Are Unicorns Real? Where did the myth of these magical creatures begin?

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From Nation, For Nation - Pulse of the Nation

Marine Moms

5 of the Ocean's Most Unbelievable Moms, Even the moms of the deep blue deserve recognition.

Marine moms may not get to celebrate Mother’s Day, but they are certainly deserving of an afternoon at an underwater spa or a fancy fish dinner. The ocean is home to some unbelievable mothers-some who protect their eggs for whole lifetimes and others whose instinct leads them right back to the place they were born when it’s time to give birth!

Let’s dive into some of these incredible oceanic mothers.
1. Seahorse
The seahorse is a fantastic study of motherhood because the males actually give birth!
The male seahorse comes equipped with a pouch on its stomach that can carry up to 2,000 babies at a time. The seahorse’s mating ritual involves the male and female intertwining their tails and swimming together for hours on end-a true under-the-sea dance. This unique practice results in the female depositing her eggs into the male’s pouch, where they are fertilized. The fertilized eggs incubate in the male’s pouch for around 24 days.
Once these thousands of baby seahorses are ready to greet the world, the male undergoes contractions and expels them from his pouch. That’s the extent of seahorse parenthood, however, as the young are left to fend for themselves once they are born.

2. Octopus
Mother certainly knows best in the octopus world. As one of the ocean’s most intelligent creatures, the octopus has evolved to dedicate its life to its young.
Octopuses only live between three and five years, and for octo-moms, the bulk of that time is spent seeking out the perfect place to give birth-and then caring for the eggs when they hatch.
A mother octopus will not abandon her eggs, not even for food, and will die shortly after her eggs have hatched. Octopus motherhood is an incredible story of self-sacrifice for her children and the continuity of the species!

3. Humpback Whale
Humpback whale moms add a new layer to the classic ‘Are we there yet?’ gripes from the kids on a road trip.
These mothers will swim up to 4,000 miles during gestation to find the perfect spot to give birth to their calves. Nursing their young takes an extraordinary toll on a female humpback whale, feeding her young up to 100 gallons of milk per day!

4. Clownfish
All clownfish are born as males. Yep, that’s right-these colorful fish, made famous in Finding Nemo, undergo a sex-switch process called protandrous sequential hermaphroditism, or protandry.
These fish live in small groups, with the lone female as the alpha. She is protected by all of the other males while she lays her eggs upon the coral or rocks. Once the female in the group of clownfish dies, she is replaced by the largest male-who becomes a female!

5. Loggerhead Turtle
Loggerhead turtle moms are nature’s navigators. These fascinating reptiles are born with instincts to read the earth’s magnetic fields to feed and find fertile spots to graze based on currents and the chemistry of the ocean.
Loggerhead turtles are not raised by their moms-instead, their instincts are coded into their DNA. Unbelievably, when it’s time for these new moms to lay eggs, they find their way back to the exact beach where they themselves were hatched.
The ocean is full of unbelievable moms, from the male seahorse fulfilling the role of the mother to the loggerhead turtle that has its instincts imprinted into its genetic memory. These captivating creatures continue to capture our imagination with their unique motherhood styles. →

Trophy Skull

Up Close & Peculiar With a Cannibal Trophy Skull, This human skull was once worn as jewelry.

This eerie relic, known as a cannibal trophy skull, was once worn as an amulet by warriors of the Dayak tribe, an Indigenous group native to the rainforests of Borneo. But this practice wasn’t just about intimidation; it was deeply spiritual.
Headhunting as a Sacred Ritual
For the Dayak people, headhunting wasn’t violence for violence’s sake. It was believed that taking an enemy’s head transferred their spirit, strength, and wisdom to the victor. The skulls of defeated enemies were thought to protect the village, ensure fertile crops, and even bring in a bountiful rice harvest.
Claiming a head meant claiming power. Warriors who succeeded in battle were seen as protectors-strong, brave, and spiritually fortified.

