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Laura Catena interview Part One
Laura Catena is considered the face of Argentine wine and a wine world leader. I recently interviewed her and will share the interview in successive posts.
Gus ClemensPublished 3 months ago in ProofEVERYONE WAS WRONG ABOUT AVOCADOS...?
EVERYONE WAS WRONG ABOUT AVOCADOS If you happen to be a fan of avocados - and let's be honest, who isn't? - you may have come across the notion that these delicious fruits owe their existence to giant ground sloths from prehistoric times. This idea has been circulated by us here at SciShow, but let's delve into the details. According to the story, plants evolved to produce fruit as a means of attracting animals. These animals would then consume the fruit and subsequently disperse the seeds through their droppings, aiding in the spread of the plant species. Unlike other fruits with small seeds, avocados possess large seeds. This suggests that they were likely spread by large animals capable of swallowing the entire seed, such as the giant ground sloths that once roamed North and South America during the Pleistocene era. It sounds plausible, right? Well, as it turns out, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. Despite the widespread popularity of this myth, it is important to examine the true origins of avocados in order to uncover the kernel of truth. So, where did this idea of giant ground sloths dispersing avocados come from? The story begins in the 1980s with a scientific paper proposing a new hypothesis regarding Costa Rican plants. This paper briefly mentioned the role of large animals as seed dispersers, but did not specifically reference sloths or avocados. In the same year, another paper speculated that this concept could be applied to avocados and pointed towards ground sloths as potential dispersers. However, it is crucial to note that neither of these papers presented any actual data on sloths or avocados. It seems that publishing papers was relatively easier in the 1980s. In the 2000s, a popular science book further popularized this narrative, despite the lack of substantial evidence And extensive. And then the concept just became ingrained. It has been widely discussed and written about for many years. Numerous platforms have published articles about this interesting fact, and as I mentioned earlier - we even created a video about it a few years ago! However, there has never been a single study or project that has found any evidence of sloths consuming avocados. So, what would we need to discover in order to prove a connection? What is the definitive proof that sloths ate avocados, and how would we go about finding it? Well, it's all about science! There are several types of evidence we could search for to establish avocados as part of sloths' diet. Firstly, and this may seem obvious, sloths and avocados would need to have coexisted in the same geographical area during the same time period. Therefore, we would need to uncover fossilized remains of both species in the archaeological record dating back between 2.58 million years ago and 11,700 years ago, which is approximately when the last ground sloths became extinct. It would be even more compelling if we could find traces of avocado in sloth coprolites, which are fossilized feces, as this would confirm that sloths actually consumed the fruit. However, we currently have no evidence of either of these things. Fossilized bones and feces of ground sloths, including Mylodons and Lestodons, have been found predominantly in South America during the Pleistocene era, specifically in what is now Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. On the other hand, the first true avocados had only recently appeared in Southern Mexico around that same time. There were some other ancient species of ground sloths whose droppings were discovered closer to the region where avocados originated, such as the slightly smaller but still massive Nothrotheriops genus. However, even if these sloths lived in the same area and time period, it does not necessarily mean that they consumed avocados. For example, I live in the same area and time as poison ivy, but I do not eat poison ivy, and I never would. Determining the exact diet of these ancient sloths is a complex task. In a 2011 study, researchers analyzed the proportions of carbon and nitrogen in Lestodon bones and concluded that the giant sloths primarily fed on leafy plants. They might have consumed fruits in addition to that; however, the test cannot determine which parts of the plant the animals consumed. Coprolites left by a smaller sloth species in a cave in Cuchillo Curá, Argentina, revealed remnants of mostly grasses and sedges. Other samples of sloth feces indicated that the larger sloths consumed grasses and shrubs, similar to those from the same family as carrots and parsley. Nothrotheriops dung contained fragments of yucca and agave plants. None of these studies found any trace of DNA from laurel plants, which avocados belong to. Newer methods also allow us