ARE WE THE VIRUS?

Virus (in Latin means “poison”) – a microscopic infectious agent that is able to reproduce only in a cell of other organism. When it infiltrates into the host cell, the virus uses its resources and mechanisms to construct new virus particles (virions) that spread onto other cells. Viruses are not capricious in choosing their victims: they infect all types of living beings, including bacteria, plants, animals, and, of course, humans. And they feel themselves quite good everywhere – you can find these unseen assassins in almost every ecosystem on the Earth.


Pretty nasty guys, aren’t they?

Well, there is a theory that the way of life, behavior and impact on the environment of viruses is similar to the ones of another living being on this planet. Although the latter is a multicellular highly-developed creature that is usually drawn at the top of the evolution ladder, it also cannot develop without the “host cell” (in this case, the planet) and its resources, causing constant degradation of its “home”.
You should have guessed that it is we, humans, that are compared with the deadly viruses.

This rather strange and unexpected theory has even been reflected in some world-famous movies, including the science fiction trilogy “The Matrix”.
Here is a short video from this film with a character stating the above-mentioned point:



So, here is some spicy food for thought:
Are we really the virus? If yes, what is the cure?

And most importantly:
Do YOU want to be considered the DISEASE or the CURE?

SHADOW-TAILED

Date: April 2007
Place: Vadul-lui-Voda, Moldova


Certainly you recognize the cute mammal displayed on these photos taken at one of the annual conferences of the non-government organization “AIESEC Moldova” in spring 2007. At that time I was a member of the organization and went to this event called “Local Training Seminar” to learn more about AIESEC. The conference took place at the summer camp, where we had managed to take photos of this well-known rodent.
The common or Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a widespread small or medium-sized mammal representing the Sciuridae family from the Rodentia order. Its English name “squirrel” and Latin “sciurus” have Greek origins and mean “shadow-tailed”, underlining their most eye-catching body part – the big fluffy tail shading the whole body.


Squirrels have quite rich diet: their standard meal includes seeds, nuts, fruits, fungi, and certain plants, but the menu may be enriched with insects, eggs, small birds, reptiles and other rodents. This means the cute little beasts are able to prey on other animals and consume their meat.
Certain members of Sciuridae stay close to humans, for example, in city parks and summer camps. They have learned that these tailless two-legged creatures are usually a rich source of food. Squirrels can be also kept as pets and taught to do tricks – some people state they are similar to dogs in their ability to learn behavioral models. In some countries, like certain regions of the USA and the United Kingdom, squirrels are hunted for food – their meat is considered a favoured one there.
As you see, these widely-spread furry rodents have some interesting facts to reveal. And there are still much more of them hidden in the shadow of their tails.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY… MAKE IT EVERY DAY!

Each year June 5th is celebrated as the World Environment Day (WED). It was established in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly and is hosted every year by a different city and country. In the same year the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was created and since then it has used WED to inform the global society about its threat towards the Nature and significant (even vital) importance of the environment protection.


WED 2009 has the topic: “Your Planet Needs YOU! – UNite to Combat Climate Change”. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests. This year the host city is chosen to be Mexico City in Mexico, which symbolizes the growing role of the Latin American country in striving against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets.
Watch a short video about WED 2009 HERE.

The initiative of WED is an awesome and extremely important one. But the question is: “Is it enough?” And the answer: “Of course, not”.
As the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do”. So, in order to produce notable impact we must not only acknowledge the necessity of the environment protection – we must act. And not in just one day in a year, but EVERY DAY and EACH YEAR! And not only by a small group of Nature-loving activists, but by EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING on the planet! Because if one day the consequences of the Mankind’s negative impact reveal themselves, they will hit all of us and will do it very hard and painfully.
“Impossible…” – you may think about this. Well, everything is possible, the “impossible” just takes a little longer and, that is quite a paradox, does not require difficult actions. It is simple – anyone can do it. And the ways are multiple – you can choose the ones that suit your lifestyle and everyday activity the best.

