Any questions or concerns can be emailed to me, or posted in the comments. On to the links for the week...
The proton shrinks in size
Not exactly biology-related, and it is only 0.00000000000003 millimeters, but that is a 4% difference, and any change in one of the three basic particles of an atom should be pretty big news.
Pohl and his team have a come up with a smaller number by using a cousin of the electron, known as the muon. Muons are about 200 times heavier than electrons, making them more sensitive to the proton's size. To measure the proton radius using the muon, Pohl and his colleagues fired muons from a particle accelerator at a cloud of hydrogen. Hydrogen nuclei each consist of a single proton, orbited by an electron. Sometimes a muon replaces an electron and orbits around a proton. Using lasers, the team measured relevant muonic energy levels with extremely high accuracy and found that the proton was around 4% smaller than previously thought.Could be something to keep track of...though one researcher quoted in the story does seem to think that this new result could also be an error.
"Sinister Motion" may influence soccer referees
Or, just an excuse to post something about the World Cup. Once again, the third-place match ended up being much more entertaining than the final. The Dutch obviously knew they had to play physical to counter Spain's offensive capabilities. They seemed willing to take as many yellow cards as they needed to get the game to penalty kicks..,not sure it was the best strategy, and I'm still not sure why this was not given a straight red.
Why you should never arm wrestle a saber-tooth tiger.
To be honest, I only clicked through to this story because of the headline, but it is fairly interesting. Because of their oval-shaped cross section, saber-tooth cats had relatively weaker canine teeth than do modern cats, who have conical-shaped teeth. This was made up for by their stronger forelimbs.
Despite their vulnerable canines, prominent muscle attachment scars on sabertooth limb bones suggest the cat was powerfully built. Saber-toothed cats may have used their muscular arms to immobilize prey and protect their teeth from fracture, she explained.
42 comments:
The headline regarding saber-toothed tigers really caught my attention and I found the article to be somewhat interesting. According to the article, saber-toothed tigers' huge canines were vulnerable, but they had strong forearms for which catch and kill their prey. From the pictures I've seen of these cats, I've always assumed that they used both their muscles AND their teeth, because they appeared to have large arm muscles. But I've learned because their teeth fractured easily, they constantly strained their bones as they hunted down and killed their prey, and as a result, they gained strong arm bones. This makes me wonder if the saber-toothed tiger would have ever been able to hold its own in today's world, competing with other wild animals to survive.
When you think about a cat, even a large predator type cat, you typically don't think of it having large muscular arms. I think it's weird that this cat would have those features, because no other cats do. It's strange to think that a saber-tooth tiger's teeth would be weak, since physically they look like they have powerful fangs. If they were still alive today, I deffinitely wouldn't want to run into one.
In reguards to the World Cup, sometimes it is hard to judge if the player deserves a card. (In the video he deffinitely should have gotten a red card for that, I agree.) A lot of the time though, when they put it in slow motion, you can see clearly see if it was a trip, or someone was totally faking their fall. A lot of soccer players are big fakers.
Paleontology has always fascinated me, and the article concerning the saber-toothed cat was very interesting. I have known the canines of Smilodons were very fragile, but I did not realize that they were so much to the point where the cats would have to bring down their prey in a unique manner, in comparison to other large predatory cats, by relying on their strong forelimbs.
Nonetheless, I believe the teeth would have remained invaluable to killing a Smilodon's prey. Considering how the canines of the species, Smilodon populator, could grow to nearly eleven inches in length and the fact the cats are believed to be able to open their jaws 120 degrees (in comparison to a modern lion, which can only open its mouth up to 65 degrees), I think the animals probably pinned their prey with the use of their powerful legs and kill with their dagger-like teeth.
I found the article about saber tooth tigers fairly interesting. The data supporting the use of saber tooth tigers' large limbs to capture prey makes sense. If its front limbs were strong enough to subdue its prey and prevent any struggle, its teeth wouldn't need to be too stromg to deliver a fatal blow. Furthermore, since canines today dont have superior front limbs like the saber tooth tiger, their teeth should be more durable to handle the struggle and fight of subduing enemy prey.
And on a short note about the Fifa World Cup, i think the referee had tendencies to give yellow cards. Before that game, the referee gave no red cards in any matches of the world cup. Maybe he just wanted to continue his streak of yellow cards.
That saber-tooth tiger article really is actually very interesting, despite how little interest I normally show in the study.
Whenever I thought of saber-tooth tigers I always figured they were massive, killing machines that used their tusks to pierce anything with little trouble. Knowing what I know now, from that article specifically, I've learned that they are now (or were) massive, hulking, killing machines. Not to mention the fact that the shape of their gargantuan teeth actually make them more susceptible to breaking than your common household cat or run of the mill Simba.
It's pretty cool that this information can be discovered solely from bones, even if it is all just hypothesis after hypothesis. Unfortunately, I suppose we cannot really undoubtedly prove anything until we find a way to create a time machine.
Neat article, Dr. H.
When i hear of the species, Saber-tooth Tiger, an image of a vicious cat with two large teeth imediatley appears in my mind. I have always thought they they used their large teeth to kill their prey. However, i learned that the teeth actually are somewhat of a disadvantage. Due to the oval shaped cross-section, the teeth were more vulnerable to fractures and saber-tooth tigers had to use their own special way of bringing down prey.
