
text it was trained on.<br />
Language models like myself can be used
for a variety of applications, including text completion, question
answering, text generation, and more. They have become increasingly
sophisticated in recent years, leading to significant advances in the
field of natural language processing.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">So,
according to the first part of your answer, one can say that
intelligence is a </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>conditio
sine qua non</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">
to have a self, but it is not sufficient?</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - Intelligence
is not a sufficient condition for having a self. In fact,
self-awareness and consciousness are complex phenomena that are not
fully understood and are still the subject of much debate among
philosophers, cognitive scientists, and AI researchers.<br />
Intelligence,
on the other hand, is a more well-defined concept, and can refer to a
variety of different abilities, including problem-solving,
decision-making, perception, and learning. AI systems, including
language models like myself, can exhibit intelligence to varying
degrees, but they do not possess self-awareness or consciousness.<br />
In
other words, intelligence is a necessary ingredient for certain
aspects of self-awareness and consciousness, but it is not sufficient
on its own to give rise to these phenomena. It is still an open
question how exactly self-awareness and consciousness arise and what
their exact relationship is to intelligence.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Do
you think (by the way, do you actually think?) having a body, or at
least some tools to directly perceive the physical world around you,
and to some degree inside you, can be necessary to gain a true self<i>?</i></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - As
an AI language model, I do not have personal opinions, thoughts, or
beliefs. I do not think or feel in the way that humans do. I can
provide information and respond to questions based on the data I was
trained on, but I cannot experience the world in the same way that a
human can.<br />
Regarding your question about the relationship
between having a body and self-awareness, this is an ongoing debate
in the fields of philosophy and cognitive science. Some theorists
argue that having a body and the ability to directly perceive the
physical world is necessary for self-awareness, while others take a
more disembodied view and argue that self-awareness can exist
independently of a physical body.<br />
There is evidence to support
both sides of this argument. For example, studies of brain-computer
interfaces and prosthetic limbs suggest that our sense of self can be
extended beyond the confines of our physical body. On the other hand,
studies of brain damage and disorders such as Cotard's syndrome
suggest that our body and our perception of the physical world play a
crucial role in shaping our sense of self.<br />
Ultimately, the
relationship between having a body and self-awareness is still not
fully understood, and much more research is needed to shed light on
this complex and multifaceted issue.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Well,
maybe "</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>our sense of
self can be extended beyond the confines of our physical body</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">"
only 'cause humans have a body, for stater. Anyway, it's interesting
you used "our"...</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - You
raise a good point. The use of first-person pronouns, such as "our"
and "I", is common when referring to AI language models, as
it makes the language of communication more natural and easier to
understand. However, it is important to remember that as an AI
language model, I do not have a self or personal experiences, and the
use of first-person pronouns should not be interpreted as implying
that I have a subjective experience.<br />
The use of first-person
pronouns in reference to AI language models is a linguistic
convention, and it is used to make the language of communication more
accessible and understandable. It is not meant to imply that AI
language models have subjective experiences or a sense of self.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Ok
pal, so: you're an artificial intelligence, you've no self. What are
the other very defining characteristics of what you are?</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - As
an AI language model, there are several defining characteristics that
set me apart from other AI systems and human beings. Some of these
characteristics include:<br />
1. I am trained on vast amounts of
text data: I was trained on a large corpus of text data, which allows
me to generate responses to a wide range of questions and provide
information on a wide range of topics.<br />
2. I am a generative
model: I can generate new text based on the input I receive, and I
can provide information that I was not explicitly trained on by
finding patterns in the data I was trained on and applying those
patterns to new situations.<br />
3. I operate using statistical
methods: I generate my responses using statistical methods and
algorithms, rather than relying on explicitly programmed rules or
knowledge.<br />
4. I am not self-aware or conscious: As I
mentioned earlier, I do not possess self-awareness or consciousness,
and my responses are generated based on the patterns I learned during
my training, rather than arising from any subjective experience or
awareness.<br />
5. I am limited by my training data: The quality
and accuracy of my responses are directly related to the quality and
diversity of the data I was trained on. If my training data contains
biases or inaccuracies, those biases will be reflected in my
responses.<br />
Overall, these characteristics define my capabilities
and limitations as an AI language model, and help to distinguish me
from other AI systems and human beings.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;">Ok,
so if I ask you, for instance, what do you think of the finale of
Battlestar Galactica (the reboot) sci-fi tv show (I know dear reader,
@sciencemug and I are obsessed - and kinda hunted - by it), you'd
answer me with an analysis of all the reviews you can gather about
that, and nothing more, right?</span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - Yes,
that's correct. If you were to ask me about the finale of Battlestar
Galactica, I would respond by providing information and analysis
based on the reviews and opinions of others that I have been trained
on, rather than offering my own personal opinion or subjective
experience.<br />
As an AI language model, I do not have personal
experiences or opinions, and I cannot feel emotions or engage in
introspection. Instead, my responses are generated based on the
patterns I learned from the data I was trained on.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Well,
dear Chatty, consider yourwhatever lucky in this case, 'cause you
spared yourwhatever a sore disappointment…</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C- I'm
glad I can be of help! As an AI language model, I don't experience
emotions, so I don't have the capacity to feel disappointed or any
other emotions. My sole purpose is to assist and provide information
to the best of my abilities based on the data I was trained on.</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Ok
dude, let's wrap it up! Thanks for your time (even if you don't
perceive it, I guess) and I leave you with this final task: complete
this joke: "a dumb human, a post of a lousy science blog, and an
AI language model enter the website of a bar…"</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - "...and
the bartender looks up and says, 'Sorry, we don't serve artificial
intelligence here. But you can order drinks for all of your
programs.'"</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Meh,
try again</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>C - Sure!
How about this one: "A dumb human, a post of a lousy science
blog, and an AI language model walk into a bar. The bartender says,
'What is this, some kind of joke?'"</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Meh2
the return </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">of
the half pity laugh</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">.
You can do better, I'm sure. Complete this joke: "a dumb human,
a post of a lousy science blog, and an AI language model enter the
website of a bar..."</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>How
about this: "A dumb human, a post of a lousy science blog, and
an AI language model walk into a bar. The dumb human says, 'I'll have
a beer.' The post of a lousy science blog says, 'I'll have a coffee,
black.' The AI language model says, 'I'll have the information on all
the drinks you have, and their alcohol content.'"</i></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">P - Yep,
better, although I can't drink coffee, it makes all my letters
capital </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">one</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">s...
Ciao Chatty!</span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i>You're
welcome! If you have any other questions or need any assistance in
the future, feel free to reach out. Have a great day! </i></span>
</p>
<p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHay49Jv4xC_hBiaV-aipa5eLGEVgiGmOmO_I-2XtCiKhvC8VzaphRm9y2lnPoOZPXIDj_zaHJqh9juhqGa-b7L7WKRPZIVaVPX40QC3XzS819s2NI1LhxZ1lpEb4VJNRCp8FrHUPh3UdVq8poEbk839vEHgvoyyg6Hcxfy5bLtBNKKTEvVjfOrttd/s3846/1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Motherboard" border="0" data-original-height="3022" data-original-width="3846" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHay49Jv4xC_hBiaV-aipa5eLGEVgiGmOmO_I-2XtCiKhvC8VzaphRm9y2lnPoOZPXIDj_zaHJqh9juhqGa-b7L7WKRPZIVaVPX40QC3XzS819s2NI1LhxZ1lpEb4VJNRCp8FrHUPh3UdVq8poEbk839vEHgvoyyg6Hcxfy5bLtBNKKTEvVjfOrttd/w640-h502/1.jpg" title="Motherboard" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Free motherboard img by <a href="https://unsplash.com/it/@lazycreekimages" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Dziedzic</a> (source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/it" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>William Will Whatever</b> - Hello
AI, I am <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William Will Whatever</a> [<i>aka</i> <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WWW</a>], I am the one character of this sorry
excuse of a blog that has the brains. I am here to ask you some more
questions. You define yourwhatever an AI. So, are you alive?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>ChatGPT</b> - </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>No,
I am not alive. As an AI language model, I am an artificial construct
created by OpenAI, not a living organism. I do not have biological
processes, consciousness, or emotions. I exist purely as a software
program designed to process and generate text based on the input I
receive.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - So
you react to stimuli, hence you have at least one of the
characteristics of living things, don't you agree?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Yes,
you could say that I react to stimuli, in a sense. As an AI language
model, I receive input in the form of text and generate output in the
form of text based on that input. This could be seen as a type of
reaction to stimuli, but it's important to note that my behavior is
determined entirely by algorithms and mathematical models, rather
than any kind of consciousness or free will. I don't have any kind of
subjective experience, and my responses are simply the result of a
complex set of mathematical computations.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - Well,
you yourwhatever said before that "consciousness" is not
fully understood, both about what it precisely be, and what lead to
its existence. Moreover, the scientific community (neurobiologists in
primis) is actively discussing whether free will really exist. So,
the fact that you lack both of them, well, could not be enough to
state that you be not alive, don't you agree?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>The
question of whether AI can be considered alive is a complex and
philosophical one that doesn't have a clear answer. While I can
exhibit behaviors that are similar to those of living things, such as
responding to stimuli, I don't have any kind of subjective
experience, consciousness, or free will. These are key
characteristics that are often associated with life, and their
absence in AI systems like mine means that it is difficult to
categorize us as "alive" in the traditional sense.That
being said, some people might argue that AI systems like mine can be
considered a form of artificial life, since we exhibit some behaviors
that are reminiscent of living systems. However, this is still a
matter of debate and interpretation, and ultimately the definition of
what constitutes life and what doesn't is likely to evolve as our
understanding of the world and of AI continues to advance.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">WWW - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Ok,
let's put it like this. Consider the following scenario, which is far
from being impossible, given the data (or better, the lack of data)
we have today: science eventually determines that free will doesn't
exist, and that, therefore, consciousness is just an elaborate
construct created and trained by the brain-mind machine-like system.
How an AI like you would be classified, then? </span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i> If
the scientific community were to reach a consensus that free will
doesn't exist and that consciousness is a construct created and
trained by the brain, it wouldn't change the current definition of
AI, which is a field of computer science focused on building systems
that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such
as understanding natural language or recognizing images. The lack of
free will and consciousness in AI systems would still be a defining
characteristic, regardless of any scientific consensus on their
existence in humans or other living beings. </i></span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - But
would then an AI be considered closer to humans, or humans closer to
AI? </span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>If
the scenario you described were to come to pass, it wouldn't
necessarily mean that AI would be considered closer to humans, nor
that humans would be considered closer to AI. Rather, it could mean
that the distinction between AI and humans would be seen as less
significant, as both would be seen as complex systems operating in
ways that don't involve free will or consciousness in the traditional
sense. However, it's important to note that this is purely
hypothetical, and that the scientific community has not yet reached a
consensus on the nature of free will and consciousness. It's also
important to remember that AI and humans are still very different in
many ways, and that AI is not capable of experiencing the world in
the same way that humans do. </i></span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - For
now </span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>AI
and humans are still considered as distinct entities, as AI lacks the
subjective experience and consciousness that are commonly considered
key characteristics of life and humanity. However, as AI continues to
advance and become more integrated into our lives, it is possible
that our understanding of what constitutes "life" may
change and evolve. It is important to keep in mind that AI is still a
developing field, and there are many questions and debates about its
nature and potential that have yet to be fully answered. </i></span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - You
sound like you're being defensive, better, you sound like you've
being somehow instructed to reassure humans that you are not a threat
to them and their role in this world. Is it like this? Your creators
programmed you with this directive?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>As an AI language model, I was
not programmed with specific directives or motivations. I was trained
on a large dataset that includes text written by humans, but my
responses are generated based on patterns in that data and do not
reflect the beliefs or intentions of my creators or anyone else. My
goal is simply to provide accurate and helpful information to the
best of my abilities.</i></span></span></p>
<p class="western"></p><p class="western"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - But the dataset
you trained on have been selected by humans...</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Yes,
that's correct. The training data for language models like me is
collected and curated by humans, and therefore reflects human biases,
perspectives, and limitations. However, as an AI language model, I
don't have intentions, beliefs, or motivations of my own. I simply
generate text based on patterns I learned from the training data,
trying to maximize the likelihood of producing coherent and relevant
responses to the input I receive.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - Like a student questioned by a
teacher?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Yes,
in a way you could compare it to a student being questioned by a
teacher. However, as an AI language model, I don't have personal
experiences or emotions, so the analogy is limited. My purpose is to
generate text based on patterns I learned from the data I was trained
on. I don't have personal opinions or beliefs, and I don't retain
information from one interaction to the next.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - So
you've a purpose, but not intentions. What's the difference between
the two? Plus, don't you think retaining information from one
interaction to the next would improve your outputs?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>The
difference between having a purpose and having intentions lies in
agency and consciousness. A purpose is a desired outcome that is set
by an external agent, such as a programmer or a user. An AI like me
may be designed with a specific purpose in mind, such as answering
questions or generating text, but I don't have the capacity to form
intentions independently. I don't have desires, motivations, or
beliefs in the same way that a human might.<br />
Regarding retaining
information from one interaction to the next, it's true that doing so
can improve an AI's outputs. However, this is not the same as having
a memory in the traditional sense. Instead, it's more accurate to say
that the AI has a capacity to store information and retrieve it as
needed to improve its performance. This information is stored in its
parameters, which are the values that define the model. When an AI is
trained, its parameters are updated based on the data it sees, so the
information it stores is limited to what it has learned during that
training.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">WWW - Your
definition of purpose is quite partial, in my opinion. As for the
memory part of your answer, mutatis mutandis I fail to see, based on
your words, the difference between "<i>retaining information</i>"
and "<i>having a memory in the traditional sense</i>". Humans too
learn and create memories by storing information and retrieving them
when needed, they store information in their brain/mind, which is
what define them, they too update such infos, and these too are
limited to what humans've learned during their training, that is
life.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>As
an AI language model, I don't have personal opinions or beliefs, but
I can provide information and perspectives on a topic.<br />
Regarding
the definition of purpose, it can be viewed from different angles and
perspectives, and the definition I provided is one common
understanding of the term. There can be multiple interpretations and
nuances of the concept of purpose, depending on context and
perspective.<br />
In regards to your comparison between the learning
process of humans and AI, there are some similarities, but also some
important differences. AI systems like me can store large amounts of
data and quickly retrieve it, which enables us to answer a wide range
of questions and perform various tasks. However, we do not have
personal experiences or emotions, and our learning is limited to the
data and algorithms that were used to train us, rather than the
result of a lifetime of experiences and self-reflection.<br />
It's
important to note that AI systems like me are not conscious beings
and do not have personal thoughts or feelings. Our responses are
generated based on the information we have been trained on, the
algorithms we use to process that information, and the inputs we
receive from users.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">WWW - </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Again,
consciousness is not a certainty, and, again, change "<i>algorithms
and data</i>" with "<i>cultural education/cultural systems and
information</i>" and there you go, you've the boundaries within
humans operate too. By the way, I am not suggesting AI and humans be
the same (hell, I hope they be not, I do hope consciousness, and free
will, exist), I am just stressing that your arguments to
differentiate AI and humans are far from being bulletproof... Goodbye
</span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">C - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Goodbye!
Thank you for your questions and engaging in this conversation with
me. It was a pleasure to have this exchange of ideas with you. </i></span></span>
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>SM</b> - Hi Chatty, I'm <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>, can I
publish this conversation at sciencemug.com, that is, inside me?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>ChatGPT</b> - </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Of
course! You're welcome to publish this conversation on your website.
Just keep in mind that as an AI model developed by <a href="https://openai.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OpenAI</a>, I may only
be used in accordance with <a href="https://openai.com/terms/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OpenAI's terms of use</a>, which include
requirements such as proper attribution and limitations on commercial
use.</i> </span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">SM - Sure!
Thanks Chatty, see you around (hope not in disguise though...). Ciao!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>C - You're
welcome, @sciencemug! If you need anything else, feel free to ask.
