Extreme halophiles grow best in concentrations of salt from 20% to 30%. Examples of extreme halophiles are "Salinibacter ruber" and organisms in the Halobacteria class. Extreme halophiles live in the Dead Sea in the Middle East and in man-made solar salterns (lakes used for making sea salt).
Halophiles play an important part in ecosystems. For example, halophiles often support entire populations of wild birds.
Halophiles are useful for cleaning up polluted environments. Waste water with salt concentrations more than 2% is ideal for halophiles to remove organic pollutants from. For instance, halophiles have been shown to remove phenol (a poisonous chemical) from their environments. This could lead to future use in cleaning up oil spills.
Halophiles play an important part in the fermentation of some foods. For instance, halophiles ferment soy and fish sauces. Halophiles also ferment salted fish.
Halophilic microorganisms are useful in biotechnology. The compounds that certain halophiles make are valuable. Some of these compounds are not found anywhere else in the living world. The salt-tolerant enzymes that halophiles produce can be used in a variety of ways. For example, these enzymes could be used for rough industrial processes, like food processing.
Some moderate halophiles produce sugars outside the cell. These sugars can be used as thickeners and emulsifiers in the petroleum and medicine industries.
Owens Lake
Owens Lake is a mostly dry lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada of Inyo County, California, located about south of Lone Pine, California. Unlike most dry lakes in the Basin and Range Province that have been dry for thousands of years, Owens held water until 1924. Today, some of the flow of the river has been restored, and the lake now has some water.
Dunaliella salina
Dunaliella salina is a type of halophile pink micro-algae found in sea salt fields. "Dunaliella salina" is used in cosmetics and dietary supplements. Few organisms can survive in such highly saline conditions as salt evaporation ponds. To survive, these organisms have high concentrations of beta-carotene to protect against light, and high concentrations of glycerol to provide protection against osmotic pressure. This offers an opportunity for commercial biological production of these substances.
Scarification
Scarification or cicatrization is a form of body modification, where a design or pattern is cut, etched or scratched into human skin to make a permanent scar. Like with most body modification, there are many reasons why people choose to be scarified. The act of scarifying has been compared to tattooing due to the fact that it permanently changes the skin. It has also been identified with self harm because people have used it to cover self-inflicted wounds.
Scarification began as cultural identification in some places, especially in Maori and African societies. Other cultures may use it for religious reasons, and nearly all cultures use it for aesthetics. Some people also use scarification for pleasure, as the process of being scarified creates endorphins.
Haloarchaea
Haloarchaea are halophiles. They need a high salt concentrations to grow. They are a distinct evolutionary branch of the Archaea, and are extremophiles.
The term "halobacteria" is a misnomer (mistaken name), because we now know the archaea are a different group from bacteria.
In taxonomy, the Haloarchaea are a class of the Euryarchaeota, found in water with salt. They are common in most environments where large amounts of salt, moisture, and organic material are available.
Cowbird
Cowbirds are birds of the genus "Molothrus". They are brood parasites, similar in life-style to the Cuckoo. The entire family Icteridae is limited to the New World.
They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. The birds whose nest is used by the cowbird is tricked into raising the young cowbirds.
These birds feed on insects, including those stirred up by cattle. They lay their eggs in other birds' nests. This means that the birds can more easily stay with the herd.
The Brown-headed Cowbird has over 220 hosts. The other cowbird species have fewer known hosts, but all the species are generalists when it comes to choosing a host. This means that the eggs may look very different from the hosts' eggs.
It seems that Brown-headed Cowbirds periodically check on their eggs and young after they have deposited them. Removal of the parasitic egg may trigger a retaliatory reaction termed 'mafia behaviour'. Cowbirds may penalise hosts which remove the cowbird egg: they often destroy the eggs or nestlings of those hosts.
Elisabeth of Bavaria
Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria (December 24, 1837 - September 10, 1898) was the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
Elisabeth was born in Munich, Bavaria state in Germany. She was part of the royal family of Wittelsbach. She was the fourth of the ten children of Prince Maximilian of Bavaria and his wife Princess Ludovika. She was known as "Sissi". She grew up with her brothers and sisters at Possenhofen Castle. In August 1853, she went to Bad Ischl with her mother and older sister Helene, to celebrate Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph's 23rd birthday. The event was also supposed to be the occasion to announce his engagement to Helene. However, Franz Joseph was so taken by the young and beautiful Elisabeth that he proposed to her instead.
Elisabeth and Franz Joseph were married in great pomp in Vienna on April 24, 1854. Elisabeth had an informal upbringing, before marrying Franz Joseph. She disliked the much more formal life she had to live at court. Early in the marriage, her mother-in-law, Princess Sophie, took over the care of Elisabeth's daughters. One daughter died in infancy. The birth of her son Rudolf improved her standing at court. Her health suffered under the stress of the court life. She had four children: Sophie (1855-1857), Gisele (1856-1932), Rudolf (1858-1889) and Valerie (1868-1924).
Franz Joseph and Elisabeth became King and Queen of Hungary in 1867, when the two countries joined together and created the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Elisabeth suffered from lung disease and melancholia. She disliked the strict etiquette of the court. She was often away and lived long periods of time abroad, notably in Hungary and at her villa in Corfu.
Her only son, Rudolf, committed suicide in 1889, after killing his young mistress Marie Vetsera. Empress Elisabeth was assassinated by an Italian anarchist in 1898, while on a visit to Geneva.
She has since become something of an historical icon and highly romantic figure, through a series of movies called "Sissi" in the 1950s. The movies starred actress Romy Schneider.
Maebashi, Gunma
It has been recognized as a core city since 2009.
Hagiwara Sakutaro is famous poet who was born in Gunma. His most famous work "tsuki ni hoeru" was published in 1917. "Sakutaro kinen kan" is a memorial museuum in Maebashi.
Rinkokaku is a wooden building which was built in 1884. It is an important cultural property.
"Misopan", meaning “Bread with Miso paste” originates from Yakimanju. Friand, Numata, is famous for Misopan. The buns are made from Gunma Prefecture’s high quality wheat. Azuki bean paste is not used, but rather, a spread of miso with sugar, which is then grilled until brown.
The prefectural office building was formed from Maebashi castle. It was renovated in 1999, and became the tallest building in Maebashi.
Art Ross