When i think about cats, i never characterized them as animals with outstanding muscular abilities, such as a gorilla, but characterize them as animals with emense speed, agility, and wit. I always thought that in the whole feline species, the flines used their speed and wit as their tatics of hunting. Contrarily to my thought, The saber-tooth tiger used its muscular forearms to hunt prey. This struck me by suprise and is an interseting new detail that i have learned. I still dont believe, however, that the saber-teeth were totally unuseful. But the fact that the teeth were vulnerable to fractures is a new fact that is very intersting to me.
The shrinking proton could change a lot of things (if it is not an error) like the article said, it can affect many theories. We do not know a lot about the atom and this article shows that we are even finding out that past findings can be false. This discovery might make researchers ponder the possibilty that our knowledge about the atom is not as accurate as we thought. The change seems extremely small, but as we all know a small decimal can cause a large change in the bigger picture. The saber-tooth article was quite interesting as well. I always thought that they would have used their massive teeth to their advantage. I never would have thought their teeth to be a handicap. We should be thankful now that cats today have evolved to no longer need to have such powerful arms. Cats are already very dangerous and extremly accomplished hunters in the wild. I can only imagine if they evolved with the massive arm strength. Would humans still be at the top of the food chain? Give a cheetah extremely powerful forearms and it would be even faster and pack a punch (100mph lineman, that is how I picture it).
Although a four-percent change in size does not sound like much, especially for a particle that is already one of the smallest known to man, a physicist’s measurements must be extremely accurate, therefore, this change in size is very significant. In fact, the article even mentions how this discrepancy in size may cause a fundamental problem for the theories found in the study of Quantum Mechanics! Whether this new measurement was found due to the use of more accurate machinery, or a miscalculation; an intriguing explanation exists, and it must be found.
In regards to the Soccer Referees, I do believe the direction of motion of the players could possibly influence the referee’s judgment. It’s interesting how a habit they have used nearly their whole lives (reading from left to right) can influence them in unexpected ways. I wonder also if the same theory would apply to people of Arabic, Hebrew, or Farsi (Persian) backgrounds, in which the languages are read from right to left.
In regards to the Saber-tooth tiger article, although the title is comical, the data is interesting. I think because a tiger of their species would have weaker teeth when compared to a more modern species, it is very possible they used their forearms more often when battling prey. Darwin would probably agree that their development of muscular forearms occurred due to survival of the fittest, in which only the cats with the strongest forearms found success in obtaining sufficient amounts of food to survive, and therefore, generations of muscular forearmed cats were born. When playing, my cat bats an object between its forearms and front paws. I wonder if this trait is due to millennia of evolution from his saber-toothed ancestors.
It was fascinating to find out that the sabertooth's teeth were so frail considering that they appeared so large and intimidating.It was also intresting that they compensated for this flaw by developing larger arm muscles and denser arm bones.According to paleontologists the sabertooth was about 3 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet long compared to a male lion which can grow to a height of 4 feet and 4 1/2 feet to 8 1/4 feet in length. Despite their small height they weighed from 440lbs-881lbs which compared to a lion which can weigh from 330lbs to 500lbs. The sabertooth was definitly larger in mass compared to modern day cat species, but according to fossil records it relativley hunted size appropiate prey that included ground sloths, horses, camels, bison, and even young mammoths.Though their teeth were weak their large body and tremendouse strength proved to be very useful. Combined with their ability to camouflage themselves and ambush their unsuspecting prey. They proved to be dangerouse and elusive predators.
I found it strange that if the shrinking of the proton is true and not an error like the article had mentioned how it wasn’t discovered before. Although the change in the radius is extremely small, this discovery could lead to many theories found by scientists in the past to be wrong.
I found the Saber Toothed Tiger article to be interesting. I would of never guessed that their teeth would be so weak, I perceived every part of them to be very strong and powerful. The Saber Toothed Tiger have to use other methods like its forearms to catch their prey.
When I read about the sinister motion may be influence soccer referees the first thing that came to my mind was how interesting the concept was, being on the left side makes you have a completely different point of view than being on the right hand side. Its mind blowing that such a simple concept and habit of reading left to right can influence things such as the world cup! I have my doubts that this is the reason why FIFA set up the referee positions in this way because I just figured it was so the assistant or non head referees could be facing the play while holding the flag with their right hands and react quicker.
What caught my eye was the saber toothed tiger article. The first thing i thought about after reading it was how most of the time this animal is viewed as an extremely powerful species and that all of its body could destroy you and rip you into pieces, including the teeth. Yet, this view is not 100% correct. What was also interesting was how they catch their pray mainly with their forelimbs before penetrating the pray with their teeth. I believe that the bones of the saber tooth tiger's forelimbs adapted and evolved to fit the environment better after several years due to them having a difficult time catching their pray without fracturing their teeth.
I was interested in 2 out of 3 articles this week. I don't care much for soccer, although I was forced to watch the Ghana vs. Uruguay game. But it is pretty cool that the refs have a set way to move, almost like the players have plays, I kind of assumed they just get in the way a lot.
As to the proton article, science is always changing, and physics is made up of calculations that are tested over and over. It seems pretty plausible that either scientists got the measurements wrong in the first place, or in more recent studies. And I don't think modern advances in physics would have held up if they had the wrong idea about the Proton, especially because it is one of the three basic particles in an atom.
