Is Wombat Poop Really Square??

Ok, I must draw your attention to my long-standing and possibly pathological preoccupation with all things scatological, i.e., having to do with poop (see, for example Cleaning Up Poop In Paradise, or At Last! A Poop Museum!, among others).  If you find this alarming or offensive you should stop reading now and go do something more productive, like sorting your socks.

The answer to the question, "Is Wombat poop really square?" is "yes."  There's a bit more to it than that, however.

Cute little buggers. (Science Mag.)

A wombat is a racoon-sized marsupial that is native to Australia.  My wife and I encountered them in person during a visit to Tasmania, first at a wildlife park and then in the wilds at a place called Cradle Mountain.  And it was at Cradle Mountain that we observed first-hand the marvelous phenomenon of square(ish) Wombat poop.  We were walking along one of the boardwalks maintained by the Cradle Mountain Lodge and came across several specimens of poop that kind of looked like charcoal briquets.  Being the poop-o-file that I am, I conducted a careful up-close inspection that confirmed it was indeed excrement.

 Later, on a guided walk with a naturalist, we came upon a Wombat in nearly the same spot. The naturalist confirmed that Wombat poop is square, but explained that it comes out as a blob that the Wombat pats into cubes to mark its territory -- the shape makes it harder for rivals to move it off the path. Clever, eh? And definitely a candidate for the Poop Museum! 

Poop in Progress

 

Perfect! (Science Mag)

That was the state of our knowledge for many years until very recently, when I saw a thorough scientific analysis published in the venerable Science Magazine just a few days ago.  It turns out, the poop actually comes out of the Wombat as cubes!!! The article, by Tess Joose, summarizes research done by a group of scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology and in Australia.  Their study was published in a hard-nosed scientific journal with the delightful name, Soft Matter.  It seems the intestines of Wombats are unique in the animal world, and have evolved to produce "poop-cubes."  Here's an excerpt from journal article's abstract, or summary:  

Wombat dissections show that cubes are formed within the last 17 percent of the intestine. Using histology and tensile testing, we discover that the cross-section of the intestine exhibits regions with a two-fold increase in thickness and a four-fold increase in stiffness, which we hypothesize facilitates the formation of corners by contractions of the intestine. Using a mathematical model, we simulate a series of azimuthal contractions of a damped elastic ring composed of alternating stiff and soft regions. Increased stiffness ratio and higher Reynolds number yield shapes that are more square. The corners arise from faster contraction in the stiff regions and relatively slower movement in the center of the soft regions... (Yang et al., 2021)

Got it?  Bottom line:  Wombats poop out cubes.  

So the "what" and "how" are now clear.  But the "why" is more speculative.  So far the best explanation is still that it serves to keep these little territorial markers in place, particularly in rocky or steep locations.

Oh, and there is still one more unanswered question:  "Does it hurt?"

Covid Hike, Cockroaches, Fighting with My Doctor

[Note: this is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.] 

1/30/21

 Aloha, Everyone!

This is the time of year when I really get to gloat about the mainland weather versus ours.  No matter how bad ours seems, watching videos of blizzards and snow-shoveling is a good reminder of how

relentlessly benign our weather really is.  We are still in our unusual cloudy and rainy period, there was snow on both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa this week, and nights at our elevation are chilly (64d).  But then, the highs temps around the country this time of year might reach 64d only in SOCAL and maybe parts of Florida. It’s all a matter of adapting, though, because nearly everyone says they like the weather where they live.

Its now been a little more than a week since Karen and I received our first Covid 19 vaccine shots (Pfizer). No significant bad reactions at all.  By Saturday we were feeling good enough for Karen to play golf, and for me to do a 3-mile hike in the National Park just north of our small-boat harbor. I’ve even lost my urge to eat children and to control the world.  Not everyone here is on board with medical science, however, and we have a small number of anti-vaxers who are trying to convince others that the vaccine is dangerous.  The evidence they claim supports their position is, like the voter-fraud evidence, scant, flawed, and countered by a mountain of real data obtained from carefully done studies of tens of thousands of people in the clinical trials, and now millions of people (like Karen and me) who have taken the vaccine.  Get a grip, people.  This, and the current BS being promoted by some of GOP legistlators over the role of T**** in the capitol violence, reminds me of the difficulties of getting rid of cockroaches – as soon as you think you’ve succeeded they reappear.  To really be effective, you’ve got to correct the conditions that led to the infestation, and sometimes that may even mean discovering that you might be as blameworthy as the cockroaches.

