I Find This Weirdly Interesting

I also saw some article that claimed humans are the only animals with noses. Odd.

I’ll say at the outset, I don’t like the phrase “human scalp hair.” Too Indian.

Why do Humans Have Long Scalp Hair?
The Scientist | January 22, 2025 | Sahana Sitaraman, PhD

Humans are the only mammals with long hair on their heads. Scientists look into what drives this unique feature.

Humans evolved long hair on their head to prevent overheating and excess water loss when walking under the hot sun in Africa.

In 2004, a Chinese woman named Xie Qiuping won the Guinness World Record for the longest human scalp hair at 5.627 meters—the length of an adult male giraffe! While this is an anomaly, humans are the only mammals that have negligible body hair, but extremely long hair on their heads. “It’s such an important part of our identity as a species and yet, we understand so little about it,” said Maksim Plikus, a developmental biologist at University of California, Irvine, who studies the regeneration of hair.

Maksim Plikus? My new Witness Protection name?

One theory dates back to life millions of years ago, when human ancestors roamed across Africa, exposed to the blazing sun. As they spent a lot of time outdoors searching for food and water, they needed efficient mechanisms to keep their body cool. “In human evolution access to fresh water was always something that individuals and groups had to think about and plan over,” Jablonski said. “So having a thermoregulatory mechanism that would help to conserve precious water would be advantageous.” The absence of fur and abundance of sweat glands helped keep the body cool even after bouts of exercise, such as hunting animals.

Makes sense. Thanks, God.

However, the head received the most solar radiation and probably needed other ways to keep it from overheating. Prehistoric cave paintings from Europe and Australia and Egyptian mummies with preserved hair suggest that long hair was a universal feature across different populations of humans.

Tightly curled and long scalp hair of ancient hominins …

Dislike that word. To me, it will always be “hominids.”

… could have evolved to shield the scalp from the sun, reduce heat transmission due to the air pockets between the curls and minimize water loss through sweat. While it is not known when curly hair emerged, it is likely that long hair growth evolved later to compensate for curly hair’s tendency for wear and tear.

{Yeah, but then — why would a Bushman of the Kalihari have short, curly hair, but a Swede have long flowing locks? Heat?}

Hair length depends on the hair growth cycle. A hair follicle can either be in the active growth phase called anagen or the rest phase called catagen. Stimulatory signals trigger the proliferation of matrix cells in the hair follicle during anagen, lengthening the hair strand. A continuous supply of these cells is essential for the sustained growth of hair. A typical human scalp hair follicle stays in anagen for five to seven years, producing hair that is 50–110 centimeters (19–43 inches) long.

BS. (?) Human hair grows after age 7. Ask Farrah Fawcett.

For exceptionally long hair, such as that of Qiuping, the matrix cells would have to undergo over 11,000 divisions over more than 30 years!

And then it stops? Why am I still going to a barber?

“Hair follicle is like a biological 3D printer. Based on the molecular program you feed it, it’ll print something tiny or something super long,” said Plikus.

Plikus again. I’m beginning to like him.

“You don’t need to add any new components. You just have to instruct the various cells to work for longer and print for longer.”

Though no other mammal can boast of the exceptional hair lengths seen on human heads, the potential for long hair growth is conserved across the class, from the wispy “mustaches” of emperor tamarin monkeys to the meter-long body hair skirt of extinct Woolly mammoths.

Boring.

Studies on human dermatological conditions that alter hair length could provide insights on the molecular basis and genetic regulators of long scalp hair in humans. Mutations in fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5), a protein that promotes catagen entry, cause familial trichomegaly, a condition where body hair and eyelashes grow unnaturally long.7 Since the mutations prolong anagen throughout the body, it is likely that the gene is differentially controlled through modifications in its regulators in the scalp cells. Contrastingly, variants of the protein Wnt Family Member 10A shorten anagen, possibly causing conditions like androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness.

Mega-boring. Didn’t read.

Scientists have started to dig deeper in the enigma of human scalp hair. Comparative studies of body and head hair using RNA sequencing and next-generation spatial sequencing, transplantation of human hair to rodent models, constructing computational models of hair growth and examining the intricacies of hair growth in individuals could unravel the molecular drivers of human hair growth. A clearer picture of how human scalp hair reaches considerable lengths could then lead to new therapeutic leads for conditions like hair loss or genetically stunted hair. “How could you treat a disease of short hair if you didn’t even know what’s the normal recipe for long hair?” Plikus pointed out.

