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Month September 2019

Where is world’s oldest cat print found?

A cat’s paw print on a 1,900-year-old Roman tile has been uncovered by archaeologists excavating a highway in Lincolnshire, possibly making it the world’s oldest cat print. It is believed that after the roof tiles were crafted out of red clay and set in the sun to dry, a cat stepped on one of the tiles, leaving its mark. While most Roman-era buildings were made of wood and thatch, the buildings excavated were constructed of stone and brick, which, along with the roof tiles indicate that they were likely part of a compound owned by wealthy Romans.

Since September, diggers have been working at the site to ensure that any remains affected by the new road are recorded and protected.

As well as finds from the Roman era, experts have found artefacts dating back 12,000 years at the site between the River Witham and Washing borough Road, Lincoln.

 

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Blind people can use visual areas of the brain to solve Maths problems

New research suggests that blind people’s brains may be able to adapt regions usually used for sight to help solve math problems.

“Across all humans, numerical thinking is supported by similar areas in the brain,” says Shipra Kanjlia, a graduate student in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. We are taught to solve math problems from an early age using visuals. Does this brain usage change for people who have never “seen the number of people at a party or the number of flowers in a field?”

Kanjlia asked 17 people born blind and 19 sighted people wearing blindfolds to solve math problems while monitored by MRI. When they worked out the solutions, the standard parts of the brain lit up with activity. But in the blind-since-birth participants, another region lit up: part of the visual cortex. The harder the blind volunteers thought about the algebra problems, the stronger the visual cortex shone. The same region remained dark for sighted participants, even though blindfolded. It appeared that the brains of blind participants had repurposed the unused region to assist in number processing.

Previously, researchers found that the visual cortex can be rewired to handle other sensory input, such as hearing and touch. The ability to do algebra, however, suggests that brain can adjust the visual cortex to handle more tasks.

So are people who are born blind better at math? No, but the findings indicate that the brain is very good at resource management in attending to higher functions.

 

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Researchers Just Discovered One of the Largest Dinosaur Footprints Ever Found

Researchers from Japan’s Okayama University of Science and the Mongolian Academy of Science came across a massive footprint that may have been left behind by a dinosaur in the Gobi Desert. The fossil is more than 4 feet long with imprints of a titanosaur’s claws. The long-necked herbivores stretched nearly 100 feet from tip to tail and stood almost 70 feet tall. Because of their enormous size, they walked on large stump-like legs that lacked toes, which might break under their weight. The fossil footprint was created between 70 and 90 million years ago during the Cretaceous period.

 

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Want a real-life, fill-size Transformer?

Ever wonder what the computer-generated Transformer robots in the Transformer movies would look like in real life? A Turkish company has the answer with a fully functional Transformer prototype. Letvision unveiled a prototype called Letrons built from a BMW 3 Series coupe.

In a video, an operator uses a remote control to drive the Letrons vehicle before initiating its transformation. As the BMW slowly unfolds, a robot is revealed and stands tall. The robot can move its head and arms, but the walking functionality has not yet been developed.

There’s no information as yet on how much the Letrons could cost or when it will be available for purchase.

 

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Deep sea scientists capture footage of “googly eyed” purple squid

Researchers from the Nautilus exploration vessel cruising along the deep sea floor off California’s coast discovered a bright purple creature with giant, stuffed-animal –like eyes, resting on the sea floor, 2950 feet deep. Even though it looks like a cross between a squid and an octopus, the stubby squid is actually more closely related to the cuttlefish. They bury themselves in sand and mud with just their eyes exposed to find prey. The squid (Rossia pacifica) is small, growing to a maximum of 2 inches by 4.3 inches, and living on an average up to two years before mating, laying their eggs in batches, and then dying.

 

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How does the Zadar Sea Organ work?

The 230-foot-long Zadar Sea Organ (or Morske orgulje) in the Croatian town of Zadar, is a series of marble steps that produces music powered by the waves of the Adriatic Sea. Below lies a series of narrow channels that connect to 35 organ pipes. Each set of steps holds five organ pipes each and is tuned to a different musical chord. As the waves lap against the steps, they push air through the pipes and out whistle-holes in the surface above, making a harmonious and completely random musical arrangement.

Chaotic reconstruction work was undertaken in an attempt to repair the devastation Zadar suffered in the Second World War. The frantic reconstruction turned much of the sea front into an unbroken, monotonous concrete wall.

