Discovery Science 🧬

rtunately, rests only on rare advertising and your support. You can support the stability of our nervous system with a minimum subscription of 100 rubles per month. You can request support directly through the button in this post. Thank you! 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

The Mystery of the Earthworm's Belt: Why does it need a jumper on its body? A long time ago, when you were a child, you fell in love with earthworms. Have you noticed that they all have strange belts. You asked your parents, but they could not tell you the secret of the girdle of worm. Decades have passed since then. The situation itself was forgotten a long time ago, disappeared under a mountain of more recent memories, stuffed cones and life skills. But then you saw the title of the article, and something childish stirred again there, in the depths of your soul. It seems it's time to find out the answer to a very old question. The girdle, scientifically called the clitellum, is a unique organ found only in leeches and earthworms. At first glance, it looks very simple, like a huge slimy, giant gland that does nothing. But this is only at first glance. The importance and complexity of this organ is evidenced by a simple fact: if it is cut, the worm is guaranteed to die. He is able to restore the intestines, excretory organs, peripheral nerves and other nonsense from scratch, but he is not even able to fuse the girdle. Because the clitellum plays a key role in the regeneration of earthworms. In the inner part of the girdle, reserves of germ cells are stored that can migrate to the site of damage and turn into new tissue. It also produces translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP), which controls the growth and regeneration of tissues and prevents their degeneration into tumors. Damage the belt and all magic will disappear, the worm's regeneration will drop to human levels. And, given its small size, any injury will be fatal to the worm. But, oddly enough, regeneration is a secondary function. The basic task of the girdle is reproduction. When an earthworm is ready to mate, its clitellum swells and changes color: from pale pink to orange or even red. This is where the exocrine glands come into play, which have an important task. When a pair of worms exchange genetic material - and worms are hermaphrodites, the animals fertilize each other during the mating process (photo 4) - the clitellum produces a cocoon in which the worm will lay its eggs. As soon as the laying is completed and the cocoon becomes airtight, it will be filled with nutritious mucus, which the newborns will feed on (photo 5). 1.5-2 weeks after laying, they break the cocoon built around the girdle and set off for an independent life. Therefore, the myth that if you cut a worm in half, both parts will live is truly a myth. Only the part where the clitellum is located will survive! And even then, if it is the front part of the worm with all the other main organs. And if the cut is on the clitellum itself, then not a single part will survive. - - - - - We have a huge group, which is 11 years old and there are many zoologists who write tons of text every day from the field in which they are specialists. Due to VK’s failed policy towards authors, all this, unfo

Fainting goats: Any sneeze will knock them out. What is the purpose of this breed? The existence of fainting goats looks like another mockery of nature, something like “designer” breeds of dogs, doomed to suffer and doom their owners to torment. After all, every goat is essentially locked in a body that can stop obeying them at any second. But there must be a reason for such bullying, right? Fainting goats were the result of a natural genetic mutation that was then fixed by selective breeding. These goats were first documented in the 1880s in Tennessee, USA. A farmer named John Tinsley brought four goats to the region with an unusual property - they “frozen” and fell when frightened. The mutation occurred spontaneously and is caused by a recessive gene that affects muscle channels. An inherent feature of fainting goats is their congenital myotonia. With involuntary muscle movements (for example, caused by stress or fear), the muscles cannot recover and freeze in an unhealthy, spasmodic position for several tens of seconds. In this case, the goat freezes in unnatural positions, often with its legs spread out in all directions. Looks scary. But in reality, everything is far from so scary. Encephalograms show that when goats are constrained by a spasm, they do not experience pain, and adult animals do not even worry about this - they are used to it. The goat remains fully conscious - there is actually no fainting. For humans, goat myotonia is even beneficial. It not only has scientific interest, but is also simply convenient - even a small fence can stop goats. Ordinary goats are escape artists, and in this case their ability to jump is severely limited. In addition, the animals are distinguished by their great calmness and easy-going disposition, they easily make contact, quickly adapt to a poor diet and have good innate resistance to parasites. In general, these are ideal animals for private breeding and small farms located on not very fertile soils. And yet, this breed is on the verge of extinction. This is because meat production is increasingly monopolized: thanks to established technologies and advanced logistics, corporations can afford to raise meat goat breeds that produce a lot of high-quality meat. But we do not undertake to say whether this is good or bad. What do you think? Author: Yaroslav Ilyin 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

