Fun Fact of the Day 8/27: Stream of Consciousness

First off, let me tell you about something that, while a fact, is not at all fun: i got all four of my wisdom teeth unceremoniously torn from my skull yesterday, and though numb and frantically breathing in laughing gas from the mask they gave me, I was still a bit too lucid through the whole thing...I just tried not to think about what exactly all that clicking, tapping, and immense pushing actually entailed n terms of damage to my poor mouth. I instead attempted to focus on other things, anything actually...unicorns, that one person I like (she came up alot, damn laughing gas), Stephen Jay Gould's paper I was reading in the lobby, and lots and lots of dinosaurs. Anyway, the point is, it reminded me of a past couple of fun facts I've done, in which I relate a barrage of random facts rather than one long one. Just like my brain clicked and whirred to a bunch of different places while the dentist tore my jaw apart, so I shall now impart on you, dear readers, a series of randoms much in the same manner. And so, with my analogous and biographical introduction typed out, let us begin. **inhales deeply**

• Godzilla, both the American and Japanese versions of the monster, is actually impossible: his weight and nuclear organ (yes, he has one) would cause him to explode like bomb upon surfacing, making a great mess of the harbor, but leaving alot to be desired in the vein of classic urban destruction
• Zebras' stripes serve as a means of blurring together their outlines when they are in a group, making the group appear large and threatening to a potential predator
• While most populations of African lions display sexual dimorphism, in which males have manes and females do not, there is an area in Kenya called Tsavo where the males are maneless, and also hunt with the females. These lions are also infamous for attacking and eating humans
• The largest fish in the world is the Whale Shark, which feeds on plankton and can reach over 5o feet in length
• Vultures are bald so that they are able to insert their heads inside of carcasses without their feathers becoming coated in fluid and becoming a hindrance
• Bats are the only mammals native to the Hawaiian islands, colonizing them with their also distinctive gify among mammals, flight
• Every flying animal has a different anatomical configuration for wing design. In bats, the wing is formed of the extended finger bones, for example. But in pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic, the weight of flight was actually borne by the equivalent of the bone of the pinky finger, which could be several feet long
• The lines seen on the chins and bellies of many species of whale (all with this "pleating" belong to the Rorqual family of whales) are actually small folds that allow the animal to distend it's mouth when feeding, providing extra water volume
• The largest carnivore living on earth currently is the Sperm whale
• When the evidence of dinosaurs was first discovered, some scientists actually believed it to be evidence of the previous existence of giant birds. Only in the late 20th century, when science shed light upon just how bird-like dinosaurs really were, does this very early supposition actually appear ironically correct in some capacity
• Killer whales are not whales at all, but large dolphins
• Some of the most venomous species of snakes are the sea snakes, but biting for them is difficult because they are rear-fanged, with tiny teeth in the back of the mouth delivering the venom
• The bite of a shrew is mildly venomous
• California was once home to several species of wolves, lions, and mastodons during the Pleistocene era. During the time of the dinosaurs, over half of the state was underwater, including the spot from which I type, here in Palmdale. At least we had it better than the central US, which was entirely underwater at the time
• There are rumored to be moths in the Amazon rainforest which feed on the fluids in one's eyeball. A victim of such a moth would likely awake in the morning to find their eye a shriveled, tiny sac, devoid of fluid.
• Some species of catfish deep in the amazon and mekong rivers, in South America and China respectively, can reach lengths of over 10 feet, and are rumored, at least in the Amazon, to have eaten human children
• Constrictor snakes (boas and pythons) kill their prey with immense strength as they wrap around them. Contrary to popular belief, however, it is usually not suffocation that kills the prey, but the rupturing of capillaries in the brain by the immense increase in blood pressure
• Portugese ManO'War are not actually single organisms, but entire colonies of specialized organisms, much like coral. This stands in contrast to jellyfish, which are singular organisms.
• Aquaman can swim at speeds of over 150 miles per hour, and , in some versions, is immune to bullet fire on land because of his ability to survive immense pressure while submerged.
• The evolution of color vision in primates was largely driven by the need to distinguish between poisonous and safe leaves and fruits to eat, a determination usually made by subtle differences in coloration.
• Only female mosquitoes suck blood, males eat nectar
• We have explored less than 10% of the ocean floor, and new species are discovered almost every time trips are made down there
• The Mariana trench is the deepest part of the ocean, reaching 6.85 miles deep at it's lowest region
• Tyrannosaurus Rex teeth have tiny serrations, which end in pinhole slits. These pinholes absorb force and prevent the serrations from breaking
• Badgers are rumored to dig so fast, that they seem to disappear straight into the ground in a shower of dirt
• Asian elephants, among other differences, have only one lip on the end of their trunk, while African elephants have two, allowing them to pick up objects easier

