Miss Mexico won the Miss Universe title Monday night, but that wasn’t the pageant’s biggest surprise.
Heck, we could think of seven of them:
1. Donald Trump, announcer. The Donald provided intros between segments. What? Don Pardo was busy?
2. Chi is apparently some big hair product. At least that’s what the ads said.
3. NBC must be on hard times. Other than the Chi ads, the show was filled with commercials for upcoming NBC shows.
4. Breast implants are out of fashion.
5. Criss Angel, judge?
6. Bret Michaels, host?
7. “Apprentice” contestants are lurking. Could the judges be likely finalists for the reality show’s next lineup?
Bonus: The “Viva Elvis” people don’t miss a chance to push their show. How many times will we see the plastic Elvis wigs before the end of the year?
How is it possible to fly 11,000 km without a single break? The bar-tailed godwit does it by consuming only 0.41 percent of its body weight each hour during its eight-day-long flight.
Every autumn, the bar-tailed godwit undertakes the eight-day journey from Alaska to New Zealand.
The bird flies non-stop, without once breaking the journey to rest or eat. Then when spring comes, the bird makes the 11,000 km journey back to Alaska.
Professor of Ecology Anders Hedenstrom from the Lund University, Sweden has pondered over how this species of bird can fly so far without stopping. The distance is twice as far as previously known non-stop distances for migratory birds.
Hedenstrom emphasises that the bar-tailed godwit is far superior to all aircraft constructed by humans when it comes to the art of flying for a long time without a break, according to a statement of the Lund University.
The long-distance flight record for aircraft is held by the QinetiQ Zephyr, an unmanned solar-powered craft. It can remain airborne for 82 hours, around three-and-half days, compared with the bar-tailed godwit's eight-day flight.
But what is it that makes the bar-tailed godwit able to fly 11,000 km without pausing to stop? How can these birds manage without sleep or food for eight whole days?
One explanation is that they consume unusually little energy compared with other species of birds. Anders Hedenstrom has calculated that the bar-tailed godwit consumes 0.41 percent of its body weight each hour during its long flight.
'This figure is extremely low compared with other migratory birds,' he says. However, other factors also play a role. It is important to have the right ratio of body weight to size to be able to carry sufficient energy for the entire flight.
The energy mainly comprises body fat, and to some extent also protein. It is also important to have an aerodynamic body shape so that air resistance is minimised. A further success factor is flight speed.
The bar-tailed godwit is a quick flyer, which means that it can cover long distances in a reasonable time.
A comparison can be made with a completely different group of long-distance travellers from the animal kingdom - eels.
To complete the bar-tailed godwit's 11,000 km journey would take the eel 345 days, according to Hedenstrom.
The famous smile of Mona Lisa, the magnum opus of Leonardo da Vinci, is no more a secret as scientists have decoded the technique how the Renaisance-era painter created a special effect to show the enigmatic expression.
According to the experts, the artist managed to achieve his trademark smoky effect, known as sfumato, on the painting by applying up to 40 layers of extremely thin glaze thought to have been smeared on with his fingers.
The glaze, mixed with subtly different pigments, creates the slight blurring and shadows around the mouth that give Mona Lisa her barely noticeable smile that seems to disappear when looked at directly.
With the help of X-rays, the researchers were able to see how the layers of glaze and paint had been built up to varying levels on the face, The Telegraph reported.
With the drying times for the glaze taking months, such effects would have taken years to achieve.
The findings also suggest that he used his fingers to apply the glaze as there are no brush marks or contours visible on the paintings.
The new discoveries have been made by scientists at Laboratoire du Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musees de France and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.
Writing in the scientific journal Angewandle Chemie, Philippe Walter, who led the study, said: 'The perfection of Leonardo da Vinci's painting technique has always been fascinating.
'The gradation of tones or colours from light to dark is barely perceptible. Above all, the way the flesh is rendered gives rise to many comments because of its crucial role in the fascination exerted by Leonardo's portraits.
'Even today, Leonardo's realisation of such thin layers still remains an amazing feat,' Walter said.
The team also studied skin tones in six other of Leonardo's most famous paintings, including 'Virgin of the Rocks', 'Madonna of the Carnation', 'Saint John the Baptist' and the 'Virgin and the Child'.
Walter and his team believe that Leonardo experimented by creating different types of glaze and with different pigments to perfect the sfumato effect.