An article about cats, definitely the best one in the bunch. The Saber-tooth tiger was one of the most ferocious predators of the Ice Age. Sensitive teeth or not, this particular cat proved to be an excellent hunter. My cat pounces on her prey (flies) by getting up on her hind legs and slapping them with her paws/forearms. She maneuvers her arms to try to squish the fly in between them. I’m thinking this is exactly what the saber-tooth did. It’s probably instinctual for every cat to attempt to kill prey this way. My guess is the teeth came in handy when the prey was either slowed, or taken down. The teeth probably brought the kill to its death as the last step in the saber’s hunting process. Much like the strike is the first offensive maneuver for constrictor snakes while the actual constricting movements kill their prey.
In the article about the saber toothed tigers, I was especially drawn to the fact that the animals would attack prey in a way so that they could assert power using the strength from their muscular forearms rather than relying only on the their elongated canines. I learned that this is most likely due to the fact that since they were more oval in cross-section, it made them more vulnerable to breaking. This is why it is inferred that the cats must have used their built arms to immobilize prey to proetect their teeth from fracture.
In relation to the post about "Sinister Motion" in soccer, I can completely agree that the angle of viewpoint of a position most definately can bias an opinion on a potentıal foul. Though it sounds strange, it is true in itself that the two sides of the human brain react to different things in different ways because of how our minds work. This, in my opinion, is proof enough that even just mirror-imaging a picture can change the point of view of any person, let alone a referee of a major soccer game.
In regards to the saber tooth tiger, I have always thought of them as very powerful creatures (no matter how innocent they look in "Ice Age") who used their large canine teeth (which are actually very fragil) to prey other less fortunate animals. I never thought that their muscular arms would be more powerful then their leg muscles because most "cats" use their legs to run and pounce on animals (hence why they would be more muscular). However if I were to arm wrestle a dinosaur I would be more likely to win because of their tiny arms which are barely in use. Also is very impressive that scientist today were able to uncover this, because these mammals have been extinct for a long time.
As for the soccer article, looks can be deceiving, but a ref undergoes a lot of training in order to call yellow/ red cards...however the sinister motion may be true....but the game goes so fast that refs just call whatever they see.
Before, I thought the saber-tooth cat would chase after its prey and sink its enormous teeth into the animal as it was running but I see now that wasn't the case. The cat first uses its powerful arms to immobilize the prey and then it used its teeth to kill.
The xray study they did makes sense to me. Bones need to adapt to different stress levels. If more force/weight was put on the forearms the bones would need to increase in diameter and become stronger to support the load efficiently. On the other hand if less work is being done for that specific body part, the bones would decrease diameter and become a little weaker since it would be a waste to send nutrients to parts of the body that don't make much much use of them.
As the xrays show, the bones were thick in the saber-tooth cat which indicates the forelimbs of the cat must have been used extensively.
I found the article “The proton shrinks in size” to be fairly interesting. However, I think that this newfound knowledge does not impact the world overall. Physically, nothing has changed. I don’t believe that the size of the proton suddenly shrank, but that this new way of using the sensitivity of muons in the process produced a more accurate measurement of the proton. Because this new process is more sensitive, perhaps it just gave a more specific measurement. It’s kind of like a calculator that gives an answer that goes into several decimal places rather than rounding the number. If this is true, then yes, several major scientific theories may come into question, but the physical world still remains fundamentally the same. The actual proton stays unchanged, but our knowledge of its structure has advanced. I think that discoveries like this enable scientists to advance in a field where there are many unanswered questions. If only each scientific discovery did not bring its own set of complex questions and complications…
The article about the saber-tooth cat was also fascinating. Evolutionarily, I think that modern day felines have round canines when cross-sectioned because the oval shape of the saber-tooth’s canines became detrimental to its hunting. Furthermore, maybe this cat’s anatomical structure may have been compensating for such weak canines by adding more strength and density to its limbs. Because the saber-toothed cat was forced to rely on these limbs, rather than their teeth, they might have strengthened the bone and made it thicker with heavy use and a muscle building hunting style to survive. However, this is similar to a chicken and egg scenario; did the canines weaken because they were not needed while hunting, or were the limbs strengthened because the canines were so weak? Perhaps the massive size of the canines, despite their frailty, was used as an intimidation tactic for protection, rather than a weapon to bring down their prey. Overall, this was a surprising article.
I think that the article about the proton size difference is the most interesting article of the three. It is amazing to see how a miniscule miscalculation can affect so many theories in chemistry, physics and as result biology. The article also shows how hard it is to accurately calculate the size of a proton since there is so many forces acting on the proton. In the scientific community the change of the measured size of the proton will hopefully be the key to better understanding of quantum physics.
The soccer article is also interesting since it shows how optics has a direct effect to what we perceive in a situation. I feel that it was good the referees favored the offensive since in this world cup there were too many fake falls and stumbles, it makes the games boring to stop in the middle of a play. As in the last article with the saber toothed tiger, the arms of the saber tooth should be strong since of the terrain that it lives in. I think even though the tooth of the saber tooth is not effective in killing the prey it may have been used for some other hard task. The task is probably one that cat of today do not have to endure and thus has adapted.
To be honest, I wasn't astonished at the fact that new studies showed the proton was four percent smaller than previously thought. This new discovery just proves how technology is improving and leading to more accurate calculations. Although the difference does not seem significant to me, since I am a high school student, the difference may be significant to scientists. Like the article stated, this new size may change the theories of quantum mechanics. Some theories may need to be adjusted and tweaked but I think the overall understanding that the quantum theories give us will still be the same.
