Samwise rides again

http://www.ericstaller.com/

http://xkcd.com/c282.html

Welcome back to all Samwise readers using Apple’s WebKit to view this site with browsers such as Safari and RSS readers such as … Safari.

For some reason unknown to me, primarily because I wasn’t bothered, applications using WebKit were having problems rendering this site. The situation had been going on for the past month or so, and I had been drafting an email for the support staff at my ISP when it was noticed to be working again.

WebKit users can now rest safe in the knowledge that animals have still been attacking.

From the AP via Florida Today …

A 62-year-old Vietnam veteran said he was acting on instinct when he strangled a rabid 25-pound bobcat that attacked him on his back porch.

Dale Rippy endured the bobcat’s slashes and bites until it clawed into a position where he could grab it by the throat. Then he strangled it.

Rippy said it was clear the crazed bobcat had to be stopped.

“I was bleeding everyplace,” Rippy said of the May 30 attack. “If that cat had attacked a child, it would’ve been really bad. It wouldn’t have quit.”

Tests showed the dead bobcat was rabid. Rippy was treated for exposure to rabies, and several bites and cuts.

From the AP via Physorg.com …

Then George realized he wasn’t looking at the stomach of the blacktip reef shark, but at her uterus. In it was a perfectly formed, 10-inch-long shark pup that was almost ready to be born.

George was dumbfounded.

He had been examining the shark, Tidbit, to figure out why she reacted badly to routine sedatives during a physical and died, hours after biting an aquarium curator on the shin. Now there was a bigger mystery: How did Tidbit get pregnant?

“We must have had hanky panky” in the shark tank, he thought.

But sharks only breed with sharks of the same species, and there were no male blacktip reef sharks at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach.

Could Tidbit have defied nature, resulting in the first known shark hybrid?

The other possibility was that Tidbit had conceived without needing a male at all.

A recent study had documented the first confirmed case of asexual reproduction, or parthenogenesis, among sharks: a pup born at a Nebraska zoo came from an egg that developed in a female shark without sperm from a male.

One of the scientists who worked on that study contacted the aquarium, which sent him tissue samples from Tidbit and her pup for testing. If the pup’s DNA turns out to contain no contribution from a male shark, this would be the second known case of shark parthenogenesis.

Tidbit had lived at the aquarium for most of her 10 years, swimming with other sharks in a 300,000-gallon tank.

The sharks get yearly checkups. On May 24, workers guided the 5-foot, 94-pound Tidbit from the main aquarium into a smaller corral to be examined out of public view.

Blacktip reef sharks are sensitive to change, so it was standard procedure to give Tidbit a sedative. This time, Tidbit went under the sedation too deeply - maybe because of a combination of the unknown pregnancy and the stress of being handled and of having recently been bitten by another shark, George said.

George and Beth Firchau, the curator of fishes, massaged Tidbit’s tail to get her blood flowing and gave her a stimulant to help her breathe.

The shark swam away, bumped into a wall, headed back toward Firchau and clamped onto her left shin. Whether Tidbit meant to attack Firchau or just collided into her and snapped reflexively is hard to know.

The pain didn’t hit Firchau right away.

“Oh, you’re not supposed to do that. That was weird,” she thought as she felt the shark tug on her leg.

Members of the shark physicals team pulled Firchau out of the tank and began administering first aid. She credits their swift reaction with saving her life.

Firchau was taken to a hospital to get stitches while George and other team members tried to revive Tidbit. The shark rallied a couple times but died about 12 hours later.

George initially was depressed by the events. But something positive emerged out of the negative.

Since Tidbit hadn’t looked pregnant - and there was no reason to think she was pregnant - the pup likely would have been born and immediately eaten by another shark, without aquarium employees ever knowing it had existed.

But Tidbit’s death led to George stumbling upon a mystery of nature.

In normal reproduction, an egg is fertilized by sperm, producing an embryo that contains a set of chromosomes with half coming from the mother and half from the father.

In asexual reproduction, an egg splits in two and DNA contributed from the mother doubles, so each resulting egg has a full complement of chromosomes from the female. The eggs then fuse, producing a single embryo with no DNA from a father.

Asexual reproduction is common in some insect species, rarer in reptiles and fish, and has never been documented in mammals. Until now, sharks were not considered likely candidates.