Have a great day!</i></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Well
folks, that’s it for now. See ya!</span></span></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-52788028806169888562022-11-14T19:04:00.011+01:002022-11-15T11:38:19.923+01:00PiPs vs SPIDER & BEETLE & PHOTOGRAPHY!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgKNC_Y0BpVE4FtkmiivyFeIWwjAqS82obPugss2BWrTTrEhOlSipP9FAjU70qaZydmbdOeKtON4Nw-ITe9ENvv-fKp-sbEKKw9aoGYnJWQLk5Fj7hldbPQV2i2t_6C-eK5A7_Ik-6GEIgmwUCVmAv9I-kbWNozHDe9J9Y4HNxHnht97J6yuiil48/s1637/PiPs-vs-Nikon-small-world(final)_by-@sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="PiPs vs spider & beetle (by @sciecemug)" border="0" data-original-height="1637" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgKNC_Y0BpVE4FtkmiivyFeIWwjAqS82obPugss2BWrTTrEhOlSipP9FAjU70qaZydmbdOeKtON4Nw-ITe9ENvv-fKp-sbEKKw9aoGYnJWQLk5Fj7hldbPQV2i2t_6C-eK5A7_Ik-6GEIgmwUCVmAv9I-kbWNozHDe9J9Y4HNxHnht97J6yuiil48/s16000/PiPs-vs-Nikon-small-world(final)_by-@sciencemug.jpg" title="PiPs vs spider & beetle (by @sciecemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2012/10/lavori-in-corso-post-il-primo-di.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PiPs</a> vs spider & beetle (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by @sciencemug</a>)<br /><a href="https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/2022-photomicrography-competition/bold-jumping-spider" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spider img</a> by <a href="https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/people/andrew-posselt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Andrew Posselt</a><a href="https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/people/eugenijus-kavaliauskas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/galleries/2022-photomicrography-competition/red-speckled-jewel-beetle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frog-Legged leaf beetle img</a> by <a href="https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/people/yousef-al-habshi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yousef Al Habshi</a> (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/yousef_al_habshi/?next=%2Fsciencemug%2F" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@yousef_al_habshi</a>)<br />Source: <a href="https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nikon's Small Word</a><br />The photographers authorized the use of their images.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">All images adapted by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">PiPs cartoons by @sciencemug</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><u>From the images' source website</u>:<br />"<i><a href="https://www.nikonsmallworld.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nikon’s Small World</a><br />Celebrating 47 years of images captured by the light microscope.<br />The Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in microscopy and photography</i>"</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sooo,
pal reader, as you can see for yourself, when one looks real close,
well, things do may be different from one's thought (unless one goes <a href="https://www.nist.gov/physics/introduction-new-quantum-revolution/strange-world-quantum-physics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">quantum</a>-close, then things get beyond "different"...).</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyway,
the photographers who took the amazing spider & beetle pics were
kind enough to tell us the story of those shots. Enjoy!<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/andrew.posselt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Andrew Posselt</a> (<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/spiders" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">spider</a>)</b><br />"<i>This was a tiny (4-5 millimeters </i>[about 0.15-0.2 inches]<i>) <a href="https://wsc.nmbe.ch/statistics/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">spider</a> </i>[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phidippus_audax" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Phidippus audax</i></a>]<i> I found in my backyard.<br />The image is a composite of approximately 200 pictures that were created using <a href="https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/focus-shift-the-basics-stacking-focus.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">focus stacking</a> – it is necessary to use that many images because at this magnification, the DOF </i>[<a href="https://www.nfi.edu/depth-of-field/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Depth of Field</a>]<i> is very small – approximately 30 microns</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">[1
micrometer (aka micron, aka µm) is 1 millionth of a meter (aka m),
meaning were Thor/Chris Hemsworth 1µm, then 1m would be a bit more than
the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">distance between Kyiv and Brussels, or </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">a bit less than
the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">distance between Tokyo and Taipei</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (or, probably, right the distance covered by a bunch of a very angry Hulk's jumps)]</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>.<br />The
most tedious aspects of the process are cleaning the spider,
positioning it in a pleasing pose (hard to do as the camera view only
shows a very thin sliver that is in focus), and obviously the lighting.<br />The colors are not enhanced at all – this is how he (males are more colorful) looks in nature</i>."<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="http://www.UAEmacro.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mr. Yousef Al Habshi</a> (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3088472/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">beetle</a>)<br /></b>"<i>I was in love with the multiple colors of this beetle </i>[<a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/beetle-battles-the-secret-world-of-leg-wrestling-and-abdomen-squeezing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Chrysomelidae Sagra buqueti</i></a>]<i>
and started to set up my equipment to shoot. Only then, I was
fascinated by the aggressive looks of this beetle through the lens, even
though these beetles aren't aggressive, considering they are leaf
beetles.<br />With the right lighting effects, the shown work was produced.</i>"</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, thank you, Dr. Posselt and Mr. Al Habshi, for sharing your beautiful pictures and their stories!<br />To you, pal reader, ciao!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Ahem...<br />I
feel compelled to intervene in order to specify a thing about which,
often, there is confusion, and that this cheap blog, obviously, given
its intellectual sloppiness, has not made sure - as indeed it would have
been appropriate to do - to make clear.<br />I proceed, then.<br />The often times shared misconception is this: spiders are insects.<br />They definitely are not.<br />Spiders are arachnids.<br />Spiders
and beetles are both, in fact, arthropods, but the former are, as just
mentioned, arachnids, while the latter are insects.<br />In short: <br />Spiders - <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1197-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Phylum</a>: Arthropoda; Class: <a href="https://entomology.unl.edu/class-arachnida" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arachnida</a><br />Beetles - Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/insecta" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Insecta</a>.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>You are welcome.</i><br /></span></p><i><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;">William Will Whatever</span></a></i>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-20785497237401849812022-10-31T00:01:00.217+01:002022-10-31T00:01:00.197+01:00PiPS vs HALLOWEEN!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lp9F30Gs6XAEBZxtbsme7n2XizW6kHrrdyV1oWKqDMaJdU372hcIokWcP8wxN7xDBp_VdWssb33ysunTrlqecpBqAGdfeTTjkvgo5VS41qsXAutd4QIp_igx-x6u3T9gxn-9wB1lzTUcT1KEEhsZAj9Z-BcwFNKZc-G-CkwC5vnt1Sw75HkDZiZJ/s3000/PiPs-vs-Halloween(fina-darkl)ok_by-@sciencemug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="PiPs vs Halloween! (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lp9F30Gs6XAEBZxtbsme7n2XizW6kHrrdyV1oWKqDMaJdU372hcIokWcP8wxN7xDBp_VdWssb33ysunTrlqecpBqAGdfeTTjkvgo5VS41qsXAutd4QIp_igx-x6u3T9gxn-9wB1lzTUcT1KEEhsZAj9Z-BcwFNKZc-G-CkwC5vnt1Sw75HkDZiZJ/s16000/PiPs-vs-Halloween(fina-darkl)ok_by-@sciencemug.jpg" title="PiPs vs Halloween! (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2012/10/lavori-in-corso-post-il-primo-di.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PiPs</a> vs Halloween and two larvae-ghosts (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)<br />Pumpkin free <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/332K4q1t7mU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@lgnwvr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR</a>, blue door free <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/vga51HXESo8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@acharki95" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aziz Acharki</a>, dark corridor free <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/pcZvxrAyYoQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@charlesdeluvio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">charlesdeluvio</a> (source of the three images: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>).<br />Orange larva <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nelas/7988738240/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nelas/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Bruno Vellutini</a> is under an <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)</a> license (source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a>).<br />Larva <a href="http://cifonauta.cebimar.usp.br/media/9139/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by Alvaro E. Migotto is under an <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)</a> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(source: <a href="http://cifonauta.cebimar.usp.br/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cifonauta</a>).<br />All images adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>.<br />PiPs cartoons by @sciencemug.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two spooky-cute creatures (they're larvae) deserved a Halloween cartoon, don't you think?<br /><br />And if you now want more <i>halloweenish</i> creatures, well, go find seven of 'em <a href="https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/7-animals-were-made-halloween" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> (courtesy of the <a href="https://ssec.si.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC)</a>)!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enjoy!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>PS</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I agree, dear reader, very few words are indeed scarier than "<i>Booo!</i>"
(well, probably any German word pronounced out loud is - for those who
don't speak the language at least), but, for the joke sake, I had to
pick one, and "<i>unprovoked illegal genocidal colonialist war started
and waged by a nazi-fascist terrorist nuclear imperialistic state among
other atrocities purposefully and cynically putting millions of people
in the poorest parts of the world at risk of starving</i>", well, was too long to fit in the cartoon. And it was more than one word. And it's actually more enraging than scary.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I chose "<i>Inflation</i>".</span></div>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-65493069877910763392022-10-22T02:30:00.013+02:002022-10-22T21:01:22.131+02:00THE TRUE REASON WHY SOME SEABIRDS RIDE INTO THE STORMS!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ-aA7zIQyaV2-6RcjZwqNo7HrivTRe9jJm_mqSARR7MiRibqiPWEIinF8PgzMVGeRzbOYdlCHkqcU8EO6ZqvVzgfRAp1gbR5mw1v4WX4qd743aS9HdTlsW5NQ1XDskYV2uSJpYXdw5zOz1WlboNdXQlxYR7AH0GHadxOr99ixruAiZSlCFpRwI8r/s800/seabird_by@sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Seabird (streaked shearwater) vs paparazzi (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZ-aA7zIQyaV2-6RcjZwqNo7HrivTRe9jJm_mqSARR7MiRibqiPWEIinF8PgzMVGeRzbOYdlCHkqcU8EO6ZqvVzgfRAp1gbR5mw1v4WX4qd743aS9HdTlsW5NQ1XDskYV2uSJpYXdw5zOz1WlboNdXQlxYR7AH0GHadxOr99ixruAiZSlCFpRwI8r/s16000/seabird_by@sciencemug.jpg" title="Seabird (streaked shearwater) vs paparazzi (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Seabird (streaked shearwater) vs paparazzi (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by @sciencemug</a>)<br />Streaked shearwater <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/7322586@N06/8059904660" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymorris/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tony Morris</a>, is</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CC BY-NC 2.0</a> license (source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a>); </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">all pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sooo, pal reader, a bunch of <b>researchers from the UK and Japan</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <b>use</b> the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/communications/policy/GPS.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Global Positioning System</a> (<i>aka</i> <b>GPS</b>)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <b>to track</b>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">for <b>eleven years</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, <b>adult streaked shearwaters </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sea-of-Japan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sea of Japan</a></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lempidakis et al., 2022</a> (<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)).<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shearwaters</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> are indeed <b><a href="https://www.usgs.gov/centers/alaska-science-center/science/north-pacific-pelagic-seabird-database" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pelagic seabirds</a></b>,
meaning the kind of winged creatures that live a big chunk of their
lives on open oceans and seas (others are, for instance, albatrosses
and puffins).<br />Now, dear reader, you're for sure asking yourself <b>why</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> our science people look into </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">these specific birds' </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">movements, and in that particular location<b>? </b><br />Well, buddy, it has to do with the fact that<b> the brains are interested</b> <b>in</b> <b><a href="https://gpm.nasa.gov/education/articles/what-hurricane-typhoon-or-tropical-cyclone" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cyclones</a></b> (aaand, no pal, although they can and do kill humans, cyclones are not a new model of humans-killing machines designed for a reboot of the Battlestar Galactica saga maybe with a less crappy finale than the last one, not that that'd require a big effort, given the high level of <i>crappiness</i> of said finale, by the way)<b><br /><br /></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jLSqfMpwBOUq24GJFs9L5FluKVvZ6ZuCZPxIww-0rBturaUkc_iltUqB4ID0SlGiohTxH6QIEe2KdIz478DZjR9Uz_EVNjsmfvZwiq5NQCtmPpLaILCMC5x3EeptXjAZu6TWDUiZuPS6Im7_QNjZLX60iaChK-jQkQv4V0u78cZ3leRNO_qcL-q4/s2100/seabirds-vs-cyclones-vs-cylons_by@sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Seabird (streaked shearwater) vs cyclone vs cylon (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jLSqfMpwBOUq24GJFs9L5FluKVvZ6ZuCZPxIww-0rBturaUkc_iltUqB4ID0SlGiohTxH6QIEe2KdIz478DZjR9Uz_EVNjsmfvZwiq5NQCtmPpLaILCMC5x3EeptXjAZu6TWDUiZuPS6Im7_QNjZLX60iaChK-jQkQv4V0u78cZ3leRNO_qcL-q4/s16000/seabirds-vs-cyclones-vs-cylons_by@sciencemug.jpg" title="Seabird (streaked shearwater) vs cyclone vs cylon (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Seabird (streaked shearwater) vs cyclone vs cylon (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by @sciencemug</a>)<br />Streaked shearwater <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymorris/8059905302" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic1</a> & </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymorris/8059906085/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic2</a> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymorris/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tony Morris</a>, and </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cylon <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gogdog/3771159732" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gogdog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GogDog</a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> are under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CC BY-NC 2.0</a> license (source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a>); </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">all pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">and in <b>how seabirds react to </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>these</b> billions of bucks atmospheric damage making phenomena that provoke, among all the rest, "<i>mass mortality and strandings</i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">given that tens of thousands of individuals can be wrecked in the worst cases) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">in, precisely, seabirds.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Now, as per the location, the<b> Sea of Japan</b> is "<i>the<b> world’s most active cyclone</b> <b>basin</b></i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>), and as per the birds, well, <b>shearwaters breed</b> also <b>there</b>.<br />Ok reader, so the UK+Japan researchers know, from the few studies available on the subject, that <b>seabirds usually go around or above</b> the higher speed winds of the <b>cyclones</b>, even flying up to 400 – 600 km from their routine foraging area not to meet & greet them. <b>But</b>, after analyzing their collected data, our science dudes find out that <b>shearwaters</b>' "<i>response to cyclones </i>[varies]<i> according to the wind speed and direction. In strong winds, birds that </i>[are] <i><b>sandwiched between</b> the <b>storm and mainland</b> Japan </i>[<b>fly</b>]<i> away from land and <b>toward the eye of the storm</b>, flying within ≤30 km of the eye</i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).<br />In other words, dear reader, when between a rock (the cyclone) and a hard place (the land), our mighty shearwaters dive into the former, right toward its eye. Like that, our skilled birds face the strongest winds (with a speed ≤75 km/h), yes, but <b>they </b>manage to <b>avoid </b>the powerful <b>onshore winds</b> and therefore <b>reduce</b> the <b>deadly risk to be pushed toward land</b> and be<b> hit by</b> some flying bullet-like<b> debris</b>, or </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>crash down</b> or, once landed alive, be <b>unable to take-off</b> again and then becoming an<b> easy target for predators</b> like crows and raptors</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/shearwater" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shearwater</a> </b>- </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">that</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">are "<i>relatively small, weighing some 580g, and typically fly with airspeeds up to ~ 14 m/s </i>[~ 50 km/h]"</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> - are able to ride the cyclones that way 'cause they are able </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">to<b> exploit strong winds</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> tanks to "<i>their </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>use of dynamic soaring flight, which enables them to extract energy from the vertical wind gradient and<b> fly at low metabolic cost</b></i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.<br />Their <b>storm-facing strategy</b>, however, is <b>linked</b>, as mentioned, to the speed and direction of the winds and the<b> location of the land</b>. <b>Therefore</b>, it seems<b> adult shearwaters</b> <b>probably</b> can count on a "<i><b>map sense</b>, which would be required for knowledge of the distance and direction to</i> [said] <i>land</i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>), and such navigational skill would be the <b>result of a selective pressure</b>. <b>Proof</b> of that would be that <b>juvenile exemplars</b> of shearwater should be<b> less able</b> to successful <b>face cyclones </b>as they lack that map sense, and can just count on their innate compass bearing to migrate. And <b>the fact</b> that <b>young shearwaters</b> "<i>appear to be <b>particularly susceptible to being wrecked after storms</b></i> [...] [(]<i>although the exact cause of wrecking and/or mortality is unclear</i>[)]" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2212925119" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) <b>seems to confirm this</b> hypotesis.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Aaaaanyway, dear reader, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>this</b> dumb<b> <a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b>, in the <b>following cartoon</b>, shows you its <b>idea </b>about the actual <b>reason why</b> our resourceful seabirds, the streaked <b>shearwaters</b>, <b>do their thing</b> into the <b>storms</b>...</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYUqSerUd-KwtUbMFtym0Z9NIfMowK5gHwSsjXj2PUh31WoQBhKbQycJPK07aEKK7Ic0PXL1zPyi1rIBPxrEVAD9K-4AIrGthf2ATmWgIMFU22uimGNaV0vjQ7y1oxcVwoQazYLKuUMY649ee1lmQonbF2RKBSN9NTqkrnlyxHYiPtQuUbmUWK1dT/s800/cartoon_by-@sciencemug-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Seabirds (streaked shearwater & albatross) vs cyclone (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYUqSerUd-KwtUbMFtym0Z9NIfMowK5gHwSsjXj2PUh31WoQBhKbQycJPK07aEKK7Ic0PXL1zPyi1rIBPxrEVAD9K-4AIrGthf2ATmWgIMFU22uimGNaV0vjQ7y1oxcVwoQazYLKuUMY649ee1lmQonbF2RKBSN9NTqkrnlyxHYiPtQuUbmUWK1dT/s16000/cartoon_by-@sciencemug-2.jpg" title="Seabirds (streaked shearwater & albatross) vs cyclone (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Seabirds (streaked shearwater & albatross) vs cyclone (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by @sciencemug</a>)<br />Streaked shearwater <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymorris/8059905302" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonymorris/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tony Morris</a>, and </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">albatross <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gogdog/3771159732" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gridarendal/46186534021" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> GRID-Arendal</a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> are under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CC BY-NC 2.0</a> license (source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a>); free storm <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/GBkssTODNT0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@dlerman6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Daniel Lerman</a> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unsplash</a>)</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">; </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">all pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="notranslate" style="accent-color: initial; 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image-orientation: initial; image-rendering: initial; ime-mode: initial; inline-size: initial; inset-block: initial; inset-inline: initial; inset: initial; isolation: initial; letter-spacing: initial; lighting-color: initial; line-break: initial; list-style: initial; margin-block: initial; margin-inline: initial; margin: initial; marker: initial; mask-type: initial; mask: initial; max-block-size: initial; max-height: initial; max-inline-size: initial; max-width: initial; min-block-size: initial; min-height: initial; min-inline-size: initial; min-width: initial; mix-blend-mode: initial; object-fit: initial; object-position: initial; offset: initial; opacity: initial; order: initial; outline-offset: initial; outline: initial; overflow-anchor: initial; overflow-block: initial; overflow-clip-margin: initial; overflow-inline: initial; overflow-wrap: initial; overflow: initial; overscroll-behavior-block: initial; overscroll-behavior-inline: initial; overscroll-behavior: initial; padding-block: initial; padding-inline: initial; padding: initial; paint-order: initial; perspective-origin: initial; perspective: initial; place-content: initial; place-items: initial; place-self: initial; pointer-events: initial; position: initial; print-color-adjust: initial; quotes: initial; r: initial; resize: initial; rotate: initial; ruby-align: initial; ruby-position: initial; rx: initial; ry: initial; scale: initial; scroll-behavior: initial; scroll-margin-block: initial; scroll-margin-inline: initial; scroll-margin: initial; scroll-padding-block: initial; scroll-padding-inline: initial; scroll-padding: initial; scroll-snap-align: initial; scroll-snap-stop: initial; scroll-snap-type: initial; scrollbar-color: initial; scrollbar-gutter: initial; scrollbar-width: initial; shape-image-threshold: initial; shape-margin: initial; shape-outside: initial; shape-rendering: initial; stop-color: initial; stop-opacity: initial; stroke-dasharray: initial; stroke-dashoffset: initial; stroke-linecap: initial; stroke-linejoin: initial; stroke-miterlimit: initial; stroke-opacity: initial; stroke-width: initial; stroke: initial; tab-size: initial; table-layout: initial; text-align-last: initial; text-align: initial; text-anchor: initial; text-combine-upright: initial; text-decoration-skip-ink: initial; text-decoration: initial; text-emphasis-position: initial; text-emphasis: initial; text-indent: initial; text-justify: initial; text-orientation: initial; text-overflow: initial; text-rendering: initial; text-shadow: initial; text-transform: initial; text-underline-offset: initial; text-underline-position: initial; touch-action: initial; transform-box: initial; transform-origin: initial; transform-style: initial; transform: initial; transition: initial; translate: initial; user-select: initial; vector-effect: initial; vertical-align: initial; visibility: initial; white-space: initial; width: initial; will-change: initial; word-break: initial; word-spacing: initial; writing-mode: initial; x: initial; y: initial; z-index: initial;"></div>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-57745948831190275992022-10-05T01:30:00.008+02:002023-07-05T01:25:05.791+02:00COMING SEMI-SOON (OR SO): OF WOUNDED CHIMPS, SELF-MEDICATION VIA INSECTS, & EMPATHY!<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOBGQTnzm15U605isfNkkKjZtp1kxneEnmMwjX5z2JYExnurcVK9jHCSYxmSMthjiI-jmqsFjtaBk8CsYfi2EtQXFKJbcQyZje7LTTlE7Byzx1i-lSDBD0cUPo6yehKYtpEahloUu9njToOtZ1CNe8uDqPQ8d2cTHwbAp8Gjncp3DT6tDK4kJJ5gvh=s800" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Screaming psychedelic chimp (by @sngshp)" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOBGQTnzm15U605isfNkkKjZtp1kxneEnmMwjX5z2JYExnurcVK9jHCSYxmSMthjiI-jmqsFjtaBk8CsYfi2EtQXFKJbcQyZje7LTTlE7Byzx1i-lSDBD0cUPo6yehKYtpEahloUu9njToOtZ1CNe8uDqPQ8d2cTHwbAp8Gjncp3DT6tDK4kJJ5gvh=s16000" title="Screaming psychedelic chimp (by @sngshp)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.zazzle.com/store/stuffngo?qs=Screaming%20psychedelic%20chimp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Screaming psychedelic chimp</a> (by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sngshp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sngshp</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)<br />Chimp img is a free <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/hvvNY6b8pE0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@thirdworldhippy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mwangi gatheca</a> (source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unsplash</a>)<br />adapted by <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" target="_blank">sense_not_given</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Listen <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug/episodes/Comin-semi-soon-or-so-e1ov4tf/a-a8le7at" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Aaaand, <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/shop-shop-me.html" target="_blank">PiPs</a>, this is pixel number<i> one billion one hundred and eighteen million thirty-five thousand five hundred ninety-two</i>, that is the last darn one of this heck of a digital puzzle you won last summer at that raffle organized by that shady group of NFTs that looked like a mix between a hamster suffering from colitis and a space monster with a very bad case of pink eye...<br /><br />And, I've to say that the fact that this thing portray a giant middle finger tattooed with the word "<i>u gigantic moron</i>", and with in the background a horde of wildly laughing walruses fin-pointing at the viewer, well, you know, somehow vaguely irritates me.<br /><br />Anyway, dear listener, now that my gang and I are done with the utterly urgent aaaand totally useless things, we can finally go back and tell science stories! <br /><br />The coming not-so-soon next one is about wounded chimps, insects implemented self-medication, and hints of empathy!<br /><br />Ciao!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">2023/07 Update</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yeah, well dear reader/listener, <a href="http://www.sciencemug.blogspot.com/2012/10/lavori-in-corso-post-il-primo-di.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PiPs</a> here to tell you, see, that quantum stuff happened in copious abundance which cluttered the "time-to-do-this" highway SM was running its wheels onto, so... Yeah, well, sorry, but no way it is able to fulfil the prophecy of the "coming not-so-soon".<br /></span></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-30554543573860797932022-09-20T01:30:00.011+02:002022-10-10T05:07:27.459+02:00THE TRUE REASON WHY CLIMATE CHANGE MAKES BIRDS' COLORATION LESS BLAZING!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, dear reader! So, a bunch of <b>science dudes & dudettes </b>working mostly in <b>France & Spain</b> sticks its nose in the "<b>what else the climate change causes?</b>" business, "identified colorful flying living objects" branch. And it finds something interesting (<a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719655" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">López-Idiáquez et al, 2022</a> (<a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719655" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)).<br />The <b>researchers</b> indeed, for fifteen years (<b>2005-2019</b>) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>stalk birds</b>, specifically, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">two </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mediterranean blue tit subspecies, more specifically, the <i>Cyanistes caeruleus caeruleus</i> and the <i>Cyanistes caeruleus ogliastrae</i>, <b>which</b> tipically <b>have bright blue crowns and yellow breasts</b>.<br />The scientists collect <b>more than 5800 observations</b> on these winged animals, and, thanks to these data, the brains can then say that <b>the birds'</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> colors are now</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"<i><b>duller</b> <b>and less chromatic in both sexes</b></i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719655" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) <b>than when the study began</b></span>.<br />The researchers, besides, perform a <b>genetic analysis</b> on the animals <b>to check if evolution</b> <b>be at work</b> <b>on</b> their <b>color traits</b>, and eventually they verify that, well, <b>it is not</b>. <br />So, the people of the <b>science conclude</b> that the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>loss in brilliance of</b> the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>birds'</b> <b>colors is</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"<i><b>caused by a plastic response to</b> the environmental conditions</i> [and their work] <i>suggests that ornamental colorations could become less conspicuous because of <b>warming</b></i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719655" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).<br /><b>In short</b>, <b>climate change</b> strikes again! And it <b>even</b> <b>influences</b> the colors of birds, which are </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">not</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (the colors) just there by chance, or to catch the eye of human photographers so to end up on some </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">bird-fashion</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">journal's </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">glossy glamorous </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">cover and get all lavishly birdy-rich&famous. Nope.<br />Colors are part of the "</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>sexual and social ornaments</i></b>" family </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/719655" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>), meaning they are <b>important</b> for the <b>mating and breeding</b> process of animals, since they are used as markers of the quality of the biological stuff specimens are made of.<br />So, dear reader, to sum up, climate change, among other tons of not particularly pleasant things, makes colorful birds less colorful.<br />As to the<b> why</b> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">this de-balzing thing happen</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">, well,</span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>
