This time, pictures of Labradors; again from Unsplash.
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Another wonderful set of pictures! Thank you, Unsplash.
Category: Health
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Eighty.
More dogs from Unsplash.
This time Siberian Husky Dogs!
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What a fantastic group of photographs; apologies if I have shown these before.
Keeping dogs from fighting each other.
A video courtesy of Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution.
I was in a bit of a hurry yesterday and looked through my folder of blog posts and came across this video.
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The words that accompanied the video are also presented:
Discover the secrets to successful dog training in a multi-dog household! We delve into the challenges and rewards of training multiple dogs, offering practical tips and expert advice to help you create a harmonious home. From establishing routines and managing individual training sessions to addressing common behavioral issues, we’ve got you covered in this informative and insightful video. I’ll guide you through essential techniques for managing multiple dogs, including establishing boundaries, promoting positive reinforcement, and tailoring training approaches to each dog’s unique personality and needs. Whether you’re a seasoned dog owner or new to multi-dog households, these expert tips will help you transform potential chaos into a well-coordinated, stress-free environment. Don’t miss out on this valuable resource for training multiple dogs effectively and efficiently. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe to our channel for more dog training tips and tricks. We’d love to hear about your own experiences with multi-dog households and training, so leave a comment below to join the conversation!
Sponsored by PupBox! Get your first PupBox for ONLY $5!!! Use code: ZAK5 at https://pupbox.com
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Needless to say I have no affiliation with PupBox.
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Seventy-Nine
Back to Unsplash and Sleeping Dogs!
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Perfect photographs! Thanks to Unsplash; it is a great site!
A treasure of a dog story
A guest post from Connie Hart.
This is a most amazing story about Connie’s dogs and was sent to me as a guest post.
You will love it!
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A Dog Story
by Connie Hart, March 14th., 2023
Having been raised by my father from the age of three, I spent many hours sitting on his lap as he read to me. Often, as he read, I looked up at his face, and into his eyes. It was always a marvel to me. As an adult, I know it as heterochromia, or different colored eyes. He had one brown eye, and one blue.
This is a condition that is very rare in humans; only 1% have this. But it was something that I, as a child, loved about my father.
In dogs, heterochromia is more common, but still rare. It occurs 3.5% of the time in dogs. That being said, here is my story;
This is Bernie:
Bernie is 145 lbs. of pure love. He was a gift from a friend, after a tragic loss of two of my sweet dogs. I still had one old dog, Bo. But even he passed when Bernie was about a year old. So we took Bernie to the County Shelter, and let him pick out a new friend. Hence, Rosie came into our lives.
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But two years later, unfortunately, we lost Rosie.
We moved after that, but Bernie was not to be alone. Believe it or not, the people who moved out of the house we bought, moved from Oregon to Arizona and left behind their dog, Endy. Endy was a sweet, old dog. When I inquired about him, the owners simply said, ‘Oh, he can fend for himself.”
I was horrified. I couldn’t believe it as I watched those people drive out, leaving Endy crying on the porch.
But we made it up to him. We loved him and played with him. He and Bernie became inseparable. But, alas, time and age forced a sad good-bye.
Again, we took Bernie to the County Shelter to pick out a new friend. With Bernie in the ‘meet and greet’ yard, I went through and picked out a handful of dogs I liked, first. One in particular, struck me. A Shepard/Pyrenees mix, with one blue eye and one brown.
One at a time, each dog was taken out to the yard to meet Bernie. Some, he barely even sniffed, some, he totally ignored. But when the heterochromatic dog was put in the yard, there was instant frolic!
Bernie had lost three of his besties and we didn’t want him to have to go through that again. This dog, Cassie, was young and vibrant, in so many ways. They romped and played while I went in to do the paperwork. While looking through the paperwork, I noticed her birthdate. November 23….
She and my beloved father have the same birthday!
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This is a lovely story.
