Beaver facts and information

I have a keen interested on Beaver facts and just want to share this amazing information about to all of you

1. THEY USED TO BE GIANT

Although they didn’t have the characteristic flat tail, giant beavers of the Ice Age, known as “Castoroides,” looked remarkably similar to their modern descendants—just much, much bigger. They grew to be up to 8 feet long and 200 pounds and lived a semi-aquatic life.

2. THEY SECRETE A GOO THAT SMELLS LIKE VANILLA

In fact, it’s sometimes used in vanilla flavorings. Castoreum is a chemical compound that mostly comes from a beaver’s castor sacs, which are located under the tail. It is secreted as a brown slime that's about the consistency of molasses and smells like musky vanilla. It’s an FDA-approved natural flavoring.

3. THEIR DAMS CAN BE ENORMOUS

The world’s largest beaver dam stretches 850 meters deep in the thick wilderness of northern Alberta. It was discovered after being spotted on a satellite image in 2007, but scientists believe multiple generations of beavers have been working on the dam since the 1970s. Last September, explorer Rob Mark became the first person to ever reach the dam. Did you enjoy these animal facts?

4. BEAVERS ARE ROMANTICS AT HEART

Or at least they're monogamous. Dams are usually started by a young male looking for love or by a mated-for-life new couple. A whole beaver family will live in a single dam—mom, dad, young kids, and yearlings.

5. THEY ONCE TRAVELED BY PARACHUTE

In 1948, new human inhabitants of western Idaho began to clash with the local beaver population. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game wanted to put these threatened beavers in a nearby protected area, but they didn't know how to get them there. Elmo Heter of Idaho Fish and Game devised an ingenious solution: By using surplus parachutes from World War II, the department could drop boxes of beavers down from planes. After some careful calibrations, 76 beavers made the skydive into the basin, and all but one survived the fall. Do you want to check out our long and rich source of tigers facts in your spare time?

6. BEAVERS DO NOT BITE OFF THEIR OWN TESTICLES

This one may sound obvious, but up until the 1100s, people thought that beavers did. The myth originated in ancient Egypt and reappeared in the bestiaries of medieval Europe. The story went that beavers knew hunters were after them for the valuable castoreum oil in their testicles. This myth was not terribly difficult to disprove, largely because beaver testicles do not hang outside their bodies.

7. BEAVERS' FRONT TEETH ARE ORANGE

And not just because they have terrible dental hygiene. To gnaw through tree trunks, they need extra-strong teeth. Fortunately, their tooth enamel contains iron, which makes them incredibly strong, sharp, and orange. Because the orange enamel on the front of their teeth wears away more slowly than the white dentin on the back, a beaver’s teeth self-sharpen as he chews on trees.

8. DAMS HELP THEM AVOID ICE

Beavers build dams for a myriad of reasons, and one is so that the lake behind it will grow deep enough to ensure it doesn’t freeze all the way through during the winter. This bit of temperature control is especially crucial because beavers anchor a food cache to the bottom of the lake to serve as sustenance during the cold months.

9. THEY HAVE MULTI-PURPOSE TAILS

A beaver’s oversized leathery tail, which can grow up to 15 inches long and six inches wide, has uses both on land and in the water. While swimming, the beaver uses his tail as a rudder or as a siren by slapping it against the water to warn other beavers of a predator. On dry land, the tail acts a prop to allow the beaver to sit upright or as a counterbalance so he doesn’t tip over while carrying heavy supplies in his teeth.

10. ENGLAND'S BEAVERS ARE BACK?

Until recently, the last mention of a beaver sighting in England came in 1789 when a bounty was paid for a beaver head in Yorkshire. By that point, the once prolific beaver had dwindled due to over-hunting for their valuable pelts and medicinal glands. For several hundred years, the species disappeared from Great Britain, and it was assumed they’d gone extinct. Last year, a retired environmental scientist documented a family of beavers living near his home, but now the rodents are causing a controversy. Although beavers are also making a comeback on the continent—after numbers dwindled to just 1,200 the population is now estimated around 300,000—British officials are concerned the ecosystem has changed too much to accommodate them.

