I believe it is determined by your video card. You could try fiddling with the about:config settings:

webgl.disabled webgl.force-enabled

Though it wouldn't surprise me if you started to get BSODs.

It has uses beyond cutting: <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/butler-diamonds.html>;

Yes. For example: < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinococcus_radiodurans >

But if all life on earth is descended from something resistant to radiation, why is most life on earth so vulnerable to it now?

Why do we need to consume Vitamin C to avoid scruvy? Evolution abandons what is no longer necessary.

Most animals don't need to do that.

Who says anything descended from this bacterium? Maybe it's not as competitive as other bacteria in more hospitable areas.

From the article:

Deinococcus radiodurans has a unique quality in which it can repair both single- and double-stranded DNA. When a mutation is apparent to the cell, it brings it into a compartmental ring-like structure, where the DNA is repaired and then is able to fuse the nucleoids from the outside of the compartment with the damaged DNA.

Amazing.

"...outdated beliefs..." I didn't know ethical decisions had an expiration date.

Better article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12275979

A language that avoids the question

Fluent interfaces predate jQuery

If the Muslims didn't burn down the library of Alexandria I wonder if the Renaissance wouldn't have come much sooner.

The library was probably burnt more than once, and there's no proof that the Muslims did it the last time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria#Arabic_so...

"the last time".

You're right to infer that the Christians did their fair share of burning as well, if not more so in this case.

An interesting story of ants I've experienced: when I was in California some time ago standing duty at a barracks, there was an infestation of ants everywhere (anyone in California can guess the type of ants they were). To kill some time I found a can of ant killer and proceeded to spray the ones surrounding a vending machine that they took over. 30 minutes later to my surprise, other ants had found all the places where I had sprayed and cordoned it off with gravel they carried with them as a warning to other ants. Has anyone come across other interesting behavior like this?