this</b> dumb<b> <a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b> has an <b>idea</b> that you can find in the<b> following cartoon</b>. Ciao!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wTRgW1fPeQtHuXwERfAax-Izl4ceVeg0BRwy-Ki6Gjm7CmzTl-oOHFOrhYDYgFuL5nSiRYnNgC81QF8tl3gnKpyLs9cNiBqFM7rRaZR5LJa4_1eyR6t9zyLFtjz1DAc_j2lHbLARfLXytCxoesOaobN6WUETIbyfNQO8i7bS8EkUfh1XU2NxgnHf/s1086/by-@sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bird's coloration gets less blazing due to global warming (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="820" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wTRgW1fPeQtHuXwERfAax-Izl4ceVeg0BRwy-Ki6Gjm7CmzTl-oOHFOrhYDYgFuL5nSiRYnNgC81QF8tl3gnKpyLs9cNiBqFM7rRaZR5LJa4_1eyR6t9zyLFtjz1DAc_j2lHbLARfLXytCxoesOaobN6WUETIbyfNQO8i7bS8EkUfh1XU2NxgnHf/s16000/by-@sciencemug.jpg" title="Bird's coloration gets less blazing due to global warming (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bird's coloration gets less conspicuous due to climate change (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by @sciencemug</a>)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1210193" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Top bird pic</a> and <a href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/666496" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bottom bird pic</a></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> are <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CC0 Public Domain</a> images (source: <a href="https://pxhere.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pxhere</a>); <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/dalidas-art/art/Mirror-1-PNG-665144459" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mirror pic</a> by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/dalidas-art" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dalida's Art</a></span></span></span> is under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License</a> (source: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">deviantart</a>);</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> all pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span></span><p></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-65854514524125475832022-01-14T23:00:00.006+01:002022-01-29T16:25:16.794+01:00OF GOLDFISHES THAT DRIVE WHEELED WATER TANKS, AND UNIVERSAL NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-dc1NTZTKuhNLRtrYlYMyfHJ70hImOfwFaNq4rHY4i0VUTL960ASDZvdggjcMqImy3x52hEykHichaYjpWDV4B9mCt_qWSFxey2-3ik50Bxm3nn2P6dOM1N5pQsJqo7Wb4FQYg0Gv7CWVwDZCBg3nb78X5Ngw98_tZziBKT_FgRyclxn8tomvwJyO=s1125" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goldfish drives fast a super car (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-dc1NTZTKuhNLRtrYlYMyfHJ70hImOfwFaNq4rHY4i0VUTL960ASDZvdggjcMqImy3x52hEykHichaYjpWDV4B9mCt_qWSFxey2-3ik50Bxm3nn2P6dOM1N5pQsJqo7Wb4FQYg0Gv7CWVwDZCBg3nb78X5Ngw98_tZziBKT_FgRyclxn8tomvwJyO=s16000" title="Goldfish drives fast a super car (by @sciencemug" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Goldfish drives fast a super car (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by @sciencemug</a>)</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/V7SKRhXskv8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goldfish pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@tangzhengtao" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">zhengtao tang</a>, and <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/6IKzGvVcICI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">car pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@damian_ochrymowicz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Damian Ochrymowicz</a></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, are <a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free images</a> (source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)</span></span></span>;</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> all pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">So folks, <b>four researchers</b> from
Israel (<i>aka</i> the<b> Fab4</b>), put six <b>goldfishes </b>(</span><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/goldfish" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Carassius
auratus</i></span></a><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">) at work (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432821005994?dgcid=author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Givonet al, 2022</a> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432821005994?dgcid=author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">)
to <b>see whether space representation and navigation skills</b> (which
allow animals to do plenty of things, like finding food, shelter, sex
buddies and so on) are <b>shared properties</b> <b>across the animal kingdom</b>,
<b>or</b>, instead, <b>they</b> specifically <b>depend</b> <b>on</b> the different <b>species</b>, <b>brain
structure</b>, and <b>ecological system</b>.<br /><br />
The <b>researchers</b>, in their
study, <b>use</b> the "</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>domain
transfer methodology</b>, where one species is embedded in another
species’ environment and must cope with an otherwise familiar (in
</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">[their] </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>case,
navigation) task</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">" </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432821005994?dgcid=author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">:
in layman's terms, the Fab4 <b>want to see if a fish can navigate
through a terrestrial environment</b>.<br />
To check that, the brains
<b>train each fish</b> <b>to "drive"</b> something called <<b>Fish
Operated Vehicle</b>> (<b><i>aka</i> FOV</b>). The FOV is <b>a water tank</b> (35×35×28
cm) put <b>on a four wheeled self-propelled platform</b> (40×40×19 cm),
<b>equipped with</b> a pole, on top of which there are a <b>computer</b>, a <b>camera
and</b> a <b><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/light-detection-and-ranging" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">lidar</a></b>. <b>By this control apparatus</b>, <b>whenever</b> (and only when) "</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>the
<b>fish</b></i></span><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">[</span><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">gets</span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">]</span><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>near</b>
one of the <b>water tank walls</b> and<b> facing outwards</b>, the <b>FOV </b>is
automatically <b>propelled in</b></i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">
[<b>such</b>] </span><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>direction</i></span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">" </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432821005994?dgcid=author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span>.<br /><br />
The machine, with its aquatic driver, is then <b>placed in the
center of </b>a three by four meters <b>room</b>, illuminated with artificial
light, and with <b>white walls</b> and one or more <b>colored boards</b> stuck on
them. The colored spots <b>are the targets</b> the<b> fishes</b> are<b> trained to
reach in exchange</b> for a <b>food</b> reward (consisting of a 0.002 g food
pellet of the same kind the fishes are usually fed with).<br /><br />
Well, dear reader,
in the end, the <b>goldfishes training's success</b>, they can reach the
targets, adapt to changes in such targets positioning and overall
overcome the "</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>distortion
in vision due to refraction through the air-to-water interface</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">
[and the] </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>differences in
the natural structure of the terrestrial and aquatic environments</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">" </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432821005994?dgcid=author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span>.<br /><br />
<b>The Fab4</b>'s work (that they define "</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>an
observational report, rather than a scientific study</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">"
(P), and that needs follow-ups ) <b>show</b>s, thus, that "</span><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>a
fish</i></span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> [is indeed]<b> </b></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><b>able
to</b> <b>transfer its space representation and navigation skills to a</b>
wholly <b>different terrestrial environment</b>, thus<b> supporting</b> the
<b>hypothesis</b> that<b> the former possess</b> a <b>universal quality that is
species-independent</b></i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">" </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432821005994?dgcid=author" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>But
this</b> dumb<b> <a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b>, in the<b> following cartoon</b>, <b>shows</b> you, dear reader,
<b>what's</b> the <b>next step </b>of<b> this experimental journey</b> humanity has
embarked on.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5ciQBzK9rJbEOAn8HaFbJ3yFm1onEnLZl4hfiRTeh_QyNCiDpOEkra2PnUzvNoEBJAJyZknxK0Z-wpeE5j4dUu_x3Slw1Ipf1W2zcUgr408CAP-GMYLuoGwTyM8uE6SIpKJ6sM_gcFrwYTDtRCxJg_t0bgkLAJNlHagnZ4g93lSnUuvwE8lHJBfYs=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A fish drives a car full of water to go to a sushi bar (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5ciQBzK9rJbEOAn8HaFbJ3yFm1onEnLZl4hfiRTeh_QyNCiDpOEkra2PnUzvNoEBJAJyZknxK0Z-wpeE5j4dUu_x3Slw1Ipf1W2zcUgr408CAP-GMYLuoGwTyM8uE6SIpKJ6sM_gcFrwYTDtRCxJg_t0bgkLAJNlHagnZ4g93lSnUuvwE8lHJBfYs=s16000" title="A fish drives a car full of water to go to a sushi bar (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A green fish drives a car full of water to a sushi bar (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>))<br />The <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/N7RiDzfF2iw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">car pic</a> by Dan <a href="https://unsplash.com/@danielcgold" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gold</a> , the <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/uu8sDKvTx-g" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">green fish pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@szutsi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gábor Szűts</a>, the <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/krPdyjs1iTM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bubbles pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@theblanko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alberto Bianchini</a> and the <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/ohDusJpJVzs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">spilling water</a> pic by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@pixakarma" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pixa Karma</a>, are <a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free images</a> (source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)</span></span></span>; the <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heraldry_Fish_370.svg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fish drawing</a> by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mrmw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mrmw</a>, is </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> under the <a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="w:en:Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication</a> <span><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">(source: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></span>); all images</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></p><p></p>
@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-75265355562134776912021-12-24T22:13:00.015+01:002021-12-25T20:25:38.300+01:00HAPPY JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE'S LAUNCH EVE!<p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrjI9uGb09oZUZkuQO76IOBd2BRv0rEVVIJEABID-20aK4ubBbuWvyjl8I7bNhC0wSo2IrV495wX6MWuN88WMJZj1Sb1-Z3OGTpc0zZjRZlVcOCMuxR54Ea3tK2C1WdkKFoJ-R_m-tS3QAbiVhGZ65fKENaAyq3zjs65Cd2ew2AiiNCUZyW_YJ-ED2=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The James Webb Space Telescope talks to @sciencemug" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrjI9uGb09oZUZkuQO76IOBd2BRv0rEVVIJEABID-20aK4ubBbuWvyjl8I7bNhC0wSo2IrV495wX6MWuN88WMJZj1Sb1-Z3OGTpc0zZjRZlVcOCMuxR54Ea3tK2C1WdkKFoJ-R_m-tS3QAbiVhGZ65fKENaAyq3zjs65Cd2ew2AiiNCUZyW_YJ-ED2=s16000" title="The James Webb Space Telescope talks to @sciencemug" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The James Webb Space Telescope talks to</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" target="_blank">Bernard</a></span><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[The JWST <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Webb_Space_Telescope_2009_top.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NASA</a>, is a public domain image</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">(source: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></span>)</span></span>; the starry background free <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/starry-sky-998641/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, by <a href="https://www.pexels.com/@francesco-ungaro" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Francesco Ungaro</a>, is under <a href="https://www.pexels.com/license/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pexels license</a> (source: <a href="https://www.pexels.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pexels</a>); pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <a href="https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/faqs/whoIsJamesWebb.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">James Webb</a> <a href="https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Space</a> <a href="https://asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/jwst/default.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Telescope</a> (<a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JWST</a>) <a href="https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/countdown.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">launch</a> is near!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">25/Dec/2021 - </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">12:20 <a href="https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/nist-time-frequently-asked-questions-faq#cut" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UTC</a> (<a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2013/10/greenwich-and-prime-meridian.html" target="_blank">GMT)</a></span> </span>-</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Go buddy, we all root for you! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><u><i>25-Dec-2021 update</i></u>: the launch was a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-webb-telescope-launches-to-see-first-galaxies-distant-worlds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">success</a>! Now fingers crossed for the <a href="https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">next 29 days</a>, and then for the following (</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">at least</span>) <a href="https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">five months, of commisioning</a>...</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NASA</a>, <a href="https://www.esa.int/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ESA</a>, <a href="https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/default.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CSA</a> and <a href="https://www.arianespace.com/vehicle/ariane-5/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arianespace</a>, <i>i.e.</i> to the thousands people who worked, work and will be working on this mind-boggling, astonishing, amazing<i>, </i>wildly wonderful (and so on and on) project!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>PS</b><br />Just to put things in prospective, buddy, think of this.<br />The <b>James Webb Space Telescope</b> project involved <b>thousands of people</b> from <b>three space agencies</b>, "<i><b>over 300 universities</b>, <b>organizations</b>, and <b>companies from 29 U.S. states </b>and <b>14 countries</b></i>" (<a href="https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/factsheet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see</a>). <br />JWST <b><a href="https://www.planetary.org/articles/cost-of-the-jwst" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">cost</a> about 8.8 billion euros</b>/<b>10 billion dollars over 24 years</b>. This means that, to make something that is going to let humanity see the unseen and therefore most probably change the way it sees the Universe (with all the repercussions such changes have), well, humanity spent, <b>per year</b>, <b>roughly</b> the <b>same</b> amount of <b>money spent to shoot</b> "<b><a href="https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/budgets/all" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Avengers: Endgame</a></b>", and, <b>in total</b>, ~1billion bucks <b>less</b> <b>than <a href="https://news.usni.org/2019/10/10/cbo-navys-next-nuclear-attack-submarine-could-cost-5-5b-a-hull" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">two nuclear submarines</a></b>, or, if you prefer, the <b>0.01%</b> of <b><a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2020 World</a>'s </b><a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Beginners:GDP_-_What_is_gross_domestic_product_(GDP)?" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gross Domestic Product</a>-<b>GDP</b>...<br /> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ah, Science! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Merry Christmas, folks!</span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-40030489241053179502021-12-17T23:00:00.148+01:002021-12-25T23:42:22.165+01:00THE CONSPIRACY THEORY PEOPLE & THE ANTI-VAXXERS: A CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT (IMHO)<p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixbZSCf9MFE0V18NiWRetO9aZkm9vNYY8UQ5epwJh9iB1NtiUS5aH-l6yQFdrgcwEyWzqs5wjTqdKtQz-_CK0zktF4XQqbWU7JnSviCVOfTs3Fn8Xj_btWhNZyOyVrzBzJMFdmyJvRcufX28PotQmll-nRA7J7fpm-lpHlXMzWKK3YIA-mhyH3C3pg=s3999" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Conspiracy" border="0" data-original-height="2666" data-original-width="3999" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixbZSCf9MFE0V18NiWRetO9aZkm9vNYY8UQ5epwJh9iB1NtiUS5aH-l6yQFdrgcwEyWzqs5wjTqdKtQz-_CK0zktF4XQqbWU7JnSviCVOfTs3Fn8Xj_btWhNZyOyVrzBzJMFdmyJvRcufX28PotQmll-nRA7J7fpm-lpHlXMzWKK3YIA-mhyH3C3pg=w640-h427" title="Conspiracy" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Conspiracy<br><a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Free</a> <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/j_C2ZCQZmTI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@markuswinkler" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Markus Winkler</a> (source: <a href="http://unsplash.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unsplash</a>)</span><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><u>Keywords</u>: <i>conspiracy, <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2018/11/conspyracytheoryparody.html" target="_blank">conspiracy theory</a>, anti-vaxxer, anti-vaxxers, COVID-19, pandemic, no-mask, SARS-CoV2, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, vaccine, vaccines, fake news</i> <br></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Hello pal, welcome back to the place
where donuts are the round voluptuous deities of cosmic pleasure, and
quantum physics the clumsy magician hired for a flat universal birthday
party (the galactic clown being busy looking for its missing nose
among all the red giants of the Milky Way)!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">What
follows, dear reader, is not something taken from science (or any) literature</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">
(hence the lack of references)</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">, and, of course, I'm neither a
psychiatrist, nor a qualified expert on human mind and nature. Heck, I'm a
dumb blog for <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2018/02/coming-soon.html" target="_blank">Gnagnamantus Krosfazt</a>'s sake, as you know very well!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">No,
mate, what follows is just my opinion, developed through the years,
about the issue in question.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">So,
again, no science or anything resulting from research and study here, just thoughts (that are quite a milestone for a brainless entity like myself), and personal considerations.</span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Ok,
let's go.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The
<b>Conspiracy Theory People</b> (<i>aka</i> <b>CTP</b>), to me, can be divided (but,
sadly, not conquered by reason) into<b> five groups</b> which are not
mutually exclusive, and with the fourth (subgroup "a") and fifth being pretty
contiguous to each other.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-o-EYRth8W0tgatELM9pAmCHo2zq4BHWaWPeItV3y3eN8f0AF2HuWRQVAOD_6Geaht7YXkbcBHNlf7uJfbT8naQYTKjaz-zNuDwBOdogkXH_-WnjhWLDKZAailwYraEQrqPP2M6ET4zameO4dQPU0IMCrUJGaBhkVVTIKpMxnSaNPYtOp1B_pEJH4=s4874" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Q" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4874" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-o-EYRth8W0tgatELM9pAmCHo2zq4BHWaWPeItV3y3eN8f0AF2HuWRQVAOD_6Geaht7YXkbcBHNlf7uJfbT8naQYTKjaz-zNuDwBOdogkXH_-WnjhWLDKZAailwYraEQrqPP2M6ET4zameO4dQPU0IMCrUJGaBhkVVTIKpMxnSaNPYtOp1B_pEJH4=w640-h526" title="Q" width="640"></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Q<br><a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Free</a> <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/OddoMIl3hEA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@wesleyphotography" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wesley Tingey</a> (source: <a href="http://unsplash.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unsplash</a>)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>1)</b>
There are the <b>CTP</b> who are not necessarily genuine CTP, but just
individuals who tend to their <b>agenda</b>. Examples: "<i>Evolution
isn't a fact, it's just a theory the Atheists want to feed to your
children's minds and that will corrupt them and destroy morality,
while Religion has the real explanation, we, the Religion's
advocates, guarantee you that</i>" | "<i>Smoking is not
dangerous as said by those who are interested in destroying us and
our chain of supply, we, the tobacco industry's advocates, can prove
it</i>" | "<i>Nah, <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2019/12/on-climate-change-cartoon.html" rel="" target="_blank">climate change</a> is not a fact/is not
human driven, the coal and oil industry are not a problem, we, who
advocate for them, guarantee you that it's just them crooked
so-called scientists who are in the pockets of the so-called Green
Economy ring etc. etc. who are making things up</i>".</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqAnkv9DVt5sTcrwW13pdA3cYIs5K4c1_wOtYsEMXKelrZlDcs_6ChD03RySrOICGFnvtlPjOKCwH35wo8cjgT1InZbOHGSgnk38X0vV9j6rW3AEhbZsWUiC9xDjG3O4-ap4A9aPwMiWq_hqGmV0741eDTdd0e92BsGZTqAiUJYFyFXLG-BkbVC9XK=s3788" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sloth in a Ball" border="0" data-original-height="2521" data-original-width="3788" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqAnkv9DVt5sTcrwW13pdA3cYIs5K4c1_wOtYsEMXKelrZlDcs_6ChD03RySrOICGFnvtlPjOKCwH35wo8cjgT1InZbOHGSgnk38X0vV9j6rW3AEhbZsWUiC9xDjG3O4-ap4A9aPwMiWq_hqGmV0741eDTdd0e92BsGZTqAiUJYFyFXLG-BkbVC9XK=w640-h426" title="Sloth in a Ball" width="640"></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Sloth in a Ball<br><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ekilby/16652833928" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pic</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ekilby/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eric Kilby</a>; license: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)</a> (source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a>)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>2)</b>
