From the Library

“They did not fear much for their camels, which have their own defenses: deep-set, hirsute ears and long eyelashes that protect against flying grit, collapsible nostrils that add moisture to the searing air they breathe, and eyes with lids so thin that they can close them during a sandstorm and still see. They do not worry about them overheating, for camels have unique abilities to absorb heat in their bodies while their brains remain insulated and stable. They conserve their body water by not sweating or panting, instead retaining the heat during the day and releasing it later. On bitterly cold nights, their owners often took refuge in their warmth. As all good cameleers knew, these prized beasts were as impervious to the abuse of the desert as was possible to do, and they were as long lived as they were ornery, some reaching half a century in age. Many would outlive their masters.” (

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In the early 1990s, researchers found the first so called alcoholism gene. It was called VRD2 but its role in alcoholism has remained extremely controversial. Recently, a report suggested that genes may control the dependency on alcohol directly. Investigators at the University of California in San Francisco have discovered a gene called slo-1. The …