Although I didn't watch the world cup religiously, I was still interested in some matches. The motion of the players when going from right to left does look more ominous. This makes sense to me because we perceive each situation differently. Some yellow cards should have been reds but the referees must stick to their first instinct on the foul since they don't get to view the situation in slow-mo. I think the refs should be able to view the situation again because some yellow cards lead to discrepancies.
Now that I think about it, I recall that the the saber-toothed cat in the 'Ice Age' used his arms to kill prey. Diego, the saber toothed cat, used his arms when saving Manny, the mammoth, from the evil saber-toothed tigers. Who would have thought that the movie was actually educational and accurate. This article made sense because the cats would use their arms more if their teeth were fragile. It's kind of like how a person would use their dominate hand when having an arm wrestle since it may be stronger. These are interesting articles.
The article about the saber-tooth tiger really caught my eye. This was mainly because of the title which made me want to read the article further. When I finished reading the article it became clear to me how misunderstood these cats really are. The name of the tiger suggests that the saber-tooth tiger uses its huge canines to kill the prey. In addition, I also learn that the canines of the tigers are actually weaker than we are all led to believe. I was intrested to learn that the tiger uses its powerful arms in addition to the canines we all associate the saber-tooth tiger with.
The soccer article was the one I was looking forward to reading the most. The "tackle" by DeJong on Alonso was not a tackle it was more like a karate kick which is why it should have been a straight red card. I am not sure why it was not a red card but I do know that referees are reluctant to give straight red cards in the world cup final. The concept of viewing a tackle from the right or the left I can relate to. I do think it depends from what direction you are viewing the tackle from. Even when I would be watching the world cup the commentators would show the tackle from two different sides (right or left) and from both the opinion would be different. Having said all of this, the game is often played at such a high tempo it is often hard for the referee to make the right decision all the time.
I was very fascinated with the saber tooth tiger article. Whenever I thought about the saber-toothed tiger, the first thing that came to my mind where the large fangs inside the creatures mouth. After reading the article, I realized that the strong bones were what make the tiger such a threat to prey. The tiger would let its arms and legs weaken the target and deliver the final blow with its teeth. Actually, the teeth of the tiger are its most vulnerable features; which I believed were the strongest. After reading this article I wouldn't want to arm wrestle a saber-toothed tiger.
With regards towards the world cup, most of the yellow cards were unnecessary. By giving yellow cards for some minor pushing and shoving ruins the great game of soccer, because soccer is supposed to be a physical game. The only time where i felt a more severe card was necessary was when De Jong karate kicked Xabi Alonso, other than that most yellow cards were unnecessary. Once again, by giving yellow cards for slidetackling and shoving, the entertainment of soccer is lost. Also, the referees might have wanted to set the fifa world cup record for most yellow cards in a final. To me, this wasn't one of the most interesting finals because the referees didn't let the players play the game the way its supposed to be.
I decided to take a look at the shrinking proton article first and I found it quite fascinating. Honestly,I would have never known about this occurrence if I had not been led straight to it like this. As a teenager, obviously shrinking protons would be the least of my worries, but changes, whether small or large, end up having some effect in our lives and in our knowledge. First off, I'm pretty sure that protons did not literally "shrink". Scientists have just discovered that one of their favorite subatomic particles is actually not as large as they thought after multiple studies. With a new size comes new theories, new concepts, and new experiments. Strange enough as it sounds, after reading the article I felt more relieved and secure! I think this is because now I am positive that there are scientists around us that are working everyday to make more accurate calculations about the smallest things that make up our world. This article is another example of how the human's mind is continuously growing and learning as its technology advances to great heights. When I was younger, I always had the naive impression that all the facts and figures I learned in my science classes are law and unchangeable. Everything I learn is exactly the same as how my father learned it when he was in school. As I have grown, I, along with many of those scientists who are vigorously working on this phenomenon, now know that nothing is written in stone. Expect the unexpected because anything has the tendency to change.
I also had interest in reading the saber-tooth tiger article because of its headline as well as the concepts its getting across. We are so familiar and comfortable with the cats of today's world that less attention is given to the extinct ones. The saber-toothed tiger is definitely one of the scarier extinct predators of our world. Since these crazy cats haven't roamed the Earth for 10,000 years, I enjoyed learning a little more about their lives and characteristics when they were around. You would think that a cat with those massive canines wouldn't have trouble getting what they wanted, but sometimes your best trait can also be your largest hindrance. I was surprised to learn that the canines were so fragile, since they look like they were pretty sturdy! It makes sense that if one approach became slightly difficult to work with, the saber-tooth tigers figured out another way to make ends meet: using their forearms. Naturally, as a part of the body is more used, it becomes thicker and stronger. Just like how humans grow muscles by constantly exercising certain body parts.
I found the World Cup article interesting. With my brother and best friend soccer players, I have heard plenty of complaints about referees. I knew many things affect their calls, such as how well they could see the penalty. I never knew how they read affects their calls. I suppose it makes sense seeing as you eye forms a habit of moving left to right and if your eye is moving that way and the action is moving the other way, it would look different. I wonder how people who read vertically would be affected, or if would they be completely unaffected and be more impartial to the direction of movement.
