Watch our for the fish with the big ears—because there may be high concentrations of carbon dioxide!
It’s really weird to hear about fish having big ears because of carbon dioxide. But it is true. This is like hearing that we get a bloated stomach after inhaling too much carbon dioxide gas.
Recent new findings have shown that the ears of fish get bigger and bigger due to acidic sea waters. Sea waters become acidic after absorbing increasing levels of carbon dioxide.
Yes, carbon dioxide has an effect on fish ears, which are actually structured inside their bodies. Ever heard of ‘otolith’? It is actually the name of the fish’s ear structure.
So why does a fish’ ears grow bigger after inhaling a fair amount of carbon dioxide? Well, for one thing, no one knows for sure. But scientists are not saying that BIG ears are bad for the fish, really.
Our humankind went through an evolutionary process since millions and millions of years ago. We really look different back then. Our ancestors may have facial features which look extremely different than we have today.
I wonder how I got that huge bump on my ankle (which has been there for ages). It must have been genetically passed down from my big-bump-ankle ancestor.
And even animals went through evolution. Remember Charles Dawrin? He was responsible for coming up with the theory that living things change physically to adapt to their new environment.
Such as short-necked tortoises which went through evolution to have longer necks to reach for food from tall plants.
And snakes actually descended from a line of the lizard species. They somehow lost their limbs so they were able to glide easily to hunt for food or to move around.
The same thing goes for this fishes with BIG ears. Maybe they need to evolve at some point in response to the threat of carbon dioxide.
I seriously don’t know how BIG ears can work in that case, but they’re definitely there for some reason.
Let’s leave it to the scientists to uncover this intriguing mystery of the fish with the big ears.
When the truth has been unveiled, we’re definitely all EARS for that.
For more news on the mystery of the big-eared fish, go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_on_sc/us_sci_size_matters;_ylt=AorwXJOSrTh6R2AuX6bpZ2EPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJraXExbHY1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNjI1L3VzX3NjaV9zaXplX21hdHRlcnMEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3N1cnByaXNlZmlzaA--
我们发现鱼儿也拥有大耳朵，有可能是因为高浓度含量的二氧化碳所致！
你一定觉得奇怪吧!鱼类因为二氧化碳的缘故而有了一双大耳朵。但这是真的。这就好比我们可能吸入了太多二氧化碳的气体，而使肚子膨胀起来。
最近有新发现显示，鱼的耳朵越来越大是由于酸性的海水导致的。海水吸收了过多的二氧化碳，就会产生酸性。
是的，二氧化碳影响着鱼类的耳朵，这实际上是它们身体内部的结构。你可曾听说过“内耳石”？这确实是鱼的内耳结构的名字。
为什么鱼儿吸入大量的二氧化碳后，它的耳朵会变大呢？关于这一点，没有人能完全解答它。但科学家们并没有表明大耳朵对鱼类是不好的。
我们人类自千百万年前就经历了一个演化过程。我们已经和前人有所不同。我们祖先的容貌特征和我们现今的样子非常不同。
我不知道我脚踝上的大肿块何时就存在了，它必定是遗传自和我同样拥有大肿块的脚踝的祖先。
甚至连动物也经历了演化过程。你还记得查尔斯•达尔文吗？他提出物竞天择的理论，生物的物种会转变以适应新的环境。
比如短颈龟，在经历了演化过程后，会转变成长脖子，以便能从高大的植物获取食物。
而蛇类实际上是源自于蜥蜴物种。它们由于某种未知的原因失去了四肢，却也能轻松地滑行以寻找食物或四处走动。
同样的事情也发生在这类拥有大耳朵的鱼身上。也许它们因为受到二氧化碳的威胁而需要进化形成这些特点。
我真的不知道大耳朵会引起那样的情况，但它们肯定存在着某种原因。
我们就将这个问题交给科学家，让他们去解开大耳鱼的神秘谜团吧。
当真相被揭开时，我们将会清楚地了解所有耳朵的秘密。
欲了解更多有关神秘的大耳鱼的消息，可以浏览以下的网址： http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_on_sc/us_sci_size_matters;_ylt=AorwXJOSrTh6R2AuX6bpZ2EPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJraXExbHY1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNjI1L3VzX3NjaV9zaXplX21hdHRlcnMEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3N1cnByaXNlZmlzaA--
Friday, June 26, 2009
A Bang of Revelation 大爆炸启示录
Ok. What I am going to say is going to make you reel—with a certain shock.That is, if you haven’t known that our universe used to be just one tiny dot!
