Today's Astronomy picture from NASA is a beautiful view of the Earth's horizon during a sunset over the Pacific Ocean. If you've brushed up on your Astronomy (and possibly history, too), you probably know what today is. If you haven't the slightest idea, find out at the full article.

Sometimes, there are some things in the natural world that baffle most of us (like the discovery of a desert pupfish for example), scientists included. Such a thing has been discovered recently: fish that can live in trees for months on end.

Meet the mangrove killifish (Rivulus marmoratus Poey). It's a 75mm fish that is highly... uhm, weird. It doesn't require a mate to procreate as it is hermaphroditic, and currently, mangrove killifish are the only known vertebrates with that particular quality.

Biologists have discovered another thing that sets the mangrove killifish apart from others, they can survive in trees when pools of water where they normally live dry up.

Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Programme's Dr. Scott Taylor told New Scientist that the mangrove killifish "really don't meet standard behavioural criteria for fish." The fish move into rotting branches or tree trunks when water dries up - lining up neatly along grooves carved into the wood by insects.

The fish change their bodies to adapt to living above water, and they also curb their naturally territorial instincts when living end to end inside trees. When the mangrove killifish go back to the water, they revert back to their usual selves.

Care to take a dip at a local beach? Maybe you'll think twice as this bit of news warns us of something quite disturbing: U.S. beaches are polluted. That really isn't news to us, but it's the type of pollution that's a bit surprising. According to a group of experts from Johns Hopkins University, the beaches are polluted with pathogens from... er - poo.

International science magazine New Scientist reports of a recent study by public health expert Thaddeus Gracyzk and some of his colleagues. They tested water taken from Maryland's beaches twice a week for almost three months back in 2006. The water was tested for Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia, a couple of protozoans found in human feces. Both of the said protozoans can cause severe gastrointestinal problems, some might even lead to death.

They found that 30% of samples taken during weekdays had pathogens while it shoots up to 60% on weekends. According to the study, the level changes are proportional to the "bathers in the water."

Where'd all the poo come from? According to Gracyzk, bathers can upset the sediment where the microbes rest - either coming from sewage or from surface run-off after heavy rains.

We have long wondered what the appendix is there for. We may have reached the end of the debate as a group of immunologists and surgeons from the Duke University Medical School think they've found the appendix' function.

Some thought that worm-like tube (located just where the the large and small intestine meet) had something to do with lymphoid cells while others thought that it became useless through evolution and has no function at all - making the appendix almost synonymous with vestigial. Vestigial organs are those that don't seem to have a function, like the tonsils for example, though many vestigial organs have been struck off the list as we find out that they *do* have functions.

The study from the Duke University Medical School produced a theory: the appendix "acts as a good safe house for bacteria." According to surgery professor and study co-author Bill Parker, the appendix' location in the digestive system supports the theory and it actually acts as a factory for good bacteria.

Imagine this, you get cholera or amoebic dysentery, all the useful bacteria dies off as a result. Then what? You need to get some good bacteria back. In modern society, you can pick those up from other people but imagine what it would have been like in the past when the entire region gets infected and the population wasn't so dense? According to the study, that's when the appendix kicks in; it "reboots" the digestive system's good germs.

Inflamed appendices should still be removed, according to Parker, since they can turn deadly once they pop. Makes one wonder though, are there any other differences between those who had their appendix removed and those who still have theirs? Because if there are any more, this writer's in trouble.

Check out the image on the right. Is it a weird uber reclusive sea creature? Or something under a microscope? Actually, we all have what's shown in the image - it's a bottom-up image of a nose.

This image won first place at the 2007 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, an annual contest held by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the journal Science. The challenge asks illustrators, photographers, graphics specialists, and others to create images that would "intrigue, explain and educate". The said contest also spans different categories: Informational Graphics, Interactive Media, Photography, and Non-Interactive Media.

The image to the right is entitled "What Lies Behind our Nose" and was tied in first place with "Irish Moss, Chondrus crispus" in the Photography category.

NSF's Jeff Nesbit, director of Office of Legislative and Public Affairs had this to say about the challenge:

Breakthroughs in science and engineering are often portrayed in movies and literature as 'ah-ha!' moments. What these artists and communicators have given us are similar experiences, showing us how bats fly or how nicotine becomes physically addictive. We look at their visualizations, and we understand.

Check out the other winners by clicking the Read link below. Enjoy!

Another gene linked to Alzheimer's disease has been found. Early this year, the gene SORL1 was discovered to be a factor in late-onset dementia, along with ApoE4. Scientists have found another clue to the mind degenerating disease.

According to journal Neuron, people with a damaged copy of the GAB2 gene are more susceptible to developing Alzheimer's in their later years. Late onset Alzheimer's hit one out of ten people over 65 and about 50 percent of people over 85. Researchers from the Institute of Neurology and other institutions studied DNA gathered from 1,411 people and found that GAB2 has an effect on ApoE4.