The saber tooth tiger article caught my eye. The saber tooth tiger’s teeth do not look like they would be a weakness for the animal. I suppose the less breakable canine teeth of modern cat species is a tribute to the evolution of these species. It would be difficult to put breakable teeth into flesh of an animal still thrashing, trying to escape. It must have been easier if the tiger can still the animal with massive arm muscles. I always thought the tiger to be very strong and muscular overall, but with stronger legs to pounce on animals better, but I suppose not.
It is very alarming that, for many years, scientists were led to believe that the proton was a specific size, but now know that this was misleading information. It's an interesting idea to attempt to replace the electron with the muon during this test, and since it is more sensitive to the proton, it makes sense that the muon would provide a more accurate information on the size than the electron would. The fact that protons have been used - although this idea is still in its preliminary stages - to help identify the extent of cancer in humans, is alarming because we are now learning that there may be a mistake within the perception of the proton itself. This should definitely be taken as big news by the science world, and new tests should be conducted immediately to see if the results of this test hold true.
The 'Sinister Motion' theory is interesting, and may explain a small amount of the seemingly unnecessary yellow cards handed out. However, although this may lead to an important missed call, 5% is not that much of a difference to put a huge blame on the angle that the referee has taken on the play. The World Cup final was a sloppy match all around, and there were many yellow cards picked up during the early part of the first half. Spain took advantage of the Netherlands playing with 10 men towards the end, and they honestly did outplay them either way.
It makes sense for the Saber-toothed Tiger to have had thick, strong forearm limbs, because of the size of the prey they hunted down. However, it is interesting that the cats of today have stronger teeth than those that the Saber-toothed Tiger had. Still, because the prey has grown smaller over time, it also makes sense that the cats began to rely less on their forearm limbs, and more on their teeth. This idea seems to fall in line with the ideas accepted today that were formulated mostly by Charles Darwin.
Although the article about the proton shrinking in size is stated as a negative, there seems to be a positive side to it. First of all, according to the article, the method of measurement is different than previous ones because during measurements prior to the proton’s radius being 0.00000000000003 millimeters or four percent smaller, not to mention that the newest measurement of the proton was suppose to be more accurate. Therefore, I highly doubt that the new measurement was an error because the previous experiments used electrons while the latest experiments used muons which were already acknowledged as giving a more precise size of the proton. Consequently, these new findings could lead to improved revisions to the theories of quantum mechanics and new investigations and suggestions on the theory of supersymmetry.
With regard to the World Cup, I also found the Final Round to not be as amusing as I hoped it would be. However I disagree with common remark about how de Jong should have received a red card because when I was watching the game they showed a slow motion of the moment and from my perspective it looked like de Jong was already trying to kick the ball in the air and Alonso all of a sudden runs in the way and de Jong kicks Alonso instead. Accordingly, de Jong unintentionally kicked Alonso in the chest. I find it interesting though that my parents who saw the same footage as me thought the opposite. The idea of “Sinister Motion” intrigues me because it could be why I had a different point of view than others. Additionally, the television in my living room is positioned at one corner which could cause the various persepectives of the same footage.
I find it amazing that such an amazing difference in proton size could go relatively unchecked for years. However, the effects are not extremely drastic. Although this new size will result in multiple modifications to mathematical formulas, many experimental results related to atomic kinetics and such will remain the same. The motion and actions of electrons and atoms as a whole will not tangibly change; therefore, previous experiments are not entirely invalidated. As with every scientific topic, advancements and new discoveries are made. Sure, we will have to adjust and tweak our current mechanics theories, but it is only for the better.
As for the soccer referees' vision planes, I somewhat disagree with the article and find the argument a bit too investigative. Like all referees, some calls will be valid and others will be horrible. In my opinion, the direction of the player's movement is inconsequential. Just because there is a 5% higher chance of a better call in one direction, that doesn't mean that it is a scientific revelation. I feel that referees favor the offense not because of their vision planes, but rather for the sake of the game's excitement. No one wants to see a game where the players just flop around on defense to make the flow of the game stop (ahem Uruguay ahem). Although the article's presented study was very intriguing, I feel that the left-to-right tendencies of the referee have little to do with their decisions. As for the final match, The Netherlands were doomed as soon as the whistle blew to start the game. Spain was faster, stronger, and just better.
I was surprised with the saber-toothed tiger article. Obviously, the daunting appearance of the tiger is due to its large and sharp canines. I would have never thought that those teeth were not the primary offensive weapon for the tiger; instead, the strong forearms were used primarily to trap down the prey. The research in the article seems sound and valid, and the result is very interesting. I guess appearance is not everything, and practicality rules. Using arms to catch and trap prey seems much more efficient than using two teeth. Ultimately, evolution and adaptation takes care of everything, as is evident in the stronger teeth of modern cats.
Hopefully everyone has had a great summer so far, and let’s all enjoy the rest of it!
Article 1
The physicists’ most recent discovery that the proton’s size is considerably smaller than they had previously thought, some argue about the importance of this finding. However, this piece of information is still valued, as physicists still know very little about the proton besides the fact that they, along with neutrons, form the nuclei of every atom in the universe. Electrons are also important in understanding protons, as orbiting electrons, in their interaction with protons, can better determine protons’ sizes. Muons, a heavier cousin of the electron, allows physicists to gather an even more precise size of the proton, as the Muon is more sensitive in its orbit of protons.