The device was made by the architect Nikola Baši? as part of the project to redesign the new city coast (Nova riva), and the site was opened to the public on 15 April 2005. The waves interact with the organ in order to create somewhat random but harmonic sounds.

The Sea Organ has drawn tourists and locals alike. In addition, white marble steps leading down to the water were built later. Concealed under these steps, which both protect and invite, is a system of polyethylene tubes and a resonating cavity that turns the site into a large musical instrument, played by the chance-based results of the wind and the sea waves.

 

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Why do catfish have so many taste buds?

A catfish has more than a quarter of a million taste buds. They’re not just present in its mouth and gills, but on its whiskers, fins, back, belly, sides and tail.

Tiny taste buds, sensory organs comprised of cells that detect the molecules that constitute flavor, are located all over the catfish’s body, but are most concentrated on the four pairs of whiskers around its mouth. These whiskers, called barbells, act as antennae. Along with the thousands of buds along their body, the whiskers allow the fish to not only taste when dinner is nearby, but also hone in on its exact location.

As bottom-dwelling fish that prefer to live in extremely muddy, murky waters , catfish have adapted to finding prey in the dark. Although catfish have sight, they don’t need it to hunt down their food.

Having an abundance of taste buds increases an animal’s ability to detect even trace amounts of food. A highly developed sense of taste is critical for catfish, which do their hunting in extremely muddy, murky waters where visibility is low. Scientists have found that although catfish can catch their prey without visual cues, catfish without functioning taste buds are unable to feed normally.

 

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Who invented Happy Doll Pears?

Known as Happy Doll Pears, these Buddha baby shaped pears were invented by a Chinese farmer. A special plastic mould is placed around the fruit while it is still maturing on the tree. The pears grow to fill the mould and the shape is formed.

Consumers are going crazy for the bizarre shaped fruit that is sold in local supermarkets and even online. It is often given as a gift for the upcoming Lunar New Year in the two countries.

The cute looking fruit is grown in inside the mould of a laughing Buddha, shaping them into the tiny figurines.

Ever since they were created by a man named Gao Xianzhang seven years ago, they have been sold across different regions in China.

Gao spent six years perfecting the intricate baby-shaped pears, carefully crafting each one.

 

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Which sport combines jogging and juggling?

Joggling is a competitive sport that combines jogging and juggling. The rules for joggling in competitions are: a juggling pattern must be maintained while running, and, if an object is dropped, the joggler must return to the point he dropped it and continue. Anyone can complete in the World Joggling Championships held every year, but competitors need to be able to juggle three balls proficiency.

The World Joggling Championships are held each year as one of the events of the International Jugglers’ Association juggling festival, where results are recorded and medals awarded. Anyone can compete in the World Joggling Championships, but competitors need to be able to juggle three balls proficiently. All registrants must pay an entry fee which covers any to all of the events entered for one juggler, and complete and sign a liability waiver. Competitors in the 100 meter 7-ball event need to be able to demonstrate a solid seven ball pattern before entering. Also, competitors in the 400 meter 5-ball event need to have completed the 100 meter 5-ball event in less than 90 seconds. The current format for races at IJA festivals includes races from 100 meter to 5 kilometers, as well as relay races in which teammates pass one ball to the next relay runner, who holds two in the handoff zone. The schedule also includes a 100 meter 5-ball race and a 100 meter 7-ball race.

 

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Which is the only country in the world named after a woman?

St. Lucia in the Caribbean is the only country in the world named after a woman. Through its population is around 174,000, it has produced two Nobel Prize winners – Derek Walcott (Literature, 1992) and Sir William A. Lewis (Economics, 1979).

Saint Lucia covers a total land area of only 238 square miles, ranking it among the smallest countries in the world. According to the 2010 census, Saint Lucia had a population of approximately 165,600 people. The largest city and capital of the country is Castries, which is home to roughly 35% of the population. The remainder of the population is distributed across other significant towns including Vieux Fort, Gros Islet, and Soufriere.

As a member of the British Commonwealth, Saint Lucia falls under partial jurisdiction of the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who also serves as the country’s Head of State. However, Saint Lucia’s Governor-General acts on behalf of the Queen on the Island. Saint Lucia’s parliament is composed of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Assembly. The country’s prime minister is head of the political party supported by a majority of members of the House of Assembly. The House of Assembly has 17 members elected to serve for five years and the Senate has 11 members who are nominated.

 

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