offensive arms. start will have a duration of 15 years, unless it is superseded by a subsequent agreement. if the sides agree, the treaty may be extended for successive 5 - year periods beyond the 15 years. noncircumvention and third countries start prohibits the transfer of strategic offensive arms to third countries, except that the treaty will not interfere with existing patterns of cooperation. in addition, the treaty prohibits the permanent basing of strategic offensive arms outside the national territory of each side. air - launched cruise missiles ( alcm ' s ) start does not directly count or limit alcm ' s. alcm ' s are limited indirectly through their association with heavy bombers. - - only nuclear - armed alcm ' s with a range in excess of 600 km are covered by start. - - long - range, conventionally armed alcm ' s that are distinguishable from nuclear - armed alcm ' s are not affected. - - long - range nuclear - armed alcm ' s may not be located at air bases for heavy bombers not accountable as being equipped for such alcm ' s. - - multiple warhead long - range nuclear alcm ' s are banned. sea launched cruise missiles ( slcm ' s ) slcms are not constrained by the treaty. however, each side has made a politically binding declaration as to its plans for the deployment of nuclear - armed slcm ' s. conventionally - armed slcm ' s are not subject to such a declaration. - - each side will make an annual declaration of the maximum number of nuclear - armed slcm ' s with a range greater than 600 km that it plans to deploy for each of the following 5 years. - - this number will not be greater than 880 long - range nuclear - armed slcm ' s. - - in addition, as a confidence building measure, nuclear - armed slcm ' s with a range of 300 - 600 km will be the subject of a confidential annual data exchange. the soviet backfire bomber is not constrained by the treaty. however, the soviet side has made a politically binding declaration that it will not deploy more than 800 air force and 200 naval backfire bombers, and that these bombers will not be given intercontinental capability. the start agreement consists of the treaty document itself and a number of associated documents. together they total more than 700 pages. the treaty was signed in a public ceremony by presidents bush and gorbachev in st. vladimir ' s hall in the kremlin. the associated documents were signed in a private ceremony at novo


associated documents. together they total more than 700 pages. the treaty was signed in a public ceremony by presidents bush and gorbachev in st. vladimir ' s hall in the kremlin. the associated documents were signed in a private ceremony at novo ogaryevo, president gorbachev ' s weekend dacha. seven of these documents were signed by presidents bush and gorbachev. three associated agreements were signed by secretary baker and foreign minister bessmertnykh. in addition, the start negotiators, ambassadors brooks and nazarkin, exchanged seven letters related to start in a separate event at the soviet ministry of foreign affairs in moscow. magnitude of start - - accountable reductions following is the aggregate data from the memorandum of understanding, based upon agreed counting rules in start. ( because of those counting rules, the number of heavy bomber weapons actually deployed may be higher than the number shown in the aggregate. ) this data is effective as of september 1990 ( table start ) and will be updated at entry into force : delivery vehicles.... 2, 246.... 2, 500 warheads.... 10, 563.... 10, 271 ballistic missile warheads.... 8, 210.... 9, 416 heavy icbm ' s / warheads.... none.... 308 / 3080 throw - weight ( metric tons ).... 2, 361. 3.... 6, 626. 3 as a result of the treaty, the above values will be reduced by the following percentages : delivery vehicles.... 29 percent.... 36 percent warheads.... 43 percent.... 41 percent ballistic missile warheads.... 40 percent.... 48 percent heavy icbm ' s / warheads.... none.... 50 percent throw - weight ( metric tons ).... none.... 46 percent


common core catholic identity initiative a national working group has begun the common core catholic identity initiative ( cccii ) to develop and disseminate resources and guidelines to assist catholic elementary and secondary schools in integrating elements of catholic identity ( catholic values, scripture, church social teachings, encyclicals, etc. ) into curriculum and instruction based on the common core state standards. the initial phase of cccii focuses on k - 8 english / language arts / literacy. resources for other subjects and for 9 - 12 curriculum will be developed in later phases. forty - six states have agreed to adopt the common core state standards, a set of high quality k - 12 learning standards that includes rigorous content and application of knowledge using higher - order thinking skills, leading students to college and career readiness. currently, catholic schools are assessing what the implications of the standards and accompanying assessments may be for them. while catholic schools have their own local or diocesan standards, their ability to continue to provide high - quality education for their students is compelling them to consider adoption of the common core standards. catholic schools will be impacted as curriculum resources and professional development opportunities become aligned with common core state standards by producers of instructional materials, college teacher preparation programs, or regulations for participation in the federal programs that currently benefit their students and teachers. within this environment, maintaining the uniqueness and integrity of the catholic school will require integrating the demands of their mission and the academic expectations of their constituents and the wider education community. to assist catholic schools with enhancing catholic identity integrated into the curriculum, the common core catholic identity initiative ( cccii ) has been launched as a collaborative project involving catholic universities, corporations and sponsors invested in catholic education, and the national catholic educational association ( ncea ). the common core catholic identity initiative has two goals : - to empower catholic schools and dioceses to design and direct the implementation of the common core standards within the culture and context of a catholic school curriculum - to infuse the common core standards with the faith / principles / values / social justice themes inherent in the mission and catholic identity of the school. the cccii project aims to accomplish its goals by creating a process and a product : phase 1 : gather approximately 35 practitioners and curriculum and catechetics experts to pilot a cccii ela unit development process to be shared with the larger catholic educational community. ( june 2012 ) phase 2 : revise and refine the unit development process so that it can be replicated in dioceses around the country. phase 3 : invite participation in development of additional ccci


instructors : andrea dykstra, curt van dam, kelli ten haken and tami de jong 1. students will gain interest in the unit on alaska. 2. students will be introduced to alaska and the iditarod race that takes place in alaska every year. 3. students will be able to appreciate the beauty of godis creation in alaska. 4. students will be able to see godis majesty and power in their personal experiences. in this lesson, the students will discuss what they know about alaska. they will watch a movie and then discuss how god shows his power and majesty through creation. next, they will be introduced to the iditarod race by reading a story and then the teachers will explain the game the students will play about the iditarod through the unit. at the end of class, students will have a chance to start work on their maps of alaska and then the teachers will end in closing prayer. - psalm 19 : 1 - the heavens declare the glory of god ; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. - other scripture references that can be used through out the unit : the creation story in gen. 1 and 2 alaska : spirit of the wild 2. dvd player 5. learning center and trade books 6. example of the iditarod game 7. book : iditarod dream by ted wood 8. overhead projector, overhead and pen 9. construction paper 10. markers, crayons, colored pencils 1. on the first day of this unit, teachers should enter the room dressed in parkas, snowshoes, scarves, mittens ; anything that looks like what people in alaska would wear. motion for the student to sit down. once they are quiet, ask them where they think the teachers are from and how they came to this conclusion. we would expect conclusions such as the artic, antarctica, and possibly alaska. 2. have students take out a sheet of paper and write five things down that come to their minds when they think of alaska. have them get into groups of three and share what they wrote with their group. the students will be encouraged to share the combined ideas from their group with the whole class. the teacher will write down these ideas on the overhead. 3. explain to the students that they are going to be learning about all of these of these things and even more about alaska in the upcoming unit. 4. have each student write down one or two things about alaska they would like to know more about. suggest ideas such as : what sports do


going to be learning about all of these of these things and even more about alaska in the upcoming unit. 4. have each student write down one or two things about alaska they would like to know more about. suggest ideas such as : what sports do they play in alaska? how many people live there? is it really cold and snowy year round? take these ideas into consideration when planning the rest of the unit. 1. put in the dvd alaska : sprit of the wild. students will watch the movie. it is forty minutes long. before they watch it, share with them the beauty that can be found in alaska. tell them to look specifically for how they can see god in the things that are shown on the film. 2. after the movie, discuss with the students what they thought of the movie. ask them questions such as what surprised you about this film? what did you learn about alaska that you didnit know before? what can we discover about god by watching this movie? how can we get to know god better by studying alaska? 3. read psalm 19 : 1 aloud. read it again, this time have the students say it after you. ask them how this verse relates to alaska. hopefully they will make the connection that creation shouts godis praise. alaska is so beautiful ; this reflects on godis majesty, creativity and mercy. god loves us enough to give us beautiful creation simply so we can enjoy it. we can see his fingerprints in alaska. 4. read psalm 8 aloud. again, ask them how this verse relates to alaska. they will probably have similar responses as above in step three. share a personal experience of how he / she has seen godis power and majesty in his creation. - for example, this is my own experience ; you could share something similar to it : one time i climbed the highpoint of colorado with my dad. we started hiking before the sun was up. as we were walking along the ridge of the mountain, the sun began to rise ; the colors were brilliant! we kept on hiking and hiking. i was getting tired and hungry but soon we came close to the top. as i climbed up the last little peak and the top of the mountain, i looked out and the view was breathtaking!!! i had never seen so many snow capped mountains before. sitting up there on the mountaintop, i felt such a joy and peace. what a great god i serve! he created all of this ; his creation alone is enough to tell of his majesty. 5. ask