This week I had my bloodwork done for my routine 6-month followup.  I get the results online, and of course they’re sent to my doctor as well.  I always look them over and compare the numbers to the last time before seeing my doctor.  Most looked fine, including the dreaded cholesterol test which showed no change.  The one thing out of whack was a lower than desirable sodium level which last time was ok, even though it was at the lower limit of the acceptable range.  Six months ago I reported to him that I noticed my diastolic bp level was creeping up while my systolic was being well-controlled with a small dose of Losartan.  The doc prescribed a diuretic to take in addition to the Losartan.  I was leery, because we tried this several years ago and I had to stop taking it because of......wait for it....low sodium levels.  Now the usual remedy for this is to cut way back on fluid intake, to 32 oz. max, so that the lower blood volume concentrates the sodium rather than diluting it.  This sounds great, except that 32 oz is very little fluid.  If you have a cup of coffee in the morning, a small glass of something with breakfast, another glass of something for lunch, then maybe a beer or some wine with dinner and another cup of coffee afterwards, you’ve met or exceeded the limit.  Note – no sucking on a water bottle during the day or drinking water when you take pills. And no glass of water in addition to whatever you may drink with meals.  Even when I did that, my sodium levels were still too low.  I tried to point all that out to my doctor when he suggested another attempt to use a diuretic.  Well, lo and behold this latest result shows the same damn thing.  When I had my video conference with him on Thursday he suggested I must be guzzling water or drinking excessive amounts of something else.  I blew up.  It seemed like news to him that we had gone through this before, with the same result.  In other words, he hadn’t really reviewed my history before the conference.  So, he suggested I stop the diuretic!  Hmmm.  I’d switch physicians but there simply aren’t many alternatives here.  I’m going to try looking again, though.

Whew!  To end on a more positive note, Karen and I had a good workout at PF on Thursday, and today she’s playing golf and I’m going to take another hike.  Carpe Diem!

Stay warm, stay safe, stay sane.

 

Covid Shots, Triumph of Reality

[Note: this is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.] 

1/23/21

Well, by any measure this was a good week!  The paper announced last week that Covid vaccinations would start for Group 1a, the geezers above age ** (number censored by spouse), an age lower than
some on the mainland are getting but also higher than some.  Anyway, the phone system for making reservations at our local hospital opened Tuesday at 8am for appointments beginning Thursday. I was on the phone at the magic moment, but of course the line was jammed, as it has been the rest of this week.  Even so, as we began our walk on Tuesday, I tried again at about 8:30 and pow!  A human took our info and we were scheduled for Thursday at 11am.  We arrived expecting chaos, but it was all impressively organized, with designated parking, quick check-in, a thorough briefing on the vaccine, side-effects, and instructions on how to report adverse reactions.  Then as a group of five, we went to another location for the quick jab, then we had to wait in another area for 15 minutes to make sure no geezer keeled over.  The whole thing took less than 1 hour.  It was a typically Hawaiian scene – all done outdoors or in MASH style tents, and everyone was chatting and upbeat.  The staff was friendly, considerate, and even helped when Karen and I wanted photos.  We’ve already been scheduled for the 2nd shot in three weeks.  The only reaction so far is a sore arm, equivalent to the flu vaccinations sometimes.  Well, I have noticed a sudden urge to eat a small child, to give all my money to Bill Gates, and to worship Opra Winfrey, but I’m sure those will pass, right?

More venues will open up soon, including our new Safeway store. The pharmacy told us they are ready, and even have the necessary refrigeration. The issue will be how much vaccine we can get, and lining up enough qualified staff to manage a large-volume effort like this. Remember, we have a shortage of medical personnel and infrastructure here. We’ve heard from a number of friends on the mainland (Oregon, California, Colorado, Ohio) who have either just received their first shots or are scheduled to get them shortly.  Hurray!

The other piece of good news is that Wednesday came and went. I’m not so much overjoyed as I am relieved. We will soon have competent and experienced people in charge again, rather than a stable of revolving sycophants, convicted liars and cheats, and unqualified buffoons.  I’m not a radical left-wing liberal, and I do have real issues with socialism, “wokeness” and critical race and gender theory, but the Democrats don’t have a mandate here, and I think that is a good thing.  Otherwise we’d be right back to where we were in 2016 the next time around.  Let’s keep it sane and reasonable, please!  That would be a refreshing change, wouldn’t it?

OK, had a good workout at PF on Wednesday, a day early because we didn’t want to interfere with getting our vaccinations on Thursday.  Reward lunch was a self-provided picnic at a nearby beach.  It had been cloudy up until we arrived, but just like our spirits it cleared and became sunny as we ate enjoying the view, finding ourselves breathing deep again.