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Science facts for kids about light

Reading and enjoying these following random facts about science facts for kids about light

The speed of light in a vacuum stands at exactly 299,792,458 metres per second. The reason today we can put an exact figure on it is because the speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant that has been measured with lasers; and when an experiment involves lasers, it’s hard to argue with the results. As to why it comes out somewhat conspicuously as a whole number, this is no coincidence- the length of metre is defined using this constant: “the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299,792,458 of a second.”

Prior to a few hundred years ago, it was generally agreed or at least assumed that the speed of light was infinite, when in actuality it’s just really, really, really fast, for reference, the lightspeed is just slightly slower than the fastest thing in the known universe, a teenage girl’s response time if Justin Bieber were to say on Twitter, “The first to reply to this tweet will be my new girlfriend.”

The first known person to question the whole “speed of light is infinite” thing was the 5th century BC philosopher Empedocles. Less than a century later, Aristotle would disagree with Empedocles and the argument continued for more than 2,000 years after.

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One of the first prominent individuals to actually come up with a tangible experiment to test whether light had a speed was Dutch Scientist, Isaac Beeckman in 1629. Despite living in a time before lasers- which gives me the chills just thinking about- Beeckman understood that, lacking lasers, the basis of any good scientific experiment should always involve explosions of some kind; thus, his experiment involved detonating gunpowder.

Beeckman placed mirrors at various distances from the explosion and asked observers whether they could see any difference in when the flash of light reflected from each mirror reached their eyes. As you can probably guess, the experiment was “inconclusive”.

A similar more famous experiment that didn’t involve explosions was possibly conducted or at the very least proposed by Galileo Galilei just under a decade later in 1638. Galileo, like Beeckman also suspected that the speed of light wasn’t infinite and made passing references to an experiment involving lanterns in some of his work. His experiment (if he ever conducted it at all), involved placing two lanterns a mile apart and trying to see if there was any noticeable lag between the two; the results were inconclusive. The only thing Galileo could surmise was that if light wasn’t infinite, it was fast and that experiments on such a small scale were destined to fail.

It wasn’t until Danish Astronomer, Ole Römer entered the fray that measurements of the speed of light got serious. In an experiment that made Galileo flashing lanterns on a hill look like a primary school science fair project, Römer determined that, lacking lasers and explosions, an experiment should always involve outer space. Thus, he based his observations on the movement of planets themselves, announcing his groundbreaking results on August 22, 1676.

What’s even more amazing is that the reason for Römer’s estimation being a little too slow is thought to have less to do with any mistake on his part and more to do with the science facts that the commonly accepted diameter of the Earth and Jupiter orbits were off when Römer did his calculations. Meaning yes, Römer was only wrong because other people weren’t as awesome at science as he was. In fact, if you slot the correct orbit numbers into what is thought to be his original calculations from reports before his papers were destroyed in the aforementioned fire, his estimation is nearly spot on.

So even though he was technically wrong and even though James Bradley came up with a more accurate number in 1729, Römer will go down in history as the guy who first proved that the speed of light was not infinite and worked out a reasonably accurate ballpark figure on what the exact speed was by observing the movements of a speck orbiting a giant ball of gas positioned about 780 million kilometres away. That right there ladies and gentlemen is how a badass, lacking lasers, does science.

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The most interesting and amazing facts about the nutrition

We've collected some of the most interesting and amazing facts about the nutrition. Just keep reading for more detail:

Related to  Vitamin C foods

1. Drying fruit depletes it of 30-80% of its vitamin and antioxidant content
2. A 2010 study found that 48% of soda fountain contained fecal bacteria, and 11% contained E. Coli.
3. 9 out of 10 Americans are deficient in Potassium.
4. Blueberries will not ripen until they are picked.
5. About 150 people per year are killed by coconuts.
6. Ketchup was used as a medicine back in the 1930’s.
7. Honey never spoils.
8. About half of all Americans are on a diet on any given day.
9. A hardboiled egg will spin, but a soft boiled egg will not.
10. Avacados are poisonous to birds.
11. Chewing gum burns about 11 calories per hour.
12. Studies show that eating spicy food can help you live longer.