Don’t like the phrase “human scalp hair”, and how Plikus considers short hair to be a disease.

F ’em. I’ve got my hair.

How Can We Commodify This?

66 million-year-old fish vomit discovered in Denmark
BBC | January 28, 2025

A piece of fossilised vomit dating back to the time of the dinosaurs has been discovered in Denmark. …

Mr Bennicke took the fragments to be examined at the Museum of East Zealand…

It was too old for New Zealand

…, which confirmed the vomit could be dated to the end of the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago – a time when dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops existed.

Jesper Milan, palaeontologist and curator at the museum, told the BBC it was “truly an unusual find” as it helps explain relationships in the prehistoric food chain.

“It tells us something about who was eating who 66 million years ago,” he said.

Walrus: “Phrasing!”

Mr Milan said his museum had only sent the information to the local press but the discovery has sparked global interest. “This is the world’s most famous piece of puke ever,” he said.

There are other candidates for that title.

Bacon Earns Itself Some Bacon

This Meat is the Healthiest in the World, Even Healthier Than Many Vegetables
MSN | January 16, 2025 | Marian Avila

… Hold onto your hats, folks—a recent study has revealed that pork fat ranks as one of the healthiest foods on the planet, even outdoing many veggies. With a nutritional score of 73 out of 100, pork fat lands in the eighth spot on a list of the world’s top 100 healthiest foods, according to BBC Future.

Pork fat, also known as lard, is a fantastic source of B vitamins and minerals. Plus, it’s more unsaturated and healthier than lamb or beef fat. This type of fat contains monounsaturated fatty acids, like oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil—famous for its heart health benefits. But remember, moderation is key!

In the lineup of the healthiest foods, pork fat beat out 92 other foods, including peas, red cabbage, tomatoes, mackerel, lettuce, oranges, and sweet potatoes. This might come as a shocker to many, as veggies have traditionally been seen as the healthiest choice. However, pork fat offers a nutritional profile that shouldn’t be underestimated.

To get the most nutritional bang for your buck from pork fat, it’s crucial to consider how the pigs were raised. According to Surrey Live, lard provides fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D, especially if the pigs were raised outdoors. Pasture-raised pork fat tends to be healthier due to its better nutrient content.

As with any part of your diet, moderation is essential. While pork fat has many benefits, it’s important not to go overboard. The saturated fats present in lard are okay in moderate amounts, but too much can have negative health effects.

When in Australia . . .

. . . just keep away from mystery balls. How hard is that?

Mystery balls on Sydney beaches found to contain faecal bacteria
bbc | 01/20/2025 | Kelly Ng

It urged anyone who spotted the balls not to handle them and to contact authorities.

Besides the acids and bacteria, the balls also contained volcanic rock pumice.

The first batch of debris in October were at first mistakenly called “tar balls” but were later found to contain everything from cooking oil and soap scum molecules, to blood pressure medication, pesticides, hair, methamphetamine and veterinary drugs.

Sydney Water has reported that its water treatment plants are operating normally and that there were no known issues with waste systems in the city.

Welcome to IMAO. We’re Cultivating Some New Viewers Through Science!

Word of the Day: “Dunkelflaute”

Germany’s Gas Use and Power Prices Jump Amid Weak Wind Generation
Oil price | Dec 11, 2024 | Tsvetana Paraskova

Intraday power prices in Germany jumped and natural gas-fired electricity generation rose to a two-year high this week as low wind speeds continue to depress wind power output.

Natural gas use for power generation rose on Wednesday to its highest level since December 2022, as a wider power supply gap had to be filled by fossil fuels amid very weak wind power generation.

Germany’s power margin, the available electricity supply to meet demand, has dropped this week to the lowest level so far this winter, as low wind speeds and colder weather are straining the power system.

This week, wind speeds in Germany have dipped again, while colder-than-usual temperatures have settled over much of northwest Europe.

Since early November, the so-called ‘Dunkelflaute’, German for “dark wind lulls”, have often resulted in wind farms in Europe’s biggest economy generating only a fraction of their nameplate capacity, leading to day-ahead electricity prices for peak demand hours to high levels not seen since the peak energy crisis in 2022.

Near-term power prices have increased as supply has been fluctuating while demand has been growing with the colder temperatures. Germany has had to import more electricity from France and rely more on fossil fuels for power generation during periods of low wind speeds.

Germany has to grapple with higher hourly power prices and increased gas demand…

So Who’s Working on the Excuses For Why It (a) Never Got Built, (b) Doesn’t Work, (c) Couldn’t Work?