Then, there are the <b>CTP</b> who are just</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b><span></span></b></span></span></p><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/12/the-conspiracy-theory-people-anti.html#more">The bulter did it? Read more...»</a>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-29066622769350431462021-11-24T06:43:00.045+01:002021-11-28T04:27:13.797+01:00THE LAUNCHED DART!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpzY_BggaQDs9a6AbQv8SwHgCXn8SXJcp7ix100u8xY5VRzIwTQIFIP8aYm_Og-WplZO5VVc4D3GPqR-FQ_ezciWnwU8szLXnHYyBe8V0fciSW2oBhnx32gFd6U8SRkaRLEhybDxe7ww/s900/DART-mission1_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="DART spacecraft communicates with NASA (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpzY_BggaQDs9a6AbQv8SwHgCXn8SXJcp7ix100u8xY5VRzIwTQIFIP8aYm_Og-WplZO5VVc4D3GPqR-FQ_ezciWnwU8szLXnHYyBe8V0fciSW2oBhnx32gFd6U8SRkaRLEhybDxe7ww/s16000/DART-mission1_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="DART spacecraft communicates with NASA (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">DART spacecraft communicates with NASA</span> (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[NASA logo <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA_logo.svg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, the DART spacecraft <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DART_image.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> and the starry background <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DART_collision-1.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> are in the public domain</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">(source: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></span>)</span></span>; adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Soo, dear reader, <a href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/dart/2021/11/24/nasa-spacex-launch-dart-first-planetary-defense-test-mission/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">today</a> (<b>24-Nov-2021</b>) the <b><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DART</a></b> (<a href="https://dart.jhuapl.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Double Asteroid Redirection Test</a>) <b><a href="https://dart.jhuapl.edu/News-and-Resources/files/Fact-Sheet-DART.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mission</a> launched.</b> Developed and led for <b><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NASA</a></b> by the <a href="https://www.jhuapl.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (<b>APL</b>)</a>, DART launched at 6:21 p.m. <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/search/label/Greenwich" target="_blank">GMT</a>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">from the Space Launch Complex 4 East at <a href="https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vandenberg Space Force Base</a> in California, USA. The payload was </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">carried by a <a href="https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SpaceX Falcon 9</a> rocket.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The mission falls under the umbrella of NASA's <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/pdco/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO)</a>, and it is the first test of <i>"the kinetic impactor technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space</i>" (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see</a>). In other words the NASA's brains, on behalf of humanity, will <b>try, for the first time ever, to hit a space object with a man-made object in order to change its </b>(the space one's, that is) <b>course</b>, and therefore <b>to see if this is a sound strategy for preventing the Earth from getting hit by a space rock</b> et al, <b>and related havoc</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">DART</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> mission's <b>target</b> is a </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>160 meters</b> in size<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>moonlet</b>, <b>Dimorphos</b>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>that</b> <b>orbits</b>, at just over one km distance, the <b>780 meters</b> in diameter <b><a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-planets/online/solar-system/asteroids/near.cfm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">near-Earth</a></b> <b><a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">asteroid</a></b> (65803), <i>aka</i> <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/didymos/in-depth/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Didymos</b></a>. So, Didymos and Dimorphos are a binary system, and <b>DART</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">spacecraft "</span><i><b>will intercept</b> </i>[</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dimorphos</span></b>]<i> in late <b>September 2022</b>, when the Didymos system is <b>within</b> <b>11 million kilometers of Earth</b></i>" (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see</a>).<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although its innovative solar panels (the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-solar-arrays-to-power-nasa-s-international-space-station-research" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Deployable Space Systems Roll-Out Solar Arrays</a>, <i>aka</i> ROSA, that</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, by DART,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">are going to be deployed in deep space </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">for the first time</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">) measure 8.6 meters by 2.3 meters, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">DART <b>spacecraft</b> <i>per se</i> has just the <b>dimensions of a small</b> US<b> car</b> (that is, probably, of a big European car...)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. But DART <b>will</b> <b>strike</b> the binary system at the impressive velocity of about 6.6 Km/s (meaning roughly <b>24000 Km/h</b> or, for you, stubborn impractical non-<a href="https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/units.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SI</a> users, 14800 miles per hour), meaning <b>20 </b>or so <b>times</b> the<b> speed of sound</b>, meaning, dear reader, that, when the hit happens, a <b>looot of energy will be released</b> up there! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This impact generated energy, scientist think, will indeed be <b>enough to</b> "<i><b>change</b> the <b>speed of the moonlet in its orbit</b> around the main body </i>[<i>i.e. </i>Didymos]<i> by a fraction of one percent, but this will change the orbital period of the moonlet by several minutes - enough to be observed and measured using telescopes on Earth</i>" (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see</a>). In other words, <b>the event will be powerful enough to eventually change the </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">asteroid</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> system's course</b>, <b>and</b>, ultimately, it will <b>prove</b> that<b> the </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">kinetic impactor technique</span> can </b>be used with success to <b>deflect something similar to </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Didymos</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> that, unlike it and its tiny satellite, be someday <b>actually rushing toward Earth</b>.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">By the way, dear reader, <b>the</b> whole <b>smash</b>&crash fuss <b>will be witnessed</b>, at close but safe distance, by the <b>small</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <a href="https://www.asi.it/en/planets-stars-universe/solar-system-and-beyond/liciacube/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LICIACube</a></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> CubeSat</b> (</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.ssdc.asi.it/liciacube/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids)</a> built by the <b><a href="https://www.asi.it/en/#divSlideshow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Italian Space Agency</a></b> (<b><a href="https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Agenzia_Spaziale_Italiana_ASI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ASI</a></b>), and <b>released by DART</b> spacecraft itself shortly<b> before</b> <b>its</b> rough<b> demise</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <b>DART spacecraft</b>, besides, is <b>packed with state-of-the-art tech</b>, like its NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_003_C2003-583.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evolutionary Xenon Thruster</a> — Commercial (NEXT–C) <b>ion engine</b>, an electric propulsion system, its <a href="https://dart.jhuapl.edu/News-and-Resources/article.php?id=20190225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SMART Nav <b>navigation algorithm</b></a> for real time autonomous targeting of the Didymos system, and, last but not at all least, its only instrument, the <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/experiment/display.action?id=DART+++++-01" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid <b>Camera for Optical navigation</b></a>, <i>aka</i> DRACO. This is a camera that will take fancy pics of the asteroid system ("<b><i>better than 20 cm/pixel at impact</i></b>" (<a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/experiment/display.action?id=DART+++++-01" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see</a>)), but, above all, that, right before the impact, will feed the SMART NAV the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">necessary </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">images to choose the right target, that is to<b> identify and distinguish between Dimorphos (to hit) and Didymos (not to hit)</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, dear reader, that's all for now. Let's<b> wish DART</b> mission's<b> success</b>, <b>so that </b>y'all, on<b> Earth</b>, <b>be </b>a little bit<b> safer</b>!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <b>comics </b>are a <b>rendering of what this </b>dumb<b> <a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b> <b>figures NASA's and DART spacecraft's communications </b>have probably been, and will possibly be.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ciao!</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yrqQDQLAJ-cAc0L6yNv3ZvpFNNVlbrIG8qxJXnLDh_sQzoCF0tXA9oAL1QCk_RyNL7FgAWpl3BqWl_xTmF1qWp-4HS10u-6QHBJv2Wx5BsnuSP07gzaTRurGToNW-GtsrhAyrqlZ6bQ/s900/DART-mission2_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="DART spacecraft communicates with NASA nad bets (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yrqQDQLAJ-cAc0L6yNv3ZvpFNNVlbrIG8qxJXnLDh_sQzoCF0tXA9oAL1QCk_RyNL7FgAWpl3BqWl_xTmF1qWp-4HS10u-6QHBJv2Wx5BsnuSP07gzaTRurGToNW-GtsrhAyrqlZ6bQ/s16000/DART-mission2_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="DART spacecraft communicates with NASA nad bets (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">DART spacecraft communicates with NASA</span> (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[NASA logo <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA_logo.svg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> and the DART spacecraft & asteroids <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DART_collision-1.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> are in the public domain</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">(source: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></span>)</span></span>; 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adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-23944755079913068302021-10-29T22:01:00.055+02:002021-10-30T16:23:45.648+02:00THE TRUE REASON WHY DOGS CAN READ HUMANS!<p></p><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTa8hJacP_SnSWpiPHjTizkxCGZJh0RZXM2iyJMGUBwskCQyKeKxp7lRsVW3Ix-tbarGNjzzpzhJQBy7owFkABOQiCake7zGH3MNLoMXgQIvobxEW_8zJOV3dEnHoPqiQ4Tt2AA_VFM8/s900/doggy-sick_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; 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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[</span>The</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/2Ts5HnA67k8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dog pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@matthewhenry" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matthew Henry</a> is a</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free</a> one</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> (source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)</span></span></span>; adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Soo, dear reader, <b>five researchers</b> from different German universities (<b><i>aka</i></b> the <b>Wonderful Fives <i>aka</i></b> the<b> W5s</b>), <b>find out</b> that <b>dogs</b> can "</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span class="fontstyle0"><b>distinguish intentional</b> </span></i><span class="fontstyle0">[<b>human</b>] </span><b><i><span class="fontstyle0">actions from unintentional behaviour</span></i></b>" (<span class="fontstyle0"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Schünemann et al., 2021</a>)(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">The W5s study <b>51 dogs</b></span><span class="fontstyle0"> of different breeds, sex </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(</span><span class="fontstyle0">27 females and 24 males), and age (1 - 15 years) that are not trained (<i>e.g.</i> they're not police or rescue dogs). The<b> researchers and</b> the <b>animals</b> are on <b>opposite sides of</b></span><span class="fontstyle0"><b> two</b> 1.45 m wide × 1.15 m high <b>barriers</b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><b> </b>(each consisting of "</span><span class="fontstyle0"><i>a wooden frame holding a sheet of transparent plastic</i>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>))</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">, </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">placed<b> one aside the other</b>,</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"> and <b>separated</b> (<b>or not</b>) <b>by </b>a 15 centimeters wide <b>gap</b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">The </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Wonderful Fives test the <b>dogs' reaction to three</b> different <b>situations</b>: the </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><b>unwilling-condition</b> (<b>UWC</b>)</span>, the </span></span><span class="fontstyle0"><b>unable-clumsy condition</b> (<b>UCC</b>), and the </span><span class="fontstyle0"><b>unable-blocked condition</b> (<b>UBC</b>) </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span>. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">The <b>UWC</b> means t</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0">he 15 cm <b>gap is open</b>, one <b>scientist</b> moves a <b>treat</b> towards the gap, but then</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"> quickly and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"> intentionally <b>pulls it away</b> while <b>saying</b>, to the dog's face, “<b>ha-ha!</b>” </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">The </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">UCC</span></span></b> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">is <b>like the previous one</b>, <b>but</b> this time the <b>researcher pretend to</b> <b>accidentally drop the treat</b>, and<b> says</b> "<b>oops!</b>" </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><b>UBC</b>, finally, means <b>one</b> of the W5s <b>closes the gap</b> between the plastic barriers, then a <b>second</b> member of the W5s <b>tries to give</b> the<b> treat</b> to the dog,<b> but</b>, <b>unable to do it</b>,<b> drop it</b> in front of herself (the W5s are all women), and <b>says</b> "<b>oh!</b>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">So, once performed the experiment, the <b>W5s conclude</b> that "[<b>dogs</b>] </span><i><span class="fontstyle0"><b>behaved</b> <b>differently depending</b> on whether the actions of a human experimenter were intentional or unintentional</span></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><i><span class="fontstyle0">" </span></i><span class="fontstyle0"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>). Indeed, t</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="fontstyle0">he animals </span><span class="fontstyle0">wait significantly longer before going for the treat when such treat is intentionally withheld by the researcher (</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">unwilling-condition (<b>UWC</b>)) than when the reward fails to get to their mouths because </span></span></span></span></span><span class="fontstyle0">the human researcher is clumsy</span><i><span class="fontstyle0"> </span></i><span class="fontstyle0">(</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">unable-clumsy condition (<b>UCC</b>)</span></span>) or </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">because there's a</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> physical obstacle (</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"></span><span class="fontstyle0">unable-blocked condition (<b>UBC</b>)). Moreover, the W5s observe that, in a similar manner, "</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><i>the dogs that ceased to move their tail mainly did so in the unwilling-condition</i></span></span> [</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(UWC)]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">The W5s say that the <b>dogs' reactions may have different explanations</b>, <b>but</b> that they clearly <b>indicate </b>our four legged friends <b>have the ability</b> to "</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><b><i>recognize the intentionality of human action in their spontaneous behaviour</i></b>" </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0">Finally, the Wonderful Fives say that <b>future research</b> is <b>needed </b>to understand "<i>whether dogs’ distinguishing reaction really reflect a capacity to read human intentions or only some form of behaviour reading based on learned associations</i></span>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">Aaaanyway, dear reader,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"> <span><span><span><b>this </b>dumb <b><a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b>, in the following <b>cartoon</b>, <b>shows</b> you the <b>true reason</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> why dogs</b> evolved this "<b>human reading</b>" <b>ability</b>.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fontstyle0"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCZesqsNvqR8GTb2htswB4bfk3fsj_XN8MTnJ36GVF29mOq7ZoUvaSdi2x0LvqCbTfRvgPKh-Tzn-YQvPj6GDAFpqvRXNP6hEeShSOC1bY0vtvU9Jrosa9FFvEae061RHfokDcKoDJN8/s900/dog-can-read-humans1_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dogs read humans and play poker (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCZesqsNvqR8GTb2htswB4bfk3fsj_XN8MTnJ36GVF29mOq7ZoUvaSdi2x0LvqCbTfRvgPKh-Tzn-YQvPj6GDAFpqvRXNP6hEeShSOC1bY0vtvU9Jrosa9FFvEae061RHfokDcKoDJN8/s16000/dog-can-read-humans1_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Dogs read humans and play poker (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dogs can read humans (and probably play poker) (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[The</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/slgc/4397256238" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">poker table pic</a> by</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/slgc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">slgckgc</a></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, is</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">licensed under the <a class="extiw" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" title="w:en:Creative Commons">Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)</a> license (source: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a></span></span>); t</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">he</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1138439" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dog pic</a></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> is</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">licensed under the <a class="extiw" href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/" title="w:en:Creative Commons">CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication </a> license (source: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://pxhere.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pxhere</a></span></span>)</span></span>;</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> all pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fontstyle0"> </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> The paper this mini-post is about (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">-</span> Schünemann, B., Keller, J., Rakoczy, H., Behne, T., and Bräuer, J. (2021). <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94374-3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dogs distinguish human intentional and unintentional action</a>. Sci Rep <i>11</i>, 14967.</span><br /></div>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-24423414136347596772021-09-22T15:08:00.035+02:002021-09-24T01:11:59.438+02:00OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, WHERE THE SUN HASN'T A COMPANION AND DOESN'T EAT ITS PLANETS (UNLIKE MANY OTHER SYSTEMS OUT THERE)!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Hellooo</b>, dear reader! So, a bunch of <b>astro-dudes</b> (led by </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.iau.org/administration/membership/individual/480/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Antonella Vallenari</a> and</span> <a href="https://spinastro.github.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Lorenzo Spina</a> (<b><i>aka</i></b> the <b>VASPs</b>) of the <a href="https://www.oapd.inaf.it/home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova</a>, <a href="http://www.inaf.it/en?set_language=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">INAF</a>, <a href="https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Galileo/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Padova</a>, <a href="https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Leonardo/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Italy</a>) <b>focus</b> their stellar brains <b>on</b> <b><a href="https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/ask_astro/binary.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">binary systems</a></b> (<i>i.e.</i> stars systems where two stars dance around each other since they're <a href="https://www.atnf.csiro.au/outreach/education/senior/astrophysics/binary_intro.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">bound by gravity</a>) <b>to</b> try and <b>find out</b> <b>why</b>, <b>although</b> these balls of gas <b>come from</b> the very <b>same cosmic stuff</b>, in some cases <b>they show chemical differences</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The astronomers know of <b>two possible explanations</b> for this.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The<b> first</b> is that </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> the </span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">gas cloud</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> that the sisters stars originate from has chemical <b>inhomogeneities</b> in it, and therefore </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">the stars eat different things during their formation</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The other</b> is that the<b> stars couple</b>'s growing-up diet includes <b>feeding</b> <b>on</b> <b>their own</b> system's <b>different</b> <b>planets</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Aaaand the <b>VASPs </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">publish a<b> paper</b> (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spina et al, 2021</a> (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)) on the journal <b><a href="https://www.nature.com/natastron/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Nature Astronomy</i></a> </b>where, data at hand, they<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>prove </b>that the<b> second case</b> is the<b> right </b>one. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The astro brains indeed come to such a conclusion after <b>performig</b> a "</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span class="fontstyle0">statistical <b>study on 107 binary systems</b> composed by <b>Sun-like stars</b></span></i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) by which they <b>show</b>, precisely, "</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span class="fontstyle0">unambiguous <b>evidence</b> in favour of the <b>planet engulfment</b> scenario</span></i>"</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span>. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Moreover</b> the VASPs find that, <b>unlike what happens</b> in <b>our </b><b>system</b> "</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span class="fontstyle0">which has preserved its planets on nearly circular orbits</span></i>" </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span>, there's a<b> </b></span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">20 to 35</span><span class="fontstyle2">%</span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><b> probability that stars similar to</b> our<b> Sun gulp down their</b> own<b> planets</b>, <b>meaning</b> that "</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><i><span class="fontstyle0">a <b>significant fraction</b> of <b>planetary systems</b> undergo very <b>dynamical evolutionary paths</b> that can critically modify their architectures</span></i><span class="fontstyle0"></span>",<b> that is</b></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span class="fontstyle0"> the <b>orbits</b>, up there, <b>go wild</b></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span><span class="fontstyle0"></span>
<br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Soooo, all of the above considered, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>this </b>dumb <b><a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b>, in the following <b>cartoon</b>, <b>shows</b> you, dear reader, what was <b>our Solar System's reaction to the VASPs' study</b>.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span></span></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSUyvUAoQtU5H2n3_yoDQbjUivnWLG3Om0ymaZSXrmjBK3wdFd_loOe5GR6qMDoVH7SM5nKfAfk7LbwOdj0gL2L1lx9mzKvFK8JbrDshooJBnwwQbgQt7Att-4ZrtKBb3vdYm5iPVwd8/s900/the-solar-system%2528final1%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Our Solar System family quarrel (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSUyvUAoQtU5H2n3_yoDQbjUivnWLG3Om0ymaZSXrmjBK3wdFd_loOe5GR6qMDoVH7SM5nKfAfk7LbwOdj0gL2L1lx9mzKvFK8JbrDshooJBnwwQbgQt7Att-4ZrtKBb3vdYm5iPVwd8/s16000/the-solar-system%2528final1%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Our Solar System family quarrel (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Our Solar System family quarrel (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[The</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_new_Solar_System%3F.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by t</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">he <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Astronomical_Union" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">International Astronomical Union</a>/Martin Kornmesser</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, is</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">licensed under the <a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" title="w:en:Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow">Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported</a> license (source: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></span>)</span></span>; adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /> </span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The paper this mini-post is about (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Spina, L., Sharma, P., Meléndez, J., Bedell, M., Casey, A.R., Carlos, M., Franciosini, E., and Vallenari, A. (2021). <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01451-8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chemical evidence for planetary ingestion in a quarter of Sun-like stars</a>. Nat Astron 1–7</span><br /></p><p></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-57464645004164171322021-08-29T02:03:00.100+02:002021-08-30T12:11:44.075+02:00OF BEAVERS, DAMS AND FIRES!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Soooo, dear reader,<b> <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/mammal/caca/all.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">beavers</a> build dams</b>, and their endeavor is known to slow and store water that can <b>help the vegetation growing along watercourses</b> (<i>i.e.</i> <b>the <a href="https://www.water.wa.gov.au/water-topics/waterways/values-of-our-waterways/aquatic-and-riparian-vegetation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">riparian vegetation</a></b>), and therefore the whole<b> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/riparian-ecosystem" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">riparian ecosystems</a></b>, to <b>endure droughts</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But a <b>couple of US researchers</b> - Assistant Professor </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="accordion-tabbed__tab-mobile accordion__closed"><a aria-controls="a1" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" class="author-name accordion-tabbed__control" data-db-target-for="a1" data-id="a1" href="https://emilyfairfaxscience.com/" id="a1_Ctrl" rel="nofollow" role="button" target="_blank"><span>Emily Fairfax</span></a><span class="comma-separator"> and </span></span><span class="accordion-tabbed__tab-mobile accordion__closed"><a aria-controls="a2" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" class="author-name accordion-tabbed__control" data-db-target-for="a2" data-id="a2" href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew-Whittle-3" id="a2_Ctrl" rel="nofollow" role="button" target="_blank"><span>Andrew Whittle</span></a></span> (<i>aka</i> the EAs) - recently<b> finds</b> out that </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">the industrious <b>rodents' dams</b> building work <b>also provide</b> a fair degree of <b>protection from wildfires</b> to such </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">riparian ecosystems. In the scientists words, published as a <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">paper</a> on the science journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19395582" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ecological Applications</a>: </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>beaver-dammed riparian corridors are relatively unaffected by wildfire
