Why animals lick their wounds

"A report by scientists from The Netherlands published in The FASEB Journal identifies a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. This research may offer hope to people suffering from chronic wounds related to diabetes and other disorders, as well as traumatic injuries and burns...

Specifically, scientists found that histatin, a small protein in saliva previously only believed to kill bacteria was responsible for the healing...

"This study not only answers the biological question of why animals lick their wounds," said Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, "it also explains why wounds in the mouth, like those of a tooth extraction, heal much faster than comparable wounds of the skin and bone. It also directs us to begin looking at saliva as a source for new drugs."

Yesterday was "Pi Approximation Day"

The conventional "Pi Day" is March 14, often celebrated at 1:59 PM (3.14159).

Yesterday was 22/7 in the conventional day/month format, thus explaining its designation as Pi Approximation Day.

The image above is a Halloween photo, and is of course... pumpkin pi.

Getting rid of "witches knickers"

One of the first items in TYWKIWDBI was a rant about "witches knickers" (plastic shopping bags in trees), with a comment that our personal household is virtually plastic bag-free and an encouragement to others to do the same.

In February I noted the campaign in Ireland to get rid of plastic shopping bags, and in May a small European village banned the bags. Now it appears that California, which in 2006 prohibited municipalities from imposing fees on plastic bag use, may be moving the other way. San Francisco has banned plastic bags, and now the city of Los Angeles has announced that it will ban all plastic bags from all retail stores - although not until July of 2010.

The Aurora Australis

Time-lapse footage of the Southern Lights, photographed near McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The same video is available at higher resolution at THIS website.

Some concepts are hard to visualize...

"Pogo sticks were invented by the Russian military during World War II, as a means of escape from German Tanks during the siege of Berlin."

Possible origin of the "hobble skirt"

Hobble skirts and the similar "pencil skirts" of the 1940s (above) were reportedly first created by French designer Paul Poiret just after the turn of the century. Some suggest that he was inspired by photos of Mrs. Hart Berg who accompanied the Wright brothers during some of their early flights and tied a rope around her skirt below the knees to preserve her modesty (see the image embedded above). In mid-century the style achieved tremendous popularity, but in the modern pragmatic world, apart from some wedding and Goth dresses (a la Morticia in the Addams family), the style has been relegated primarily to the world of bondage fetishists.

If you like to eat lobster...

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is reminding consumers not to eat lobster tomalley, the soft green substance found in the body cavity of lobsters, because this part of the lobster can build up high levels of toxins and other pollutants.In past years, DPH has warned consumers against eating lobster tomalley because it can accumulate high levels of toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyl compounds or PCBs.Recent reports from the Maine Department of Marine Resources also indicated the presence of high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin in some tomalley from lobsters in that state.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances..."

(Click to enlarge if necessary).

All the more ironic because this appears to be real - "An English-language magazine published monthly in India since 1895. It includes articles on Indian astrological theory and practice" - rather than an Onion story or photoshop prank.

History of Persia/Iran

There is an interesting article in the online National Geographic covering the history of Persia and modern Iran.

The image embedded above is of the tomb of Cyrus the Great at Pasargadae, with scaffolding reflecting preservation and restoration efforts. Cyrus formed Persia into perhaps the world's first "superpower," and established what many consider the "world's first religiously and culturally tolerant empire" comprised of 23 different peoples.

The article briefly reviews how because of Iran's strategic location, the great Achaemenid culture was eventually overrun by Mongols and Turks and Islamic Arabs, and how among many current Iranians there is a dislike of Arabs as a result of that history.

The modern conflict with the West can be traced back to 1953 when, in order to secure Iran's oil, Great Britain and the U.S. used the CIA to engineer a coup, overthrowing the democratically-elected Mohammad Mossadegh, and placing on the throne the notorious Shah of Iran backed by his SAVAK secret police. That of course eventually led to the counterrevolution by the mullahs and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. One cannot help but wonder how today's world would be different had the democracy of 1953 been allowed to persist.

A Roman "quiff"

Several days ago I blogged an Egyptian statuary head that strongly resembled Michael Jackson. This one (via Neatorama) is a dead ringer for another music celebrity.

"The Roman Elvis [2nd century AD] is in fact a genuine marble acroterion - a kind of architectural ornament often found for decoration on the corners of a sarcophagus, a stone tomb or burial chamber... It bears an uncanny likeness to Elvis Presley. It's the quiff that does it..."

A new word for me - quiff - per Random House "a girl or woman, esp. one of loose morals" or Brit. "a lock or curl of hair brought forward over the forehead," both with etymology unknown. (There's nothing in the OED).

