Category Archives: Science

‘You’re not the boss of me’ – by Bill McKibben

America’s current conspiratorial politics offers some possibilities for action

Solar power is cheaper. (and those who oppose it know so, and are conspiring to make sure you keep paying them for energy when the sun provides it for free)

It’s more reliable. (and you can plug your EV to your house after a hurricane and run everything for a week).

It’s the ultimate liberty to have your own powerplant on your roof.

It’s far better to have a wind farm in your county than to rely on Saudi Arabia (or Chris Wright).

An electric car goes zero to sixty far faster than your antiquated gas model and it costs half as much to run. (Rich guys in their Teslas are laughing at you)

Because it has fewer moving parts, you don’t have to visit your mechanic nearly as often. You can drive right by the gas station.

Oil companies are a scam, pushing antiquated technology to keep you hooked. They don’t care if you breathe dirty air as long as it makes them money.

Their shareholders are getting rich while you pay for repairing roads and bridges everytime there’s a new climate disaster.

Source: ‘You’re not the boss of me’ – by Bill McKibben

All Things Tardigrade

Among the Moss Piglets: The First Image of a Tardigrade (1773) — The Public Domain Review

The very first drawing of the microscopic “water bear” by a theologian turned microscope explorer.

Source: Among the Moss Piglets: The First Image of a Tardigrade (1773) — The Public Domain Review

What If Tardigrades Were the Size of Humans?

Tardigrades: animals with superpowers

The smallest bears in the world have almost superhero abilities. Actually, they are not bears: water bears is the popular name of tardigrades. They are virtually indestructible invertebrates: they can survive decades without water or food, to extreme temperatures and they have even survived into outer space. Meet the animal that seems to come from another planet and learn to observe them in your home if you have a microscope.

How to find a pet tardigrade and care for it

https://boingboing.net/2021/06/20/how-to-find-a-pet-tardigrade-and-care-for-it.html

The Tardigrade is a wonderful microscopic animal. I love them. In I used them in an SF comic once. You can read the whole thing here for free, or buy my small anthology book on Etsy.

Tiny But Not Timid, Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s ‘Spiders of Paradise’ Show Their True Colors — Colossal

 

“The Maratus spiders of Australia are the most colourful, flamboyant, sexy, and charming spiders on the planet,” says Maria Fernanda Cardoso, whose vibrant portraits capture the tiny creatures in remarkable detail. Kicking off a tour throughout Australia, the photographer’s exhibition Spiders of Paradise, organized in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, highlights the arachnids’ incredible diversity.Maratus are commonly referred to as “peacock spiders” due to the males’ brilliant displays during courtship rituals—and in some cases, combat. When a male woos a partner, he raises his legs, displays a brightly patterned abdomen, and dances as if there’s no tomorrow—literally. If he isn’t successful and allowed to mate, the female may eat him instead.The genus Maratus consists of more than 100 unique species, and averaging only about three to five millimeters in size, the minuscule jumpers are smaller than a grain of rice. “To me, their use of colour, gesture, sound, and movement makes them sophisticated and performing artists,” Cardoso says.

Source: Tiny But Not Timid, Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s ‘Spiders of Paradise’ Show Their True Colors — Colossal

Permanent gene edits to tardigrades help shed light on their amazing resilience

“CRISPR can be an incredible tool for understanding life and aiding in useful applications that can positively impact the world. Tardigrades not only offer us a glimpse at what medical advances might be possible, but their range of remarkable traits means they had an incredible evolutionary story, one we hope to tell as we compare their genomes to closely related creatures using our new DIPA-CRIPSR-based technique.”

Source: Permanent gene edits to tardigrades help shed light on their amazing resilience

My favorite microscopic animal.