Archive for March, 2011
Bronx Zoo Locates Missing Egyptian Cobra, Website Crashes
The Bronx Zoo has found its missing Egyptian cobra. The zoo says the snake was found in a "non-public, off-exhibit area." It had been roaming the Reptile House for about a week. USA Today reports that a Reptile House employee used special tongs to capture the 20-inch long snake.
The cobra will be placed under observation and evaluated. The snake will go back on display once the zoo has determined the snake is in good condition.
The zoo posted a message on its website saying its missing snake has been found but its website has been lost due to high traffic. Some of the interest in the snake has been fueled by the funny Twitter handle, @BronxZoosCobra, which was created shortly after the snake went missing.
Jim Breheny, WCS Senior Vice President of Living Institutions and Director of the Bronx Zoo, says, "As you can imagine, we are delighted to report that the snake has been found alive and well. I really want to thank our staff for their determination and professionalism as we conducted the methodical search. We appreciated the public's support throughout the past week and we thank the media for helping keep the public informed."
Photo: Julie Larsen Maher, Wildlife Conservation Society
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Roof repair services and storm damage in Tampa, Florida. Roofing Buddy helps homeowners and business owners find quality roofing contractors to repair damage, leaks and replace flashing or shingles.
Study: Brain Instantly Rotates Reflected Words Seen in Mirror, Then Stops
A team of scientists from the Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL) says their study shows, for the first time, that the human brain can mentally rotate words seen in a mirror around and understand them automatically and unconsciously, at least for a few instants. Then the brain apparently remembers it should not process words this way and stops.
Jon Andoni Dunabeitia, lead author of the study, says, "At a very early processing stage, between 150 and 250 milliseconds, the visual system completely rotates the words reflected in the mirror and recognises them, although the brain then immediately detects that this is not the correct order and 'remembers' that it should not process them in this way."
In the study, published in the journal NeuroImage, researchers used electrodes to monitor the brain activity of 27 participants while carrying out two experiments in front of a computer screen. In the first case participants were shown words with some of the letters and other information rotated for 50 milliseconds (an imperceptible flash, which is processed by the brain). In the second case the entire word in the mirror was rotated (for example HTUOM instead of MOUTH). The researchers say the results of the encephalogram showed in both cases that, at between 150 and 250 milliseconds, the brain's response upon seeing the words as reflected in the mirror was the same as when they are read normally.
The researchers hope the research can lead to a better understanding of dyslexia.
Photo: SINC
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As Gas Prices Sky Rocket, Fuel Efficient Driving Tips Can Help You Conserve Gas
Gas prices are causing quite a shock in neighborhoods across America this week. Gas prices have risen nearly 82 cents since September 2010; the average price of regular gasoline in the US has jumped 33 cents per gallon in the last two weeks. Drivers across the country are feeling the pain of record high gas prices. A new fuel price survey says gas prices are expected to continue rising.
J Brand
Originally set up in 1933 by Joseph Brand as an electrical contracting and repair business in Margaret Street W1, the company today still operates today with the same guiding principle of "Customer Service" underpinning all its many core activities.
With Headquarters still based in Margaret Street, J Brand now directly employs over 120 Staff many located regionally - and offers a nationwide-/-European service.
Diversification has also enabled J Brand to flourish, with pioneering work being con...
Clean Energy in California - Solar, Wind and Geothermal
California is nation's clean energy leader. The main renewable energy sources are solar, geothermal and wind power.