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Post Archive
May (1)March (1)February (2)
Neuromagicology: At the Intersection of Art and Science
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Advantage of Being Cute
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
January (1)
2011 (3)Neuromagicology: At the Intersection of Art and Science
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Advantage of Being Cute
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
December (3)
Can woodpeckers help us design better helmets?
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Home for the holidays! How pigeons use their sense of smell to find their way home.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Gender-Bending in the Animal Kingdom
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Can woodpeckers help us design better helmets?
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Home for the holidays! How pigeons use their sense of smell to find their way home.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Gender-Bending in the Animal Kingdom
Sunday, December 4, 2011
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Cynthia McKelvey
Oberlin Ohio
Interesting things from an overly-curious science nerd.
My posts are presented as opinion and commentary and do not represent the views of LabSpaces Productions, LLC, my employer, or my educational institution.
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Views: 601 | Comments: 2
Last by Cynthia McKelvey on Apr 09, 2012, 12:46pm
Last by Cynthia McKelvey on Apr 09, 2012, 12:46pm
The Venture Brothers season 1, episode 5, via [adult swim]
Why yes, penguins do have an organ that converts sea water into fresh water! Except it's not an organ, it's a gland. And it doesn't directly convert sea water to fresh water, it filters salt from the blood.
Hm, maybe I should start from the beginning.
First of all, this organ/gland/whatever that Dean is talking about is called the supraorbital gland, and it's something all marine birds have. Basically any mammal or bird that is going to have to drink sea water to quench thirst is going to need this gland.
Normally, salt that we ingest is absorbed into the blood stream, filtered out by the kidneys, and secreted in urine. However, the penguin's small kidneys can only filter out enough salt to create urine that's about 1/3 the concentration of sea water. If the blood is still too salty, then water must be taken from other tissues to dilute it, and this quickly leads to dehydration.
. . . MoreViews: 771 | Comments: 2
Last by Cynthia McKelvey on Dec 19, 2011, 9:50am
Last by Cynthia McKelvey on Dec 19, 2011, 9:50am
Yes, really. On the left is the skull of a woodpecker, where the hyoid can be seen extending up from behind the skull. On the right labeled (b) is the woodpecker hyoid bone by itself.
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Hi Dan, Sorry it took me so long to reply to your comment. I actually didn't even see it for quite some time. I did do some research though, and it turns out that the fluid within the cavit. . .Read More
This is fascinating! But where does the non-salty fluid come from (or START from)? It can't be the blood stream... . . .Read More
Thanks! Haha yeah I was wondering if that first sentence could have been worded more clearly. Although I think I look better on my camera phone than I do IRL, but maybe that's because of the poor r. . .Read More
Cool! I will have to check out that book—I love seeing how illusions are performed. Magicians are quite clever. Also, when I read your first sentence, I thought you said, "We all know how the cam. . .Read More
Babies are angels. They look cute because they have this aura of innocence on their faces. Every baby is cute. Cute as in small, good-looking and cuddly. :) . . .Read More