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Vitamin C - the most important ingredient used in skin care treatments

It is true that Vitamin C is the most important ingredient used in skin care treatments. Let's see why and which benefits Vitamin C can bring to your skin

Sun Protection

Vitamin C protects our skin from free radicals that develop due to excess exposure to the sun, environmental pollution and regular smoking. The antioxidants in Vitamin C protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation and the effect of sunlight exposure.

Vitamin C helps to reduce sun burns caused by the exposure to ultra violet radiation to a great extent. It not only reduces sunburns but also prevents the consequences of long term sun exposure that can lead to skin cancer.

Production Of Collagen

Vitamin C is a required component for the production of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, both of which are needed to bind the molecules that produce collagen. This, in turn, firms and tones the skin. Collagen deficiency makes the skin dull and lifeless. Collagen rejuvenates the skin from the roots and reduces wrinkles and symptoms of aging.

Heals Wounds

The body uses Vitamin C to replace the damaged tissue and helps to heal the wound at a faster pace. Wounds that heal slowly indicate Vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C improves the skin elasticity and helps to create scar tissue and ligaments for quick recovery.

Protects Against Skin Discolouration

Vitamin C protects DNA from photochemical reactions that can lead to tumor, skin discolouration and several kinds of skin cancer. It also inhibits the production of Pyrimidine dimers that are the primary cause of melanomas in humans.

It lightens dark discoloration like skin freckles and age spots and helps to get a younger and smoother skin.

Improves Skin Texture

Collagen also provides the structure for the blood vessels. The tiny blood vessels under the skin carry oxygen and nutrients that keep the skin healthy. Without enough nutrients, the skin will become rough and dry. Creams containing Vitamin C improve the appearance and texture of the skin.

Vitamin C increases the formation of elastin which thickens, protects and heals the skin cells. The thickening effect helps retain moisture, increases the skin circulation and plumps up the skin surface.

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Animal and Human Health

If you’re looking for the most amazing animal facts, you’re at the right place. Here is animal and human health relationship that can surprise you so much:

Animals play an important role in many people’s lives. In addition to seeing-eye dogs and dogs that can be trained to detect seizures, animals can also be used in occupational therapy, speech therapy, or physical rehabilitation to help patients recover. Aside from these designated therapeutic roles, animals are also valued as companions, which can certainly affect the quality of our lives. Is that companionship beneficial to our health?

The better we understand the human-animal bond, the more we can use it to improve people’s lives. 

This article summarizes what is known and not known about how animals help improve the health and well-being of people, and what the implications might be for helping people who don’t have pets of their own. Over 71 million American households (62%) have a pet, and most people think of their pets as members of the family. Some research studies have found that people who have a pet have healthier hearts, stay home sick less often, make fewer visits to the doctor, get more exercise, and are less depressed. Pets may also have a significant impact on allergies, asthma, social support, and social interactions with other people.

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Penguins are birds but can't fly

Have you thought about this penguin facts mystery: Penguins are birds but can't fly? Do you want to have reasonable explaination for this? Keep reading

Like many birds, penguins must travel a long way between their feeding and breeding grounds. But rather than fly, they swim. It is a hard journey that has left biologists scratching their heads over why the birds did not keep their ability to fly as their diving ability evolved. A new study argues that birds cannot be both masterful divers and flyers, because flying abilities must weaken as the animals adapt to diving.

Rather than looking at penguins, a team led by biologist Kyle Elliott at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, examined species of diving seabirds that still have some ability to fly. These included the pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus), a species that propels itself underwater with webbed feet, and the thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia), which flaps its wings underwater to swim.

