The house fly, Musca domestica, is a familiar insect pest. It is of economic importance because it can transmit disease-causing organisms, such as salmonella, e-coli, etc., and can be a nuisance in and around farms and houses.

Flies can be beneficial and necessary, aiding in controlling other insect pests, acting as pollinators, recyclers and scavengers, and they are also a part of the food chain. Remember only bees (and a few wasps) pollinate more plants than flies.

The common housefly can transmit the pathogens that cause shigellosis, typhoid fever, E. coli, and cholera. The disease-causing agents can either be transmitted by the body hairs or by the tarsi which are transmitted to food or surfaces when the fly lands.

It is likely that eukaryotic cells, of which humans are made, evolved from bacteria about two billion years ago. One theory is that eukaryotic cells evolved via a symbiotic relationship between two independent prokaryotic bacteria.

All living organisms store genetic information using the same molecules — DNA and RNA. Genes are maintained over an organism’s evolution, however, genes can also be exchanged or “stolen” from other organisms.

Human nature: Six things we all do

• SKILLS. Human nature: Being playful.
• KNOWLEDGE. Human nature: Being scientific.
• BEHAVIOUR. Human nature: Being legislative.
• FEEDING. Human nature: Being epicurean.
• SEX. Human nature: Being clandestine.
• COMMUNICATION. Human nature: Being gossipy.

The thing that separates human beings from other animals isn`t the ability to reason or use tools, but telling lies and the human capacity for self-deception, scholars said at a major science meeting Saturday. It might also be adaptive to be able to deceive oneself. …

Memory for stimulus sequences distinguishes humans from other animals. Summary: Humans possess many cognitive abilities not seen in other animals, such as a full-blown language capacity as well as reasoning and planning abilities.

Qualities that form the foundation of all other human qualities include honesty, integrity, courage, self-awareness, and wholeheartedness….These qualities define who we are as human beings.

• Be Honest and Have Integrity.
• Be Courageous.
• Be Self-Aware.
• Be Wholehearted.