Mercury causes homosexuality in male ibises

The mercury is starting to affect some of this birds' views by causing males to pair up with other males.

American white ibises (Eudocimus albus) from south Florida that consumed methylmercury (MeHg), the most toxic and easily absorbed form of mercury found in the environment, were more likely to engage in same-sex pairings — a phenomenon unknown in wild populations of this species with no exposure to the pollutant.

Peter Frederick, an ecologist at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and his colleagues collected 160 white ibis nestlings from breeding colonies in south Florida in 2005, and split them into four groups, each composed of 20 males and 20 females. Once the birds were 90 days old, the researchers began adding methylmercury to their feed. Three of the groups were given low, medium or high doses of mercury based on levels ranging from 0.05–0.3 parts per million recorded in the wild, while the fourth group were given no mercury. Over the next three years, the researchers measured mercury levels in the feathers and blood of the ibises, and observed their mating behaviour. - http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101201/full/news.2010.641.html

What I understand from this information is that mercury is affecting this birds, they are consuming methylmercury (MeHg), and it is the most toxic and easily absorbed form of mercury found in the environmen. So the male birds are pairing up with other male birds, and that may affect the reproduction of this birds. For many people this may not be something that affect them, but it really does because if this birds stop reproducing then their predators won't have something to eat and they will also die, etc. etc. the food chain will change for bad and that would affect us!

How Brain Is Wired for Attention

University of Utah (U of U) medical researchers have uncovered a wiring diagram
that shows how the brain pays attention to visual, cognitive, sensory, and motor cues.
The research provides a critical foundation for the study of abnormalities in attention that
can be seen in many brain disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder.

"This study is the first of its kind to show how the brain switches attention from one feature to the next," says lead researcher Jeffery S. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., U of U assistant professor of radiology. Anderson and his team used MRI to study a part of the brain known as the intraparietal sulcus. "The brain is organized into territories, sort of like a map of Europe. There are visual regions, regions that process sound and areas that process sensory and motor information. In between all these areas is the intraparietal sulcus, which is known to be a key area for processing attention," Anderson says. "We discovered that the intraparietal sulcus contains a miniature map of all of these territories. We also found an organized pattern for how control regions of the brain connect to this map in the intraparietal sulcus. These connections help our brain switch its attention from one thing to another."

In addition, scientists discovered that this miniature map of all the things one can pay attention to is reproduced in at least 13 other places in the brain. They found connections between these duplicate maps and the intraparietal sulcus. Each copy appears to do something different with the information. For instance, one map processes eye movements while another processes analytical information. This map of the world that allows us to pay attention may be a fundamental building block for how information is represented in the brain.

This article is a very interesting one, because I have always been interested in how the brain function, and I have been reflecting in every single detail, when I move a finger it is because my brain is making it do it, and I always think to my self how can the brain function that fast. So this group of scientists discovered a wiring diagram that shows how the brain pays attention and that is really cool.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101101151724.htm

Planet May Be First Truly Habitable Exoplanet

ScienceDaily (Sep. 29, 2010)
A team of planet hunters led by astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet (three times the mass of Earth) orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star's "habitable zone," where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, this would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and the first strong case for a potentially habitable one.

I consider this article very interesting because this observers found a planet that its Earth's size but three times heavier, and liquid can exist in the planet's surface, this planet is really similar to the one we all live, this is a really cool discovery. What they found is based on 11 years of observation at an Observatory in Hawaii.

In my opinion wanting to learn about things that are not going to affect my life necessarily is not a waste of time, it is being an inquirer, wanting to learn more than what is needed and that is really important because there are so many things that are happening outside your window that you will really want to know. I love to think beyond my knowledge!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100929170503.htm

Cool Space Photo!

This is a composite image of the active galaxy M82 from infrared observations by Spitzer Space Telecope in three wavelength bands coded in red (longest wavelength), green, and blue (shortest wavelengths).

NASA/JPL-Caltech/C. Engelbracht (University of Arizona)

'Two moons' on Friday night?

It is claimed that Mars (pictured) will appear so large in the sky on Aug. 27 that it will look as if Earth has two moons.

NASA

This Friday, August 27, the planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky, will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. On August 27, when Mars is at 34.65 miles from Earth at 12:30 AM, will look as if the earth had two moons. The next time Mars may come so close is in 2287. No one that is alive now will see Mars so close again.

In relative terms, the moon Friday night will be roughly 400 times larger than Mars will appear.In astro-speak, Mars will have an apparent diameter of about 4.4 arcseconds. The moon, by contrast, will have an apparent diameter of about 29.5 arcminutes. While those units aren't something most people use every day, you can get an intuitive grasp by thinking in terms of time. Twenty-nine minutes is substantially longer than four seconds.

Although two moons is not on Earth's astronomical agenda Friday night, by all means, check out the evening sky anyway.

- http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0826/Two-moons-on-Friday-night-It-s-a-bogus-claim-about-Mars
- Black Berry Messenger News

Safety Steps for Doing a Cake!

Safety Steps

1.) If you have a long hair you have to tie it with a pony tale so hairs don't get in the cake.

2.) You need to wash your hands! (Extremely Important) and use an apron so you don't get dirty.

3.)You need to read the instructions carefully because every bag has a different way of doing it.

4.)It is recommendable to use the exact measurements said on the instructions.

5.)You need to mix all the ingredients.

6.)After doing all the mixing wrapped up you need to put the oven at a 350 F and let it heat for
10 mins (you may need the help of an adult.)

7.)Carefully put the cake in and wait 35 mins.

8.)When the oven rings, like it is over, you should get some gloves and take it out (you can get an adult to take the cake out because it may be very hot.)

9.)After taking out the cake wait a few minutes so it cools down and wash all the supplies you used.

10.)It is important to leave the cake where small kids cannot reach it because they can get burned.

How to bake a Betty Crocker Cake

1.) If you buy a Betty Crocker Cake it will result easier because the instructions are clear.

2.) You need to have a bowl and put in the flour, the flour includes a lot of things so be careful not to add more.

3.)You need 3 eggs, 1 1/3 cups of water, 1/3 cup of oil, and the Betty Crocker flour.

4.) You need to mix it very well or you can put it in one of those automatic machines that mix things and you put the mixture in a special recipe for cakes but before putting it in the recipe you need to paint it with butter so the cake doesn't get stuck when it is ready.

5.) You put your oven at 350 degrees C and wait a little while, then you put the cake inside and

you wait for aprox. 35 mins.

6.) Then it should be done! And wait so it cools down..