Orange Fuzzy Goodness

This week, while very important for Veterans'/Armistice Day (yay to Vets!), is also very important for another reason... From the 10-16th, it is Orangutan Awareness Week. There are events at many zoos around the country aimed at educating people about orangutans.

The orangutan (Pogo sp.) is actually currently broken up into 2 species and are a very near extinction great ape. They are native to Malaysia and Indonesia. In fact, the word orangutan is a derivative of the expression orang hutan in Malay/ Indonesian, which means "forest man." This is an intersting title as they share 97% of our DNA. They spend more time in trees than any other of the great apes. In their treetops, they form "nests" made of twigs and leaves to sleep suspended. This is very similar to a hammock. Their ingenuity does not stop at their bedding, however. Wild orangutans have been observed multiple times using plants from only one genus to uses as an anti-inflammatory! Smart!
If you ever come across one in the wild (hehehe, highly unlikely but I am determined) , don't be scared, they pretty much only eat fruit. Unless you are dressed up like a fig or Carmen Miranda, I think you are ok. They are quite intelligent though and have even been observed making tools and what appears to be instructing youngsters in how to use them.

To find out more about these amazing creatures, you can click on the banner above or click Orangutan Outreach. The site even allows you to adopt really cute (not for keeps!) baby orangutans. The one on the left here is Dodo, the cute thing on the right is Kesi. There is a ton of information on the site about these amazing animals and a cute little gift shop that sells all things orangutan. Go learn something and help spread the word!

All photos used with permission from RedApes.org. Potspoon! is not affiliated in anyway, I just thought they were doing something awesome so I asked them for some pictures!

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Debate! Designer Babies

I think I would like to do a weekly or bi-weekly discussion on this blog about controversial scientific issues. Of course, I will see how this goes over first. So now presenting this weeks debate!


The hubs and I were having a conversation last night about what fields of science I distrust the most and I told him biotech or bioengineering. I have many reasons for my distrust of these fields, one being the whole "designer baby" thing. I don't really believe in gene manipulation of any sort. I know that gene therapy can potentially help us avoid children with Duchenne dystrophy and things of the like, but even that I still have my qualms about. Maybe I am a bit alone in this aspect, but I think nature's way of human population control is disease. Biotechnology wants to extend our lifespans. We all have the longest lifespans in thousands of years, or ever depending on who you talk to, yet we want more. I don't think people realize the ramifications of living that long. That just means a HUGE increase in populations and more people to feed around the world. This also means, more waste, more consumption, more economic strain... I don't know. This is my opinion, remember. I also know that bioengineering has taught us about fermentation and DNA sampling. I can plays the Devil's Advocate for this as well. I do, however, want to hear your opinions on these topics. What do you like/dislike about bioengineering?

brewing is a form of biotechnology.

While no longer in print, The Impact of the Gene: From Mendel's Peas to Designer Babies is an excellent read on this topic.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

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The Oldest Family Tree

Many people know what genealogy is and have probably done at least a small family tree project in the past. Some people I know can trace their heritage back clear to Europe and the Mayflower. Two men in Germany, however, have everyone beat: they can trace their family tree 3000 years back. The finding was done via DNA testing against some caves in Germany known as the Lichtenstein Caves. Bones were found in there arranged neatly and were in good enough shape that scientists could extract the DNA and match it to people in the area. The BBC went to speak to one of these men recently.

I wonder what it would be like to know that your ancestors were buried right in your back yard? I am doing a genealogy report for a class now and I can only find information about 3 of my 8 great-grandparents and not a whole lot on my paternal side at all. How far can you trace back your family tree?

Photo from BBC article.

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