so many snow capped mountains before. sitting up there on the mountaintop, i felt such a joy and peace. what a great god i serve! he created all of this ; his creation alone is enough to tell of his majesty. 5. ask the students if any of them have had an experience like this ; encourage them to share if they would like. 6. encourage them to find other verses that could relate to our study of alaska and bring them to class tomorrow to share. 1. introduce the iditarod race the studentis will be learning about by reading the book iditarod dream by ted wood. as you are reading, stop periodically through out the book and ask them to jot down a few of their thoughts. at the end of the book ask them to share a few thoughts they wrote down about the book. 2. introduce the game the students will be playing throughout the unit. tell the students they will be having their own iditarod race in the classroom. each student will make a map of alaska on construction paper. on this map, they will draw the trail of the iditarod race. they will have to map out the different checkpoints of the race on their trails. it is their job to find out how many miles are between each checkpoint and how many miles they can travel in one day. 3. each day the students will move their markers on their maps how ever many miles we decide as a class they can travel in one day. every morning the students will receive a draceris fatee card. these cards will say various things such as, dyour dog has broken a leg, move back twenty milese, or d you have found an extra bundle of food on the trail, move ahead twelve milese. the students will have to keep track of where they are on the trail on their own maps and on a large map on the classroom bulletin board. 4. each afternoon, students will have an opportunity to receive another card if they got their homework done on time that day. this card could be good or bad, but the students get to decide if they want to take it. 5. this activity will be incorporated into language arts. the students will be keeping a race journal. as they play this game they can write their feelings about the race in the journal as if they were an actual racer. 6. this game will also be incorporated into math. students will need to do calculations to play the game correctly. they will also discover how to find median, mean and using the game


the race in the journal as if they were an actual racer. 6. this game will also be incorporated into math. students will need to do calculations to play the game correctly. they will also discover how to find median, mean and using the game. 1. the students will begin making their maps of alaska for the iditarod game. the outline of the map of alaska will be projected on the overhead so the students have something to follow when they draw. copies of the outline of this map will be available for students to trace if they do not want to draw the map freehand. 2. the students can use crayons or colored pencils to make their maps on. 3. the trail outline and check points will be labeled on the overhead map, but the students will need to research how many miles are in between each check point in a later class 1. read psalm 8 one more time and end in prayer, thanking god for his creativity that is evident in all of creation, especially as it has been seen in alaska today. 1. students can do more research about the real iditarod race on the internet. 2. students can read one of the many books about alaska set up in the learning center. 3. students can complete any activity set up in the learning center, including : math story problems, language arts writing activities, and social studies and science 1. observe how much students participate in the lesson. have one teacher walk around with a checklist and put checks by the names of the students who are on task and participating by sharing, asking questions, diligently listening. 2. observe how diligently students work on their maps. check the next day to see if they have completed them. give them a check if they are finished and are done lesson plans unit outline home page trade books learning center


young kids may be able to unbuckle car seats survey of parents finds some kids may be unbuckling while car is in motion may 2, 2011 - - children as young as 1 year old can unbuckle themselves from car safety seats, a new survey of parents finds. " we found that children can unbuckle from their child car safety seats by their fourth birthday, and there is an alarming 43 % who do so when the car is in motion, " says researcher lilia reyes, md, a clinical fellow in pediatric emergency medicine at the yale school of medicine in new haven. " it was reported as early as 12 months. " the findings are being presented at the pediatric academic societies annual meeting in denver. child car seats : how secure? while working in the pediatric emergency room at yale, reyes encountered two different mothers who had minor car accidents. they told her it happened when they turned their heads around after discovering their kids had unbuckled themselves. trying to determine how frequently it happened, she and her colleagues from yale surveyed 378 parents of young children. among the other findings : - 51 % or about 191 families reported that at least one of their children had unbuckled their car seats. of these, 75 % were age 3 or younger. the youngest was 12 months old. - boys unbuckled more than girls ; 59 % of the kids who unbuckled were boys. parents were not asked if they were sure they had buckled correctly, reyes tells webmd. so there is a possibility the children weren ' t buckled in correctly. but parents do typically hear a click, like a seat safety belt, when the buckle latches, she says. the problem, she says, is that while children may be able to physically unbuckle the seat, they are just beginning, at around age 3, to develop reasoning skills to appreciate the consequences of unbuckling. parents used seats of various types. they included the five - point harness, convertible seats, and booster seats, depending on their child ' s age and weight. are car seats really buckled? ' ' this study raises questions about how the child restraint was used, " says lorrie walker, training manager and technical advisor for safe kids usa, an advocacy group. " federal motor vehicle safety standard 213 requires the buckle to release using between 9 and 14 pounds of pressure, " she says. " it is often challenging for an adult to unbuckle the harness. " she wonders if the buckle was not adequately locked in some cases. " a


tornadoes are the most intense storms on the planet, and they ’ re never discussed without at least some mention of the term wind shear. many of us sitting at home, though, have no idea what wind shear is, or if we do, how it affects tornado production. what is wind shear wind shear, although it might sound complex, is a simple concept. wind shear is merely the change in wind with height, in terms of wind direction and speed. i think that we all understand that the wind is generally stronger in the atmosphere over our heads than it is here on the ground, and if we think of the atmosphere in terms of the three dimensions that it has, it should not be surprising that the wind above us might also be blowing from a different direction than the wind at the ground. when that happens – the wind speed and direction vary with height – wind shear is occurring. wind shear and supercell thunderstorms this wind shear is an important part of the process in the development of a supercell thunderstorm, from which the vast majority of strong tornadoes form. all thunderstorms are produced by a powerful updraft – a surge of air that rises from the ground into the upper levels of the atmosphere, and when this updraft forms in an area where wind shear is present, the updraft is influence by this speed and different direction of the wind above, pushing the column of air in the updraft into a more vertical alignment. rain ’ s influence on tornado production needless to say, thunderstorms typically produce very heavy rain, and rain - cooled air is much heavier than the warm air of the updraft, so the rain - cooled air, produces a compensating downdraft ( what comes up, must come down ). this downdraft pushes the part of the rotating air that was forced in its direction by the stronger wind aloft downward, and the result is a horizontal column of rotating air. that ’ s not a tornado! i know what you ’ re thinking that you ’ ve seen enough tlc or discovery channel shows to know that a horizontal column of air is not a tornado ; you need a vertical column of air. this can be a tornado you ’ re right, but remember the updraft that is driving the thunderstorm is still working, and it ’ s able to pull the horizontal, spinning column of air into the thunderstorm, resulting in a vertical column of spinning air. ( noaa image showing vertical column of air in a supercel


reversal of fortune to unlock the vast, untapped potential of the world ’ s drylands, we must learn from the people who live in them, says dr jonathan davies. drylands are a major global biome, home to a great diversity of species and some of our most treasured natural heritage. they are also home to over 2 billion people and in the developing world in particular they are associated with poverty and social inequity. global development and environment goals are not being met in the drylands : by 2015 many dryland regions are set to fail to achieve the millennium development goals, whilst progress towards the goals and objectives of the un environmental conventions ( the convention to combat desertification and the convention on biological diversity in particular ) is generally poor. recent experiences in the drylands of emerging countries, such as china and india, illustrate that economic development in drylands can outpace that in areas that are usually considered “ high potential ”. although development is often associated with degradation, experiences in sub saharan africa illustrate that economic development can be greatly enhanced through protection of biodiversity as a source of income. by taking an even broader, global view of drylands and examining industrialised dryland countries, it becomes clear that for every seemingly - insurmountable challenge we are able to find evidence of a viable solution somewhere in the world. to address the challenges of the drylands, we need to understand their unique features and how these have to be managed. perhaps the most important of these is climate unpredictability : the amount of precipitation varies enormously between areas, between seasons and between years. the sheer magnitude of this uncertainty is hard to grasp, but in many drylands the normal range of rainfall, drought - years aside, can be plus or minus 50 % of the average. yet development in many water - deficit areas continues to favour agricultural practices that expose farmers to huge risks whilst simultaneously degrading the natural resource base on which they depend. climate change is a cause for concern in dryland areas, but also an opportunity for new approaches and new learning that illustrate the value of dryland areas. dryland ecosystems and people are highly adaptable and can survive in their uncertain climate.. whether drylands become wetter or drier as a result of climate change, they will almost invariably become more unpredictable and their adaptive capacity will be vital to their future. drylands more than any other ecosystem have the capacity to deal with that unpredictability and we have a great deal to learn from them. contrary to popular perception, drylands


become more unpredictable and their adaptive capacity will be vital to their future. drylands more than any other ecosystem have the capacity to deal with that unpredictability and we have a great deal to learn from them. contrary to popular perception, drylands are not necessarily poverty traps. dryland ecosystems and their goods and services already contribute significantly to national and international economies. the vibrant tourism sector in eastern and southern africa relies heavily on the biodiversity of drylands. globally - important dryland commodities include grain, meat and milk and dryland goods like gum arabic, henna, aloe, and frankincense. recent years have seen the commercial development of natural medicines from drylands, and untold numbers of medicinal plants remain un - researched, known only to the dryland inhabitants who have used and conserved them for centuries. local knowledge of the drylands is rich and is a powerful resource to be harnessed. there has been a tendency to dismiss this knowledge, because local dryland practices have been portrayed as backward or inappropriate and in need of replacing. the current emergency in the horn of africa graphically illustrates the outcome of this attitude : populations are exposed to insupportable risk as a result of losing their traditional strategies and being pushed into new ways of life that simply don ’ t work. where people are driven towards catastrophe it is almost guaranteed that the environment will face similar consequences. customs and cultures that are intimately connected to biodiversity become contorted into a system of pure survival where respect for the environment becomes an unaffordable luxury. the scientific explanation of the rationale behind traditional strategies has been known for long enough to develop innovative new approaches to sustainable drylands management. development support has to enable management of the extreme climatic uncertainty of drylands and needs to be built on understanding of the drivers of continuous change in dryland ecosystems. these are dynamic ecosystems in which adaptation and flexibility are pre - requisites for survival. we need to learn from past failures and successes and ensure that development and humanitarian interventions recognize dryland characteristics and build on local knowledge and capacity to turn the existing opportunities into equitable and sustainable wealth creation. in particular we need to generate greater awareness of the tremendous opportunities for strengthening biodiversity - based livelihoods to diversify dryland economies and strengthen resilience. iucn ’ s vision 2020 emphasizes the need to strengthen the union ’ s work on conserving the diversity of life while also connecting nature conservation to wider societal objectives such as security and poverty reduction. this vision cannot be reached if we fail to understand and address the unique challenges


