For the sentimental who like stories that make you tear up, CBS News ran a story about a kid named Jason McElwain, an autistic kid who’s the manager of his high school’s basketball team. Think of him as Rudy, only in high school.

The coach put him in for the last four minutes of the last game of the season, and the first shot he took, he air-balled by like six feet. His next shot caught the rim, but didn’t fall. He then proceeded to hit six three pointers. In row. The students in the gym went absolutely nuts.

You can watch the video here on Google Video. (Just one piece of advice — I had to wait and let the video mostly download and then play it, otherwise it played faster than I could download it, and the clip got choppy.)

I think a lot of us have a strong sense of justice. And that’s just one of the reasons we enjoy the Olympics so much. Summer or winter, we love watching men and women who’ve worked so hard and dedicated their lives to pursuing the sport they’re passionate about. It’s only fair when we they win. Sure, we root for our country over others, but sometimes stories of other country’s athletes, and the difficulties they’ve faced, even make us cheer against our own countrymen. The person who works the hardest deserves it, and that’s justice, we feel.

Bode Miller

Well, on the opposite side of the coin, justice has also been served in the performance of Bode Miller.

To use the vernacular of my day, he has completely sucked in these winter games. And he deserves to!

Take a look at this story in Newsweek. I got this close to using that picture in this post. It really says it all. Throwing the bird, beer in one hand, next to a Playboy bunny. Way to represent the USA, chump.

The best part of the article is Bode’s quote:

For me the ideal Olympics would be to go in with all that pressure, all that attention and have performances that are literally tear-jerking, that make people put their heads down because they’re embarrassed at how emotional they’re getting, that make people want to try sports, talk to their kids, call their f—ing ex-wives—and come away with no medals. I think that would be epic. That would be the perfect thing.

Yes Bode. You’ve made me emotional allright. I’d like to choke you to death…

I and countless others aren’t mad at him for not medaling. In fact, if there’s anything I agree with Bode about, it’s that medaling and winning aren’t the definition of success.

But to take the talent you have and throw it all away because you’re lazy is worse than sad. It’s a travesty. It’s slapping every person who’s ever worked hard for something in the face.

You’re a disgrace. And though I’m sure I’m not the first American to say it, you’re the last person I want representing my country in front of the world.

You got what you deserved. You didn’t just fail to medal, you failed to inspire anyone. Four years from now, no one will even remember your name.

You got justice.

The prevailing view of mammalian evolution is that with the extinction of the dinosaurs, the doors were opened for mammals to greatly diversify and fill a number of ecological niches. While this trend may hold true, new findings will likely reshape our thinking on some of the details. For example, recent finds of predatory mammals from the Cretaceous (just before dinosaurs went extinct) of small predatory mammals (one even has a dinosaur remains in it’s stomach) give evidence that mammals were diversifying before the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Castorocauda lutrasimilis

A new find from the Jurassic (which preceeds the Cretaceous) tells of an early aquatic mammal that was probably most similar to our modern platypus.

This mammal had a beaver-like tail, with webbed feet and seal like teeth, and it offers further evidence that mammals were diversifying earlier than we thought. It also provides the earliest evidence for fur in mammals.

This is what I find so exciting about evolution and biology. There’s always more to learn, and new evidence comes to light to challenge our understanding.

You can bet that two things will happen because of this new find. Young earth creationists will point to it as proof that the fossil record doesn’t show evolution, while intelligent design advocates will use the flawed logic of “if biologists can’t even get the evolution of beaver-like mammals right, how do we know they’re right about anything…” Both are regrettable and dishonest.

When Einstien realized there were problems with our theories of gravity, he worked to provide new understandings. He didn’t suggest the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. In the same way, Jurassic beaver like mammals don’t overthrow our theory of evolution, rather they overthrow our theory that mammals remained small and “undiverse” until the extinction of the dinosaurs. And while we evolutionary biologists can be a persnickety group, we also build our theories on the evidence around us. Sometimes that evidence causes us to change our understanding. This is a good and healthy thing, not to mention the very essence of science.

I was worried that I wouldn’t have anything to share this week. The Bruce wasn’t inspiring me to grab the camera. That is, until my wife tied a white ribbon left over from Valetine’s day around him. And then Bruce was running around the apartment, trying to “escape” from the ribbon. I love how cats do that…

And not just any teeth. Crocodile teeth.