to examine the front end of the sloth for information about their diets. Archaeologists analyzed a tooth from the Pan-American giant ground sloth, which lived during the late Pleistocene. By analyzing the relative amounts of carbon and oxygen isotopes in the layers of the tooth, researchers reconstructed its diet throughout the year and discovered that it had a varied diet depending on the availability of shrubs and plants. Although we cannot determine the exact types of plants this sloth consumed, based on climate data, it likely consumed shrubs like juniper. What's even more astonishing is that some ancient sloths may not have limited themselves to a plant-based diet. Carbon and nitrogen analysis of their hair suggests that Darwin's ground sloth probably consumed meat, although we are not completely certain whether it was a slow-moving hunter or simply a scavenger. This opens up the possibility that other sloths could have also consumed meat. Therefore, while we have extensive data on the diets of ground sloths, none of it indicates any connection to avocados. Additionally, there is another significant flaw in the argument regarding megafauna. Avocados may not have required massive animals at all. Avocado pits from approximately 10,000 years ago were only half the size of today's seeds, measuring around 2 centimeters wide compared to the 5.5 to 6 centimeters commonly found in grocery stores. Therefore, if the avocado pits started out smaller, it suggests that they did not rely on large animals for dispersal. There must be a more plausible explanation for these enormous cavities that does not involve our slow-moving colossal companions. Interestingly, the most probable culprit appears to be a different large mammal residing in Mexico - humans! It appears that avocados served as a significant source of sustenance for the people in Mesoamerica, who began cultivating them in their gardens in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley approximately 10,000 years ago. As previously mentioned, archaeological evidence indicates that the size of the pits has increased over time. This suggests that the Mesoamericans may have deliberately chosen avocados with larger pits. Perhaps larger pits signified larger fruits or aided in the tree's growth. A substantial seed filled with starches and fats could nourish the plant during germination, increasing the likelihood of a planted seed developing into a fruitful tree. However, the reason behind these colossal pits may be just as much rooted in mythology as it is in botany. According to ancient Mayan beliefs, individuals were believed to be reborn as trees, leading them to surround their homes with fruit trees. Avocado fruits became associated with strength, and it was believed that consuming them would transfer this strength to the person. Consequently, cultivating larger avocados also meant acquiring more strength. Nevertheless, determining precisely how and when these pits grew larger remains somewhat challenging.
berina idriziPublished 4 months ago in ProofWhat to do if you’re in the fire tornado path suddenly
the discuss is bone dryand the wind is out of control you feellike you're standing before afireplacebut you're not you're standing in yourbackyard almost to barbecue up a feastwhen you all of a sudden see the tree shakinguncontrollablyleaves are falling like confetti thewind fair blew your final piece oflaundry into the extraordinary unknownyou see around and everybody else isjust as confounded and frightened as youare within the remove you see a redhorizon offire within the woodland and a expansive vortextouching the skyyou drop everything and make a break forit you will be fortunate to beaten a tornadothey ordinarily move at around 30 miles perhour but can reach up to 70.imagine running absent from a gianttwister tearing towards you at usainbolt speedthe streets are swarmed with individuals tryingto discover shelteror fair get out of town you get in yourcar and attempt to begin itbut the wind thumps a sign over itsmashes your windshieldanyway a enormous tornado is effective enoughto swing your whole car aroundyou gotta go on foot best wagered head foryour buddy's housethey have a profound cellar supplied withsupplies at whatever point a tornado flies on bytry to require cover some place undergroundif you do not have a basementavoid any windows and attempt to stayunderneath something strong to protectyourselfyou're running to your friend's placeeverything around you is getting sweptup by the insane windsbut when you turn around you see thetornado turning reddishyou can scarcely see it since of thedebris but the turning vortexit's well it's on fire it's a firetornadothese turning fire winds can reach 140miles per hourand can be between 15 to 150 feet talland as much as 500 feet wide thesemonsters occur when tons of smoke getwhirled aroundso the thunderstorm starts to act like atornadoby the way numerous fire tornadoes can evenoccurin a blaze and are called fire whirlsnext time you're camping or setting upyour living room fireplacecheck