Our weather this week has been cloudy, wet, and “cold.”  We got 2.2 inches of rain early in the week, and nighttime temps have been down to 63-64d.  The pool has dropped below our acceptable level, so we’ve skipped going in for several days now.  Yesterday was fairly sunny, and today looks good so far, so maybe it will gain enough for us to start using it again.  Karen is playing golf today instead of her usual Monday or Tuesday, and I’m planning on doing a short, easy hike along the shore this morning.  It’s been ages since I’ve been hiking, so it will be good to get back to it.

Enough. Hang in there. Stay warm.  Stay healthy.  We reached the light at the end of the tunnel and it was real, not a mirage......

A Well-Behaved Eyeball, A Yawning Volcano

 [Note: this is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.] 

1/16/21

Aloha, everyone.  Well, as the saying goes, “We live in ‘interesting’ times.” I’m trying hard to stay positive, but my memories of traveling in countries with violent political upheaval, harsh economic disparities, and armed soldiers ringing government buildings to protect lawmakers keep coming to mind. Those experiences used to make me appreciate the uniquely positive situation here at home and to feel fortunate to return to the U.S. Not so sure about that at the moment. Anyway, maybe I can be more hopeful and positive this time next week. We’ll see.

As I mentioned previously, I had an appointment for a retina checkup for last Saturday afternoon. Happy to say it went very well!  No injection needed – the longest interval since my problem began about 6 years ago.  I will go back in 5 weeks for another check up.  My doctor warned that it is very likely I will still need injections in the future, but possibly only one every six months. Note – my vision loss in the right eye is permanent, but I’ve finally come to accept that, and the longer interval is way, way better than the once-a-month trip to the doctor for another injection. Oh, and somewhere down the line I may need cataract surgery.  Geezerhood may have its upside at times, but the overall reality is that it sucks.......

Kilauea volcano has settled down to a steady ooze feeding the lava lake at the summit. The level of the lake is very slowly rising, but it has hundreds of feet to go before it overflows. And since the caldera is wider at the top, it takes more and more lava to raise the level.  The SO2 emissions are much lower than at the beginning of the current eruption, and our vog has subsided considerably, though conditions are not nearly as clear as during the two quiet years we had.  But those were historically unusual – this volcano has been erupting more or less continuously for hundreds of thousands of years.  Mauna Loa, also to our south, has been very active over that time but more intermittent in terms of human time scale, as has Hualalai, the volcano we live on. We knew this before moving here, and we’re prepared for the consequences.

The main geological event of the week was on Thursday, when there was a 4.0 earthquake down south.  We didn’t feel it but I guess some people as far away as Oahu did.  Earthquakes are common here, but not because of tectonic plates and fault lines.  Ours are due either to the movement of magma below the surface or to the settling of the island as it compacts under its own weight.  This seismic activity is very helpful to the volcanologist for forecasting where and when there will be eruptions and our island is “wired” to the hilt with monitors to detect the activity.

Had a good workout at PF on Thursday, though I kept mine light because I’ve been fighting something like a cold this week – no, not what you’re thinking.  As usual, we rewarded ourselves after with a nice lunch at Foster’s Kitchen, an open air restaurant on the bay. No doubt we totally nullified the benefits of the workout....

Ok, it's a bit rainy this morning, but we're still off to beach breakfast (maybe under a pavilion) and a bit of shopping.  Take care and stay physically and mentally healthy if you can.
                                       

Zork in Distress

 [The Intergalactic Council, Expeditionary Division, received the following batch transmission of delayed reports from Agent Zork Zynt, assigned to the Earth unit "USA."  We are still looking into the cause of the delay, but engineers suspect a misalignment in the gravitational wave membranes that provide the message relay route.  At any rate, it was these reports that led the Council to consider recalling all Earth agents and quarantining the planet for a few thousand cycles to see if the civilization might survive and eventually be mature enough for contact.  As you will see, the messages from Agent Zynt suggest a progressive breakdown in his neural transmorgification due to extreme stress.]

Encrypted Transmission #020 Agent ZZ to IEC Local Date 1.2.21    

Uh...well, he got his wish. Mob stormed building where humans make rules for running society. Disrupted final step in electoral process. Get this, some of mob dragged a security officer down some steps and beat him with flagpoles holding the national flag to "Make America Great Again," following motto of leader. My pre-departure culture briefings must have been inadequate -- have anthro guys check their database for symbolic meanings of human beatings. Transmorgification breakdown may be getting worse. I don't seem to be able to focus clearly and my appendages are shaking occasionally for no good reason.  Even Krispy Kremes have lost appeal......

