HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jdoenias@next.com (Josh Doenias)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: The Evolution of Death
Date: 9 Apr 92 19:38:13 GMT

In Dr. Lewis Thomas's book "A Long Line of Cells", he claims that at the  
time of death, the human body may release various hormones to produce a  
state of euphoria which many people who have had "near-death" experiences  
claim to have experienced.
He also states that evolutionarily, this is a perfectly natural thing to  
expect.  As he says (and here I paraphrase) 'Organisms who have spent the  
last few million years dieing would no doubt have evolved some sort of  
mechanism for coping with this situation.'  In other words, they would  
have become good at it.

My question is this.
It seems to me that this is completely counter-intuitive.  A gene (or an  
allele) will be propagated via natural selection if it confers some sort  
of evolutionary advantage for that gene.  These advantages boil down, at  
some point, to the ability to leave more offspring, and thereby more  
copies of that gene.
Using this line of resoning, what possible advantage could there be to  
evolving some sort of mechansim for coping with the death of an organism?
The gene for making an organism "good at" dieing is obviously only going  
to expressed at the time of death.  By that time, it is obviously too late  
for the organism to do any reproducing.

Does this make sense?  Does anybody have any supporting arguments for Dr.  
Thomas's claims?  If not, and the mechanism that Dr. Thomas describes does  
exist, how would it have evolved?

An interesting question.

Joshua Doenias
Media Group, NeXT Computer, Inc.
(and arm-chair Darwinist/Dawkinist)
From: Isabelle.Marie-Anne.Rosso@dartmouth.edu (Isabelle Marie-Anne 
 Rosso)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Request for info about Biology Graduate School
Date: 8 Apr 92 18:24:57 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Hello, 
        I am a third year Biology major. At the end of next year I will
receive a B.A in Biology, having taken eight Biology courses, some
Psychology and General Chemistry.
        I think that I might do some graduate studies a few years from
now (although I am not yet sure).  My question is: should I take
Physics and/or Organic Chemistry to be elegible for graduate schools in
Biology? (Endocrinology, Neurobiology, Physiology etc...)?   I'm really
not to fond of chemistry and physics which is why I've been
concentrating on Biology courses, but I don't want to be barred from
graduate schools later... 


Isabelle.Rosso@Dartmouth.edu
From: cgl@beta.lanl.gov (C G Langton)
Subject: Artificial Life III Workshop (Short version).
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 20:31:10 GMT



		  	    Artificial Life III
				
		 	     June 15-19, 1992
			    Santa Fe New Mexico
				
	            <<<<<<<< SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT >>>>>>>>
				
		          Details available via ftp
				

  The Third Artificial Life Workshop will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico
June 15-19, 1992. The workshop is sponsored by the Santa Fe Institute, Los
Alamos National Laboratory, and Apple Computer (* see note below).

  The details on this workshop can be obtained via FTP from host "santafe.edu".
Login as "anonymous" and type your home login@host as password. Cd to the 
"pub" directory, and then to the "Artificial-Life-III" directory. Get the
"README" file for a list of available information, or simply get the file
"alifeiii.packet" for a text version of the announcement brochure containing
most of the relevant information plus conference and hotel registration forms.

  There is a file labeled "current.schedule" which will be updated periodically,
and will always contain the most recent version of the conference schedule.

NOTE: Longer announcement to net will follow....

  This short announcement to the net will be followed by another message 
labeled "Artificial Life III (Long)", which will contain the alifeiii.packet
file described above, so if you ftp'd that file, don't bother to read the long
announcement.


Queries can be directed to: alife@santafe.edu.


Chris Langton
Conference Organizer

Santa Fe Institute			Phone: (505) 984-8800
1660 Old Pecos Trail			FAX:   (505) 
Santa Fe, New Mexico USA
87501



* NOTE: We strongly encourage further corporate sponsorship. Corporate
        sponsors get free booth space, free registrations, and
        several other benefits. Please contact me at the above address
        to receive a packet of information about corporate sponsorship
        of the Alife III workshop.
From: xrhah@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Herbert A. Huston)
Subject: Re: Large Fungi
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 13:39:00 GMT

