I also read an amazing theory on why humans and some primates menstruate monthly, when a shitload of other animals only build up the uterine lining when an egg gets fertilized.

Our fetuses are especially bananas at the eating us alive, so we preemptively build the lining before fertilization as a buffer between us and the hangry fertilized egg. Otherwise it would suck us dry and leave us nothing but an empty husk.

This is helpful at answering the question as to why humans would do this thing that puts us at risk (leaking stinky messy bodily fluids that require sanitary schtuff to avoid infection, for one example). It's actually increasing chances for surviving a pregnancy.

That's the theory I read today, and my understanding of it may be suspect.

I will return with more weird shit I've read about science, like, "why is our blood red?" tomorrow.

I love learning new stuff, even if I don't really get it

I was trying to help a girl find a book - and I was asking her about it as we walked to the shelves I said something about being curious about the series. a regular over heard, picked up the word and said Curious?

and I said yes, that is why I am here. '

I love learning new stuff, even if I don't really get it

Yeah. Me too. I was editing a proposal about a tsunami alert system which uses buoys to measure earthquakes on the ocean floor, transmits the data to our GPS satellites, makes crazy calculations, and then alerts countries as to how big/small a tsunami will be, and when/where it will hit, with balls-on accuracy. So people can at least have a shot at getting to higher ground.

This was a few months back, and I'm still like, "this is fucking AWESOME."

IIRC, the bacteria go bananas with the making of more bacteria, and dying off, creating a toxic environment for the squid if they are not released. It's beneficial for the bacteria in that it makes MOAR bacteria happen. I think.

That's what I love about the way things evolve. There's always a reason. There are all these interrelationships that evolved and changed and became more involved and fraught, and it's just so cool.

Take a fairly simple and well-known example, the milkweed and the monarch butterfly. The monarch needs the milkweed for its caterpillars to live on; the milkweed defends itself by producing latex in such quantities that the caterpillars either drown, or have their jaws gummed up and starve. Maybe a third of the caterpillars survive their first day. But when they've grown and pupated, it's the adult monarch that pollinates the milkweed. The two species need each other, but their equilibrium is driven by them each trying to kill each other.

I love this kind of stuff.

Now tell me how to make my petunias eat tobacco bud worms.

The two species need each other, but their equilibrium is driven by them each trying to kill each other.

I think this is the same line evo psych people use to explain male/female relationships.

PZ Myers once gave a talk in which he said (paraphrasing) that if we can't manage to communicate with a squid, how can we expect to communicate with some aliens on another planet out there?

I always wonder about that but teevee tells me that all aliens (except the illegal ones from Mexico) speak English. Which will be a relief, I'm sure.

The other thing I wonder is why we always define the parameters of Places Life Can Exist based on just what we're used to seeing here. First, that is what exists here because it evolved here. I suspect evolution can go many ways. Partially because, hey, fossil records show it but also because we keep finding new life and boggling at the extremophiles that we're certain can't live where they live.

this is awesome

have you seen it billytea?

[link]

gorilla pets human

I love this kind of stuff.

It is really one of the coolest things ever. Second to how every element beyond hydrogen and helium exists because stars exploded.

Sea snakes freak me out. Land snakes do too. Sea snakes have a whole extra dimension of mobility. That is just not okay with my lizard brain. (Planet Earth reruns)

I wonder is why we always define the parameters of Places Life Can Exist based on just what we're used to seeing here.

It narrows down the targets for search. Since we already know that like can exist within our parameters, we look for places that match up with us, increasing our chances of finding life.