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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 2, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Always be a first-rate version of yourself; instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. - Judy Garland Source: Inspire, http://www.inspirelist.com/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Recently we read an article in a science magazine entitled "Instant Evolution." The article told of a new species of miniature kangaroo that has developed on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It has been named the Kalihi rock wallaby. A pair of Australian wallabies escaped from a zoo in Hawaii in 1916. Since that time (just about 70 years) the descendants of that first pair have produced a population of several hundred members. But they don't look like their Australian ancestors, and therein lies a mystery that has somewhat baffled the zoologists studying these cute little fellows. In less than 60 generations these small marsupials (pouched mammals) have managed to produce a type of wallaby that is smaller, lighter in color, and - most remarkable of all - has a different biochemical make-up, allowing it to eat plants in Hawaii that would have been inedible to its Australian forefathers. In human terms, it would be like producing a completely different type of people somewhere on earth in less than 1500 years - people who not only look different but are able to live in an environment that is radically different from that of their forefathers. Given the length of time that most evolutionists believe it takes to do what these little wallabies did in such a short time, James Laxell, the zoologist who described them as a new species, said, "To evolve into an entirely new species in only sixty generations . . . that's pretty spectacular." Is this spectacular to those of us who believe that all of the creatures in the world have diversified to what they are today in only about 6,000 years? For more on the Kalihi Rock Wallaby visit: http://www.royle.abel.co.uk/slwap/animals/rockwall.htm http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Jun/15/ln/ln24a.html Source: Glimpses of God's Love by James A. Tucker and Priscilla Tucker, Copyright (c) 1983 by Review and Herald Publishing Association, http://isbn.nu/0828002169 Submitted by Nancy Simpson ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Fun Facts In proportion to its size, the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. Apples are more efficient than caffeine at waking a person up in the morning. The average person will spend two weeks of their life waiting for the traffic light to change. The average American will sleep a total of 24 years. During your lifetime, you will eat about 60,000 pounds of food. One quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet. Your brain weighs about three pounds. Only 10 ounces are "gray matter" - the rest is water. The average man will spend greater than 3,000 hours in a lifetime removing more than a total of 30 feet of stubble from his face. Source: Gleaner, August 2003, ISSN 0746-5874, mailto:gleaner@npuc.org Submitted by Nancy Simpson ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My husband and I were out at lunch one day, and we could hear the family in the booth behind us talking. The woman said, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." The little girl who was with them quickly said, "Yeah, and they should get dressed in the basement." Source: Clean Hewmor, http://associate.com/lists.shtml ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Thieving Crows Treat Kin More Kindly The Northwestern crow distinctly alters its behavior when attempting to steal food from another crow, depending on whether the other bird is a relative. Researchers at the University of Washington say the Northwestern crow uses a passive strategy when it attempts to take food from kin but becomes aggressive when it tries to steal a morsel from a non-related crow. It's believed to be the first time such a behavior pattern has been observed in any bird species. Earlier research showed thievery is common among crows. The researchers said when the birds are related a crow will use a passive strategy, walking up and sitting next to the other crow. Often the second bird will give its kin some food. With non-kin there usually is a flying approach by the thief, followed by a vocal exchange, physical contact, attempts to take the food and a chase. Copyright 2003 by United Press International, All rights reserved. Source: ArcaMax Science News, http://www.arcamax.com |