The scientists filmed the veined octopus, Amphio
ctopus marginatus, selecting halved coconut shells from the sea floor, emptying them out, carrying them under their bodies up to 65 feet (2
0 meters), and assembling two shells together to make a spherical hiding spot.
Julian Finn and Mark Norman of Museum Victoria in Melbourne observed the odd activity in four of the creatures during a series of dive trips to North Sulawesi and Bali in Indonesia between 1998 and 2008. Their findings were published Tuesday in the journal Current Biology.
"I was gobsmacked," said Finn, a research biologist at the museum who specializes in cephalopods. "I mean, I've seen a lot of octopuses h
iding in shells, but I've never seen one that grabs it up and jogs across the sea floor. I was trying hard not to laugh."
Octopuses often use foreign objects as shelter. But the scientists found the veined octopus going a step further by preparing the shells, carrying them long distances and reassembling them as shelter elsewhere.
That's an example of tool use, which has never
been recorded in invertebrates before, Finn said.
"What makes it different from a hermit crab is this octopus collects shells for later use, so when it's transporting it, it's not getting any protection from it," Finn said. "It's that collecting it to use it later that is unusual."
The researchers think the creatures probably once used shells in the same way. But once humans began cutting coconuts in half and discarding the shells into the ocean, the octopuses discovered an even better kind of shelter, Finn said.
The findings are significant, in that they reveal just how capable the creatures are of complex behavior, said Simon Robson, associate professor of tropical biology at James Cook University in Townsville.
"Octopuses have always stood out as appearing to be particularly intelligent invertebrates," Robson said. "They have a fairly well-developed sense of vision and they have a fairly intelligent brain. So I think it shows the behavioral capabilities that these organisms have."
There is always debate in the scientific community about how to define tool use in the animal kingdom, Robson said. The Australian researchers defined a tool as an object carried or maintained for future use. But other scientists could define it differently, which means it's difficult to say for certain whether this is the first evidence of such behavior in invertebrates, Robson said.
Still, the findings are interesting, he said.
"It's another example where we can think about how similar humans are to the rest of the world," Robson said. "We are just a continuum of the entire planet."
Source: Yahoo News By KRISTEN GELINEAU
***
Nakakatuwa namang behavior ito for animals like them. Maybe, frustrated sila magkaroon din ng shell katulad nung ibang sea creatures. That's why I love octopus eh. LOL.
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but blatant theft of code, design, and UI elements is just not cool, especially when the infringing party is the biggest software company in the world. Yes, we’re talking about Microsoft.
Here’s the short of what we think has happened:
We were first tipped off by high profile bloggers and Taiwanese users of our community that Microsoft had just launched a new Chinese microblogging service that looked eerily similar to Plurk. Needless to say we were absolutely shocked and outraged when we first saw with our own eyes the cosmetic similarities Microsoft’s new offering had with Plurk. From the filter tabs, emoticons, qualifier/verb placement, Karma scoring system, media support, new user walkthroughs to pretty much everything else that gives Plurk its trademark appeal, Microsoft China’s offering ripped off our service. See for yourself: (Microsoft MClub on top, Plurk on bottom).
2009 was a challenging year for all of us, Filipino, still a part of global recession, corruption, high crime rate, poverty, terrorism and a lot more.
Recently, another challenge measured the strength and faith of the Filipinos. The typhoon Ondoy, Pepeng, Ramil, Santi, etc. Typhoons are very common to the
The amount of rain brought about by the typhoon Ondoy in that particular day is equivalent to almost a month of raining; imagine if the rain won’t stop for at least 3 days?
I won’t mention the damages caused by the typhoon anymore; instead I wanted to focus on its impact to us.
As I’ve observed the condition of the country via television, I must say that it was very heartbreaking. But one line is very prominent on every survivor, and I quote, “Nakakalungkot yung nangyari, ang daming namatay, yung mga gamit namin at bahay nalubog, pero hayaan na natin yun, ang mahalaga buhay kami magkakasama ng pamilya ko”. That line really made me smile and I remembered this line I once said to my mother, “Mommy, talagang walang mahirap o mayaman basta kalikasan na ang gumanti, pero ngayon natin nare-realize na balewala lang ang material na bagay, kasi pwedeng mawala yung sa isang saglit lang”.