Yes, it is.
Our large, humongous universe used to be the size of a dot! How can this be, you may ask? I mean, how can we all live in one tiny dot? That just sounds like a tall tale, like something out of a science fiction. Whether if you want to believe or not, it’s real!
At least, billions and billions of years ago.Yup, that’s right.
Got a ‘bang’ of surprise?
The big bang theory assumes that our universe expanded 10 to 20 billion years ago from just a tiny dot. That tiny dot is actually a condensed form of matter, which exploded and slowly expanded…..
…to what we have today—a big, BIG universe!
When the explosion happened, matters move rapidly outwards, causing the universe to expand. Even right now, the universe is expanding.It took 20 billion years for our universe to be this size it is today!
If only we can just simply create our own new Utopian world, with just one tiny dot from scratch.
请注意听了，我接下来要说的事，将会令你感到很大的震撼。你知道吗？我们的宇宙曾经只不过是个微小的点！
是的，这千真万确。
我们巨大无比的宇宙只有斑点般的大小！你或许会觉得这怎么可能啊？我的意思是，我们如何生活在这样一个微小的点上呢？这简直就是天方夜谭的事，像科幻小说想像出来的情节般。不论你相信与否，它确实是真的！
至少，在数百亿年前，我们的宇宙的确是如此。
是否很震惊呢？
根据大爆炸理论，我们的宇宙在100至200亿年前从一个小点扩大膨胀到现在巨大的状态。科学家认为，这微小的点实际上是一个引力奇点，即“大爆炸”的起始点，一经爆炸后，就慢慢扩大……
直到今天，就形成了一个非常巨大的宇宙！
当大爆炸发生时，这一引力奇点迅速向外膨胀，造成宇宙不断扩大。即使是现在，宇宙仍然持续变大。我们的宇宙经过了两百亿年后才形成现今的模样！
但愿我们也可从一个小点，就能轻易地创造属于自己的新乌托邦世界。
Yes, it is.
Our large, humongous universe used to be the size of a dot! How can this be, you may ask? I mean, how can we all live in one tiny dot? That just sounds like a tall tale, like something out of a science fiction. Whether if you want to believe or not, it’s real!
At least, billions and billions of years ago.Yup, that’s right.
Got a ‘bang’ of surprise?
The big bang theory assumes that our universe expanded 10 to 20 billion years ago from just a tiny dot. That tiny dot is actually a condensed form of matter, which exploded and slowly expanded…..
…to what we have today—a big, BIG universe!
When the explosion happened, matters move rapidly outwards, causing the universe to expand. Even right now, the universe is expanding.It took 20 billion years for our universe to be this size it is today!
If only we can just simply create our own new Utopian world, with just one tiny dot from scratch.
请注意听了，我接下来要说的事，将会令你感到很大的震撼。你知道吗？我们的宇宙曾经只不过是个微小的点！
是的，这千真万确。
我们巨大无比的宇宙只有斑点般的大小！你或许会觉得这怎么可能啊？我的意思是，我们如何生活在这样一个微小的点上呢？这简直就是天方夜谭的事，像科幻小说想像出来的情节般。不论你相信与否，它确实是真的！
至少，在数百亿年前，我们的宇宙的确是如此。
是否很震惊呢？
根据大爆炸理论，我们的宇宙在100至200亿年前从一个小点扩大膨胀到现在巨大的状态。科学家认为，这微小的点实际上是一个引力奇点，即“大爆炸”的起始点，一经爆炸后，就慢慢扩大……
直到今天，就形成了一个非常巨大的宇宙！
当大爆炸发生时，这一引力奇点迅速向外膨胀，造成宇宙不断扩大。即使是现在，宇宙仍然持续变大。我们的宇宙经过了两百亿年后才形成现今的模样！
但愿我们也可从一个小点，就能轻易地创造属于自己的新乌托邦世界。
Thursday, June 11, 2009
"Invincible" Woodpeckers “无敌”啄木鸟
Try crushing your nose onto the wall a few times (strongly not recommended!).
