WORD OF THE DAY

Here's an interesting one -

For all you latin students out there, the latin root today is " sen-", which means old. As in, appropriately, "senior".

Or senile.

Or senator.

Well, that explains where our country has been going.

Cat Controlled

If any of our followers own a cat, they may be familiar with the almost eerie way cats seem to take control in their households. Recent studies may show that yes, Fluffy really is trying to manipulate you. Karen McComb, lead author of this study, found that cats have created a specialized purring that has evolved only since the times of domestication. This noise, dubbed "solicitation purring", combines the usual deep-throated rumble with a high-pitched cry, and is only made by cats in the presence of their owners. Usually, cats will use this special purr around mealtimes or when their owners just wake up, times when the cat is seeking attention or food. The high-pitched cry triggers centers of our brain that normally would respond to crying children, invoking a need to cuddle and comfort.
So mind the cat. Or was it the baby?

Finding Copernicus

Call it the crowning achievement of stargazers. Copernicus, the first astronomer to (openly) suggest that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not the other way around, has been rediscovered after 200 years. Although Copernicus and his theories made for some wild and heated clashes with the Church, he was a priest, and his partial skeleton was found under - you guessed it - a church. The remains of the Father of Astronomy consisted of a some bones and a skull, which showed evidence of a scar and features that Copernicus was known to have. However, the actual confirmation came from DNA samples taken from the remains. This is where it gets a bit bizarre. Scientists matched the DNA from the remains with samples taken from 9 pieces of hair found in one of Copernicus's books. This book was taken from a Polish museum. The match led scientists to conclude that the remain's were, indeed, those of Copernicus, and that he had blue eyes and blond hair.
So no more blond jokes. The Father of Astronomy was blond, too.

Sorry About That!

If our hopefully devoted followers haven't noticed, ::nerdblog has been down for a month or so. Fear not! We are up and running again. Thanks!

Sweating dogs; its Greek to me

Dogs sweat through their saliva, right? WRONG! Contrary to popular belief, dongs sweat through the pads of their feet.

Have you ever heard the Phrase "it's Greek to me" This phrase meaning that one did not comprehend was originally spoken by Casca the cynic (one of the senators in the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.) Contrary to the modern use of the phrase, Casca was actually referring to a Greek speech made by the senator Cicero that he could not understand because it was in Greek.