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Science

U=(N/T)M*G: Immortal

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Quantum physics is weird. Actually, quantum anything is really damned baffling. I know we’re learning awesome stuff about the universe from the quantum sciences, but honestly, most of the science goes way above my head. I think I’ve got the gist of this, though. So, the Laws of Thermodynamics are a thing. Life and death all follow these Laws down to the last syllable in some form or another. Everything in the universe is ruled by these Laws on some level. Quantum particles aren’t any different. Sometimes we get a surprise, on the other hand. Like a particle that bends … Read more

Man Grows a “Dragon Horn” on His Back

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Dragon Horn

A brownish-yellow, hardened skin growth on a man’s back grew to such massive proportions that it resembled a giant dragon’s horn by the time surgeons finally removed it. The so-called horn started out humbly as a rough, scaly lesion that first appeared in the middle of a 50-year-old man’s back years ago, according to findings published online in the December 2019 issue of the journal BMJ Case Reports. Over the next three years, the patch of toughened skin grew progressively bigger. Eventually, it formed a thick, curved, horn-like structure that extended nearly to the man’s waist; at the time of … Read more

SCIENCE: Water Bears Have a Fatal Weakness – heat

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tardigrade - deposit photos

Tiny-but-tough tardigrades, also popularly known as water bears, aren’t as indestructible as previously believed. These microanimals, which live in both fresh and salt water, are famous for their ability to survive extremes that would kill other organisms. But new research finds that the creatures rapidly wilt under heat. Water temperatures of less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) can kill tardigrades in only a day. As global temperatures rise, that could become a problem for these animals, the authors of the new study said. “Tardigrades are definitely not the almost-indestructible organism as advertised in so many popular science websites,” … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Decade

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Cool cats, we’ve entered a new decade and I’m on the edge of my seat about it. The 2010’s were a circus for me, personally and publicly and politically, a roller coaster of wildness I’m hoping won’t be repeated. It wasn’t all bad. I started my writing career and had a son, got married and got divorced, made friends and lost friends and rekindled my zest for life. The last decade was something to behold, a time to look back and shake my head in wonder that I manage to knuckle under, survive it mostly on nothing by spite. The … Read more

Pig-Monkey Chimeras Created in China

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pig-monkey chimera

Two piglets recently born in China look like average swine on the outside, but on the inside, they are (a very small) part monkey. A team of researchers generated the pig-primate creatures by injecting monkey stem cells into fertilized pig embryos and then implanting them into surrogate sows, according to a piece by New Scientist. Two of the resulting piglets developed into interspecies animals known as chimeras, meaning that they contained DNA from two distinct individuals — in this case, a pig and a monkey. “This is the first report of full-term pig-monkey chimeras,” co-author Tang Hai, a researcher at … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Hands

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It’s been a hot minute since I last posted an article and I apologize for that. Life kicks people in the teeth and the last few months its been kicking mine. I’m back though, with an early resolution for 2020 not to miss posting here. I forgot how much I love doing these until this topic jumped up and bit me with sharp, plot bunny teeth. Caves. As a Pagan, caves are a tumultuous gateway into the the dark, hiding knowledge and secrets like the precious stones found within, the descent into the Underworld ripe with all kinds of things … Read more

“Steve” Gets a Documentary

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Steve - Live Science

An oddball sky glow endearingly named “Steve” captivated aurora chasers from the moment they first spotted and photographed the unique light display over Canada in 2016. Steve somewhat resembled an aurora, but its sky-climbing ribbons and ladders of purple and green light were distinctly different in shape and behavior from those produced by a typical aurora. Since then, Steve has intrigued not only hobbyist skygazers but also astronomers from NASA — and filmmakers, too. “Chasing Steve,” a new documentary that was screened Dec. 9 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), highlights the efforts of citizen scientists … Read more

When Plants Scream

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plant scream - pixabay

In times of intense stress, people sometimes let out their angst with a squeal ⁠— and a new study suggests that plants might do the same. Unlike human screams, however, plant sounds are too high-frequency for us to hear them, according to the research, which was posted Dec. 2 on the bioRxiv database. But when researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel placed microphones near stressed tomato and tobacco plants, the instruments picked up the crops’ ultrasonic squeals from about 4 inches (10 centimeters) away. The noises fell within a range of 20 to 100 kilohertz, a volume that could … Read more

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Water Bears

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tardigrade - deposit photos

Emma at Modest Fish heard about my mini obsession with tardigrades – also known more fondly as water bears – and sent me this great article to share: You may have heard of water bears and wondered if they’re really as amazing as people make them out to be. As someone who has personally worked with Tardigrades in the lab, I can confirm that, not only are they fascinating, they’re adorable too. And, in this article, I’m going to show you what sets them apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. What Is A Tardigrade? The name Tardigrade literally … Read more

SPACE: Could “Water Bear” DNA Help Us Survive on mars?

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tardigrade - deposit photos

Will we one day combine tardigrade DNA with our cells to go to Mars? Chris Mason, a geneticist and associate professor of physiology and biophysics at Weill Cornell University in New York, has investigated the genetic effects of spaceflight and how humans might overcome these challenges to expand our species farther into the solar system. One of the (strangest) ways that we might protect future astronauts on missions to places like Mars, Mason said, might involve the DNA of tardigrades, tiny micro-animals that can survive the most extreme conditions, even the vacuum of space! Mason led one of the 10 … Read more