Is There Such a Thing as Sustainable Fishing?

Globally, seafood represents 15% of animal protein consumed by humans, and the fishing industry employs around 35 million people world wide. Fish are big business, but not for long. That business is set to vanish in the next few decades, unless we make some major changes. Massive cuts to global fishing quotas and to our consumption of fish are necessary if we are to avoid totally eradicating all remaining edible fish in the space of a generation. The loss of our fish would be catastrophic – millions of people unemployed, millions of people without adequate nutrition, a collapse of the ocean ecosystem and the loss of many crucial ecosystem services. It may even make global warming worse, too!

But for us consumers, what can we do? Is there any way to sustainably include fish in our diets?

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Can Chickens Change Sex?

Question:

Not the most pervasive of suburban legends, granted, but it seems to keep popping up. It goes something like this…

Confused Farmer finds Hen is now Cock
The mature hen, Gertie, who had laid eggs the previous year, suddenly stopped, grew chin wattles and started to crow.

So, can chickens really change sex?

Answer:

The short answer – No.

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Is There Any Truth to Astrology?

Question:

Is There Any Truth to Astrology?

Answer:

While your daily horoscope may seem to have little bearing on your life, recent research suggests that the month of our birth may have more influence that we think. A number of studies have shown that month of birth has a small, but significant impact on the chance of developing schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism, anorexia and a variety of other psychological issues as adults. Your birth month could even affect your chances of being dyslexic.

The cause of this is believed to be cosmic, however the star in question is our own sun. Scientists claim that the amount of sun exposure during your mother’s pregnancy is the cause of the seasonal pattern. This is supported by the finding that the pattern is exactly reversed in the southern hemisphere compared to the north, where sun exposure peaks at the opposite time of year. Scientists are not yet certain of the cause of the connection between psychology and sun exposure during pregnancy, but a number of theories exist.

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How Strong Would a Man-Sized Ant be?

Question:

How Strong Would a Man-Sized Ant be?

Answer:

It is well known that ants are exceptionally strong and fast. Although estimates vary, the average ant can carry between 10 and 50 times its own body weight, and run at approximately 300 meters an hour, a rate of nearly 800 times its body length a minute. This is equivalent to the average western man carrying between 850 and 4500kg (4.5 tonnes) over his head, and running at a speed of 83km or 52 miles per hour. If ants can do it, why can’t we?

The calculation above is essentially redundant, because a human-sized ant wouldn’t be able to travel at 50 miles an hour, in fact it wouldn’t be able to run at all; its legs would crumble under the weight of its own body. In fact, the human-sized ant would have been dead long before it tried to run, because the supply of oxygen to its organs wouldn’t have been sufficient to keep it alive, even for a second.

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