|
Subject |
Comments |
Views |
Author |
Date Written |
Think you're having a bad hair day, check this out
|
view preview
Uncombable hair syndrome, also known as Pili trianguli et canaliculi, is a rare structural anomaly of the hair with a variable degree of effect. It was first reported in the early 20 th century and was described in the 1970s. It becomes apparent from as little as 3 months to up to 12 years. The hair is normal in quantity and is usually silvery-blond or straw-colored. It is disorderly, it stands out from the scalp, and cannot be combed flat. The underlying structural anomaly is longitudinal grooving of the hair shaft, which appears triangular in cross section. There usually is no family history, though the characteristic hair shaft anomaly can be demonstrated in asymptomatic family members by scanning electron microscopy. To be noticeable, 50% ...
|
|
|
0 |
4493 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A fascinating real-life optical illusion
|
view preview
A fascinating optical illusion can be found at the southwestern tip of Mauritius Island. If seen from above, this part of the island seems to be melting into the ocean, forming a spectacular underwater waterfall. We owe this to a runoff of sand and silt deposits (the light-coloured portion of the water) and the downward pull of the receding waves.
|
|
|
0 |
5885 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
World's largest seed
|
view preview
The coco-de-mer palm tree ( Lodoicea maldivica) is endemic to the Seychelles. Its seeds are the largest and heaviest of any plant in the world, and have been highly prized over the centuries, which has almost driven the palm tree to extinction.
|
|
|
1 |
5678 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
0 |
5044 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
What happens when all the oil (petroleum) is used up?
|
view preview
Peter Diamandis makes a case for optimism -- that we'll invent, innovate and create ways to solve the challenges that loom over us. "I'm not saying we don't have our set of problems; we surely do. But ultimately, we knock them down."
|
|
|
2 |
5660 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Largest hot spring in North America
|
view preview
This is the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park - the largest hot spring in North America and the third largest in the world. The incredible colours are produced by pigmented bacteria that grow in microbial mats around the edges of the mineral-rich water. In summer, the mats are usually orange and red, and in winter they're are usually dark green.
|
|
|
0 |
3680 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
One extremely intelligent beak -- I mean bird
|
view preview
This is the emerald toucanet, and it can be found camouflaging very nicely in the mountainous forests of Mexico, Central America, Venezuela and along the Andes. These beautiful birds are extremely intelligent - when reared by hand in captivity, they can learn tricks as fast as cockatoos.
|
|
|
1 |
3467 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
This moth is a work of art
|
view preview
This is the Giant Leopard Moth, a strictly nocturnal species native to parts of North America and Mexico. These moths start life as an incredibly black and bristly caterpillar, and once they grow into adulthood, they never eat, and instead focus on mating and passing their genes onto several clutches of eggs. ...
|
|
|
0 |
3531 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
1 |
2615 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Aurora borealis
|
view preview
This picture of a green and red aurora was taken on September 26, 2013, from the International Space Station. The colours of the aurora borealis depend on which atoms the solar storm excites. Green auroras appear when charged particles from the solar wind crash with oxygen atoms in Earth’s atmosphere and produce green photons; red auroras occur when the particles collide with nitrogen atoms or when there are lower-energy oxygen collisions, producing red photons.
|
|
|
0 |
2582 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
It's no wonder this species was so hard to find
|
view preview
Biologists from James Cook University have discovered a new species of leaf-tailed gecko in Australia. The lizard is highly camouflaged against the granite boulders it lives on and grows to around 12 cm. It's been named the Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko ( Saltaurius eximius) after the region in northern Queensland where it was found.
|
|
|
0 |
6440 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
The gateway to hell
|
view preview
Otherwise known as the Door to Hell and the Darvaza gas crater, the crater is found in Turkmenistan and is 60 metres wide and 20 metres deep. The hole was created when a Soviet drilling rig accidentally tapped into a massive underground natural gas cavern, causing the ground to collapse and the drilling rig to fall in. To prevent poisonous fumes from escaping into the atmosphere, the Soviet geologists decided to set the pit on fire, hoping the fire would use up its fuel in a few days.
|
|
|
1 |
6446 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Massive drain plug
|
view preview
The Monticello Dam holds back Lake Berryessa in Napa County, California, USA. The morning glory spillway associated with the dam is the largest in the world; it is a funnel-shaped outlet that allows water to bypass the Monticello Dam when it reaches capacity (1370 m³/s). The Glory Hole is located about 61m from the dam; the distance from the funnel to the exit point - which is situated in the south side of the canyon - is about 213m. The outside diameter is 22m, slowly narrowing to 8.5m at the exit. Water spills over the lip of the Glory Hole when the lake reaches 1,976,037,908 cubic metres (1,602,000 acre-feet). The spillway is designed to handle a maximum of 1,370,319 litres of water per second (362,000 gallons of water per second); this ha ...
|
|
|
2 |
6456 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Ever seen white bats before?
|
view preview
Introducing the Honduran white bat, a tiny bat (reaches up to 4.7 cm in length) found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama that has superb construction skills. These bats build tents from waxy leaves, creating a waterproof shelter that also helps them camouflage from predators.
|
|
|
0 |
5878 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Baby kiwi
|
view preview
This gorgeous Kiwi chick was born a few days ago in Auckland Zoo and a zookeeper filmed how it broke its egg and entered the world. Kiwi birds are shy, flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The Kiwi bird population has dwindled in the past few decades, but different zoos and wildlife sanctuaries have developed conservations programs that will help save the species.
|
|
|
0 |
5805 |
duddy |
10 years ago |