Curling up with your favorite ball of fur as she purrs away is pretty close to heaven, at least for cat folk. Yet, hidden between those vibrations, that most appealing of domestic sounds remains wrapped in mystery, and even a little magic.
No one is certain exactly why cats purr, though there are a number of good guesses. The obvious observation is cats seem to purr when they’re pleased and feeling good. But that’s not always the case: Some cats also purr when they’re hungry, injured, or frightened. And most surprisingly, purring frequencies have been shown to stimulate bone regeneration—yes, bone regeneration.
Cats purr by using their larynx and diaphragm muscles, both as they inhale and as they exhale, although just how the central nervous system generates and controls those contractions isn’t yet understood. Early 19th century taxonomists thought cats could either purr or roar, and split the family Felidae along these lines—”purrers’ (subfamily Felinae) and ‘roarers’ (subfamily Pantherinae).
Today, though, taxonomists believe most cats can purr, with a few probable (though not certain) pantherine exceptions: lion, leopard, jaguar, tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard. (Cheetahs and cougars? Yeah, they purr.)
So, why do it? If it’s a form of communication, it’s meant for those near and dear, since cats purr at a frequency and volume too low to travel far. Purring (and many other low-frequency vocalizations in mammals) often are associated with positive social situations: nursing, grooming, relaxing, being friendly.
More likely, though, purring is simply soothing, or self-soothing, as cats may also purr in stressful situations. In that case, purring would be akin to how humans soothe themselves by crying, laughing, distracting themselves, or even organizing their desk. Some veterinarians and cat enthusiasts have observed cats lying alongside each other and purring when one is injured (a behavior termed “purr therapy”), though scientific literature on the subject is scant.
PURR THERAPY
Beyond being calming for the injured kitty, “purr therapy” may have bone healing properties. Domestic cats purr at a frequency of about 26 Hertz, in a range that promotes tissue regeneration. That’s not as crazy as it sounds: High-impact exercise promotes bone health for the same reason, because bones respond to pressure by making themselves stronger.
In their natural setting, cats spend a lot of time lying around waiting to hunt, so purring may stimulate bones so that they don’t become weak or brittle. In fact, purr-like vibration devices have been patented for potential use in therapy, and some researchers have proposed strapping vibrating plates to astronauts’ feet during long space flights to retain bone density.
Such reasons to purr are by no means exclusive. “All behavior depends on history, context and expectation,” says Tony Buffington, a cat expert and veterinarian at Ohio State University. “So it’s naive to think that cats can only purr for one reason—it’s like thinking that people can only laugh for one reason.”
Humans can laugh out of joy, a desire to be polite, when surprised, in discomfort or in derision—and only context will tell an onlooker which is going on.
It would be easier to tell what function the low-frequency rumbles play if we could “de-purr” a cat. But, Buffington notes, what are you going to do, cut off its air supply? You’d lose a cat and learn nothing. If you want to know why your particular favorite feline is purring, Buffington suggests paying attention to what prompted the purring and what it leads to.
Did you just arrive home to be greeted by your cat purring and rubbing against your leg? He might be happy to see you. Is your cat pestering you around dinnertime, purring insistently? It may be hungry. (Cats seem to purr with greater urgency when hungry.) Is he purring at you through YouTube? Maybe he’s encouraging you to finish the story you’re writing.
“While it is fun to visit and explore each biome in person, it is not likely that you can get to all of them. So we are gathering some 360 views of the different biomes that you can use to explore and learn about each biome. It is like having your own private window looking into these amazing places.
There are three ways to view each biome. You can use a computer and click and drag to look around. You can also use your smart phone like an iPhone or Android with their gyroscope enabled function to look into each biome. In this mode you can move the phone around as you to look into the biome. Finally, if you have Virtual Reality (VR) goggles like Google Cardboard, you can immerse yourself into each biome. Be sure to stand up and turn and look around to view all of the space.