For those that want more information on Heterochromia, I took from the Mount Sinai website the following:
Heterochromia is the presence of different colored eyes in the same person. Heterochromia in humans appears either as a hereditary trait unassociated with other disease, as a symptom of various syndromes or as the result of a trauma.
What an unusual, but pretty, condition in her face.
Thank you, Connie.
Getting older and older!
An interesting post for all of us, albeit, those on the right side of 70? will find this less important.
It is very difficult for me to add anything useful to this article so I will not try.
Except to say that the author, Aditi Gurkar, is Assistant Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh so she should know what she is talking about!
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Are you a rapid ager? Biological age is a better health indicator than the number of years you’ve lived, but it’s tricky to measure
Aditi Gurkar, University of Pittsburgh
Do you ever wake up some days and think, “When I was younger, I could survive on just four hours of sleep, but now it seems like I need 10”? Or have you ever walked out of the gym and “felt” your knees?
Almost everyone experiences these kinds of signs of aging. But there are some people who seem to defy their age. The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg stayed on the bench until her death at age 87. The “Great British Bake Off” judge Mary Berry, now in her 80s, continues to inspire people all over the world to bake and enjoy life. And actor Paul Rudd was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2021 at age 52 while still looking like he’s in his 30s. Is age just a number then?
Researchers have focused a lot of attention on understanding the causes and risk factors of age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia, osteoporosis and cancer. But many ignore the major risk factor for all of these diseases: aging itself. More than any individual risk factor such as smoking or lack of exercise, the number of years you’ve lived predicts onset of disease. Indeed, aging increases the risk of multiple chronic diseases by up to a thousandfold.
However, no two people age the same. Although age is the principal risk factor for several chronic diseases, it is an unreliable indicator of how quickly your body will decline or how susceptible you are to age-related disease. This is because there is a difference between your chronological age, or the number of years you’ve been alive, and your biological age – your physical and functional ability.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9eOofp64IYI%3Fwmode%3Dtransparent%26start%3D0
As the author notes in her TED Talk, aging is not just a number.
I am a scientist interested in redefining “age.” Instead of benchmarking chronological age, my lab is invested in measuring biological age. Biological age is a more accurate measure of healthspan, or years lived in good health, than chronological age, and doesn’t directly correlate with wrinkles and gray hairs. Rapid agers experience a faster rate of functional deterioration relative to their chronological age.
My grandmother, who lived to be 83 but was bedridden and could not remember who I was for the last few years of her life, was a rapid ager. My grandfather, on the other hand, also lived until he was 83, but he was active, functional and even did my homework with me until he passed away – he was a healthy ager.
With the unprecedented growth of the world’s aging population, I believe that figuring out ways to measure biological age and how to maintain or delay its advance is critical not only for individual health, but also for the social, political and economic health of our society. Detecting rapid agers early on presents an opportunity to delay, change or even reverse the trajectory of biological aging.
Genetics and biological age
Biological aging is multifaceted. It arises from a complex mix of genetic traits and is influenced by factors like microbiome composition, environment, lifestyle, stress, diet and exercise.
Genetics were once thought to have no influence on aging or longevity. However, in the early 1990s, researchers reported the first studies identifying genes that were able to extend the lifespan of a small roundworm. Since then, multiple observations support the influence of genetics on aging.
For example, children of long-lived parents and even those with long-lived siblings tend to live longer. Researchers have also identified multiple genes that influence longevity and play a role in resilience and protection from stress. These include genes that repair DNA, protect cells from free radicals and regulate fat levels.
However, it is clear from studies in identical twins – who share the same genes but not the same exact lifespans – that genes are not the only factor that influences aging. In fact, genes probably account for only 20% to 30% of biological age. This suggests that other parameters can strongly influence biological aging.
Environmental and lifestyle effects
Researchers have found that environmental and lifestyle factors heavily influence biological age, including social connectedness, sleeping habits, water consumption, exercise and diet.
