Genetic Mutations Or Sacred Animals? 30 Examples Of Albinism
Genetic Mutations Or Sacred Animals? 30 Examples Of Albinism
Albino animals are very rare in nature, and man has long had a fascination for these creatures since ancient times. Some cultures regard albinos as sacred animals, and they have even been the basis of great legends and folklore. Due to their uniqueness and rarity, albino animals are some of the most valuable attractions in zoological centers and circuses throughout the world.
Leucistic animals are often mistaken as being albino creatures, such as white lions. Leucism is a condition similar to albinism, characterized by reduced pigmentation in general and can also affect distribution of pigment on the hair shaft, but unlike albinism, it’s caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.
Albinism is a form of hypopigmentary congenital disorder, characterized by a partial or total lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair. Albinism results from inheritance of recessive alleles (genes) and the condition is known to affect mammals (including humans), fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Albinism is hereditary; it is not an infectious disease and cannot be transmitted through contact, blood transfusions, or other vectors. The principal gene which results in albinism prevents the body from making the usual amounts of the pigment melanin. Most forms of albinism are the result of the biological inheritance of genetically recessive alleles (genes) passed from both parents of an individual, though some rare forms are inherited from only one parent. There are other genetic mutations which are proven to be associated with albinism. All alterations, however, lead to changes in melanin production in the body.
Most humans and many animals with albinism appear white or very pale. In some animals, especially albinistic birds and reptiles, ruddy and yellow hues or other colors may be present on the entire body or in patches due to the presence of other pigments unaffected by albinism, as well as carotenoid pigments derived from the diet. Some animals are white or pale due to pigment cell defects, do not lack melanin production, and have normal eyes — referred to as leucistic.
The Top Ten Bank Robberies of the 21st Century
The Top Ten Bank Robberies of the 21st Century
Glorified for centuries with characters such as Robin Hood and Butch Cassidy, bank robbers are often portrayed as a more refined class of criminal and often romanticized in movies and novels- perhaps a bit brainier – certainly more intriguing. Here are the top 10 bank robbers of the 21st century:
10. The Agricultural Bank of China Robbery (6.7 Million, 2007)
Executed in China
The largest bank robbery in China’s history occurred in April of 2007 when a cash total of what was equivalent to $6.7 million was embezzled from the Agricultural Bank of China. The robbery was done by two vault managers with the help of two security guards from the branch. Purchasing tickets for the Chinese lottery with money they had stolen (with the intent of winning it and more back from gambling), one manager surprisingly managed it once, but the second manager failed at the second attempt. Soon thereafter other branch managers discovered the missing money and notified police and those involved were arrested. The heist also included 3 other accomplices: a landlord, a cab driver, and a car saleswoman. All accomplices were found and arrested and the two bank managers were later executed for their displays of bank robbing bravado.
9. The 2009 Bank of Ireland Robbery (9 million, 2009)
Millions of dollars scattered across Dublin
February 2009 at the Bank of Ireland in Dublin, the largest bank robbery in the Republic went down. Criminals included a junior bank employee who kidnapped another employee and forced him to remove $9 million in cash from the bank as his girlfriend and two others were held hostage. Seven people were later arrested, all believed to be members of a well-known Dublin gang. €1.8 million of the stolen cash was located the next day, scattered across Dublin, and in 2010 the man who claimed he was held hostage was also arrested on the suspicion that the robbery had been an inside job. A heist with a twist, earning a place higher on the list for almost $2 million more stolen and the extended rouse.
8. Northern Bank ($50 million, 2004)
Bank managers’ families held hostage by gunpoint in Ireland
Coming in at number 8 is the Northern Bank robbery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It makes a huge leap from number 9 with a mere $9 million stolen against the monstrous sum of $50 million that was taken, mostly in pounds sterling. In December of 2004, the heist was carried out by a large, proficient group of thieves making it one of the biggest bank robberies in British history. On the night before the heist, two different groups of armed men disguised as police visited the homes of two officials of the Northern Bank. Once at the homes, they held the families hostage at gunpoint. The following day when officials were sent to work, some remained with the families being held hostage while others waited until the bank closed and the bank officials gave admittance to other members of the gangs. After the cash was stolen, it was transferred from three different vehicles and family members were shortly released before midnight. With only one person being convicted of money laundering, the investigation is still ongoing and the case remains unsolved.
