Chicken bone marrow

So, something I sometimes like doing (and did last night a bit) is eat / chew on the chicken wing bone.. and specifically the bone marrow. Tyler called me on it and asked why? Yeah, I know it's weird. I'm now looking up if it's healthy at all (which was my initial instinct) or just stupid.

Nutritional data of caribou marrow (very high in fat... monounsaturated though!)

For centuries my Sicilian family has always had "Bone Garlic Soup" on hand to treat darn near any illness. It's a simple recipe, a pot of water, 1 Chicken, 6 heads of garlic (chopped coarse) and 6 onions (also chopped coarse) If you want to add a cut up carrot or two that's fine. Boil it all for a few hours, adding water as it reduces. Pull the chicken out, and pull the meat off the bones. Cut up the bones and return to the broth. Boil for another few hours and pour through finer and finer sieves until you have an almost clear liquid. Pour off the fat and sip like tea.



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Below, via a $5 'Google Answers' question 7 years ago.

It seems that bone marrow was very important in the diet of earlier
civilizations.

According to a study presented at the Indiana University website
(http://www.indiana.edu/~origins/teach/P380/proteins.html),

“Historically, native American hunters would pass up a thin bison
carcass, rather than eat lean muscle... or just eat the fatty bits.
This is also one reason why BONE MARROW is a very popular
food among foragers -- a great source of lipids & kcal. We will
read, later, about the implications of this type of behavior for
interpreting the patterns of meat eating among early human
hunters and scavengers.”

In a report titled, “The Evolution Of Human Nutrition”, by Barry
Bogin, which appears at the website of the Center for Instructional
Technology Development at the University of Toronto Scarborough
Campus (http://citd.scar.utoronto.ca/ANTAO1/Projects/Bogin.html),
the author states the following:

“Subsequent analysis shows that hominids may have been collecting
bones for their marrow and brain tissue rather than for any meat still
remaining on the surface of the bone (Binford 1987). Marrow and brain
are high in fat and protein, but few carnivores have the morphology
necessary to break open large long bones.”


In an article listed at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
website titled, “Ape-Man; Adventures in Human Evolution”,
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/apeman/chronology/2_5.shtml), the
following is stated:

“As Prof. Leslie Aiello (University College London) points out, bone
marrow is highly nutritious, and contains many important elements for
brain growth and development. It also takes much less energy to digest
than plant food. Scientists have shown that brain size was beginning
to increase in the later australopithecines, and it could all be down
to bone marrow as brain food.”

At a website called Unknowncountry.com, I found an article titled
“Meat Eating More Healthy in Prehistoric Times”, dated 28-Mar-2002.
(http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=1385), in which the
author states,

“This rules out farmed foods such as dairy products, refined cereals,
added fats and salt. Instead, we should eat lean meat, fish, fresh
fruit and vegetables. The best parts of the meat are the oily brain
and bone marrow, since these are rich in healthy fats.”

It was more difficult to find discussion of the nutritional value of
bone marrow to modern humans.  I did find many websites selling
nutritional supplements containing bone marrow as well as many
recipes.

Louis Arkson Inc., a manufacturer of Health Food Supplements and
Skin Care products, sells a product called Vita-Bone Marrow (
http://www.arkson.com/health/vbone.htm ).  They state the following:

“Bone Marrow is the essence of all vertebralis. It contains all of the
necessary nutrients to the human body, such as proteins, vitamins,
complex B, minerals (calcium , magnesium, zinc ). Bone Marrow also
contains Lecithin and Methionine.

The result is a formula displaying the following properties:

Helps maintain healthy cholesterol level
Anti-inflammatory
Antispasmodic(*)
Promotes a strong immune system”

(*) An antispasmodic (synonym: spasmolytic) is a drug or an herb
that suppresses spasms.[1][2] These are usually caused by smooth
muscle contraction, especially in tubular organs. The effect is
to prevent spasms of the stomach, intestine or urinary bladder.
(Looks like for mostly involuntary muscles.. )



From Wikipedia:

Many cultures utilize bone marrow as a food. The Vietnamese prize bone as the soup base for their national staple phở; Alaskan Natives eat the bone marrow of caribou and moose; Indians use slow-cooked marrow as the core ingredient of the Indian dish Nalli Nihari; Mexicans use beef bone marrow from leg bones, called tuetano, which is cooked and served as filling for tacos or tostadas; it is also considered to be the highlight of the Italian dish ossobuco (braised veal shanks). Though once used in various preparations, including pemmican, bone marrow has fallen out of favor as a food in the United States. In the Philippines, the soup "Bulalo" is made primarily of beef stock and marrow bones, seasoned with choice vegetables and boiled meat.

