A new hangover cure?
July 31, 2009
Maybe. A new study published in Journal of Food Science reports that the amino acids and minerals found in asparagus may help fight the oxidative stress associated with liver damage after drinking alcohol, and two key enzymes in alcohol metabolism were upregulated by more than 2-fold when treated extracts from the leaves and shoots. Hey, whatever works, right?
Manipulative kitty-cats
July 14, 2009
It’s a bit of a stretch but an interesting theory nonetheless: house cats simultaneously produce a meow and a purr in order to get their owners to feed them. According to the authors of a new study in Current Biology, a straight meow would annoy the owner and result in the banishment of the cat altogether, while just a purr signifies contentment, which would not succeed in getting any food. Instead, embedding the cry for help within a contented purr is the most effective way to get fed. Like I said, a bit of a stretch, but I wouldn’t necessarily put it past the creative arm of evolution.
Fire: friend or foe?
July 8, 2009
The control of fire was such a significant step in the evolution of man that is easy to forget that it existed long before any man-like creature took shape. In fact, fire existed ever since the first land plants evolved — or more than 400 millions years ago. In a recent post on her blog The Wild Side, Olivia Judson raises some interesting questions about the ways in which plants have evolved to deal with naturally-caused fires, or even start them. Yes, start them. There are indeed many species of plants that need fires for their existence. Many plants also have flammable oils, resins, and gums inside their leaves and branches. So the question is: Are these flammable materials an adaptation for the promotion of forest fires? Are these plants also evolving the ability to survive such events of mass destruction and then “setting” fires to spread their seeds and burn out their competition? The one piece of evidence in support of this spiteful theory — that of fire resistant plants encouraging the initiation and propagation of natural fires — comes from pines, in which those that retain their dead branches longer, and are therefore more flammable, also have fire-triggered seed release. As Judson points out, this is hardly proof of arson, but the question remains: are the trees evolving to start fires?