| retinal pigment epithelium ( rpe ) detachment signs and symptoms in most instances, serous detachment of the rpe occurs asymptomatically. only in those cases in which the macula is affected will patients report blurred vision, metamorphopsia, micropsia, or positive scotomas. other associated clinical findings may include induced hyperopia and delayed retinal recovery time on the photostress test. most individuals with rpe detachment are male, between the ages of 20 and 60 years. the history often reveals predisposing or concurrent ocular conditions such as macular degeneration, idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy ( icsc ), angioid streaks, presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome ( pohs ), or hereditary choroidal degeneration. in other cases, the condition occurs idiopathically. rpe detachment appears ophthalmoscopically as single or multiple, well - circumscribed round or oval lesions within the posterior fundus. the lesions are typically dome - shaped with slight elevation and appear yellow to orange in color. a reddish " halo " is often seen around the base of the detachment, and overlying pigment defects such as clumping or mottling are commonplace. lesions may vary in size from one - fifth to over 5 disc diameters ( dd ), but most are less than 1 dd. fluorescein and indocyanine green ( icg ) angiography show early hyperfluorescence of the entire rpe detachment, which persists throughout the angiogram demonstrating late pooling. leakage into the sensory retina occurs only in cases of concurrent serous retinal detachment. rpe detachment is a non - specific anatomical alteration that may result from any number of choroidal disorders that disrupt the normal junction between the basement membrane of the rpe and the inner collagenous layer of bruchs membrane. this disruption permits serous fluid from the underlying choriocapillaris to gain access into the sub - rpe space. age - related macular degeneration, choroidal neovascular membranes, high myopia, angioid streaks, hereditary choroidal degeneration, pohs, and tumors of the choroid have all been identified as precipitating conditions in the development of rpe detachment. idiopathic cases are sometimes associated with icsc ; some believe these two conditions to represent


##al degeneration, pohs, and tumors of the choroid have all been identified as precipitating conditions in the development of rpe detachment. idiopathic cases are sometimes associated with icsc ; some believe these two conditions to represent a continuum of a similar underlying pathology. uncomplicated idiopathic serous detachments of the rpe often resolve spontaneously, however, those associated with more generalized damage to the choriocapillaris may be complicated by hemorrhage, choroidal neovascular membrane formation, and disciform scarring. most patients under the age of 55 who present with small serous rpe detachments without evidence of other retinal or choroidal disease enjoy an excellent prognosis without intervention. this is particularly true if the lesion is outside of the fovea and there is no associated subretinal fluid. older patients who manifest rpe detachment without angiographic evidence of a choroidal neovascular membrane have a 25 - 30 percent chance of developing such membranes during their lifetime, and therefore warrant careful observation as well as weekly home monitoring with an amsler grid. those patients over the age of 55 who present with associated choroidal neovascular membranes and / or hemorrhagic rpe detachments have an exceedingly poor visual prognosis. focal laser photocoagulation is indicated for these patients. approximately 90 percent of cases of rpe detachment have or will manifest concurrent serous retinal detachment over the natural history of the disorder. in cases of idiopathic rpe detachment, a striking similarity with icsc is seen in the predisposed patient population ; i. e. male, average age of 44 years, and a moderate to severe emotional stress level. the presentation of rpe detachment is quite characteristic. nonetheless, one must be sure to rule out other conditions that may appear similar from an ophthalmoscopic perspective. these include : icsc, malignant melanoma, metastatic carcinoma, choroidal hemangioma, and bests disease ( vitelliform dystrophy ). history and angiography are the most helpful factors in making this rpe detachment in patients over 55 years of age should be considered secondary to choroidal neovascular membrane, rather than idiopathic, until proven otherwise. prompt fluorescein angiography is mandatory in these cases. other reports in this section


first - you might want to redefine you search. are you looking for happiness or rather positive affect? happiness is fairly ambigious term, and it ' s much more associated with positive psychology studies on well - being. if you are interested in more global definition of happiness, check the work of mihaly csikszentmihalyi. on the other hand, there is a large number of studies on physiological measurements of positive affect. one such physiological measurement is electromyography ( emg ) - recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. emg will detect very brief smiles or higher activity in cheek muscles ( zygomaticus major ) which are correlated with positive affect. there is quite classic ( but very quoted ) paper on that : cacioppo jt, petty re, losch me, kim hs. ( 1986 ) electromyographic activity over facial muscle regions can differentiate the valence and intensity of affective reactions. j pers soc psychol., 50 ( 2 ) : 260 - 8. download another simple physiological assesment is heart rate measured by the interbeat interval ( ibi ). for example, study by brosschot & thayer ( 2003 ) shows that heart rate response is longer after negative emotions than after positive emotions. brosschot jf, thayer jf. ( 2003 ) heart rate response is longer after negative emotions than after positive emotions. int j psychophysiol., in fact, the full spectrum of somatic measurements have been used along heart rate including pulse transmission time to the finger, skin conductance level or pupil dilation ( partala, 2003 ). all those are a bit less reliable methods and usually they detect arousal rather then indicate physiological differences between positive and negative affect. partala t. ; surakka v. ( 2003 ) pupil size variation as an indication of affective processing. international journal of human - computer studies, finally, i would advise browsing literature on measurements of negative affect. you are likely to find some interesting methods there, like in this paper on the psychophysiology of crying ( gross et al., 1994 ). gross jj, frederickson bl, levenson rw. ( 1994 ) the psychophysiology of crying. psychophysiology, 31 ( 5 ) : 460 - 8. download


is this bone a neanderthal flute? cave bear femur fragment from slovenia, 43 + kya doubts aired over neanderthal bone ' flute ' ( and reply by musicologist bob fink ) science news 153 ( april 4, 1998 ) : 215. by b. bower amid much media fanfare, a research team in 1996 trumpeted an ancient, hollowed out bear bone pierced on one side with four complete or partial holes as the earliest known musical instrument. the perforated bone, found in an eastern european cave, represents a flute made and played by neandertals at least 43, 000 ye us ago, the scientists contended. now it ' s time to stop the music, say two archaeologists who examined the purported flute last spring. on closer inspection, the bone appears to have been punctured and gnawed by the teeth of an animal - - perhaps a wolf - - as it stripped the limb of meat and marrow report, april nowell and philip g. chase, both of the university of pennsylvania in philadelphia. " the bone was heavily chewed by one or more carnivores, creating holes that became more rounded due to natural processes after burial, " nowell says. " it provides very weak evidence for the origins of [ stone age ] music. " nowell presented the new analysis at the annual meeting of the paleoanthropology society in seattle last week. nowell and chase examined the bone with the permission of its discoverer, ivan turk of the slovenian academy of sciences in ljubljana ( s. n. : 11 / 23 / 96, p. 328 ). turk knows of their conclusion but still views the specimen as a flute. both open ends of the thighbone contain clear signs of gnawing by carnivores, nowell asserts. wolves and other animals typically bite off nutrient - rich tissue at the ends of limb bones and extract available marrow. if neandertals had hollowed out the bone and fashioned holes in it, animals would not have bothered to gnaw it, she says. complete and partial holes on the bone ' s shaft were also made by carnivores, says nowell. carnivores typically break open bones with their scissor like cheek teeth. uneven bone thickness and signs of wear along the borders of the holes, products of extended burial in the soil, indicate that openings made by cheek teeth were at first less rounded and slightly smaller, the researchers hold. moreover, the simultaneous pressure of an upper and


bone thickness and signs of wear along the borders of the holes, products of extended burial in the soil, indicate that openings made by cheek teeth were at first less rounded and slightly smaller, the researchers hold. moreover, the simultaneous pressure of an upper and lower tooth produced a set of opposing holes, one partial and one complete, they maintain. prehistoric, carnivore - chewed bear bones in two spanish caves display circular punctures aligned in much the same way as those on the slovenian find. in the march antiquity, francesco d ' errico of the institute of quaternary prehistory and geology in talence, france, and his colleagues describe the spanish bones. in a different twist, bob fink, an independent musicologist in canada, has reported on the internet ( http : / / www. webster. sk. ca / greenwich / fl - compl. htm ) that the spacing of the two complete and two partial holes on the back of the slovenian bone conforms to musical notes on the diatonic ( do, re, mi... ) scale. the bone is too short to incorporate the diatonic scale ' s seven notes, counter nowell and chase. working with pennsylvania musicologist robert judd, they estimate that the find ' s 5. 7 - inch length is less than half that needed to cover the diatonic spectrum. the recent meeting presentation is " a most convincing analysis, " comments j. desmond clark of the university of california, berkeley, although it ' s possible that neandertals blew single notes through carnivore - chewed holes in the bone. " we can ' t exclude that possibility, " nowell responds. " but it ' s a big leap of faith to conclude that this was an intentionally constructed flute. " to the editor, science news ( reply by bob fink, may 1998 ) ( see an update of this discussion on bob fink ' s web site, november 2000 ) the doubts raised by nowell and chase ( april 4th, doubts aired over neanderthal bone ' flute ' ) saying the neanderthal bone is not a flute have these weaknesses : the alignment of the holes - - all in a row, and all of equivalent diameter, appear to be contrary to most teeth marks, unless some holes were made independently by several animals. the latter case boggles the odds for the holes ending up being in line. it also would be strange that animals homed in on this one bone in a cave full of bones, where no reports of