Social connectedness is essential for well-being throughout life. But social connections can be challenging to maintain over time due to loss of family and friends, depression, chronic illness or other factors. Several studies have reported a strong link between social isolation and increased stress, morbidity and mortality.
Similarly, diet and exercise are strong influencers of biological age. Blue zones, which are areas around the world where people live long lives, attribute their successful aging to diet, exercise and social connectedness. Mostly plant-based meals and spurts of activity throughout the day are well-known “secrets” of healthspan and longevity. Although newer studies on the effects of diet interventions such as intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding on longevity have not been rigorously tested, they do show multiple health benefits, including better glucose and insulin regulation
While genetics is difficult to control, diet and exercise can be modified to delay biological aging.
How to measure biological age
Currently, there is no effective test to predict an individual’s health trajectory early enough in life in order to intervene and improve quality of life with age. Scientists are interested in identifying a molecule that is sensitive and specific enough to serve as a unique fingerprint for biological age.
Considering the health and resilience of the individual instead of focusing solely on disease state is important in discussions on biological age. Resilience is the state of adapting and bouncing back from a health challenge and is often more predictive of functional health. A molecular aging fingerprint may provide a tool to help identify people who are less resilient and require more aggressive monitoring and early intervention to preserve their health and help reduce gender, racial and ethnic health disparities.
There are several promising molecular markers that may serve as biological age fingerprints.
One of these markers are epigenetic clocks. Epigenetics are chemical modifications of DNA that control gene function. Several scientists have found that DNA can get “marked” by methyl groups in a pattern that changes with age and could potentially act as a readout for aging.
It is important to note, however, that while epigenetic clocks have been valuable in predicting chronological age, they do not equate to biological age. In addition, it is unclear how these epigenetic marks work or how they contribute to aging.
Another well-regarded marker of biological age is the build-up of dysfunctional cells called senescent or zombie cells. Cells become senescent when they experience multiple types of stress and become so damaged that they cannot divide anymore, releasing molecules that cause chronic low-grade inflammation and disease.
Animal studies have shown that getting rid of these cells can improve healthspan. However, what clearly defines senescent cells in humans is still unknown, making them challenging to track as a measure of biological age.
Lastly, the body releases unique metabolites, or chemical fingerprints, as byproducts of normal metabolism. These metabolites play a dynamic and direct role in physiological regulation and can inform functional health. My lab and others are figuring out the exact makeup of these chemicals in order to figure out which can best measure biological age. A lot of work still remains on not only identifying these metabolites, but also understanding how they affect biological age.
People have long sought a fountain of youth. Whether such an elixir exists is still unknown. But research is starting to show that delaying biological age may be one way to live healthier, fuller lives.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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There is no arguing the fact that more and more great articles are appearing online. Indeed, the whole world is changing radically in many areas.
Onwards and upwards! 😉
Footnote: This appeared online on the Inspiring Quotes website. The link is here, from which I reproduce the following:
Growing older is one of the most pervasive preoccupations of humankind. The passing of time is, after all, an inescapable part of the human condition. And aging, like love, is one of the most common themes in literature, be it the calm of poet Robert Brownings’ “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be,” or poet Dylan Thomas’ raging against the dying of the light.
This is just a beautiful Picture Parade
In other words, Picture Parade Four Hundred and Seventy-Eight.
Introducing A guest post (sort of) by Cara Sue Achterberg.
Read this! It tells the story of the volunteers who spend their time at the Animal Control centre in Bernie County.
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Animal Control And/Or Care
Bertie County is a small county most people pass through on their way to vacation on the Outer Banks. The county’s tiny shelter is the next to last stop on a road that ends at the regional jail. The shelter sits on a property prone to flooding, and although the county has had plans to move it, the folks we talked to were skeptical that the collection of sheds, trailers, and kennels would leave the spot it has occupied as long as anyone can remember.
Bertie County Animal Control in Windsor is a municipal, open-intake shelter comprised of ten kennels on a concrete pad with a roof, plus two quarantine kennels, and three puppy runs.