Here’s an interesting article on a mutation that scientists have uncovered, where a chicken embryo grows teeth. The mutations are fatal. The embryo dies in the egg, but some live as long as 18 days.

What’s most interesting about this is that the teeth are shaped like crocodile teeth. What the authors hypothesis is that during the evolution of birds, the genes for teeth weren’t thrown away, rather they were supressed so that they no longer expressed themselves.

Another thing that’s interesting to note is that we’ve believed birds evolved from the same group as crocodiles for a long time. While the general public may not know it, crocodiles have much more in common with birds than with your average lizard. They have crops and gizzards, three-chambered hearts, build nests, vocalize to their young.

Isn’t it just a little bit interesting that when chickens grow teeth, they end up looking just like those in a crocodile…

For a more in-depth discussion, see Pharyngula’s post on the subject.

What if all science was attacked like evolutionary biology? What if conspiracy theories and charges of coverups were more common place?

Pym van Meur over at the Panda’s Thumb, explores this issue by examing the controversy on why ice is slippery.

A little known secret is quickly growing into a worldwide scandal of unimaginable size and intensity: scientists do not know why ice is slippery. I am sure that many among you remember the textbook explanation that the pressure of the ice skate melts the ice and the skate slides on the water which then freezes. But now, the dedicated reporters of the New York Times have uncovered the scandal which is growing into what some claim to be the Waterloo for the Melting Ice Theory (MIT).

I just thought I’d briefly mention, I upgraded Ocellated to the new version of WordPress last night. This also involved upgrading some of the plugins (code that extends functionality) that I use.

The only reason I tell you this is because I want to know if you encounter something that doesn’t work. It’s always a possibly with major changes like this.

LiveScience reports on the discovery of a huge cave in Venezuela.

It’s actually not a cave, but a gorge that was sealed off on top by collapsing in on itself. Just how big is it? Big enough that if you look closely in the picture above, those are not one, but two helicopters that have landed inside.

As an added bonus, scientists also discovered a new species of poison arrow frog.

On Monday nights, a group of biology graduate students and professors have gathered to discuss a book. It happens to be my all-time favorite book, one that I’ve already read. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, is an ambitious attempt to explain the why the world came to be as it is. That is, why certain societies came to have guns, germs, and steel and others didn’t.

One of the things I’ve been reflecting on is the way our cultural identity affects the way we perceive reality. A particularly stark example follows from two opposite perspectives. In 1835, the Maori of New Zealand arrived in the Catham Islands, some 500 miles to the east, where they proceed to annihilate the local inhabitants, the Moriori.

Listen to the way a Moriori survivor describes the event.

[The Maori] commenced to kill us like sheep… [We] were terrified, fled to the bush, concealed ourselves, in holes underground, and in any place to escape our enemies. It was of no avail; we were discovered and killed — men, women, and children indiscriminately.

Guns, Germs, and Steel – page 53

Now listen to the way a Maori describes the same event.

We took possession … in accordance with our customs and we caught all the people. Not one escaped. Some ran away from us, these we killed, and other we killed — but what of that? It was in accordance with our custom.

Guns, Germs, and Steel – pages 53-54

The justification is terrifying to me. In accordance with our custom. This was a normal response to discovering a new people.

Such atrocities have also happened in Christendom. Diamond retells the tale of Francisco Pizarro’s encounter with the Incan emperor Atahuallpa on November 16, 1532. An astonishing 168 Spaniards bested an army of 80,000 Incans without the loss of a single soldier. Diamond tells of the event by weaving together the eye witness accounts from six of Pizarro’s companions (including two of his brothers). It’s lengthy, but attention grabbing.

The prudence, fortitude, military discipline, labors, perilous navigations, and battles of the Spaniards–vassals of the most invincible Emperor of the Roman Catholic Empire, our natural King and Lord–will cause joy to the faithful and terror to the infidels. For this reason, and for the glory of God our Lord and for the service of the Catholic Imperial Majesty, it has seemed good to me to write this narrative, and to send it to Your Majesty, that all may have a knowledge of what is here related. It will be to the glory of God, because they have conquered and brought to our holy Catholic Faith so vast a number of heathens, aided by His holy guidance. It will be to the honor of our Emperor because, by reason of his great power and good fortune, such events happened in his time. It will give joy to the faithful that such battles have been won, such provinces discovered and conquered, such riches brought home for the King and for themselves; and that such terror has been spread among the infidels, such admiration excited in all mankind.

