TOP 100 CAMPING SITES
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| The Evolution of House Cats It is by turns aloof and affectionate, serene and savage, endearing and exasperating. Despite its mercurial nature, however, the house cat is the most popular pet in the world. A third of American households have feline members, and more than 600 million cats live among humans worldwide. Yet as familiar as these creatures are, a complete understanding of their origins has proved elusive. Whereas other once wild animals were domesticated for their milk, meat, wool or servile labor, cats contribute virtually nothing in the way of sustenance or work to human endeavor. How, then, did they become commonplace fixtures in our homes?Scholars long believed that the ancient Egyptians were the first to keep cats as pets, starting around 3,600 years ago. But genetic and archaeological discoveries made over the past five years have revised this scenario--and have generated fresh insights into both the ancestry of the house cat and how its relationship with humans evolved. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Climate kerfuffle: Did Senator Boxer really direct a "racial slant" at African-American Harry Alford? At yesterday’s climate hearings, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California looked down at the black man testifying about the impact of climate legislation on business and asked: “Colored boy, what are you doing with this sophisticated report?”Or at least that’s the way Harry Alford, CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, recounted it in a phone interview with Breitbart.tv’s B-Cast. “It was condescending,” he said, “like being in Mississippi in 1945. . . . She owes America an apology.” [More] rss.sciam.com |
Celebrating the birth of the solar cell Editor's Note: Scientific American 's George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels and taking other steps to save energy in 60-Second Solar . Read his introduction here and see all posts here . I came across the following un-bylined news story from our June 1954 issue which I thought solarheads would enjoy. Not only does it recount the invention of the photovoltaic cell at Bell Labs , it provides one of the most elegant explanations I've seen of how the device works, though the predictions about its limited usefulness are charmingly dated. A brief excerpt from this story also appeared in the 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago column of our June 2004 issue. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Buying Green: 9 Goods for Sustainable Living [Slide Show] With the holiday shopping season around the corner, don't forget the eco-lover on your list. [More] rss.sciam.com |
Home Sweet Earthship: Building a Self-Sufficient Bio-House from Old Tires and Recycled Cans Dear EarthTalk I've heard of extremely environmentally friendly homes and communities called "Earthships" popping up across the U.S. What are they exactly? --Kelsey Kuehn, Kirtland, Ohio [More] rss.sciam.com |