ScienceIQ.com

What We Learned From The Songbirds

Once, neuroscientists believed that our complement of nerve cells was created prenatally and during the first years of life, and that no new neurons could be generated. Now we know that this belief was wrong. It had been thought that unlike other bodily organ systems, such as skin which continuously generates cells to replace those that die or are ...

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WhatWeLearnedFromTheSongbirds
Biology

Embryo Transfer and Cloning

Scientists use embryo transfer technology to obtain more offspring from a genetically superior animal. For instance, if a farmer owns a cow that produces excellent milk and wants more cows to produce ... Continue reading

EmbryoTransferandCloning
Engineering

Inkjet Printers

At the heart of every inkjet printer, whether it is a color printer or just B&W, there is an ink cartridge that gets shuttled back and forth across the page, leaving a trail of letters or colors. Upon ... Continue reading

InkjetPrinters
Geology

How Do We Predict The Climate--100,000 Years Ago?

Since the only ice age that occurred during human existence ended 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, how can we know today that several major ice ages occurred during earth's history? How do we know how much ... Continue reading

PredictTheClimate
Engineering

How Many Cows Does It Take To String A Tennis Racquet?

How many cows does it take to string a tennis racquet? According to Professor Rod Cross of the University of Sydney, an expert on the physics and technology of tennis, the answer is 3. Many top ... Continue reading

TennisRacquet

How Do Cats See in the Dark?

CatEyesightCats are nocturnal; therefore they need good night vision. Their eyes are able to function with 1/6 the light humans require. During the day, their eyes must be able to function without being overwhelmed by too much light. How do they do that?

Two shutter-like ciliary muscles control their characteristic vertical pupils, opening them wide when light is scarce and closing them down to a tiny slit in bright conditions. Cats also have a reflective layer of cells behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum. This layer recycles any light not absorbed by the retina by reflecting it back for a second pass. The tapetum is responsible for the nighttime 'glowing eyes' effect because some of the ingoing light doesn’t get absorbed even after two passes through the retina.

As you might guess, when seen through a cat’s eyes the world would look different. Very bright light can cause humans to see circular halos. These bright lights would create a rectangular halo in a cat's eye. Their more strongly curved cornea allows them to see a more panoramic view, and the large rod to cone ratio means they see predominantly in black and white.