My second observation is about the undying spirit of the Filipinos, wherein despite the tough times, we can still smile and continue with our lives. As I recalled, there was a scene from the news, wherein a man is passing through the flood, a reporter asked him about his condition and he answered, “Kayang kaya ng mga Pilipino yan, malalagpasan natin yan!” uttering it repeatedly. That simple phrase made our fellow Filipinos somehow revive their hopes. Also, as I’ve watched the special coverage of Ondoy victims on GMA 7, I smiled watching people taking pictures of the host Richard Gutierrez, despite their condition.
Through that havoc, I realized that Filipinos are considered as unnoticed and born heroes. From the ones who fought for our
I would also want to honor and highly acknowledge the show “Eat Bulaga” for their segment “EB Heroes”, wherein they give credits to those ordinary heroes in different sectors of the community. Heroes whose only mission is to help others, excluding their own benefits and as well as their own status in life.
Lastly is Efren Peñaflorida, is recently renowned 2009 CNN Hero. He is the one responsible for the pushcart classes in the
Through this I believe that every Filipino is a HERO – in our own ways.
Because it's the 7th Anniversary of QUAKERZ today (Nov. 14, 2009), I would like to repost this very creative blog post from a genius.
Hope you will like this as much as I do :]
***
ALAMAT NG PIZZA
Quakerz, alam nyo ba na may blind items ako tungkol sa inyo? Sabihin na lamang natin na dadaanin natin ang walang kuwentang kuwentong ito sa pamamagitan ng simili.
Habang may binabasa akong babasahin ay may naisip ako. Para kakong gusto ko ng pizza. Ung Lynn’s lang ha para mura. Anyway, ang isang barkada pala ay parang pizza na binubuo ng iba’t-ibang sahog, sangkap, in other words, toppings. Alam ba ninyo kung ano naisip ko? Mukha pala tayong pizza. Hidi physically ha. Mentally. Utak pizza tayo. Joke. Symbolically lang pala. Basta. Diba sa pizza ibaiba lasa nung mga toppings. Pero magkagayun man, nagiging malasa pa rin ung pitsa kahit na ibaiba lasa nung mga sahog nito. Parang tayo diba? Ibaiba man ang mga hilig sa buhay, ibaiba man ang mga layuning makatao, di man magkakatulad ang ating mga interests, nagiging napakasaya at powerful pa rin naman tayo kahit na di tayo samasama. Basta. Corny noh? Ewan. Eto na ung blind items thru the toppings in a special pizza.
Pinya- Sino itong pinya ng quakerz? Bakit pinya? Kasi ung pinya di ba parang napakaasim? Eun. The first time you see a pineapple chunk in a pizza, your initial reaction may be “eeew” or something like that. Pero, pag nakain na, matamis pala. It balances the holistic taste of the pizza. Siya, parang ganun. Parang sour kasi siguro e napakabusy. I mean busy talaga. Pero he/she still remains sweet kahit anu pa man. Napakasweet pa rin especially when he/she’s with us. E ayun. Lavia pinya. Fave fruit q un e.
Cheese- Sino naman kaya itong cheese ng quak? We all know that cheese is one of our most favorite food products. Everyone loves cheese. Di ba? Parang siya. Loved by everybody. Though love naman talaga natin ang 1t 1 diba? Pero just like cheese na nakapagpapasakit ng tiyan pag lactose-intolerant ka, he/she naman can also make your stomach ache through the punchlines and jokes na binibigay nya. Givaway na ata.