Electric avenue: LA getting car-charging road ahead of 2028 Olympics
NY Post | 11/30/24 | Chris Harris

California is about to become home to the nation’s second electric vehicle-charging roadway — with construction due to be completed ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The multimillion dollar UCLA project, funded with state grant moneys, will concentrate on a half-mile stretch of road in Westwood, according to the Los Angeles Times.

And it will come as the university prepares to host the Olympic Village — where all of the competing athletes stay during the games.

“A wireless inductive option is a game changer,” Clinton Bench, director of the UCLA Fleet and Transit, told the Times.

“When a vehicle is driving over [a charger], the vehicle can collect charge while it’s moving.”

Close to $20 million in grant money will be used to upgrade UCLA‘s bus fleet, replacing gas-powered vehicles with electric buses.

The EV-charging roadway will eliminate the need to connect any of the buses to electric charging coils.

Any electric vehicle that utilizes the roadway will be able to pick up a charge, thanks to several underground charging stations.

The buses would pick up charge while driving throughout the day or when parked at a stationary wireless charger.

So, a half-mile of road, at (say) sixty miles per hour, provides exactly how much time to re-charge the wireless charger the buses don’t have?

Just Another Crossroad Where Science and Morality Part Company

Take THAT, God!

(Not for the weak of heart, or stomach)

How Gender Reassignment Surgery Works
Live Science | 8/26/13 | Ross Toro

Ugh. Toto, Toro! It’s worse than a bullfight.

Converting male anatomy to female anatomy requires removing the penis, reshaping genital tissue to …

OK, that’s enough.

An incision is made into the scrotum, and the flap of skin is pulled back. The testes are removed.

I said, that’s enough!

Following surgery, estrogen (a female hormone) will stimulate breast development, widen the hips, inhibit the growth of facial hair and slightly increase voice pitch.

Will you please shut up?

Female-to-male surgery has achieved lesser success due to the difficulty of creating a functioning penis from the much smaller clitoral tissue available in the female genitals.

Oh, for the love of —

I’m going to go watch some 70s and 80s sitcoms, or even old IMAO comments, to cleanse my worldview.

Straight Line of the Day: How Else Could You Demonstrate the Significance of Relativistic Effects in Superheavy Elements?

The Periodic Table Just Got Wilder: Scientists Unveil the Secrets of the Heaviest Element Ever – Moscovium
Scitech Daily | November 21, 2024 | GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research

Moscovium and nihonium have been identified as more reactive than flerovium, demonstrating the significance of relativistic effects in superheavy elements.

An international team led by scientists from GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz has successfully determined the chemical properties of the artificially produced superheavy elements moscovium and nihonium (elements 115 and 113).

Moscovium is now the heaviest element ever to be chemically studied. 

Straight Line of the Day: So, What Does the World’s Oldest Writing Say?

World’s oldest ALPHABET is discovered: Ancient 4,400-year-old text is found on clay cylinders from a tomb in Syria – and it upends everything we thought we knew about the origin of writing
Daily Mail | 21 November 2024 | Jonathan Chadwick

For decades, it’s been a common belief that the Ancient Egyptians were responsible for the very first alphabet.

Now, a shocking finding challenges this assumption, pushing back the age of the first known alphabetic writing by about 500 years.

The finger-length cylinders were found at Tell Umm-el Marra, a former city located in today’s northwestern Syria, once a bustling crossroads for two trade routes.

Carbon dating techniques reveal that the objects date back 4,400 years to 2400 BC – preceding any other known alphabetic scripts by roughly 500 years.

However, the academic admits he ‘can only speculate’ exactly what the writing says.

Before the alphabet, humans relied on hieroglyphics, according to Professor Schwartz, who found the cylinders in 2004.

‘Alphabetic writing changed the way people lived, how they thought, how they communicated,’ he said.

‘This new discovery shows people were experimenting with new communication technologies much earlier and in a different location than we had imagined.’

With colleagues from the University of Amsterdam, the professor co-directed a 16-year-long archaeological dig at Tell Umm-el Marra, one of the ancient Near East’s oldest cities, located on a crossroads of two trade routes.

At Umm-el Marra, the archaeologists uncovered tombs dating back to the Early Bronze Age – a period stretching from about 3500 to 2000 BC.

One of the best-preserved tombs contained six skeletons, gold and silver jewelry, cookware, a spearhead and intact pottery vessels.

Next to the pottery was four of the ‘lightly baked’ clay cylinders or tubes with what seemed to be alphabetic writing on top.