10 Interesting Facts You Didn't Know about Animals
10 Interesting Facts You Didn't Know about Animals
Parrot speech is commonly regarded as the brainless squawking of a feathered voice recorder. But studies over the past 30 years continually show that parrots engage in much more than mere mimicry. Our avian friends can solve certain linguistic processing tasks as deftly as 4-6 year-old children. Parrots appear to grasp concepts like "same" and "different", "bigger" and "smaller", "none" and numbers. Perhaps most interestingly, they can combine labels and phrases in novel ways. A January 2007 study in Language Sciences suggests using patterns of parrot speech learning to develop artificial speech skills in robots.
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Myths and mysteries make the fascinating, but even odd creatures ought to be understood. We explore a few recent findings, common misconceptions and amazing adaptations. - Ben Mauk
Crocodiles Swallow Stones for Swimming
The stomach of a crocodile is a rocky place to be, for more than one reason. To begin with, a croc's digestive system encounters everything from turtles, fish and birds to giraffes, buffaloes, lions and even (when defending territory) other crocodiles. In addition to that bellyful-o'- ecosystem, rocks show up too. The reptiles swallow large stones that stay permanently in their bellies. It's been suggested these are used for ballast in diving.
Whale Milk Not On Low-Fat Diets
Nursing a newborn is no "small" feat for the whale, whose calf emerges, after 10 to 12 months in the womb, about a third the mother's length (that's a 30-foot baby for the Blue whale). The mother squirts milk into the newborn's mouth using muscles around the mammary gland while the baby holds tight to a nipple (yes, whales have them). At nearly 50 percent fat, whale milk has around 10 times the fat content of human milk, which helps calves achieve some serious growth spurtseas much as 200 pounds per day.
Birds Use Landmarks to Navigate Long Journeys
Can you imagine a road trip vacation without missed exits, stubborn drivers or map-folding disasters? Of course noteyou're not a bird. Pigeons can fly thousands of miles to find the same roosting spot with no navigational difficulties. Some species of birds, like the Arctic tern, make a 25,000 mile round-trip journey every year. Many species use built-in ferromagnets to detect their orientation with respect to the Earth's magnetic field. A November 2006 study published in Animal Behaviour suggests that pigeons also use familiar landmarks on the ground below to help find their way home.
For Beavers, Days Get Longer in Winter
Beavers become near shut-ins during winter, living off of previously stored food or the deposits of fat in their distinctive tails. They conserve energy by avoiding the cold outdoors, opting instead to remain in dark lodgings inside their pile of wood and mud. As a result these rodents, which normally emerge at sunset and turn in at sunrise, have no light cues to entrain their sleep cycle. The beaver's biological sense of time shifts, and she develops a "free running circadian rhythm" of 29-hour days.
Mole-Rats aren't Blind
With their puny eyes and underground lifestyle, African mole-rats have long been considered the Mr. Magoos of rodents, detecting little light and, it has been suggested, using their eyes more for sensing changes in air currents than for actual vision. But findings of the past few years have shown that African mole-rats have a keen, if limited, sense of sight. And they don't like what they see, according to a report in the November 2006 Animal Behaviour. Light may suggest that a predator has broken into a tunnel, which could explain why subterranean diggers developed sight in the first place.
Baby Chicks and Brotherhood
It's a mistake to think of evolution as producing selfish animals concerned only with their own survival. Altruism abounds in cases where a helping hand will encourage the survival of genetic material similar to one's own. Baby chicks practice this "kin selection" by making a special chirp while feeding. This call announces the food find to nearby chicks, who are probably close relations and so share many of the chick's genes. The key to naturalselection isn't survival of the fittest animal. It's survival of the fittest genetic material, and so brotherly behavior that favors close relations will thrive.
Many Fish Swap Sex Organs
With so many land creatures to wonder at, it's easy to forget that some of the weirdest activities take place deep in the ocean. The strange practice of hermaphroditism is more common among species of fish than within any other group of vertebrates. Some fish change sex in response to hormonal cycle or environmental changes. Others simultaneously possess both male and female sex organs.
Giraffes Compensate for Height with Unique Blood Flow
The stately giraffe, whose head sits some 16 feet up atop an unlikely pedestal, adapted his long neck to compete for foliage with other grazers. While the advantage of reach is obvious, some difficulties arise at such a height. The heart must pump twice as hard as a cow's to get blood up to the brain, and a complex blood vessel system is needed to ensure that blood doesn't rush to the head when bent over. Six feet below the heart, the skin of the legs must then be extremely tight to prevent blood from pooling at the hooves.
