Bird Respiratory System

The avian lungs are pretty neat, and can be considered an improvement over the typical mammalian lungs.

Avian lungs have air sacs that extend into bones and muscles. The air sacs act as bellows to directly deliver oxygen to sustain the high metabolic rate needed to enable flight.

Below is a picture with better description of the unique avian anatomy:

(Taken at the Jurong Bird Park, Singapore)

Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children

The tittle sums up my sentiment.

I may have nothing against people believe in religion, but I have a HUGE issue with people indoctrinating children with the sky-daddy that they believe.

Such indoctrination is most certainly harmful to the developing mind of children. Indoctrination encourages children to just accept statements as fact, to deny evidence, and most importantly to kill of questioning or simply being curious.

Such is the toll to human capital that most adults do not comprehend basic sciences nor are they capable in explaining or conveying scientific knowledge to the masses. Instead, most adults are more likely swayed by pseudoscience or whatever mumbo-jumbo that their religion believes in.



The worst part has to do with science teachers themselves. Till today I still hear horror stories about school teachers refusing to teach evolution. Some teachers state publicly to the students that they are supposed to teach evolution, but they won't accept it.

The Indoctrination of Children with Religion

Despite ample scientific evidences and countless sound Theories, many still rejects Science and instead choose the word of God as the easy way to help them in their understanding of the Universe.

One main reason why so many have strong faith in God is due to the indoctrination of children. At that age, the developing mind is easily swayed into believing something that is both omnipotent and almighty. Children are less capable and also less willing in questioning their parents and adults. As a result, their mind is most easily influenced at that tender age.

Creationism propaganda for children caught on camera 

The Internet: Where religions come to die

Science is

Science is:

1. the study of Nature

From daily observations of natural phenomena, we can try to draw possible logical explanations (hypotheses). Questions that start with What, How, When, Where, and Who often circle around our curious mind.

A good hypothesis is one that can be rigorously tested using scientific methods, in order to derive evidence that either supports or rejects our hypothesis. This is also known as the Falsification Method, when scientists always subject their hypotheses to various empirical testing. An accepted hypothesis is one that stands such rigorous scrutiny. Even if there is a shred of evidence/data/observation that goes against our hypothesis, the whole thing falls apart (the hypothesis is rejected).


Hypotheses that are well accepted will eventually become a new Theory or Law (more commonly applied in Physics and Mathematics). However, this is not a permanent situation, as advances in Science open new opportunities to conduct new, more elaborate, and more accurate experiments.

This means that Science is never static nor dogmatic. Theories and Laws are being updated in light of new evidences and understandings (a Paradigm Shift).



2. predictable, reliable, and repeatable.

We can build upon present Theories and Laws, a working model to predict an outcome of related experiments and even other hypotheses. The outcome must be reliable, in the sense that results concur with the model. Else, again the Theories/Laws will be modified.

Last but not least, the outcome must be repeatable. Science is not any mumbo-jumbo that gives a whole lot of excuses in case the outcome is not as predicted.

Cows with resealable stomach

Another post on cows, this time with some surgical operations done to open a window into their special stomachs.

As a ruminant, a cow's stomach is very different from most mammals. It consists of 4 chambers: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and the obamasum (true stomach).

Although the surgical operation to have a resealable window in the cow's stomach seems cruel, this treatment is vital for us to understand better on the digestion of cellulose. The stomach content can be analysed from time to time to mark the progression of cellulose digestion.

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Meet the Super Cow

This is the result of selective breeding, for cows which naturally have a gene mutation for unregulated muscle growth. Pure lean meat = high protein productivity = better profits!

As there is no manipulation of genetic materials, the technique cannot be described as genetic engineering, but as a form of selective breeding.

The mating between the cows have to be regulated and done artificially (artificial insemination), in order to maintain the trait within the line of cows.

More info: Belgian Blue

Molar Volume of Gas

It is also defined as the volume occupied by 1 mole of ideal gas under certain condition of temperature and pressure. These conditions can either be standard temperature and pressure (STP) or room temperature and pressure.

This volume is actually derived from the universal gas law:

PV = nRT

P	= the absolute pressure of the gas, in Pa
n	= amount of substance, in mol
V	= the volume of the gas, in m3
T	= the absolute temperature of the gas, in K
R	= the universal gas law constant of 8.3145 m3·Pa/(mol·K)

The unit for molar volume of gas is: V/n = litre

• V/n = 8.3145 × 273.15 / 101.325 = 22.414 m³/kmol at 0 °C and 101.325 kPa (STP)
  
• V/n = 8.3145 × 298.15 / 101.325 = 24.466 m³/kmol at 25 °C and 101.325 kPa (room temperature and pressure)
  

Symbiosis

Symbiosis is the intimate relationship or interaction between two species. Symbiosis can be categorised into 3 main types, depending on the types of interactions:

1. Mutualism (+/+)
2. Commensalism (+/0)
3. Parasitism (+/-)

• The parasite gains at the expense of its host

The most widespread symbiosis of all the above is still between plants and fungi. More than 80% of all higher land plant species benefit from fungus' ability to extract nutrients (mainly phosphorus) from the soil. In return, the fungi receives organic carbon molecules (glucose and amino acids) from plants.