A Ton of Crap (131 page)

Discovery of DNA
In 1868, Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher discovered what he referred to as “nuclein.” In reality, these were the nucleic acids. In 1951, the complete DNA molecule was discovered by three scientists, Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins. By the 1940s, scientists understood that DNA was composed of amino acids and was the basic genetic makeup of life. They did not know, however, what the molecule looked like. Using x-ray diffraction, the scientists were able to conclude that DNA was a double helix. In 1962, the three scientists received the Nobel Prize for their contributions to science.

EXTINCT LANGUAGES

Polabian
Polabian was a West Slavic language. The Polabian language was spoken by the Polabian Slavs around the Elbe River in what is present-day northeastern Germany, and use of the language dates back to the first millennium a.d. The language became extinct during the eighteenth century and was replaced with German when the German Empire conquered the Polabian lands. Today, although Polabian does not exist, there are two Sorbian languages spoken that are related to Polabian. The Polabian language has similarities to older phases of Sorbian and Polish languages.

WAR ON TERROR

Death of Osama bin Laden
On May 2, 2011, ten years after the attacks of September 11, Osama bin Laden was killed. The operation was called Operation Neptune Spear, and was ordered by President Obama. A team of United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (or SEAL Team Six) raided the compound in Pakistan where bin Laden had been living. Following the raid, bin Laden’s body was taken to Afghanistan to be identified and then was buried at sea following Muslim practices. On May 6, his death was confirmed by al-Qaeda.

PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES

Card Stacking
Card stacking is about not telling your audience the full truth. Someone performing card stacking omits or holds back contrary information and only puts out the information that best benefits his or her perspective or goal. Card stacking is very effective because it gives someone the ability to present the truth, but still manage to manipulate what is being put out in the world.

INFINITY

Real Analysis
There are some basic formulas regarding infinity, indicating its limitlessness. For example,
x
 → ∞ and
x
 → -∞ show that
x
can grow and decrease without bound. If every
t
is
f
(
t
) ≥ 0, then:

∫-∞∞ 
f
(
t
) 
dt
= ∞ shows the area under
f
(
t
) is infinite

∫-∞∞ 
f
(
t
) 
dt
=
n
shows that the area under
f
(
t
) equals
n
, and thus, is finite.

∫
ab
 
f
(
t
) 
dt
= ∞ shows
f
(
t
) doesn’t bound an area that is finite from
a
to
b

DNA

Uses of DNA
DNA is astounding for a number of reasons. Medically speaking, DNA gives insights into the evolutionary past of mankind; it helps people understand diseases, drugs, and birth defects; and DNA can help people understand how to cure genetic mutations and illnesses. DNA is also used to identify people involved in crimes and paternity tests. DNA testing even helped solve the mystery of the missing Romanov children. The last Russian czar (Nicholas II) and his family were executed in 1918. Later, it was found that two children were missing from the mass grave. In 1991, two bodies were found 70 meters away from the grave of Nicholas II, and with DNA, it was proven that these were his two daughters.

EXTINCT LANGUAGES

Apalachee
The Apalachee people lived in the Florida Panhandle (the northwestern part of the state), but they currently reside in Louisiana. The Apalachee language is a Muskogean language. Of the Muskogean languages that existed, Chickasaw, Alabama, Creek-Seminole, Choctaw, Koasati, and Mikasuki are still spoken today. Apalachee and Hitchiti are the only two that are extinct. The language became extinct due to tribal enemies and disease brought on from the Europeans. Due to the Europeans’ actions in the eighteenth century, the Apalachee people migrated to Louisiana.

1. What happened during the first phase of Operation Enduring Freedom?
   

   1. Saddam Hussein was executed.
      
   2. The Taliban were thrown out of power in Kabul.
      
   3. Osama bin Laden was executed.
      
   4. Baghdad fell.
      

2. What operation marked the end of combat in Iraq?
   

   1. Operation New Dawn
      
   2. Operation Iraqi Freedom
      
   3. Operation Neptune Spear
      
   4. Operation Enduring Freedom
      

3. Which of the following propaganda techniques uses local accents, idioms, or jokes to create the sense of familiarity?
   

   1. Bandwagon
      
   2. Plain folks
      
   3. Transfer
      
   4. Card stacking
      

4. Which of the following propaganda techniques states a person should do something because everyone else is also doing it?
   

   1. Bandwagon
      
   2. Plain folks
      
   3. Transfer
      
   4. Card stacking
      

5. Which of the following did Aristotle think could only make sense?
   

   1. Finitism
      
   2. Ultrafinitism
      
   3. Actual infinity
      
   4. Potential infinity
      

6. What states if there is a set X, there is at least one set that is raised to the power of X, and that is cardinally bigger than X?
   

   1. Aristotle’s Theorem
      
   2. Hilbert’s Theory
      
   3. Galileo’s Paradox
      
   4. Cantor’s Theorem
      

7. Which of the following is NOT a base found in DNA?
   

   1. Guarana
      
   2. Guanine
      
   3. Adenine
      
   4. Cytosine
      

8. What is deoxyribose?
   

   1. An amino acid
      
   2. A sugar molecule
      
   3. A messenger RNA
      
   4. A phosphate
      

9. Dalmatian was spoken in:
   

   1. Croatia
      
   2. The Florida Panhandle
      
   3. Turkey
      
   4. British Columbia
      

10. Anthropologist Frank Boas worked closely with this language, producing the most well known work about it:
    

    1. Apalachee
       
    2. Polabian
       
    3. Tsetsaut
       
    4. Eyak
       

ANSWER KEY: b, a, b, a, d, d, a, b, a, c