Okay. There’s high probability that your nose would go flat or the bridge of your nose would be crushed.
So you really do not want to do that, seriously. But God is really (and I mean REALLY) good to woodpeckers. Wanna know why?
When a woodpecker slams its nose onto a tree trunk repeatedly at 7 meters per second, you would the woodpecker to drop dead due to blunt force trauma. Especially when that kind of slamming is over 1000 times the force of gravity. But no … the woodpecker is still okay! Amazing, isn’t it?
Now why on earth makes woodpecker’s beak so “invincible”? Well, for one thing, woodpeckers have small brains. Now that doesn’t mean that they are stupid. No, it doesn’t mean that. Because their brains are relatively small inside their skull, this prevents them from moving too much inside the skull. So their brains are sort of “intact” and safe.
If you’ve ever seen a human brain (from a chart or some science reference), you would see that our brains have those folds and they look like tangled strings of noodles. In other words, we have “unsmooth” brains. But woodpeckers’ brains have smooth surfaces. With a high surface area, the impact force exerted on the area can reduced, thus, preventing injuries.
And it helps to have cerebrospinal fluid in your brain. Woodpeckers have just that! This special fluid helps reduce shock waves to the brain!
If your trees need pecking, you’ll know WHO to look for.
你可以尝试用鼻子撞击墙壁（但最好还是不要这么做哦！）。
你的鼻子将很有可能会被撞扁或碎裂。
因此，你还是不要这样做比较好。但是，啄木鸟却是受上帝眷顾的。你想知道为什么吗？
啄木鸟每秒７公尺重复用鼻子撞上树干，如果你是啄木鸟，这种猛烈的创伤将会使人致死。尤其这种撞击方式还超过了1000倍的重力。可是，啄木鸟却仍然完好无恙！非常惊人呢，是不是？
为什么啄木鸟的喙如此“无敌”？那是因为啄木鸟拥有一个小脑袋，但这并不表示它们是愚笨的。因为它们的大脑比头骨小，海绵状的厚头骨能保护大脑不受撞击。因此，它们的大脑是“完整无损”和安全的。
如果你曾在图表或一些科学参考书看过人脑，你会发现我们的大脑是有皱褶的，而且看起来像是缠绕的面条。这也就是说，我们具有“不平滑”的大脑。但是啄木鸟的大脑却具有光滑的表面。由于具有高的表面积，所以能减少许多撞击力，可以防止受伤。
我们大脑中的脑脊液，啄木鸟也有！这特殊的透明流体有助于减少大脑受到冲击！
如果你需要啄树，你会知道要找谁帮忙。
Okay. There’s high probability that your nose would go flat or the bridge of your nose would be crushed.
So you really do not want to do that, seriously. But God is really (and I mean REALLY) good to woodpeckers. Wanna know why?
When a woodpecker slams its nose onto a tree trunk repeatedly at 7 meters per second, you would the woodpecker to drop dead due to blunt force trauma. Especially when that kind of slamming is over 1000 times the force of gravity. But no … the woodpecker is still okay! Amazing, isn’t it?
Now why on earth makes woodpecker’s beak so “invincible”? Well, for one thing, woodpeckers have small brains. Now that doesn’t mean that they are stupid. No, it doesn’t mean that. Because their brains are relatively small inside their skull, this prevents them from moving too much inside the skull. So their brains are sort of “intact” and safe.
If you’ve ever seen a human brain (from a chart or some science reference), you would see that our brains have those folds and they look like tangled strings of noodles. In other words, we have “unsmooth” brains. But woodpeckers’ brains have smooth surfaces. With a high surface area, the impact force exerted on the area can reduced, thus, preventing injuries.
