What happens in MooLoo stays in MooLoo

Cats too!   (Photo by Ugrashak) 

It’s long been known that cow excretions cause pollution.  We’re not talking milk and cheese here.

Thus the MooLoo, which helps train Elsie and friends to make their deposits in discrete ways.  Those who get the hang of it are rewarded with sugar water, the bovine version of Pepsi.  Those who don’t will get “sprayed with water” (a negative reinforcer unless the barn’s on fire).

Turns out that calves are about on par with toddlers when it comes to potty training.  Some even caught on quicker than their two-legged companions.  Altogether, about three-quarters of the sample herd earned their Pepsi.  That could translate to “reducing ammonia emissions” by more than 50 percent.

Resources

https://nypost.com/2021/09/14/cows-are-getting-potty-trained-over-greenhouse-emissions/

Copyright September 15, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Prehistoric Camels

Been around for a good long while...   (Photo by Jjron) 

Camels roam the deserts of Arabia today, just as they did 8,000 years ago.  Rock carvings of these ungulates date all the way back to the “sixth millennium BCE.”

Prehistoric humans apparently highlighted significant locations with such sculptures.  There are 21 unique reliefs at the Camel Site in northern Arabia. 

Although erosion has certainly taken its toll on these carvings, a combination of scientific procedures has enabled researchers to determine their Neolithic origin.  They are currently the oldest known “surviving large-scale reliefs.”

Resources

https://phys.org/news/2021-09-life-sized-camel-northern-arabia-date.html

It Takes All Kinds

(Montage by Chicoutimi)

They are “bold, aggressive, athletic and sociable.”  Are we talking about NBA superstars?  Not this time around.

We’re talking about squirrels.  It turns out that they have many human-like traits.  A research study from the University of California found that “some are more outgoing than others.”  And guess what? They’re the ones that get more goodies.

Shy squirrels just don’t get around as much.  They therefore don’t collect as many nuts and don’t reach as many predator-free spots.  Their more aggressive counterparts are greater risk-takers, which could yield its own set of disadvantages.

Whether human or rodent, it takes all kinds to make a balanced society.  When diverse personalities work together, chances increase for peace in the valley.

Resources

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/13/squirrels-human-like-personality-traits-study

Copyright September 13, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Infants Do Feel Pain

Ouch!   (Public Domain)

Although pain is somewhat of a subjective experience, it’s likely that all living beings feel some in one way or another.

The long-held belief that human infants are somehow immune from this affliction has finally been successfully challenged.  But not until 1987 was it formally declared “unethical to continue to operate on infants without the use of anesthetics.”

Because infants hadn’t responded the way that adults might to pinpricks, researchers back in the 1940s concluded that babies couldn’t feel pain.  Scientists failed to adequately interpret the responses that did occur.  And if newborns feel pain, it is quite probable that fetuses do also... 

Resources

https://www.newsweek.com/when-doctors-start-using-anesthesia-babies-medics-thought-they-couldnt-feel-pain-1625350

Copyright September 11, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Step aside, T

 

U-rex Reconstruction   (Image by Royal Society Publishing) 

Lions and tigers and bears ain’t got nothing over T-rex.  But as it turns out, even T-rex has to step aside.

A new king of the prehistoric jungle is on the scene.  His name is almost as long as his body.  Researchers dubbed him Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis, but you can call him U-rex. 

Just don’t call him late for dinner.  Judging from the size of his razor-sharp teeth, he’s mighty hungry.  And you might resemble his favorite appetizer.   

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/technology/gigantic-shark-toothed-dinosaur-discovered-in-uzbekistan/ar-AAOfaf5?ocid=uxbndlbing

Copyright September 10, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

To the Nines

Artistic Rendition of Planet Nine   (Image by Tom Ruen)

If you’re aiming to be a planet, size matters.  That was the rationale for downgrading Pluto to its current dwarf status.

Which leaves a mighty gap in our solar system.  It’s no longer dressed to the nines without Pluto's inclusion. And although eight is great, nine is divine.

So something must be done to fill the gap.  And best it be done by Michael Brown, the very culprit who demoted Pluto. Brown is therefore rising to the occasion.  He thinks that he’s found a Planet Nine substitute, one that is “many times” larger than Earth.  Trouble is, nobody’s (yet?) proven its existence.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/astronomers-still-looking-elusive-planet-142159556.html

Copyright September 9, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Capturing CO2

Carbonated Soft Drink   (Photo by Spiff) 

When there’s too much carbon dioxide in the air, it only makes sense to pull some back out.

That’s exactly what’s been going on in Iceland, where the world’s biggest DAC (“direct air capture”) plant is currently operating.  What it does is literally suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The CO2 is then “mixed with water” and funneled “into deep underground wells,” where it eventually “turns to stone.”  This effectively prevents it from heading right back into the air.  With any luck, this solidified CO2 can then be sold to companies such as Coca Cola.       

Resources

https://qz.com/2055951/climeworks-is-opening-the-worlds-biggest-carbon-removal-machine/?utm_source=YPL