Diners in the 18th century used a marrow scoop (or marrow spoon), often of silver and with a long thin bowl, as a table implement for removing marrow from a bone.

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Hmm.. seems like mostly anecdotal evidence... still, whateves...
good enough for me. At least it doesn't seem bad for you. Plus,
large sourceof monounsaturates:

- Fights breast cancer, cholesterol (heart disease and strokes),
lowers the chances of gallstone formation, and what's this;
reduced belly fat??!!

Also, apparently I am now starting to believe everything
I read on the internet...

Fake trains, real money.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/rail-link-to-pearson-gets-green-light-with-strict-conditions/article1313164/

"
The technology, which is still in development and not yet commercially available for locomotives, is expected to reduce particulate by 90 per cent and nitrogen oxides by 80 per cent, when used in combination with low-sulphur fuels.
"

uh-huh... another big plan without the infrastructure or technology (nevermind that the science behind it doesn't really work!!!) to fund further financial loopholes for the back-scratching Province and their pals... great. Being exposed to the fuel industry for the last few years, I can safely predict this gets pushed back at least 15 years when suddenly a different technology / fuel is studied; for at least an additional 2 years.

Great idea, horrible execution.

Why do geese fly in a V formation?

Breaking down a few articles, here are the reasons scientists think geese fly in a V formation.

1) Field of vision. From first to last each has the same view (as opposed to when flying in a single row, like straight drafting, or in a group, like a bicycle peloton or swarm of birds).

2) Aerodynamics. Geese can achieve a greater distance of about 70% when flying in groups than each flying solo, using the same amount of energy. In this formation, the bird in the lead position will experience a greater air resistance and will have to work a little harder, however, when the lead bird is tired it falls out of position and goes behind into one of the V position lines. Another bird from behind will then quickly move forward into the leading position thus, maintaining the V formation. The same happens for those birds in trailing positions especially those at both extreme ends of the V formation, since they tire more quickly than those in the middle. This cycle continues as they travel to their destination.

Also, heart rate seems to be lowered by anywhere from 12-20%.

3) Social aspect. If a bird in the formation falls ill or is shot, two other birds will accompany it on the descent, aiding and protecting the injured bird until it either recovers or dies. The two helpful geese will then rejoin the formation.

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Here's some more in-depth information regarding the aerodynamics of the situation and wingtip vortices.These vortices are generally undesirable because they create a downwash that increases the induced drag on a wing in flight. However, this downwash is also accompanied by an upwash that can be beneficial to a second wing flying behind and slightly above the first.

A bird flying in one of these upwash regions essentially gains free lift so that it can fly at a lower angle of attack. As angle of attack is reduced, the induced drag is also lowered so that the bird does not need to flap its wings as hard or as often to generate the thrust needed for forward flight. Flapping the wings less often means that the bird's muscles do not work as hard and its heart rate drops. As a result, the bird does not tire as quickly and is able to fly farther. Researchers explored this theory by monitoring pelican heartbeats during flight. Examination of the data showed that the heart rates of pelicans flying in formation were much lower than that of a bird flying alone. Other studies have estimated that a flock of 25 birds in formation can fly as much as 70% further than a solo bird using the same amount of energy.

The majority of the benefit goes to the birds further aft, but the front bird does still gain some reduction in drag. The presence of the two birds flanking the leader helps to dissipate the downwash off the lead bird's wingtips and reduces the induced drag this bird experiences. These two flanking birds also benefit from a similar reduction in drag if outboard birds flank them as well. In other words, the birds in the middle of each of the lines forming the V are in the best position. These birds benefit from the upwash off the lead birds as well as off the trailing birds. This additional bonus means that birds in the middle experience less drag than either the lead bird or the bird at the end of each line.

ref:
http://kottke.org/09/10/the-flight-patterns-of-geese
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/348057/why_do_geese_migrate_in_a_v_shape.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm#Birds
http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2005/11/why-do-geese-fly-in-v-formation.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1608251.stm
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/nature/q0237.shtml