Take care of your fluffies' nutrition properly; the aged cat Ozzie eats super premium food from Green Holder. Green Holder is loved for many reasons: ✅ Good composition ✅ High nutrient content vitamins and minerals, omega 3-6 to improve skin and coat condition ✅ Chondroprotectors that have a beneficial effect on strengthening ligaments and joints Ozzy eats it for a long time without failure, feels great, goes to the toilet, is active, cheerful and cheerful. Despite the fact that she is already almost 12 years old! Order food at: OZON https://vk.cc/cTLmFJ WB https://vk.cc/cTLmeT 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

id above, both proboscis and elephants use the same version of protection against cancer, and therefore there is practically no difference in incidence between them. Although the difference in size is huge: a large African elephant is 12,000 times larger than a dog! It’s just a pity that you can’t conquer the world on tumor resistance alone. If the same elephants and mammoths recently ruled half the world and created entire biomes, then proboscis dogs have been tied to the forests of West Africa throughout their history. And today they even live in several isolated forest areas in Kenya and Tanzania. The number of blenny continues to decline along with these forests - this is the lot of all the small species that depend on their habitat. Author: Yaroslav Ilyin 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

Proboscis blenny: How did elephant genes change the life of a tiny animal? What do the proboscis blenny and the elephant have in common? As is expected in such articles, the most obvious answer is the most incorrect answer. The proboscis of elephants and dogs were formed in completely different ways and have nothing in common. These animals are united by something more important and serious. Something that saves their lives. A long time ago, back in the Cretaceous period, Africa separated from the rest of the continents and for several tens of millions of years turned into a completely autonomous giant island. And on this island a bunch of primitive mammals were stuck, who had to somehow adapt to a variety of niches. This is how afrotheria appeared. Afrotheres are perhaps the most diverse group of mammals on the planet. In addition to giant elephants, it includes, for example, algae-eating sea cows, rodent-like hyraxes and even golden moles - a cuter version of moles. And, of course, our heroes are Peters’ dogs. Dogs are cute insectivorous animals weighing half a kilo, which are known to the world because of their strange intersexual relationships. Dogs are serially monogamous animals that can be faithful to one partner for their entire lives. But at the same time, they are extreme introverts who avoid contact even with their loved ones and prefer to stay away from each other. And they don’t even allow other proboscis dogs into their territory. And this is so different from elephants with their herds, powerful intra-family ties and a matriarch at the head! But at the cellular level they are much more similar. For example, almost all afrotheria have the same antitumor defense mechanism, and this mechanism copes with its task perfectly. It is so effective that it breaks the established rules of biology! Watch your hands, it won't be very easy now. One of the general trends in biology is the following: the larger the animal, the more effective its internal defense against the occurrence of tumors is. Therefore, in rats, tumors are the cause of 30% of non-violent deaths, while in humans, cancer is even less common, and sick elephants are very rare. Cancer in whales is only theoretically possible; in the entire history of observations, people have not found a single sick whale. The reason for this paradox is strict evolutionary selection. The larger the animal, the more cells it contains and, accordingly, the higher the chances that one of them will catch a mutation and degenerate into cancer. Therefore, the ability to fight tumors becomes a critical condition for natural selection. In addition, if a rat dies from cancer, there will be another 5-10 brothers and sisters from this litter alone, while a female whale may not give birth to 10 children in her entire life of almost a century. So it turns out that for large and not very fertile animals it is much more profitable to invest in protection and life expectancy. But, as we sa