There is no heat or AC or walls, for that matter. The day we arrived, county maintenance workers were busy wrapping plastic around the kennels to try to give the dogs some protection from the cold.
The county has two full-time Animal Control officers and one part-time ACO, but the care of the dogs is done by Josh, a full-time kennel tech. The county pays for Josh (and a part-time person who comes in once on Saturday and Sunday to feed/clean), plus the ACO salaries, and the property utilities, but everything else is left up to the Bertie County Humane Society.
Beyond the $2000/year the county gives the Humane Society, they must raise the money to pay for everything else – veterinary needs, vaccinations, spay/neuter, food/treats, transport to rescues, beds, heartworm preventative, flea/tick treatment, dewormers and anything else.
Pretty much every dog that comes in is heartworm positive. As Vicky, a volunteer who used to be the kennel manager at the shelter, told me, “If we get one that’s negative, I go buy a lottery ticket!”
Vicky was at the shelter that day to give rabies vaccines to Cooper and Spot, two young dogs at the shelter. (NC is the first state I’ve discovered that doesn’t require that rabies vaccines be given by a veterinarian.)
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We learned about Bertie County after we connected with another of their volunteers, Gina. Gina lives two hours away, but she is a tireless advocate for the dogs and the shelter. She networks the dogs to rescues, arranges for veterinarian appointments and transports, even finds donors to pay for heartworm treatment. Gina is one of those rescue warriors with a heart that just slays me. It’s inhuman how many hours and how much work she puts in to save these dogs, many she has never met.
Gina has been involved with BCHS ever since she discovered how many dogs were being killed in Bertie County. She began pulling dogs to foster within her rescue operation and eventually called on other rescues to get involved. Because she lives so far away, she depends on Diane, who lives in Bertie County and is the president of the Humane Society, and Vicky, who used to be the kennel manager at the shelter and still volunteers her time there.
There were only six dogs (and lots of cats) the day we visited thanks to Gina’s work to find rescues to empty the shelter just before the holidays and the bitter, record cold that came. The shelter normally handles about 100 dogs a year.
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Because of the number of photographs, beautiful photographs I would add, this is today’s Picture Parade.
Dogs and cats
A guest post from Ashly Brown
This is a great post. As I just said a guest post that covers an important question; for those that have cats and dogs read on!
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How to Stop a Dog Aggression Towards Cats
By Ashly Brown.
Meta Description
Learn how to stop dog aggression towards cats with these helpful tips and techniques. Discover how to train and manage your dog to live peacefully with cats and prevent any dangerous incidents.
How to Stop a Dog Aggression Towards Cats
Dogs and cats are known to be natural enemies, and it’s not unusual for dogs to act aggressively towards cats. Even though it’s natural for a dog to feel territorial or defensive around a cat, this can be dangerous for the cat and stressful for the owner. So, it’s important to do something to stop a dog from being mean to cats. Here are some tips:
- Watch out for your dog around cats.
The first thing you can do to stop your dog from being mean to cats is to always watch your dog when it’s around cats. Even if you think your dog is friendly towards cats, you should never leave your dog alone with a cat. Dogs can be hard to predict, and their instincts to hunt can come out at any time.
- Slowly get your dog used to the cat.
It’s important to go slowly and carefully when bringing a new cat into your home or letting your dog meet a cat for the first time. Keep your dog on a leash and let your cat come up to it at its own speed. Give your dog treats for being good, and keep a close eye on them at all times.
- Teach your dog the basic commands for obedience.
If you teach your dog basic obedience commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “leave it,” it will be less likely to attack cats. By teaching your dog to do what you say, you can take its mind off the cat and keep it from chasing or hurting it.
- Give your dog and cat separate places to live.
If your dog and cat don’t get along, you may need to give them each their own place to live. This could mean putting your cat in a different room or putting a baby gate between your cat and dog. Make sure your cat’s separate living space has a place to eat, drink, and go to the bathroom.