But with sharks, “this is probably something that does happen in aquariums, more often than we realize,” said Bob Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla.

He said the phenomenon is coming to light with the joint Northern Ireland-U.S. research that analyzed the DNA of a hammerhead shark born in 2001 in the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb. The study was published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters on the day before Firchau was bitten.

Asexual reproduction among sharks is more likely to happen in captivity, when there is no other option for reproduction, than in the wild, Hueter said.

Crossbreeding, on the other hand, is not known to happen at all among sharks, said Heather Thomas, aquarist at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

“It’s not natural,” Thomas said. “If you’ve got a shark that needs to swim to breathe and cross it with a shark that can lay on the bottom to breathe, what are you going to get? Are you going to get these weird mutations?”

If the pup indeed turns out to be a hybrid, DNA testing should be able to identify the species of the father. The most likely candidate would be a sandbar shark, the most similar shark to a blacktip reef in the aquarium, George said.

While parthenogenesis “is certainly kind of a spiffy, interesting thing,” George hopes the tests confirm crossbreeding, since that would be a first among sharks.

As I’ve discussed in two previous posts, imbalances in population sex ratios have been shown to have serious consequences for societal stability.

Recently during a conversation I was reminded of a commonly held belief that there are noticeable imbalances in the sex ratio in Hawai’i. The oft stated claims are along the lines that Hilo, or the Big Island in general, has three or four men to every woman, with the opposite being true on Maui.

Anyway this got me to thinking wether or not this claim was true and, if it was, could I see any effects on the population such as a male “bachelor” underclass, or was it, like many claim, obvious in people’s attitudes.

The following is from Wikipedia and are related to the Census of 2000, which can be referenced against the Census Bureau website.

Hilo …

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,759 people, 14,577 households, and 10,101 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 289.9/km² (750.8/mi²). There were 16,026 housing units at an average density of 114.0/km² (295.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 17.12% White, 0.45% African American, 0.34% Native American, 38.30% Asian, 13.12% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 29.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.78% of the population.

There were 14,577 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

Kona …

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 9,870 people, 3,537 households, and 2,429 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 107.3/km² (278.0/mi²). There were 4,322 housing units at an average density of 47.0/km² (121.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 38.65% White, 0.46% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 18.28% Asian, 13.16% Pacific Islander, 1.93% from other races, and 27.07% from two or more races. 10.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,537 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,874, and the median income for a family was $46,657. Males had a median income of $30,353 versus $26,471 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,624. 10.8% of the population and 6.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.9% of those under the age of 18 and 3.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Big Island …

As of 2000, there were 148,677 people, 52,985 households, and 36,877 families residing in the county. The population density was 14/km² (37/mi²). There were 62,674 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (16/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 31.55% White, 0.47% African American, 0.45% Native American, 26.70% Asian, 11.25% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 28.44% from two or more races. 9.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 52,985 households out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a woman whose husband did not live with her, and 30.40% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 26.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.

Basically there appears to be no truth in the rumour, at least on the Big Island, in Hilo women only just outnumber men, in Kona the gap is even narrower and on the Big Island men outnumber women by an even smaller margin.

Admittedly something dramatic may have happened in the past seven years to wipe out the population of men, but it is probably safe to say that the sex ratio here is actually quite stable.

UPDATE : I will have to look at this again, as when comparing numbers to previous articles, some interesting questions started posing themselves.

From the AP via the Denver Post …

Sam Ives was snatched from inside a tent that was a Father’s Day gift to his stepfather

The family had pitched their tent about a mile from a designated campground.

From the Salt Lake Tribune …

The bear is believed to have dragged 11-year-old Samuel Ives from his tent about 11:10 p.m. Sunday. The boy’s family - his mother, stepfather and a 6-year-old brother - heard the boy’s scream “something’s dragging me” and rushed to help, but he and his sleeping bag were already gone.

His family thought the boy was abducted because the tear in the tent was so clean, said U.S. Forest Service officers. Wearing flip-flops and without a flashlight, the stepfather searched frantically for the boy and drove a mile down a dirt road to a developed campground.

“He was pounding on my trailer door. He said somebody cut his tent and took his son,” John Sheely, host of the Timpooneke campground, told the Associated Press. Sheely alerted authorities by driving down the canyon to a pay phone.