frequency below 20 hertz. Such sound waves travel further than usual, penetrating through surfaces. Such a roar literally makes the earth shake and the body tremble. Savannah is ideal for such a signal; low frequencies diverge further and are less lost in the hot air and grass. With an otherworldly roar, birds announce the boundaries of their possessions for hundreds of meters around. In many traditions in eastern and southern Africa, the horned raven is perceived as a harbinger bird. His appearance or muffled voice is associated with drought and rain (yes, these are such contradictory signs), fires, war, death of leaders and major changes, which rarely promise anything good. For local peoples, the Kaffir raven is a borderline creature, almost “not from the world of the living.” Well, what misfortunes will we bring to this village this time? He is truly directly connected to the world of dead birds. I often saw them carrying dead meat. Far and long, without the slightest attempt to eat it. Sometimes several corpses of small animals can dangle in the beak at once. And still the bird walks like a courier who has already cursed his order a hundred times, but will still deliver it. For what? To please loved ones. The rest work as assistants: security guards, breadwinners, nannies. Such a retinue is not a whim, but a vital necessity. The horned raven's childhood is structured as if nature decided to test the patience of all participants in the process. Having achieved independence, the flock, cha The chick remains dependent on adults for up to two years, while maintaining typical childish behavior, even if the babies are already as tall as mom and dad. The species does not reach sexual maturity until six or seven years of age, so each adult bird in the group is an asset that is built slowly, at great cost, and, unfortunately, is easily lost. Black “suit”, unhurried gait, calm confidence, no unnecessary movements, all for the sake of family and group. This bird seems to have come out of an old movie, where the mafia walks slowly, speaks quietly and always knows where and why it is going. Author: Varvara Dronova Editor: Elizaveta Isaeva 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot

Horned Raven: The voice of a demon and an otherworldly look. The creepiest bird of the savannah On a foggy African morning, the voice of this bird can be heard throughout the savannah. Booming, dull, penetrating - it penetrates the body, making the soul freeze. This is what the afterlife music sounds like. This is how the Kaffir horned raven greets the day - a harbinger of war, drought, rain and fire. He moves without losing his royal dignity. Tall, heavy, black, with red bare skin on the throat and face, with eyelashes that look indecently luxurious for a creature that spends its life among dust, termite mounds and dead meat. The size of the bird is impressive: up to 130 cm in length, up to 6 kg in weight. By the way, our hero has nothing to do with crows. The gloomy bird is a member of the hornbill family. Under this collective name, scientists have united all birds with unusual outgrowths on their beaks. And Kaffir crows are the most bloodthirsty of them. They are the only truly carnivorous hornbills. Under the blow of a powerful beak, shells and bones crack. Anyone who is smaller and weaker will become a victim. The bird collects its harvest slowly, walking along the savannah scorched by the sun and fire - horned crows love to search the ground after fires, not hesitating to eat the bodies of dead animals. In order not to turn into a grilled chicken under the scorching rays, the Kaffir raven acquired anatomical adaptations. Red skin on the head and neck is not for beauty, but from overheating. Bare areas are densely permeated with vessels that remove excess heat. That's why they are so red. This gothic diva has one more detail that makes beauty gurus cry, biting their elbows - phenomenal eyelashes. Long and dense, they emphasize the look as if they were not grown in the savannah, but carefully glued before shooting. In reality, of course, it is just another survival tool. The African sun is truly aggressive. Hard light, high levels of ultraviolet radiation and constant glare from dry grass and burnt earth quickly overload your vision. I know this from personal experience: looking for animals in the field for a long time, sometimes I get nauseous and have a headache, and this happens even with good sunglasses. Hard and long eyelashes protect the bird's eyes from foreign bodies, injuries and rays. The side effect of this functionality is luxurious. The ravens' gaze turns out to be fatal - deep, heavy, almost human. Their appearance is captivating. But the voice is even more impressive. They say on the Internet that Kaffir crows roar like lions. I have never heard this personally and have not found video evidence of it. In fact, their singing is much worse. It sounds like the music of the underworld. A booming resonant sound that you don’t so much hear as feel in your body. This is not paranormalism, not magic. And physics. The fact is that the voice of birds goes to the level of infrasound. These are oscillations with a

t such an amazing thing. The chicks of the African turaco bird also have small claws that allow them to climb trees. And the genes responsible for their occurrence are present in hundreds of bird species; they are simply switched off. But sometimes, during spontaneous mutations, they turn on and appear in the form of atavisms - ancient signs that have no use. Author: Yaroslav Ilyin 🏀 Hit the hoop and get an NFT gift — https://t.me/BasketbolX_bot