- Use training with positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is a great way to teach your dog how to behave well. When your dog acts well around your cat, praise them or give them treats. This will make them more likely to keep behaving well and make them feel good about the cat behavior.
- Think about asking an expert.
If your dog is very mean to cats, you may need to get help from a professional dog trainer or behaviorist. They can help you come up with a plan for training your dog that fits its needs and habits. They might also be able to give you more advice on how to stop your dog from being mean to cats.
- Think About Medications
In some cases, a dog may need to be put on medicine to stop being mean to cats. Talk to your vet about whether your dog can take a certain medicine. They might be able to give you medicine to help your dog feel less anxious or less likely to attack cats.
- Be steady and patient.
Stopping a dog from being mean to a cat can take a long time and patience and consistency. Don’t stop working with your dog if you don’t see results right away. You can teach your dog to get along with cats if you give it time and work at it.
- Figure out the cause
Find out what makes your dog act mean towards cats. This can help you stop the behavior. It could be a certain sound or smell, or it could be something the cat does. You can work to get rid of the trigger or get your dog used to it if you know what it is.
- Desensitize Your Dog
Desensitizing your dog means slowly exposing them to the thing that makes them aggressive towards cats, while keeping them far away. This can help them feel less scared or worried about the trigger and keep them from getting angry. Start by showing the trigger to your dog from a distance where they don’t show any signs of aggression. Over time, you can slowly get closer.
- Use a muzzle or head collar.
Putting your dog in a head collar or giving it a muzzle can help keep it from attacking the cat. Dog bark collars can help you keep your dog from moving around too much, and muzzles can stop them from biting or attacking. It’s important to know how to use these tools right and to never leave your dog alone while they are on.
- Manage Your Dog’s Environment
Taking care of your dog’s environment can help stop your dog from being mean to cats. This could mean keeping your dog on a leash when there are cats around or putting up baby gates to keep them apart. It’s important to give your dog and cat a safe and secure place to live.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to stop a dog from being mean to a cat, but it takes time, patience, and consistent work on the part of the owner. Understanding why your dog is mean to cats is very important for coming up with a good plan to stop the behavior. You should never punish or hurt your dog physically if he or she is mean to cats. This can make the problem worse and cause fear and anxiety.
Focus instead on training with positive reinforcement, desensitization, and management techniques like making a safe space and using head collars or muzzles. Your dog can learn to live peacefully with cats with consistent training and management. This can prevent any dangerous or harmful situations from happening.
It’s important to remember that every dog is different, and what works for one dog might not work for another. Talking to a professional dog trainer or behaviorist can help you come up with a custom plan to stop your dog from being mean to cats.
Author Bio:
Ashly Brown is an experienced writer and pet enthusiast who loves to share her knowledge and insights on the latest trends in pet care. As a dedicated pet cat owner, Ashley understands the importance of finding the best gadgets to keep your feline friend healthy, happy, and entertained in the pet cats world. With her expertise in technology and pet care, Ashley provides valuable information and advice to help cat owners make informed decisions about the latest gadgets for their furry friends
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Ashly shows her experience as a pet lover and being a writer; in spades!
There will be many that have cats and dogs who take her advice with great interest and many of you that will find in Ashly’s tips some very educational ideas.
Thank you, Ashly!
There’s more to water than one might think.
This post attracted me and I wanted to share it with you.
Here in Oregon we are lucky because the ground water is of a high quality and there is plenty of it. At home we drink our water straight from our well without any filtering or chlorination. Have been doing that ever since we moved in back in 2012.
But water is a much deeper subject than I tend to think of and this article is an in-depth review of the topic. It is an article from The Conversation.
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Water in space – a ‘Goldilocks’ star reveals previously hidden step in how water gets to planets like Earth
A. Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF)/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), CC BY
John Tobin, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Without water, life on Earth could not exist as it does today. Understanding the history of water in the universe is critical to understanding how planets like Earth come to be.