And it helps to have cerebrospinal fluid in your brain. Woodpeckers have just that! This special fluid helps reduce shock waves to the brain!
If your trees need pecking, you’ll know WHO to look for.
你可以尝试用鼻子撞击墙壁（但最好还是不要这么做哦！）。
你的鼻子将很有可能会被撞扁或碎裂。
因此，你还是不要这样做比较好。但是，啄木鸟却是受上帝眷顾的。你想知道为什么吗？
啄木鸟每秒７公尺重复用鼻子撞上树干，如果你是啄木鸟，这种猛烈的创伤将会使人致死。尤其这种撞击方式还超过了1000倍的重力。可是，啄木鸟却仍然完好无恙！非常惊人呢，是不是？
为什么啄木鸟的喙如此“无敌”？那是因为啄木鸟拥有一个小脑袋，但这并不表示它们是愚笨的。因为它们的大脑比头骨小，海绵状的厚头骨能保护大脑不受撞击。因此，它们的大脑是“完整无损”和安全的。
如果你曾在图表或一些科学参考书看过人脑，你会发现我们的大脑是有皱褶的，而且看起来像是缠绕的面条。这也就是说，我们具有“不平滑”的大脑。但是啄木鸟的大脑却具有光滑的表面。由于具有高的表面积，所以能减少许多撞击力，可以防止受伤。
我们大脑中的脑脊液，啄木鸟也有！这特殊的透明流体有助于减少大脑受到冲击！
如果你需要啄树，你会知道要找谁帮忙。
Flat "Pancakes" 珊瑚礁变成“薄饼”了
While we are shamelessly grabbing snacks from CFC-producing refrigerators, or riding in a carbon monoxide-emitting cars, coral reefs are dying somewhere out there in our world.
And it’s all because of climate change.
Yup. Due to climate change, a multi-layered structure of Caribbean coral reefs are flattened like pancakes (ok, not really, but you get the idea) on the seabed. That’s how horrible it is.
Coral reefs are really important. Sure, they look beautiful and stuff, but they actually DO more than that! Coral reefs provide homes to fish, and act as a barrier against hurricanes and storms. Coastal villages can be protected from tidal surges and storm waves.
And the really sad thing is that if you were to dive in the Caribbean seas, you would see about THREE QUARTERS of flattened coral reefs scattered on the reef area! That would seriously be a horrible sight for scuba divers who want to relish the beauty of undersea beauty!
Fishing communities will be badly affected as marine creatures of commercial importance such as lobsters cannot find refuge in coral reefs anymore. This is because coral reefs also provide hunting areas for fishermen to catch large fish.
However, not all the “destruction” of coral reefs are attributed to climate change. Coral reefs get sick too, you know. Yup, diseases can also kill coral reefs.
And even tiny organisms have STRESS! Can you believe that? Stress is one of the factors that make coral reefs join the coffin team. That is because tiny organisms which are responsible for building coral reefs will abandon their colonies if they get STRESSED! Yup, it could be the uncomfortable climate change. This kind of damage is known as “coral bleaching”.
But we can’t blame that. It’s not like these organisms are getting their paycheck.
The only way we can SAVE coral reefs now is to change the way we do things as humans and strive to find ways to reduce pollution which contribute to climate change. As individuals, we can start by carpooling, which reduces car use. Which in turn reduces the emission of carbon monoxide.
Recycling is also IMPORTANT. Remember, the more you recycle (especially paper), trees will thank you for preventing chainsaws from rapidly cutting them for paper manufacturing. The more trees we have, the air will be cleaner and healthier.
These are several SMALL things we can do which can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE.
Yeah, I know. Big industrial factories emit toxic gases into the air every few seconds. I don’t expect you to run to the factory and start a mass picket.
No, I don’t.
Just do those small things. Every little effort helps. Read up more on ways to conserve to environment. Go to the library. Have a group talk with friends about the environment (and WAYS to save them of course).
