Posted by Chris Jensen |
Jun. 04, 2008 07:06AM PST
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FILED UNDER: News. Science.
Morons of the world unite! If research conducted by scientists at the University of Lausanne is shown to be true in humans, then dumb people can expect to live longer than smart people.
In the experiment, scientists split a group of flies into two groups, one of which was kept blissfully ignorant while the second group was educated via Pavlovian methods, like associating smell and taste with specific experiences. Result?
Over 30 to 40 generations, these methods led to flies which clearly learned better and remembered things for longer.
The flipside was that the flies left in their natural state lived longer on average than their "cleverer" counterparts, with a lifespan of 80-85 days rather than the normal 50-60..
"In other terms, the more the fly becomes intelligent, the shorter its lifespan," the scientists said.
This is most probably because the increase in neural activity weakens the fly's life-support systems, they speculated.
"This would explain why flies, like most other animals, have hardly developed their neural capacities," they said.
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(Source: PhysOrg)
Tags life expectancy, intelligence, flies
Posted by Chris Jensen |
Apr. 28, 2008 05:34PM PST
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FILED UNDER: News. Politics.
Professor William Beeman of the University of Minnesota has passed along information to the Los Angeles Times, obtained from a "colleague with a U.S. Security clearance" that questions that validity of recent satellite photos depicting an alleged nuclear facility in Syria.
Not a big shock, given our recent track-record of half-assed intelligence reports and out-right lies.
Of note are several photographs that appear to have been digitally altered, one of which you'll find below.
From the L.A. Times:
The lower part of the building, the annex, and the windows pointing south appear much sharper than the rest of the photo, suggesting that they were digitally improved.
The author points to more questions about the photographs of the Syrian site.
Satellite photos of the alleged reactor building show no air defenses or anti-aircraft batteries such as the ones found around the Natanz nuclear site in central Iran.
The satellite images do not show any military checkpoints on roads near the building.
Where are the power lines? The photos show neither electricity lines or substations.
Here is a link to a photo of the North Korean facility that the Syrian site was based on. Look at all the buildings surrounding it. The Syrian site was just one building.
Head on over to the full article for more photos and further analysis.
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(Source: L.A. Times)
Tags intelligence, nuclear, syria, nuke
Posted by Chris Jensen |
Mar. 27, 2008 07:16AM PST
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FILED UNDER: Videos. Science.
It's long been rumored the cartoon relationship between Heckle and Jeckle bordered on the obscene, but new research has revealed the true purpose of the aviary chums: they're hungry as hell.
Amanda Seed of the Max Planck Institute has been investigating the cooperative tactics of rooks and has determined that, yes, rooks can work together to acquire food. It was previously believed that only primates showed this trait.
From New Scientist:
They placed a 60 centimetre-long tray laden with food just out of the reach of two rooks placed inside a box. The rooks could see the food through a slit but had to use string thread through eyeholes at the back of the tray to drag it through the slit towards them.
To get their meal, however, the rooks were also forced to team up. Pulling just one end of the string simply unthreaded it without moving the tray. Only when the birds each pulled one end of the string simultaneously did the tray move.
Video proof on Page 2.
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(Source: New Scientist)
Tags max planck, experiment, intelligence, rooks
