Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Optical illusion of full moon
It may look huge to you as it rises above the horizon, but taking a photo tells a different story.
Also: Forty Marvelous Shots Of Sunrise Photography
A sunrise constantly changes over time and can produce great colors well after the sun appears. Here's a collection of beautiful photographs captured in the light of the breaking dawn.
Ancient Lakes Miles Below Antarctica May Hold Climate Clues, New Life Forms
All Antarctica photos: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Consortium, Neil Ross/University of Edinburgh
Cocktail party fact incoming: There are hundreds of liquid lakes that lie miles beneath Antarctica. Unfrozen, but still-cold-as-hell, lakes. The largest, Lake Vostok, boasts three times the volume of the Great Lake Ontario, itself one of the biggest freshwater bodies in the world. Now, scientists are planning the first-ever research expedition to learn more about the underground water stores. They're hauling 80 tons of equipment down to Antarctica to attempt to drill two miles below the surface to Lake Ellsworth -- where they believe they'll find clues about the impact of climate change and, potentially, new forms of life. Article continues: Ancient Lakes Miles Below Antarctica May Hold Climate Clues, New Life Forms
Old Shoes Found
Construction workers digging a foundation for a supermarket in Camelon, Scotland, ran into what is now an archaeological site. Around 60 pairs of discarded footwear that once belonged to Roman soldiers was found.The 2,000-year-old leather footwear was discovered along with Roman jewelry, coins, pottery, and animal bones at the site, which is located at the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.In what will most likely prove to be a garbage dump, archaeologists are finding clues to life in one of the “most important Scottish excavations in the last decade.”
The cache of Roman shoes and sandals—one of the largest ever found in Scotland—was uncovered recently in a ditch at the gateway to a second century A.D. fort built along the Antonine Wall. The wall is a massive defensive barrier that the Romans built across central Scotland during their brief occupation of the region.
The old prospector and the gunslinger
An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule. The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat. He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, “Hey old man, have you ever danced?”
The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, “No, I never did dance… never really wanted to.”
A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, “Well, you old fool, you’re gonna dance now,” and started shooting at the old man’s feet.
The old prospector – not wanting to get a toe blown off – started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied. When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.
The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air. The crowd stopped laughing immediately. The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly. The silence was almost deafening.. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.
The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man’s hands, as he quietly said, “Son, have you ever kissed a mule’s ass?”
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, “No sir, but I’ve always wanted to.”
There are a few lessons for us all here:
- Never be arrogant.
- Don’t waste ammunition.
- Whiskey makes you think you’re smarter than you are.
- Always, always make sure you know who has the power
- Don’t mess with old men, they didn’t get old by being stupid.
What the Donner Party Ate in Final Days
The desperate pioneers resorted to eating pets, bones, twigs, glue, strings and finally each other.'Juice jail' recipe trick
A "juice jail" and fresh herbs make this simple halibut recipe shine.
Also: Very unhealthy funnel cake
Charlotte Motor Speedway's unique take on a funnel cake has an odd mix of flavors.
Also: 
Surprising cold fighters
Next time you're feeling sick, these surprising foods can help your body rebound faster.
Also: Maggots Prove Worth in Therapy
For a small group of patients with diabetes, a round of maggots is just what the doctor ordered.
How To Dodge The Flu
Dr Wolfe says diseases such as stomach bugs, flu and colds spread readily via skin contact. In his new book The Viral Storm, Dr Wolfe says: We should advocate a safe shake by touching elbows rather than hands.
Time Capsule Housed 114-Year-Old Human Bacteria
The intestinal bacteria are relatively well tolerated today -- but not when it was placed in the capsule.
Megavirus
A Virus So Large You Can See It with a Light Microscope
Meet Megavirus chilensis, a virus so big that it's actually larger than some bacteria:The particle measures about 0.7 micrometers (thousandths of a millimeter) in diameter.
"It is bigger than some bacteria," explained Prof Jean-Michel Claverie, from Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France.
"You don't need an electron microscope to see it; you can see it with an ordinary light microscope," he told BBC News.
In the lab experiments conducted by Professor Claverie and colleagues, in which they infected fresh-water amoebas, Megavirus was seen to construct large trojan organelles - the "cells within cells" that would produce new viruses to infect other amoebas.
Kamikaze Ant
Scientists have discovered a species of kamikaze ant in the jungle of Borneo that blows itself up in a suicide attack in order to save the colony:Several south-east Asian species of ant in the Camponotus cylindricus group (i.e. carpenter ants) have enlarged mandibular glands that extend into their gaster (the bulbous posterior portion found in bees, wasps and ants). When disturbed, the ants rupture the membrane of the gaster, causing a burst of secretions containing chemicals – the largest gland reservoirs yet known in ants – that immobilize small insect attackers and kills the ant.
Or, as the folks at Newscientist.com put it, “The ants of Borneo go out with a bang, thanks to a body built to blow up during a suicidal death grip.”
In other words, the six-legged blast-ended ant grabs onto the invading enemy and squeezes itself to death, literally blowing itself up and shpritzing a deadly sticky yellow goo everywhere, killing both intruder and ant.
And these little suicide bombers operate on a hair-trigger; their abdomen walls ruptured even when researchers lightly touched them!
Stunning way to lose horse race
Here Comes Frazier appears to be headed for a big win at Keeneland when an unusual mishap occurs.
Also: Spooked Spiders Weave Weird Webs
Creepy looking spiders strike fear in the hearts of many, but the real power may belong to a parasitic wasp that can manipulate spiders.
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