And when you dive into the Caribbean one day, you won’t have to see ugly flat “pancakes”.
You can read more on the Caribbean coral reefs at: http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre55872w-us-climate-reefs/
当我们从产生氟氯化碳的冰箱拿取点心来吃，或坐在排放一氧化碳的汽车里的时候，珊瑚礁正在世界的某处慢慢死亡。
这都是因为气候变化的影响。
由于气候改变，一个多层次结构的加勒比海珊瑚礁，就在海底像薄饼一样被夷为平地（这当然不是真的，但你可以想像得到）。这是多么可怕。
珊瑚礁是非常重要的。它们是美丽的海洋生物栖息地，但它们的作用还不只如此！珊瑚礁提供鱼儿一个家，并且还能防止飓风和暴风雨伤害海洋生物。沿海村庄可以受到保护，免受潮汐和风浪的破坏。
使人伤心的是，如果你在加勒比海潜水，你将会看到约有四分之三平坦的珊瑚礁分布于珊瑚礁区！如果潜水员想要欣赏美丽的海底世界，他将会看到一个可怕的景象！
像龙虾这种具有重要经济利益的海洋生物，如果找不到珊瑚礁作为避难所，将会对渔业社群造成严重的影响。这是因为珊瑚礁也是渔民捕捞大型鱼类的捕猎区。
然而，不是全部的珊瑚礁都是被气候变化破坏的。珊瑚礁本身病了。疾病也可以杀死珊瑚礁。
共生藻类也有“压力”哦！你相信吗？“压力”是使珊瑚礁加入“死亡队伍”的其中一个原因。珊瑚体内的共生海藻会提供能量给珊瑚。但当它们有了“压力”而离开珊瑚时，就会使珊瑚白化，最终因失去营养供应而死；也有可能是全球暖化导致水温升高造成的。这种损害称为“珊瑚白化” 。
但这又不是它的错。它并没有得到什么回报。
我们现在唯一能救珊瑚礁的方式就是改变人们的行为，并努力寻找解决的方法，减少污染有助于改善气候变化。作为个人，我们可以开始共同乘车，减少使用汽车，就能减低排放一氧化碳。
回收也很重要。请记住，你越是回收（特别是纸），树木就会避免被砍伐来造纸，它们会感谢你的。我们拥有了更多的树木，空气就会更清新和健康。
这些都是我们可以做到的很多小事情，但却能有很大的改变。
大型工厂每隔几秒钟就排放有毒气体到空气中。我没有要你离开工厂，并开始大规模罢工。
不，我没有。
只需做好这些小事情。每一份小小的努力都有帮助。想了解更多关于保护环境的方法，可以去图书馆；也可以和朋友谈论生态环境的话题，以及如何拯救它们。
那么，当你有一天在加勒比海潜水时，你再也不会看见又丑又平的“薄饼”了。
如果你想阅读更多关于加勒比海珊瑚礁的资讯，请点选以下网址：
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre55872w-us-climate-reefs/
And it’s all because of climate change.
Yup. Due to climate change, a multi-layered structure of Caribbean coral reefs are flattened like pancakes (ok, not really, but you get the idea) on the seabed. That’s how horrible it is.
Coral reefs are really important. Sure, they look beautiful and stuff, but they actually DO more than that! Coral reefs provide homes to fish, and act as a barrier against hurricanes and storms. Coastal villages can be protected from tidal surges and storm waves.
And the really sad thing is that if you were to dive in the Caribbean seas, you would see about THREE QUARTERS of flattened coral reefs scattered on the reef area! That would seriously be a horrible sight for scuba divers who want to relish the beauty of undersea beauty!
Fishing communities will be badly affected as marine creatures of commercial importance such as lobsters cannot find refuge in coral reefs anymore. This is because coral reefs also provide hunting areas for fishermen to catch large fish.
However, not all the “destruction” of coral reefs are attributed to climate change. Coral reefs get sick too, you know. Yup, diseases can also kill coral reefs.
