Category: Science & Nature

Posted in Science & Nature

Trophallaxis

Posted on by Jinavie

One of the key characteristics of social animals is the act of helping other members of the society. People often think that nature is ruled by “the survival of the fittest” and selfishness for survival, but societies are common in the animal kingdom. For example, even insects, that people consider “inferior”, such as ants build massive empires and cities, forming an unbelievably intricate and efficient society.

In the wild, all animals must find food to live, but due to competition and the environmental conditions, there are days when an animal cannot find enough food. For times like this, ants have a second communal stomach which they fill with leftover food after a meal. They then approach a hungry colony member and offers it a meal. If the other ant accepts, the two ants then lock their mouths together and one ant brings up the food in the communal stomach into the other ant’s mouth. Benefaction such as this allows for a smooth functioning of the society.

There is another role of trophallaxis (the transfer of nutrients via the mouth-to-mouth route described above): communication. Ants rub their antennae together to identify each other’s pheromones, which acts as identification such as what colony they are from and their role in the colony. Some scholars suggest that trophallaxis is the origin of the kiss.

The act of offering pre-stored food to comrades is also found in vertebrates such as birds and bats. For instance, some species of birds feed, return to its nest and then vomits the food for the young to feed on.
Helping those in need to create an efficient and functional society, and reaping the rewards of quid pro quo: that is the way of the philosophy of 1 + 1 = 3.

Posted in Science & Nature

Fainting Goat

Posted on by Jinavie

There is a very interesting breed of goats called the Fainting Goat. These goats suffer a genetic condition called myotonia congenita, which produces fascinating yet hilarious situations. When startled by the sudden presence of another animal or even a loud noise, these goats all suddenly freeze and fall to one side. This phenomenon can occur even while running, which causes the goats to crash into the ground, lying on their backs with their legs straight up. This can even occur from the excitement of seeing food and starting to run towards it.

The reason for this peculiar phenomenon is that myotonia congenita damages systems that allow muscles to relax, causing it to become easily excited. Ergo, when a goat is startled, its muscles tense reflexively, causing it to contract suddenly while taking longer to relax. This results in the goat becoming paralysed and falling. Young goats tend to be helpless when this occurs, but more experienced goats prop their legs apart quickly or lean against something to prevent falling (they can even be seen hopping on their stiff legs). These “fainting spells” are painless.

Although this kind of trait is often removed by natural selection (for example, in nature these goats would freeze when they meet a predator, and then proceed to be eaten), humans have bred these goats specifically to save their trait. In old times, these goats were used as “sacrifices” so that they would get eaten first when wolves struck, but nowadays they are bred in certain farms for no particular use. 
Myotonia congenita also affects other animals such as cats, and there are many people in the world affected by this condition too.

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Quod Erat Demonstrandum

Posted on by Jinavie

1. Let a and b be equal non-zero quantities
        a = b

2. Multiply by a
a = ab²

3. Subtract b²
a² – b² = ab – b²

4. Factor both sides
(a – b)(a + b) = b(a – b)

5. Divide out (a – b)
a + b = b

6. Observing that a = b
b + b = b

7. Combine like terms on the left
        2b = b

8. Divide by b
2 = 1

9. Add 1 to each side and flip over equation

        1 + 1 = 3

Q.E.D. (Thus we have proved)

How is this proof possible?

The source of the fallacy is the fifth step, where (a – b) is divided out.

As a = b, a – b = 0, and dividing by zero is impossible in mathematics.

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Mobius Strip

Posted on by Jinavie

A piece of paper has two sides. However, a Möbius strip has only one side. Ergo, if you walk on a Möbius strip, you walk on both sides and end up on the opposite side on the same location you started at in one trip. Because it has one side, it also has one boundary. This means that if you cut a Möbius strip along its length, you end up with not two rings, but one thinner, longer loop with an extra twist.

A similar structure is the Klein bottle. This structure is a self-paradoxical, single curvature, as its opening meets with its base, making the inside and outside indistinguishable. The entry is the exit, the inside is the outside, and the top is the bottom.

Our universe might be such a space where there is no distinction between the beginning and the end.

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Ant Sequence

Posted on by Jinavie

Find the rule for the following sequence of numbers:

1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
1113213211
…

Continue reading “Ant Sequence” →

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Cricket

Posted on by Jinavie

The sound of crickets in the autumn night is quite inspiring. Only male crickets can make this clear and beautiful sound, by rubbing their serrated wings against each other.

