The news of lemming is: the classical periodic surge in the population of this lovely species has disappeared, and recent research showed that it is related to climatic change.
In short, lemming lives happily when warmth from the ground melts a small layer of snow above it, leaving a gap between ground and snow. This space provides warmth and food (i.e. moss on stones) and protects them from predators. With a warmer temperature, snow melts and refreezes, producing a sheet of ice that exposes them to foxes and prevents lemmings from feeding on the moss.
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I cannot agree more with VW - the article is an enjoyable piece of intelligence. Here is the cover email that he sent me with the paper:
"When I was a little boy, I learnt from a scientific book that lemmings were genetically programmed to migrate through a certain path. After the change of landscape in Norway, the lemmings just jumped into the water and got drowned. I cannot express my complex emotion when I read this article last week. On one hand, I have been so wrong for more than 20 years. On the other hand, I was filled with overwhelming joy for finding out the truth. It would be a blessing if I can have many such encounters in medicine in the future.
I send you this because not many others think the story is interesting. I guess my daughter would, but I need to wait a few years."
I could understand his feeling.
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1 comment:
Thanks for reminding me, next time if my dad try to tell me something interesting, I should listen to him attentively and show my interest sincerely, instead of my eyes starring at TV and my mouth uttering, " ah, yes, is it?....."
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