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| So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact? Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction... Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting, quirky and downright bizarre tasty morsels from the world of science. And its all completely, totally, 100% true! April Sci-Facts |
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Human beings have one basic physical difference between them and their non-speaking primate cousins; their larynx. The larynx is the complicated and complex structure at the back of your throat that contains the vocal cords, connections to the pharynx, trachea and the oesophagus, the epiglottis and the base of the tongue. It also contains the horseshoe-shaped hyoid bone, the only bone in the body that does not articulate with any other bone – the three ear bones articulate with each other, even if they don’t connect to any other bony structure. It is the structure that prevents your food from going down into your lungs, well – most of the time. Why is it so interesting? In all the other primates, including the chimpanzee, the larynx is high in the throat. This is a good thing; it prevents the possible obstruction of the trachea by incorrectly swallowed food. In human beings, the larynx is much lower, creating a long pharynx, and creating the possibility of choking. The muscles in the pharynx squeeze and shape the air when we articulate language, along with the vocal cords, tongue, and lips. The nasal cavity and lungs have secondary roles to play in our ability to chat. So, why is this so important? Well, if you can’t talk, you can’t create a language. If you have you oral language, you can’t have a written language. And without writing, you have no books! Oh, the horror of a world without books.
Biography of the Month: Dr Louis Leakey Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was born on August 7, 1903 at Kabete Mission, nine miles from Nairobi, Kenya. His parents were English missionaries to the Kikuyu tribe. Louis grew up more African viewpoint than English viewpoint, as he spent most of his childhood on the African continent. At thirteen, he became interested in prehistory. In 1922 he started studies at Cambridge and graduated in anthropology and archaeology in 1926. Over the next few years, he conducted a number of excavations in East Africa. In 1930, he was awarded a Ph.D. for his work. In 1932, he discovered human fossils at Kanam & Kanjera and it was claimed that they were the oldest true ancestors of modern human beings. The geologist Percy Boswell accompanied him to revisit the sites during his next expedition (1934-1935) to Africa. Unfortunately, once Boswell arrived, poor documentation meant that Leakey could not reliably identify either discovery site. This did a lot to damage Leakey's scientific reputation. In 1928 Leakey had briefly married Frida Avern, and they had one child. In 1936, Louis Leakey and Mary Nicol, a scientific illustrator married. With his career in ruins, with both scandals occurring in his private life and his studies, he returned to Africa to do a massive ethnological study of the Kikuyu tribe, and continued his paleontological and archaeological work in Kenya. In 1947, Louis Leakey helped to organize the first Pan-African Congress of Prehistory, which helped restore his reputation and brought into focus the important work that the Leakeys had accomplished since the Kanam and Kanjera debacle. Louis and Mary continued to excavate at many sites Olduvai Gorge in Tanganyika (now Tanzania). In 1959, Mary found their first significant hominid fossil, a robust skull with huge teeth. It was a major find that gave them tremendous publicity, and they were able to improve the scope of their investigations. Many new fossils discoveries followed. In 1964, Louis, Phillip Tobias and John Napier, named the new species Homo habilis. Dr Leakey initiated many other worthwhile projects that related to his studies and interests. Most notably, he was responsible for initiating Jane Goodall's study of chimpanzees, and the study of gorillas by Dian Fossey (which ended tragically with her death, she was murdered by poachers) and Birute Galdikas' study of orang-utans in Borneo. These women were known as Leakey’s Angels. Dr Leakey died in England in October 1972. His scientific curiosity did the world, and science, a great service.
Concept of the Month Primates Primates are members of the order that includes all the apes, baboons, monkeys, lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, and human beings. Not surprisingly, it is one of the orders containing many endangered species, such as the mountain gorilla and the orang-utan. This is because our primate cousins and mankind often compete for the same territory. Primates evolved from arboreal animals and many modern species live mostly in trees. Human beings like to cut down trees, for logging, or to create farmland, and so reduce the forest and woodland habitats at an alarming rate.
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| *The Voyager Science Queen is also known as Lynne Green So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science? Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory. I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia...and hopefully entertaining people at the same time. As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write! Read previous Sci-Facts: Searching for the Lost Eden Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds! |
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