We are just getting started, so bookmark this page so you can find your way back to explore more virtual biomes as they are released. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions.”
Have you ever wondered where plants get their mass? All those leaves and branches have to come from somewhere, but where? It turns out that the main ingredients for plant growth are water, air, and energy.
Where plants get their mass.
The Story of Air
The molecule carbon dioxide is made of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.
The air around you may seem empty, but it’s not.
Air is made of tiny bits that we call molecules. If you had enough air molecules, you could even weigh them.
Two of the molecules in air are oxygen and carbon dioxide. You may think oxygen is the most important molecule—we need it to live. But carbon is important too. All living things on Earth are made of carbon.
If you removed the water from our bodies, you would find that carbon makes up most of the rest of our weight, or mass. The same is true for plants.
Plants don’t get carbon from any of these sources.
We get carbon from our food, but where do you think plants get carbon? They don’t get their carbon from the soil, or from the sun, or from water.
Plants pull carbon out of the air.
Are Plants Made from Thin Air?
Plants need energy from the sun, water from the soil, and carbon from the air to grow.
Air is mostly made of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. So how do plants get the carbon they need to grow? They absorb carbon dioxide from the air. This carbon makes up most of the building materials that plants use to build new leaves, stems, and roots. The oxygen used to build glucose molecules is also from carbon dioxide.
Water is another important material plants need to grow, and they get it by absorbing it through their roots. Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The hydrogen in water is used to help build glucose molecules.
A plant can be up to 95% water. Think of the water as the filler they use between carbon structures. If we take away the water from a plant though, and look at just the dry material, a large majority of that material comes from thin air.
Plants also need tiny bits of vitamins and minerals to grow properly, which they get through their roots.
Plants need a lot of energy to take care of their cells and to build new ones so they can grow. Plants get their energy from the sun.
The Carbon Story
Plants absorb carbon dioxide through small openings called stomata that are on the surface of the leaf.
If we zoom in on a plant leaf, so close that we can see the cells, we’ll find tiny openings called stomata. Stomata are holes made from spaces between special cells. These holes are where plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
Once inside the leaf, the carbon dioxide can enter plant cells. Inside the plant cells are special cell parts called chloroplasts, where photosynthesis takes place.
Circled inside the plant cell is one of hundreds of chloroplasts that live within the cell.
Plant cells look green due to molecules in the chloroplasts that reflect green light. There are many, many chloroplasts in every green plant cell. Most of the rest of the cell usually looks clear.
In the chloroplasts, carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and energy are used to make a sugar called glucose. The whole process of making glucose is called photosynthesis.
Molecules of glucose join together to form cellulose.
Next, glucose molecules combine to form long chains called cellulose. Cellulose is then used to build plant structures, like cell walls.
As more cells divide, the plant’s leaves, stems, and roots can grow larger.
These structures and the materials they hold are also built with water.
When new cell structures are built, cells can grow and divide, making new cells. These new cells make for new plant growth. This lets the plants get bigger.
So if you are creating a cookbook of life and want to include a recipe for plant growth you would add the following.
Water, which can make up to 95% of the weight of a plant, enters the plant through its roots.
Carbon, which makes up the most of the rest of the plant, comes from the air and enters the plant through holes in its leaves.
Oxygen from carbon dioxide, and hydrogen from water, enter through the leaves and roots, and are used to make glucose.
Energy, which the plant needs for photosynthesis to work, is absorbed from sunlight.
In order to grow, plants need water, carbon dioxide (from air), and energy from sunlight.
In some areas of the world, the weather changes in the fall, making the air turn cold. During this time, many leaves also change colors. Why does this happen?
Deciduous trees drop their leaves in winter. Image by Paul Buckingham.
First let’s think about why some trees drop their leaves before winter. In the winter, it would take a lot of energy and water for plants to keep their leaves healthy. But winter is cold, dry, and usually there isn’t much sun (which helps give plants energy). So, instead of trying to keep their leaves, some plants drop their leaves and seal the spots on their branches where the leaves had been attached.
