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The definitive host: February 2008

The definitive host

de·fin·i·tive host (duh-fin'eh-tiv) n. 1) An organism where a parasite undergoes the adult and sexual stages of its reproductive cycle 2) Someone you go to for interesting stories and/or facts, and puts on one hell of a dinner party 3) This blog, devoted to science and other geeky subjects

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Journalism UPDATE.... and an age old question ANSWERED

So, I decided to amalgamate 2 separate posts into one :)

Firstly, a bit of good news. Last week, I got an acceptance letter for the Master's of Journalism program at Western!!!!!!!! Cool, huh?
As of right now, I am not 100% sure if I'm going to take it just yet, but I'm leaning to it. The main issue is, the term starts in MAY, not September. Therefore, a huge amount of problems are creeping up (where to live, money, etc...).
BUT, those are good problems, right?

And now, something I thought of yesterday, and have given a LOT of thought about a VERY old question:
What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Now, I am NOT a philosophy guy, I'm more a science guy (as you all know). Therefore, I am going to take this from a scientific perspective.

According to Darwininan evolution, every unique organism evolves from an ancestor that passed on good genes to its subsequent offspring. The offspring also posses some new spontaneous mutations, that make it more 'adapted' to its current environment.
**This is a VAST oversimplification, as it takes thousands and millions of years for this to happen, but go with me here**

Using evolution, EVERY organism evolved from an ancestor that was similar to it, but not quite. Therefore, a chicken must have evolved from a chicken-like ancestor.
Everyone still with me here?

This chicken-like ancestor must have almost been a true chicken (but NOT a chicken as we know it today, even if one gene differed, it's still not a 'present day' chicken). So, when this chicken-like ancestor mated with another chicken-like ancestor, it produced an offspring within an egg, which was the layed. THIS offspring is the chicken as we know it. BUT, it is still only an embryo that must grow into a chicken. However, it is incubated WITHIN AN EGG UNTIL IT HATCHES INTO A CHICKEN.

Therefore, the answer to the age old question, what came first: the chicken or the egg?
The answer, is of course, the EGG layed from a chicken-like ancestor that contains a chicken.
TADA!!!!!! *Takes a bow**
Please, hold your applause.... thank you, thank you :)

Let me know any arguments/rebuttals to this solution. This is not set in stone, let me know what you think and I will/can adapt it accordingly.
THIS IS MY IDEA AND MY IDEA ONLY......... please do not pass it off as your own!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

WOW... Has it really been so long?

G'day mate!

WOW, it's been over a month since my last post! Time flies when you're staring into the beady and lifeless eyes of a monster that knows no fear... just pain. And yes, I am talking about YORK UNIVERSITY!

It's been a crazy month, so its time for some updates:
- Reading week has come and gone, and now school is back again *damn it*
- Currently reading a book entitled "The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time" by Mark Haddon, which is in the mind of an autistic child, not my usual horror-themed read, but I'm waiting for Daniel to finish the new Stephen King :P
- I saw Jumper.... it was entertaining. I wish I could teleport...
- Got a rejection letter from UBC.... 1 down, 3 to go *fingers crossed*

Today, when I was walking down the halls of York, I started thinking about lives. Everyone has a story, a life to live, right? It's as if, we are all walking around seeing and experiencing life through our own video camera. But EVERY SINGLE PERSON has their own history/story/video. And then, it occurred to me that everyone's life is a series of moments that would be completely different if another person encountered the exact same experience. Based on our development and history, we react to new stimuli and environments to suit our behaviour. Are we all just a series of biochemical and electrical reactions? See, this is the kind of stuff I think about when I'm left alone to my thoughts....lol...just thinking about that made my head hurt.

Well, I think that's enough innane ramblings for now.

Cheers!

P.S. I will try to update the Blog twice weekely... if I don't send me an e-mail, and I WILLL!!! Thanks Blacky for reminding me :D