Astronomers typically refer to the journey water takes from its formation as individual molecules in space to its resting place on the surfaces of planets as “the water trail.” The trail starts in the interstellar medium with hydrogen and oxygen gas and ends with oceans and ice caps on planets, with icy moons orbiting gas giants and icy comets and asteroids that orbit stars. The beginnings and ends of this trail are easy to see, but the middle has remained a mystery.
I am an astronomer who studies the formation of stars and planets using observations from radio and infrared telescopes. In a new paper, my colleagues and I describe the first measurements ever made of this previously hidden middle part of the water trail and what these findings mean for the water found on planets like Earth.
Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF, CC BY
How planets are formed
The formation of stars and planets is intertwined. The so-called “emptiness of space” – or the interstellar medium – in fact contains large amounts of gaseous hydrogen, smaller amounts of other gasses and grains of dust. Due to gravity, some pockets of the interstellar medium will become more dense as particles attract each other and form clouds. As the density of these clouds increases, atoms begin to collide more frequently and form larger molecules, including water that forms on dust grains and coats the dust in ice.
Stars begin to form when parts of the collapsing cloud reach a certain density and heat up enough to start fusing hydrogen atoms together. Since only a small fraction of the gas initially collapses into the newborn protostar, the rest of the gas and dust forms a flattened disk of material circling around the spinning, newborn star. Astronomers call this a proto-planetary disk.
As icy dust particles collide with each other inside a proto-planetary disk, they begin to clump together. The process continues and eventually forms the familiar objects of space like asteroids, comets, rocky planets like Earth and gas giants like Jupiter or Saturn.
ESO/APEX (MPIfR/ESO/OSO)/A. Hacar et al./Digitized Sky Survey 2, CC BY
Two theories for the source of water
There are two potential pathways that water in our solar system could have taken. The first, called chemical inheritance, is when the water molecules originally formed in the interstellar medium are delivered to proto-planetary disks and all the bodies they create without going through any changes.
The second theory is called chemical reset. In this process, the heat from the formation of the proto-planetary disk and newborn star breaks apart water molecules, which then reform once the proto-planetary disk cools.
Dirk Hünniger/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
To test these theories, astronomers like me look at the ratio between normal water and a special kind of water called semi-heavy water. Water is normally made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Semi-heavy water is made of one oxygen atom, one hydrogen atom and one atom of deuterium – a heavier isotope of hydrogen with an extra neutron in its nucleus.
The ratio of semi-heavy to normal water is a guiding light on the water trail – measuring the ratio can tell astronomers a lot about the source of water. Chemical models and experiments have shown that about 1,000 times more semi-heavy water will be produced in the cold interstellar medium than in the conditions of a protoplanetary disk.
This difference means that by measuring the ratio of semi-heavy to normal water in a place, astronomers can tell whether that water went through the chemical inheritance or chemical reset pathway.
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF), CC BY
Measuring water during the formation of a planet
Comets have a ratio of semi-heavy to normal water almost perfectly in line with chemical inheritance, meaning the water hasn’t undergone a major chemical change since it was first created in space. Earth’s ratio sits somewhere in between the inheritance and reset ratio, making it unclear where the water came from.
To truly determine where the water on planets comes from, astronomers needed to find a goldilocks proto-planetary disk – one that is just the right temperature and size to allow observations of water. Doing so has proved to be incredibly difficult. It is possible to detect semi-heavy and normal water when water is a gas; unfortunately for astronomers, the vast majority of proto-plantary disks are very cold and contain mostly ice, and it is nearly impossible to measure water ratios from ice at interstellar distances.
A breakthrough came in 2016, when my colleagues and I were studying proto-planetary disks around a rare type of young star called FU Orionis stars. Most young stars consume matter from the proto-planetary disks around them. FU Orionis stars are unique because they consume matter about 100 times faster than typical young stars and, as a result, emit hundreds of times more energy. Due to this higher energy output, the proto-planetary disks around FU Orionis stars are heated to much higher temperatures, turning ice into water vapor out to large distances from the star.