Here is an example of my own. Each weekend I visit one of the city parks to have a walk or a small picnic. In such cases people usually take with them and leave there plenty of trash – one can see cigarettes, paper scraps, plastic bags and other stuff almost everywhere he / she puts an eye on. On the contrary, during my walks in the parks I not only leave zero litter, but also take some with me and throw it in the nearest trash / recycle cans. The same with picnics: after them I take with me not only my own litter, but also collect the one nearby and leave it all in the trash cans. Involving family and friends in such small campaign is even better – it produces three benefits at once:
1) You spend some wonderful hours in a good company;
2) You improve your health by breathing fresh air cleaned for you by the surrounding trees;
3) You contribute to making a piece of our beautiful World a cleaner and better place.

Definitely, one person cannot make significant positive impact at once. But he / she is able to do it constantly and involve others in these simple environment-caring activities. And there is always room for innovations: an idea in this area cannot be bad, bad is to hide it from the others.


Therefore, think about this message, your lifestyle, and how can you adapt it to make you contribute to the environmental protection in your park, city, country, continent, planet.
Make the “impossible”!
And let’s celebrate the World Environment Day… EVERY DAY!

“HOME” – MEET THE PLANET!

As the mankind’s negative impact on the planet Earth escalates, so does the number of people wishing to reduce and even stop it. Mr. Yann Arthus-Bertrand seems to be a good example of such planet supporters. The movie “HOME” is his contribution to make the human population of the Earth aware of the beauty of their home world, the threat they represent to it, and the ways of changing it into the “opportunity to prosper in harmony”.


The movie will be released on 05.06.2009 (World Environment Day) in more than 50 countries at once. It is said to be available on every format: at cinemas, on TV, DVDs, and Internet.
You can watch the “HOME” trailer HERE.

Press conference with the author of the movie “HOME” is available HERE:

So…

On June 5th I have a date with the Planet.
What about YOU?

THE BEAUTIFUL GIANT

Date: June 2008
Place: Chisinau, Moldova




The beautiful giant displayed on the photos is named the Giant Scolia (Scolia maculata). This is a 40 – 60 mm wasp with membership in the Scoliidae family from the order Hymenoptera. There are approximately 450 species in this family that live mostly in the tropical and subtropical climatic zones.
Scoliidae are usually large black insects with hairy body, several yellow or orange marks on abdomen, and distinctively corrugated wing tips. Male wasps are a bit more slender, elongate and have longer antennas than their girl-friends. Scolia maculata is the largest representative of the family.


Despite the relatively big size, Scolia is not harmful to large animals and humans. Its sting is thin and smooth – the master uses it not for killing or causing pain, but as an accurate surgical instrument for paralyzing its prey – the larva of the rhino beetle (Oryctes nasicornis). After detecting the presence of the larva the female wasp immediately clasps it and stings in the belly nervous centre that controls all movements of the organism. Thus the larva remains living, but becomes fully paralyzed – a perfect method for keeping it fresh during the whole period of the Scolia larva development. The female wasp lays one egg on the belly of the paralyzed victim, and the hatched larva devours it gradually, starting from the less important organs and finishing with the vital nervous and blood circulatory systems.
This way the Scoliid wasp larvae serve as the important biocontrol agents that maintain the population and distribution of pest beetles at moderate level.
Scolia maculata is considered to be endangered specie and is included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the Red Data List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

THE UNDERWATER FRIEND

Date: June 2005
Place: Sevastopol, Ukraine




These are several photos of the common bottlenose dolphins taken in the Sevastopol Dolphinarium in Crimea, Ukraine. I was there during my summer holidays in 2005.
Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a well-known sea mammal from the Delphinidae family that takes part in the Cetacea order (comprises dolphins, porpoises, and whales). All dolphins are carnivorous beasts that can be met in oceans, seas and even rivers (river dolphins from the Platanistoidea superfamily). They live about 30 – 50 years. Dolphins travel in herds (“pods”) and communicate with each other by producing low frequency clicks and high frequency ultrasound whistles. The latter is used for echolocation (biosonar) to orient in the environment, find food, and other purposes. It works in the following way: a dolphin emits the directed ultrasound wave and listens for the return echo to analyze the location, remoteness, shape, structure and other characteristics of nearby objects.