In article <schinder.702342979@leprss.gsfc.nasa.gov>, schinder@leprss.gsfc.nasa.gov writes...
>In <1992Apr3.215253.24542@news.Hawaii.Edu> peter@ahi.pbrc.hawaii.edu (Peter Ruben) writes:
> 
>>There was a short front-paage article in the local newspaper
>>(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) about the fungus. It _did_ appear on April
>>1st, but sounded too serious to not be serious. My memory is that it's
>>a fungus that is growing underground, associated with tree roots. DNA
>>"fingerprinting" showed that it was the same individual fungus,
>>covering an area of about 37 acres. We should probably see something
>>about it in an upcoming issue of _Science News_.
> 
>It also appeared in the Washington Post.  I *loved* the graphic that
>accompanied the story.  There was a picture of a mushroom, and next to
>that a puny blue whale and giant sequoia.  I imagine some editor
>actually thought there's a 200,000 pound mushroom cap growing out of
>the ground.  What is it about newspapers and science ...

Now, Paul, at least they put the story on the front page.

The discovery was to have been published in _Nature_ for April 2.  The
authors are James B. Anderson, Myron L. Smith, and Johann N. Bruhn.  
Alas, my local library had not yet received their copy as of Saturday.

-- Herb Huston
From: mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Yet Another Neuroscience Oddity
Date: 7 Apr 92 05:25:16 GMT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)

I've noticed that my cat's eyes dilate in response to being
surprised or getting her attention.  For example, if she's
idly gazing at me and I say her name, her eyes dialte for
a fraction of a second.  Making a sudden noise also works.

Anyone know why this is?  Optically, I don't think there is
any good reason to dilate in response to suddenly focussing
your attention on something, because optically the same amount
of light is needed by the eye whether or not the brain is
using the information.

My guess is the dilation is caused by a chemical effect, like
maybe some hormone being released, and the dilation is just a
side effect which never caused enough of a problem to evolve
a mechanism to supress it.
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: CO2 strategy for chalk-land plants
From: marder@agri.huji.ac.il
Date: 14 Apr 92 09:27:07 IST
Distribution: world

> In <1992Apr13.090403.12084@crc.ac.uk> gwilliam@crc.ac.uk (Gary Williams x3294) writes:
>
>
>>Just a thought that came to me last night:
>
>>Nitrates can be a scarce resource for plants and various strategies have
>>been evolved for overcoming this (legume root nodules, insect-trapping
>>etc.)
>
>>Is CO2 a limiting factor to plant growth and it so what strategies have
>>plants evolved to overcome it? The only thing I could think of is for
>>chalk and limestone-loving plants to secrete weak acids from their root
>>systems.  Has anything like this been observed? is it likely?

Actually, ALL plants secrete 'acid' i.e. pump out protons to maintain the
correct electrochemical potentials across the cell membranes (necessary for
mineral uptake).  Plants living on chalk would necessarily have to drop the
pH significantly in the immediate vicinity of the roots.  It is an
interesting thought that the amount of CO2 released might just be
significant - somehow I doubt it for a windy cliff, but perhaps in a
sheltered spot under dense vegetation ...  To my knowledge, no-one has done
the research.

In article <1992Apr13.133422.128579@rrz.uni-koeln.de>, aeg03@rrz.uni-koeln.de (f lill) writes:
>
> CO2 is only limiting if (solar) energy  is abundant. There are plants
> that are adapted to such conditions. They are called C4-plants, the
> other plants are C3-plants. C4-plants catch CO2 more efficiently than
> C3-plants, but they use more energy (ATP) per molecule CO2.
[rest deleted]
> Hope this is of some interest,
> Jan

The C4 pathway (good explanation in Jan's post) is of course the major
adaption by which land plants can overcome limiting CO2 levels.  However,
the energy cost is significant - thus C4 plants only have the edge in
certain environments (mainly high light and high temperatures).
  Algae and cyanobacteria probably have other CO2-concentrating mechanisms.
--
                            '      Jonathan B. Marder Internet:
MARDER@AGRI.HUJI.AC.IL       Department of Agricultural Botany Bitnet:
MARDER@HUJIAGRI         /\/  The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Phone:
(08 or +9728) 481918   /  \  Faculty of Agriculture Fax:      (08 or
+9728) 467763   /      P.O.Box 12, Rehovot 76100, ISRAEL
Organization: TECHNION - Israel Institute of Technology.
Date: Wednesday, 8 Apr 1992 20:56:41 IST
From: Q.H.Zhu/AERO <AERHUNG@TECHNION.BITNET>
Newsgroups: sci.bio.technology
Subject: Re: relatively cheap nmr spectrometer
Distribution: na