The researchers tagged murres with recorders that measured the time of dives as well as depth and temperature, and cormorants with data-loggers that measured depth, temperature and acceleration changes during dives. They also injected isotope-tagged water into the birds. When the researchers tested the birds later, the tags enabled them to work out just how much carbon dioxide and water vapour the birds had expelled since the water was introduced, and thus to calculate the energy expended for diving and flying.

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The team then compared their results to some that had already been collected for birds such as geese and penguins. They found that both cormorants and murres must spend exceedingly large amounts of energy to fly — the highest known among all flying birds.

When it came to diving, the energy costs for the foot-propelled cormorants were much higher than expected for a similarly sized penguin. The wing-propelled murres had diving costs lower than those of cormorants, but still 30% greater than those experienced by penguins of the same size. The results appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences1.

The findings reveal a snapshot showing that murres are sitting on an evolutionary knife edge. Elliott and his colleagues speculate that because the wings of a murre are still built for flight, they create drag underwater. Furthermore, their small bodies, which are just light enough for them to take off, cool down more quickly than the bulkier bodies of penguins.

“Basically, they have to reduce their wings or grow larger to improve their diving, and both would make flying impossible,” says Robert Ricklefs, an ornithologist at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and co-author of the paper.

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Life of sea stars in museum’s glass menagerie

See how interesting is it:

From 1863 to 1890, Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka made more than 10,000 sea creatures out of glass. There were anemones with tapered tentacles and pearled undersides, translucent jellyfish trailing the most delicate threads and feather stars more than worthy of their name despite their rigid composition. The intricate invertebrates, crafted by the father-son team at their studio in Dresden, Germany, were shipped across the world to serve as teaching models at universities and museums. In an era before marine surveys and underwater photography, before the rise of scuba diving resorts, the Blaschkas showed the world the wonders of the sea.

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Over five dozen of their glass wonders are now on display at the Corning Museum of Glass in “Fragile Legacy.” Though the exhibit opens with glass eyeballs and a piece of jewelry — a nod to the Blaschkas’ pre-invertebrate business — the highlight is a darkened room set up like an aquarium, with sea creatures seemingly floating in blue. There’s a notable absence of museum placards and descriptions. “We really want people to look at the glassiness,” says Marvin Bolt, a curator of the exhibit, before pointing out the “Field Guide to Underwater Models.” The pamphlet contains each animal’s species name, as it was known in 1885 (when Cornell University acquired the pieces, now on loan to Corning) and as it is known today.
The Blaschkas combined stalks, pearls and a super thin barrel of glass to create this sea anemone, labeledBunodes crispa. While some glass was fused while hot, other pieces were attached once the glass had cooled.

Often the Blaschkas used other materials, such as paper, as seen in the webbing between this octopus’s tentacles. Different materials react differently to environmental conditions over time, creating a challenge for conservationists.

This oaten pipes hydroid, Tubularia indivisa, could easily be mistaken for a type of flower. The Blaschkas called the draping pearls “Tubularia grapes.”

Before creating their glass, the Blaschkas made detailed drawings from live organisms, shipments of semipreserved invertebrates and natural history texts. “The more they started making, the more well-known they became and the more access they were given,” says curator Marvin Bolt.

To create this sea cucumber, the Blaschkas glued glass dots onto the tubular body and then painted the body. The 15 tentacles surrounding the mouth help the creature feed

The aquarium offers a sense of the Blaschkas’ style, but it’s the room next door that provides the substance. Sketches and watercolors, bottles of colored powders, tweezers, pliers, scoops and wire, along with a demonstration video, give a fuller sense of how the Blaschkas did their work. Equally impressive are the matchboxes filled with kleine augen (“little eyes” in German) and other tiny but uniform component pieces, suggestive of an assembly line approach to handcrafting the final glass forms. A series of case studies explains how conservators stabilized the pieces, and a trailer for a related documentary, also titled Fragile Legacy, highlights the vulnerability, not of the glass, but of the real-world creatures living in warming seas.

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