A Symbol of Strength and Identity
Trophy skulls were highly cherished. Often preserved in bark boxes, these skulls were displayed in homes, worn in ceremonies, and even brought into future battles as talismans of strength and intimidation.
Headhunting was considered a “blood credit,” or a way to avenge a death within the tribe. It was so woven into Dayak identity that a warrior’s dowry could even include a human head, proving his ability to defend and provide for a family.

Visit This Spine-Chilling Relic in Niagara Falls
Come face-to-skull with this extraordinary relic at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Niagara Falls. →

From Globe, For Globe - Pulse of the Planet

Myth

Does Alcohol Evaporate Out of Food When Cooked?

Why some boozed-infused dishes might give you a hangover...
Lager-spiked beef chili, beer-broiled bratwursts, coq au vin, chicken marsala, pork brined in rum. Ah, nothing says delicious quite like alcohol-saturated dishes-especially when it comes to beer or wine-infused meat: tender, moist, and downright delectable.
Of course, if you’ve ever watched a chef on TV or cracked open a cookbook to make one of these recipes, you’ve probably come across advice like, “Let the dish simmer for a few minutes to cook out any remaining alcohol.”

This begs the question: does alcohol actually evaporate out of food when cooked? Yes and no. Read on for the skinny on cooking with booze.
Why You Might Get Burned by Your Next Flambé
In 1992, a team of researchers from the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Laboratory took part in an in-depth study exploring alcohol retention during food preparation. They started by examining perhaps the most iconic alcohol-based dish of them all, the flambé.

The French term flambé translates as “flamed” or “flaming” and refers to food doused with cognac, brandy, or rum and then set on fire. The technique makes for an unforgettable dinner table display-although one that could leave guests springing for the fire extinguisher. From Bourbon Shrimp Flambé to French Caribbean Bananas Flambé, and even Mangoes Flambé, plenty of dishes get prepared this way.
So, researchers wanted to study just how much alcohol evaporates while the flambé briefly combusts. To do this, they prepared the dish and took alcohol content measurements both before and after ignition. What they discovered thoroughly shocked them.

Despite being engulfed by flames, the dish maintained approximately 70 to 75 percent of its alcohol content! Now, that’s a recipe for a hangover.
But, the research didn’t stop there.

The “Buzz” About Longer Cooking Times
Scientists next turned to other forms of food preparation to study alcohol retention. They soon realized that the idea of removing alcohol from a dish through cooking does contain a grain of truth. But, it requires more than a quick scorching.

Evaporating alcohol from a dish takes hours, rather than minutes. As the US Department of Agriculture’s researchers discovered, a dish heated to boiling point and cooked for 15 minutes still retains about 40 percent of its original alcohol content.
When you up this to 30 minutes, 35 percent of the alcohol content originally present in the dish remains. All told, it takes more than two and a half hours of boiling to reduce the alcohol content of a dish to just five percent.

Does that mean foregoing your favorite recipes forever?
Not necessarily. After all, alcohol greatly enhances the flavor of many recipes while providing a mouthwatering aroma. But, you’ll need to commit to much longer cooking times than those suggested on many television shows and in numerous cookbooks. Some chefs also suggest non-alcoholic swaps such as flavored extracts, vinegars, and juices.

The Great Disappearing Alcohol Myth
Simmering a dish for five to 10 minutes won’t do much to the wine, beer, or other spirits used in the recipe; neither will setting the entire dish on fire. But if you commit to cooking recipes for hours at a time, you can preserve the delicious flavor of alcoholic enhancement without the buzz. Or, consider extracts, vinegars, and juices to mimic the flavors and aromas of wine and spirits.

No matter what you decide, remain cautious about cooking booze-infused dishes for guests. While a final alcohol content of 10 percent or less might not bother most adults, it’s a different story when it comes to children and those who abstain from alcohol for a variety of personal reasons.
And whatever you do, don’t flambé and drive! →

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Are Unicorns Real? Where did the myth of these magical creatures begin?

From Nation, For Nation - Pulse of the Nation

5 of the Ocean's Most Unbelievable Moms, Even the moms of the deep blue deserve recognition.

Up Close & Peculiar With a Cannibal Trophy Skull, This human skull was once worn as jewelry.

From Globe, For Globe - Pulse of the Planet