Good morning, Whitewater
The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls that on this date in 1859,
1859 – Abraham Lincoln Speaks at State Fair
On this date Abraham Lincoln delivered an address at the Wisconsin State Fair. In his speech, he connected agriculture to education: “Every blade of grass is a study; and to produce two, where there was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure.” The rising political star (who was elected the following year), also stressed the importance of free labor. This was Lincoln’s last visit to Wisconsin. In 1861, after winning the presidential election, Lincoln signed the bill establishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Wisconsin State Journal has a story on how, perhaps, just perhaps, “Tiny parasite felled mighty T. rex, says UW researcher“:
Until now, the fearsome reputation of Tyrannosaurus rex has been pretty solid. Seven tons. More than 40 feet long. Huge head. Powerful jaws and meat-shredding teeth.
What could possibly pose a threat to such a beast, the king of the dinosaurs?
Ewan D.S. Wolff, a vertebrate paleontologist and a veterinary student at the UW-Madison, has discovered a surprising answer. T. rex, a new study by Wolff and other researchers has shown, may have often been laid low not by deadly combat with other dinosaurs but instead by a tiny parasite.
It’s sort of a prehistoric version of the aliens in the War of the Worlds falling prey to the common cold. Only, in this case, the aliens are represented by Sue, the famous T. rex that greets visitors to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. And the part of the human cold is played by a parasitic infection called trichomonosis that affects modern-day birds….
Here’s today’s almanac:
| Wednesday, September 30, 2009 | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Official Time | 06:50 AM | 06:38 PM |
| Civil Twilight | 06:22 AM | 07:06 PM |
| Tomorrow | 06:51 AM | 06:36 PM |
| Tomorrow will be: | 3 minutes shorter | |
| Amount of sunlight: | 11h 48 m | |
| Amount of daylight: | 12h 44 m | |
| Moon phase: | Waxing Gibbous | |