There are four kinds of cricket chirps: an attracting song (for females), a courting song (when a female is near), an aggressive song (when a male is near) and a copulatory song (after a successful mating). Each song is played at a different volume and pitch.

As all insects are cold-blooded, they are heavily affected by temperature. In the case of crickets, this is reflected in the frequency of chirps, which increases proportionately to the temperature. Using this, one can calculate the air temperature from the number of chirps a Snowy Tree cricket makes (count the number of chirps in 14 seconds plus 40 to get the temperature in Fahrenheit).

Finally, cricket chirps cannot be heard via cellphones. This is because a cricket chirp is usually around 6500Hz frequency, while most cellphones operate at a maximum of 3300Hz.

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Matador

Posted on by Jinavie

The word “Spain” often brings upon an image of a handsome matador taunting a fierce bull with his red cape. Because of this, it is commonly thought that the colour red aggravates bulls, and this is often used in cartoons.

However, as bulls are colour blind, they cannot tell a red cape apart from a blue cape. They are actually responding to the movement of the cape and being provoked by the matador. Furthermore, the bulls used in bullfights tend to be a more aggressive breed. This type of charging behaviour is common in large herbivores such as hippos, rhinos and elephants, as it is very useful in nature when faced with a predator.

Also, the real reason the cape is red is not only because it symbolises passion and power, but because it also hides the blood from the bull during the fight.

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Locust

Posted on by Jinavie

Locusts are a well-known symbol of destruction. The path of a locust swarm is bound to be left bare with nothing in sight. The most amazing feature of this insect is its reproductive abilities, which can be considered explosive. Furthermore, increased tactile stimulation of a locust’s hindleg causes it to release a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which causes mutual attraction, change of colour and increased consumption of food, thus priming them for reproduction. This allows them to reproduce even faster as the population grows, letting it easily reach numbers of billions in a short time. A large population then causes the locusts to swarm and migrate, and some species can cover distances of up to 500km. These swarms have been known to cover over 1000 square kilometres of land, and any food source in its path is instantly eaten up and used as fuel for reproduction. Because of this, locusts have become an icon of horror and destruction since ancient times as it can destroy crop fields within a matter of hours. This symbol is employed by the bible also, for example as the eighth plague of Egypt.

In some ways, a locust swarm can be seen as natural selection at its best. Explosive reproduction and voracious appetite is the basics of survival, skills that allow a species to beat the fierce competition of “the survival of the fittest”. Although humans curse locusts for destroying crop, they are not the only species that breed thoughtlessly and consume all resources in their path.

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Making A Human

Posted on by Jinavie

What ingredients are needed to make a human being?

  • Water 35L
  • Carbon 20kg
  • Ammonia 4L
  • Lime 1.5kg
  • Phosphorous 800g
  • Salt 250g
  • Niter 100g
  • Sulfur 80g
  • Fluorine 7.5g
  • Iron 5g
  • Silicon 3g
  • And traces of 15 other elements such as zinc, copper, magnesium etcetera.

To buy all of the above ingredients costs less than $5 USD.

Posted in Science & Nature

Fibonacci Number

Posted on by Jinavie

1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55…

A keen observer would note that each number in the above sequence is the sum of the two numbers before it. These are known as Fibonacci numbers and are among the most famous number sequences in mathematics.

It is famous because of some unique properties. For example, every third number is even, every xth number is the multiple of Fx (e.g. 4th number = 3, 8th number = 21…) and the list goes on. It is also known to approximate golden spirals, a mathematical function that is closely related with yet another famous number: the golden ratio.

However, a more interesting (and more relatable) fact about these numbers is that they appear repeatedly in nature. It has been noted for many centuries that plants tend to follow the Fibonacci sequence in various ways. This includes the number of branches of trees that grow per year, the number of petals on a flower (almost all flowers have a Fibonacci number of petals) and most interesting of all: the arrangement of florets on the face of a sunflower. If one carefully scrutinises the face of a sunflower (also applies to pine cones), they will note that the florets (tiny pieces on the face) are arranged in what appears to be spirals. They are actually arranged on a stack of spirals, both clockwise and anti-clockwise. The number of spirals for both directions are always two Fibonacci numbers next to each other (e.g. 34 and 55).

This is because natural selection pushes the plants to arrange their florets, petals and tree branches in the most efficient manner possible, which is provided by the Fibonacci sequence.

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