it out you might fair spot onespinning around in thereanyway it's getting closer and closerthrowing ashall over it's as of now beautiful difficult foryou to see where you're goingyou utilize your hands to wave off a few ofthe smoke and fiery remains flying around yourfacebut it's futile you keep sprinting asfast as you canuntil you spot a gigantic truck fair parkright there within the center of the roadyou creep underneath it's one of thosetrucks that has like20 wheels they see so huge and heavy upclosethen you listen a squeaking sound and ahumming soundthe wheels they see mysterious gracefullythey startlifting off the ground as in the event that the truck'spart of somevegas enchantment act as the tornado getscloserthe wheels rise higher better to be faraway from here when the truck smashesback down to earthyou slither out and keep running you finda comfort store to require cover inmaking beyond any doubt not to stand as well near tothe glassyou head as distant into the store as youcan prepared to hold up this thing outbut all around you the arrive is burningthis fiery tornado is a beast and it'scharging towards you you see out in thedistance and see another fire tornadowrecking another portion of the city inorder for a tornado to make it needsopen spacethat's why many of the tornadoes you seeon the news happen within the same portion ofthe u.swhere there aren't numerous mountains andit's pleasant and flatbut of course they can happen anywhereit's not ordinary to see tornadoes in thebustling downtowns of america's biggestcitiesthey need a part of open space for therotating vortex to happenbut today isn't a typical day a tornadoforms in a supercell thunderstormthat's after you have two different airtemperatures going at itthe vortex you see in tornadoes formswhen warm discuss and moisturecome in from over underneath could be a messthe conclusion result the gigantic winding funnelcloud we see in each tornado moviemeteorologists can foresee tornadoessomewhatby checking the sum of dampness inthe airevery second tallies so keep the tv onnext time there's a storm brewing nearyoubut this doesn't truly apply for a firetornadothe winds are getting stronger andyou're feeling the warm indeed interior thestoreoutside spiraling fire hurlers aretorchingeverything in their way it may be toolate to discover an underground shelteryou extemporize a way to help protectyourself by stowing away underneath the cashregisterand now you can't see anything there'sasheverywhere and the windows are allsmashed much obliged tornadoash is one of the most dangerous partsof a fire tornadounless you're not really into breathingor seeingyour best wagered would be to remain as moo asyou can to the groundsince smoke rises there might still bejust sufficient oxygen down therecrawling your way along will avoid youfrom getting struck by any flyingobjects or debristhe fires are presently spreading and there'sa part more smokethe trees exterior have caught fire andthere are shining coals as far as theeye can seethese coals can travel more than a mileand can begin fires on their ownnow that it's truly going insane stuffin the storestarts flying approximately like the smokewasn't awful enoughyou feel like you're interior asnack-filled ejecting volcanoit's as it were a matter of time some time recently thetable you're stowing away beneath will getpulled up into the airthe sound inside the store is intenselike sitting following to a fly engineyou can't tell in case you're sweating fromthe warm or from adrenalinebut abruptly you see someone at theother conclusion of the storewaving at you attempting to tell yousomething they have anunderground capacity room you're savedbut getting there's planning to be a realproblemyou see the table screws getting loosegetting ready to fly into the airyou find a bottle of water next to youand tear a chunk of cloth from your shirtby employing a damp cloth you're able tofilter out a few of the awful stuff inthe discuss to assist you keep breathingso you creep your way out fromunderneath the tableand make your way to the undergroundstorage room but the ground is coveredwith brokenglass and there are cans and stuffeverywhereeven the cans are beginning to warm upyou slither like a slothtrying to avoid anything indicating thefire tornado is still out thereand it's getting indeed closer you finallymake itand the receptionist pulls you down the stairsit's darkbut there's a single battery-poweredlamp to assist you seewhen it comes to fire tornadoes it'sbest to fair hold up it outmost of these
Beatrice OkoroPublished 4 months ago in ProofOasis
20 Feb 23 Arriving at 11:20 am on a Monday, I am surprised at the crowd in the relatively small establishment on University Avenue in the northwest side of town, and accordingly, the lack of parking. Granted, it's February in Fairbanks, so parking in most lots becomes a lawless wasteland. Plus, it's President's' Day, to boot; while I wait for my dog to potentially get his tail amputated, I am reminded I am likely not the only one with time to burn on the holiday afternoon.
