A team of scientists from the University of Florida says insect colonies follow some of the same biological rules as individuals, a finding that suggests social groups of insects like ants and bees might operate like a single “superorganism” in terms of their physiology and life cycle.
Researchers compared the interactions of individual insects to that of cells in a human body – an organism comprised of many organisms, all of which are working together for a common goal of survival.
Askimet saves lives.
I’m under the impression virtually every WordPress user already knows this, but I’m a little slow on the uptake, okay?
It just becomes easier to deny.
Maybe that explains the deploringly scant coverage of Scott Horton’s investigation into the deaths of three – never formally charged – detainees at Guantanomo prison.
Summing up Horton’s thoughts:
Three prisoners, Salah Ahmed al-Salami, 37, a Yemeni, and two Saudis, Talal al-Zahrani, 22, and Mani Shaman al-Utaybi, 30 – who died in June 2006 - were murdered following an interrogation in an off-site black-ops facility at Guantanamo Bay. (See: Camp No)
The bodies were rushed through a hasty autopsy, which concluded all three men committed suicide, (despite apparently having bound hands and rags stuffed down their throats).
FOIA requests for paperwork reveal heavily redacted NCIS documents with some gross inaccuracies.
Horton’s article is based, in part, on the testimony of a former staff sergeant who says the Obama administration refuses to investigate his claims.
British media, with the exception of Rupert Murdoch’s Times, have all followed up on the piece.
Let’s take as a given that the blurring between animal and human creates a universal substrate for humor.
Tired cats are funny. As is a dog trying to learn Polish. And farts … well, those are just hilarious, man. No explanation needed. Although, you know, bathroom humor is probably our way of dealing with the animalistic, or something. We want to think we are above the savage influences that lie within us.
The Internet, of course, is ground zero for toilet humor. And it’s an interesting staging ground for what we value as a culture.
How is it that a dog on a skateboard gets 10,000,000 hits while a brilliant piece of prose goes largely unnoticed?
Turning an eye to the BBC, how can the dog learning Polish rank higher in the “most read” category than reporting on the disaster in Haiti?
Potlatch has a great analysis on the topic.
I’m still not sure to what extent the Internet provides a reliable gauge for what we value in society. I’ve always looked at the Web with a certain degree of lightheartedness. It’s a place to lose yourself. I tune into the stupid (i.e. Darth Vader singing Chocolate Rain) so I don’t have to think about all the serious stuff going on in the world. I’d be wary of anyone decrying the downfall of mankind just because the “most read” stories on most news sites aren’t, well … news.
We need funny. Especially when so much in the world isn’t.
There’s more to be said, but for now that will do. Thoughts?
Daydreaming dominating your day?
Well, you’re just like … super intelligent, man.
Some great Chris Dodd coverage by WNPR’s Team Dankosky.
Tune into The Colin McEnroe Show tomorrow for an interview with Attorney General Richard Blumenthal at 1 p.m. EST.
