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May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
How Stuff Works: How chimpanzees work
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Chimpanzees have been in the news lately for a variety of reasons. Let's take a look at how they work.
Humans are fascinated with chimpanzees, and it is for a good reason. When we look at chimps, it is like looking at a fuzzy and primitive reflection in a mirror. We see what human beings would look like if we did not have language and several other important skills. We see the "wild animal" version of a human being.
You have probably heard that chimpanzees share 99 percent of their functional genes with human beings. But it is important to recognize that humans share 60 percent of their genes with fruit flies. Many genes are common to living creatures. Small genetic differences can have big effects.
The genetic differences between humans and chimps lead to quite remarkable differences between the two species. Some of these differences are obvious. Chimps are hairy all over, their arms are longer, their brains are smaller and a chimp's teeth are huge compared to human teeth.
There are many unseen differences as well. Chimps are more muscular than humans, and their muscles are stronger than human muscle. This means that a chimp will be several times stronger than a human of the same weight.
And our brains are very different. For several decades scientists have been rigorously comparing the minds of chimps and apes with the minds of humans. The findings are surprising. Take, for example, language. Human children pick up language like little language sponges. No special training is required. It happens completely naturally. Chimps don't have the same voice box that humans have so that makes spoken language impossible for chimps. Therefore scientists try to teach them sign or symbol languages.
Primates can learn some language. But it certainly is not natural. It might take hundreds of trials to teach a chimpanzee a word. A chimp, with rigorous training, might gain the language aptitude of a 2-year-old human - a few hundred words and very simple grammar. Some chimps don't get it at all.
These mental differences extend far and wide. For example, maps seem to be completely opaque to chimps. Even if you take a piece of fabric the same size as a room and let a chimp watch you draw the location of the furniture on this map, chimps do not understand what is going on. Higher human functions like math, music, literature, etc. are completely inaccessible to chimps.
But chimps do share some basic mental qualities with humans. For example, they understand the basic idea of fairness and can distinguish between right and wrong in simple cases. Chimps tend to live in social groups where a sense of fairness and cooperation would help the group to work together.
This does not, however, change the fact that chimps are wild animals. And this is one place where adult chimps and adult humans seem very different. Human beings do get angry. A minority of humans have trouble controlling their anger and can fly into an uncontrollable rage. We generally place this small group of human beings in jail to keep them from hurting others. Chimps, and especially adult male chimps, seem to have far less restraint. They are much more aggressive than human beings. This aggression, combined with the strength, can be a deadly combination. Chimps can be extremely dangerous animals when they become enraged. It is not uncommon for chimps to attack. It is not uncommon for them to bite off fingers and resort to other forms of mutilation. We tend to anthropomorphize chimps, but, because they are wild animals, they are nothing like human beings once their anger has been triggered.
This is interesting because, as youngsters, chimps are adorable, curious and playful. Humans can become attached to a young chimp, like they can to any pet. But once chimps reach adulthood, they can change completely. Think about a male calf turning into a bull. A male calf might make a nice pet, but a bull definitely would not because of its aggression.
For this reason, there are now sanctuaries that provide care for adult chimpanzees who, for example, have had Hollywood careers as youngsters. Male chimpanzees reach subadulthood around age 12 and adulthood around age 15, and can live as long as 70 years. So these sanctuaries provide long-term housing for a large number of animals.
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Previously:
How in vitro fertilization works
How supertankers work
How poisons work
How corn works
How dog ID chips work
How President Obama's limousine works
How emergency power works
How aircraft carriers work
How antibiotics and vaccines work
How mucus works
How iron and steel work
How aspirin works
How igloos work
How the Predator UAV works
How retention ponds work
How water absorbers work
How melamine works
How digital music works
How coal mining works
How an economic depression works
How the liver works
How 3D movies work
How oil pipelines work
How jet packs work
How seismographs work
How Olympic technology works
How Personal Rapid Transit works
How 3G works
How the Global Position System (GPS) works
How octane works
How cruise missiles work
How submarines work
How miles work
How octane works
How food preservation works
How beer works
How holding your breath works
How smoke detectors work
How heat pumps work
How your night vision works
How concentrating solar collectors work
How your key fob works
How the common cold works
How the Large Hadron Collider Works
How making a TV show works
How dry cleaning works
How exoskeletons work
How an oil refinery works
How landfills work
How the Orion spacecraft works
The cutting edge in HDTV
Redefining the CD
How the HDMI cable scam works
How glow-in-the-dark toys work
How the subprime mortgage crisis works
How gift cards work
How Tasers work
How giant TV screens work
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
How wildfire fighting works
How vitamins work
How ejection seats work
How reattaching limbs works
How hot air balloons work
How paparazzi work
How counterfeiting works
How CDs work
How the Edsel worked
How Stinger missiles work
How hybrid cars work
How sharks work
How mosquitoes work
How diesel engines work
How water towers work
How the Dawn mission works
How Kassam rockets work
How the North American Eagle works
Why aren't we flying to work?
How tofu and soy milk work
How Colony Collapse Disorder works
How airbags work
How the U.S. income tax works
How gum works
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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