Now, the researchers have used carbon-14 dating, a scientific method that can accurately determine the age of organic materials as old as 60,000 years.

So, they found clay cylinders, which are very old, with images that can’t be deciphered. Got it.

Physicists Explain How Fractional Charge in Pentalayer Graphene Could Work

Unfortunately, they do it at a cocktail party to a group of interns.

IMAO Continues Trying To Be Semi-Informative

“Smectite?”

Asteroid Bennu sample shows more signs of a watery past
Astronomy Magazine | July 24, 2024 | Theo Nicitopoulos

Bennu is a roughly 0.3-mile-wide (500 meters) asteroid that orbits in near-Earth space. Scientists suspect it’s a chunk of a larger asteroid that broke off due to a collision farther out. Telescope observations and data collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft showed that Bennu has minerals that have been altered by water. Hence, scientists suspect the asteroid’s parent body accreted ice that subsequently melted after it formed around 4.5 billion years ago…

The team found various varieties of the aqueously altered minerals, including serpentine, smectite, carbonates, magnetite, sulfides, and phosphates. The minerals are present as individual particles and as crusts coating other materials.

Cosmochemist Rhian Jones of the University of Manchester, who is a member of the Sample Analysis Team, suspects Bennu’s parent body became a “muddy ball” over time, when the ices melted.

The study team also found evidence of fluid flow. In particular, some of the phyllosilicates had filled tiny fractures that look like veins in the rocks. Images taken by OSIRIS-REx also show meter-long-veins in boulders, also thought to be minerals that precipitated once water evaporated.

The study team also found magnesium-sodium phosphate. Lauretta says this type of phosphate is intriguing because it only forms when water has become saturated with carbonates, suggesting that pools of water persisted on Bennu’s parent body for an extended time.

I’m Not a Neuroscientist and I’ve Never Taught Rats To Drive — So Which Of Us Is of More Value To the World?

I’m a neuroscientist who taught rats to drive − their joy suggests how anticipating fun can enrich human life
The Conversation | 11/11/2024

We crafted our first rodent car from a plastic cereal container. After trial and error, my colleagues and I found that rats could learn to drive forward by grasping a small wire that acted like a gas pedal. Before long, they were steering with surprising precision to reach a Froot Loop treat.

As expected, rats housed in enriched environments – complete with toys, space and companions – learned to drive faster than those in standard cages. This finding supported the idea that complex environments enhance neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to change across the lifespan in response to environmental demands.

After we published our research, the story of driving rats went viral in the media. The project continues in my lab with new, improved rat-operated vehicles, or ROVs, designed by robotics professor John McManus and his students. These upgraded electrical ROVs – featuring rat-proof wiring, indestructible tires and ergonomic driving levers – are akin to a rodent version of Tesla’s Cybertruck.

Indestructible tires? Assuredly, that word doesn’t mean what you think it does.

.

… Possibly related in some way:

Plane Grounded After 130 Hamsters Run Loose

10Play.com.au | Nov. 18, 2024

A plane was left unable to take off from Ponta Delgada airport in Portugal for four days after more than 130 hamsters escaped their transport carriers and ran loose in the hold.

I Totally Trust Them

How Can We ‘Trust The Science’ When We Can’t Trust The Data?
Issues & Insights | 14 Nov, 2024 | I & I Editorial Board

… what happens if much of the vital data behind the climate-change threat are made up?

Turns out, quite a lot of it is. At least that’s what the Daily Sceptic, a British-based science watchdog, claims. It recently detailed the allegations made by an independent journalist showing that 103 of the 302 supposed “weather stations” that provide data for both the United Kingdom government’s and academic scientists’ climate change forecasts don’t exist or produce actual data.

That’s right. Instead of data, the government manufactures “estimates,” as journalist Ray Sanders found.

Still, that’s just the UK, right? Wrong.

If you live in the U.S., you’ve been hectored by big-government leftists for years to “trust the science.” But the U.S. government has its own problems with our temperature data.

The United States Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) was set up to provide accurate temperature numbers to policymakers, meteorologists, and scientists.

Unfortunately, as in Britain, the U.S. is shutting down many of its weather stations, making apples-to-apples data comparisons statistically impossible. The data go back 100 years.

“They (weather stations) are physically gone — but still report data — like magic,” according to Lt. Col. John Shewchuk, a certified consulting meteorologist. “NOAA fabricates temperature data for more than 30% of the 1,218 USHCN reporting stations that no longer exist.”