Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
August 4, 2017
credit: SciSource
When I was studying biology, we knew them as water bears, however . . “the tiny tardigrade has been named the world’s most indestructible species after scientists discovered it is the only creature that will survive until the Sun dies.
Although cockroaches are traditionally seen as Earth’s most resilient species, the eight-legged microbeasts are actually far hardier and will continue to thrive for around 10 billion years, come hell or high water, Oxford University has found.
Tardigrades, which are also known as space bears or moss piglets, are able to survive for up to 30 years without food or water and endure temperature extremes of up to 150 degrees celsius, the deep sea and the frozen vacuum of space.
credit: SciSource
Researchers from Oxford and Harvard University, found that their astonishing abilities would protect them from calamities which would wipe out all life on Earth. In fact the only forces capable of harming tardigrades, such as a gigantic asteroid, an exploding star or a deadly gammar ray burst will not happen before our own Sun dies.
Not only does it suggest that tardigrades will survive long after humans have died out, but it gives hope that life could exist on even the most barren and hostile planets.
“Life on this planet can continue long after humans are gone,” said Dr Rafael Alves Batista, of the Department of Physics at Oxford University.
“Tardigrades are as close to indestructible as it gets on Earth, but it is possible that there are other resilient species examples elsewhere in the universe.
“In this context there is a real case for looking for life on Mars and in other areas of the solar system in general. If Tardigrades are earth’s most resilient species, who knows what else is out there.”
Story from The Telegraph: Science
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged animals, cats, Friday, geeky science blogging, sappy cat blogging | 2 Comments »
August 3, 2017
“Author, illustrator, photographer, and LEGO aficionado Chris McVeigh has added new retro technology kits to his cache of minimalist models, sets which include several decade-specific desktop set-ups and a boombox with multiple lego tapes. McVeigh even attempts to make each desk’s contents comply with the decade of its corresponding computer, like the version above which includes floppy disks which can be inserted into the computer, and a stack of computer manuals.” – reblogged from Colossal
all photos: Chris McVeigh
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August 1, 2017
Today is Lammas, or “loaf mass.” Traditionally, it is the first harvest festival of the season, marking the beginning of the wheat harvest and is celebrated, naturally, by baking bread. On this day in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, it was customary to bring to church a loaf of bread made from wheat from the new crop.
So, it is August 1 – go bake some bread and don’t forget to say “rabbit, rabbit.”
It is also tattoo Tuesday:
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged harvest festival, history, holidays, Lammas, tattoo Tuesday, tattoos, wheat | Leave a Comment »
July 21, 2017
“Priest Solodkov, the ship’s doctor and the ship’s cat on the deck of Kagul, Bizerta, 1921. Kagul (renamed Ochakov, later General Kornilov) was built by Sevastopol dockyard. Laid down 1900, launched October 1902, completed 1905, seized by the White forces in the Russian Civil War and interned in Bizerta in 1920 as part of Wrangel’s fleet, sold for scrap in 1933.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged animals, cats, Friday, sappy cat blogging | 2 Comments »
July 18, 2017
The Fire of Rome by Hubert Robert
“[One July 18, in] 64 A.D., a great fire ravaged Rome for six days, destroying 70 percent of the city and leaving half its population homeless. According to a well-known expression, Rome’s emperor at the time, the decadent and unpopular Nero, “fiddled while Rome burned.” The expression has a double meaning: Not only did Nero play music while his people suffered, but he was an ineffectual leader in a time of crisis. It’s been pretty easy to cast blame on Nero, who had many enemies and is remembered as one of history’s most sadistic and cruelest leaders—but there are a couple of problems with this story.
For one thing, the fiddle didn’t exist in ancient Rome. Music historians believe the viol class of instruments (to which the fiddle belongs) was not developed until the 11th century. If Nero played anything, it would probably have been the cithara, a heavy wooden instrument with four to seven strings—but there is still no solid evidence that he played one during the Great Fire. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote that Nero was rumored to have sung about the destruction of Troy while watching the city burn; however, he stated clearly that this was unconfirmed by eyewitness accounts.
When the Great Fire broke out, Nero was at his villa at Antium, some 35 miles from Rome. Though he immediately returned and began relief measures, people still didn’t trust him. Some even believed he had ordered the fire started, especially after he used land cleared by the fire to build his Golden Palace and its surrounding pleasure gardens. Nero himself blamed the Christians (then an obscure religious sect) for the fire, and had many arrested and executed. But while Nero may have been guilty of many things, the story of him fiddling while Rome burned belongs firmly in the category of popular legend rather than established truth.”
quoted from the History Channel site
It is tattoo Tuesday:
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fiddle, history, Nero, Rome Burns, travel | Leave a Comment »
July 14, 2017
Today is National Nude Day (I know someone who celebrated a little early).
The origins of this holiday have yet to be uncovered.
However if you want to have a little skin in the game, forget the laundry, but not your sunscreen. Bottoms up!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged holidays, Naational Nude Day, whimsey | 1 Comment »
Gunsmoke and Knitting 