text only!
Xref: sparky sci.bio.technology:165 sci.bio:1761 sci.chem:1913
Organization: Middle East Technical University - Computer Center
Date: Tuesday, 14 Apr 1992 14:16:32 TUR
From: <C44590@TRMETU.BITNET>
Newsgroups: sci.bio.technology,sci.bio,sci.chem
Subject: granules used In anaerobIc sludge reactors

could anybody overthere help me In fIndIng materIalsIn relatIon wIth the
subject gIven above.specIally In relatIon wIth the mechanIsm for formatIon and
preparatIon,maIntenance and dIsIntegratIOn of granules.

Also I'll be glad If I could have any  kInd  of InformatIon about granulatIon
of methanogenIc bacterIa(specIally METHANOTRIX and METHANOSARCINA).

         thanks In advance.
Newsgroups: sci.bio.technology
From: dcovell@pcocd2.intel.com (David Covell)
Subject: Voltage levels
Organization: Development Tools Operation, Intel Corp., Hillsboro, OR
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 92 20:23:53 GMT


I'm an electronic technician with little knowledge of biology, so I'm 
asking for help from this newsgroup:
I want to experiment with control of digital devices through muscle activity.
I need to know what voltage levels I could detect by placing EEG-type
electrodes over certain facial and skeletal muscles. I recall from an EEG
I had as a teenager that movement of certain facial muscles would interfere
with the test, so I assume I could monitor these signals fairly easily. 
So, can anyone give me a ball-park estimate of the voltage level I could
read using the above method to monitor, for example, the muscle that closes
the jaw?
Thanks for any help,
dcovell@pcocd2.intel.com
Xref: sparky sci.bio.technology:164 sci.bio:1758 sci.chem:1911 sci.med:8599 sci.misc:1046 bionet.general:931 bionet.molbio.proteins:115 misc.fitness:3391
From: labc-3ae@e260-1f.berkeley.edu (Superman)
Newsgroups: sci.bio.technology,sci.bio,sci.chem,sci.med,sci.misc,bionet.general,bionet.molbio.proteins,misc.fitness
Subject: Are there any adverse affects from taking Arginine Supplements?
Date: 13 Apr 92 23:14:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: agate.sd4lcINN8av
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: e260-1f.berkeley.edu
Originator: labc-3ae@e260-1f.berkeley.edu

A good friend (weight lifter) of mine has started to take an Arginine 
supplement to help his workouts.  Are there any known side effects from
taking Arginine supplements?  According to the package he gets 6gms of L-Arg
per day.  

Thanks in Advance

__________________________________________________________________________
please send responses to labc-3ae@web.berkeley.edu until further notice
From: dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs)
Newsgroups: sci.bio.technology
Subject: RFD for IMAGE PROCESSING newsgroup
Date: 13 Apr 92 18:36:02 GMT
Article-I.D.: zia.1992Apr13.183602.3617
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM

[Third and last time that I'm going to try and post this.  Sorry about the
multiple posts, but something in the crosspost list is buggering things!]

I just thought I'd point out that there is a discussion about an possible
image processing group over on news.groups.  I think it's a *great* idea,
and about bloody time, too.  But I seem to be surrounded by computer
vision / computer graphics people.  Could we get some scientific image
processing people over there too?  If we don't act now, we're likely to end
up with comp.graphics.image.processing, which would be a gross restriction
on an otherwise tremendously useful group.  Actually, I'd like to see a
general imaging group, not restricted to conventional image processing
techniques, but expanded to included techniques of indirect observation,
calibration and processing, as well as general imaging theory.  Say
sci.imaging.  Do we have enough support for such a group?

