The Big 5-0!

Happy 50th Birthday Dad!

Feeling a Little Faint

This weeks neuroscience lectures have brought up some interesting topics, but this one is a little strange!

There is a breed of goat called 'fainting goats' that just run along as normal, but then if they get a fright, they just fall over, or 'faint'. Sounds a little crazy? What's even more crazy is the 'International Fainting Goat Association', which actually breed goats with this brain defect, as they want to preserve this breed of goat.

What the goats actually have is mytonia. This is means that the ion channels in their muscles are not working correctly, so that when they are startled for example, their muscles contract too much and they 'faint'. Once they fall over stiffened, they get back up after about 10-15 seconds and walk away with slightly stiff legs. All very strange. If you want to know more, the website for the international association is: www.faintinggoat.com and there's a wee clip here: http://www.rfaintingfarm.com/goat.mpeg

The Results Are In...

After my success in animal husbandry (did you see? 5 out of 5?!) I didn't expect to find out even more results this week. We had oral exams on Large Animal Anatomy last week, and, although I didn't think I performed at my best, I got a respectable 7/10. Very pleased with that. Bring on the rest of the exams!

What are we going to do today brain?

Throughout the past two weeks the University decided to fill the gap between exams with neuroscience. As dubious as I was that my revision time would be taken up by further new topics, I have grown to really like the subject, mainly thanks to our fabulous lecturer. We have done everything from MRI scans to disection of sheep brains and a little bit of cartoons in the middle.


Anyway, to begin and end this wee course, we were shown a nice little cartoon of 'Pinky and The Brain'. As well as being a very funny cartoon about two mice trying to take over the world, they have aparently provided us with an educational section. All singing, all dancing. You should be able to find it at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li5nMsXg1Lk

Be warned though, the tune WILL get stuck in your brain!

Five out of Five. I passed!

After a roller-coaster week of animal husbandry practicals and orals, results were sharply posted and....I passed them all! Cattle, Sheep, Feeds, Breeds, Cats, Dogs, Lab and exotics. Phew!

Apparently an Even More Interesting Fact....

Having posted my interesting milk fact, it turns out my friend Beth thinks that the amount of saliva produced by a cow is more interesting than the amount of milk produced. So here it is: A cow produces 100-200 litres of saliva per day. Yes, per DAY. OK, so that is quite impressively about 3-5 times more saliva than milk, but I think I appreciate the milk production more than the saliva (Saliva and 11/3 sugars with your tea? Doesn't quite go so well perhaps).