Congratulations!!!

Mating ritual of the jumping spider

Obviously filmed in a laboratory setting, apparently with a preserved specimen of a female (on a stick) to prompt the display. The sounds are the most interesting part of the routine; I don't know how a spider makes sounds - presumably snaps various body parts against one another (like a grasshopper) since there's no vocalization.

My suggestion: if there's someone in the room with you while you're logged on, play this video with the screen covered or dimmed to darkness and challenge them to identify the sound. It's unlikely they will even guess it's an animal - much less a ...spider!

"Ich bin ein Berliner" is NOT ungrammatical

With Obama at the Brandenburg gate, some attention will certainly be directed back to Kennedy's appearance, and his famous/infamous quotation, often referred to in the following manner:

Some of the world's best jelly doughnuts are made in Berlin and known as Berliner Pfannkuchen. In Kennedy's famous speech at the Berlin Wall he said "Ich bin ein Berliner," to declare his solidarity with the people of Berlin. He thought he was saying the equivalent in German of "I am a Berliner." But in idiomatic German that should have been, "Ich bin Berliner." By adding the indefinite article, ein, the president was saying "I am a jelly doughnut."

That apparently is an erroneous oversimplification; some years ago I found the following comments in an online thread (source lost), which per my German language background, sound accurate:

"As I learned from reading his speech, JFK was talking about freedom for all people and that Berlin should be a symbol of freedom. In this case he would be a person of Berlin. This is why he said: Ich bin ein Berliner. Had he said, ich bin Berliner, he would have meant that he is a citizen of Berlin, which he wasn't. Therefore I think he was right. And by the way... a Berliner is a doughnut, filled with jelly, but is only called this in some parts of Germany. In Berlin, everybody says Pfannkuchen. My grandparents, who were there, understood what he was trying to say, as did the rest of Berlin, I am sure."

"Kennedy DID make one small mistake, but it had nothing to do with a jelly donut! "Ich bin Berliner" takes on the literal meaning of the phrase "I am a citizen of Berlin." It would have been incorrect for Kennedy to say this when referring to himself since we all know he didn't reside in West Berlin. The addition of 'ein' into "Ich bin ein Berliner" gives the figurative meaning of the phrase. It's along the lines as saying "I am LIKE a citizen of Berlin" or "I am one with the citizens of Berlin." So what mistake did JFK make? Well, he used the phrase twice during his speech. Once in reference to the citizens of Berlin and once in reference to himself. He should not have used the figurative phrase both times. He should have said "Ich bin Berliner" the first time and "Ich bin ein Berliner" as he finished the speech."

Giant waterfalls on Mars??

"What created this great cliff on Mars? Did giant waterfalls once plummet through its grooves?

With a four-kilometer drop, this high cliff surrounding Echus Chasma, near an impressive impact crater, was carved by either water or lava.

A leading hypothesis is that Echus Chasma, at 100-kilometers long and 10-kilometers wide, was once one of the largest water sources on Mars. If true, water once held in Echus Chasma likely ran over the Martian surface to carve the impressive Kasei Valles, which extends over 3,000 kilometers to the north.

Even if initially carved by water, lava appears to have later flowed in the valley, leaving an extraordinarily smooth floor."

Credit for text and image (from the robotic Mars Express spacecraft currently orbiting Mars), to NASA's often-fascinating Astronomy Picture of the Day.)

Man with amelia swims triathlon

Amelia [a (without)+ melos (limb)] is a birth defect which at its most severe results in the absence of arms and legs, and which has resulted in a variety of human interest stories over the years that illustrate the capabilities of the human body and spirit, and which should be read or viewed by anyone feeling sorry for their own problems.

Craig Dietz has amelia, but has achieved a successful professional career and a full life, including a variety of sports activities. Last week he successfully completed the swimming leg of the Pittsburgh Triathlon.

In the end, he finished 275th out of 308 participants.

"To think that I was ahead of 35 people just blew my mind," said Dietz. "I would have been happy with 307th, beating one. Not being the last person out of the water would have been a good day for me."

Dietz also doesn't think of himself as an inspiration.

"I didn't do the race for that, my reason for the race were quite selfish -- to challenge myself," said Dietz. "I was there on Sunday for the same reason as all the other persons… to challenge myself and to prove something to my self. I never set out to prove anything to anybody else and I think people do what they have to do to survive in life. You overcome whatever you're faced with and that's all I think that I've done."

The story at the link includes a video which I can't embed here, but which is certainly worth viewing.