Happy Halloween!

Lemming Tracks: Northeast Storm, New York City, and All That

"In Central Park, Snow That Collected on Still-Leafy Branches Fells Even Hardy Trees"
Matt Flegenheimer, The New York Times (October 30, 2011)

"The storm struck trees of all ages and sizes in Central Park: oaks and elms outside the boathouse, birches and dogwoods near Belvedere Castle, magnolias and mulberries beside the obelisk.

"The damage was spread across about half of Central Park’s 840 acres, making it the worst devastation that Douglas Blonsky, president of the Central Park Conservancy, had seen in his 27 years there.

"In all, as many as 1,000 of the park’s trees may be lost to the freak October snowstorm; in contrast, Tropical Storm Irene — which work crews only recently finished cleaning up after — cost the park 125 trees...."

Meanwhile, North of Manhattan - - -

"Governor Declares State Of Emergency"
Hartford Courant (October 30, 2011)

"The rare October snowstorm that smacked the state this weekend eclipsed tropical storm Irene in power outages, leaving as many as 884,000 customers without electricity and resulting in dire estimates that it may take more than a week for many to have their service restored...."

"Police report 2nd death in Conn. due to Oct. storm"
Associated Press, via 7online.com (October 31, 2011)

"State police report a second death in Connecticut related to the weekend's rare October snowstorm.

"Spokesman Lt. Paul Vance tells WFSB-TV that the fatality occurred due to a crash on Interstate 91 in the Hartford area. No details were available Monday morning.

"One person was killed Saturday in a crash on Route 85 in Colchester.

"Connecticut Light and Power reported Monday that about 751,000 customers were without power, down from more than 830,000....

"...The utility says it has more than 300 crews working to restore power and plans to add 450 crews from out of state. Spokesman Al Lara told Fox Connecticut News that downed trees are slowing the work.

"The United Illuminating Co. reported about 8,600 customers without electricity and has said it expects to restore power to all customers by Monday night.

"The power outages shattered the record for a single event that was set when the remnants of Hurricane Irene hit in August. It may take more than a week to restore power to everyone, Connecticut Light & Power said....

"...The storm smashed a record for October snowfall in Connecticut, dropping 12.3 inches Saturday at Bradley International Airport, said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass...."

This sounds like a genuinely serious storm. A little over a foot of snow isn't all that much, here in central Minnesota: and Connecticut has noticeable winter weather, too. But in October? That's a lot of snow. Particularly, the Lemming understands, since leaves were still on many or most trees: letting snow accumulate on the branches, which eventually snapped off.

As for what this 'really means?' The Lemming has opined on that sort of thing before.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Sauk Centre Storm and the Lemming"
  (July 13, 2011)
• "Heavy Weather Weekend"
  (May 22, 2011)
• "North Dakota Winter Storm Wimps Out: Only a Foot of Snow"
  (March 22, 2011)
• "Blizzard, Cold, and Walking in to Fetch the Tractor"
  (January 31, 2011)
• The Lemming opines on the 'meaning' of storms
  • "Lemming Tracks: Hurricane Irene and Getting a Grip"
    (August 26, 2011)
  • "Arizona Dust Storm: THIS MAY BE THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT!!!!! - or, not"
    (July 6, 2011)

Chimps, Genes, and Reading Past the Headline

" 'Junk' All That Separates Humans From Chimps"
Science - SCITECH, FoxNews.com (October 27, 2011)

"We all are the one percent, apparently.

"Scientists have long been baffled by the genetic similarities between humans and chimpanzees, which share up to 99 percent of the same DNA despite our vast differences in appearance and ability -- baffled until now, that is. Researchers have determined that the only thing that separates us from chimps is a tiny bit of 'junk DNA.'..."

No, Really: This Makes Sense

At that point, the Lemming didn't know what to expect. Between folks who desperately want to believe that the universe is maybe 6,000 years old, and others determined to believe that humanity is a cancer in Mother Nature, there's been a lot of nonsense flung around the marketplace of ideas.

That "tiny bit" and "junk DNA" suggested that this article might be of the 'human beings are nothing but hairless chimps' variety.

So the Lemming kept reading. Hey: that's the only way to find out if it's worth writing about.

Turns out, "junk DNA" is what odd bits of code in the human genome were called. The Lemming will get back to that.

"...Led by Georgia Tech professor of biology John McDonald, a new study has verified that while the sequence of genes between humans and chimpanzees is nearly identical, Chimpanzees have certain gaps in their genome. In humans, those gaps are filled with what is known as 'junk DNA.' The findings are reported in the most recent issue of the online, open-access journal Mobile DNA.The research could go a long way in answering a universal question -- what makes us so different?

" 'Let's say intelligence is your ability to compose poetry, symphonies, do art, math and science,' astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explained at a talk at St. Petersburg College. 'Chimps can't do any of that, yet we share 99 percent DNA.'..."

One of the big questions, given how genetically similar chimps and humans are, is why we're so radically different. Assuming that the answer is strictly in our DNA, that means that the "junk DNA" may not be quite as junky as it's assumed to be.

'We Don't Understand It, So It's "Junk"?'

There's an explanation, of sorts, for how that 1 percent got called "junk." Basically, it's because researchers didn't know what it did. Back to that article, again:

"...For years, scientists assumed the opposite, that this junk DNA did very little. By definition, the sequences have had no known biological functions, such as encoding for protein sequences.

"But McDonald's research indicates these bits of seemingly random code act as important regulators within the human genome, serving as on and off switches, activating important genes and regulating how they are expressed...."

The Lemming isn't sure that it's quite appropriate to call something "junk," because a researcher doesn't understand what it does. On the other hand, "junk" is a whole lot easier to say - and shorter - than something like "seemingly random sequences," so maybe it's a good choice after all.

Anyway, this is a fascinating twist in our studies of human genetics. For the Lemming: your experience may vary.

Somewhat-related posts:

• " 'Nutcracker Man,' Big Teeth, and - - - Grass?!"
  (May 6, 2011)
• "Sea Sponge Genes: More Interesting Than You'd Think"
  (August 5, 2010)
• "Attack of the Mutant Eucalyptus Trees!"
  (June 13, 2010)
• "New Member of the Human Evolutionary Family: Or, Not"
  (March 25, 2010)
• "People are Pretty Much Alike: Researchers Have New Idea for Why"
  (January 17, 2009)

More related posts:

• "Change, American Culture, Trilobites, Humanity's History, and the Big Picture"

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What the Lemming thinks about science, religion, and getting a grip:

• "Evolution, Space Aliens, and Two Millennia of Dealing With People"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (July 5, 2011)
• "Sex, Science, and the Home Schooling Parent"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (September 17, 2011)
• "When to Call Tech Support, When to Read the Bible"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (January 14, 2011)
• "God's Creation: He Seems to Think Big"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (September 23, 2010)
  Particularly
  • God; the Universe; and Bayonne, New Jersey
• "It's Faith and Reason"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (June 19, 2010)