It became clear there had beenno kidnapping when searchers followed bear tracks into the forest and about 11:35 p.m. found the Samuel’s remains - about 400 yards away from the family’s shredded tent.

“The mother was broken up in tears and hanging onto to the other boy,” Sheely said.

An Ives family spokesman, Brad Rawlings, said the family is still in shock. He declined to give any more details about Samuel or his family, other than to say they are from Utah County.

The campsite is approximately 11 miles up American Fork Canyon and two miles above the paved road from the Timpooneke campground - some distance away from the developed portion of the campground.

According to Scott Root, a manager for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the bear likely was attracted to the campsite by food.

“He wasn’t trying to get a kid; he probably smelled something” in the tent, on the boy’s sleeping bag, or on the boy himself, Root said.

Still, it was the second attack Sunday in the same camping spot.

American Fork resident Jake Francom said a black bear swatted at his tent about 5:30 a.m. The bear hit him twice in the face through the tent wall before he woke up and realized what was happening.

“The first two [swats] were just kind of a feel,” Francom said.

The bear struck again, hitting him in the head and knocking him to the ground. He said he felt the bear’s claws.

“When he saw me move in there, he gave it hell,” Francom said. “The sucker struck right through the tent and tore my pillow.

Francom yelled to his friend, “Troy, get your gun!”

Troy Strode woke, pulled a 9 mm handgun and shot into the air. The bear started running toward a hill about 50 yards away as Strode fired about six shots. Francom quickly put his girlfriend and Strode’s girlfriend in his truck.

Then the bear returned to the crest of the hill. “It just stared at us for about 30 seconds,” Francom said.

Francom’s brother, Kip, threw rocks at the animal and it walked away.

Also from the AP via TwinCities.com …

“When it’s hot and dry like this, bears are short of food,”

Officers killed that bear because it showed no fear when biologists tried to scare it away with firecrackers

In July 2006, a black bear bit the arm of a 14-year-old Boy Scout while he slept in a tent, also in Utah County. The female bear returned to the campground and was killed.

Black bears, which are found in 27 states, are “generally less aggressive than other bears and don’t prey on humans,” said Stewart Breck, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Fort Collins, Colo.

The typical human-bear conflicts involve bears breaking into homes or cars.

“But it’s not breaking into a tent and killing,” Breck said.

From Aunty …

A six-year-old girl had part of her nose bitten off by a dog as she was feeding it an ice cream.

She was taken to hospital where doctors are hoping to sew the missing piece of nose, which was found on the floor by another child, back on.

“Benji was a good dog, there were never any signs this would happen and the police dog handler said he wasn’t fierce or showing any signs of danger,”

Greater Manchester Police said they had been called to a house in Calton Avenue at 1640 BST on Wednesday after reports that a child had serious face injuries after being bitten by a dog.

They confirmed they had seized the dog.

A while back I blogged about imbalances in sex ratio leading to social instability, a situation where by continuing sex selection favouring males could lead to regional instability of a very serious nature.

Last week I came across a number of stories related to a report that detailed a similar situation in East Germany, the difference in this case is not so much sex selection as mass migration for economic reasons, the result of which is no less worrying.

From Aunty …

The former East Germany is being drained of young women, leaving an underclass of disillusioned young men behind

It is well known that Germans living in the former East have been leaving the region in huge numbers since communism collapsed at the start of the 1990s.

Many have gone to western Germany, or to foreign countries.

The report, entitled Too Many Men, says women have made up the greater part of the exodus.

Since the fall of communism one-and-a-half million - roughly 10% of the population of the former East Germany - have headed west in the hope of better work opportunities.

Most of them are under 35 years old, and with a better than average education.

What this new report by the Institute for Population and Development establishes, is that young women have been leaving in much greater numbers than young men - and that of the men who did leave, many returned.

The result is that in many towns in eastern Germany, the report says, there are simply not enough women to go round.

This lack of female company only adds to the frustrations of often jobless young men, making them easy prey for neo-Nazi groups looking for recruits.

The report suggests that the reason young east German women are more inclined to “go west” and stay there is that they tend to be better educated. And it says the male-female imbalance in the east is already leading to a fall in the birth rate in that part of Germany.