People with Alzheimer's commonly have protein "tangles" in their brains. It was found that GAB2 (if undamaged) stops a protein called tau that has a direct effect on the formation of the said tangles. So if a person has a bad copy of GAB2, tau runs amok and you know what happens next. Alzheimer's Society's director of research, Professor Clive Ballard had this to say:

This impressive research suggests a common gene could be responsible for a four-fold increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. It is the most important risk factor gene to be identified in relation to tangles, which develop in the brain in Alzheimer's disease.

Interesting discovery. The faster they discover things, the faster they find cures, right? Let's hope they do.

For the Hello Kitty fans and health buffs out there, this gadget is perfect for you. It's Sanrio's Hello Kitty Body Fat Meter.

Now, if you're wondering what the cute kitty is doing on a weighing scale, we haven't the slightest idea either. Though it may be a good idea to listen to somebody who weighs just that of three shiny apples (according to Wikipedia). Anyway, the weighing scale has four variants: Body Fat Meter (BF-071-KT), digital display (D-041-KT), analog display (HA-011-KT), and a cooking scale (KA-011-KT).

The body fat meter retails at around JPY 6,000 (or US$ 49), the digital scale at JPY 4,000 (or US$ 33), while the cooking scale and the analog scale can be yours at JPY 2,000 (or US$ 17). Hmm... We've definitely seen weirder things from Sanrio.

Just when you thought that there can't be any more talk about marijuana, another study comes up. And take note that we're talking about marijuana or cannabis for medical purposes.

According to Dr. Mitch Earleywine of the State University of New York, vaporizing marijuana is more lung-friendly as opposed to smoking it. Marijuana use for medical purposes (mostly for pain relief) have been the subject of debate. Some argue that smoking pot can result to lung problems. Dr. Earleywine said:

The argument that the medical use of cannabis is inappropriate because of its potential to create (lung) problems is now clearly invalid. Regular users of joints, blunts, pipes, and water pipes might decrease respiratory symptoms by switching to a vaporizer.

Their research showed that the when cannabis is heated (in vaporizers), the psychoactive ingredients are released without having to deal with the smoke and toxins from the lighting up a joint. The test was conducted via an Internet survey of medical cannabis users. A number of participants who suffered from asthma, cystic fibrosis, and those who used other inhaled drugs were excluded. Only 2.2% of the total participants (152) used vaporizing as their preferred mode of use. A hundred of participants who used vaporizers did not have respiratory problems (60%) as opposed to 56%  of those who used other methods.

Dr. Earleywine concludes, "These data, in conjunction with previous work reveal that people can use cannabis without fear of respiratory problems." Interesting. But remember boys and girls, cannabis is only legal for medical purposes for some states - it doesn't mean it's okay to smoke pot.

 

There's probably a lot of people who are trying to watch their weights. Of course, it's definitely not healthy to go and start starving yourself. It's way better to just control the portions you eat.

The Diet Blog posted some photos (courtesy of Dr. Stephen Butler and Leslie Stefanowicz, NP) of food servings that range from 300 to 400 calories. It goes from the English muffin breakfast to the heavy calorie-wise scrambled eggs and turkey bacon, chicken and rice, and fish and mashed potatoes. Though some would think these meals are next to virtually starving themselves, they are recommended by the doctors mentioned above.

Hmm... For the calorie counters, these pictures would be a great basis for their weight loss plans. But will this type of diet be popular with the rest of the population? What do you think? Will these fill you up?

    

    

Do you know what you eat? Well, be it for watching your weight or health issues, it's best you know what you're eating - or what they contain.

Mike Adams, a health researcher and author has written an interesting article about the five most offending food - offensive in the sense that they (or their ingredients) cause cancer. First off, he wrote that cancer cells live off sugar in the bloodstream therefore eating too much of the sugary munchies will cause cancer cells to go hyper in one's system. He suggests that people take a anti-cancer diet which involves low-glycemic food: no refined sugars, refined grains, sweeteners, and soda pop.

That might be a nightmare enough for some people but there's more to come. The dangers of fried food with hydrogenated oils and acrylamide (after product of frying) were also discussed. Sodium nitrite and nitrites in general is a carcinogen which is added to food so they look fresh and also as a preservative. Adams listed the deadly five:

• Hot dogs
• Processed meats and bacon
• doughnuts
• French fries
• Chips, crackers and cookies

Hmm... Well, there you have it. These five contain trans fats (hydrogenated oils), sodium nitrite, and sugar. Adams urges people to "Eat unprocessed foods and base your diet largely on plants." Eat food with omega-3 fats, get enough sunlight, don't smoke, avoid cosmetics, personal care products and fragrances. Seems like a tall order for some, but are you really going to risk an unhealthy lifestyle for your health?

This would probably cause a lot of debate from both sides of the fence, plus the medical community. But what do you think? To check out Adams' complete article, click the Read link below.