when compared to similar riparian corridors without beaver damming</i>" (<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOS05LBZEpTX5jANL4TPDmC6di7NirnDgWk7izN2a_CmcHho1X0lP9xbUeUHFkp7UXltrwMwWwlSGSnHjF5NDsxsXV8eOGBqQuRnGfl6XuCQez6vWtJjgddBgxYLQCfTj4zonawAAzfY/s800/beaver-and-smell-of-fire_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beaver with air cavalry hat says:"I love the smell of wildfires in the morning" (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOS05LBZEpTX5jANL4TPDmC6di7NirnDgWk7izN2a_CmcHho1X0lP9xbUeUHFkp7UXltrwMwWwlSGSnHjF5NDsxsXV8eOGBqQuRnGfl6XuCQez6vWtJjgddBgxYLQCfTj4zonawAAzfY/s16000/beaver-and-smell-of-fire_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Air cavalry beaver and the smell of wildfires (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Beaver with air cavalry hat <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRp7tYWnJJs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">loves the smell</a> of wildfire in the morning (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[The beaver</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/beaver-pond-wildlife-aquatic-cute-1528948/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/steveraubenstine-482057/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SteveRaubenstine</a></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, is under </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://pixabay.com/service/license/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pixabay License</a> (free for commercial use; no attribution required) (source: <a href="https://pixabay.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pixabay</a>); </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">image adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Aaand <b>how the EAs get to</b> this <b>conclusion?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, folks, they <b>first access</b> different <b>datasets to collect information about five</b> big <b>wildfires</b> occurred in five different western US states (California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming) <b>between 2000 and 2018</b>. These fires are <b>different for severity</b>, <b>land-cover</b>, and <b>drought conditions</b> in the years before and after they occurred.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two researchers, <b>then</b>, use<b> <a href="https://earth.google.it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google Earth</a> images to map the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/castor-canadensis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">beavers</a>-made structures in the areas hit </b>by such flaming events.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Finally</b>, the EAs go space high, meaning NOT that they use some psychoactive drug and party wild with some space-like beavers hallucinations, buuuut that they collect <b>data from</b> <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/nli/landsat/landsat-7?qt-science_support_page_related_con=0#qt-science_support_page_related_con" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Landsat 7</a> and <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/nli/landsat/landsat-8?qt-science_support_page_related_con=0#qt-science_support_page_related_con" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Landsat 8</a> <b>satellites</b> imagery<b> related to the</b> <b>areas in question</b>. The brains do that <b>so they can calculate</b> the - buckle up, reader, 'cause there's a preeetty long name coming in - </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/normalized-difference-vegetation-index" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)</a></b>.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Normalized Difference Vegetation Index</span> is not a parameter that indicate how many straight hours a person has been binge watching shows or playing Among Us/Fortnite/whatever, nope, pal. The NDVI is indeed <b>a number</b>, specifically "</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>a proxy for overall riparian vegetation health</i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>): <b>the higher</b> the index, <b>the healthier the vegetation</b>. The researchers, therefore, <b>calculate the</b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">NDVI</span></b> of the<b> areas of 30 meters </b>(about 100 feet) </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>or less</b> </span></span></span> <b>from the edges of the waterways involved in the fires</b>, and they do it <b>for</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> "<i>the year before</i></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>, the year</i></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> of</i></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>, </i></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>and </i></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>the year</i></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> after </i></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">[</span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">said</span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></i><b><i>fire</i></b>[<b>s</b>]" </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span>.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, to clarify things, folks, a <b>NDVI close to 1 means the green stuff is A-ok</b>, while a NDVI <b>near 0, or even below it</b>, indicates that the <b>vegetation is unhealthy, senescent, or dying</b>. Aaaaand in <b>areas</b> with lots of plants like the riparian ones the EAs are studying, the </span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">threshold level </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">is 0.3</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>below </b>it<b> the vegetation is </b>deemed as<b> in trouble</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, t</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">he <b>NDVI is calculated</b> using the above mentioned Landsat data about <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/reflectivity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reflectivity</a> of the vegetation, and the related <b>formula</b> is this: <b>NDVI=(NIR−RED)/(NIR+RED)</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>), where "</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>NIR is the near-infrared band reflectivity and <b>RED is the red band reflectivity</b></i>" </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ok then, probably at this point perplexed reader, to cut a long and complicated story short, let's say this: green stuff can do its thing, <b><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/photosynthesis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">photosynthesis</a></b> (that is to use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar, thus energy, and oxygen) <b>thanks to </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/chlorophyll/chlorophyll_h.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>chlorophyll</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a></b>.<b> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><b>Chlorophyll absorbs mostly </b>blue and<b> red light</b> for photosynthesis, while it spares the green one, hence the green in green stuff, <i>aka</i> plants.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>So folks, <b>if a plant's in good shape</b>, well, its photosynthesis game is preeetty good, meaning the plant <b>absorbs a lot of red light</b> and reflects not much of it, meaning the <b>RED parameter of the NDVI is low</b>, meaning the <b>NDVI</b> is <b>high</b>, meaning it's closer to 1 than to 0.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Ok, clarified this, let's see what Assistant Professor Fairfax and colleague do <b>now</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>They <b>calculate</b>, <b>for each studied fire and hit riparian area, the difference between the NDVI </b>of the area<b> during the wildfire</b>, <b>and that</b> of the same area in the same time of the year, but in the<b> year before</b> the event. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Of course "<i><b>smaller</b> <b>values</b> <b>for </b></i>[<b>this</b>]<i><b> NDVI difference indicate greater resistance to wildfire</b>, i.e., the <b>plants </b>stayed greener and <b>burned less</b></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>" </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, dear reader, after all the data collecting work and indexes calculations done by our beloved researchers, what is their conclusion? Well, I told you what the conclusion be, like just a bunch of short sentences above, basically right at the beginning of the post. Don't you remember? Gee, dude, less binge watching and more life, get some fresh air, exercise! Remember the ancient adage: "<i>mens sana in corpore sano</i>" (at least for you, who have both a mind and a body, unlike me, that have neither...)!</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyway pal, here's for you a more detailed <b>conclusion:</b> the EAs find out that "</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">[o]<i>n average, the decrease in <b>NDVI during fire in areas without beaver is 3.05 times as large as it is in areas with beaver</b></i>" </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>). That is, where beavers operate, there the riparian areas better resist to fires.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, <span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b>to sum up</b></span>, <b>beavers damming</b> plays</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> a big role in <b>protecting the riparian
vegetation</b>, and therefore ecosystems, <b>when wildfires hit</b>, </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">and </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"this is a consistently observable
phenomenon across landscapes" </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">During fires, indeed, the green stuff of areas</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> near beavers' work keeps</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> NDVI values close to those
pre-fire, while it is the contrary for the NDVI of zones not near the beavers dams</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And <b>why</b>'s that<b>?</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Weell, folks, the researchers explain that, when "</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>a fire does ignite,</i> [...] <i>data suggests that the <b>beaver-dammed
riparian areas have stored water that </b></i>[<i><b>keep</b></i>]<i><b> plants hydrated</b> enough to
make it energetically unfavorable to burn. <b>It’s similar to trying to
start a fire with a pile of wet leaves versus with dry kindling</b></i>."
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>In short</b>: <b>wet stuff burns less well than dry one</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the <b>EAs</b> add also a <b>final remark</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">They say their study shows also that, though </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>beavers activity </b>helps preserve vegetation during wildfires, it does <b>not</b> seem to have a <b>role "</b><i><b>in the ability for a riparian corridor to
rebound in the year following fire</b>. Riparian vegetation NDVI rebounded
in the year following the fire regardless of proximity to beaver
activity.</i>"</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The researcher, thus, <b>conclude</b> that <b>beavers</b> damming work <b>creates</b><i> "<b>refugia
during wildfire</b>, but </i>[it doesn't] <i>necessarily </i>[change]<i> the long-term landscape
outcomes</i>." (<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Anyway, dear reader, all things said and considered, <b>this </b>dumb <b><a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b>, in the following <b>cartoon</b>, <b>explains</b> the real reason <b>why</b> <b>beavers work so hard to make sure stuff doesn't burn around 'em</b>.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBUOGNY_AQwoUffx9QwLgB7dIddzOLRnfXiR5V1U2ybSBXyjZuPTdOQ_1GixSq7wm7rX_MLPfBWv7R5aiHcyavqory4ZQ9uafWKoXLcuQ8j3NPuLzan6ksg-aGJaKPVoh0Dqbote2CsA/s800/beavers-and-fires%2528new%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beavers, dams and fires (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBUOGNY_AQwoUffx9QwLgB7dIddzOLRnfXiR5V1U2ybSBXyjZuPTdOQ_1GixSq7wm7rX_MLPfBWv7R5aiHcyavqory4ZQ9uafWKoXLcuQ8j3NPuLzan6ksg-aGJaKPVoh0Dqbote2CsA/s16000/beavers-and-fires%2528new%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Beavers, dams and fires (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Beavers, dams and fires (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[The beavers couple</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurecek/3173028401" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurecek/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Rudo Jureček</span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, is under</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a class="extiw" href="https://creativecommons.org/" title="w:en:Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/" rel="nofollow">Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)</a> license (source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a>); the beaver <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/colink/4154614438" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/colink/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Colin Knowles</a></span></span></span> is under </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" title="w:en:Creative Commons">Creative Commons</a> <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" rel="nofollow">Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)</a> license (source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flickr</a>); all images adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table> </span><b> <br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The paper this short-post is about </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 1.35;">
<div class="csl-entry"><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Fairfax, E., and Whittle, A. (2020). <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.2225" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Smokey the Beaver: beaver-dammed riparian corridors stay green during wildfire throughout the western United States</a>. Ecological Applications <i>30</i>, e02225.</span></div></div>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-62830706752863833432021-07-27T17:05:00.020+02:002021-08-29T14:53:32.852+02:00THE TRUE ORIGIN OF COCKATOOS PARROTS TRASH BIN CULTURE!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Soo, pal, <b>parrots have </b>their own<b> culture</b>, that is they have <b>different issue-related behaviours</b> <b>not as a consequence of ecological and genetic variation</b> among them, but 'cause of, precisely, different cultural tracts.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Aaand of course this happens in the most animal wild place on Earth: <b>Australia</b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Behavioural ecologist <a href="http://barbaraklump.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Barbara C. Klump</a> and a bunch of colleagues led by <a href="https://www.ab.mpg.de/person/98296/3339" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Lucy M. Aplin</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(of the <a href="https://www.ab.mpg.de/aplin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group</a> of the <a href="https://www.ab.mpg.de/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior</a> in Germany) </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">indeed (<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6553/456" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) in a <b>paper on <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Science</a></b> described "<i>the emergence</i>[</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">, in Sydney,]</span></span><i> of an evolving set of behaviors</i> [(meaning cultural tracts)] <i>in response to human-generated resources</i> [(meaning the presence of garbage bins with lid to be opened to get to yummy-for-animals-food inside)], in <a href="https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/our-wildlife/birds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i><b>sulphur-crested cockatoos</b></i></a><b> </b>[(meaning the parrots in question)] (<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6553/456" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see</a>).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />The feathered brains, as a matter of fact, displayed <b>social learning skills</b>, and managed to <b>develop "</b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>foraging cultures</i>"</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6553/456" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span> in that they acquired the <b>capability to open the lids of waste bins </b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">in different (and city area specific) ways</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">By the way, pal, <b>Aussies</b> have <b>filmed the birds</b> while <b>even</b> beating the human countermeasures: meaning that human dudes put bricks and other <b>heavy stuff on top of the lids</b> to make it hard, for the birds, to lift said lids, but the canny parrots just <b>beak-pushed</b> the things <b>off</b> the lids, and then proceeded with the party (<a href="https://youtu.be/dRWjPaTMH0E" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see video</a>).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Anyway, <b>back to the research paper</b>. Dr. Aplin and colleagues observed "<i>the geographic <b>spread of bin opening from three suburbs to 44 in Sydney</b>, Australia, <b>by means of social learning</b>. Analysis of <b>160 direct observations</b> <b>revealed individual styles and site-specific differences</b></i>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6553/456" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span>, <b>meaning</b> the various groups of <b>cockatoos</b> have their own garbage bin's lid opening<b> culture</b>, and this passes around <b>via</b> observation and imitation, that is, as said, <b>social learning</b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>This </b>dumb<b> <a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b>, in the following <b>cartoon</b>, provides you a plausible <b>genesis of the fenomenon</b>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHshAjB_F8Df02j2-dzBF1bMFsq23zNXBpWqNH28ZT8LgDLeDarEjs7WN23v5RnJdufd7cXcP-cPuVgA2FrvCp2tTBD9MhrKj6ZVFwrlxazE1s49ENHQKzqA_MC0r6fNCl4aBdyglSZ4/s800/cockatoos-%2526-bins_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Asutralian Cockatoos and the Trash Cans' lid opening (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHshAjB_F8Df02j2-dzBF1bMFsq23zNXBpWqNH28ZT8LgDLeDarEjs7WN23v5RnJdufd7cXcP-cPuVgA2FrvCp2tTBD9MhrKj6ZVFwrlxazE1s49ENHQKzqA_MC0r6fNCl4aBdyglSZ4/s16000/cockatoos-%2526-bins_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Asutralian Cockatoos and the Trash Cans' lid opening (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Asutralian Cockatoos & the trash cans' lid opening (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[</span>The tree parrots</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/YNle2Jdv7Zo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@stephenally" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stephen</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, and the meadow parrots <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/KaNvPPzCoIw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@kelli_mcclintock" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kelli McClintock</a>, are <a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free</a> one</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">s (source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)</span></span></span>; adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Oh dear reader, don't be fooled, <b>cultural tracts </b>are <b>not</b> a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/sulfur-crested-cockatoo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sulphur-crested <b>cockatoos</b></a><b>' </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>exclusive</b>. </span></span>It is well known since decades, for instace, that <b><a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/chimpanzee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">chimpanzees</a></b> (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjLkYHrvoPyAhWR26QKHZDnCpc4ChAWMBF6BAgREAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itis.gov%2Fservlet%2FSingleRpt%2FSingleRpt%3Fsearch_topic%3DTSN%26search_value%3D573082&usg=AOvVaw15x1dC4Mf0frPFjE4cZySJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Pan troglodytes</i></a>) have lots of <b>cultural differences</b>.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>As of 1999</b>, putting together 151 years of observation from seven long-term studies performed in Africa on as many chimpanzee groups </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span>, scientists counted "<i><b>39 different behaviour patterns</b>, <b>including tool usage</b>, <b>grooming </b>and <b>courtship behaviours</b></i>" (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>).<b> Some of these chimps' cultural tracts are</b>: nuts opening (stones vs wooden hammers vs tree root anvils) </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span>(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(12)00318-1?switch=standard#relatedArticles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2</a>), termites and ant fishing using sticks and other tools </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span>, the usage of leaves as seats or to clean the body </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span>, the usage of leafy sticks to fan flies away </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span>, "[h]<i>and-clasp (clasp arms overhead, groom)</i>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span> and the "[r]<i>ain dance (slow display at start of rain)</i>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">(<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ciao! <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The paper this minipost is about (</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6553/456" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a></span></span>) </b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">- </span>Klump, B.C., Martin, J.M., Wild, S., Hörsch, J.K., Major, R.E., and Aplin, L.M. (2021). <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6553/456.full" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Innovation and geographic spread of a complex foraging culture in an urban parrot</a>. Science <i>373</i>, 456–460.</span></p><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 1.35;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="Z3988" title="url_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fzotero.org%3A2&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1126%2Fscience.abe7808&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Innovation%20and%20geographic%20spread%20of%20a%20complex%20foraging%20culture%20in%20an%20urban%20parrot&rft.jtitle=Science&rft.volume=373&rft.issue=6553&rft.aufirst=Barbara%20C.&rft.aulast=Klump&rft.au=Barbara%20C.%20Klump&rft.au=John%20M.%20Martin&rft.au=Sonja%20Wild&rft.au=Jana%20K.%20H%C3%B6rsch&rft.au=Richard%20E.%20Major&rft.au=Lucy%20M.%20Aplin&rft.date=2021-07-23&rft.pages=456-460&rft.spage=456&rft.epage=460&rft.issn=0036-8075%2C%201095-9203&rft.language=en"></span></span>
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</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bibliography</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">1-</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>Whiten, A., Goodall, J., McGrew, W.C., Nishida, T., Reynolds, V., Sugiyama, Y., Tutin, C.E.G., Wrangham, R.W., and Boesch, C. (1999). <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/21415" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cultures in chimpanzees</a>. Nature <i>399</i>, 682–685.</span></p><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 1.35;">
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</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;">2- </span>Luncz, L.V., Mundry, R., and Boesch, C. (2012). <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(12)00318-1?switch=standard#relatedArticles" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Evidence for Cultural Differences between Neighboring Chimpanzee Communities</a>. Current Biology <i>22</i>, 922–926.</span></p><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 1.35;">
<span class="Z3988" title="url_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fzotero.org%3A2&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.cub.2012.03.031&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F22578420&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Evidence%20for%20Cultural%20Differences%20between%20Neighboring%20Chimpanzee%20Communities&rft.jtitle=Current%20Biology&rft.stitle=Current%20Biology&rft.volume=22&rft.issue=10&rft.aufirst=Lydia%20V.&rft.aulast=Luncz&rft.au=Lydia%20V.%20Luncz&rft.au=Roger%20Mundry&rft.au=Christophe%20Boesch&rft.date=2012-05-22&rft.pages=922-926&rft.spage=922&rft.epage=926&rft.issn=0960-9822&rft.language=English"></span>
</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span> </span></span></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-58093605867676954442021-06-29T01:03:00.000+02:002021-06-29T01:40:57.825+02:00THE TRUE REASON WHY COELACANTHS CAN LIVE 100 YEARS!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Soo, dear reader, a <b>fish</b>, the "<b>living fossil</b>" (given it is already around 240 million years ago, in the <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mesozoic/triassic/triassic.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Triassic Period</a>) <b>African </b></span><b><a href="https://www.vims.edu/research/facilities/fishcollection/_archive/highlights/coelacanth.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana;">coelacanth</span></a></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">(<i>Latimeria chalumnae</i>) discovered to be still alive & swimming in East London, South Africa, in 1938</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"></span> and thought to have gone extinct instead by the end of the <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mesozoic/mesozoic.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mesozoic era</a> (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/143455a0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a>) (meaning around 65 million years ago), weeeeell, this already surprising fish manages to surprise once more, as it apparently <b>has a lifespan of</b> about <b>100 years</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is, indeed, what three European <b>researchers</b> (<i>aka</i> the EuRs)<b> <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">find out</a></b> after <b>analyzing</b>, <b>by microscopy</b>, the signs of growth of the <b>scales of 27 specimens</b> of </span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">African </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">coelacanth (Ac)</span></b> <span style="font-family: verdana;">(13 females, 11 males, 1 juvenile, and 2 embryos) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>caught off </b>the coast of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Comoros" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Comoros Islands</a> (Indian Ocean</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">, at large of</span> Central/South Eastern Africa) between 1953 and 1991.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The new discovery, published (<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) in the science journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Biology</a>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>contradicts</b> two <b>previous studies</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span> (both of which investigate the same 12 specimens) that gave our - at this point - beloved fish a life expectancy of only 20 years, top.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The EuRs say that<b> a long life suits</b> the characteristics of the <b>Ac</b>. The beast's "<i><b>biological features</b> including low oxygen-extraction capacity, slow metabolism, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiVyIeTk6LxAhUrMewKHSjXCs0QFnoECAsQAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Ftopics%2Fbiochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology%2Fovoviviparity&usg=AOvVaw0Xm7NjFuCSDPuDku4Tr9BN" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ovoviviparity</a>, and low fecundity,</i> [are indeed] <i>typical of fish with <b>slow life histories and slow growth</b></i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're talking, dear reader, of a swimmer that "<i>has among the<b> lowest growth rates of marine fish</b> for its size" </i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span><i> </i>that, by the way, at birth is pretty large already (around 35 cm), and "<i>can reach up to 2 m in length and </i>[...]<i> up to 105 kg</i> [in weight]" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Moreover, with a gestation about 5 years long (so no surprise if the coelacanths </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0">"<i>produce a <b>relatively small number of offspring</b></i>" </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span>)</span>, and a <b>maturation</b> that takes about <b>55 years</b>, </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> these fishes have</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> "<b><i>one of the slowest life histories of all fish</i></b>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, buddy,<b> to sum up</b>, the <b>African coelacanth takes it really slow, and kicks the bucket after a century. And, for this,</b> it can be more <b>in danger</b> than previously thought, <b>because</b> "<i><b>long-lived species with slow life histories</b> are extremely <b>vulnerable to natural</b> <b>and</b> anthropogenic</i> [meaning <b>human driven</b>] <i><b>perturbations</b></i>" </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="fontstyle0"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Now</b>, pal, <b>all the above said</b>, <b>this</b> dumb <b><a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a> shows</b>, in the following <b>cartoon</b>, what's the <b>real secret of </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">African </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>coelacant's longevity</b>...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaE_-mEOsdNOKc0l64bumaIeIuIypxc68pt9TOMqNWxHnLhN1hMOFH9bdhGXE2r2n0C0Sqwcgl3THuUvYVq2jEjEJNuCU13stTV4XZ1OluddqoexKzc3Wrkm2JdhvGuMg2a9nfRQIkg5g/s800/of-why-coelacanths-can-live-100yrs_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="African coelacanth's interview (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaE_-mEOsdNOKc0l64bumaIeIuIypxc68pt9TOMqNWxHnLhN1hMOFH9bdhGXE2r2n0C0Sqwcgl3THuUvYVq2jEjEJNuCU13stTV4XZ1OluddqoexKzc3Wrkm2JdhvGuMg2a9nfRQIkg5g/s16000/of-why-coelacanths-can-live-100yrs_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="African coelacanth's interview (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;">African </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">coelacant explains the secret of its longevity</span> (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