From the Guardian …

Even communities that traditionally have more men than women - such as the polar regions of Sweden and Finland, or the majority of remote Greek islands - do not have such pronounced male surpluses

for every 100 men aged 25 to 30, there are just 80 women.

the exodus of young females (400,000 in the age range 18-29 since 1991) is believed to have more to do with the fact they are better educated than men and set on improved opportunities

“In the west, many women look for their intellectual equal as a -partner. As a result, most do not return.”

The most dramatic effect of the imbalance was the growth of a “new, male–dominated underclass,”

Its members often have little chance either of finding a job or a partner, and as a result they are typically drawn to far-right parties, such as the German Nationalists (NPD) or to neo-Nazi groups. The proportion of eastern German women with degrees is 31%, compared to 20% of men.

A substantial number of men have nevertheless also left - 270,000 since 1991 - but a much higher percentage return, more often than not because they are disappointed by the experience, having failed to find a job and make social contacts.

The development is leading to social erosion on a large scale

It is estimated that between 1995 and 2005, around 100,000 fewer babies were born in the region than would have been the case if the imbalance had not existed.

From Spiegel …

Some 1.5 million have already left the region — roughly 10 percent of the population of East Germany when the Berlin Wall fell. Even worse, most of those who leave are under 35 and many of them have above average education or training.

Since 1991, more than two-thirds of all those who have left Eastern Germany have been women. The result is that in many towns in the region, there are simply not enough to go around — some places are missing up to 25 percent of their young women. Even worse, the young men who stay behind are often poorly educated, unemployed and frustrated — perfect fodder for neo-Nazi groups looking for members.

“In general,” the study finds, “right-wing radical parties receive more votes in those areas where the most young women have left.”

The reasons behind the mass migration from east to west are primarily economic. Despite some regional improvements, the economy in former East Germany continues to lag far behind that of Western Germany. Unemployment remains persistent and is well over 10 percent for those under 25 years of age. The fact that young women in the region tend to be better educated than the young men means that women have an easier time finding work in the west.

Already, Eastern Germany is missing some 100,000 babies that otherwise would have been born in the region had more young women stayed. The brain drain and the lack of offspring further erode the economy.

“In those regions where the economic problems are largest, a new, male-dominated underclass has developed, the members of which are excluded from participation in large parts of the society,”

In state elections in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, the NPD captured fully 7.3 percent of the vote, meaning that the right wingers now hold seats in three German state parliaments, all of them in former East Germany.

The study recommends a greater focus on educating the region’s young men, but admits that solving the problem is a difficult challenge. After all, there is no one to turn to for advice: nowhere in Europe is the disappearance of women as severe as it is in Eastern Germany.

“The lack of women in former East Germany has no equal anywhere in Europe,” the study says. “Even Polar regions in northern Sweden and Finland, where young women have for years been leaving in droves, don’t come close to the problem in Eastern Germany.”

If you would like to see what East Germans are missing, may I present Miss Eastern Germany, Svetlana Tsys, her surname having nothing to do with system temperature …

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,882743,00.jpg

I haven’t had a chance to listen to this yet, but the online magazine Living Space have posted a podcast that features UKIRT and JCMT about ten and a half minutes in apparently.

The JCMT section probably has to do with the recent press release regarding HARP and ACSIS, and the UKIRT section probably has to do with the recent news about the coldest solitary Brown Dwarf ever seen.

Chris Lintott who presents the program is also a presenter on the Sky at Night, and is due to observe at JCMT in the near future.

You can listen to it embedded, download or subscribe to the podcast from this page.

There will probably be an update to this post when I get a chance to listen to it myself.

UPDATE : Well I had a listen, both recent press releases are mentioned about ten and a half minutes in. The program itself lends itself very much to the BBC style of presenting, and has the pace and banter of a BBC children’s program such as Newsround or Blue Peter, this is more evident when they speak to guests who are not used to this style of presentation. The presenters themselves seem to know what they are talking about but put it over in a way that doesn’t alienate the listener, no pun intended, honest. The program is easily accessible and I would definatly recommend it to kids or those who are new to astronomy, it certainly isn’t as stuffy as many similar offerings.

UPDATE : Forgot to mention that at the end of the program they mentioned that they will be doing another from JCMT in a few weeks time, this probably coincides with the observation run that Chris Lintott will be performing at JCMT.