And, that will be all for tonight. Until tomorrow, dear readers, thank you for reading.

Oh Hey...CrikeyF**k! It's been a while!

Hello, all. Well, I've been a bit remiss since I got back from SNARL: catching up with people, adjusting to the disgusting heat here, etc. But I like blogging too much, and if anyone reads this, I owe them the usual regimented posting pattern I've adhered to since picking up blogging. So, let me begin by regaling you with my trip, the long two-week Odyssey to Davis and halfway back...

First off, orientation. I left for Davis on August first more than a little stressed out, I must admit. My IB scores were missing, I couldn't figure out some code they needed me to have, and I was worried about both my score on the math placement exam and taking the chem exam. So, I piled groggily into the car early that morning with my dad and headed up there. And, perhaps to my surprise, the whole affair turned out to be pretty nice. I won't go through the whole process with you, nor do I want to type it out, but basically I spent three days doing a variety of things. Firstly, and most importantly, our orientation leaders familiarized us with the class catalog and how registration works beforehand, and how to line up major and GE courses we wanted. Secondly, it gave me the chance to meet some new people. Within my major (Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity, one of seven for the College of BioSci, which had three ~500 person orientations), there were only seven people, and I got to know all of them personally, which was kind of cool. One guy reminded me, if I may be so bold, of myself, and I really liked talking to him. We also got to see the campus, and get our placement exams squared away (I passed both of mine, but chem was full when I registered, so I'm only taking Calculus this quarter). All in all, it was a busy, but worthwhile three days, and I'm glad to be al registered. Here's my schedule:
--Math 17A, Calc. for Biology
--Geology 1, The Earth
--Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
--And a freshman seminar on electrical issues...it was the last out of like 50 open...

After Davis though, my Dad didn't take me home. Instead, he drove me up through the mountains and down into the Eastern Sierra and dropped me off for my first official employment at the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, or SNARL. My job there consisted essentially of what I've been volunteering to do for the past few summers, by helping with squirrel research up in Rock Creek Canyon. I did that back in June, but because one of the other employees had to leave early, the professor running the study was nice enough to offer me an 11-day job up there. When I got there, it was me and one other employee in the cabin, she was also doing squirrel work, and we'd ride to Rock Creek every day with Andy, the phd student who's finishing up the study for the summer (The professor left in July, so it was just Andy, Page, and Me, and then Page left a few days after I got there).

Daily work consisted of trapping squirrels and processing them: weighing them, getting fecal samples, noting sex and age, etc. Then, if Andy hadn't caught the squirrel recently or at all, he'd put it through a brief behavior test of curiosity called the holeboard, which examines how many holes the squirrel investigates in a set amount of time. Behavior observations, and thus dye-marking, were already done for the season. Back at SNARL, we also had a few sets of captive squirrels in the lab, and Andy would test them in a more elaborate version of the holeboard which examined their reluctance to emerge from an artificial burrow system after a predator is sighted (in this case, a Frisbee thrown over the holeboard). We also did some tests with hormone blockers, so I had to get up a couple mornings and clean the cages (we traded off), and in addition, feed the squirrels drugged peanut butter.