Elephants Do Forget, but They're Not Dumb
Elephants have the largest brainenearly 11 pounds on averageeof any mammal that ever walked the earth. Do they use that gray matter to the fullest? Intelligence is hard to quantify in humans or animals, but the encephalization quotient (EQ), a ratio of an animal's observed brain size to the expected brain size given the animal's mass, correlates well with an ability to navigate novel challenges and obstacles. The average elephant EQ is 1.88. (Humans range from 7.33 to 7.69, chimpanzees average 2.45, pigs 0.27.) Intelligence and memory are thought to go hand in hand, suggesting that elephant memories, while not infallible, are quite good.
Parrot speech
Parrot speech is commonly regarded as the brainless squawking of a feathered voice recorder. But studies over the past 30 years continually show that parrots engage in much more than mere mimicry. Our avian friends can solve certain linguistic processing tasks as deftly as 4-6 year-old children. Parrots appear to grasp concepts like "same" and "different", "bigger" and "smaller", "none" and numbers. Perhaps most interestingly, they can combine labels and phrases in novel ways. A January 2007 study in Language Sciences suggests using patterns of parrot speech learning to develop artificial speech skills in robots.
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IN SHIFTY CLIMATES, BIRDS SLEEP AROUND
IN SHIFTY CLIMATES, BIRDS SLEEP AROUND
THE GIST
- In places where climatic conditions change a lot, birds are more likely to cheat on and divorce their mates.
- If climate becomes more variable, birds might cheat more.
- Environmental uncertainty might explain why some people cheat.
When climate is shifty and unpredictable, birds are more likely to sleep around.
The findings, which suggest that birds may seek out diverse genes for their offspring when they are unsure what the future will hold, might help predict what will happen as climate changes in the coming decades. If weather conditions become more variable in certain places, as some models predict, birds might adapt by becoming more unfaithful. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“The overall message of the paper is that there is a lot of hope because females can still employ all of these mechanisms they use to find the best partner available,” said Carlos Botero, an evolutionary ecologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
The research could also offer insight into why people sometimes stray from their mates.
“Humans have been able to transform the environment to such a level that basic processes like rainfall and temperature affect us very little,” said Botero. But, he said, changes in the stock market or other economic indicators could serve as the human equivalent of a variable environment.
“You might think this is the guy of your dreams based on the world you think is occurring,” Botero said. “But if the world changes, your idea might change, too.”
Many species of birds practice social monogamy, which means that they pair up and stay together for at least one breeding season, and many come back together year after year. When chicks are born, monogamous birds work together as a couple to take care of the babies until they leave the nest.
But studies have also shown that certain birds are prone to infidelity. When scientists do genetic tests on chicks, they find that many are actually sired by birds other than the ones who act like their fathers. Birds also get divorced, according to painstaking studies that tag and follow each bird in a colony from year to year. In cases of divorce, birds mate successfully one year but choose other partners the next.
To figure out what drives birds to cheat and stray, Botero and colleague Dustin Rubenstein collected more than 400 of studies of infidelity and divorce on more than 200 species of birds from around the world. They put all of the information into one big data set, and they started looking for patterns.
When climate becomes variable and unpredictable, the scientists report today in the journal PLoS ONE, birds are more likely to seek out new partners.
The strategy makes sense, Botero explained, offering this example: Birds with big heavy bills are good at cracking thick, hard seeds, which is a very useful trait in a place that is usually very dry. But those bills become unwieldy when heavy rainfall leads to more tiny seeds, which birds with smaller beaks are better at manipulating.
If the weather is consistently wet or dry, a female’s ideal strategy is obvious. If the weather starts changing all the time, on the other hand, cheating will improve a female’s chances of mixing with the best genes for whatever the environment might offer when her chicks are born. And it goes both ways -- males might stray for similar reasons.
The findings point out how subtle the effects of climate can be on animal behavior, said Mike Webster, an ornithologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Instead of considering shifts in rainfall, melting of glaciers or other one-way changes in climatic conditions, as many studies do, the new work points out the importance of looking at the more complicated phenomenon of how changeable climate is.
“A really important next step will be to look at whether birds are responding directly to weather variation or whether this is more of a long-term effect so that over time, they evolve to have certain behaviors in variable versus less variable climates,” Webster said. “That will tell us a lot about how they will respond to climate change in the short-term versus the long term.”
It’s not yet clear, in other words, how quickly birds will be able to respond to changes in climate variability.
“One thing we know is that current climate change is happening at a rate that we haven’t been able to document in recent times,” said Rebecca Safran, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder. “Selection can only respond generation by generation. I would not cast this as good news.”