For when, either in ancient or modern times, have such great exploits been achieved by so few against so many, over so many climes, across so many seas, over such distances by land, to subdue the unseen and unknown? Whose deeds can be compared with those of Spain? Our Spaniards, being few in number, never having more than 200 or 300 men together, and sometimes only 100 and even fewer, have, in our times, conquered more territory than has ever been known before, or than all the faithful and infidel princes possess.

[...]

Governor Pizarro now sent Friar Vincent de Valverde to go speak to Atahuallpa, and to require Atahuallpa in the name of God and of the King of Spain that Atahuallpa subject himself to the law of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the service of His Majesty the King of Spain. Advancing with a cross in one hand and the Bible in the other hand, and going among the Indian troops up to the place where Atahuallpa was, the Friar thus addressed him: ‘I am a Priest of God, and I teach Christians the things of God, and in like manner I come to teach you. What I teach is that which God says to us in this Book. Therefore, on the part of God and of the Christians, I beseech you to be their friend, for such is God’s will, and it will be for your good.’

Atahuallpa asked for the Book, that he might look at it, and the Friar gave it to him closed. Atahuallpa did not know how to open the Book, and the Friar was extending his arm to do so, when Atahuallpa, in great anger, gave him a blow on the arm, not wishing that it should be opened. Then he opened it himself, and, without any astonishment at the letters and paper he threw it away from him five or six paces, his face a deep crimson.

The Friar returned to Pizarro, shouting, ‘Come out! Come out, Christians! Come at these enemy dogs who reject the things of God. That tyrant has thrown my book of holy law to the ground! Did you not see what happened? Why remain polite and servile toward this over-proud dog when the plains are full of Indians? March out against him, for I absolve you!’

[...]

If night had not come on, few out of the more than 40,000 Indian troops would have been left alive. Six or seven thousand Indians lay dead, and many more had their arms cut off and other wounds. Atahuallpa himself admitted that we had killed 7,000 of his men in that battle. The man killed in one of the litters was his minister, the lord of Chincha, of whom he was very fond. All those Indians who bore Atahuallpa’s litter appeared to be high chiefs and councilors. They were all killed, as well as those Indians who were carried in the other litters and hammocks. The lord of Cajamarca was also killed, and others, but their numbers where so great that they could not be counted, for all who came in attendance on Atahuallpa were great lords. It was extraordinary to see so powerful a ruler captured in so short a time, when he had come with such a mighty army. Truly, it was not accomplished by our own forces, for there were so few of us. It was by the grace of God, which is great.

Atahuallpa’s robes had been torn off when the Spaniards pulled him out of his litter. The Governor ordered clothes to be brought to him, and when Atahuallpa was dressed, the Governor ordered Atahuallpa to sit near him and soothed his rage and agitation at finding himself so quickly fallen from his high estate. The Governor said to Atahuallpa, ‘Do not take it as an insult that you have been defeated and taken prisoner, for with the Christians who come with me, though so few in number, I have conquered greater kingdoms than yours, and have defeated other more powerful lords than you, imposing upon them the dominion of the Emperor, whose vassal I am, and who is King of Spain and of the universal world. We come to conquer this land by his command, that all may come to a knowledge of God and of His Holy Catholic Faith; and by reason of our good mission, God, the Creator of heaven and earth and of all things in them, permits this, in order that you may know Him and come out from the bestial and diabolical life that you lead. It is for this reason that we, being so few in number, subjugate that vast host. When you have seen the errors in which you live, you will understand the good that we have done you by coming to your land by order of his Majesty the King of Spain. Our Lord permitted that your pride should be brought low and that no Indian should be able to offend a Christian.’

Guns, Germs, and Steel – pages 69-74

After keeping Atahuallpa captive for eight months, and promising to release him in return for ransom, Pizarro collected enough gold to fill a room 22 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 8 feet high — the largest ransom in history. Pizarro them executed Atahuallpa.

My reaction to reading an account like the Spaniards give is visceral. But it’s also inspiring. It’s a reminder of how easily you can put yourself and your cultural understanding in front of others. And in being reminded, it makes you a little more aware and little more careful to prevent these feelings from sneeking in uninvited.

Dang these scientists!!!! Is nothing sacred?