Encrypted Transmission #022 Agent ZZ to IEC Local Date 1.11.21

Pandemic out of control and getting worse.  We clearly overestimated human's ability to handle our experimental challenge.  Give them a failing mark for this test.  In my political unit many people claim their "right" to be "free" gives them a "right" to infect other people by not taking precautions, like wearing a mask  Does this make any sense?  Demaz gretchop fornzib zefart agzyp....there I go again! Human scientists here did very well in developing countermeasure vaccines, but can't get it distributed and administered because of lack of coordination, planning, and political agendas. In fact, large numbers believe inaccurate info claiming vaccines are harmful, maybe even a plot to exert mind control and refuse be vaccinated.  I don't think I can take much more of this. Besides, I'm beginning to hallucinate that Kryspy Kremes are growing eyeballs and tentacles -- more evidence of breakdown?

Two Kinds of Injections, A Workout, and a Riot

  [Note: this is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.] 

1/9/21

The new Electoral College

Well, after the excitement of last week’s fireworks and wild celebrations of the New Year (yawn), I really thought this was going to be a boring week.  Wrong, wrong, wrong. Right? I don’t have much to say, other than (a) months ago I predicted violence if Trump lost, and (b) THIS is what it means to “make America great again?”  Really?  

Ok, back to something more hopeful and positive.  Our island has been moving very well on vaccinating people. Most of the hospital staff should be done by the end of the month including community health care providers, like physicians, dentists, and their staffs. Most of the residents  of nursing homes will have also received their first shots, along with workers at those facilities.  According to our Lieutenant Governor, who is a physician and is in charge of organizing the pandemic response, the vaccine will be available to people in our group by March and to the general public by May.  Of course it will take longer to inoculate everyone who wants it, probably until late summer or fall. But since we're in the geezer group, Karen and I could have both shots completed by the end of March.  We’ll see, but it seems that our state, unlike a number of others, has handled this whole thing very well.  We just received 83 k doses of the Moderna Vaccine and so we have a good start on the number needed to complete the program.  Success will depend on how quickly mainland companies can manufacture and distribute the vaccines.

Speaking of injections, today I will see my retina doctor, and maybe have another eyeball jab.  If so, it will have been 3 months since the last one, which is very, very, positive.  It will all depend on the scans and the rest of the exam to see if there is any fluid building up again.  My acuity in that eye seems to be stable, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t starting to slip. The real test is the laser scan that shows what’s going on below the retina surface.  Anyway, I’m more that happy to get the injection if there is even the slightest sign of trouble.  I’ll let you know.

We skipped our weekly workout last week because of the discombobulation of the holidays, but we went to Planet Fitness on Thursday and had a good session.  Very few people in the gym and everyone was masked and wiping down the equipment before and after using it.  The cost of skipping a week is clear today in terms of muscle complaints.  But I regard that as a good kind of discomfort.  

Our Christmas decorations will come down today and tomorrow.  Now all I have to do is store them again somewhere........

Take care, everyone.  Keep clawing your way toward that light at the end of the tunnel.  IT IS REAL.

A Dragon’s Fury, A Haircut, A Teeth Cleaning

 [Note: this is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.] 

1/2/21 

Happy New Year!

Well, I’m not so much hopeful or happy about 2021 as I am relieved to have 2020 behind me. Our last week of the year was spent mostly in activities that used to be routine but these days are anything but.  Early in the week Karen and I both had our teeth cleaned!  Wow.  And I had a haircut! Wow again. And finally, on New Year’s Eve we had lunch with some friends from Ohio who are here for their yearly stay with their daughter, a teacher at Hawai’i Preparatory Academy, in Waimea.  It was a pleasant chit-chat at an open-air beach on the grounds of Mauna Lani Resort up north on the coast, but of course required a lot of precautions that made it definitely not a routine thing.

    
I know this is all just too exciting to bear, but it gets even more intense – at about 9 pm (the beginning of when we’re allowed to set off fireworks) I celebrated with my firework – yes, just one – at the top of  our driveway.  This was something called Dragon’s Fury, which might have been a teense of an oversell. It lasted a total of a little over 3 minutes, producing some nice noise and bright lights and then just kind of ended – like the year 2020 itself. We had a glass of proseco and were asleep by 11:30.  

Karen played golf this week, too.  A highlight for her was that she saw a number of young Nene, our

endangered state bird that looks kind of like a Canadian Goose.  This really is special because there are only about 2500 and it is encouraging to see them having that many chicks. They were nearly wiped out not too long ago, down to just 50 birds.  Captive breeding and release programs have been successfully reversing that trend and they’re now increasing on their own – with protections against hunting or harassing them.

Maybe all this new life and recovery is the perfect antidote to 2020's death, destruction, and mayhem.

Off to the beach, and maybe a delayed workout at Planet Fitness.  Take care, stay warm (!) and keep yourself and others healthy.