महाकाल के कोतवाल हैं कालभैरव
महाकाल के कोतवाल हैं कालभैरव
उज्जैन को देवताओं की नगरी कहते हैं। यहां अनेक चमत्कारिक मंदिर हैं। ऐसा ही एक मंदिर है भगवान कालभैरव का। यहां भगवान कालभैरव की प्रतिमा को शराब का भोग लगाया जाता है और आश्चर्य की बात यह है कि देखते ही देखते वह पात्र जिसमें शराब का भोग लगाया जाता है, खाली हो जाता है। यहां रोज श्रृद्धालुओं की भीड़ उमड़ती है और इस चमत्कार को अपनी आंखों से देखती है।
महाकाल के कोतवाल हैं कालभैरव
भगवान काल भैरव का मंदिर मुख्य शहर से कुछ दूरी पर बना है। धर्म शास्त्रों के अनुसार काल भैरव भगवान शंकर के कोतवाल हैं उसी मान्यता के अनुसार उज्जैन में भी कालभैरव को शहर का रक्षक या कोतवाल माना जाता है। कहा जाता है कि यह मंदिर राजा भद्रसेन द्वारा निर्मित है। पुराणों में जिन अष्टभैरव का वर्णन है, उनमें ये प्रमुख हैं।
उज्जैन को देवताओं की नगरी कहते हैं। यहां अनेक चमत्कारिक मंदिर हैं। ऐसा ही एक मंदिर है भगवान कालभैरव का। यहां भगवान कालभैरव की प्रतिमा को शराब का भोग लगाया जाता है और आश्चर्य की बात यह है कि देखते ही देखते वह पात्र जिसमें शराब का भोग लगाया जाता है, खाली हो जाता है। यहां रोज श्रृद्धालुओं की भीड़ उमड़ती है और इस चमत्कार को अपनी आंखों से देखती है।
महाकाल के कोतवाल हैं कालभैरव
भगवान काल भैरव का मंदिर मुख्य शहर से कुछ दूरी पर बना है। धर्म शास्त्रों के अनुसार काल भैरव भगवान शंकर के कोतवाल हैं उसी मान्यता के अनुसार उज्जैन में भी कालभैरव को शहर का रक्षक या कोतवाल माना जाता है। कहा जाता है कि यह मंदिर राजा भद्रसेन द्वारा निर्मित है। पुराणों में जिन अष्टभैरव का वर्णन है, उनमें ये प्रमुख हैं।
गुरुद्वारा मणिकरन साहिब
गुरुद्वारा मणिकरन साहिब
शिमला।हिमालय की गोद में बसे भुंटर के नजदीक गुरुद्वारा मणिकरन साहिब मौजूद है। जो अपने अविस्मर्णनीय चमत्कार के लिए पूरी दुनिया में प्रसिद्ध है।
जी हां पार्वती नदी के किनारे पर बसा गुरुद्वारा मणिकरन साहिब हिन्दुओं और सिखों के लिए बड़ा तीर्थस्थान है। यहां मौजूद गर्म पानी का झरना आम झरनों जैसा नहीं है। क्योंकि यह इतना गर्म होता है, जिसमें आप सब्जियों और चावल को उबाल सकते हैं।
इसमें सबसे बड़ी चौंकाने वाली बात यह है कि यह गर्म पानी का स्त्रोत भीषण ठंड के दिनों में भी सक्रिय रहता है, फिर चाहे हिम शिखरों पर बर्फ भी जमीं हो। कहते हैं यहां के पानी में स्नान करने से चर्म रोग ठीक हो जाते हैं।
यहां पर हमेशा चलने वाले लंगर में सब्जियां और चावल इसी पानी से उबाले जाते हैं। इस गर्म पानी के कई तरह की मान्यता प्रचलित है। कहते हैं कि यहां बाढ़ आने के बाद सब कुछ नष्ट हो गया था, लेकिन मनु ने यहां आकर फिर से इंसानों के रहने लायक जगह का निर्माण किया।
सिख धर्म की मान्यताओं के अनुसार यहां गुरु नानकदेव जी अपने भक्तों भाई बाला और भाई मरदाना के साथ मणिकरन आए थे। भाई मरदाना को जब भूख लगी तो उन्होंने गुरु नानकदेव जी को बताया। गुरुजी ने उन्हें खाना इकट्ठा करने के लिए अपने एक मित्र के पास भेजा।
कुछ देर के बाद वह आटा और सब्जियां लेकर लौटे तो और समस्या थी कि खाना पकाने के लिए कोई आग वहां नहीं थी। गुरुजी ने मरदाना को एक पत्थर उठाने को कहा। जैसे ही मरदाना ने पत्थर उठाया, वहां से गर्म पानी का फब्वारा निकल पड़ा।
