Black Holes and Chivalrous Crickets

• Can you see the wind? Although you can’t see the rushing air molecules, you accept the wind’s existence because you can see its effect on leaves, dust, and hair-dos. In an analogous way, astrophysicists accept that black holes exist in galaxies because they can measure their gravitational pull on nearby space matter. Also, studies with the x-ray telescope provide evidence for their existence. Black holes appear to occur when a large star runs out of nuclear fuel and can no longer sustain itself. When this occurs, the star collapses and implodes, and the tremendous gravitational forces of the star’s mass capture nearby objects and space matter. The hole is described as funnel-shaped, and objects and matter accelerate in a downward spiral and ultimately disappear at tremendous speeds into the black hole at the center of the funnel; even light (in the form of photons) disappears from view into the black void of the hole. Scientists theorize that after millions of years, a black hole evaporates, perhaps releasing a powerful burst of radiation energy. (Scientific American, Oct., 2011; lecture by Dr. Feryl Ozel, “Origins of Black Holes,” presented Mar. 1, 2011, which can be viewed on YouTube)

• Molecular biologists at United Arab Emirates University discovered that the spice saffron suppresses liver cancer in rats. When added to cultures of liver cancer cells from humans, saffron inhibited cell division and key proteins required for cancer growth. Saffron is obtained from the flowers of Crocus sativus, which must be handpicked, and extraction of the spice is a tedious process. This is just another example of the importance of plants in providing new drugs that can combat human diseases. (Science News, Oct. 8, 2011)

• According to Annie Kimbrough, who has done extensive research on how fast animals can move, the following are on her list (www.g-kexoticfarms.com): the fastest insect is the cockroach, which scoots along at up to 3 mph. Among birds, a hunting peregrine falcon can dive at speeds exceeding 200 mph, a non-hunting racing pigeon can fly at about 100 mph, and an ostrich runs at 43 mph. The fastest dog is the greyhound, which can reach 45 mph – barely outrunning the ostrich!

• A new study suggests that intestinal bacteria can influence behavior. One group of mice was fed broth containing the intestinal bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and another group was fed plain broth (without bacteria). The brains of bacteria-fed mice showed a change in the distribution of a protein that responds to a neurochemical called GABA, which is thought to play a role in helping regulate stress. Tests on mice that ingested bacteria showed a diminished level of a key stress hormone as compared to mice without the bacteria in their diet. Experiments involving how leisurely mice moved through a maze and whether they panicked when forced to swim indicated that in all cases mice fed broth with bacteria showed less anxiety. If this can be extrapolated to humans, it raises the possibility that intestinal bacteria could play a role in stress management, or even a wide range of psychiatric disorders. (Proc. of the National Academy of Sciences, Aug. 29, 2011; Science News, Oct. 8, 2011)

• A British scientist videotaped wild crickets and discovered that when a predator attacks a male and female cricket pair, the male waits until the female flees safely into a burrow. The result: the male of the pair is four times more likely to get eaten than a single cricket. The female of the pair, on the other hand, is six times less likely to be eaten. This behavior ensures that a female carrying the sperm of a protective male will produce male offspring more likely to perpetuate this kind of survival behavior. (The Week, Oct. 28, 2011)