Article 2
Referees, at least those accustomed to reading left to right, have a tendency to call more fouls if soccer players make the invalid move while moving in that direction. This tendency allows the offense a slight advantage, as their use of right to left plays often evades the referees who are not accustomed to follow that line of direction.
Article 3
Since Saber toothed tigers have developed such a habit of pinning large prey such as camels and mammoths, their forelimbs have developed accordingly for the mammal to master this ability. Since the saber toothed tiger had “thinner side-to-side teeth,” than other canines, the tiger had to compensate for this setback with its muscular build, which exceeded that of its contemporaries based on modern day research. Researchers also conclude that sine the saber tooth had such strong forelimbs, it ultimately used that asset the most, further developing its already strong limbs.
Article 1:
The proton, as published in Nature, has shrunk by approximately 0.00000000000003 millimeters. In response to this discovery, the average person might most likely say, “Oh my goodness, I do not really care,” because to him age this minute difference in the size of the proton might seem trivial. However, upon closer consideration, this small change in size will clearly appear to be important and noteworthy. Recent results acquired by Pohl and his team indicate that the proton is about 4 percent smaller than the size that was previously estimated. This 4 percent decrease in the size of the proton is a very serious discrepancy, as stated by renowned physicist Ingo Sick, and is definitely a mindboggling matter. In the atomic realm of quantum mechanics, in which measurements regularly exceed ten decimal places, the slightest difference in the size of the proton can very well challenge existing theories as well as four decades of previous measurements. As a result of the 4 percent difference, Sick claims, “there is really something seriously wrong someplace.” In my opinion, I truly think that Sick is correct because it is highly unlikely that such a difference in the size of the proton could have been overlooked for such a long time. Possibly, Pohl and his team made some mistakes in the experimental process or in the calculations. However, if proven to be true, Pohl’s remarkable discovery of the smaller size of the proton would significantly impact the science of today. Many complications would occur and numerous modifications would have to be made in the current scientific theories such as the standard hydrogen model.
Article 2:
Researchers allege that World Cup referees make biased calls based on the direction in which players are moving. According to the article, there is a 5 percent higher probability for referees to call a foul if the player is moving from right to left rather than from left to right. However, while motion may seem ominous moving from one direction to the other, as stated in the article, I wholeheartedly feel that the direction of the players’ movements do not influence the referees’ decision regarding fouls. Statistically speaking, a 5 percent difference is truly not a large margin that can definitely support the researchers’ claim. Even though referees, because of their diagonal system of covering the field, may frequently see players who commit fouls moving right to left than left to right, they tend to make their decisions not necessary on the motion of the attack, but rather on the nature of the attack. Whenever the match is stopped by a referee because of dangerous play, contact between two or more players is clearly noticeable regardless of the direction from which it came. Based on the severity of the contact, the referee will issue a free kick, a penalty kick, and/or a card. However, many times, World Cup referees, like all soccer referees worldwide, simply make some poor calls. In my opinion, these poor choices, which may truly be mistakes, justify the mystery behind the unfair decisions made by referees and explain the presumption that referees tend to favor the offensive team. As a result, numerous people, including me, say that a soccer match is often like a game of Texas Hold’em. You do not know that you have won until the ending whistle is blown and the fifth card is flipped. However, in the World Cup Final, Netherlands blindly went all in with a pair of fives, while Spain calmly matched the Dutch wager, as it held a royal flush in its hands from the very beginning.
Article 3:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bN9se-ul_aE/S6eazgYl_9I/AAAAAAAACZE/cZ5crd-X9Vs/s400/saber+tooth.jpg
Honestly, I do not understand why anyone would even bother approaching the saber-toothed tiger, let alone think about arm wrestling this prehistoric cat. With their weights ranging from 160 pounds to 220 pounds, saber-toothed tigers were definitely powerfully built creatures and had imposing appearances, as clearly evidence in the picture hyperlinked above. In addition to their strong physique, they had long, sharp canines up to 7 inches in length and had the ability to open their jaw extremely wide and run extremely fast. These statistics, along with the intimidating picture, clearly indicate that an arm wrestling match between a human and a saber-tooth tiger will not only end in a defeat for mankind but also result in several fatal injuries for the human contender. This fascinating article further explains that the unfairness of the arm wrestling match is due to the fact that the muscles of the saber-tooth tigers’ forelimbs are naturally powerful and much stronger than the muscles of the upper extremities of human beings. For instance, when tested with 28 other cat species, as mentioned in the article, “the saber-toothed cat fell well outside the normal range -- while their leg bones scaled to size, their arm bones were exceptionally thick for their length.” The thought of saber-tooth tigers having abnormally muscular forelimbs never occurred to me because I was mostly focused on their large fangs. I always believed that saber-tooth tigers primarily used their teeth to hunt prey, but after reading this article, I now know that it is the other way around. The article claims that saber-tooth tigers actually used their strong limbs because their weak canines made them more vulnerable to fracture. As a result, the primitive cats, with their strong forelimbs, would most certainly dominate humans in the arm wrestling match.
The discovery of protons being smaller than what they previously measured might not seem important. having a gap in quantum mechanics will surely catch the attention of physicist. i was very surprised that researchers of high level missed the measuremen during 2003 and 2007. I always thought that they would be more accurate in measuring than computes were but no one is perfect. The article about the way referees moved on the field intriuged me. I never knew that refs moved diagonally ti better their chances to observing an attack. Players are less likely to get away with a foul because if the preference.
