subject: Have You Found Yourself Wondering About...? [print this page] Have you ever wondered why there isn't a traffic jam when a swarm of bees returns to its hive? Because other bees inside the hive rush to open the bottleneck. Why do fish swim in schools? Because thousands of eyes are better at spotting food, as well as danger. What does a queen ant do? She just lays eggs. The work of the hive is divided among maintenance ants, trash collectors, foragers and patrollers. There aren't any bosses. In nature many species work together for the good of the whole. So...have you ever wondered why we call them dumb animals?
Have you wondered about bias in drug trails that are funded by the pharmaceutical industry? American and Canadian researchers looked at 546 trials in a registry of both federal and private trials in the U.S. and abroad. Sixty-three percent of them were funded by the drug industry and more than 85% of the industry-funded trials posted favorable results. That was 4 times greater than the favorable results posted for government- and non-profit-funded trials. The "Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America" say they are committed to increasing transparency in their drug trials, but will be able to "see through" that transparency?
How about expiration dates - have you wondered if you can use some foods after their "use by" date? According to the Website Shelf Life Advice, 75% of U.S. consumers believe food is unsafe after the date on the package has passed and thus they throw away billions of dollars worth of food yearly. Use-by dates are generally determined by the manufacturers to mark the point when food starts to deteriorate - not become dangerous. If stored correctly, eggs can be used for another 3-5 weeks, peanut butter for several months and breakfast cereal for another year. It seems food suffers from ageism too.
Hasn't everyone with a lawn wondered how to make grass green? Charlie Koerkel has the answer. Koerkel owns Lawn Green USA and dyes lawns green. Having gotten the idea while watching an end zone painted during a football game, he custom-designed a lawn sprayer. Initially his customers were banks and realtors, wanting to increase the curb appeal of foreclosed homes. Now competitive homeowners are becoming customers and starting a national trend. Considering the dye costs only a few hundred dollars for an average lawn, is non-toxic and saves water, it's perfect for homeowners "dyeing" for a green lawn.