Dolphins are considered to be one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. Among their most interesting abilities and skills investigated by scientists the following can be mentioned: good memory, comprehension of gestures, symbols and numerical values, object categorization, acoustic and behavioral mimicry, mirror self-recognition and many more. Some scientists studying Delphinidae even state that they have some sort of linguistic communication system – the Dolphin language.
The above-mentioned characteristics made humans show much interest in members of the Delphinidae family, especially in the bottlenose dolphins, and use them in various scopes. These playful creatures can be found performing in dolphin shows in specially designed Dolphinariums, like the one in the coastal city of Sevastopol, Ukraine. The existence of such facilities generates certain controversy: some people consider them to be closed as “actors” there have poor conditions and care, while others point out that Dolphinariums can serve as research, conservation and rehabilitation facilities for endangered species and injured individuals captured in nets or thrown on the shores. My personal opinion here is that Dolphinariums should be allowed to function only while respecting three obligatory conditions:
a) The primary mission and job of such facilities are to rescue and protect the threatened and endangered species of Cetacea;
b) There must be adequate conditions and suitable environment provided for the animals kept here on the basis of the latest research results;
c) After a certain period of rehabilitation and preparation of the animal for wild life it must be given freedom in order to support its population in the external environment.

Bottlenose dolphins are also widely used in military. They receive special training and are given tasks to locate and disable sea mines, deliver certain cargo, and detect enemy divers and stealth ships. In some cases dolphin’s natural abilities can be enhanced by special equipment for it to serve as real-time transmitter of reconnaissance information and a true soldier with damage-inflicting weaponry.
And finally, these sea mammals are quite famous for helping drowning people and saving their lives, participating in the animal-assisted therapy, assisting fishermen in driving fish right into their nets, and just being the stars of many books, movies, cartoons, television shows, video games, etc.

Truly, dolphin is a cute, intelligent, friendly, and helpful being that needs to be protected and cared about. So, why being the Master, when it is possible to become a Friend?...



If you enjoy reading about these adorable creatures, you can take a look at the poem “At the Dolphinarium” available on the blog “Alexander Iscenco – The Thoughts”.

PIMP MY LIZARD

A true story. At one of my birthdays, on the 9th of May, my parents and I were invited by our friends to spend the day at the bank of the Dniester River that flows along the north-eastern border of the Republic of Moldova.
We sat on a grassy hill above one of the bends of the river and had picnic. There were a lot of blooming trees and bushes around us, and while the rest of the company was busy with the meal, I used the chance to explore life hidden within them. I found a lot of interesting insects, like shining leaves-eating beetles from the Coleoptera order and graceful mantis-like Rhaphidia – members of the small Rhaphidioptera order.
I was in the process of exploring a large bush of jasmine fully covered by aromatic flowers, when suddenly I noticed a small muzzle with two black eyes staring at me right near the tip of my nose. I stood back and saw a quite large lizard sitting on a branch among the flowers and absorbing the energy of the sunrays.
It was simply charming! Blue-and-gray muzzle, light-green body and legs, yellow belly, and green-and-gray long tail. This was one of the most beautiful representatives of the Squamata order I have ever seen in reality.