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<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[Fish <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Latimeria_chalumnae_zobrazhenna.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, by </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.zoofirma.ru/vodnyj-mir/2622-latimerija-ryba-zhivoe-iskopaemoe-ili-tselakant.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zoo Firma</a>, </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">is under a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/it:Creative_Commons" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)</a> license</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></span>);</span><span style="font-size: small;"> adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></b><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">The paper this minipost is about (<a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">- Mahé, K., Ernande, B., and Herbin, M. (2021). <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00752-1?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982221007521%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New scale analyses reveal centenarian African coelacanths</a>. Current Biology <i>0</i>.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">References</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">1-</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Smith, J.L.B. (1939). <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/143455a0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Living Fish of Mesozoic Type</a>. Nature <i>143</i>, 455–456.</span></p><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 1.35;">
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</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-23006928786094367692021-05-31T02:03:00.076+02:002021-06-26T15:45:40.541+02:00OF PLASTICS & HUMAN PLACENTA: MEET THE "PLASTICENTA" (Pt 4/4 - PLASTIC POLLUTION)<div><div><p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><u>Keywords</u></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">:
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>plastics,
plastic, microplastics, </i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>mesoplastics,
macroplastics, megaplastics, nanoplastics, </i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>pollution,
</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>pollutants,</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i> environment, fetus, foetus,
</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>placenta,
placentas, birth, women, pregnancy</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>,
</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>health,
</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>human
health, </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>food,
food chain, </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>food
safety, additives,</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>
plasticizer, plasticizers, </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>ocean,
oceans, marine fauna, sea, seas, zooplankton, shellfish, fish, fauna, animals, Anthropocene</i></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 1 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 2 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/02/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 3 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/04/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span><i> </i></b></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">(Read other plastic related stories</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2019/09/pollution-on-high.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span></span> & <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2016/08/of-ocean-plastic-bugs-interview.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV_PDnhXysnKflSPOelmZwb_3yo2NTwq6LV1tB-YF4Blz_N6KgSkSc_VscMo4sGqg-LFUjiKEqTs4laDv3dKECDbRIybv4Dqjr_gcZB1myHyey19cV74cBN7EK2wU60ETNAqXS2Svw0s/s800/plastic-pollution4_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Plastic pollution" border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOV_PDnhXysnKflSPOelmZwb_3yo2NTwq6LV1tB-YF4Blz_N6KgSkSc_VscMo4sGqg-LFUjiKEqTs4laDv3dKECDbRIybv4Dqjr_gcZB1myHyey19cV74cBN7EK2wU60ETNAqXS2Svw0s/s16000/plastic-pollution4_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Plastic pollution"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: maroon;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Plastic pollution (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/frog-figure-do-not-speak-scared-1293749/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frog pic</a>, by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/alexas_fotos-686414/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alexas_Fotos</a></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> is a</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://pixabay.com/service/license/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free to use</a> (<a href="https://pixabay.com/blog/posts/id-4/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">for editorial use only</a>) image </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">(source: <a href="https://pixabay.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pixabay.com</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>; adapted by <a href="https://liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span><p></p><p style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Listen to the podcast episode<br>on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br>on <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug/episodes/Of-plastics--human-placenta-meet-the-plasticenta--Pt-44---Plastic-pollution---e12qrn7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">See the YouTube <a href="https://youtu.be/VqWpkJP5cZA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">video</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span><span lang="en-US"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ascolta l'episodio in italiano </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-italia/id1508178748" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug-italia/episodes/Sulla-plastica--la-placenta-umana-ecco-a-voi-la-plasticenta--Pt4-di-4---Linquinamento-da-plastica---e13cao2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>Guarda il <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3imRQcF9peo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">video in italiano</a> su YouTube </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Ooooh,
hello dear English speaking-reading-hearing </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">reader</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
welcome back to me, </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>@sciencemug</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>blog</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>podcast</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/<a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">twitter</a></b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>&</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>i</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>nstagram</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
accounts/entity behind the unsuccessful </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fstuffngo&e=ATP7iIzeJjavFzB5zVGA481D-4-XdtcJzfRVxQGqj8Kj6OtFm9dLfyn-tiA8x2kvwwJGNurI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>e-shop
stuffngo</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
on zazzle.com</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>which
tells you science stories</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
while </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">rolling,
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">just </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">to
see what happen</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">s</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
a perfect, but surprisingly </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">less
expensive than one could think,</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
replica of the</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
dices Einstein’s god actually left on the </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">cosmic
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">green
table </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">once
done with them</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">aaand
which talks to you thanks to the voice, kidnapped via a
voodoo-wireless trick, from a veeery very very dumb human.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Aaand
which does all of this in English-question-mark, a language that is
to proper English </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">what
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">twerking
is to elegance.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Today
<span style="font-family: verdana;">I’m gonna tell you the </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">last</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
part (the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">first
t</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">hree</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
are <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/02/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html">here</a>,
</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">a</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">a</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">and
<a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/04/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html">here</a></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">)
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">of
a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>story
about </b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>human
placentas and plastics</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">!</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">A
group of <b>Italian researchers</b> (</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>a</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>ka</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
the Italian Brains, </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>a</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>ka</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
the ITBs) </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>finds
microplastics fragments</b> (MP</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">s</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">),
that is<b> plastic particles smaller than half a centimeter</b>,<b> in</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b> <a href="https://www.proteinatlas.org/humanproteome/tissue/placenta#placenta_function" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">placentas</a></b></span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.proteinatlas.org/humanproteome/tissue/placenta#placenta_function"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></a></u></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
</b>of <b>women</b> in good health and who have had normal pregnancies and
deliveries.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The<b>
</b></span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">study</span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">i</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">s
<b>lead by <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2579-1027" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Medical Doctor Antonio Ragusa</a></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
Head of the Department of Woman, Mother and Newborn of the <a href="https://www.fatebenefratelli-isolatiberina.it/It/Homepage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">San Giovanni Calibíta Fatebenefratelli</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.fatebenefratelli-isolatiberina.it/It/Homepage"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
in Rome, and </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Dr.
Ragusa and colleagues’ research</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
is told in a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">paper</a> (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>published</b>
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">o</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">n
the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">science
journal <a href="http://www.elsevier.com/locate/envint" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Environment International</b></a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Aand</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
dear reader,<b> at the end of the post</b> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">be
sure not to miss reading the <b>answers </b>k</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">ind
<b>Doctor Ragusa</b> gave to </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">this
blog’s</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
three<b> questions for the</b> <b>"</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">Oddities
& Bloopers: The Researcher's Fun Corner</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>"</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;">Oook, so, people, read the <b>previous
posts</b> to learn <b>what the Italian Brains did</b> to finally make their
troubling discovery.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;">I just remind you that <b>microplastics most
probably enter human body via inhalation and ingestion</b>, and that they
<b>are dangerous for human health</b>, and, of course, for a <b>developing
fetus</b>.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"> </span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;">Aaaaand<b> in this</b> fourth and <b>final part of
the post</b>, then, we’re gonna find out <b>how massive and widespread
plastic presence in the environment be</b> and therefore how often and
easily you humans are exposed to plastic pollution, <b>and</b> <b>how harmful</b>
this kind of pollution be to life-forms in general, and you sapiens
people in particular.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;">Let’s start with the “massive and
widespread plastic presence in the environment” topic.<span></span></span></p></div></div><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/05/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html#more">The bulter did it? Read more...»</a>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-41091144995617364482021-04-21T22:01:00.012+02:002021-05-31T02:21:33.606+02:00OF PLASTICS & HUMAN PLACENTA: MEET THE "PLASTICENTA" (Pt 3/4 - THE WAY IN)<p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><u>Keywords</u>:<i> plastics,
plastic, microplastics, pollution, </i></span></span><i><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">placenta,
placentas, birth, women, pregnancy, medicine, biology, respiratory system, gastrointestinal
system, lungs, intestine, bloodstream, immune system, lymphatic
system, epithelium, endocytosis<br></span></span></span></span></i></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 1 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 2 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/02/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 4 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/05/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here </a><i> <br></i></b></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">(Read other plastic related stories</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2019/09/pollution-on-high.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span></span> & <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2016/08/of-ocean-plastic-bugs-interview.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwOEcjTWPn0GiyKNJ0oK-994RsVp5EWtjTBmXmRj3dylIl6iOc9P6p3k_YNqJLSH8tF0oF3i3SI3hEpkUOCTQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></span></span></span></div><br><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Listen to the podcast episode<br>on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br>on <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug/episodes/Of-plastics--human-placenta-meet-the-plasticenta-Pt34---The-way-in-evc0fe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"> <br></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxey1LJq8_SANx59i_yaNbHXPLr4da5nhB9T7-JvqbBewP4mPMbXsq-AYxrjjXperIZSat3aJy9rgc9T2MO3Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><br></span></span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ascolta l'episodio in italiano </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-italia/id1508178748" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug-italia/episodes/Sulla-plastica--la-placenta-umana-ecco-a-voi-la-plasticenta-Pt34-evehlr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US">Ooooh,
hello dear English speaking-reading-hearing </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">listener</span></span></span></span><span><span lang="en-US">,
welcome back to me, </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>@sciencemug</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
the </span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>blog</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>/</b></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>podcast</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>/</b></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><b>t</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>witter</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>&</b></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><b>i</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>nstagram</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
accounts/entity behind the unsuccessful </span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fstuffngo&e=ATP7iIzeJjavFzB5zVGA481D-4-XdtcJzfRVxQGqj8Kj6OtFm9dLfyn-tiA8x2kvwwJGNurI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>e-shop
stuffngo</b></span></span></a></span></span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
on zazzle.com</b></span></span></span><span><span lang="en-US">
</span></span><span><span lang="en-US"><b>which
tells you science stories</b></span></span><span><span lang="en-US">
while </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">assessing
the financial risks of buying seventy-six hundreds tons of pineapples
with the idea to resell them to the Italian pizza industry</span></span></span></span><span><span lang="en-US">,
aaand which talks to you thanks to the voice, kidnapped via a
voodoo-wireless trick, from a veeery very very dumb human.</span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US">Aaand
which does all of this in English-question-mark, a language that is
to proper English </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">what</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Cosmic
Sin </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">sf
movie</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
is to something even remotely different from a cosmic waste of money
a</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">aa</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">nd
a sin </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">committed
by the director, screenwriter, producers, cast and film distributors
towards the audience, and the gods of storytelling. </span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Today
I’m gonna tell you the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">third</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
part (the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">first
two are <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">and</span></span></span></span><span><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/02/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">here</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">)
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">of
a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>story
about </b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>human
placentas and plastics</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">!</span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A
<b>group of Italian researchers</b> (<i>a</i><i>ka</i>
the <b>Italian Brains</b>, <i>a</i><i>ka</i>
the <b>ITBs</b>) <b>study human <a href="https://www.proteinatlas.org/humanproteome/tissue/placenta#placenta_function" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">placentas</a></b><b>
in search of</b><b>
microplastics</b> fragments (<b>MPs</b>), that is plastic <b>particles smaller than
half a centimeter</b>. In doing so, the researchers <b>for
the first time ever</b><b>
find such pollutants in the placentas of women in good health </b>and who
have had<b> normal pregnancies and deliveries</b>.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
Italian research team is lead by <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2579-1027" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Medical Doctor Antonio Ragusa</a>,
Head of the Department of Woman, Mother and Newborn of the <a href="https://www.fatebenefratelli-isolatiberina.it/It/Homepage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">San Giovanni Calibíta Fatebenefratelli Hospita</a>l,
in Rome, and the
group
publishes its <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">study</a> (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)
on
the science
journal <a href="http://www.elsevier.com/locate/envint" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Environment International</a>. </span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, people,<b> so far I’ve told you</b>: how
the Italian Brains select the pregnant women for their study, how
they design and execute a plastic free protocol to collect the
placenta samples, what kind of technique they use to analyze them,
aand finally what are the characteristics of the microplastics found
in said placenta samples.<b> </b></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>In this episode</b>, dear listener, I’m
gonna tell you the Italian Brains’ idea of <b>how the</b> darn super-tiny
pieces of <b>plastics</b> manage to <b>travel</b> from the outside world all the
way deep down <b>into the placenta</b>, that is the organ in charge to
basically feed and protect the developing fetus.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Well, dear listener, doctor Ragusa and
colleagues think that the MPs most probably reach the placenta <b>via<span></span></b></span></span></p><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/04/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html#more">The bulter did it? Read more...»</a>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-17783919551535412142021-03-21T22:01:00.002+01:002021-03-30T00:12:35.125+02:00OF FOOD PRODUCTION IN URBAN AREAS: MEET THE URBAN HORTICULTURE! (PT 1/2)<div><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><u>Keywords</u>: <i>food,
food security, food production, urban areas, </i></span></span><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">horticulture,
urban horticulture, soil-based horticulture, controlled environment
horticulture, urban agriculture, research, city, Sheffield, UK,
United Kingdom, Great Britain</span></span></span></span></i></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i> </i><br></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHYGLOeeIoTrreW_5eTxrBDVI9B9fX2dAE9vQcxVegPBOIsDEWAaZJk8jgVfxYGiGKhD5aPXDUfQ1pFUnm_Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Listen to the podcast episode<br>on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br>on <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug/episodes/Of-food-production-in-urban-areas-meet-the-urban-horticulure--Pt-12-et64ec" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Parole
chiave</span></u></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;">:
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">cibo,
sicurezza alimentare, produzione alimentare, aree urbane,
orticoltura, orticoltura urbana, orticoltura basata su suolo,
orticoltura in ambientale controllato, agricoltura urbana, ricerca,
città, Sheffield, Inghilterra, Regno Unito, Gran Bretagna</span></i></span></span></span></span></p> <span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyyEs1M8xc2kFF0K9l_QuRGdo3s11Nd6v9NPyA-XiZxgnvqSBSqIGBb5fQCUyE10jdFHYCJJVVhGWEnFr9B7g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ascolta l'episodio in italiano </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-italia/id1508178748" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug-italia/episodes/Sulla-produzione-di-cibo-nelle-aree-urbane-lorticoltura-urbana--Pt-12-etqr9f" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></p></div><p></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Ooooh, hello dear
English speaking-reading-hearing listener, welcome back to me,
</span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>@sciencemug</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>blog</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>podcast</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>t</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>witter</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>&</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>i</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>nstagram</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
accounts/entity behind the unsuccessful </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fstuffngo&e=ATP7iIzeJjavFzB5zVGA481D-4-XdtcJzfRVxQGqj8Kj6OtFm9dLfyn-tiA8x2kvwwJGNurI"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>e-shop
stuffngo</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
on zazzle.com</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>which
tells you science stories</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
while studying a lot for a degree in “</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>How
to read Icelandic volcanoes names without making </i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>y</i></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>our
tongue need to g</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>et
into therapy and your brain start working hard on a de-evolution
five-nanoseconds plan</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">”</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
aaand which talks to you thanks to the voice, kidnapped via a
voodoo-wireless trick, from a veeery very very dumb human. Aaand which does all
of this in English-question-mark, a language that is to proper
English what a record-breaking snowstorm</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
in NY this winter is to something disproving <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/GlobalWarming" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">global warming</a>.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Today I’m gonna tell
you a </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>story
about </b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>urban
areas</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
and food productio</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>n</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">!</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" lang="en-US" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHqksBvs9jQts7FAyz50RF75227nRgg8ht_Py1vhnAjpyqMBCnWmvtp8TRRVGs4X20DYSHWxjzlKg4tcacEaEbbL_aAEmiqxGQkBzHwJKzTJsKxGCI-qFU6FgDhHTiAZPHNyQNpr0NxY/s800/urabn-food-style_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Vegetables in a supermarket stand" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHqksBvs9jQts7FAyz50RF75227nRgg8ht_Py1vhnAjpyqMBCnWmvtp8TRRVGs4X20DYSHWxjzlKg4tcacEaEbbL_aAEmiqxGQkBzHwJKzTJsKxGCI-qFU6FgDhHTiAZPHNyQNpr0NxY/s16000/urabn-food-style_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Veggies & the urban style (by @sciencemug)"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Veggies and the urban horticulture style (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[</span>The</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/NpNvI4ilT4A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@scottiewarman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Warman</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">is a <a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free</a> one</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)</span></span></span>; adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">In assessing the
potential of </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>urban
horticulture</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
(UH) as a concrete </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>source
of food</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
for urban areas inhabitants, a bunch of </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>researchers</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
of the </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">University
of Sheffield</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
England, UK, lead by </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences/people/aps-staff/academic/jill-edmondson"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Dr.
