=== The Object of Love ===
I was waiting at the veterinarian's office recently with my cat when a young woman came in. After she sat down next to me, she asked if I would mind if she took her pet iguana out of its carrier. It was just a baby, she said, and it liked being held. Now, I'm not fond of iguanas. They're strange, unpredictable creatures that belong deep in a rain forest, walking on the ground or resting high in the trees, which are hidden in the canopy. Wishing to be polite, but with reluctance in my voice, I told the woman that I didn't mind. She thanked me as she popped open the plastic carrier and pulled the iguana out, onto her lap. I guardedly examined the animal: A dinosaur-like thing, it was the size of a cat but armored in gray-green scales, with a black-striped, whiplike tail two feet long. It had a spine with tiny spikes, and its muscular limbs ended with what resembled crinkly leather gloves drawn tightly over fine-boned human hands. When I looked more closely, I saw a tiny claw at the tip of each slender finger. The woman began to pet the iguana under its chin, and the little dragon arched its neck and closed its eyes. The reptile's calmness amazed me, as did the caress that was given tenderly from the woman to her pet and watched it peacefully rest. With a twinge of pity, I thought how sad it was for us to lavish so much affection on something that couldn't love her back. At that moment, the iguana slowly opened its eyes, which shone large and bright, from its scaly face. Head slightly cocked, it regarded me, steadily and fixedly, like a judge delivering a verdict. 'Who are you,' it seemed to ask me, 'to name the proper object of love?' The veterinary assistant called for my cat, and me from the hallway that leads to the examination area. A bit unsettled, I rose and picked up my cat carrier. As I walked from the waiting room into the hall, I glanced back and saw the iguana snuggle down into the young woman's lap, looking as content as a kitten, and close its eyes again.
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=== Quorum Sensing in Bacteria ===
leased a high enough concentration of autoinducer, they assemble and begin to glow. This 'quorum sensing' enables the bacteria to coordinate their actions and perform their specific function. On the contrary, in her own lab, Bassler found evidence of quorum sensing in a related bacterial species called Vibrio harveyi. She also discovered that V. harveyi release a second autoinducer, or AI-2. This AI-2, which Bassler has described as a chemical 'trade language,' makes it possible for bacteria to communicate with other species of bacteria in the same neck of the woods. She found that each of the species she studied, including ones that live in humans, releases AI-2. After her 2002 discovery, Bassler began using information from her quorum-sensing studies to understand how virulent strains of bacteria found in humans communicate. These disease-spreading bacteria rely on quorum sensing to spread disease. Bassler is hopeful that her ongoing studies of AI-2 will enable she and her team to disrupt quorum sensing and ultimately develop new methods for treating bacterial infections.
=== Mapping the London Underground ===
Soon after the London Underground subway lines were introduced in the late 1800s, a system for mapping these vicinities creeping beneath was needed so that travelers could navigate this new mode of transportation. As a result, early maps relied on a geographically accurate scale that simply superimposed the twisting subway lines over standard maps of the city streets above. These maps clearly depicted the few subway lines that extended into suburban London, but they compressed and obscured the compact, heavily trafficked routes that converged directly under central London. In the 1930s, electrical engineer Harry Beck proposed a solution that would eliminate the need for geographical accuracy. He created a map that was a scaled-down linear diagram of the subway lines. More a stylistic outline of the routes besides a true-to-life sketch; it did not represent actual distances between points. Beck's map, modeled after electrical wiring diagrams, had a clean, grid-like structure having also color-coded routes. Focusing on creating the simplest possible schema to show travelers how to get from one station to another, he did away with all references to city streets above. The London Passenger Transport Board, which represented the subway lines, initially resisted Beck's map. Still, willing to try anything to rise subway ridership and therefore revenues, a limited number of copies were printed. Beck's map became a huge success. Over a million copies were in circulation within six months. Board members felt that not showing relative distances between stations was too radical. For most of his life, Beck continued to make small refinements to 'the diagram,' as he called his map, but he retained its basic elements. His deceptively simple diagrammatic approach to mapping, remains standard in the field of information design not only in London but also around the world. From Sydney, Australia, to Chicago, Illinois, urban transit maps continue to model this to navigate the spaces below.