I quietly called my family and friends to share this beauty with them. Then for several minutes we stood near the bush admiring the interesting colour of the lizard. At the same time it examined us with a calm look. It seemed that the lizard had been pretty assured in the effectiveness of its camouflage among the jasmine flowers; I imagined it thinking: “Go on, stare at these flowers! You are not able to see me, because my colourful dress perfectly merges with the surroundings I am in right now.”
Suddenly one of our friends, a not so slim elderly lady, grabbed the tail of the lizard and started pulling it like a rope of a doorbell, screaming loudly at the same time. The owner of the tail was disconcerted; not scared, but mostly annoyed by such rude bothering. It was almost possible to read on its raised and displeased muzzle: “Hey! What’s going on?! I am just enjoying the warmth of the sunrays here, not bothering anyone. Then what the heck is this human female pulling my tail like an udder?!”
The insulted lizard decided to withdraw from the insolent two-legged creatures. It pulled out its tail out of our friend’s hand, turned around and dissolved in the flower wall full of indignation.
A second later we asked our friend why she had done such an action.
- I just wanted to see how it leaves its tail and escapes, - she replied.
- But what’s with all that screaming about?
The lady’s face blushed.
- I imagined its tail moving in my hand and got scared, - was the reply.
The bank of the Dniester River resounded with our irrepressible laugh.

PLEASE SOME GEESE

Date: July 2001
Place: Hoorn, the Netherlands


The photo is taken in a small northern city called Hoorn in the Netherlands. In summer 2001 we were invited by our friends from this country to spend there several weeks of our holiday.
The ducks and geese there walk freely on the street and gladly accept some food from the pedestrians, especially such tourists as we were. Most probably they are domesticated birds, but maybe several of them belong to true geese having a stop there during migration and benefiting from the presence of humans.
Ducks, geese and swans form the biological family called Anatidae with about 146 species in 40 genera. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating on the water surface, and sometimes diving in shallow water. Most of them are herbivorous, although some species, like the mergansers, also feed on fish and various aquatic invertebrates. Ducks, geese and swans are generally seasonal and monogamous (have one sexual partner for a lifetime) breeders.


There are five species of Anatidae that had become extinct since 1600 due to human activity; many more members of this family are threatened with extinction.

ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Clone troopers are marching along the dusty valley. The reconnaissance squadron informed of a source of valuable resources controlled by the enemy to the north-west from the base. Immediately a large army of experienced troopers has been dispatched to take control of the resources.
They are clones – purely identical copies of an individual with the same structure and content of DNA. They have been created and bred to serve for special purposes, realize specific tasks, and dedicate their lives to achieving certain goals. In order to make this happen, the DNA of the selected organisms has been modified according to each one’s specialization.
The clone troopers are getting closer to the target. They are ready to attack and die for their masters…

Looks like a snapshot from the “Star Wars” Universe, isn’t it?


However, these clone troopers do not have two legs and two arms. They are not of human origin. They are not a result of someone’s imagination, but REAL creatures. And they are EVERYWHERE AROUND YOU!
They are ANTS!


Ants are the members of the order Hymenoptera and represent the Formicidae family. These are socially organized insects that form huge colonies of thousands organisms working together as small civilizations. And the interesting thing is that 98 % of all members of a colony are identical copies, i.e. clones.

In the “headquarters” of an ants’ colony lies a comparatively big female called the “queen”. This is a constantly working cloning machine: each day it produces hundreds of unfertilized eggs that are immediately transported to the specific chambers of the colony. The ants hatching from these eggs and developing by complete metamorphosis (through the stage of pupae) are genetically identical and sterile females that become specialized workers. Only in certain period of a year the “queen” gives birth to male (“drones”) and female ants with wings and the reproduction ability. After pairing the winged females establish a new colony or return to the old one and become the new “queens”.

Although all workers are clones, there are some changes in their genomes – in such way the “queen” can “program” each organism for serving certain purpose. Thus the colony has the castes system with several types of workers: builders, nurses, farmers, shepherds, scouts and others. In some species the role and specialty of clones may change with their age – some sort of climbing the career ladder.