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, a powerful radio telescope in northern Chile, we discovered a large, warm proto-planetary disk around the Sunlike young star V883 Ori, about 1,300 light years from Earth in the constellation Orion.
V883 Ori emits 200 times more energy than the Sun, and my colleagues and I recognized that it was an ideal candidate to observe the semi-heavy to normal water ratio.
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), J. Tobin, B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF), CC BY
Completing the water trail
In 2021, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array took measurements of V883 Ori for six hours. The data revealed a strong signature of semi-heavy and normal water coming from V883 Ori’s proto-planetary disk. We measured the ratio of semi-heavy to normal water and found that the ratio was very similar to ratios found in comets as well as the ratios found in younger protostar systems.
These results fill in the gap of the water trail forging a direct link between water in the interstellar medium, protostars, proto-planetary disks and planets like Earth through the process of inheritance, not chemical reset.
The new results show definitively that a substantial portion of the water on Earth most likely formed billions of years ago, before the Sun had even ignited. Confirming this missing piece of water’s path through the universe offers clues to origins of water on Earth. Scientists have previously suggested that most water on Earth came from comets impacting the planet. The fact that Earth has less semi-heavy water than comets and V883 Ori, but more than chemical reset theory would produce, means that water on Earth likely came from more than one source.
John Tobin, Scientist, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Now this was a long article and I hope some of you stayed with John’s piece until the very end.
It really shows how the water trail is a much greater and longer journey than I assumed.
The relationship between us and wild animals.
In this particular case looking at the wolf.
So many times a particular article from a website that allows republishing is not only a good and relevant article but also is a quick way of me publishing a post when, as I was yesterday, a bit pressed for time.
So here is that article from The Conversation.
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Wolf restoration in Colorado shows how humans are rethinking their relationships with wild animals
Christopher J. Preston, University of Montana
From sports to pop culture, there are few themes more appealing than a good comeback. They happen in nature, too. Even with the Earth losing species at a historic rate, some animals have defied the trend toward extinction and started refilling their old ecological niches.
I’m a philosopher based in Montana and specialize in environmental ethics. For my new book, “Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals,” I spent three years looking at wildlife comebacks across North America and Europe and considering the lessons they offer. In every case, whether the returnee is a bison, humpback whale, beaver, salmon, sea otter or wolf, the recovery has created an opportunity for humans to profoundly rethink how we live with these animals.
One place to see the rethink in action is Colorado, where voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 mandating the reintroduction of gray wolves west of the Continental Divide. Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife Agency has released a draft plan that calls for moving 30 to 50 gray wolves from other Rocky Mountain states into northwest Colorado over five years, starting in 2024.
Aldo Leopold, the famed conservationist and professor of game management at the University of Wisconsin, believed that moral beliefs evolve over time to become more inclusive of the natural world. And what’s happening in Colorado suggests Leopold was right. Human attitudes toward wolves have clearly evolved since the mid-1940s, when bounties, mass poisoning and trapping eradicated wolves from the state.
Recovering animals encounter a world that is markedly different from the one in which they declined, especially in terms of how people think about wildlife. Here are several reasons I see why societal attitudes toward wolves have changed. The importance of keystone species
Wolves released in northwest Colorado will wear GPS collars that enable wildlife managers to track them.
The idea that certain influential species, which ecologists call keystone species, can significantly alter the ecosystems around them first appeared in scientific literature in 1974. Bison, sea otters, beavers, elephants and wolves all exert this power. One way in which wolves wield influence is by preying on coyotes, which produces ripple effects across the system. Fewer coyotes means more rodents, which in turn means better hunting success for birds of prey.
Wolves also cause nervous behaviors among their prey. Some scientists believe that newly returned predators create a “landscape of fear” among prey species – a term that isn’t positive or negative, just descriptive. This idea has shifted thinking about predators. For example, elk avoid some areas when wolves are around, resulting in ecological changes that cascade down from the top. Vegetation can recover, which in turn may benefit other species.