some holes were made independently by several animals. the latter case boggles the odds for the holes ending up being in line. it also would be strange that animals homed in on this one bone in a cave full of bones, where no reports of similarly chewed bones have been made. this claim is harder to believe when it is calculated that chances for holes to be arranged, by chance, in a pattern that matches the spacings of 4 notes of a diatonic flute, are only one in hundreds to occur. the analysis i made on the internet ( http : / / www. webster. sk. ca / greenwich / fl - compl. htm ) regarding the bone being capable of matching 4 notes of the do, re, mi ( diatonic ) scale included the possibility that the bone was extended with another bone " mouthpiece " sufficiently long to make the notes sound fairly in tune. while nowell says " it ' s a big leap of faith to conclude that this was an intentionally constructed flute, " it ' s a bigger leap of faith to accept the immense coincidence that animals blindly created a hole - spacing pattern with holes all in line ( in what clearly looks like so many other known bone flutes which are made to play notes in a step - wise scale ) and blindly create a pattern that also could play a known acoustic scale if the bone was extended. that ' s too much coincidence for me to accept. it is more likely that it is an intentionally made flute, although admittedly with only the barest of clues regarding its original condition. the 5. 7 inch figure your article quoted appears erroneous, as the centimeter scale provided by its discoverer, ivan turk, indicates the artifact is about 4. 3 inches long. however, the unbroken femur would originally have been about 8. 5 inches, and the possibility of an additional hole or two exists, to complete a full scale, perhaps aided by the possible thumbhole. however, the full diatonic spectrum is not required as indicated by nowell and chase : it could also have been a simpler ( but still diatonic ) 4 or 5 note scale. such short - scale flutes are plentiful in homo sapiens history. finally, a worn - out or broken flute bone can serve as a scoop for manipulation of food, explaining why animals might chew on its ends later. it is also well - known that dogs chase and maul even sticks, despite their non - nutritional nature. what appears " weak " is not the case for a flute,


for manipulation of food, explaining why animals might chew on its ends later. it is also well - known that dogs chase and maul even sticks, despite their non - nutritional nature. what appears " weak " is not the case for a flute, but the case against it by nowell and chase. letter to the editor : antiquity journal : " a bone to pick " by bob fink i have a bone to pick with francesco d ' errico ' s viewpoint in the march issue of antiquity ( article too long to reproduce here ) regarding the neanderthal flute found in slovenia by ivan turk. d ' errico argues the bone artifact is not a flute. d ' errico omits dealing with the best evidence that this bone find is a flute. regarding the most important evidence, that of the holes being lined up, neither d ' errico nor turk make mention of this. this line - up is remarkable especially if they were made by more than one carnivore, which apparently they ' d have to be, based on turk ' s analysis of the center - spans of the holes precluding their being made by a single carnivore or bite ( turk, * pp. 171 - 175 ). to account for this possible difficulty, some doubters do mention " one or more " carnivores ( chase & nowell, science news 4 / 4 / 98 ). my arguments over the past year pointed out the mathematical odds of the lining up of the holes occurring by chance - chewing are too difficult to believe. the appendix in my essay ( " neanderthal flute - - a musicological analysis " ) proves that the number of ways a set of 4 random holes could be differently spaced ( to produce an audibly different set of tones ) are 680 ways. the chances a random set would match the existing fragment ' s spacing [ which also could produce a match to four diatonic notes of the scale ] are therefore only one in hundreds. if, in calculating the odds, you also allowed the holes to be out of line, or to be less than 4 holes as well, then the chance of a line - up match is only one from many tens of thousands. and yet randomness and animal bites still are acceptable to account for holes being in line that could also play some notes of the scale? this is too much coincidence for me to believe occurred by chance. d ' errico mentions my essay in his article and what he thought it was about, but he overs


for holes being in line that could also play some notes of the scale? this is too much coincidence for me to believe occurred by chance. d ' errico mentions my essay in his article and what he thought it was about, but he overstates my case into being a less believable one. my case simply was that if the bone was long enough ( or a shorter bone extended by a mouthpiece insert ) then the 4 holes would be consistent and in tune with the sounds of do, re, mi, fa ( or flat mi, fa, sol, and flat la in a minor scale ). in the 5 points i list below, extracted from turk ' s monograph in support of this being a flute, d ' errico omits dealing with much of the first, and all of the second, fourth and sixth points. turk & co ' s monograph shows the presence on site of boring tools, and includes experiments made by turk ' s colleague guiliano bastiani who successfully produced similar holes in fresh bone using tools of the type found at the site ( pp. 176 - 78 turk ). they also wrote ( pp. 171 - 75 ) that : 1. the center - to - center distances of the holes in the artifact are smaller than that of the tooth spans of most carnivores. the smallest tooth spans they found were 45mm, and the holes on the bone are 35mm ( or less ) apart ; 2. holes bitten are usually at the ends of bones rather than in the center of them ; 3. there is an absence of dents, scratches and other signs of gnawing and counter - bites on the artifact ; 4. the center - to - center distances do not correspond to the spans of carnivores which could pierce the bone ; 5. the diameters of the holes are greater than that producible by a wolf exerting the greatest jaw pressure it had available - - it ' s doubtful that a wolf ' s jaws would be strong enough ( like a hyena ' s ) to have made the holes, especially in the thickest part of the wall of the artifact. 6. if you accept one or more carnivores, then why did they over - target one bone, when there were so many other bones in the cave site? only about 4. 5 % of the juvenile bones were chewed or had holes, according to turk ( p. 117 ). * turk, ivan ( ed. ) ( 1997 ). mo


the plant collections of the smithsonian institution began with the acquisition of specimens collected by the united states exploring expedition ( 1838 - 1842 ). these formed the foundation of a national herbarium which today numbers 4. 8 million historical plant records, placing it among the world ' s largest and most important. nearly 800, 000 specimen records ( including over 90, 000 type specimens with images ) are currently available in this online catalog. select a tab on this page to search by keyword or selected fields. if you don ' t know what you want to see, you may want to look at the sample records in the quick browse section below. searches are limited to 2000 records and the results are sorted by taxonomic group. if you need to retrieve a larger record set, contact the department of botany ' s data manager. see the help tab to learn more about searching and then exploring your returned results ( sorting, exporting, etc. ). | | sample records from the dc flora collection | | 2205692 2197595 2191752 2175968 2213272 2196389 2200318 2192830 2219158 2200909 2208745 2223985 2175937 2192264 2220376 | | sample records from the botanical type register | | 2119407 2149872 2161549 2790611 2105614 2099734 2134596 2116358 2166713 2151580 2158541 2143664 2097212 2076608 2167306 2121665 2095940 2075490 | | sample records from the wilkes expedition | | 2524597 2705372 2705371 2743367 2699717 2741233 2741229 2733613 2741227 2680776 2741226 2741217 2741216 2687168 2702446 2684992 2680753 2680752 2741176 2741175 2693758 2680751 2678261 enter your keywords separated by spaces and click search. records that match your search terms will be returned. - using parentheses to clarify the logic, you can create complex queries with or and not ( here capital letters are required, otherwise they will be treated as keyword terms ). - you can also use double - quotes to specify terms that should be treated as one. - lastly, you can include the terms image ( s ) or type (


here capital letters are required, otherwise they will be treated as keyword terms ). - you can also use double - quotes to specify terms that should be treated as one. - lastly, you can include the terms image ( s ) or type ( s ) to find records that have images or that are type specimens. note that searching for common ( vernacular ) names may not yield the expected results. associating common names with specimen records is a work in progress. keyword search example : marantaceae ( " new guinea " or australia ) images use the by field search to find specimen data that match values in specific database fields. enter a value or choose one from the dropdown lists. - click the search button to initiate a search. clear resets all fields. - some lists are linked, so for example, choosing a country narrows the choices for province / state / territory, and district / county. dropdown choices also narrow as you type, for example, typing zing in the family field might narrow the choice to zingiberaceae. - note that the province / state dropdown is populated only after you have chosen a country. you can type a province / state without selecting a country. - check only records with images if you want to restrict the search to records with multimedia content. - you will receive a warning when you enter invalid information in the text fields. for example, catalog numbers are composed strictly of letters and numbers ; other characters will raise a warning. the results of your searches can be displayed in grid ( a sortable, customizable table ) or gallery view ( best for reviewing images ). use the switch button to cycle between these views. - you can choose whether to display 5, 10, 20, 50, or 100 records at a time. in sheet view : - click on the scientific name to view the full record. - click on the thumbnail to view larger resolutions of the image. use control + click ( command + click ) to open a new browser tab. in grid view : - you can choose the columns to display from any column ' s dropdown menu ( mouse into a column header and click the dropdown icon ). under columns, click the name to display or hide the field ( you do not need to click the checkbox specifically ). - you can drag a column header to change its order of appearance in the grid. - you can also drag the edge of a column to make it wider or narrower. - click in the expansion ( ) column to view the