The workers from the military caste called the “soldiers” represent the defense system of the colony and its grand army. In spite of not having blaster rifles and thermal detonators, like the Clone troopers in “Star Wars”, these little warriors still possess a powerful and frightening arsenal: they are equipped with large and strong mandibles, sharp sting to inject formic acid, quite sensitive sensor system, and strong armour of chitinous exoskeleton. Sometimes the soldier’s mandibles are so big that their owner simply cannot take food by himself – the soldier is fed by worker ants.

Some tropical species of ants are so dangerous that even such a mighty predator as Homo sapiens prefer to flee and leave the battlefield to the little but brave warriors. Any creature crazy enough to get in the middle of the ants’ grand army would be covered by the soldiers furiously biting their prey and reaping it to pieces to easily transport back to the colony. If the first line of attackers is destroyed, immediately the second one rushes into the battle, followed by the third one and so on. Even a separated head or decapitated body tries to help other soldiers by biting the legs of the enemy or acting as an obstacle for its counterattack.

There is no escape from these clones!

However, not only ants benefit from the cloning technology. Other social insects from the Hymenoptera order, like bees, bumblebees and wasps, also have their cloning factories that produce worker insects to collect nectar, construct and maintain the nest, protect it from the external threats, etc. And many other animals and plants reproduce themselves by using clonal derivation, in science called as parthenogenesis.

The clones are approaching the target.

Scouts have reported that the allied army has been closing in from the east. The courier from the base has brought the information that the reinforcements could be available in a short period of time.

The enemy is in sight. It is a huge two-legged monster holding the source of food and resources – a sweet substance in a hard shell that has the form of the upside-down cone. On the enemy’s language it is called “ice-cream”. The enemy itself does not have hard armour – it would be easy to bite its flesh; and there are many holes on its body for the soldiers to penetrate into and destroy the monster from the inside.

The source must be obtained. Defeat is not acceptable. Only victory or death.

The pheromones commanding to engage the enemy are spread in the air.

The attack of the clones has begun.

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Spring… Trees are blooming, spreading the sweet, exciting aroma in the air. Their fresh, tender leaves are covered with the crystal drops of the morning dew. Birds are preparing to meet the new sunny day with their sonorous, melodious songs. Small black ants and red-and-black bugs are marching in the young grass in search for breakfast. Fluffy bumblebees have already found a place to have a snack – the white flowers of an apple-tree. And now they are buzzing slowly around them seeking for a flower full of the sweetest nectar.

All this shines in the golden and warm rays of the morning sun…

The BEAUTY!

- Revolution!!!... – the angry shout spreads all over the plaza, and hundreds of stones are hurled into the air. They hit the metal shields of policemen and fall on the asphalt filled with pieces of paper, glass and plastic bottles. The strikers once again raise the flags of their country and make another attempt to smash the resisting policemen. The latter retreat from the damaged building of the Presidency waiting for the fire brigades to arrive for support. The young people demanding the overthrow of the current government meet this action with a victorious cry. They put together the damaged furniture taken from the Presidency and set it ablaze. One of the members of the crowd, a bit drunk and dirty, raises the flag and waves it from one side to another.

The roar rises higher and higher…

The BEAST!

Humans… How pitiful are your revolutions, how comical is your politics, and how poisonous is your thirst for Power. Look around you! The Life continues to exist no matter which party has won the elections. Trees continue to bloom and birds continue to sing despite the number of buildings ruined. And the large forests, beautiful hills and twisting rivers of your country continue to shine under the golden rays of the life-giving sun indifferent of what you, Homo sapiens, consider to be right and wrong.

However, in case the Nature feels your constantly rising ignorance or negative attitude towards Her, She will easily hit, and smash, and eliminate you, and no party or president will be able to defend your weak bodies and vulnerable minds.

...

In the cartoon with the same name the Beauty and the Beast fell in love with each other, with the Beast turning into a handsome, kind and loving prince.

Homo sapiens, can YOU do the same?