Good or Bad?

"Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong."
- Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

I think the scientific community is a confused lot. Every now and then they publish some research which is contradictory to past publications. Prime examples:

• Is alcohol good or bad?
• Is coffee/tea good or bad?
• Is chocolate good or bad?
• Is egg/chicken good or bad?
• Is milk good or bad?
• Is chicken good or bad?
• Is sex good or bad?
• Are birth control pills good or bad?

And many more like chillies, cannabis, extra-fat, maggi and what not! I understand that there is a continuing research and much more needs to be discovered. Our collective knowledge keeps evolving and gets updated every now and then. However the opinions of scientific community are considered seriously by the general public and often put into practice.



See the following :

Women who take birth control pills live longer
Vs
Birth control pills cause breast cancer in women

Drinking alcohol helps women stay slim
Vs
Alcohol damages brain

They are just a couple of examples. I hope the scientific community is much more decisive when publishing their research. The "cans and mights" should give way to "wills and should" ;)

A Frog and the Princess

"Before you find your handsome prince, you've got to kiss a lot of frogs." - Dutch Proverb

We all have heard the story about the frog who upon being kissed by the princess magically transforms into a handsome prince. I bet many other frogs rode out of their holes that day to fancy their chances.

However they were not so lucky, some had to contend with spending the night on the princess's pillow while others had to endure being smashed against the wall.

I am not sure if the frogs were all males, just imagine the princess's disgust when she discovered that her frog-to-be-charming-prince evolved into a princess! Not sure if she had a prior information on gender-identification of a frog. The frog-princess could even consider suing the Princess for gender-based discrimination. Gay right activists could raise a furore over this - take to the streets, march in parades and who knows what.

Meanwhile, biologists at the University of California had a mind of their own. They have managed to turn male frogs into female just with the sprinkle of some holy water. The holy water here contains 2.5 parts per billion (ppb) of Atrazin (a widely used Herbicide). The converted-females have since then mated with other males and produced eggs despite being born a male.

The princess now needs to think twice before kissing a frog =)

Image Credits: Wikipedia

End of Internet?

Just found this while reading items on Google Reader. Funny!

Click on image to enlarge.

Please Rob Me!

"When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the later for everyone else." - David Brin

We are born in a free world, a free nation and open society. With the advent of internet, information can be shared across the globe almost instantaneously. We love to chat, email, tweet, blog, scrap and share our 'status updates' on social networking websites. While doing so, we also reveal our personal choices and interests.

"Off to Mauritius for a week" - seems like an innocuous update on twitter out there for every Tom, Dick and Harry to quip at. But would you really hang a sign on your door saying that?

Ok! Before you think I am being a dork I am out of here. But give it a thought!

Still not convinced? Have a look here.

Artiodactyls

Artiodactyls fall under the Class Mammalia and Order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates). This order is characterized by either two or mostly four hoofed toes on each foot. They contain around 200 living species. Some of the most common animals that we come across daily fall under this Order. Examples : deer, cattle, goats, sheep, camels, giraffes, hippopotamus and pigs.


In Artiodactyls (artios - even + daktuloes - toe) the plane of symmetry of each foot passes between the third and fourth digits. Essentially their body weight is borne by the third and fourth digits. First digit is usually lost and second and fifth are minor. This is in contrast to Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates) where the plane of symmetry runs down the third toe; notable examples include zebra, horses, asses and rhinoceroses.

Artiodactyls are diverse - found in almost all continents except Antarctica and Australia. They contain the fastest moving animals like deers to the slow movers like hippos. They majorly live in open habitats but some of them dwell in forest too. Cool ones like hippos hang out in 'aqua'!

Sources:
Wikipedia
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology website