Octopus

Octopuses are characterized by their eight arms usually bearing suction cups. Most have almost entirely soft bodies with no internal skeleton. They have neither a protective outer shell nor any vestige of an internal shell or bones, like cuttlefish or squid.

Octopuses have a relatively short life expectancy, for as little as six months. Larger species, may live for up to five years under suitable circumstances. Reproduction is a main cause of death; males can only live for a few months after mating, and females die shortly after their eggs hatch. Endocrine secretions from the two optic glands are the cause of genetically-programmed death

Octopus blood contains the copper-rich protein hemocyanin, in cold conditions with low oxygen pressure, hemocyanin oxygen transportation is more efficient than hemoglobin oxygen transportation. The hemocyanin is dissolved in the plasmas instead of being bound in red blood cells and gives the blood a blue color.

Octopuses are highly intelligence, probably more intelligent than any other order of nvertebrates.Problem solving experiments have shown that they do have both short and long memory. Their short lifespans limit the amount they can ultimately learn. There has been much speculation to the effect that almost all octopus behaviors are independently learned rather than instinct-based, although this remains largely unproven. They learn almost no behaviors from their parents, with whom young octopuses have very little contact.

An octopus's primary defense is to hide, other defenses include the use of ink sacs, camouflage, and auto missing limbs. An octopus's camouflage is aided by certain specialized skin cells which can change the apparent color, opacity, and reflectiveness of the epidermis.

Octopuses have keen eye sight and have an excellent sense of touch. Jet propulsion is their fastest means of locomotion, followed by swimming and bipedal walking.

The north pacific giant octopus - ' Enteroctopus dofleini', is often cited as the largest octopus species. Adults usually weigh around 15 kg , with an arm span of up to 4.3 m. 0ne such record is of a specimen. weighing 272kg and having an arm span of 9 m .

Egypt Ancient Tombs

Two new tombs dating back to 4,300 years ago were found buried in the sands south of Cairo and could shed light on the fifth and the sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom- reign of Pharaoh Unas. Both tombs feature hieroglyphics at their entrances but the contents of the tombs have long since been stolen. The entrance of the tomb shows carved images of lotus flowers.

The death of Unas brought the Fifth Dynasty to an end; the Sixth Dynasty, a time of conflict in Egypt's royal family and erosion of centralized power, is considered to be the last dynasty of the Old Kingdom (2,613-2,494 BC), after which Egypt descended into famine and social upheaval.

The discovery of the two tombs are just the beginning of a big, large cemetery, 70 percent of Egypt's ancient monuments remain buried under sand.

Laser Surgery

A new tool that allows doctors to use laser surgery in complex operations named “Omni directional dielectric mirror" was created by Professor Fink in 1995.

ODD mirror is also an important development in fiber optic tool in minimally invasive surgery; until the "ODD mirror" came along there were no fibers that could transport the safer CO2 lasers. Surgeons had to shoot the laser beam directly from its large generator and could do so only at a straight angle, rendering it impossible to reach deeper tissues; for years, doctors were able to treat patients with lasers in only limited circumstances and with many complications.

In a recent case, a patient had a tumor at the base of the brain, a tumor that could not have been previously reached without ODD mirror. Using a scalpel to cut off the tumor would also have been dangerous as the patient's tumor was attached to an important vein. Using the scalpel could have caused a stroke, instead doctor used CO2 laser to melt the tumor and then shave it off.

By taking two materials with different optical properties (one being a semi-conducting glass and one being a polymer) and stacking these two up in very tight and ultra thin layers, around 1 micron each (1/1000 of a millimeter), they create an omni-reflector. By changing only the thickness and distance of the layers, “ODD mirror" could reflect any type of electromagnetic energy in any wavelength, there by enable surgeon to easily manipulate the use of lasers rather than scalpels to operate on everything from tumors, deafness and spine injuries in hard to reach angle and almost every tissues in the body during complex surgery with minimum invasive technique. This type of surgery is known to reduce recovery time, the likelihood of complications and incision size. In many cases, patients also spend less time "under the knife."