Insights into pack dynamics
Animal behavioral science research has provided pointers for better wolf management. Studies show that wolf packs are less likely to prey on livestock if their social structure remains intact. This means that ranchers and wildlife managers should take care not to remove the pack’s breeding pair when problems occur. Doing so can fragment the pack and send dispersing wolves into new territories.
Wildlife agencies also have access to years of data from close observation of wolf behavior in places like Yellowstone National Park, where wolves were reintroduced starting in 1995. This research offers insights into the wolf’s intelligence and social complexity. All of this information helps to show how people can live successfully alongside them.
Predators provide economic value
Research has also demonstrated that wolves provide economic benefits to states and communities. Wisconsin researchers discovered that changes in deer behavior due to the presence of wolves have saved millions of dollars in avoided deer collisions with cars. These savings far exceed what it costs the state to manage wolves.
Wolf recovery has been shown to be a net economic benefit in areas of the U.S. West where they have returned. The dollars they attract from wolf-watchers, photographers and foreign visitors have provided a valuable new income stream in many communities.
Predators do kill livestock, but improved tracking has helped to put these losses in perspective. Montana Board of Livestock numbers show that wolves, grizzly bears and mountain lions caused the loss of 131 cattle and 137 sheep in the state in 2022. This is from a total of 2,200,000 cattle and 190,000 sheep. Of the 131 cattle, 36 were confirmed to be taken by wolves – 0.0016% of the statewide herd.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, dogs, foxes and coyotes in Montana all killed more sheep and lambs than wolves did in 2020. Even eagles were three times more deadly to sheep and lambs than wolves were.
Actual costs to ranchers are certainly higher than these numbers suggest. The presence of wolves causes livestock to lose weight because the animals feed more nervously when wolves are around. Ranchers also lose sleep as they worry about wolves attacking their livestock and guard dogs. And clearly, low statewide kills are small comfort to a rancher who loses a dozen or more animals in one year. Margins are always tight in the livestock business.
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A northern Colorado rancher discusses options for protecting his cattle from wolves, which already are naturally present in the state.
What’s more, predators’ economic impacts don’t end with ranching. In Colorado, for example, elk numbers are likely to decline after wolves are reintroduced. This may affect state wildlife agency budgets that rely on license fees from elk hunters. It may also affect hunting outfitters’ incomes.
In my view, voters who supported bringing wolves back to Colorado should remain deeply aware of the full distribution of costs and support proactive compensation schemes for losses. They should be mindful that support for wolf reintroduction varies drastically between urban and rural communities and should insist that effective mechanisms are in place ahead of time to ensure fair sharing of the economic burdens that wolves generate.
A new ethical playing field
Despite these complexities, the idea of the “big bad wolf” clearly no longer dominates Americans’ thinking. And the wolf is not alone. Social acceptance of many other wildlife species is also increasing. For example, a 2023 study found that between 80% and 90% of Montanans believed grizzly bears – which are recovering and expanding their presence there – have a right to exist.
Aldo Leopold famously claimed to have experienced an epiphany when he shot a wolf in New Mexico in the 1920s and saw “a fierce green fire” dying in her eyes. In reality, his attitude took several more decades to change. Humans may have an ingrained evolutionary disposition to fear carnivorous predators like wolves, but the change ended up being real for Leopold, and it lasted.
Leopold, who died in 1948, did not live to see many wildlife species recover, but I believe he would have regarded what’s happening now as an opportunity for Americans’ moral growth. Because Leopold knew that ethics, like animals, are always evolving.
Christopher J. Preston, Professor of Philosophy, University of Montana
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Those last few paragraphs under the sub-heading of ‘A new ethical playing field’ show how many other wildlife species have gained a real advantage, a social acceptance as the article said. Long may it continue.
Learning from Dogs 
