stuartml

Here is something I find myself wishing for in Piefed:
A "suggest a community" option - because not everyone has the time or energy to start and manage their own, maybe if it gets a certain vote and someone volunteers as moderator it gets created.

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Trace evidence occurs when objects make contact, and material is transferred. This type of evidence may not even be visible to the naked eye and requires specific tools and techniques to be located and obtained. Microscopic hair and dead skin cells can be collected, as well as droplets of blood, saliva, or semen for DNA evidence. Fingerprints can be identified but may also leave secretions, skin oils and dead cells which show chemicals and metabolites present in the body at the time. Forensic identification is the application of forensic science and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave.

The body’s ability to maintain homeostasis is a critical function. In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal physical and chemical conditions maintained by living organisms. The body has many aspects that it maintains using homeostatic control mechanisms including: optimal temperature, fluid balance, cerebrospinal fluid, pH of extracellular fluid, concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide, sodium, potassium, calcium ions, copper, iron levels, blood sugar levels, plasma pH, blood oxygen content as well as blood pressure. These levels are kept within certain pre-set limits (homeostatic range) even during changes in the environment, diet, or level of activity.

The Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) was a time interval during the Earth’s Paleoproterozoic era (2,500 to 1,600 million years ago) when the Earth experienced a rise in the concentration of free oxygen from practically none. The GOE is inferred to have been caused by cyanobacteria, which evolved chlorophyll-based photosynthesis that releases dioxygen as a waste byproduct of water photolysis. Scientists believe the GOE may have caused an extinction of many early Earth organisms, including the retinal using (Purple Earth hypothesis) organisms that lived during that time. The adaptation of surviving archaea (leading to mitochondria) may have led to the rise of eukaryotic organisms and eventually multicellular life-forms. So Earth may have been purple before, and we’re only here thanks to cyanobacteria!

A placebo is a medicine or treatment intended to appear genuine, but actually have no pharmaceutical effect, such as inert sugar pills. The placebo effect is a genuine psychobiological phenomenon in which the mere expectation of improvement from a placebo can lead to some actual physiological changes. Modern studies find that placebos can affect some outcomes such as pain and nausea, but otherwise do not generally have important clinical effects. There is also the effect called a nocebo effect. The nocebo effect is falling ill simply by consciously or subconsciously anticipating a harmful event. Both placebo and nocebo effects are presumably psychogenic but can induce measurable changes in the body.

Hormones play a very large part in the physiological processes of the body. The endocrine system consists of numerous glands throughout the body that produce and secrete hormones of diverse chemical structure, including peptides, steroids, and neuroamines. The nervous system and the endocrine system are linked in a process known as neuroendocrine integration. The neuroendocrine system is the mechanism by which the hypothalamus maintains homeostasis, regulating reproduction, metabolism, eating and drinking behaviour, energy utilization, osmolarity and blood pressure. Neuroendocrinology is the branch of biology (specifically of physiology) which studies the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system; i.e. how the brain regulates the hormonal activity in the body.

Meganeuropsis permiana was considered the largest insect of all time, it was a dragonfly relative with an estimated wingspan of around 710 mm (28 in). It existed before the dinosaurs, during the Artinskian age of the Permian period, 290.1–283.5 million years ago. There are several theories as to why insects were so big during this time. One theory was that oxygen levels in the atmosphere were significantly higher than today, although there is some controversy regarding this theory. Another theory was that insects at the time were at the top of the food-chain, with few predators.

In psychology, cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon where people unknowingly or subconsciously hold fundamentally conflicting cognitions (mental processes). Being confronted by situations that create this dissonance or highlight these inconsistencies can cause stress (discomfort) and motivates change in their thoughts or actions to reduce this dissonance. Persons who experience internal inconsistency tend to become psychologically uncomfortable and are motivated to reduce the cognitive dissonance in several ways, such as: rationalization (justifying the behavior), using a just-world fallacy, using selective perception (ignoring some info), or avoiding information (resulting in confirmation bias).

Scientists studying dinosaur fossils are able to tell with some certainty the color patterns the dinosaur exhibited. The Microraptor, for example, likely had shiny iridescent black feathers (similar to a crow) used for signaling. Another example is the Borealopelta, which had a reddish-brown countershaded pattern that was used for camouflage. Sinosauropteryx had a raccoon-like “mask” around the eyes and banded patterns on its tail. To infer these colors, scientists have studied well preserved melanosomes found in fossilized skin and feathers. Scientists study the shape, color, and nanostructures of the melanosomes.

The study of Biomimicry (or Biomimetics) looks at elements and systems of nature and attempts to replicate them to solve complex human problems. This is applied in fields from materials science to architecture. Some examples of biomimicry include: How the tiny hooks on bur fruits inspired Velcro. Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine inspired by the structure of bat wings. Shark skin is being studied to improve movement through water. Geckoes climbing ability on walls and ceilings due to their micrometer-scale hair-like setae on their feet have inspired special adhesive tape. Colorful Morpho butterfly wings have inspired display technology. There are many more examples in this fascinating field of study. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics

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