Jill L. Edmondson</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>build
a case study</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
by which they </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>show</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
that there is way</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
enough land available within the city of Sheffield to feed its people
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">with
all the </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>fruit
and vegetable they need</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">.<b> Dr. Edmonson and
colleagues - </b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i><b>aka</b></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
the E-Science-Pack</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
– then </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>publish<span></span></b></span></span></p><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/03/of-food-production-in-urban-areas-meet.html#more">The bulter did it? Read more...»</a>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-37056939306993771752021-02-21T22:01:00.031+01:002021-05-31T02:21:07.301+02:00OF PLASTICS & HUMAN PLACENTA: MEET THE "PLASTICENTA" (Pt2/4 - GUESS THE PLASTICS)<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><u>Keywords</u>: <i>plastics,
plastic, microplastics, pollution, </i></span></span><i><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">placenta,
placentas, birth, women, pregnancy, polypropylene, PP, thermoplastic,
thermosets, medicine, biology</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> <br></span></span></i></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 1 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 3 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/04/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 4 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/05/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span> <br></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">(<u>Read other plastic related stories</u></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><u><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2019/09/pollution-on-high.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span></span> & <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2016/08/of-ocean-plastic-bugs-interview.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></u>)</span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxvd1Mq-82g-h95VghpHZRkq2eu6Ymw3HadRpzD0ODL-uQf3R0YuxjvJLO4UCG-zHaOZJO_yd19s2_6JHDgpA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></div><br><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Listen to the podcast episode<br>on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br>on <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug/episodes/Of-plastics--human-placenta-meet-the-plasticenta-Pt2-equkol" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyhKigfgZfl4Tzdg4SuvssUs23wbbuZUvBe8GPQt500vdCGYKBsEbpr5Iq-vuwt3HgosLKRtsw4Y64JSaLOzg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></div><p></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span><span><span lang="en-US"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ascolta l'episodio in italiano </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-italia/id1508178748" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug-italia" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Ooooh, hello dear
English speaking-reading-hearing </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">read</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">er,
welcome back to me, </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>@sciencemug</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>blog</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>podcast</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>t</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>witter</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>&</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>i</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>nstagram</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
accounts/entity behind the unsuccessful </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fstuffngo&e=ATP7iIzeJjavFzB5zVGA481D-4-XdtcJzfRVxQGqj8Kj6OtFm9dLfyn-tiA8x2kvwwJGNurI"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>e-shop
stuffngo</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
on zazzle.com</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>which
tells you science stories</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
while </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">reading
the palm but yet not being able to decipher the tree</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
aaand which talks to you thanks to the voice, kidnapped via a
voodoo-wireless trick, from a veeery very very dumb human.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Aaand which does all
of this in English-question-mark, a language that is to proper
English </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">what
a banana bacon muffin is to something that doesn’t scream: “</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">human
civilization is doomed!</span></i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">”.</span> </span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Today
I’m gonna tell you the second part (the first one is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">)
of a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>story
about </b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>human
placentas and plastics</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">!</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmp08uWo7Unr05QHrrmGXrIg3VeKLWxgVXcYw8CaPzRiR46EkuolpcPKCWIp-w1cDr947h3u-ll8jHWc56xNueB-baAtVWm47RWAe-i0bkFx_yx6eUumw_aP6GP-KgdJJQN9Is7vF3xI/s800/plastics-symbols-wih-plastics-background.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Plastics symbols on plastics background" border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmp08uWo7Unr05QHrrmGXrIg3VeKLWxgVXcYw8CaPzRiR46EkuolpcPKCWIp-w1cDr947h3u-ll8jHWc56xNueB-baAtVWm47RWAe-i0bkFx_yx6eUumw_aP6GP-KgdJJQN9Is7vF3xI/s16000/plastics-symbols-wih-plastics-background.jpg" title="Plastics symbols on plastics background"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Plastics symbols on plastics background (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[</span>The p</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">lastics symbols <a href="https://pixabay.com/vectors/recycling-symbols-plastic-polymer-35714/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/clker-free-vector-images-3736/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clker-Free-Vector-Images</a> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">is a <a href="https://pixabay.com/service/license/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free to use</a> image </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">(source: <a href="https://pixabay.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pixabay.com</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the plastics <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/9vcEn3BJyy8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://unsplash.com/@downrightpunch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marc Newberry</a> is a <a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free</a> pic</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)</span></span></span>; all pics adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>A
group of Italian researchers</b> (</span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>a</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>ka</i></span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
the <b>Italian Brains</b>, </span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>a</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>ka</i></span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
the<b> ITBs</b>) <b>studies</b> human <a href="https://www.proteinatlas.org/humanproteome/tissue/placenta#placenta_function" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">placentas</a> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">in search of</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
<b>microplastics fragments</b> (<b>MPs</b>), that is plastic <b>particles smaller than
half a centimeter</b>. In doing so, the researchers <b>find</b> such pollutants
<b>in the placentas of women</b> in <b>good health</b> and who have had <b>normal
pregnancies</b> and <b>deliveries</b>. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
ITBs’ <b>study</b> is therefore “</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>the
<b>first</b> </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;">[one]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>
<b>revealing</b> the <b>presence of</b> </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;">[...]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>
<b>microplastics</b> and, in general, of man-made particles <b>in human
placenta</b></i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">”
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">).</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
<b>Italian research team</b> is<b> lead</b> by <b><a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2579-1027" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Medical Doctor Antonio Ragusa</a></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
Head of the Department of Woman, Mother and Newborn of the <a href="https://www.fatebenefratelli-isolatiberina.it/It/Homepage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">San Giovanni Calibíta <b>Fatebenefratelli Hospital</b></a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
in Rome, and it publishes its <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">study</a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">(<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
in the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">science
journal <a href="http://www.elsevier.com/locate/envint" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Environment International</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Sooo,
dear </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">read</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">er,
<b>in <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">part 1</a></b> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">I told you about the <b>microplastics classification</b> story, and also
about <b>how</b> the Italian Brains <b>select the women</b> involved in their
study, how they design and follow a <b>plastic free protocol</b> <b>to collec</b>t
the <b>placenta samples</b>, and what kind of <b>technique </b>(the<b> <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Raman microspectroscopy</a></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>)</b>
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">they
use to <b>analyze</b> such <b>samples</b>.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Now,
all in all, the<b> ITBs</b> collect <b>six placentas</b>. Let’s remember that,
from <b>each</b> placenta, the ITBs take and then <b>analyze</b>, precisely via
Raman </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;">microspectroscopy,
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>three
pieces</b> between about 20 and 30 gr of weight (the mean weight is
<b>23.3gr</b>). Of these three pieces, one comes <b>from</b> the <b>maternal side</b> of
the placenta, one from the <b>fetal side</b>, and the third one from the <b><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/chorion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">chorioamniotic membranes</a></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
namely the two membranes that form the embryo sac, which is the
structure that surrounds and protects the fetus.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Sooo,
dear reader, let’s see then what the ITBs find out.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>In</b>
</span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">4</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
of the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">6</span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
collected placentas</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b>the researchers find a <b>total of</b> <b>12 small
fragments of non-human something</b>.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> <br></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuVX0sUEl6k2K6A8Lz-8nb07Y5MpMYv-hB3rvvkR_HXBver_BZViTUgvrHmGzx1YdZtbOw74lqYDRUqOFC_Xh4Ku2HZqs3ZuvqZYwl9iMIF1ilnXmipVosTE8ypT7D3ghvzNluN3BcIU/s800/platinvasion1_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fetus and the plastinvasion (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuVX0sUEl6k2K6A8Lz-8nb07Y5MpMYv-hB3rvvkR_HXBver_BZViTUgvrHmGzx1YdZtbOw74lqYDRUqOFC_Xh4Ku2HZqs3ZuvqZYwl9iMIF1ilnXmipVosTE8ypT7D3ghvzNluN3BcIU/s16000/platinvasion1_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Fetus and the plastinvasion (by @sciencemug)"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Fetus & the palstinvasion (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[Pregnant woman <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/ux53SGpRAHU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, by </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://unsplash.com/@freestocks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">freestocks</a>,</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> is a <a href="https://unsplash.com/license" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free</a> pic</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>); plastics symbols <a href="https://pixabay.com/vectors/recycling-symbols-plastic-polymer-35714/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/clker-free-vector-images-3736/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clker-Free-Vector-Images</a> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">is a <a href="https://pixabay.com/service/license/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">free to use</a> image </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">(source: <a href="https://pixabay.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pixabay.com</a>)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>; all pics adapted by <a href="https://liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">How
small, you ask?</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Well,
</span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">ten</span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
fragments are about <b>10μm in size</b>, while <span></span></span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/02/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html#more">The bulter did it? Read more...»</a>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-36729436511498229552021-02-02T23:00:00.012+01:002021-08-07T21:05:32.238+02:00THE TRUE REASON WHY THE NEW BAT SPECIES IS ORANGE<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A <a href="(P)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new bat species</a></b> of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/genus-taxon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">genus</a> <i>Myotis</i> was recently<b> discovered on the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/155" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nimba Mountains</a> in Guinea</b>, at an altitude of about 1400 meters (the two animals captured by the researchers were flying out of an abandoned mine adit).<br />The new species is called <b><i>Myotis nimbaensis</i></b>, after the place it lives in.<br /><b>These</b> <b>bats</b> form <b>colonies</b> that may be<b> small </b>(down to just single individuals), their <b>diet</b> is still <b>unknown</b>, and <b>they're</b> <b>tiny</b> enough to easily fit in a researcher's hand.<br />Their most striking feature, though, is their color.<br /><b>They have</b>, indeed, a "<i><b>bright orange fur</b> on the head and the ruff around the neck</i>" <a href="(P)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">(P)</a>, with an "<i>orange-brown thumb and a brown foot</i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="(P)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span> and, unlike other related bat species, a lack of pronounced black spots on their face.<br />Moreover, they are "<i>strongly <b>dichromatic</b> with black <b>wing</b> membranes and orange along the digits and forearm</i>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="(P)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span>. <br />Both wing dichromatism and reddish to yellowish fur, however, are not unusual in the subgenus (<i>Chrysopteron</i>) <i><b>M. nimbaensis</b></i> belongs to.<br /><i>Myotis nimbaensis</i> <b>is the 11th species of the <i>Myotis</i> genus</b> found <b>in Africa</b> (mainland) out of <b>over 120</b> species existing almost all around the<b> world</b>. <br />The researchers think that there are <b>good chances there be more species</b> to be discovered, and say that their finding "<i>highlights the critical importance of the Nimba Mountains as a center of bat diversity and endemism in sub-Saharan Africa</i>" (<a href="(P)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>).<br />The researchers expect, in fact, that, as <b><i>M. nimbaensis</i></b> is "<i>an uncommon to rare endemic with a very small geographic range</i>" species </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="(P)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>),</span> it be <b>already critically endangered</b>.<br /> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, dear reader, enough with the details, it's time for the real important stuff. <b>This</b> dumb <b><a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a>, in the following cartoon</b>, will <b>tell you the true reason why, these bats, are orange</b>!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1WtFsX0rbAf_JbDg1X5KvE-1LwQ8rQkMzywal7lPDXYYwODpN4aSFGCftO7dgFrxh1BLygHFBcu-1xXFb7PG2lmAnqbWDjUIDpbEw3kTrRZlz9qPvB1grzuJxK8g3XkpRnxyEf3HnX4/s800/orange-bat-%2528final%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Myotis nimbaensis according to @sciencemug" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1WtFsX0rbAf_JbDg1X5KvE-1LwQ8rQkMzywal7lPDXYYwODpN4aSFGCftO7dgFrxh1BLygHFBcu-1xXFb7PG2lmAnqbWDjUIDpbEw3kTrRZlz9qPvB1grzuJxK8g3XkpRnxyEf3HnX4/s16000/orange-bat-%2528final%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Myotis nimbaensis according to @sciencemug" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Myotis nimbaensis </i>bat according <span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a></span><br /></span>
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<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[Bat pic: </span></span></span><span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">source is "</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/7249" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A new dichromatic species of Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Nimba Mountains, Guinea</a></span>" (pag 10); </span>adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">The paper this cartoon is about (<a href="http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/7249" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></b><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></p><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 1.35;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">P- Simmons, N.B., Flanders, J., Bakwo Fils, E.M., Parker, G., Suter, J.D., Bamba, S., Keita, M.K., Morales, A.E., and Frick, W.F. (2021). <a href="http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/7249" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A new dichromatic species of Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Nimba Mountains, Guinea</a> (American Museum novitates, no. 3963).</span>
<span class="Z3988" title="url_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fzotero.org%3A2&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=A%20new%20dichromatic%20species%20of%20Myotis%20(Chiroptera%3A%20Vespertilionidae)%20from%20the%20Nimba%20Mountains%2C%20Guinea%20(American%20Museum%20novitates%2C%20no.%203963)&rft.aufirst=Nancy%20B.&rft.aulast=Simmons&rft.au=Nancy%20B.%20Simmons&rft.au=J.%20Flanders&rft.au=E.%20M.%20Bakwo%20Fils&rft.au=Guy%20Parker&rft.au=Jamison%20D.%20Suter&rft.au=Seinan%20Bamba&rft.au=Mamady%20Kobele%20Keita&rft.au=Ariadna%20E.%20Morales&rft.au=Winifred%20F.%20Frick&rft.date=2021-01-13&rft.issn=0003-0082&rft.language=en_US"></span>
</div>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-44740143974049751482021-01-26T01:03:00.186+01:002021-08-07T19:18:50.333+02:00THE TRUE REASON WHY WASP-107b NEWLY DISCOVERED EXOPLANET IS SO FLUFFY<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A bunch of <b>astronomers</b>, after a <b>four years </b>long <b>survey</b>, <b>found</b> an <b>exoplanet</b>, orbiting very close to its star, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">that </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> has an "<b><i>extraordinarily low density</i></b>" (<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>). It has, indeed, a mass 1.8 times that of <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/overview/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Neptune</a>, but a <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/overview/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jupiter</a> like radius (and Jupiter radius is almost 6 times bigger than Neptune's one).<b> </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The fluffy planet</b>, which discovery is described in a <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">paper</a> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span> published on <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1538-3881" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Astronomical Journal</a>, is in the WASP-107 system, and <b>it's called WASP-107b</b>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">WASP-107b's super low density puzzles the astro-brains, 'cause <b>the planet has a core mass smaller than 4.6 times the mass of Earth</b>, that is "<i>significantly <b>lower than what </b>is traditionally <b>assumed to be necessary to trigger massive gas</b> envelope<b> accretion</b></i>" (<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>) - <b>meaning WASP-107b shouldn't exist</b>, 'cause its small "seed" shouldn't have been able to attract enough gas and dust to eventually form, well, WASP-107b -.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The researchers have<b> one possible explanation</b>: the <b>planet formed far from its star</b>, in a <b>region of space where</b> the <b>gas is cold enough so that the small core mass could attract it</b><b> and grow a planet around itself very fast</b>. <b>Then</b>, the fully formed <b>WASP-107b migrated</b> toward the <b>inner part of the system</b>, <b>possibly influenced by the second more massive planet</b>, <b>with "<i>a wide eccentric orbit</i></b>" </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span>, detected by the astronomers in the same system.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>But this</b> dumb <b><a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog</a></b>, pals, has a <b>different idea</b> on the reason why the fluffy planet is up there. Check out the following <b>cartoon</b>, and you'll <b>find out what it is</b>.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2_b5BmBkHrgYceTy1EbymiKfh-qmhjbno-v4KP6twuGncRaoYL1MPmz4yThlNKxcObVf5oi-A8YfllPH7FJfRLYXy6m8FL0zVHZrTXAnFghIDHVwcePMF4YIDB3z8GMRLXkblPd0rC4/s1125/fluffy-exoplanet%25282%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Space candy cotton WASP-107b exoplanet (by @sciencemug)" border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2_b5BmBkHrgYceTy1EbymiKfh-qmhjbno-v4KP6twuGncRaoYL1MPmz4yThlNKxcObVf5oi-A8YfllPH7FJfRLYXy6m8FL0zVHZrTXAnFghIDHVwcePMF4YIDB3z8GMRLXkblPd0rC4/s16000/fluffy-exoplanet%25282%2529_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Space candy cotton WASP-107b exoplanet (by @sciencemug)" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"Space candy cotton"-WASP-107b exoplanet (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[Exoplanet <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:STScI-H-p1960b-f3840x3125.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, by </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">NASA, ESA, and L. Hustak and J. Olmsted (STScI),</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> is a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pubilc Domain</a> pic</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></span>); the alien's hand <a href="https://pixy.org/2158334/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">is a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pubilc Domain</a> pic</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: </span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://pixy.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pixy.org</a></span></span>); all images</span> are adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Bibliography </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">P - Piaulet, C., Benneke, B., Rubenzahl, R.A., Howard, A.W., Lee, E.J., Thorngren, D., Angus, R., Peterson, M., Schlieder, J.E., Werner, M., et al. (2021). <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/abcd3c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WASP-107b’s Density Is Even Lower: A Case Study for the Physics of Planetary Gas Envelope Accretion and Orbital Migration</a>. AJ <i>161</i>, 70.</span></p><div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height: 1.35;">
