Walt Disney once said, "When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do."
In the same vein, you can find out lots of interesting things when you are curious. For example, the other day while tooling around the internet, I saw a story about animals with Down syndrome. I did a double-take and scratched my head because I never knew that could be a possibility. Yes indeed, it is a real thing.
Down syndrome is a congenital disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. The condition is also known as trisomy 21. Only animals closely related to humans have a syndrome like the one seen in people, which causes intellectual impairment and some physical abnormalities. Extra copies of other chromosomes can cause more serious syndromes that are usually not compatible with life.
There have been chimpanzees with Down syndrome. Scientists have created mice with extra copies of the same genes found on human chromosome 21. The mice end up with some of the physical symptoms of Down syndrome, which often include a flattened facial profile and nose, small head, ears and mouth, and upward-slanting eyes.
I found a web article that mentioned Kenny, a white tiger that, the article stated, had the syndrome. Kenny lived at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs. The refuge mission statement is "To provide a lifetime refuge for abandoned, abused and neglected 'Big Cats' with emphasis on tigers, lions, leopards and cougars."
The law of supply and demand is damaging for many exotic species. Inbreeding and attempts at designer offspring can actually threaten their survival. Demand for white tigers has inspired unscrupulous breeders to ignore the hazards of inbreeding. Kenny was one result.
But a spokesman for Turpentine Creek says Kenny did not have Down syndrome. He had a deformed face, which probably made people think he did.
She said, "Kenny was as bright and intelligent as any of the tigers we have had over the years, and he was a favorite of many visitors. Kenny and his brother, Willie, an orange tiger, were the product of inbreeding. Their parents were brother and sister."
She added that Kenny had a sweet nature and was "quite charming." He died of cancer at age 10 in 2008.
"He loved people, and all the attention he received from staff and visitors alike. He lived out his final years in a large natural habitat where he and Willie enjoyed being out in the grass, and able to run and play."
For more information on Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge go to turpentinecreek.org.
ACHOO!
From a very early age I have sneezed when I go into bright sunlight.
In junior high school, I worked in the principal's office and would walk across a big lot to the gym every day to collect attendance slips. On every sunny day, like clockwork, I would sneeze my way across that lot.
And all these years later, it hasn't gotten any better.
The tendency to sneeze upon exposure to bright lights is the photic sneeze reflex. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), it affects 18 percent to 35 percent of the population.
The condition is due to a mutated gene on one of the non-sex-linked chromosomes. An affected person has one copy of the mutant gene and one normal gene. That makes for a 50/50 chance of passing the mutant gene and disorder on to their children.
Thanks, Mom or Dad!
But, just imagine the danger that uncontrolled sneezing could be to pilots. Testing has been done using different filters, and military and civilian aviation goggles and sunglasses. It was found that the photic sneeze reflex does not appear to be caused by special wavelengths of light but by a change in light intensity.
It's not dangerous or bad for me, just a little annoying at times.
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ActiveStyle on 05/08/2017