This has no particular format; it’s just correcting or updating anything in the show we didn’t get a chance to fully talk about or things we had on the tips of our tongues and couldn’t get out as we recorded. As always, feel free to comment, and we will address stuff in future shows! Enjoy.
is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level.
The Legacy Virus was based on a virus created by Apocalypse in the distant future, which was intended to kill the remaining non-mutants.
Stryfe engineered the Legacy virus to kill mutants. In the beginning the virus was only targeting mutants but it jumped to humans
Comic series cured by Colossus and in X:Men animated series it was Wolverine was used by Cable to generate a cure (utilizing wolverine’s healing factor).
Wolverine has healing factor: he can heal from any injury or disease. Yet, there are a number of inconstancies. Also, Wolverine has bones fused with Adamantium (a virtually indestructible steel alloy named after the fabled metal Adamantine of Greek mythology).
All about Bones:
What are Bones made of? Our bones have metal: calcium, trace metals like copper, zinc, magnesium
Osseointegration (from Latin osseus “bony” and integrare “to make whole”) is the direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-bearing artificial implant
Osseointegration was first observed—albeit not explicitly stated—by Bothe, Beaton, and Davenport in 1940
This has no particular format; it’s just correcting or updating anything in the show we didn’t get a chance to fully talk about or things we had on the tips of our tongues and couldn’t get out as we recorded. As always, feel free to comment, and we will address stuff in future shows! Enjoy.
The African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) holds the title for the largest land animal. Adult male African elephants can weigh between 5,000 to 14,000 pounds (2,268 to 6,350 kilograms) and stand about 8.2 to 13 feet (2.5 to 4 meters) tall at the shoulder. Female African elephants are generally smaller than males but still large compared to other land animals.
It’s worth noting that the size of elephants can vary, and these measurements are approximate. The African Elephant’s large size is a testament to its adaptation to diverse habitats across the African continent.
Largest sea animal
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) holds the title for the largest sea animal and, in fact, the largest animal on Earth. Adult blue whales can reach lengths of up to 100 feet (30 meters) and weigh as much as 200 tons. These enormous marine mammals are filter feeders, primarily consuming small shrimp-like animals called krill.
The sheer size of blue whales is remarkable, and they are found in oceans around the world, making them a truly global species. Despite their massive size, blue whales are gentle creatures, and their conservation status is classified as endangered due to historical whaling practices. Conservation efforts are ongoing to protect and preserve these magnificent marine animals.
The size of animals is constrained by various biological, ecological, and physical factors. Some limitations include:
1. Metabolic Demands: Larger animals generally have higher metabolic demands. Meeting these demands becomes challenging, as it requires sufficient food intake, efficient energy utilization, and effective waste removal.
2. Support Structures: The strength of bones, muscles, and other support structures is crucial. Beyond a certain size, the ability to support the body’s weight becomes a limiting factor.
3. Respiratory System: Diffusion-based respiratory systems become less effective as an organism grows larger. Efficient gas exchange becomes challenging, potentially limiting the maximum size of animals relying on this mechanism.
4. Heat Dissipation: Larger animals face challenges in dissipating heat efficiently. This is due to the decrease in surface area relative to volume, affecting heat exchange with the environment.
5. Reproductive Challenges: Larger animals often have fewer offspring and longer gestation periods. This could impact reproductive strategies and population dynamics.
6. Predator-Prey Dynamics: Size affects the ability to evade predators or capture prey. Both extreme sizes, very large or very small, can be disadvantageous in certain ecological niches.
7. Evolutionary Pressures: Evolutionary pressures may favor smaller sizes in specific environments, promoting agility, rapid reproduction, and adaptability over large size.
8. Ecological Niche: Each species occupies a specific ecological niche, and the size of an organism is often adapted to its role in the ecosystem. Deviating too much from the optimal size for a given niche could be disadvantageous.
The size of insects is constrained by various biological and physical factors. Here are some key limitations:
1. Exoskeleton: Insects have an exoskeleton made of a rigid material called chitin. As they grow, they need to molt and shed their exoskeleton to accommodate a larger size. This process becomes more challenging as the insect gets larger due to the increased structural demands.
2. Respiratory System: Insects rely on a system of tiny tubes called tracheae for respiration. As they grow larger, the surface area available for gas exchange becomes insufficient, limiting their ability to provide oxygen to all cells effectively.
3. Muscle Efficiency: The efficiency of muscle function decreases as insects get larger. The relationship between muscle strength and size is not linear, and larger insects may face challenges in coordinated movement and efficient muscle function.
4. Metabolic Rate: Larger insects might struggle to meet the metabolic demands associated with increased body size. Efficient energy utilization becomes a limiting factor, affecting overall viability.
5. Predation: Larger insects may become more vulnerable to predators. Their size makes them easier targets, and the advantages of being smaller, such as agility and concealment, become essential for survival.
6. Feeding Efficiency: As insects grow larger, their feeding efficiency might decrease. The energy required to forage for food may surpass the energy gained from the food itself.
7. Developmental Constraints: The developmental processes of molting and metamorphosis, which are integral to an insect’s life cycle, impose limitations on the attainable size.
8. Environmental Conditions: In certain environments, such as those with limited oxygen concentration, larger insects might struggle to obtain sufficient oxygen, further restricting their size.
9. Evolutionary Trade-offs: Evolutionary pressures may favor smaller sizes in certain ecological niches due to trade-offs between size, reproductive strategies, and adaptation to specific environments.
1. Buoyancy: Water provides buoyancy, supporting the weight of aquatic organisms. This allows for the existence of much larger animals in water compared to on land, where the gravitational pull is a more significant constraint.
2. Respiration: Aquatic animals often have gills, enabling efficient extraction of oxygen from water. This allows for a more effective respiratory system, potentially sustaining larger body sizes.
3. Swimming Efficiency: The streamlined shape and reduced effects of gravity in water allow for efficient movement, enabling larger sizes for aquatic animals. Whales, for example, are among the largest animals on Earth and are adapted to life in the oceans.
4. Food Availability: Water ecosystems can support larger populations of prey items, providing a more abundant food supply for predators. This abundance can contribute to the development of larger species.
5. Temperature Regulation: Water provides a more stable environment for temperature regulation. This stability can support larger animals that might face challenges related to temperature fluctuation on land.
The concept of an animal growing 10 times its natural size in fiction, using a lot of Handwavium!
1. Extreme Nutrient Density: An exceptionally nutrient-dense food source could potentially fuel rapid and substantial growth in an animal. This might include a novel substance with highly concentrated essential nutrients that the animal can efficiently assimilate.
2. Genetic Modification: In a fictional context, genetic modification or engineering could play a role. Introducing genes that enhance growth, metabolism, or nutrient absorption might result in animals reaching sizes beyond their natural limits.
3. Magical or Extraterrestrial Influence: In a fantastical setting, magical elements or extraterrestrial factors could be introduced. For example, exposure to a magical substance or an extraterrestrial nutrient could trigger extraordinary growth in the animal.
4. Biological Anomaly: A rare biological anomaly or mutation that dramatically increases an animal’s growth rate could be part of the fictional narrative. This could involve an unexpected interaction between the animal’s genetics and a specific type of food.
5. Artificial Growth Stimulants: In a speculative scenario, the presence of artificial growth stimulants, either intentionally or accidentally introduced into the animal’s environment, could lead to accelerated growth.
Various mythologies, religions and fictions around the world feature giant animals, often portraying them as powerful, mythical beings or creatures with extraordinary abilities. Here are some examples:
1. Jormungandr (Norse Mythology): Jormungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent, is a giant sea serpent in Norse mythology. It is said to encircle the Earth, grasping its tail in its mouth. According to prophecy, Jormungandr will play a significant role in the events leading to Ragnarok, the end of the world.
2. Nemean Lion (Greek Mythology): In Greek mythology, the Nemean Lion was a colossal, supernatural lion with an impenetrable golden fur. It was one of the Labors of Hercules to defeat this fierce lion.
3. Kaiju (Japanese Mythology/Fiction): While not strictly part of ancient mythology, Japanese kaiju are giant monsters often featured in modern fiction and films. Examples include Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan, representing colossal creatures with destructive powers.