-- 
| Daniel Briggs  (dbriggs@nrao.edu)                      |        USPA B-14993
| New Mexico Tech / National Radio Astronomy Observatory |            DoD #387
| P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM 87801   (505) 835-7391        |
Support the League for Programming Freedom  (info from league@prep.ai.mit.edu)
Xref: sparky sci.bio:1778 bionet.general:944
From: psilsbee@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Peter Silsbee)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,bionet.general
Subject: info on Reduviidae (assassin bugs)
Summary: looking for info on assassin bugs
Keywords: Reduviidae, assassin bug
Date: 16 Apr 92 02:41:55 GMT
Reply-To: psilsbee@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Peter Silsbee)
Followup-To: sci.bio
Distribution: usa
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX
Originator: psilsbee@mickey.cc.utexas.edu

I am looking for ANY information on the insect family Reduviidae,
also known as assassin bugs. Mostly I am interested in those species
which are known or suspected to bite humans, and especially those
whose bite can cause allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). I would like 
to have the 
following questions answered about these species:

  1) What is their geographic distribution? (in particular, are there
	any present in the Sierra Nevada? at what altitudes?)

  2) What is their lifecycle? When does their population peak?

  3) Do the various species which cause severe reactions in humans
	all have similar or identical toxins, or do these vary widely?

  4) Any information on the treatment of Reduviidae-bite sensitivity
	would also be appreciated.

Obviously, this is not an abstract interest... Apologies if these are
not appropriate groups for this query, I didn't see any bionet.entymology.
I will try to read these groups regularly but would prefer replies by
email.

Thanks in advance,
Peter.
From: pburch@shrike.mbir.bcm.tmc.edu (Paula Burch)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: prickly pear questions
Date: 7 Apr 1992 19:06:50 GMT
Reply-To: pburch@shrike.mbir.bcm.tmc.edu (Paula Burch)
Originator: pburch@shrike.mbir.bcm.tmc.edu


I understand that Texas A & M University has developed a pretty good 
spineless prickly pear. If it doesn't have any tendency to revert to 
the spined variety, it could be of immense economic value in the drier 
parts of the U.S.! Makes much more sense than irrigating crops that never 
evolved for the climate.

(Sorry, no decent reference--I read this in the `Texas' magazine in 
the Sunday Houston Chronicle at least 6 months back.)

Paula Burch
pburch@bcm.tmc.edu
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: lcopenha@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu (Larry Copenhaver)
Subject: Propagation of Rhododendron???
Organization: Virginia's Public Education Network (Richmond)
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 92 01:36:53 GMT

Can anyone give me information on how to propagate rhododendron?
From: Ethan.Hack@newcastle.ac.uk (E.Hack)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Large Fungi
Date: 8 Apr 92 12:18:27 GMT
Organization: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 7RU

In article <6APR199208393088@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov> xrhah@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Herbert A. Huston) writes:
>In article <schinder.702342979@leprss.gsfc.nasa.gov>, schinder@leprss.gsfc.nasa.gov writes...
>>In <1992Apr3.215253.24542@news.Hawaii.Edu> peter@ahi.pbrc.hawaii.edu (Peter Ruben) writes:
>> 
>>>There was a short front-paage article in the local newspaper
>>>(Honolulu Star-Bulletin) about the fungus. It _did_ appear on April
>>>1st, but sounded too serious to not be serious. My memory is that it's
>>>a fungus that is growing underground, associated with tree roots. DNA
>>>"fingerprinting" showed that it was the same individual fungus,
>>>covering an area of about 37 acres. We should probably see something
>>>about it in an upcoming issue of _Science News_.
>
>The discovery was to have been published in _Nature_ for April 2.  The
>authors are James B. Anderson, Myron L. Smith, and Johann N. Bruhn.  
>Alas, my local library had not yet received their copy as of Saturday.
>
>-- Herb Huston

It did indeed (Smith ML et al., Nature 356(6368):428-431).  The news
reports are reasonably accurate.  According to the paper, the
"organism", an _Armillaria_ _bulbosa_ from a northern Michigan
hardwood forest, "occupies a mininimum of 15 hectares" and "has
remained genetically stable for more than 1500 years".  Its mass is
"in excess of 10,000 kg", but this estimate is for large rhizomorphs
only.  The authors extrapolate to a "conservative minimum mass
estimate" for the whole organism of 10x this figure, or about 100
tonnes.  As far as I can tell, there is no evidence that the
vegetative body is continuous, so it's open to question whether it
really qualifies as a single organism (see also the review on p. 382
of the same issue of Nature).

