Bees always make smooth landings. Using a high-speed camera scientists saw bees slow to a stop when they reached their destination and discovered bees hovered at about half an inch before landing. If the surface was flat, bees landed back legs first. If the surface was between vertical and upside-down, they made contact with their antennae first, pulled their front legs up second and then flipped to get their mid and rear legs onto the surface. Supposedly figuring out how bees translate vision into perfect landings could help engineers design better automated aircraft. Obviously, seeing is "beelieving".
Seeing iguanas in Florida isn't believing they're native to Florida. Although hundreds of thousands roam the southern part of the state, they were illegally introduced from South America by pet owners. When pet iguanas escape or are released, they have no natural enemies and can multiply freely. However, when the Sunshine State is hit with unusually cold winter temperatures in the 40's, iguanas fall from trees. Because the cold greatly reduces their blood flow, their bodies become immobilized. If the cold spell is short, the tropics-loving iguanas can recover and resume their normal life - undoubtedly seeking better "treetment".
A rare 1913 U.S. Liberty Head nickel has been treated very well. Known as the "Olsen-Hawn piece", the coin sold at public auction in January 2010 for $3.7 million. It's one of only five 1913 Liberty Head nickels known to exist - 2 in museums and 3 - including the Olsen-Hawn piece - in private collections. Previous owners include Egypt's King Farouk and Los Angeles Lakers owner, Jerry Buss. The coin also appeared in a 1973 episode of "Hawaii Five-0". However, it was used only in close-ups. In other scenes the coin had a stunt double playing a "coin-ciding" role.
Finally, it seems the roles played by many decorative snowflakes are "scientific abominations". According to Thomas Koop, professor of chemistry at Bielefeld University in Germany, snowflakes can assemble ice crystals into many shapes; but the crystals themselves will usually have 6 sides. That's because the molecular building blocks are water molecules and fit together in a certain way. Although water molecules occasionally form ice crystals with 3 or 12 sides - half or double the usual number - snowflakes never have 5 or 8 sides, as often seen on Christmas cards or used as decorations. For Koop this isn't a one-sided argument. It's six-sided.
Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com
Lavishly illustrated in full color, A Guide Book of Shield and Liberty Head Nickels features enlargements for important overdates and other varieties, plus actual-size photographs of every coin in the Shield and Liberty Head series...