checkbox specifically ). - you can drag a column header to change its order of appearance in the grid. - you can also drag the edge of a column to make it wider or narrower. - click in the expansion ( ) column to view the full record. in gallery view : - click the image to view the full record. see exporting results for information on downloading results to, for example, excel or google earth. open the full collection record by clicking the expansion button ( ) in grid view, on the scientific name in sheet view, or anywhere within the image frame in gallery view. inverse expansion buttons ( ) indicate records with multimedia ( typically, images ). - in the record window, metadata for the multimedia content is available when you mouseover the thumbnail. - clicking the thumbnail opens the content in your browser or other appropriate application. - record windows may be resized or moved within the browser window. - you may have up to ten record windows open at any one time. sort results in grid view by clicking the column header ( or by choosing sort from the column ' s dropdown menu ). - sort on multiple columns by consecutively sorting columns in reverse order. for example, to view results sorted by country and province / state, first sort by province / state and then sort again by country. - for any column you can choose to sort in ascending or descending order. export all or selected results by clicking the export results as csv button in the bottom toolbar in grid, or gallery view. - select individual records for export by checking the export selection box ( along the left edge of the grid view grid ). - clear all selections with the clear selections button in the bottom toolbar. - results are exported as comma - separated - values, one record per line, which can be saved to disk or opened directly with applications such as microsoft excel. you can also export all or selected results to a kml file for viewing with google earth or other kml viewers, by clicking the export as kml button. this button is grayed when all or selected results lack latitude / longitude values. to create a link to specific records at nmnh provide the appropriate unit and querystring to : where unit is : - anth, birds, botany, ento, fishes, herps, iz, mammals, ms, or paleo and querystring is ( use a plus - sign to separate words ) : - one or more catalog numbers, e. g. - one or more bar


ento, fishes, herps, iz, mammals, ms, or paleo and querystring is ( use a plus - sign to separate words ) : - one or more catalog numbers, e. g. - one or more barcodes, e. g. - the name of a type specimen, e. g. : - the name of a specimen or object, e. g. : - the name ( qn ) and / or type status ( qt ) of a specimen, and / or its collector ( co ), and / or the collection ( cn ) it is part of, e. g. : ( holotypes whose name includes torre and bartsch collected by webb and part of the henderson collection ) - to open the collections search to a specific search tab, e. g. tabs are numbered left to right, beginning with zero. - iz /? ti = 1 ( invertebrate zoology keywords search ) - mammals /? ti = 3 ( mammals whale collection search ) there are ways to speed up your queries ( or slow them down! ) and to find specific information. - the more specific you make your queries the faster they will execute. using more, rather than fewer, terms will very likely speed up your search. - these following special characters modify the interpretation of search terms ( use with as many other terms as possible to avoid slowing your search ) : - * matches any number of characters, e. g. * pseudo * -? matches a single character, e. g. young? lus frank? -! negates the presence of a term, e. g.! new - ~ matches all terms with the given stem, e. g. ~ spear for spear, spears, spearing, etc. - = match is case - sensitive, e. g. = paris - query results are typically limited to 5000 records. avoid general queries, when you can, that are likely to bring back very large numbers of records, e. g. searching for poaceae. - long running queries are automatically terminated, with no results returned. please use the feedback page to report back any problems you find with the data, or with using these search pages.


bees are vital for pollination. you can buy leafcutter bee houses to attract the bees to your garden. the leaf - cutter bees are solitary and unlike honey bees do not swarm like honey bees so they are little or no danger to humans or pets. bees are vital for pollination. you can buy leafcutter bee houses to attract the bees to your garden. leafcutter bee house. leaf cutter bees like hollow tubes and bamboo are ideal. they also excavate tunnels in flower pots where light gritty compost is used. the female has used the circular cuts to seal off the ends of the chamber, whereas the longer cuts are wrapped around the sides. the adult bee will provision the chamber with pollen and lay an egg. the larva feeds of the pollen. the female larva are the first to be layed and are deepest in the line. this means that if the nest is predated by a woodpecker, the feamles have a better chance of avoiding being eaten. the male larva is nearst the exit and will be the first to be eaten. although this larva will probably die, i carefully replaced the bamboo and sealed it with wax to keep the chambers intact and dry. leaf damage on rose by leaf cutter bees


coyotes spend a good deal of their day sleeping. members of a pack or family may sleep within close proximity of each other, or they may sleep much further apart, but probably within the same couple of acres of each other. they have amazing built - in time clocks, but they also are influenced by circumstances of the moment. my own dog could tell the time and knew what was to be done at that time. for example, i always set off, with my dog, at exactly 2 : 40 to pick up one of my kids at school. but one day i fell asleep — i would not have made it on time except that my dog began poking me with her muzzle at exactly 2 : 40. needless to say, i was amazed. the same is true for coyotes — they seem to know when it is time to meet up, but if people or dogs are around, they will delay. most coyotes i know like to go trekking alone. after all, their staple diet consists of voles and gophers — animals that really can ’ t be divvied up very well. might as well hunt alone. but some coyotes do enjoy trekking together, usually in pairs. when they hunt in pairs, there is usually a rendezvous beforehand. rendezvous locations can remain the same for a while, or they can change drastically from day to day, but coyotes seem to have various favorite meeting spots which they alternate between for a while, before changing these altogether. this is where they congregate to then move together for their foraging. in this case here, the older female had spent her day sleeping in the sun quite some distance from where the young male had been also sleeping in the sun. the female was the first to move around — she disappeared into some bushes. in the meantime, i watched the male who moved from where he had been sleeping to a new location where he curled up and then dozed a while longer. finally, he got up, stretched, scratched, and began to forage. i watched him catch a vole and toy with it. he continued searching for voles and then looked up ahead. he must have seen the female approaching, because he sat down and watched intently. she trotted over, and arrived on the scene. the ritual began with hugs and kisses. they are hidden in the grass in these photos, but you can see what is going on. it was intense, but lasted only about a minute. that was the first phase of the meeting. then there was a pause where all activity


the richboro elementary meadow project students in the richboro elementary ecology club have been planting a meadow each year since 2008. we were the first school in council rock school district to do so, and our project has inspired the district to plant four acres of meadows at several other council rock school locations. why plant meadows? meadows provide habitats for more insects and other animals than green lawns. the first year we planted the meadow, we found two praying mantids had moved in! additionally, meadows do not need to be mowed more than once a year, so they save fossil fuel. below are photos and descriptions of our current meadow as well as meadows from previous years. the fourth planting of richboro elementary school ' s meadow students in the richboro elementary school ecology club planted its fourth meadow this spring. students sowed the flower seeds harvested last fall in the newly prepared plot. additional native seeds, including sunflower and asters, were planted. students and teachers look forward to seeing what surprises await when returning to school in the fall. the third planting of richboro elementary school ’ s meadow the ecology club at richboro elementary school planted its meadow for a third growing season this april. using seeds harvested from the meadow last fall, the club members, ranging from grades two through five, took turns planting seeds in a grid - like pattern across the meadow plot. sunflower seeds were pushed into the ground with planting sticks, and the soil was raked to cover the seeds. as the club ended, the clouds gathered and watered the meadow, as if on cue. we look forward to watching our garden bloom as the seasons turn. richboro elementary school ’ s meadow the ecology club at richboro elementary school planted its meadow for a second growing season this april. the club, with over 40 students and 5 teachers, worked together to sow seeds on a drizzly, windy day. the seeds had been harvested by the students last fall from the meadow ’ s first dried flowers. the charming sign, including drawings by 13 children, will be posted at the front of the meadow. richboro elementary school ’ s meadow blooms and seeds are harvested last spring the ecology club at richboro elementary school planted seeds to create a meadow in the front of the building. not certain how successful the meadow would be, the club members were greeted at the beginning of this school year by a surprisingly full field of colorful blooms. this fall the flowers matured to produce seeds. to complete the cycle, the ecology club plans to plant the seeds next spring. the earth laughs in


wood anemone - dainty spring bloomers for the woodland garden it ' s time to read and vote for your favorite article in the 2013 write - off contest! the four finalist ' s articles are featured in the may 13 newsletter and can be found through this link. hurry! voting ends may 18. if your garden is has dappled shade and you are looking for a lovely spring woodlander to combine with spring bulbs, trillium and hepatica, then try growing wood anemone, anemone nemorosa. available in white, pink or blue shades, this charming spring flower is sure to delight you! ( editor ' s note : this article was originally published on june 5, 2010. your comments are welcome, but please be aware that authors of previously published articles may not be able to promptly respond to new questions or comments. ) one of the harbingers of the european spring is drifts of wood anemone growing under the deciduous forests of beech, oak and maple. botanically, wood anemones are called anemone nemorosa. plants produce wiry stems to 10 to 25 cm. each stem produces a whorl of three, trisected leaves and is topped with a single 2 to 3 cm diameter flower. each bloom normally has 6 to 8 tepals ( the ‘ petals ' are actually modified sepals ). in the wild, white is the normal colour but pink and blue forms do exist. plants may be grown from seed but the seed needs to be sown as soon as it is ripe ( they quickly lose viability if left dry on a shelf ). they require a stratification period ( essentially a winter ) before they will germinate. due to the fussy nature of seed germination, plants are more commonly grown by division of their narrow rhizomes. if happy, wood anemone will multiply quite rapidly via underground rhizomes to produce a large - size colony. if dug after flowering, you can separate the plants into numerous plantlets. all you need is a growing stem and a couple of inches of the rhizome. in the garden, wood anemones prefer dappled shade. their soil should be moderately moist and organic - rich. they make admirable groundcovers under deciduous trees but in warm climates, may go dormant by mid summer. in cool climates, they will stay green well into september. wood anemones have been grown as garden ornamentals for hundreds