Ethan Hack
Department of Biological and Nutritional Sciences, The University,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, England
E-mail (Internet): Ethan.Hack @ newcastle.ac.uk
From: rambaut@castle.ed.ac.uk (A E Ram aut)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Parasite Evolution
Date: 15 Apr 92 15:13:40 GMT
Distribution: sci
Organization: Edinburgh University

I am writing an essay on the relationship between the evolution of host
and parasite and the pathology caused by the parasite (particularly
Platyhelminths and Nematodes).  Does anyone know of any good papers in
this general area?  Thanks,
Andrew.
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: schumach@convex.com (Richard A. Schumacher)
Subject: Re: Please help, important for class
Organization: CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx., USA
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 00:41:09 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.


>I think that I have seen this request posted here before but I didn't ever see a
>reply.  
>If there is any information floating around there somewhere in the net that 
>deals with Stanley Miller, his experiment, Harold Urey, and/or Alexandre Oparin
>could it please be e-mailed to me?
>I need this for a class.

And you're not likely to see a reply. Answering questions like this is what 
libraries are for, not the Net. Beyond the answers themselves, the reason for 
homework is to learn how and where to get the answers. (Unless of course the 
info you need for the class is the answer to the question: "How many replies 
of wildly varying and undocumented quality can I get by asking total strangers
at random"?)
From: sarima@tdatirv.UUCP (Stanley Friesen)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Aquatic Man
Date: 13 Apr 92 20:43:40 GMT
Reply-To: sarima@tdatirv.UUCP (Stanley Friesen)
Organization: Teradata Corp., Irvine

In article <1992Apr9.201151.2111@galileo.cc.rochester.edu> kvry@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Kevin Ryan) writes:
|
|	A few days ago, I saw the very end of a cable-TV special on
|the possibility that a significant part of human evolution at one time
|included some adaptations to life in the water. ...
|
|	Is there an article or book that deals with an overview of this
|theory that is available?  I would like very much to find out how much
|of this is a "real" theory and how much was just "In Search Of" speculation.

There are a book or two, but nothing much of a really profesional scientific
quality.

It is considered to be a very 'fringe' hypothesis by almost all practicing
biologists.

Of course it is not quite as bad as Velikovsky and his ilk, it is probably
closer to the sort of stuff Wagener published about 'continental drift',
which was a grand mixture of nonsense and insight.
[Note, this does *not* make it likely to be true, just remotely possible].
-- 
---------------
uunet!tdatirv!sarima				(Stanley Friesen)

Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: mhassman@zephyr.cair.du.edu (Mark Hassman)
Subject: Re: Large Fungi
Organization: University of Denver
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 92 20:15:43 GMT

In article <hurd.702504926@sfu.ca> hurd@fraser.sfu.ca (Peter L. Hurd) writes:
>Isn't this in a recent Nature/ or Science?  Just gossip I overheard in the
>photocopy room.
>-P.
>

From what I read in the paper the other day, an article appeared in Nature
a while back.  Don't know which one though.



-- 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
| Mark Hassman     Creator of the Grasslands of Merakai      |
| mhassman@zephyr.cair.du.edu    mhassman@diana.cair.du.edu  |
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: xrhah@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Herbert A. Huston)
Subject: Re: Aquatic Man
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 15:54:00 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.201151.2111@galileo.cc.rochester.edu>, kvry@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Kevin Ryan) writes...
> 
>	A few days ago, I saw the very end of a cable-TV special on
>the possibility that a significant part of human evolution at one time
>included some adaptations to life in the water.  It apparantly corresponded
>to whatever "window" in which there is no remaining fossil evidence, and
>that most of the theory was based on our present physiology.  

The program was _Water Babies_, and it was shown on The Discovery 
Channel.  It was a one-hour presentation of Sir Alister Hardy's theory
and was filmed the year before his death.  Others who were interviewed
included Desmond Morris, Elaine Morgan, and David Pilbeam.  Besides 
getting to see and hear Sir Alister, the high point for me was 
watching those babies floating and swimming.

-- Herb Huston
Newsgroups: sci.bio