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Curiosities studied by scientists
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| May 13, 2002. |
In order to enter into the study
and knowledge of the natural world, one needs a great
deal of enthusiasm, concern, curiosity and patience,
all basic requirements for the extraction of secrets
from natural phenomena.
They say that a researcher is one
who wants to know the truth about nature, a truth that
brings us closer to the understanding of the role we
play in the cycles of life and how our decisions, whether
right or wrong, will impact on the environment that
surrounds us.
Research develops with the goal of
finding out what the potential and insufficiencies of
our resources are, and establishing virtuous links between
them and human beings.
Research is not something that governments
can do through decrees, rather it is born of the desire
to shed the veil of ignorance and begin a fascinating
trip in search of the answers to the questions that
will arise during the process that generates knowledge.
But what curiosities are scientists
studying? There follow some examples of recent discoveries.
Some American researchers studied
the European cabbage butterfly larvae, accidentally
introduced into Canada in 1860 and which have spread
since then until they presently inhabit the greater
part of the North America continent.
In trying to explain how those creatures
have been able to adapt to such an ample territory,
scientists studied the properties of an oily secretion
present in their skin and they performed many experiments
in order to do so. They determined that the substances
they found were similar to those used by plants to defend
themselves from insects and disease. The ants they found
that had been in contact with caterpillars of that species
took much longer to clean themselves than if they had
been exposed to caterpillars that did not have this
system of protection. Furthermore, when the ants were
offered two types of food -an egg impregnated with a
synthetic form of the previously mentioned secretion
and a control egg (without the secretion)- the ants
preferred the latter, which suggests that the fluids
of the caterpillars serve as means of dissuasion to
avoid becoming the food of predators.
For their part, Spanish researchers
found that one species of Egyptian European vulture
extracts the yellow pigment that colors its face from
the consumption of cow, sheep and goats feces. It was
found that they consumed the feces because the pigment
they contain cannot be produced by vultures. It is known
that the more excrement they consume, the more intense
the yellow of their faces, thus increasing their chances
of attracting a female to mate with.
On the other hand, it was always
taken for granted that only male songbirds could sing,
but North American researchers have discovered that
exposure to synthetic estrogen hormones could cause
the females of the species sing just like the males.
A certain hormone used in hormone therapy to regulate
women's menstrual cycles is one of the substances used
to bring about gender changes in some wild species.
These highly non-biodegradable substances are already
causing the pollution of water tables.
To prove that, a group of researchers
fed certain chickens with substances that contained
the doses of hormones present in nature. When those
birds grew into adults, the researchers found that females
fed with the hormone sang just like their male counterparts.
Depending on how the research proceeds,
these substances could cause birds to sing inappropriately
and that would affect the reproduction of different
types of birds as those macho females would not try
to mate with the males and they would be even less apt
to reproduce with any female that would respond to their
love songs.
With respect to plants, experts at
the School of Medicine of London University have found
that a gel made of aloe vera could help treat and prevent
stomach and intestinal ulcers. The researchers believe
that aloe vera could be particularly useful in cases
of ulcers produced as a secondary response to the ingestion
of certain anti-inflammatory products. Aloe is known
for its analgesic properties and it has been used since
ancient times in the treatment of burns. It is also
used to cure scrapes, sunburn and insect bites, and
is one of the common ingredients used in cosmetics and
lotions. It has served as a mild laxative and there
are indications that suggest it could even have beneficial
effects on the immunological system.
In closing, we might say that research
into the processes of nature is -before anything else-
a matter of pleasure, recreation and entertainment for
those who are involved in it
cupul@pvmirror.com
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