4. Garuda (Hindu and Buddhist Mythology): Garuda is a mythical bird or bird-like creature in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. It is often depicted as large, with the ability to carry off elephants. Garuda is a divine companion of the god Vishnu.
5. Fenghuang (Chinese Mythology): The Fenghuang, also known as the Chinese Phoenix, is a mythical bird in Chinese mythology. It is often described as a giant and colorful bird with various supernatural abilities, symbolizing grace and longevity.
6. Yamata no Orochi (Japanese Mythology): Yamata no Orochi is an eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon or serpent in Japanese mythology. It was defeated by the storm god Susanoo, and one of its tails contained the legendary sword Kusanagi.
7. Bunyip (Australian Aboriginal Mythology): The bunyip is a mythical creature from Australian Aboriginal mythology, often described as a large, amphibious monster inhabiting waterholes, rivers, and swamps.
8. Simurgh (Persian Mythology): The Simurgh is a mythical bird-like creature in Persian mythology. It is often portrayed as a large, benevolent bird with magnificent plumage, sometimes said to possess healing powers.
Okay, that’s it for this episode. How’d we do?
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This has no particular format (yet), just correcting or updating anything in the show we didn’t get a chance to fully talk about or things we had on the tips of our tongues and couldn’t get out as we recorded. As always feel free to comment and we will address stuff in future shows! Enjoy:
Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines such a character as “a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel; or a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot.”
The opposite of a villain is a hero. The villain’s structural purpose is to serve as the opposition of the hero character and their motives or evil actions drive a plot along.
In contrast to the hero, who is defined by feats of ingenuity and bravery and the pursuit of justice and the greater good, a villain is often defined by their acts of selfishness, evilness, arrogance, cruelty, and cunning, displaying immoral behavior that can oppose or pervert justice
People like to love villains they relate with
Research suggests that you like villains who remind us of ourselves.
The results revealed that, overall, both children and adults believed that villains’ true selves were ‘overwhelmingly evil and much more negative than heroes’.
However, researchers also detected an asymmetry in the views, as villains were much more likely than heroes to have a true self that differed to their outer personna.
The research found that those who prefer villains such as Cruella de Vil and Darth Vader, are more likely to display the ‘dark triad‘ (Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy) personality traits.
Dark Triad:
‘Narcissism describes a grandiose and entitled interpersonal style whereby one feels superior to others and craves validation (‘ego-reinforcement’),’ the researchers write.
‘Machiavellianism describes a manipulative interpersonal style characterized by duplicity, cynicism, and selfish ambition.
‘Psychopathy describes low self-control and a callous interpersonal style aimed at immediate gratification.
Thanks for spending time with us. You can always email (I do answer back), click the comment link below, or follow me online for real time tracking. Until next time…
This has no particular format, just correcting or updating anything in the show we didn’t get a chance to fully talk about or things we had on the tips of our tongues and couldn’t get out as we recorded. As always feel free to comment and we will address stuff in future shows! Enjoy:
This is a collection of stuff that we didn’t get to in the show or talked about in the show briefly. We try to include links when possible and connecting our research paths. Maybe in future we will have a better organization system, but for now enjoy the Rabbit Hole of Show Notes!
Let us know:
What do you think about Gaba and the history of reanimation?
First to show that electrical signals could move freshly dissected frog legs.
During a dissection a metal look touched the muscle and the frog twitches like it would hop away. Galvani said this was caused by a special muscle viral fluid—animal electricity.
Alessandro Volta (credited with inventing the battery and field of electrochemistry), 1782, disagreed and said any electricity could produce a similar effect. And Volta started testing this on all sorts of dead things.
Giovanni Aldini
Galvani was at the end of his career, so his nephew took up the charge against Volta. After the hanging of a man named George Foster (drowned his wife and kid in a canal), the body went to the lab of Giovanni.
During a demonstration he soaped and salted the man’s ears and connected him to electrodes. As he passed a current through the man his face and mouth started to twitch.