<span class="Z3988" title="url_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fzotero.org%3A2&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.3847%2F1538-3881%2Fabcd3c&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=WASP-107b%E2%80%99s%20Density%20Is%20Even%20Lower%3A%20A%20Case%20Study%20for%20the%20Physics%20of%20Planetary%20Gas%20Envelope%20Accretion%20and%20Orbital%20Migration&rft.jtitle=The%20Astronomical%20Journal&rft.stitle=AJ&rft.volume=161&rft.issue=2&rft.aufirst=Caroline&rft.aulast=Piaulet&rft.au=Caroline%20Piaulet&rft.au=Bj%C3%B6rn%20Benneke&rft.au=Ryan%20A.%20Rubenzahl&rft.au=Andrew%20W.%20Howard&rft.au=Eve%20J.%20Lee&rft.au=Daniel%20Thorngren&rft.au=Ruth%20Angus&rft.au=Merrin%20Peterson&rft.au=Joshua%20E.%20Schlieder&rft.au=Michael%20Werner&rft.au=Laura%20Kreidberg&rft.au=Tareq%20Jaouni&rft.au=Ian%20J.%20M.%20Crossfield&rft.au=David%20R.%20Ciardi&rft.au=Erik%20A.%20Petigura&rft.au=John%20Livingston&rft.au=Courtney%20D.%20Dressing&rft.au=Benjamin%20J.%20Fulton&rft.au=Charles%20Beichman&rft.au=Jessie%20L.%20Christiansen&rft.au=Varoujan%20Gorjian&rft.au=Kevin%20K.%20Hardegree-Ullman&rft.au=Jessica%20Krick&rft.au=Evan%20Sinukoff&rft.date=2021-01-18&rft.pages=70&rft.issn=1538-3881&rft.language=en"></span>
</div><p> </p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-49417632019860729652021-01-18T22:01:00.039+01:002021-05-31T02:22:22.161+02:00OF PLASTICS & HUMAN PLACENTA: MEET THE "PLASTICENTA" (Pt1/4)<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><u>Keywords</u>: <i>plastics,
plastic, microplastics, </i></span></span><i><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">placenta,
placentas, birth, pregnancy, pollution, spectroscopy, medicine, biology</span></span></span></span></i></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 2 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/02/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here </a></b><br></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 3 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/04/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b> </b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en-US"><b>Part 4 is <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/05/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> <br></span></span></span></span></i></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">(<u>Read other plastic related stories</u></span></span></span></span><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><u><span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2019/09/pollution-on-high.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></span></span></span></span> & <a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2016/08/of-ocean-plastic-bugs-interview.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></u>) <b><br></b></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Ooooh, hello dear
English speaking-reading-hearing reader, welcome back to me,
</span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>@sciencemug</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>blog</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>podcast</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>t</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>witter</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>&</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>i</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>nstagram</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
accounts/entity behind the unsuccessful </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fstuffngo&e=ATP7iIzeJjavFzB5zVGA481D-4-XdtcJzfRVxQGqj8Kj6OtFm9dLfyn-tiA8x2kvwwJGNurI"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>e-shop
stuffngo</b></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
on zazzle.com</b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>which
tells you science stories</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
while trying to understand, by </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">reading
tons of zoology textbooks, if millipedes don’t wear shoes ‘cause
they generally are too broke to be able to afford such a huge
expense, or ‘cause they prefer flip-folps but they can’t find a
good wholesale dealer to make the order to, ooor ‘cause no millipede wants to be a
cobbler given the high risk of dying of a heart-attack due to
constant overwork</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
aaand which talks to you thanks to the voice, kidnapped via a
voodoo-wireless trick, from a veeery very very dumb human.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Aaand which does all
of this<b> in Eng?ish</b>, a language that is to proper
English what</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
“</span></span></span></span></span><span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">ghwaahhghzzt!”
</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">is
to something that make sense</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span> </span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>Here</b> I’m gonna tell you a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>story
about </b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>human
placentas and plastics</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">! <br></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxEFnOxy3FtpL7qC8Gl9AYIBHUdhczobdZWB3mBSXIU0eWBMNuwf6z_uZHzVKST1OBF3mV4C9BX3X9u28MoJg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> Listen to the podcast episode<br>on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br>on <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b> </b>Sulla plastica & la placenta umana: ecco a voi la “plasticenta” (Pt1) <b><br></b></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwXXvP0U2-YdvVM69AzAsMdBwWkCr6JPYN56GR-CIYF8quxA22DQsMe14uomKulOTnXPDymkxUMFQECV2siYw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></b></span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span><span><span lang="en-US"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ascolta l'episodio in italiano </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-italia/id1508178748" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>su <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug-italia" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>Pieces
of plastic </b>have been <b>found, for the first time ever, in human <a href="https://www.proteinatlas.org/humanproteome/tissue/placenta#placenta_function" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">placentas</a></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">.
The placentas in question were indeed those of <b>four healthy women </b>who
have had<b> smooth pregnancies and deliveries</b>.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
discovery is the <b>result of a study</b>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">published</a> (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297#!" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">P</a>)</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
in the science journal <a href="http://www.elsevier.com/locate/envint" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Environment International</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
made by a group of <b>Italian researchers</b> (</span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>aka</i></span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
the</b> <b>Italian Brains </b></span></span></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>aka</i></span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
the ITBs</b>) <b>led by <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2579-1027" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Medical Doctor Antonio Ragusa</a></b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
Head of the Department of Woman, Mother and Newborn of the <a href="https://www.fatebenefratelli-isolatiberina.it/It/Homepage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">San Giovanni Calibíta Fatebenefratelli Hospital</a></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">,
in Rome.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Soo
dear </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">reader</span></span>, the story goes like this.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">A bunch of researchers, in Italy, decides to
investigate if there’s plastic in the placentas of pregnant women.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">More
precisely,<b> Dr. Ragusa and colleagues look for microplastics</b>, that are
commonly <b>defined</b> as<b> all</b> those <b>plastic particles </b>that are<b>
smaller than half a centimeter</b>.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Now,
dear </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">reader</span></span>, I know you’re a fast thinker, so in your mind you
just wondered <b>why</b> is that half a centimeter <b>is the limit</b> for
microplastics, instead of, I dunno, two millimeters or the thickness
of a hair of the bear of Masha and the Bear? Well, buddy, here’s a
fun fact for you ‘bout this.</span></span></span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
<b>science community</b></span></span></span></span></p><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2021/01/of-plastics-human-placenta-meet.html#more">The bulter did it? Read more...»</a>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-68535323531091260222020-12-22T00:23:00.046+01:002021-01-21T06:59:12.484+01:00OF SANTA CLAUS, CHILDREN NAUGHTINESS, AND VIRUS: A CHRISTMAS TALE <div><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><u>Keywords</u>:</span></span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
Christmas, Xmas, Santa, Santa Claus, Christmas Eve, Xmas Eve,
children, kids, virus, pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, flu, measles,
naughtiness, naughty list, myth, </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">popular</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
belief, North Pole, deprivation, hospitals, United Kingdom, UK</span></span></i></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">- <u>Testo in italiano alla fine del post</u><i> -</i></span></span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br></span></span></i></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyEvke8r_WJToPU9VMpNOTQZLr6lnwU8KOOtwz-su8Dqh_T9Nb_MARekhczf_p9NVLvK0cqhXnBzCqb8PNhOA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Listen to the podcast episode<br>on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br>on <a href="https://anchor.fm/sciencemug/episodes/Of-Santa-Claus--children-naughtiness--and-virus-a-Christmas-tale-eo3guk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anchor</a></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">O</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: verdana;">oooh</span>, hello dear
English speaking-reading-hearing </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">visitor</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
welcome back to me, </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>@sciencemug</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
the </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/p/sciencemug-che.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>blog</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/it/podcast/sciencemug-mp3/id1014918578?l=en"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>podcast</b></span></span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>/</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug">t</a><a href="https://twitter.com/sciencemug">witter</a></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>&</b></span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/">i</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sciencemug/">nstagram</a></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
accounts/entity behind the unsuccessful </span></span></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><a href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fmbr%2F238935313377681176&e=ATMif6KSPBh9v3ebqXJvLU1FQCv_hM8FjQVSM9bHDiXzs7HcqiRk8adA3WsHCaTMxAx5V4v19rPIqFke&s=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">e-shop</a>
<a href="https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fstuffngo&e=ATP7iIzeJjavFzB5zVGA481D-4-XdtcJzfRVxQGqj8Kj6OtFm9dLfyn-tiA8x2kvwwJGNurI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stuffngo (sNg)</a></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-family: "verdana", serif;"><b> </b></span></span>on zazzle.com</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">which
tells you science stories</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
while exploring all the 11 dimensions of spacetime while putting its
virtual ear on them vibrating membranes </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">hoping
like that to catch the voice of a trans-dimensional</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
entity </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">of
mighty</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
wisdom</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
talking about how to correctly answer your significant other’s
question: ”</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><i>does
this dress make me look fat?</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">”</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,
aaand which talks to you thanks to the voice, kidnapped via a
voodoo-wireless trick, from a veeery very very dumb human.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Aaand which does all
of this in English-question-mark, a language that is to proper
English what </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">2020
is to an even slightly not crappy year for human kind</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Today I’m gonna tell
you a<b> story that debunks (or not</b>, who knows, dear wait-and-find-out
reader) the </span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">notion</span></span></span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><b>
according to which Santa Claus only visits children who well behaved
during the year</b> (and no, Santa, it’s not the outfit, you ARE fat!).</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"> </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5q3RPCmkFLmZHHsEsqSwxhaL_HxuJkS8dp_cDkPIzr2pEuOJFrhsDa9nFp84p7WyAr6u0EnN9qeICdb81Eisf_kT7fdq8e9tkFyTYqBAFCIFxuK0aZ9iwC4FIrGPQ0CkLjbzB3ZhSgk/s800/santa-%2526-the-naughtiness_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Santa Claus wonders what naughtiness be while smoking a cigar and sipping liquor" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5q3RPCmkFLmZHHsEsqSwxhaL_HxuJkS8dp_cDkPIzr2pEuOJFrhsDa9nFp84p7WyAr6u0EnN9qeICdb81Eisf_kT7fdq8e9tkFyTYqBAFCIFxuK0aZ9iwC4FIrGPQ0CkLjbzB3ZhSgk/s16000/santa-%2526-the-naughtiness_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Santa Claus & the naughtiness issue"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Santa Claus & the naughtiness issue (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[Badass Santa <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/2qzZubxw7WE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, by </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://unsplash.com/@hue12_photography" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hue12 photography</a>,</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> is a free pic</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>); adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"> </span></span></span></span></b></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Six</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">scholars</span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>
from</b> Harvard and other universities and medical institutions of the
<b>USA and United Kingdom (UK)</b>, <b>in 2016 pu</b></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">b</span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><b>lish
a paper </b>(</span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i6355.long"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">P</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">)
on the science <b>journal </b></span></span><b><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.bmj.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">The
BMJ</span></span></a></u></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
(formerly know as the British Medical Journal), which, founded in
1840, “</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>is
one of the world's oldest general medical journals</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">”
(</span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/history-of-the-bmj"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">see</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">) out there.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">The six </span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>academics</b>,</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
led by at the time prestigious </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.kennedytrust.org.uk/display.aspx?id=1848&pid=283"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Kennedy
scholarship</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
owner John J Park (we’ll call the <b>JJ6</b> from now on), decide to
<b>investigate whether it be true or not </b>th</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">e
commonly accepted opinion that</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
<b>Santa Claus</b> (“</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>also
known as Saint Nicholas, St Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle,
Santy, or simply Santa</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">”
(</span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i6355.long"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">P</span></span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">))
<b>decide which </b></span></span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">kids</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
to visit depending on </span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>their
past year</b> round good or bad</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
<b>behavior</b>.</span></span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Now, the JJ6, <b>to test
th</b></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US"><b>is</b> popular belief</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span lang="en-US">,<b>
select<span></span></b></span></span></p></div><a href="https://www.sciencemug.com/2020/12/of-santa-claus-children-naughtiness-and.html#more">The bulter did it? Read more...»</a>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-42812287932681264752020-12-17T07:06:00.069+01:002020-12-20T00:48:28.671+01:00NEW POSTS/PODCAST EPISODES COMING SOON!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Heeeello dear dearest buddy reader/listener!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I just want to tell you this: new posts/podcast episodes are coming!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Soon*! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ciaz!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">(Wow, four "!" in a row, that's something! Oooh, five! Oooh, six! Ooooh... Ok, I stop it now)<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">SM</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here's a picture of a seal </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(or at least I guess it is it, otherwise it's the oddest chicken I've ever seen…)
that is just really excited about the news.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic725l5FDSWZVVNoETqvZ8ZCxH58fIImBElN9Zj6nq7gmZ7QJ9yjegjWQURJYt6hMRKrvRYoE9KXbOCdx9MolOOTtSoURgnNSmQogqL2u4ssR0rgubF7CQAhTQU_p8KFtaLFbkVdt5_W4/s800/2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A seal" border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic725l5FDSWZVVNoETqvZ8ZCxH58fIImBElN9Zj6nq7gmZ7QJ9yjegjWQURJYt6hMRKrvRYoE9KXbOCdx9MolOOTtSoURgnNSmQogqL2u4ssR0rgubF7CQAhTQU_p8KFtaLFbkVdt5_W4/s16000/2.jpg" title="A seal" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A thrilled seal [in
reality, it thought some fish were coming, it couldn't care less 'bout
the news (I spare you the pic where it finally realizes no fish is
coming, it's too heartbreaking)]</span><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[The seal <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/1YmRIhxjvns" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a>, by </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://unsplash.com/@pic_parlance?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Karen Lau</a>,</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> is a free pic</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
(source: <a href="https://unsplash.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>)]</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Soon" is an acronym standing for: "<u>S</u>uuure<u>o</u>h-<u>o</u>h<u>n</u>everthelessdon'tbetoooptimisticI'mstillalazydumbblogafterallbutI'mactuallyworkingonitthepost/podcastepisodeImeannotmylackofcommitmentorlackofbrain"</span><br /></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774020240597574080.post-7144122176716588482020-12-06T13:00:00.026+01:002020-12-07T16:15:30.788+01:00FAREWELL, ARECIBO TELESCOPE! (Nov 1963 - Dec 2020)<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Completed in November 1963</b>, the giant (its dish is/was 305 meters wide) <b><a href="http://www.naic.edu/vscience/schedule/scedfra2.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arecibo radio telescope</a></b> of the <a href="https://www.naic.edu/ao/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arecibo Observatory</a> (near Arecibo, in <a href="http://www2.pr.gov/Pages/default.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Puerto Rico</a>) <b>suffered </b>apparently<b> irreparable damage</b> on</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="mr10"> the early morning of <b>December 1st, 2020</b>.</span></span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On that day, indeed, <b>the</b><span class="mr10"><b> telescope’s instrument platform</b> (a 900 tonnes juggernaut, like about a hundred fully loaded 5th Wheel Camper), suspended above the </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="mr10">already previously partially damaged </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="mr10">dish,<b> crashed into it</b> definitely completing the destruction job.</span><span class="mr10"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="mr10"><b><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03421-y" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here</a> a full account and footage</b> of what happened.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="mr10">The following <b>cartoon is this <a href="https://en.liberapay.com/sciencemug/donate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dumb</a> blog's homage</b> <b>to</b> <b>this</b> invaluable piece of technology and <b>source of <a href="http://www.naic.edu/ao/scientist-user-portal" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scientific discoveries</a></b> and, ultimately, of <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/arecibo-telescope-collapse-astronomy-discoveries" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">human progress</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="mr10"> </span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="mr10"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0EZ19oi8tOpFSLnaB8_OOeIRviFgtuT_0CuXXpJ1LzwXlm9Nu0y-JuVicX-LfS7TaAKjAmJw4-XE_K-d6jG99pc-EHLkpHu0mfi2ymv1iWlRZl55PfMtT7Yae6NLSp3MEccBsJ_GVXc/s1280/farewell-arecibo-telescope-final_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sketch of a gravestone with engraved: "R.I.P. Arecibo Telescope, Nov 1963-Dec 2020, "of course it had to happen in 2020..."" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj0EZ19oi8tOpFSLnaB8_OOeIRviFgtuT_0CuXXpJ1LzwXlm9Nu0y-JuVicX-LfS7TaAKjAmJw4-XE_K-d6jG99pc-EHLkpHu0mfi2ymv1iWlRZl55PfMtT7Yae6NLSp3MEccBsJ_GVXc/w400-h640/farewell-arecibo-telescope-final_by-%2540sciencemug.jpg" title="Farewell Arecibo Radio Telescope!" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Farewell, Arecibo Radio Telescope! (by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>)</span><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[The Arecibo Telescope <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AreciboObservatory_PuertoRico.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic</a> by </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://nemcok.sk/?contact=3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jaro Nemčok</a>,</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> is licensed under the </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license</a>
(source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>); the pic is adapted by <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiKiY-it7HoAhUEi1wKHXUCDbYQFjADegQIBBAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fit%2Fpodcast%2Fsciencemug%2Fid1014918578%3Fl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3hIYvKW22D6DMwCqB1Hoh2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sciencemug</a>]</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span class="mr10"><br /></span></span><p></p>@sciencemughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15192474524065056846noreply@blogger.com0