ScienceIQ.com

Our Brains: A Wasted Resource?

Have you ever heard people say, 'Human beings use only 10 percent of their brains?' It implies that some gifted scientist has already been able to accurately calibrate the brain's maximum operational capability. But the brain's capacities are impossible to quantify, so any claim to have measured 10 percent of it is extremely suspicious science. In ...

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WastedBrains
Biology

Luck Of The Irish?

In the 1800s many Irish were poor tenant farmers who farmed mainly for the landowner and relied on small plots for their own food. Because high yields of potatoes could be obtained from these small ... Continue reading

LuckOfTheIrish
Science

Inventor Samuel Pierpont Langley

Born in the Boston suburb of Roxbury, Ma., Samuel Langley was one of America's most accomplished scientists. His work as an astronomy, physics, and aeronautics pioneer was highly regarded by the ... Continue reading

SamuelPierpontLangley
Medicine

How a Horse Can Save Your Life?

Most people who have been vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine never really question what exactly was injected into their body. If they did, they might be surprised, and maybe thank a horse or two. ... Continue reading

HorseLife
Geology

The Importance Of Clouds And Aerosols To Climate Change

Everything, from an individual person to Earth as a whole, emits energy. Scientists refer to this energy as radiation. As Earth absorbs incoming sunlight, it warms up. The planet must emit some of ... Continue reading

CloudsAerosols

Does Your Beagle Have A Belly Button?

BeagleBellyButtonOur navels, also know as belly buttons, are scars left over from our umbilical cords. While in the mother's womb, a baby receives food and oxygen and rids itself of waste through the umbilical cord. One end of the umbilical cord is attached to the mother's placenta, an organ that develops during a mother's pregnancy for this very special job. The other end is attached to the baby's stomach. As soon as the baby is born and begins breathing on its own, the umbilical cord is cut. After a few weeks, the remains of the cord wither away. All that remains is the navel.

But does your dog have a belly button? Or a better question is, have you ever seen it if it does? Most people haven't. But this doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Since mammals give birth to live young, they share in common the process of developing inside their mother. This, by necessity, requires a connection between the mother and the baby for the passing of nourishment, oxygen and clearing away waste. Dogs and cats are no different. Although each is born in a fluid-filled sac, it is still connected to its mother's placenta by an umbilical cord. In fact, a mother dog will bite and break each puppy's umbilical cord right after birth. Soon, just like us, all that's left is a scar.

Puppies don't have obvious belly buttons for a few reasons. The size of their umbilical cord is small. Sustaining a human baby requires a bigger umbilical cord, hence a bigger scar. A puppy's scar heals into a small slit rather than a round hole. And the area is quickly covered with fur, making detection more difficult. So next time your dog is taking a snooze on her back, take a look. With some investigation, you'll find its belly button.