वहीं हिन्दू मान्यताओं के अनुसार जब पार्वती और शिव भगवान यहां से गुजरे तो उन्हें यहां की खूबसूरती बहुत भा गई। उन्होंने कुछ समय इस स्थान पर गुजरने का फैसला किया। कहते हैं, उन्होंने यहां 1100 साल गुजरे।
उनके प्रवास काल के दौरान पार्वती की मणि पानी के निचली सतह में चली गई। कई प्रयास करने के बाद मणि न मिली तो उन्होंने शिव जी मदद मांगी। शिव ने अपने गणों को मणि लाने का आदेश दिया, लेकिन वे भी विफल रहे। इसके बाद शिव ने नाराज होकर अपनी तीसरी आंख खोल दी, जिससे ब्रह्मांड में हलचल हो गई।
सब जगह त्राही-त्राही मचने के बाद भगवान शेषनाग ने शिव जी को शांत किया और उस जगह अपना फन मारा जहां मणि खो गई थी। उनके फन मारते ही वहां से गर्म पानी का सोता फूट पड़ा और उसके बाद उस जगह से मणि जैसे कई कीमती पत्थर निकलने लगे। तब से इस जगह को मणिकरन कहा जाने लगा।
स्रोत
शिमला।हिमालय की गोद में बसे भुंटर के नजदीक गुरुद्वारा मणिकरन साहिब मौजूद है। जो अपने अविस्मर्णनीय चमत्कार के लिए पूरी दुनिया में प्रसिद्ध है।
जी हां पार्वती नदी के किनारे पर बसा गुरुद्वारा मणिकरन साहिब हिन्दुओं और सिखों के लिए बड़ा तीर्थस्थान है। यहां मौजूद गर्म पानी का झरना आम झरनों जैसा नहीं है। क्योंकि यह इतना गर्म होता है, जिसमें आप सब्जियों और चावल को उबाल सकते हैं।
इसमें सबसे बड़ी चौंकाने वाली बात यह है कि यह गर्म पानी का स्त्रोत भीषण ठंड के दिनों में भी सक्रिय रहता है, फिर चाहे हिम शिखरों पर बर्फ भी जमीं हो। कहते हैं यहां के पानी में स्नान करने से चर्म रोग ठीक हो जाते हैं।
यहां पर हमेशा चलने वाले लंगर में सब्जियां और चावल इसी पानी से उबाले जाते हैं। इस गर्म पानी के कई तरह की मान्यता प्रचलित है। कहते हैं कि यहां बाढ़ आने के बाद सब कुछ नष्ट हो गया था, लेकिन मनु ने यहां आकर फिर से इंसानों के रहने लायक जगह का निर्माण किया।
सिख धर्म की मान्यताओं के अनुसार यहां गुरु नानकदेव जी अपने भक्तों भाई बाला और भाई मरदाना के साथ मणिकरन आए थे। भाई मरदाना को जब भूख लगी तो उन्होंने गुरु नानकदेव जी को बताया। गुरुजी ने उन्हें खाना इकट्ठा करने के लिए अपने एक मित्र के पास भेजा।
कुछ देर के बाद वह आटा और सब्जियां लेकर लौटे तो और समस्या थी कि खाना पकाने के लिए कोई आग वहां नहीं थी। गुरुजी ने मरदाना को एक पत्थर उठाने को कहा। जैसे ही मरदाना ने पत्थर उठाया, वहां से गर्म पानी का फब्वारा निकल पड़ा।
वहीं हिन्दू मान्यताओं के अनुसार जब पार्वती और शिव भगवान यहां से गुजरे तो उन्हें यहां की खूबसूरती बहुत भा गई। उन्होंने कुछ समय इस स्थान पर गुजरने का फैसला किया। कहते हैं, उन्होंने यहां 1100 साल गुजरे।
उनके प्रवास काल के दौरान पार्वती की मणि पानी के निचली सतह में चली गई। कई प्रयास करने के बाद मणि न मिली तो उन्होंने शिव जी मदद मांगी। शिव ने अपने गणों को मणि लाने का आदेश दिया, लेकिन वे भी विफल रहे। इसके बाद शिव ने नाराज होकर अपनी तीसरी आंख खोल दी, जिससे ब्रह्मांड में हलचल हो गई।
सब जगह त्राही-त्राही मचने के बाद भगवान शेषनाग ने शिव जी को शांत किया और उस जगह अपना फन मारा जहां मणि खो गई थी। उनके फन मारते ही वहां से गर्म पानी का सोता फूट पड़ा और उसके बाद उस जगह से मणि जैसे कई कीमती पत्थर निकलने लगे। तब से इस जगह को मणिकरन कहा जाने लगा।
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