Amazing that a modern household cat can be so lethal with just one bite. That cat can very well take down a saber-tooth cat! I saw saber-tooth as mean and so powerful with their enormous teeth that one bite can sever a prey. i alwys thoughtthat their teeth were their main weapon but i was proven wrong. they have strong muscular arms that are used to immobilize prey.
As we all know, science is always changing. This fundamental characteristic of science is evident in the recent discovery that the proton is much smaller than what was thought previously. Even though in our eyes the difference is infinitesimal, this change in radius has a great effect on many of the existing theories of quantum mechanics. The change in proton size surprises many scientists as they are still unable to fully understand how such a discrepancy could occur, even after examining four decades of previous measurements. In my opinion, this discovery ensures that science is working the way it's supposed to be working. Sure, this discovery may change the theories of quantum mechanics but change is inevitable in the field of science.
In regards to the claim that "sinister motion" might bias soccer refs, I never really thought that being accustomed to a certain direction of motion could influence your perception in other situations, but I guess that's the power of psychology. Even though most of us do not see it, habits and tendencies learned from a young age really do affect our actions, even in the smallest ways.
If someone were to ask me what I thought was the saber-toothed tiger's deadliest weapon, I would naturally say the teeth. However, after reading this article, it really surprises me to know that the cats' teeth are in fact not their greatest weapons. To offset their highly vulnerable teeth, the forelimbs of the cats are the main weapon to capture their prey. The cats' repeated use of the limbs in order to hunt result in stronger limbs, allowing the cats to obtain food more easily (related to Darwin's survival of the fittest theory).
I had never heard of sinister motion before reading the article, but it does seem that it could be having an effect on soccer referees. Looking at the pictures the article provided, I did find the one on the right to look more like a foul than the one on the left, as, according to the article, most people who read from left to right do. I think if more studies are done and the results all coincide with this one, more people, including the referees will begin to take note and some changes may be made. I also found it interesting that saber tooth tigers captured their prey with their arms, instead of grabbing them with their teeth. The first thing most people notice when looking at pictures of the tigers is their large and extremely intimidating teeth, so you would never expect them to be as fragile as scientists have discovered they actually were. This probably threw off the menacing cats’ prey, giving them more of an advantage.
The article about the Saber Tooth Cat was extremely interesting to hear. When one thinks of Saber Tooth Cats, the image of a massive, strong feline with strong canines comes to mind. I have always believed the misconception that these cats relied heavily on their canines. Upon reading the article, I was surprised to see that the forelimbs were used to pin down their prey. Because of the shape and composition of their canines, these cats had to learn to learn to survive and adapt to their surroundings by using their forelimbs.
In response to the World Cup incident, it is often difficult to see all that goes on during the matches. I'm not defending the referee; the foul was extremely blatant and De Jong deserved a Red Card for the offense. I was especially surprised that the referee did not give him a red card because the referee was throwing out many yellow cards throughout the game.
It's fascinating how the components of the proton, which had been discovered centuries ago, could still be changing today. Even though it was only as little as a 4% change, this shows that technology is still growing and proves science is changing as well. However, because it's a 4% difference, I doubt there is a drastic change. The patterns protons choose to move in should not be affected greatly.
Because I'm not a huge soccer fan, and I rarely kept up with the World Cup games, the soccer article did not really interest me. Nonetheless, the mention of "Sinister Motion" still caught my eye. I often though referees just watch the game like the audience watches the game; without a certain pattern. But the left and right reading seems to make sense because referees must be able to watch every aspect that is going on during the game, not only where the ball is.
Lastly, the saber-tooth tiger article really caught my interest. Of course, this animal that is twice or even three times my weight seems life-threatening. However, i was extremely surprised that the teeth of this big canine was weak. Then again, some people would never notice this because of the saber-tooth's massive muscular arms that can bring down almost any prey.
Shrinking Proton: I thought the article was very interesting. The fact that the proton has "shrunk" by 0.00000000000003 would be something that I would overlook because it's such a small number. But then I have to remember the proton is tiny so this very small number actually makes a HUGE difference. It's also interesting to read that there could be undetected particles that affect the atom's interactions. This reminds me that although my chem book last year was large and had a lot of information, it's not even close to containing everything about the world. So much is still unexplained like the shrinking of the proton. There are so many new possibilities in the world and so much to discover. This article is also the first time I have heard about the muon. The experiment the scientists ran with the muon and the lasers reminded me of the gold foil experiment by Rutherford.
Saber-tooth Tiger: When I think about a saber-tooth, the first thing that pops into my mind are the tiger's massive teeth. I always thought that was the source of all the deaths of its prey. Now I learn that their teeth are not as tough as a rock but as delicate as a toothpick. But if I think about it, the fact that it's forelimbs are so strong makes sense. How else would the saber-tooth have taken the "kill bite" if the pray was not restrained somehow. It's logical that the tiger held its prey down with his forelimbs. This article makes me realize the facts that I dismiss because I don't think about it seeing that it common sense.
I found the proton article especially interesting because I am currently taking physics, and if I've learned anything in Physics, it's that accuracy matters. The answer that my friend gets could be completely different from the answer that I got, just because of rounding. The proton is part of every science so even though 4% is usually not lot, it means something in the science world.
