More random thoughts about bartending
11 years ago
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pingo for Christmas?
Robotic Penguin Reads, Plays, Connects to Facebook
Owners can set mydeskfriend up to read RSS newsfeeds from their news sites and blogs, give it goodies from a Facebook gift page, and put it to sleep by gently rocking it in their hands. mydeskfriend can even follow fingers around a desktop, but no worries…sensory devices keep it from falling off a desk.
mydeskfriend retails for $149.99 and is available at www.mydeskfriend.com. (Source)
See Pingo in action!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Antarctic researcher commutes across continents for work
Antarctic researcher commutes across continents for work
Getting to and from work can be annoying if you hit traffic, but Mireille Raccurt's commute involves more than 10 days of flying and sailing through treacherous seas.
Two Adelie penguins rest on the shores of Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica Photo: Reuters
"In France it's not possible to have Adelie penguins visit your office like it is in Antarctica," Raccurt said aboard The Astrolabe, a rolling, motion-sickness inducing icebreaker on the Southern Ocean.
"Adelie penguins are a unique model of metabolic adaptation."
Penguins, the emblematic residents of the South Pole, are endotherms or "warm blooded", which means they are able to keep their
December is the warmest month in Antarctica and when the penguin parents take turns incubating their egg until it hatches. The chick then needs to put on weight quickly to survive the rigours of later life. Due to the brevity of this summer season, the growth of Adelie chicks is a race against the clock, and having nearly 24 hours of daylight allows Raccurt to spend long hours at her laboratory on the ice. "Any parameter, such as climatic conditions and food availability that affects rapid chick growth and building up of energy reserves, is detrimental to juvenile survival during that early period and later at departure to sea," she said.
Global warming has helped boost the number of penguins because it means easier access to food-rich - and less icy - waters. But Raccurt said any disruption to the ecosystem, no matter how slight, can cause dramatic damage to the seabird populations. It is quite normal for Raccurt to have Adelie penguins pop into her lab, where she takes tissue samples from the birds for analysis. In France, her job involves more lecturing and research, which makes her time on the ice more special. "Most of the time here is spent working. It's a great advantage having all the time to work," Raccurt said.
When she is not working, Raccurt goes for walks on the ice and plays billiards with the other residents of Dumont D'Urville. The highlight of the week is a "movie night" when the mess area turns into a cinema.
From December through to March there can be up to 70 people living and working at the camp, while in winter it is reduced to about 25.
Under the
Source
Koalas, penguins at risk of extinction: study
Koalas, penguins at risk of extinction: study
Rising sea levels, ocean acidification and shrinking polar ice are taking a heavy toll on species already struggling to cope with pollution and shrinking habitats, said the study from the
"Humans are not the only ones whose fate is at stake here in Copenhagen -- some of our favourite species are also taking the fall for our CO2 emissions," said Wendy Foden, an IUCN researcher and co-author of the study.
The report details how climate change undermines the viability of 10 species, including the
Polar species are especially hard hit. The ringed seal is being forced further north as sea ice it relies on for rearing its vulnerable pups retreats every decade.
The emperor penguin, remarkably adapted to thrive in harsh Antarctic conditions, faces similar problems. Reduced ice cover makes it harder to mate and raise chicks, and has caused a sharp decline in the availability of krill, a major food source.
"For a large portion of biodiversity, climate change is an additional and major threat," said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of the IUCN?s Species Programme.
The
Condensed--Source
Penguins tracked amid climate change fears
Penguins tracked amid climate change fears
Genetic ''featherprints'' are being used to map the movements of penguins and see how they are affected by global warming.
Genetic ''featherprints'' are being used to map the movements of penguins and see how they are affected by global warming. Photo: AP
Scientists have found genetic markers in DNA from collected feathers that can help them track Antarctic penguins as they migrate between colonies. They hope the technique will reveal whether climate change is driving the birds from their favoured breeding sites.
Dr Tom Hart, one of the scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), said: ''Knowing how penguins are responding to climate change is vital to conservation efforts. If we understand how their populations are changing, we can do something about it, such as making sure that our protected areas are in the right place for penguins in 100 years' time.''
Penguins are not only threatened by climate change, but are also under increasing pressure from fisheries that take their food. Studying them is notoriously difficult because they live in very harsh environments and are hard to track.
Dr Hart is launching a series of expeditions to gather feather samples and plot the movement of penguins around the Southern Ocean.
Source
Monday, December 14, 2009
Aquarium Penguin To Receive Last Cancer Treatment
Tica is the first penguin in the U.S. to undergo aggressive cancer treatments.
The 16-year-old penguin has skin cancer on his tail.
Tica has been receiving treatments since Nov. 17.
Veterinarians say Tica appears to be getting better.
Source
Scientists make penguin DNA discovery at ZSL
Scientists make penguin DNA discovery at ZSL
Monday, 14, Dec 2009 12:01
By Sarah Garrod.
Scientists have developed a new penguin DNA profiling technique which is being used for the first time to study how they migrate between colonies.
Researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the University of Sheffield have identified genetic markers that can be used to track the movement of penguins.
They say ultimately the discovery could determine whether Antarctica's changing climate is driving penguins from their favoured breeding sites.
ZSL's own penguinologist, Tom Hart said: "Knowing how penguins are responding to climate change is vital to conservation efforts.
"If we understand how their populations are changing, we can do something about it, such as making sure that our protected areas are in the right place for penguins in 100 years time."
The researchers say penguins are not only threatened by climate change, but are also under increasing pressure from direct competition with fisheries.
Studying them is notoriously difficult because they live in very harsh environments and are hard to track, therefore this new monitoring tool enables scientists to follow their populations and address the threats that they face.
Source
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