As for daily life at SNARL, I'll admit, at first it was a bit hard to adjust to. After Page left, I had Q8, my cabin, all to myself, and with work finishing at about noon each day, it got pretty lonely...
Ok, not that lonely, but it was a bit depressing at times. I missed people, and it was dark as hell up there and creepy at night. But I got used to it, my mom came to visit one weekend, and I rented some movies to watch. And, the thursday before I left, I got a whole slew of roommates from UCSB doing amphibian research, and they were really nice. One was even a doppleganger for Sheldon, from "The Big Bang Theory". And I must say, do biologists ever like to drink. I didn't know what a prairie fire was before I went to SNARL, until I watched them do one with tequila and hot sauce. I did not partake...but it was interesting to watch.

In short, SNARL was a good experience in solitude, field research, and meeting new people, all useful things for college if I may tack on a life lesson here. It was a good two weeks, and I hope you enjoyed hearing my paraphrased version of it here on my blog.

In other news:
Back in palmdale for the past week, it has been pretty fun as well. I went to the beach at Point Dume last Tuesday, and was witness to both how freezing the Pacific is even in August and a variety of sealife: purple-striped jellyfish, dolphins, and several species of birds. I also went to Magic Mountain last Friday, which was short on wildlife, but still pretty fun (I got a picture with Batman =D). In less exciting and more nerve-wracking news, I get my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow evening. No anesthetic, only laughing gas, two are impacted...it's gonna be a long weekend...

So, that's my recap, thanks for reading: fun facts and more will resume shortly.

Happy Shark Week!!!

Ok, so I'm here at SNARL, many many miles from the ocean or even a man-made swimming pool. But, while it is nice here (despite the dreariness that it maintains in the afternoon), I am a bit distressed to be missing one of my favorite weeks of the entire year: Shark Week, courtesy of the Discovery Channel. Sharks have always been my favorite animals, and having a week of shows dedicated to them is something I absolutely love. But, unfortunately, there is no t.v. here for me to view these spectacular animals all week, so I'm afraid I'll have to catch up on the 15th when I come home. But, I do wish to give you some shark tips for Shark Week:

• First off, while I adore Shark Week, I do wish for you to pay attention to some of the programming carefully. You see, the one downside to this week is that many of the programs are devoted entirely to shark attacks, rather than to a more balanced and realistic picture of the animals portrayed. Sometimes shows focus on bloody, scary attacks with lots of music and flashy reenactments, but it is important to remember that for every shark attack, almost no people have ever been eaten by a shark. Indeed, most attacks are the result of exploratory or defensive bites, delivered with power the shark can't control. Even a quick nip can be powerful enough to open arteries and kill a person, when the shark really isn't attempting to eat the person at all. And even with fatalities, remember you are more likely to: be killed by a pig, be killed by a toilet, be killed by falling airplane parts, get struck by lightning, or be killed by sand than killed by a shark. So, for all the splendor of shark week, don't let the sensationalism get to your head: sharks prefer to leave us alone, and we do far more damage to them than they ever do to us.
• Try to learn from these shows as much as you can, because sharks are one of the most fascinating groups of animals on earth and they deserve your attention
• Record the shows. For me.
• Tell me how it was when I get back!
• If you have any shark questions, email me. Seriously, my roommate leaves SNARL tomorrow, so I'll be alone and very lonely up here all next week. Shark emails would be something to do (If you want to, just ask for my email in the comments).

So yeah, despite my absence, I wish to impart upon you, my readers, a love of sharks and an enthusiasm for Shark Week '10. Now run to your couch and begin watching! It's already been several days!

Additionally, my computer does not have working internet here, it's having some connection issues. I'm on a communal-use laptop. So, posts may still happen, but I don't know about daily, my apologies.