How is this related to what makes leaves colorful?
Leaves are colored by molecules called pigments. The pigment that causes leaves to be green is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is important for plants to make food using sunlight. During spring and summer when there is plenty of sunlight, plants make a lot of chlorophyll.
In autumn when it starts to get cold, some plants stop making chlorophyll. Instead, those plants break down chlorophyll into smaller molecules. As chlorophyll goes away, other pigments start to show their colors. This is why leaves turn yellow or red in fall.
In fall, plants break down and reabsorb chlorophyll, letting the colors of other pigments show through. Image by Sander van der Wel.
The color change usually happens before the leaves fall off of the tree. Why might that be? It takes a lot of energy to make chlorophyll. If the plants break down the chlorophyll and move it out of their leaves before the leaves fall, plants save energy. The plants can reabsorb the molecules that make up chlorophyll. Then, when it’s warm and sunny enough to grow again, the plants can use those molecules to remake the chlorophyll. That way the plants don’t have to make chlorophyll from scratch.
There are other pigments in leaves called carotenoids. Carotenoids are yellow and orange. Anthocyanins are other plant pigments that are only made in the fall. These pigments cause red, pink, or purple colors. Anthocyanins also protect leaves from being eaten or getting sun burned.
So the different colors in leaves are caused by changes in the pigments. When the weather changes, some plants break down all the green pigment. This lets beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds come through in the fall.
Wonder, un film nou aparut inspirat de cartea originala scrisa de R.J. Palacio, despre un baiat (Auggie Pulmann) care a suferit 25 de operatii de cand s-a nascut, la varsta de 11 ani intrand intr-o scoala publica(pana atunci facea homeschooling) facand fata noii lui vieti. In regia lui Stephen Chbosky,cu Jacob Trembley in rolul principal(Auggie Pullmann), filmul a fost(dupa parerea mea) unul dintre cele mai bune ale anului 2017(el fiind lansat pe 16 noiembrie 2017).
-Ilinca Tapalaga
Aproximativ 93% din vizionari au vazut acest film spectacular (spusele lui google), filmul fiind bazat pe romanul lui R.J. Palacio lansat in 2012. In editia 90 Academy Awards a fost nominalizat pentru “Best Hair and Makeup”. Cu un buget de doar 20 milioane de dolari, filmul a scos 252 milioane de dolari, odata cu cele mai pozitive critici vazute pana acum.
In film joaca actori pe care poate ii stiti, precum Julia Roberts sau Owen Wilson.
Ever wondered where this magnificent, weird and… dangerous sport was invented? Why? When? Me neither, but here’s it anyway:
Firstly, surfing is one of the oldest practiced sports on the planet. The art of wave riding is a blend of total athleticism and the comprehension of the beauty and power of nature. Surfing is also one of the few sports that creates its own culture and lifestyle.
At first, surfing started in Western Polynesia, like riding a wooden board on the waves. The first surfers were fishermen who discovered it was an efficient method of getting to shore with their catch. Early historical records of surfing appear in the late 1700s, when Europeans and Polynesians made first contact in Tahiti. Navigator Captain James Cook described how a Tahitian caught waves with his outrigger canoe just for the fun of it: “On walking one day about Matavai Point, where our tents were erected, I saw a man paddling in a small canoe so quickly and looking about him with such eagerness of each side. He then sat motionless and was carried along at the same swift rate as the wave, till it landed him upon the beach. Then he started out, emptied his canoe, and went in search of another swell. I could not help concluding that this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so fast and so smoothly by the sea.”
The Hawaiians who surfed, the ali’i or high class, claimed the highest reputation for skill with boards on waves. They developed their own prayers, board shapers, wood and beaches where a select few could surf with people of their talent. No one dared to drop in on their wave in fear of getting punished and possible dying. The surfboards underwent a sacred ritual before construction. Only three types of trees were picked to make a board. The board maker would dig up the tree and around the roots place fish in the hole as an offering to the gods for the tree. The process of shaping then began.