rich. they make admirable groundcovers under deciduous trees but in warm climates, may go dormant by mid summer. in cool climates, they will stay green well into september. wood anemones have been grown as garden ornamentals for hundreds of years. as a result of their natural variation, many named varieties now exist, most which were selected many years ago. while the wild form has small 2 to 3 cm diameter flowers, some selected forms have flowers approaching 6 cm in diameter. availability of this woodland anemone is variable. generally you will need to seek out a specialty woodland plant nursery. ‘ lychette ' has white flowers twice the size of the wild type. two of the largest - flowered selections include ‘ allenii ' and ‘ robinsoniana '. both have lavender flowers but the outside of the tepals is lilac - blue on ‘ allenii ' while the exterior is more grey - blue on ‘ robinsoniana '. also quite large - flowered is ‘ blue beauty ' and ‘ blue bonnet ', both which are pale blue. the richest blue colour is found on ‘ royal blue ' but its flowers are a little smaller than the previous selections. shown above is ' allenii ' ( top left ), ' robinsoniana ' ( top right ), ' royal blue ' ( bottom left ) and ' blue eyes ' ( bottom right ) ‘ rosea ' and ‘ westwell pink ' have very pale pink flowers that age to deep pink. one of the prettiest is ‘ vestal '. this selection has small flowers that are white but has a double, pompom - like center. ‘ monstrosa ' has flowers double flowers that are a mix of white and green while ‘ blue eyes ' has double white flowers with a blue center. if unusual flowers are your thing then try ‘ green fingers ' whose white flowers have a small, central leafy tuft. more bizarre still is ‘ bracteata ' whose tepals are replaced by tiny green leaves! shown above is ' vestal ' ( top left ), ' green fingers ' ( top right ), ' monstrosa ' ( bottom left ) and ' westwell pink ' ( bottom right ) closely related to wood anemone and sometimes growing in the same area isa. ranunculoides with small buttercup - yellow flowers. in areas where the two species overlap, you many encounter a natural hybrid called a. x lipsiensis. from this hybrid comes the selection ‘ pallida ' whose flowers are 3


. ranunculoides with small buttercup - yellow flowers. in areas where the two species overlap, you many encounter a natural hybrid called a. x lipsiensis. from this hybrid comes the selection ‘ pallida ' whose flowers are 3 cm and a pretty butter yellow. shown above is a. ranunculoides ( left ) and a. x lipsiensis. i would like to thank the following people for the use of their pictures : galanthophile ( ' green fingers ' ), kmac ( ' westwell pink ' ), kniphofia ( ' monstrosa ' ) and wallaby1 ( ' blue eyes ' ). about todd boland i reside in st. john ' s, newfoundland, canada. i work as a research horticulturist at the memorial university of newfoundland botanical garden. i am one of the founding members of the newfoundland wildflower society and the current chair of the newfoundland rock garden society. my garden is quite small but i pack it tight! outdoors i grow mostly alpines, bulbs and ericaceous shrubs. indoors, my passion is orchids. when not in the garden, i ' m out bird watching, a hobby that has gotten me to some lovely parts of the world.


my passion is studying early man, specifically how we became who we are. is our violence an aberration or part and parcel of survival? no other mammal kills their own, but maybe – as the alpha on the planet – our greatest threat to our survival is our own species, so we ’ re forced to destroy each other. what was lacking in h. habilis that led to their extinction, to be replaced by the big - brained, scrawny homo erectus? habilis was preyed upon by species with bigger claws, sharper teeth and thicker skin. habilis ( and my friend lyta ) scavenged their left - overs, in between hiding from the imposing mammals that dominated the plio - pleistocene african savanna. but, eventually hiding wasn ’ t enough and h. erectus took over ( we don ’ t know if they fought with each other or if habilis left ‘ with a whimper ’ ). h. erectus, with his longer lower limbs for running and walking efficiency, his bigger brain especially in the areas for planning and forethought ( and speech depending upon whose research you ’ re reading ) was tall, thin, and barrel - chested, hardly daunting in a world of sabertooth cats, mammoth and giant sloths. yet, it is he who spread from africa to china, india, the middle east, java. it is he – not predator cats or alligators – who developed a highly adaptable culture allowing him to survive a wide range of climates and habitats. that is the first of their firsts. want more? - first appearance of systematic hunting. - first use of fire ( though arguably no control of it ) - first indication of extended childhood ( thanks to the helplessness of their infants ) - first indication of the ability to lead a more complex life ( their acheulian tools were sophisticated, their hunting was planned ) - first to wear clothing ( how else to survive georgia and china ) - first to create complex tools and weapons their faces were short but wide and the nose projected forward, hinting at the typical human external nose. they had a pronounced brow ridge. their cranium was long and low and somewhat flattened at the front and back. the cranial bone was thicker than earlier hominids. remnants show damage from being hit in the head by something like clubs or heavy rocks. their arms and legs were also robust, with thicker bones and clear evidence of being heavily muscled. the suspicion is they were a more violent species than ha


##minids. remnants show damage from being hit in the head by something like clubs or heavy rocks. their arms and legs were also robust, with thicker bones and clear evidence of being heavily muscled. the suspicion is they were a more violent species than habilis. is that why habilis disappeared? the tougher group survived and bred offspring with their thicker, more protective skulls. you probably remember my friend lyta is a homo habilis ( see her page ). i ’ ve lived her life through otto ‘ s ability to ‘ see ’ into the past. where other primates rest when they have enough to eat, she thinks and shares information with her band. where most mammals sleep when they aren ’ t hunting, playing or resting, lyta worked – knapped tools, collected food for a cache, planned. i have come to believe that her survival depended not so much on her physique ( which was sorely lacking in that physical time ) as what was inside of her : her courage, ability to plan ahead, strength of her convictions, what we call ‘ morals ’. these are very human traits that can ’ t be preserved in bones and teeth. i wouldn ’ t know they existed if not for otto. i ’ ve posted an excerpt from that research on scribd. com ( born in a treacherous time ). my next project is to determine how man migrated throughout the world. where did he get the courage? was he forced out because he couldn ’ t defend his territory? or was it wanderlust? was he a seeker, wanting more for his life? did he get bored and need to challenge his constantly - growing brain?


dictionary and translator for handheld new : sensagent is now available on your handheld a windows ( pop - into ) of information ( full - content of sensagent ) triggered by double - clicking any word on your webpage. give contextual explanation and translation from your sites! with a sensagentbox, visitors to your site can access reliable information on over 5 million pages provided by sensagent. com. choose the design that fits your site. improve your site content add new content to your site from sensagent by xml. crawl products or adds get xml access to reach the best products. index images and define metadata get xml access to fix the meaning of your metadata. please, email us to describe your idea. lettris is a curious tetris - clone game where all the bricks have the same square shape but different content. each square carries a letter. to make squares disappear and save space for other squares you have to assemble english words ( left, right, up, down ) from the falling squares. boggle gives you 3 minutes to find as many words ( 3 letters or more ) as you can in a grid of 16 letters. you can also try the grid of 16 letters. letters must be adjacent and longer words score better. see if you can get into the grid hall of fame! change the target language to find translations. tips : browse the semantic fields ( see from ideas to words ) in two languages to learn more. 1. the language of educated people in ancient rome " latin is a language as dead as dead can be. it killed the ancient romans - - and now it ' s killing me " classical latin ( n. ) latin inscription in the colosseum | spoken in | | roman republic, roman empire | | region | | mare nostrum ( mediterranean ) | | era | | 75 bc to the 3rd century ad, when it developed into late latin | | writing system | | latin alphabet | | official language in | | roman republic, roman empire | | regulated by | | schools of grammar and rhetoric | the range of latin, 60 ad classical latin in simplest terms is the socio - linguistic register of the latin language regarded by the enfranchised and empowered populations of the late roman republic and the roman empire as good latin. most writers during this time made use of it. any unabridged latin dictionary informs moderns that marcus tullius cicero and his contemporaries of the late republic while using lingua latina and sermo latinus to mean the latin language as


. most writers during this time made use of it. any unabridged latin dictionary informs moderns that marcus tullius cicero and his contemporaries of the late republic while using lingua latina and sermo latinus to mean the latin language as opposed to the greek or other languages, and sermo vulgaris or sermo vulgi to refer to the vernacular of the uneducated masses, regarded the speech they valued most and in which they wrote as latinitas, " latinity ", with the implication of good. sometimes it is called sermo familiaris, " speech of the good families ", sermo urbanus, " speech of the city " or rarely sermo nobilis, " noble speech ", but mainly besides latinitas it was latine ( adverb ), " in good latin ", or latinius ( comparative degree of adjective ), " good latin. " latinitas was spoken as well as written. moreover, it was the language taught by the schools. prescriptive rules therefore applied to it, and where a special subject was concerned, such as poetry or rhetoric, additional rules applied as well. now that the spoken latinitas has become extinct ( in favor of various other registers later in date ) the rules of the, for the most part, polished ( politus ) texts may give the appearance of an artificial language, but latinitas was a form of sermo, or spoken language and as such retains a spontaneity. no authors are noted for the type of rigidity evidenced by stylized art, except possibly the repetitious abbreviations and stock phrases of inscriptions. good latin in philology is " classical " latin literature. the term refers to the canonicity of works of literature written in latin in the late roman republic and the early to middle roman empire : " that is to say, that of belonging to an exclusive group of authors ( or works ) that were considered to be emblematic of a certain genre. " the term classicus ( masculine plural classici ) was devised by the romans themselves to translate greek εγκριθεντες ( egkrithentes ), " select ", referring to authors who wrote in greek that were considered model. before then, classis, in addition to being a naval fleet, was a social class in one of the diachronic divisions of roman society according to property ownership by the roman constitution. the word is a transliteration of greek κλησις ( klesis


