The Pectinidae family had a large number of species in the Mesozoic era, but they almost disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous period. The survivors evolved rapidly during the Tertiary period. There are nearly 7,000 species and subspecies for the fossil and recent Pectinidae.
The evolution of bivalves that swim is a consequence of the so-called "Mesozoic marine revolution". In the Mesozoic era sea-floor predators evolved various new forms which fed on the abundant shellfish (brachiopods and bivalves). These predators are still abundant today: they are mostly the starfish, the gastropods, and the crabs.
Each predator has its own methods. Crabs break the shells by force. Some gastropods make holes in the shell and put in a paralysing or relaxing substance; others work on small cracks in the edge of the shell. Once they get their proboscis in, they eat the shellfish.
Starfish are the most common predators. The shells of brachiopods and bivalves are held together by strong muscles. What the starfish does is clamp hold of them on either side with its tube feet, and apply a steady pull. The starfish, with its muscles and hydraulic system, can pull for much longer than any bivalve muscle can withstand. Apparently, ten minutes are usually enough to open the shell a bit. Then the starfish slips its stomach inside the shell. The stomach can get through a slot as narrow as 0.1mm. The starfish then dissolves the mollusc where it lives, absorbing the nutrients.
Consequently, there was a great reproductive advantage for any prey which had even the slightest defence to these predators. Many shellfish developed extra-tough shells. Some burrowed into the sand. Scallops must had had some elementary movement, which developed rapidly under selection. They became extremely common in the Mesozoic. There are some other methods used by a few scallops. "Chlamys hastata" often carry sponges on their shell. It is a kind of mutualism. The sponge makes it difficult for starfish to get their tube feet on, and camouflages "Chlamys hastata" from predators.
When scallops move off the sand they are open to new predators such as rays, which patrol just above the ocean floor. They may also be picked up by seabirds which open shells by dropping them on rock. Evidently the main advantage lies in getting away from the starfish, which are very numerous on inshore and continental shelf habitats.
Studies have shown the Pectinidae family is monophyletic, developing from a single common ancestor. The direct ancestors of Pectinidae were scallop-like bivalves of the family Entoliidae.
The largest wild scallop fishery is for the Atlantic sea scallop ("Placopecten magellanicus") off northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Most of the rest of the world's production of scallops is from Japan (wild, enhanced, and aquaculture), and China (mostly cultured Atlantic bay scallops). In 2005, China accounted for 80% of the global scallop and pecten catch, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) study.
Scallops are popular in both Eastern and Western cooking. They have two types of meat in one shell. The adductor muscle is white and meaty. The roe, called "coral", is red, orange or white and soft.
In Western cuisine, scallops are often sautéed in butter, or breaded and deep fried. The byssus (also called the beard) is often tough. It is usually discarded or used later on for stock. Sometimes, markets sell scallops already prepared in the shell, with only the adductor muscle. Outside the U.S. the scallop is often sold whole, and people eat the adductor muscle and roe.
In Japanese cuisine, scallops may be served in soup or prepared as sashimi or sushi. In a sushi bar, "hotategai" (帆立貝, 海扇) is the traditional scallop on rice. "Kaibashira" (貝柱) might be scallop, but it can also be the adductor muscle of any kind of shellfish, such as mussels, oysters, or clams.
In Cantonese Chinese cuisine dried scallop is called conpoy (乾瑤柱, 乾貝, 干貝).
The scallop shell is the traditional emblem of James, son of Zebedee. It is popular with pilgrims on the Way of St James to the apostle's shrine at Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Throughout antiquity, scallops and other hinged shells have symbolized the feminine principle. Many paintings of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and fertility, included a scallop shell in the painting to identify her. This is clear in Botticelli's classically inspired "The Birth of Venus"
Heraldry included the scallop shell symbol as a badge for people who had made the pilgrimage to Compostela. Later it became a symbol of pilgrimage in general. Winston Churchill's family coat of arms includes scallops. However, symbols in heraldry do not always have the same meaning. Sometimes no family member has been on a pilgrimage but there are still scallops on the coat of arms.
Over 45 communes of France have one or more scallop shells on their coat of arms.
The U.S. state of New York has had the Atlantic bay scallop as its state shell since 1988. In design, "scalloped edges" or "ridges" means a wavy pattern which reminds people of the edge of a scallop's shell. Shell petroleum company has had a logo with a scallop shell on it since 1904.
QWOP
QWOP is a Flash game created by Bennett Foddy and released on the Internet in 2008 to his website called "Foddy.net". Players play as an athlete named "Qwop", who is participating in a 100-meter sprint event at the Olympic Games. Using only the Q, W, O and P keys, players must control the movement of the legs to make the character move forward. When the player has successfully reached 50 meters they must jump a hurdle, and at 100 meters the player is encouraged to perform a long jump, although simply passing the finish line is sufficient to complete the game.
The game has been criticized for being too hard to get good at. In early December 2010, the game had a viral popularity outbreak after video blogger Ray William Johnson reviewed a YouTube video that annotates the game, becoming the subject of an Internet meme. Despite this, the game helped Foddy’s site reach 30 million views.<ref name = "https://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/09/start/no-pain-no-gain"></ref> After the success of the game, Foddy created another flash game called "GIRP", which was released on his site in 2011.<ref name = "https://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/09/start/no-pain-no-gain"></ref>
Aga Khan IV
His Highness Karīm al-Ḥussayni Shah, Aga Khan IV KBE (born 13 December 1936) is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since 11 July 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan. He is responsible for the interpretation of the faith for his followers and helps to improve the quality of their lives and communities.
Unlike his grandfather, the present Aga Khan's higher education was in the United States at Harvard University. His children have also been educated in the U.S.
Since he became imam, the Aga Khan has followed the political and economic changes which have affected his followers. These events included the independence of African countries from colonial rule, the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Aga Khan is interested in the elimination of global poverty; the advancement of women; the promotion of Islamic culture, art, and architecture; and promoting pluralistic values in society. He is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private development networks in the world. This works for the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, and disaster reduction. Goals include promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalisation of historic cities.
During his visit to India in 1983, the Aga Khan said,