Anchovy- in tagalog, dilis. Giveaway? We all know that dilis is 1 of the smallest fishes in the world. Just like him/her, may kaliitan syang tao. Pero kahit na di sya kasingtngkad ni yaoming, malakas pa rin ang presence nya. Parang anchovies, maalat at malakas ang lasa. Siya, maliit man, malakas naman ang presence at malaki ang naiaambag na lasa sa buong pizza ng quakerz. we lav dilis
Sili/Bellpepper-maanghang, majo matapang ang lasa. yung quakerz na ito e mejo maanghang ang dila. Mura ba naman nang mura. Hehe. Givaway ulit? Pero part talaga yun ng buhay db? Hehe. Gayunman, we still love our sili. Strong flavor ang naicocontribute nya sa group. Amoy sili pa talaga. Jowwk. Lavia
Onion-sino ito? Bakit onion? Kasi onion in a pizza, one of the main contributors of a great holistic flavor. Though konti lang angrequired in a pizza, very flavorful naman pag anjan xa. Parang sya, a little goes a long way. When he/she’s with us, parang well-rounded na ang lasa. With the onion’s deep purple color, gumaganda ang appearance ng pizza. More than just flvor, appetizing presentation pa. Parang xa, magimik pero nakakatuwa. We’re proud of him/her.
Mushrooms-eto obvius na. Engot na di makakakuha. 3 sila. Bakit mushroom? Button, honshimenji, saka portobello mushrooms in a pizza. So what? basta. Mushrooms do not contribute that much flavor di ba? Parang bland ang lasa. But whenverwe see mushroom in our food, we may conclude na very special, expensive at ibang level na yung food. Parang sila. Mejo bland kasi madalang makasama pero they still make our group very luxuriously special. We still love them.
Tomato sauce- this ingredient is one of the most pansinin in a pizza diba? Kitang kita mu kaagad yung rich red color nya. Napakaflavorful pa. Parang sya, malakas ang dating. Pansinin, standout. Pero tomato sauce does not only go with pizza. Pwede rin sa spaghetti, menudo, caldereta, etc. Siya, he/she mingles with many other groups. Understandable naman. Pero pag sa pizza mo inilagay ang tomato sauce, tiba-tiba na. Alin ba pinakamahal sa mga pagkaing ito? Xempre pizza. He/she is most special when he/she’s with us.
Crust-di masyaong pansinin ang crust. Minsan ganito siya. Pero ngayon, hindi na! Promise. Nauso na diba yung cheesy crust, ska cheesy pops. Ganitong klase xa ng crust. Very special. He/she may be an ordinary crust before pero ngayon, nag-evolve na siya into a very special and flavorful crust. Un!
Last but not the least,
Pepperoni- pinakaspecial sa lahat. I’m sure special din sya senyo. Napakabait nya e. Bida pa lagi. Hehe. Di ako un ha. Assume nyo na lang. Pero pride ng pizza ang main star nitong sahog diba? Hehe. Wala lang. Basta love natin si pepperoni. Lahat naman tayo pepperoni e. Gusto nyo italian sausage pa o beef. Basta we are all stars in our own special ways.
To everyone, napakahirap magtype kaya sana maapreciate nyu ung alamat ng pizza. Sana binasa nyo nang buo. Mabuhay ang quakerz pizza. Punta lang ako sa Lynn’s ha. Maka-order na nga. Geh paalam!
***
A blog post from http://quakerz.co.nr
By Ramadan de Jesus
It's been exactly one month now since nalaunch yung website ko, and I was very glad to see how people reacted on my works. I can't believe that they will accept me as an artist. Actually the purpose of my site is to help me on my employment and for business purposes only, but I was shocked to see the overflowing responses from different people. And for that reason, I felt that I was so ‘Blessed’(Thank God). Blessed in the sense that there are many people pala na nakakaappreciate sa’yo at sa gawa mo, and for me that’s the biggest compliment/reward for your hard works. After all, I don’t want to become famous naman, but I wish my works to soar high (Kahit yung works ko nalang). Anyways, mas maraming mas magagaling, but when people say that “You’re the Best”, it’s simply the highest honor you can get (Kahit sa salita naman lang, maka-level man lang sa kanila).
Mga bagong kakilala lang through my works.
Sa mga nagbibigay ng helpful suggestions.
To those who were telling me that ‘I am proud of you’.
My Kabarkadas na very encouraging.
To those na di naghehesitate na purihin ka to the highest level.
To the people I look up to, mas saludo po ako sa inyo, ma’am!
To those web developers and graphic artists na idol ko rin.