And even tiny organisms have STRESS! Can you believe that? Stress is one of the factors that make coral reefs join the coffin team. That is because tiny organisms which are responsible for building coral reefs will abandon their colonies if they get STRESSED! Yup, it could be the uncomfortable climate change. This kind of damage is known as “coral bleaching”.
But we can’t blame that. It’s not like these organisms are getting their paycheck.
The only way we can SAVE coral reefs now is to change the way we do things as humans and strive to find ways to reduce pollution which contribute to climate change. As individuals, we can start by carpooling, which reduces car use. Which in turn reduces the emission of carbon monoxide.
Recycling is also IMPORTANT. Remember, the more you recycle (especially paper), trees will thank you for preventing chainsaws from rapidly cutting them for paper manufacturing. The more trees we have, the air will be cleaner and healthier.
These are several SMALL things we can do which can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE.
Yeah, I know. Big industrial factories emit toxic gases into the air every few seconds. I don’t expect you to run to the factory and start a mass picket.
No, I don’t.
Just do those small things. Every little effort helps. Read up more on ways to conserve to environment. Go to the library. Have a group talk with friends about the environment (and WAYS to save them of course).
And when you dive into the Caribbean one day, you won’t have to see ugly flat “pancakes”.
You can read more on the Caribbean coral reefs at: http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre55872w-us-climate-reefs/
当我们从产生氟氯化碳的冰箱拿取点心来吃，或坐在排放一氧化碳的汽车里的时候，珊瑚礁正在世界的某处慢慢死亡。
这都是因为气候变化的影响。
由于气候改变，一个多层次结构的加勒比海珊瑚礁，就在海底像薄饼一样被夷为平地（这当然不是真的，但你可以想像得到）。这是多么可怕。
珊瑚礁是非常重要的。它们是美丽的海洋生物栖息地，但它们的作用还不只如此！珊瑚礁提供鱼儿一个家，并且还能防止飓风和暴风雨伤害海洋生物。沿海村庄可以受到保护，免受潮汐和风浪的破坏。
使人伤心的是，如果你在加勒比海潜水，你将会看到约有四分之三平坦的珊瑚礁分布于珊瑚礁区！如果潜水员想要欣赏美丽的海底世界，他将会看到一个可怕的景象！
像龙虾这种具有重要经济利益的海洋生物，如果找不到珊瑚礁作为避难所，将会对渔业社群造成严重的影响。这是因为珊瑚礁也是渔民捕捞大型鱼类的捕猎区。
然而，不是全部的珊瑚礁都是被气候变化破坏的。珊瑚礁本身病了。疾病也可以杀死珊瑚礁。
共生藻类也有“压力”哦！你相信吗？“压力”是使珊瑚礁加入“死亡队伍”的其中一个原因。珊瑚体内的共生海藻会提供能量给珊瑚。但当它们有了“压力”而离开珊瑚时，就会使珊瑚白化，最终因失去营养供应而死；也有可能是全球暖化导致水温升高造成的。这种损害称为“珊瑚白化” 。
但这又不是它的错。它并没有得到什么回报。
我们现在唯一能救珊瑚礁的方式就是改变人们的行为，并努力寻找解决的方法，减少污染有助于改善气候变化。作为个人，我们可以开始共同乘车，减少使用汽车，就能减低排放一氧化碳。
回收也很重要。请记住，你越是回收（特别是纸），树木就会避免被砍伐来造纸，它们会感谢你的。我们拥有了更多的树木，空气就会更清新和健康。
这些都是我们可以做到的很多小事情，但却能有很大的改变。
大型工厂每隔几秒钟就排放有毒气体到空气中。我没有要你离开工厂，并开始大规模罢工。
不，我没有。
只需做好这些小事情。每一份小小的努力都有帮助。想了解更多关于保护环境的方法，可以去图书馆；也可以和朋友谈论生态环境的话题，以及如何拯救它们。
那么，当你有一天在加勒比海潜水时，你再也不会看见又丑又平的“薄饼”了。
如果你想阅读更多关于加勒比海珊瑚礁的资讯，请点选以下网址：
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre55872w-us-climate-reefs/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
