[sundrop]

It is interesting how nature will struggle to survive in adverse/unusual conditions. Evolution proves this but here is an interesting observation by myself first hand.
I decided to do a "Patio Garden" this year. Now that I live in town I don't want to tear up the yard ( nor do I want to work that hard!)
I took a few large pots and buckets and planted one bell pepper, one banana pepper and a few tomatoes.. I love how easily this kind of garden can be managed. I can even move the plants in and out of the patio to control the sun and heat exposure. I use buckets by the downspouts to collect rainwater and use that water to water them.. (free water!, mostly...rain has been scarce!)
Anyway, here's my point about nature... My bell pepper plant and the banana pepper grow side by side with no other pepper plants. Strangely, ALL of my bell peppers look like dark green banana peppers!!!! They are thin skinned and banana shaped, they even have a touch of "heat" to them like my banana peppers!!!! Yet my banana peppers are normal! So I guess the banana is the strongest genetically and it cross bred with the bell..... So now I have Bellanna Peppers!! They taste great and have few seeds ( which I have kept to dry and grow next year and see what happens!)
With a limited source to cross pollinate nature used what was available..much like the Hybrid Bass....

 

[sinker man]

I was watching an Oceanography program last night. It was footage of some of the most densely populated ocean reefs I have ever witnessed. The location seemed strange... Right down at the bottom of the rift in the Mid Atlantic Ridge. Coral reefs down there too.... Where nobody that knew anything about Coral would believe it could possibly exist. I'm not talking just tube worms growing in 750 degree water but all sorts of stuff thriving in a seemingly impossible environment. We are talking all sorts of critters. The last segment really put the icing on the cake. They found what appeared to be an underwater lake. The 'shoreline' looked like a minature Manhatten all the way around, with all sorts of marine life growing around it. As they tried to descend into it their submersible just bounced off the surface, sending waves out that lapped up on the 'shore'. It was determined that it was super saline water in a concentration only achievable under extreme pressures. Methane was bubbling up thru it and nourishing the critters around it. Unreal at first. When you get to thinking of all the bugs that can survive in the methane rich mammalian intestinal environment it seems a little more believable.

 

[colorado]

That was "Blue Planet" on the Discovery channel. Awesome series.

 

[Dave B.]

Colorado's right, and yeah, good stuff on Discovery!