I also found the the article on sinister motion interesting because the direction you read affects your perception of thinsg competely unrelated to reading. It's things like this that make me realize that humans will probably never fully understand their own brains. However, i was intrigued so I told my dad about this phenomenon and then showed him the pictures in the article. He actually said that he found the player going left to right seemed more sinister. Then I asked my brother his opinion without telling him about the phenomenon, and he said the player going right to left seemed more aggressive. I don't exactly know what that means, but I do know that it is interesting.
The article about the saber-tooth was ironic. I would assume that since the animal is named the saber-TOOTH tiger, it would have powerful TEETH. This article completely disproved my assumptions and surprised me. I also assumed that it would be a formidable predator, but at least that assumption is right.
I found the article about the saber-tooth tiger to be interesting and reminds me back to when we learned about evolution. When I visualized the jaguar's ancestor, I always saw the intimidating huge teeth of the animal. The large teeth had me assuming they (the teeth) were the main advantage these predators had over their prey. The article on this particular topic, however, states that the true strong point of the saber-tooth tiger came from its unusally thick forelimbs rather than their vulnerable teeth. This came as a complete surprise to me- as the animal's name suggests. Although, I can believe this discovery from what I have seen with the cats of present-day. The way cats today hunt for their prey in the wild portrays much muscle in their forelimbs (the cheetah for example). The jaguar, having similar characteristics of the cheetah and other such cats, could also have had an ancestor carrying such a feature. Therefore, I found this article to be quite believable yet surprising as to the fact that the saber-tooth tiger was vulnerable in its teeth due to their oval-shaped cross sections. From one viewpoint, it's a slight contradiction to its name.
A few of my closest friends are soccer players, so the article "sinister motion" caught my attention. I found it interesting that the direction of motion could actually affect ones judgement. Honestly, it only caught my attention because after reading the long article on the proton, i needed some exciting sport information to wake me up. No rudeness intended.
I actually have a pet saber toothed tiger, soo the article about why one should never arm wrestle a saber toothed tiger was old news to me. Its crazy how experts can simply see a new idea, like the saber toothed tigers having strong forearms, and get so much from it. I don't see how that beast couldn't just give their prey a heart attack and kill it that way.
But really, the idea of their teeth fracturing and their forearms gaining more muscle and stronger bones is indeed a sign of evolution..no?
I found the article about protons shrinking in size rather surprising. It is amazing that scientists who have been executing experiments involving subatomic particles for years have just now realized that the proton shrunk in size. For us, this is merely just a minute part of our lives. Now, most of us worry about our future plans. But to scientists, this is a big deal. I agree with Shaena when she says that she felt relieved and secure after reading this article. It feels good to know that there are people out there discovering changes in our world. With more accurate calculations, we can further our study of different particles and advance to different levels. If I was the scientist to discover this, I would not believe the discovery, at first thinking I did something wrong. As said in the article, "It could be that an error was made,..." It was also interesting to read about the electron's cousin, the muon. Hopefully, with this new discovery, new theories can be tested and others corrected. Change is inevitable in every subject so this new piece of information is not shocking, but the fact that scientists did not discover this fact earlier is surprising.
In regards to the World Cup article, I found it interesting that the referees care about the direction in which the players are moving. I always had a suspicion that the referees were being biased against certain teams although if they were, they wouldn't be the referees. I could see how the referees would call right-to-left attacks more often, but I do not think this is fair. As for the video, when I was watching the World Cup and this occurred, I immediately jumped up and called a red, but the referee thought otherwise. Clearly, it was a red; i think that they should have a video replay for each yellow and red card given.
I found the saber-toothed cat article fascinating because instead of their canines, they use their forelimbs for pinning their prey. After reading this article, I thought of the alligator. When in Florida, I found out that alligators use their teeth to catch their prey. Since they cannot chew, they swallow the prey. I didn't know that their teeth were not used for chewing. Just like humans, when you use a specific part of your body more and more, it grows stronger and larger. When we go to the gym to "work out", we do so to strengthen specific muscles. Saber-tooth cats, since they can't catch prey with their sensitive canines, use their forelimbs; just like working out,this part of the body develops and strengthens, unlike that of the conical-toothed cat. It was also surprising to learn that their canines are delicate, rather than robust.
when i read the article about the saber-toothed tiger, i was impressed greatly. and agreed with Ariel. i honestly thought that these "cats" used their forlegs just as much as their teeth. although it seems like they step on their prey until it dies and then use their teeth to eat it. well, it seems like if you wrestled a saber-toothed tiger and went for its legs you might have a chance and knocking it down... but, right after you will experience the strength of those forlegs as soon as the animal knocks you down =P
Shrinking proton article-
This article fascinated me because it made me wonder how scientists are able to figure out that such a small object is 0.00000000000003 millimeters smaller than its actual size when it was already difficult to measure in the first place. Also, before reading this article, i would have thought it was physically impossible to measure the radius of a proton because i did not know what a muon is. This is the first time I have heard about a muon. I learned something new!
World Cup Article:
It was interesting to find out that the referees actually pay attention to the movement of the players and make calls based on whether they stumbled left-right or right-left. I never would have thought they would have used that as a bias in soccer.
Saber tooth:
Originally, I thought that almost all animals use mainly their teeth to attack their pray. After reading this article, I learned that saber tooth tigers actually have strong limbs/arms which benefit them and give them an advantage when it comes to hunting and attacking other organisms
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