addition to being a naval fleet, was a social class in one of the diachronic divisions of roman society according to property ownership by the roman constitution. the word is a transliteration of greek κλησις ( klesis ) " calling ", used to rank army draftees by property from first to fifth class. classicus is anything primae classis, " first class ", such as the authors of the polished works of latinitas, or sermo urbanus. it had nuances of the certified and the authentic : testis classicus, " reliable witness. " it was in this sense that marcus cornelius fronto ( an african - roman lawyer and language teacher ) in the 2nd century ad used scriptores classici, " first - class " or " reliable authors " whose works could be relied upon as model of good latin. this is the first known reference, possibly innovated at this time, to classical applied to authors by virtue of the authentic language of their works. in imitation of the greek grammarians, the roman ones, such as quintilian, drew up lists termed indices or ordines on the model of the greek lists, termed pinakes, considered classical : the recepti scriptores, " select writers. " aulus gellius includes many authors, such as plautus, who are currently considered writers of old latin and not strictly in the period of classical latin. the classical romans distinguished old latin as prisca latinitas and not sermo vulgaris. each author ( and work ) in the roman lists was considered equivalent to one in the greek ; for example ennius was the latin homer, the aeneid was a new iliad, and so on. the lists of classical authors were as far as the roman grammarians went in developing a philology. the topic remained at that point while interest in the classici scriptores declined in the medieval period as the best latin yielded to medieval latin, somewhat less than the best by classical standards. the renaissance brought a revival of interest in restoring as much of roman culture as could be restored and with it the return of the concept of classic, " the best. " thomas sebillet in 1548 ( art poetique ) referred to " les bons et classiques poetes francois ", meaning jean de meun and alain chartier, which was the first modern application of the word. according to merriam webster ' s collegiate dictionary, the term classical, from classicus, entered modern english in 1599,


poetes francois ", meaning jean de meun and alain chartier, which was the first modern application of the word. according to merriam webster ' s collegiate dictionary, the term classical, from classicus, entered modern english in 1599, some 50 years after its re - introduction on the continent. governor william bradford in 1648 referred to synods of a separatist church as " classical meetings " in his dialogue, a report of a meeting between new - england - born " young men " and " ancient men " from holland and england. in 1715 laurence echard ' s classical geographical dictionary was published. in 1736 robert ainsworth ' s thesaurus linguae latinae compendarius turned english words and expressions into " proper and classical latin. " in 1768 david ruhnken ( critical history of the greek orators ) recast the mold of the view of the classical by applying the word canon to the pinakes of orators, after the biblical canon or list of authentic books of the bible. ruhnken had a kind of secular catechism in mind. in 1870 wilhelm sigismund teuffel in geschichte der romischen literatur ( a history of roman literature ) innovated the definitive philological classification of classical latin based on the metaphoric uses of the ancient myth of the ages of man, a practice then universally current : a golden age and a silver age of classical latin were to be presumed. the practice and teuffel ' s classification, with modifications, are still in use. his work was translated into english as soon as published in german by wilhelm wagner, who corresponded with teuffel. wagner published the english translation in 1873. teuffel divides the chronology of classical latin authors into several periods according to political events, rather than by style. regarding the style of the literary latin of those periods he had but few comments. teuffel was to go on with other editions of his history, but meanwhile it had come out in english almost as soon as it did in german and found immediate favorable reception. in 1877 charles thomas cruttwell produced the first english work along the same lines. in his preface he refers to " teuffel ' s admirable history, without which many chapters in the present work could not have attained completeness " and also gives credit to wagner. cruttwell adopts the same periods with minor differences ; however, where teuffel ' s work is mainly historical, cruttwell ' s work contains


work could not have attained completeness " and also gives credit to wagner. cruttwell adopts the same periods with minor differences ; however, where teuffel ' s work is mainly historical, cruttwell ' s work contains detailed analyses of style. nevertheless like teuffel he encounters the same problem of trying to summarize the voluminous detail in a way that captures in brief the gist of a few phases of writing styles. like teuffel, he has trouble finding a name for the first of the three periods ( the current old latin phase ), calling it mainly " from livius to sulla. " the language, he says, is " … marked by immaturity of art and language, by a vigorous but ill - disciplined imitation of greek poetical models, and in prose by a dry sententiousness of style, gradually giving way to a clear and fluent strength … " these abstracts have little meaning to those not well - versed in latin literature. in fact, cruttwell admits " the ancients, indeed, saw a difference between ennius, pacuvius, and accius, but it may be questioned whether the advance would be perceptible by us. " some of cruttwell ' s ideas have become stock in latin philology for better or for worse. while praising the application of rules to classical latin, most intensely in the golden age, he says " in gaining accuracy, however, classical latin suffered a grievous loss. it became cultivated as distinct from a natural language … spontaneity, therefore, became impossible and soon invention also ceased … in a certain sense, therefore, latin was studied as a dead language, while it was still a living. " these views are certainly debatable ; one might ask how the upper classes of late 16th century britain, who shared the renaissance zealousness for the classics, managed to speak spontaneous latin to each other officially and unofficially after being taught classical latin by tutors hired for the purpose. latinitas in the golden age was in fact sermo familiaris, the spoken latin of the roman upper classes, who sent their children to school to learn it. the debate continues. a second problem is the appropriateness of teuffel ' s scheme to the concept of classical latin, which teuffel does not discuss. cruttwell addresses the problem, however, altering the concept of the classical. as the best latin is defined as golden latin,


teuffel ' s scheme to the concept of classical latin, which teuffel does not discuss. cruttwell addresses the problem, however, altering the concept of the classical. as the best latin is defined as golden latin, the second of the three periods, the other two periods considered classical are left hanging. while on the one hand assigning to old latin the term pre - classical and by implication the term post - classical ( or post - augustan ) to silver latin cruttwell realizes that this construct is not according to ancient usage and asserts " … the epithet classical is by many restricted to the authors who wrote in it [ golden latin ]. it is best, however, not to narrow unnecessarily the sphere of classicity ; to exclude terence on the one hand or tacitus and pliny on the other, would savour of artificial restriction rather than that of a natural classification. " ( this from a scholar who had just been complaining that golden latin was not a natural language. ) the contradiction remains ; terence is and is not a classical author depending on context. after defining a " first period " of inscriptional latin and the literature of the earliest known authors and fragments, to which he assigns no definitive name ( he does use the term " old roman " at one point ), teuffel presents " the second period ", his major, " das goldene zeitalter der romischen literatur ", the golden age of roman literature, dated 671 – 767 auc or 83 bc – 14 ad according to his time reckoning, between the dictatorship of lucius cornelius sulla and the death of the emperor augustus. of it wagner translating teuffel writes the golden age of the roman literature is that period in which the climax was reached in the perfection of form, and in most respects also in the methodical treatment of the subject - matters. it may be subdivided between the generations, in the first of which ( the ciceronian age ) prose culminated, while poetry was principally developed in the augustan age. the ciceronian age was dated 671 – 711 auc ( 83 bc – 43 bc ), ending just after the assassination of gaius julius caesar, and the augustan 711 – 67 auc ( 43 bc – 14 ad ), ending with the death of augustus. the ciceronian age is further divided by the consulship of cicero in 691 auc or 63 bc into a first and second half. authors are assigned to


67 auc ( 43 bc – 14 ad ), ending with the death of augustus. the ciceronian age is further divided by the consulship of cicero in 691 auc or 63 bc into a first and second half. authors are assigned to these periods by years of principal achievements. the golden age had already made an appearance in german philology but in a less systematic way. in bielfeld ' s 1770 elements of universal erudition the author says ( in translation ) : " the second age of latin began about the time of caesar [ his ages are different from teuffel ' s ], and ended with tiberius. this is what is called the augustan age, which was perhaps of all others the most brilliant, a period at which it should seem as if the greatest men, and the immortal authors, had met together upon the earth, in order to write the latin language in its utmost purity and perfection. " and of tacitus " … his conceits and sententious style is not that of the golden age … ". teuffel evidently received the ideas of a golden and silver latin from an existing tradition and embedded them in a new system, transforming them as he thought best. in cruttwell ' s introduction, the golden age is dated 80 bc – 14 ad ( " from cicero to ovid " ), which is about the same as teuffel ' s. of this " second period " cruttwell says that it " represents the highest excellence in prose and poetry, " paraphrasing teuffel. the ciceronian age is now " the republican period " and is dated 80 – 42 bc through the battle of philippi. later in the book cruttwell omits teuffel ' s first half of the ciceronian and starts the golden age at cicero ' s consulship of 63 bc, an error perpetuated into cruttwell ' s second edition as well. he must mean 80 bc as he includes varro in golden latin. teuffel ' s augustan age is cruttwell ' s augustan epoch, 42 bc – 14 ad. the literary histories list all authors canonical to the ciceronian age even though their works may be fragmentary or may not have survived at all. with the exception of a few major writers, such as cicero, caesar, lucretius and catullus, ancient accounts of republican literature are glowing accounts of jurists and orators who wrote prolifically but who