A reporter noted, “ On the first application of the process to the face, the jaws of the deceased criminal began to quiver, and the adjoining muscles were horribly contorted, and one eye was actually opened. In the subsequent part of the process the right hand was raised and clenched, and the legs and thighs were set in motion.”
It was decided by the government that if George did come back to life he should be hung again.
Andrew Ure
Experimented on hanged convicts—up to 300He would draw a crowd and shock different body part to make them twitch and please the crowd. Not really answering any scientific questions. “Every muscle of the body was immediately agitated with convulsive movements resembling a violent shuddering from cold. . . On moving the second rod from hip to heel, the knee being previously bent, the leg was thrown out with such violence as nearly to overturn one of the assistants, who in vain tried to prevent its extension. The body was also made to perform the movements of breathing by stimulating the phrenic nerve and the diaphragm.”“When the supraorbital nerve was excited ‘every muscle in his countenance was simultaneously thrown into fearful action; rage, horror, despair, anguish, and ghastly smiles, united their hideous expressions in the murderer’s face, surpassing far the wildest representations of Fuseli or a Kean. At this period several of the spectators were forced to leave the apartment from terror or sickness, and one gentleman fainted.”Eventually things got boring and the church was threading to shut him down afraid that he was summoning devils. In time, he gave up the reanimation efforts, correctly concluding it was a waste of his time, and then turned his attention to more productive pursuits, such as revolutionizing the way volumes are measured and with being the first to describe a bi-metallic thermostat.
Early 1920’s Russian experiments
Sergei Bryukhonenko was a scientist living in Russia during the Revolution who invented what he called an “autojektor,” or the heart-lung machine. These exist today, and Bryukhonenko’s design was fundamentally sound, but it’s the way he tested it that’s creepy.
During his early experiments, Bryukhonenko decapitated a dog and immediately connected it to his machine, which drew out blood from the veins and circulated it through a filter for oxygenation. According to his paper, Bryukhonenko kept the dog’s severed head alive and responsive for over an hour and a half, before blood clots built up and killed the dog on the table.
According to the Soviet Congress of Science, Bryukhonenko actually managed reanimating of a human in 1930.
Given the hours-dead corpse of a man who had committed suicide, the team plugged his body up to the autojektor and pushed a witches’ brew of odd chemicals into his bloodstream.
They opened his chest cavity, administered a mix of chemicals and got a steady rhythm. The man then started to groan and move, this freaked everyone out and they shut down the experiment letting the man did for good.
Today: Luigi Galvani initial work is the basis for Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses
galvanism — the idea that electricity could reanimate dead tissue
in honour of his pioneering work his name was given to the unit of electrical potential, the Volt.
In 1751, England passed the Murder Act, which allowed the bodies of executed murderers to be used for experimentation and scientific study. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder\_Act\_1751
Andrew Ure was Scottish and performed his experiment on a hanged convict (Matthew Clydesdale) in 1818. After experiment did describe a device that would later be the basis for the defibrillator.
Mary Shelley was surrounded and influenced by science demonstrations (Galvani, Volta and Aldini were friends of Mary’s father), but some speculate that Mary Shelley used Ure as a model for her main character in the book, Frankenstein (1818).
Operating theater or operating room, is a facility where surgical procedures are performed . Historically, operating theaters where actually an amphitheater and a source of education and entertainment, often with “music and festive atmosphere…” https://daily.jstor.org/inside-the-operating-theater-surgery-as-spectacle/
Research on using electrodes to give amputees Restoring the sense of touch in amputees – Today’s Medical Developments
More reanimating attempts not mentioned:
Another scientists in the field of reanimation i failed to mention was Robert E. Cornish, an American biologist who studied at the University of California Berkeley. Cornish who reportedly managed to revive two dogs by rocking them back and forth to move blood around while injecting the animals with a mixture of anticoagulants and steroids. When Cornish announced he was ready to perform his experiment on humans, a California death-row inmate, Thomas McMonigle, volunteered his body post-execution, but the State of California denied his request.
And you may be wondering about cryonics (I wrote a newsletter about this Hey baby it’s cold outside. Let’s stay in and talk Cryonics!), and we still have no idea how to revive a frozen body, but research is ongoing.
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