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| Random Bits of Trivia |
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This section assumes you
have already read 'Life: The Sequel' as this section
contains spoilers. If you have not read the book, and do
not want it spoiled, then click here to return to the main page.
| Ancient Virus |
The probability of an ancient
virus being released and infecting the
population, while low, is not out of the realm
of possibilities. Scientists are finding ancient
viruses and ancient contaminants today that
could spread to modern man or modern fauna, with
devastating results.
On the flip side of this, ancient viruses
infected ancient man, embedding itself into our
DNA; making up around 8% of the human genome.
The remnants of these genes, or 'viral fossils'
can support the host's (humans) immunity against modern-day
viruses by blocking them from entering the
host's cells. Because the genes are part of our
DNA makeup, this could give a small percentage
of the population immunity against the ancient
viruses.
This book deals with the possibility of an
ancient virus, not only being released into the
population, but having the capability of
resulting in catastrophic consequences. After Life:
The Sequel was written, an article in the
Smithsonian came out with just this scenario in
their supposition. Scientists have found 15,000
years old ancient viruses in a Tibetan
glacier that could, under the right
circumstances, result in human infection.
Scientists also found moss that 'came alive' and
42,000 year old roundworms that
reanimated.
More worringly, Jean-Michel Claverie, an
Emeritus professor of medicine and genomics at the Aix-Marseille
University School of Medicine in Marseille, France has successively
revived several 'zombie' viruses...one over 48,500 years old! So far,
he has only targeted viruses that infect single cell amoebas, for safety sake.
But, that amoeba-infecting viruses are still infectious after so long is indicative
of a potentially bigger problem, Claverie said. He fears people regard
his research as a scientific curiosity and don’t perceive the prospect
of ancient viruses coming back to life as a serious public health threat.
Traces of viruses and bacteria that can infect humans have been found preserved in permafrost.
“Methuselah microorganisms” (named after the Biblical figure with the longest life span) is very worrying to scientists.
These are organisms that could bring the dynamics of ancient and extinct ecosystems into the present-day Arctic, with unknown consequences.
This CNN article delves deeper into the subject.
The 'What If' is incredibly fascinating and
terrifying.
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| Pajama
Scene |
The pajama scene
did, in fact, happen. Not quite as in the book,
but a six year old did have a tantrum about not
being able to wear pajamas (to school) while her
sister did wear her pajamas to school. (Which
was, in fact, a reward to the class for a
project well done. They also got pizza and a
movie.)
Grandpa was babysitting the two granddaughters -
alone - for two weeks while Mom and Dad were on
a well deserved vacation. Getting them to and
from school, supper, baths, and bedtime. Grandma
would come for the weekends and give Grandpa a
break.
The oldest girl's class finished a group
assignment and got to have a pizza party, movie
and wear their pajamas to school.
The youngest girl - just six - had a tantrum. "I
wanna wear my pajamas to school! It's not fair!"
and so on.
Poor Grandpa ended up having to walk the
six-year-old to class to make sure she got there
on time...with her sobbing dramatically the
whole way and telling every adult they came in
contact with the unfairness of not being able to
wear her pajamas to school.
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| ANFO |
The ANFO
scenes was fun to write. But, no, the ANFO would
not have blown up if Harry or Lily had stepped
on the detonation cord. It is a common
misconception, and being teenagers, they would
not have known better.
Though the research needed to write this
correctly was nerve-wracking! Googling how to
make a large bomb from fertilizer and fuel,
which fuel works better, what else is needed,
how big would the explosion be, etc. I kept
expecting the ATF to show up at my door. :-)
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| American
Black Bear |
Generally
speaking, American Black Bears are not
aggressive towards humans, they are generally
shy and will avoid human contact. However, if
you accidentally sneak up on a bear, startle it,
especially while its cubs are close, the bear
will react.
The American Black Bear is found over most of
North America. American Black Bears can be found
in 42 states. They are mostly forest dwellers in
temperate climates ranging from Alaska to
Florida. There are about 1,500 bears in Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. The population
density is about two per square mile. They
inhabit all elevations in the park.
Males weigh 250 on average, 125-600 (range) 880
(heaviest). Male bears are 33% larger than
female bears.
- Cub: young bear (born weighing 13 oz.
average, 8 inches long, blind, naked, and
unable to hear, smell, really only able to
find sow's nipple, born during hibernation
in January or early February weaned from
mother after 16-18 months)
- Boar, He-Bear: adult male bear
- Sow, She-Bear: adult female bear Sows
reach sexual maturity between 3-5 years,
gestation period being 235 days, averaging 2
cubs per litter, with most cubs being born
in January or February
They may be active at any time of the day or
night, although they mainly forage by night.
American black bears tend to be territorial and
non-gregarious in nature.
Bears communicate with various vocal and
non-vocal sounds. Tongue-clicking and grunting
are the most common sounds and are made in
cordial situations to conspecifics, offspring
and occasionally humans. When at ease, they
produce a loud rumbling hum. During times of
fear or nervousness, bears may moan, huff, or
blow air.
Warning sounds include jaw-clicking and
lip-popping. In aggressive interactions, black
bears produce guttural pulsing calls that may
sound like growling. Cubs squeal, bawl or scream
when anxious and make a motor-like humming sound
when comfortable or nursing.
American black bears rarely attack when
confronted by humans and usually only make mock
charges, emit blowing noises and swat the ground
with their forepaws.
So, generally speaking, Ellie was in just a
small amount of danger in her encounter with the
bear. The Wild Hogs on the other hand... |
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| Wild Hogs |
Wild hogs can
reach weights of more than 150 pounds and
measure 5 to 6 feet long ... but can grow to be
over 600 pounds, under the right circumstances.
A desolate world sans humans would be ideal for
the hogs.
Wild hogs occur in all 67 counties of Florida.
They usually travel in small family groups or
alone. A study by the Missouri Department of
Conservation showed that wild pig populations
can double in as little as four months. When you
take the breeding capabilities of wild pigs and
factor in the plentiful supply of food, water
and shelter, their ability to thrive in the area
makes perfect sense. Litter sizes vary. Some
literature states the average litter size is
four to six piglets and 55% reach sexual
maturity. Feral hogs become reproductively
active at 20 to 51 weeks of age and can produce
up to two litters per year. Gestation period is
around 116 days. This helps Ellie and her group
to have large amounts of fresh meat easily.
Wild boars are highly intelligent, they have
razor sharp tusks. As with any kind of powerful
wildlife, they may decide to charge if they feel
it is necessary to defend themselves or their
young. Some hunters will tell you that hunting
wild boar is more dangerous than hunting bears.
Wild boars can run more than 30 miles per hour. For comparison, at full speed: - humans average 6-8 mph
- non-racing/thoroughbred horses average 30-40 mpg
- rottweilers average 20-25 mph
The two most common causes of aggression are
when humans are agitating hogs by hunting or
harassing them and when humans mistakenly get
between a sow and her young. Feral pigs can be
extremely dangerous to people, particularly when
the pigs travel in herds with their young and
should be avoided when possible. Feral pigs
living in the United States have been known to
attack without provocation and fatally injure
human beings.
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| Frank and
the Kitten |
We had a
German Shorthair that would catch wild baby
bunnies, trap them between his paws and then
lick the poor things until they were soaked in
dog-spit. He never hurt them, just licked them.
There was one bunny that had a black patch on
top of his head, so we knew it was the same
bunny. The dog loved that particular bunny the
most! We cleaned off that bunny multiple times.
I swear, after a while the bunny would just give
up and let the dog lick him.
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