Perspective

A little perspective

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 1, 2007

A Chinese toy factory hostage

When New York Times business reporter David Barboza was held hostage by a Chinese toy factory, he learned who really pulls the levers of power there. And it's not the Communist government officials. "You've intruded on our property, " one factory boss shouted at him after he arrived at a factory that produces the popular Thomas & Friends toy rail sets. Then followed hours of negotiations, the partial closing of the factory complex and the arrival of several police cars, a handful of helmet-wearing security officers and some government officials, all trying to free the American journalist and his colleagues from a toy factory. Factory bosses, he would discover, can overrule the police, and Chinese government officials are not as powerful as you might suspect in a country addicted to foreign investment. His release was eventually negotiated.

Surprising virgin birth in animals

Many bees don't have daddies. Neither do some birds. It's called parthenogenesis - literally, virgin birth. We're finding more and more animals that can reproduce this way. Up to 30 percent of unfertilized turkey eggs can spontaneously begin to develop. Lately, parthenogenesis has been verified in various snakes and lizards, extending the list to about 70 vertebrate species, including fish, frogs, chickens and even hammerhead sharks. At life's edges, conventional biology, like conventional physics, breaks down. And as humankind experiments ever more with artificial means of reproduction, it's weird in a way to see how often nature itself went down such a strange path first.

Burqas and vitamin D

A study in the current American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests conservative Muslim dress codes are causing vitamin D deficiency by depriving women of sunlight. Researchers "previously found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency ... in Arab and East Indian women residing in the United Arab Emirates." In a follow-up study of 178 UAE women, "Many dressed to cover their whole bodies, including their hands and faces, while outside of their homes. Only two of the women, one in each group, were not vitamin D deficient." After three months of supplements, only 30 percent of the women who finished the study achieved recommended levels of vitamin D.

Global warming worsens poison ivy

Poison ivy, the scourge of summer campers, hikers and gardeners, is getting worse. Blame global warming. New research shows the rash-inducing plant appears to be growing faster and producing more potent oil compared with earlier decades. The reason? Rising ambient carbon-dioxide levels create ideal conditions for the plant, producing bigger leaves, faster growth, hardier plants and oil that's even more irritating.

[Last modified July 1, 2007, 02:09:20]