may not have survived at all. with the exception of a few major writers, such as cicero, caesar, lucretius and catullus, ancient accounts of republican literature are glowing accounts of jurists and orators who wrote prolifically but who now can ' t be read because their works have been lost, or analyses of language and style that appear insightful but can ' t be verified because there are no surviving instances. in that sense the pages of literary history are peopled with shadows : aquilius gallus, quintus hortensius hortalus, lucius licinius lucullus and many others who left a reputation but no readable works ; they are to be presumed in the golden age by their associations. a list of some canonical authors of the period, whose works have survived in whole or in part ( typically in part, some only short fragments ) is as follows : the golden age is divided by the assassination of julius caesar. in the wars that followed the republican generation of literary men was lost, as most of them had taken the losing side ; marcus tullius cicero was beheaded in the street as he enquired from his litter what the disturbance was. they were replaced by a new generation that had grown up and been educated under the old and were now to make their mark under the watchful eye of the new emperor. as the demand for great orators was more or less over, the talent shifted emphasis to poetry. other than the historian livy, the most remarkable writers of the period were the poets vergil, horace, and ovid. although augustus evidenced some toleration to republican sympathizers, he exiled ovid, and imperial tolerance ended with the continuance of the julio - claudian dynasty. augustan writers include : in his second volume, on the imperial period, teuffel initiated a slight alteration in approach, making it clearer that his terms applied to the latin and not just to the age, and also changing his dating scheme from years auc to modern. although he introduces das silberne zeitalter der romischen literatur, " the silver age of roman literature ", 14 – 117 ad, from the death of augustus to the death of trajan, he also mentions regarding a section of a work by seneca the elder a wenig einfluss der silbernen latinitat, a " slight influence of silver latin. " it is clear that he had shifted in thought from golden and silver ages to golden


regarding a section of a work by seneca the elder a wenig einfluss der silbernen latinitat, a " slight influence of silver latin. " it is clear that he had shifted in thought from golden and silver ages to golden and silver latin, and not just latin, but latinitas, which must at this point be interpreted as classical latin. he may have been influenced in that regard by one of his sources, e. opitz, who in 1852 had published a title specimen lexilogiae argenteae latinitatis, mentioning silver latinity. although teuffel ' s first period was equivalent to old latin and his second period was equal to the golden age, his third period, die romische kaiserheit, encompasses both the silver age and the centuries now termed late latin, in which the forms seemed to break loose from their foundation and float freely ; that is, literary men appeared uncertain as to what " good latin " should mean. the last of the classical latin is the silver latin. the silver age is the first of the imperial period and is divided into die zeit der julischen dynastie, 14 – 68 ; die zeit der flavischen dynastie, 69 – 96 ; and die zeit des nerva und trajan, 96 – 117. subsequently teuffel goes over to a century scheme : 2nd, 3rd, etc., through 6th. his later editions ( which came out in the rest of the late 19th century ) divide the imperial age into parts : the 1st century ( silver age ), the 2nd century : hadrian and the antonines and the 3rd through the 6th centuries. of the silver age proper, pointing out that anything like freedom of speech had vanished with tiberius, teuffel says … the continual apprehension in which men lived caused a restless versatility … simple or natural composition was considered insipid ; the aim of language was to be brilliant … hence it was dressed up with abundant tinsel of epigrams, rhetorical figures and poetical terms … mannerism supplanted style, and bombastic pathos took the place of quiet power. the content of new literary works was continually proscribed by the emperor ( by executing or exiling the author ), who also played the role of literary man ( typically badly ). the talent therefore went into a repertory of new and dazzling mannerisms, which teuffel calls " utter unreality. " crutwell picks up this theme : the


, who also played the role of literary man ( typically badly ). the talent therefore went into a repertory of new and dazzling mannerisms, which teuffel calls " utter unreality. " crutwell picks up this theme : the foremost of these [ characteristics ] is unreality, arising from the extinction of freedom … hence arose a declamatory tone, which strove by frigid and almost hyterical exaggeration to make up for the healthy stimulus afforded by daily contact with affairs. the vein of artificial rhetoric, antithesis and epigram … owes its origin to this forced contentment with an uncongenial sphere. with the decay of freedom, taste sank … in crutwell ' s view ( which had not been expressed by teuffel ), silver latin was a " rank, weed - grown garden ", a " decline. " cruttwell had already decried what he saw as a loss of spontaneity in golden latin. that teuffel should regard the silver age as a loss of natural language and therefore of spontaneity, implying that the golden age had it, is passed without comment. instead, tiberius brought about a " sudden collapse of letters. " the idea of a decline had been dominant in english society since edward gibbon ' s decline and fall of the roman empire. once again, cruttwell evidences some unease with his stock pronouncements : " the natural history of pliny shows how much remained to be done in fields of great interest. " the idea of pliny as a model is not consistent with any sort of decline ; moreover, pliny did his best work under emperors at least as tolerant as augustus had been. to include some of the best writings of the silver age, cruttwell found he had to extend the period through the death of marcus aurelius, 180 ad. the philosophic prose of that good emperor was in no way compatible with either teuffel ' s view of unnatural language or cruttwell ' s depiction of a decline. having created these constructs, the two philologists found they could not entirely justify them ; apparently, in the worst implications of their views, there was no classical latin by the ancient definition at all and some of the very best writing of any period in world history was a stilted and degenerate unnatural language. writers of the silver age include the following. of the additional century granted by cruttwell and


by the ancient definition at all and some of the very best writing of any period in world history was a stilted and degenerate unnatural language. writers of the silver age include the following. of the additional century granted by cruttwell and others of his point of view to silver latin but not by teuffel the latter says " the second century was a happy period for the roman state, the happiest indeed during the whole empire … but in the world of letters the lassitude and enervation, which told of rome ' s decline, became unmistakeable … its forte is in imitation. " teuffel, however, excepts the jurists ; others find other " exceptions, " recasting teuffels ' s view. the style of language refers to repeatable features of speech that are somewhat less general than the fundamental characteristics of the language. the latter give it a unity allowing it to be referenced under a single name. thus old latin, classical latin, vulgar latin, etc., are not considered different languages, but are all referenced under the name of latin. this is an ancient practice continued by moderns rather than a philological innovation of recent times. that latin had case endings is a fundamental feature of the language. whether a given form of speech prefers to use prepositions such as ad, ex, de for " to ", " from " and " of " rather than simple case endings is a matter of style. latin has a large number of styles. each and every author has a style, which typically allows his prose or poetry to be identified by experienced latinists. the problem of comparative literature has been to group styles finding similarities by period, in which case one may speak of old latin, silver latin, late latin as styles or a phase of styles. the ancient authors themselves first defined style by recognizing different kinds of sermo, or " speech. " in making the value judgement that classical latin was " first class " and that it was better to write with latinitas they were themselves selecting the literary and upper - class language of the city as a standard style and all sermo that differed from it was a different style ; thus in rhetoric cicero was able to define sublime, intermediate and low styles ( within classical latin ) and st. augustine to recommend the low style for sermons ( from sermo ). style therefore is to be defined by differences in speech from a standard. teuffel defined that standard as golden latin.


i will only point out two caveats : - we cannot assume that click speakers of the african southwest are necessarily indigenous to that region, and - it is possible that, the greater phonemic diversity is due to ancient admixture between quite divergent peoples who possessed two different types of phonemic inventories, while most africans inherited only the phonemic inventory of one of these peoples, which then decayed as per the author ' s theory away from africa. science 15 april 2011 : vol. 332 no. 6027 pp. 346 - 349 phonemic diversity supports a serial founder effect model of language expansion from africa quentin d. atkinson human genetic and phenotypic diversity declines with distance from africa, as predicted by a serial founder effect in which successive population bottlenecks during range expansion progressively reduce diversity, underpinning support for an african origin of modern humans. recent work suggests that a similar founder effect may operate on human culture and language. here i show that the number of phonemes used in a global sample of 504 languages is also clinal and fits a serial founder – effect model of expansion from an inferred origin in africa. this result, which is not explained by more recent demographic history, local language diversity, or statistical non - independence within language families, points to parallel mechanisms shaping genetic and linguistic diversity and supports an african origin of modern human languages.


xantusiidae is a clade of viviparous ( live bearing ) lizards that ranges from southwestern north america and baja california ( xantusia ) into central america ( lepidophyma ) and cuba ( cricosaura ). xantusia magdalena occurs in baja california. xantusiidae is a relatively small clade, with 3 genera and approximately 30 living species. lepidophyma is the most speciose ( ~ 17 species ), whereas cricosaura is monotypic. xantusiids have a reasonably good fossil record extending from the mid - paleocene onward in western north america. xantusiids are fascinating lizards for several reasons. first, although they are almost uniformly diminuitive ( xantusia magdalena measures less than 4 cm snout - vent length, and the largest xantusiid species measure about 10 cm snout - vent length ), xantusiids generally take several years to reach sexual maturity, and several species give birth to just 1 or 2 offspring. it is a more usual reproductive strategy for small lizards to mature quickly and produce large numbers of offspring, to increase their chances of survival. despite this low reproductive potential, xantusiid neonates actually have a high life expectancy ; this can be attributed at least in part to their secretive lifestyle, which leads to the second reason why xantusiids are particularly interesting - - microhabitat specialization. microhabitat specialization is an ecological hallmark of xantusiidae. many populations are narrowly restricted to specific niches - - crevices ( e. g., xantusia henshawi in exfoliating granitic cap rocks ), interstices in agaves and yuccas in dry climates ( e. g., x. magdalena ), decaying logs in wet climates ( e. g., lepidophyma flavimaculatum ) - - and individuals may be found under the same patch of cover throughout their lives! these microhabitat restrictions result in extremely disjunct geographical distributions, and also may be responsible for some morphological convergence within the group ( e. g., flattened skulls for crevice dwelling ). xantusiidae also includes two insular endemics : the cuban cricosaura typica is the only xantusiid found in the west indies and is interpreted as one of the caribbean ' s few ancient endemic vertebrate lineages ; and xantusia riversiana