Christopher "Ski" GanczewskiPublished 4 months ago in ProofHot Buttered Rum
Trying to write a Whodunit for the next Vocal challenge is making me thirsty. So while I struggle to channel my inner Agatha Christie, I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to my new favorite adult beverage for the holidays. Move over eggnog! It’s time to sing the praises of hot buttered rum! It sounds like a granny drink because it is. It's a classic, dating back to the Colonial period. The drink was also very popular in the 1940's.
Leslie WritesPublished 4 months ago in ProofMESSI AND RONALDO
The perennial debate over who is the greatest footballer of all time invariably revolves around two names: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Fans worldwide engage in passionate arguments, often defending their chosen icon with unwavering loyalty. This heated debate extends beyond mere statistics, delving into playing styles, influence on the game, and intangible qualities that make each player unique.
jacob gamilaPublished 4 months ago in ProofBrewing Perfection
In the world of coffee enthusiasts, the quest for the perfect cup extends beyond just the beans themselves—it's about the brewing process. The Cuisinart Single Serve Coffee Maker with an integrated coffee grinder, boasting a 48-ounce removable reservoir in sleek black, and the L'OR Barista System Coffee and Espresso Machine Combo by Philips, represent a fusion of innovation and convenience. Additionally, the Cuisinart Single Serve 72-Ounce Reservoir Coffee Machine in polished stainless steel, equipped with programmable brewing and a hot water dispenser, exemplifies sophistication. Each of these coffee machines not only promises a flavorful brew but also offers unique features, setting the stage for a personalized coffee experience that transcends the ordinary.
Kathryn McCarthyPublished 4 months ago in ProofPhotography: Capturing Moments, Creating Art
Introduction Photography, an art form that encapsulates moments, emotions, and beauty, is a medium loved and cherished by many. It goes beyond capturing mere images; it's about telling stories, preserving memories, and expressing creativity.
eternalwigsPublished 5 months ago in ProofThings you do wrong every day
We all have a few bad habits that can make everyday tasks more challenging than necessary. Many of these habits go unnoticed, leading us to do things incorrectly without realizing it. From the way we shower to charging our phones and even using the bathroom, it's time to discover some common mistakes in our daily routines.
Twiine IvanPublished 5 months ago in ProofThe Big bang never occurred - so what did?
The Big bang never occurred - so what did? one more chapter in this endless story. Inestimable advancement without folklore
TikTok's Polarizing Mermaid Sighting Video Sparks Debate
In the vast expanse of the internet, a video has surfaced, capturing the attention and imagination of millions, as it claims to unveil a sighting of a mermaid. The debate surrounding its authenticity has ignited a digital firestorm, with viewers split between believers and skeptics. As the video continues to circulate, it prompts us to delve deeper into the details, scrutinizing the clues and unraveling the mysteries it presents.
Deciphering cell fate: Identification of the crucial stem cell switch mechanism
Differentiating stem cells can replace damaged and dying cells. However, how can stem cells choose which kind of cell to form in a particular circumstance? The team of Bon-Kyoung Koo at IMBA and the Institute for Basic Science discovered a new gene, Daam1, using intestinal organoids. Daam1 is crucial because it turns on the formation of secretory cells in the intestine. This discovery, which was published in Science Advances on November 24, offers fresh insights into the study of cancer.
Francis DamiPublished 5 months ago in Proof