On the other hand, when two parents are from widely different populations, such as different subspecies, this usually does not apply. In that case it is more usual for the hybrids to have lower fitness. Mules are usually not fertile, and that automatically makes them of lower fitness, as that term is used in biology. They are very hardy animals, but they leave few offspring. The puzzle for scientists has been to explain these facts.
When a population is small or inbred, it tends to lose genetic diversity. The loss of fitness is due to loss of genetic diversity. Inbred strains tend to be homozygous for recessive alleles. Recessive alleles tend to be mildly harmful. Heterosis or hybrid vigor, on the other hand, is the tendency of outbred strains to exceed both inbred parents in fitness.
In the early 20th century, after Mendel's laws came to be understood and accepted, two explanations were proposed.
At present, the first idea seems to fit the facts best. "The current view ... is that the dominance hypothesis is the major explanation of inbreeding decline and the high yield of hybrids".
An epigenetic effect heterosis has been found in plants, and also in animals. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs which repress the translation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) or degrade mRNAs. The miRNAs may also have an effect on hybrid vigour.
India (cat)
India "Willie" Bush (July 13, 1990 – January 4, 2009) was the pet cat of U.S. President George W. Bush and his family while he was in the White House. She lived with the Bush family for almost two decades.
The Bushes got India, an all black, female American Shorthair, as a kitten in late 1991 or 1992. Their twin daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush were nine years old. It is not known if the cat had registered to vote. India stayed with George and Laura Bush after Jenna and Barbara left for college. When George W. Bush became President in early 2001, India moved with the family from the Governor's Mansion in Austin, Texas to the White House.
Even while living at the White House, India did not get as much attention from the media as the family's Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley. She is shown in the "Barneycam" videos made by the White House staff at Christmas. She first starred in "Where in the White House is Miss Beazley?", where she was called by her nickname, "Willie". The dogs were always more interesting to the White House press during the Bush presidency. They became more famous to the public.
India (as "Willie") was shown in the March 2008 "Architectural Digest", in the East Sitting Hall of the White House.
There was controversy reported in the news in India. Some people were upset with the cat's name. In July 2004, demonstrations were held in the southern Keralian city of Thiruvananthapuram. The cat's name was criticised as an insult to the nation of India. An effigy of President Bush was burned in protest.
The Bushes did not change the cat's name because of the demonstrations. India had been named for a baseball player, Rubén Sierra. He was nicknamed "El Indio" while playing for the Texas Rangers, when Bush owned the baseball team. The name had been given to the family cat by Barbara, one of the Bush's daughters.
India died at the White House on January 4, 2009, at age 18. In a statement to the press about India's death, Sally McDonough, speaking for First Lady Laura Bush, said that the family was "deeply saddened" by their cat's death. Part of the statement said, "India was a beloved member of the Bush family for almost two decades. She will be greatly missed."
Peace be upon him (Islam)
alayhi as-salām (SAAS) is a phrase religious muslims say whenever they refer to the name of any prophet and any messenger. Peace be upon him is the English-language translation of "alayhi as-salām". In any language it is a sign of great respect and honor. Muslims say or write the phrase to get Allah's blessings for prophet/messenger, and in turn, get blessings for themselves. The abbreviations PBUH and SAAS are used in writing in the Muslim world in private and sometimes government documents. The Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, commands this respect be given.
Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was an American test pilot and astronaut. He was one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959.
On July 21, 1961, Grissom flew into space in the "Liberty Bell 7" spacecraft. This was powered by a Redstone rocket. Grissom was the second American in space, following Alan Shepard.
He made another space flight as command pilot (pilot in charge) of Gemini 3. This was the first trip by astronauts in NASA's Project Gemini. The trip took place on March 23, 1965.
Grissom died along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee during a test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (then known as Cape Kennedy), Florida. He was the first of the Mercury Seven to die.
Joan Sebastian
José Manuel Figueroa Sr. (April 8, 1951 – July 13, 2015), better known as Joan Sebastian (), was a Mexican singer-songwriter. He has written over a thousand songs including compositions for Vicente Fernández, Lucero, Pepe Aguilar, and Rocío Dúrcal. His music is a mixture of Latin pop, ranchera and grupera music.
On July 13, 2015, Sebastian died at his ranch in Cruz de la Sierra, Teacalco, Guerrero, Mexico, from bone cancer, aged 64.
Tukey's Bridge
Tukey's Bridge is a bridge in Portland, Maine. The bridge was built in 1960. It was named after Lemuel Tukey.
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in 1930s pulp novels, and then in a wide variety of media. Details of the title character have varied across various media. But The Shadow is generally a crime-fighter who works alone instead of with the police. He usually has psychic powers. He poses as a "wealthy, young man about town". The Shadow is one of the most famous adventure heroes of the twentieth century. He has been featured on the radio, in a long-running pulp magazine series, in comic books, comic strips, television, serials, video games, and at least five motion pictures. The radio drama is well-remembered for those episodes voiced by Orson Welles.
The Shadow first appeared on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street and Smith radio program "Detective Story Hour". After gaining popularity among the show's listeners, the narrator became the star of "The Shadow Magazine" on April 1, 1931, a pulp series created and primarily written by Gibson.
On September 26, 1937, "The Shadow" radio drama began with the story "The Deathhouse Rescue," in which The Shadow was characterized as having "the power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." As in the magazine stories, The Shadow was not given the literal ability to become invisible.
The introduction from "The Shadow" radio program "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" was spoken by actor Frank Readick Jr.. American English speakers often have heard of this phrase, even if they have never listened to the radio show. These words were accompanied by an ominous laugh and a musical theme, Camille Saint-Saëns' "Le Rouet d'Omphale" ("Omphale's Spinning Wheel", composed in 1872). At the end of each episode The Shadow reminded listeners that, "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay... The Shadow knows!"
Geoid
The geoid is a shape like the surface of the Earth. It is a 3-D geometrical shape like an orange. Shapes of this kind are called oblate spheroids, which is a kind of ellipsoid.
The geoid, however, is a very special kind of oblate spheroid. It is defined as follows:
It was defined by Gauss, in 1828. It is often described as the true physical shape of the Earth. The study of Earth's measurements and shapes is called geodesy.