Fact O' The Day

[Krandall]

Tardigrades can live for days in the vacuum of space.'


Tardigrades, also called water bears, are tiny aquatic invertebrates known for their remarkable endurance in surviving the most extreme environmental conditions. They can enter a state of dramatically reduced metabolism called cryptobiosis, something like an extreme form of hibernation. In this state, tardigrades have been subjected to extreme temperatures (from -240 degrees to 392 degrees Fahrenheit) and radiation measuring over 100 times the amount necessary to kill a human. In 2007, the European Space Agency brought tardigrades along on the Foton-M3 mission and exposed them to the vacuum of space for 10 days, after which many of the animals survived unharmed.

[Segkast]

One in 10 men surf the internet for porn - and 40% of those peek at saucy pictures while their partner is in the next room

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328369/1-10-men-surf-internet-porn-40-partner-room.html#ixzz14yGPyp8W

1 in 10 ? I'd be willing to bet the actual number is AT LEAST 5 in 10... otherwise, why pay for internet ?

[Peelz]

One in 10 men surf the internet for porn - and 40% of those peek at saucy pictures while their partner is in the next room

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328369/1-10-men-surf-internet-porn-40-partner-room.html#ixzz14yGPyp8W

1 in 10 ? I'd be willing to bet the actual number is AT LEAST 5 in 10... otherwise, why pay for internet ?

change this stat to read RS members instead of Men and your numbers might change....to 100%

[Krandall]

'Animal biodiversity reduces the threat of disease in humans.'


Aside from simply being desirable in and of itself, biodiversity helps insulate humans from animal-borne diseases. Since the rate of disease transmission depends on the number of available animals that can be infected, diverse populations slow the spread of disease compared to homogeneous ones (this concept has been proposed theoretically in the past, but was only experimentally confirmed in a 2009 study of Panamanian rats and hantavirus). This trend complements the concept of zooprophylaxis -- the idea that having livestock around for mosquitoes to feed on, for example, diverts those mosquitoes from seeking out humans instead, thereby slowing the spread of malaria.

[Krandall]

'Doctors have performed the first all-robot surgical operation.'


The McGill University Health Centre in Montreal was home to the first operation in which both the anesthetist ("McSleepy") and the surgeon ("DaVinci") were robots. DaVinci is operated from a nearby workstation, allowing the surgeon more delicate movements than human hands are capable of, while McSleepy can be configured to provide anesthesia based on the specific needs of individual surgeries. The two robots were both utilized in a prostatectomy in October 2010, their collaboration marking a world first.

[Krandall]

'First impressions are generally accurate judgments of personality.'


A University of Texas study showed participant-judges two sets of photos -- one in which subjects were posed in a carefully neutral way, and another candid set. The subjects answered a questionnaire about their own traits, and those traits -- like extroversion and self-esteem -- were readily apparent to the judges, just from looking at the subjects' photos. This may seem like an obvious conclusion from a set of candid photographs (given the opportunity to judge body language), but even the carefully posed photographs were still good indicators of personality for some traits.

[Colorado700R]

I agree, I thought you were gay at first...then you proved it

[Krandall]

'A device called BrainPort allows users to see with their tongues.'


The BrainPort device consists of a video camera mounted on a pair of sunglasses, a phone-sized handheld computer and an array of electrodes that sit on the user's tongue. The CPU relays the camera's visual information, sending out stronger or weaker electrical pulses depending on the lightness or darkness of each individual pixel, effectively rendering a black-and-white image in a tactile way. For the user, it's then just a matter of learning how to "see" by interpreting these signals. Though acclimating to the device is a learning process, its capabilities are impressive; some patients using it are even able to make out distinct letters and numbers.

[Krandall]

'90% of life on Earth died out 250 million years ago.'


The event scientists have dubbed "The Great Dying" marked the end of the Paleozoic era. Throughout this era, the continents were combining in the supercontinent Pangaea, and pre-dinosaur and pre-mammalian reptiles roamed the Earth. Suddenly, though, nearly all of the planet's marine species (around 95%) died out, likely due to environmental factors, which also coincided with the only known mass extinction of insects. Several theories have been proposed as catalysts (an impact event, volcanic eruptions), but regardless, the end result was the largest extinction event on record.

[Peelz]

too bad the orvis gene continued. Life would be grand 

[Lady4Fiddy]

thats not so nice peels 

[Krandall]

too bad the orvis gene continued. Life would be grand 

aww WTF!!


I've been nice to you since the couple hour accidental banning....

[Lady4Fiddy]

banning never happens on "accident"   

[Peelz]

too bad the orvis gene continued. Life would be grand 

aww WTF!!


I've been nice to you since the couple hour accidental banning....

that is true. Buit before that. You were an evil sonofabitch  

[Krandall]

were?

I don't understand.