There were four basic board types used in ancient Hawaii:
– The paipo or kioe, a body board, from 2-to-4 feet long, usually used by children.
– The alaia (ah-LAI-ah) or omo (O-mo), a mid-sized board, about 8 feet or longer.
– The kiko`o, larger than the alaia, but not as big as the biggest boards; between 12 and 18 feet; good for bigger surf, but requiring a high level of skill to handle.
– The olo (O-lo), a very long surfboard reserved for royalty that could be as long as 18-to-24 feet in length
Hellooooo fellow humans, it is I, Ania, here with a radar interesting article! Firstly, I hope you had an amazing Christmas along your loved ones, but on to today’s subject, which is the evil, monstrous Devil’s Tritone!
“Diabolus en muzica”, which means “the devil in music” in latin, is an interval spanning three full tones (Tri=three, Tone=Tones). It divides the octaves into two different equal parts, creating an unstable sound that, churches thought, would make the devil appear, if sung. In the Middle Age, it was banned, and anyone who sang it were sentenced to death.
Well…. That’s actually not true… It was not ever banned, as there’s no evidence of that, but the misleading information is repeated over and over again on the Internet.
The tritone was used in church songs (quite rarely), and the reason it was rarely used is because it was difficult to sing and dissonant, but could have been effectively used in certain contexts.
It was first heard of 400 years after the Medieval practice.
In the 18th century, Johann Fux described it in a textbook called “Gradus ad Parnassum”. The phrase said that “mi” against “fa” is the devils tritone… But the notes only form a minor 2nd… So, what’s up with that?
Well… The Medieval Music was split in 3 hexachords. A hexachord consists of the first six notes of the major scale.
The ‘natural‘ Hex. was built on “do“, the ‘soft‘ Hex. built on “fa“, and the ‘hard‘ Hex. built on “sol“.
Therefore, “mi” from the natural Hex. can create a tritone with “fa” from the soft Hex., “fa” from the natural Hex. can create a tritone with “mi” from the hard Hex., and “mi” from the hard Hex. was especially devilish with “fa” from the soft Hex.
The expression “devil’s tritone” is similar to “I after E, except after C”. It’s a practical technical rule, but not a warning against the devil.
Why do we believe it’s evil, then? It’s because of an amazing thing called “Semantic shift”, which means that words can change their meanings in time, often to negative one’s.
For example, “awful” (Really bad) meant “inspiring awe”, and that’s kind of what happened to the devil’s tritone.
19th century romantic composers studied it and took the phrase.. Quite literally… Therefore creating evil, powerful sounding music based on it. The evil of the phrase intensified in the 20th and 21st century, when metal bands started experimenting with it.
Even if it didn’t mean “evil” in the Middle Ages, the tritone has been socially codified to mean “evil” and to represent the devil.
I hope you enjoyed this pile of information thrown at you, and if you want to know more, check out this video.
Târg de cadouri, decorațiuni și suveniruri Mărăști Blvd, nr. 65-67.
Eveniment organizat de: Romexpo
Perioada: 6 -10.12.2017
Activitate
Orașul Crăciunului în Sun Plaza: fabrică de jucării, Moș Crăciun, magie, lectură de povești.
Unde: Sun Plaza, București, România
Când: 08 Dec 2017 17:00 – 17 Dec 2017 00:00
Tip/Categorie: Târguri Workshops
Sun Plaza se transformă în ”Orașul Crăciunului” și este atât de aproape! Ca în fiecare an, în luna decembrie Sun Plaza le-a pregătit copiilor zile și seri magice în decoruri de poveste și întâlniri memorabile pe măsura nerăbdării cu care au așteptat Sărbătorile de iarnă.
