Science
Science
Sharks Had a Sixth Sense Before It Was Cool
Many myths and misconceptions surrounding sharks have been perpetuated throughout the last several decades. It seems something about their awe-inspiring and fascinating nature triggers the imagination, which then leads to stories, which eventually leads to fiction being intermingled with facts.
By Rochelle Gordon5 years ago in FYI
Did You Know?
A seahorse seems impossible. It seems unlikely to really be real. Like a unicorn, fairy or dragon, the seahorse has been so legendary, and throughout time in cultures across the globe, have inspired so many incredible medical remedies, art, literature and myths, that it seems too hard to believe that a seahorse lives, day in and day out, right alongside every other normal thing on the planet. Yet, although the seahorse seems like the embodiment of obscurity, magical and mysterious in its underwater existence, it is as real as you and I.
By Tess Celinalaha 5 years ago in FYI
Murder
The sky is covered with black specks flying in circles. Crows! Lots of them. Normally a large group of certain animals are named differently. A herd of cattle, a flock of sheep, but in this case, it is called a “murder of crows” or an “unkindness of crows”. Media, different cultures, and literature sometimes paint these creatures to symbolize death.
By Vinnie Quan5 years ago in FYI
Is color in the eye of the beholder?
If a tree falls in the forest and no one sees it, is it still brown and green? In principle, color is primarily determined by a property of light, wavelength, that has little to do with hikers passing by… Or has it? On the one hand, it is true that physical properties of light are independent of beholders (as long as we don’t go into the weird world of quantum physics) but, on the other, a wavelength is not a color. A wavelength only becomes a color once a creature with the right kit to detect it puts it in a mental box different from the mental box for some other detectable wavelength. That’s where things get interesting.
By Ines Anton-Mendez5 years ago in FYI
Polar Bears hunt and kill whales?!
Polar Bears are fascinating animals, more so than other bears because of their large size, unique colour, and arctic environment where they live. They are the largest land carnivores in the world, and live in some of the coldest and inhospitable places on Earth. People who are interested in and learn about these tough and rugged bears know they normally hunt seals. Hunting seals takes patience and strength, as the seals polar bears routinely hunt can weigh up to 150 pounds and must be hauled out of the water after being caught. If you have tried to lift anything out of the water, you know how hard that is. It doesn’t hurt that male bears can weigh as much as 1400 pounds, which is nearly 10 times as heavy as a keg full of beer. They massively outweigh their regular prey.
By Desmond James5 years ago in FYI
Pelican necks and other creepy animal facts
When I saw this challenge and this new community I knew I wanted to join in and also keep it in my wheelhouse. Therefore, I'm going to lay out some lesser-known animal facts but only creepy ones. I have four for you today but I'll be back when I find more. Also, there will be a photo of a tarantula later in this story, you have been warned!
By Angela Nolan5 years ago in FYI
Under The Gumbo-Limbos
Known by many names such as copperwood, torchwood, West Indian birch, turpentine tree, gum tree, and chaca, the Gumbo-Limbo is native to the tropical regions of the Americas. Bursera simaruba has red-peeling bark which earned it the nickname “tourist tree” as the red skin resembles that of the sunburnt travelers who flock to its lush native regions of Central America and the Caribbean. South Florida, the Florida Keys for example, is abundant with the red-barked beauties!
By MJ Halliburton5 years ago in FYI
World's First Programmer was a Woman and Software Programming was Meant to be a Woman's Job
But first, a little on why I feel the urge to write about these two uncommon facts even those in the software field are not aware of. I'm a software developer. I love challenging myself and solving problems. I look forward to the design and architecture discussions in my daily meetings. And I truly believe that with the help of technology when used rightly, we can solve the world's problems. Writing on Vocal and sharing it with the world wouldn't have been possible without a group of software developers figuring out solutions to build a scalable product. Without code, it wouldn't have been possible to put a human on the moon. Without the Python code that Katie Bouman wrote, it wouldn't have been possible to capture the first-ever image of the black hole. Yes. My heart swells with pride whenever I see women accomplishing the impossible feats in my field. Because, Gender Inequality is one of the most frequently discussed shortcomings in STEM fields. I look around in my office and I see very few women whom I look forward to having as a role-model. As the career ladder gets higher, the number of women climbing it drops significantly. So how are companies solving the problem of Gender Inequality? Through some of the below initiatives aimed at encouraging the women workforce.
By vaisrinivasan5 years ago in FYI
