This gene, TKTL1 whose discovery was first published in 1996, separates modern humans who have the gene from early hominins such as the Neanderthals who do not. A single amino acid change in this protein promotes rapid expansion of neurons in the brain. Research implies that this aided our early ancestors to develop a wide variety of skills and explains how they eventually wiped out all other hominins and took over the planet.
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Extremophiles: organisms able to live in extreme environments whether it be temperature, radiation, pressure (under the sea) and PH.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile
A good example of extremophile are the Tardigrades aka Water Bear. They are microscopic, being only .020" long, and are known to survive in outer space (NASA did experiments)
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| Eye of science |
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| Eye of science |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
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Fun vids:
A civic-minded elephant in South Africa.
Manta rays jumping. Scientists haven't figured out why exactly-some type of communication including a mating dance. Or maybe it's just fun.
A giant robot resembling the 1970s anime figure Gundam has been tested
in Yokohama, Japan. The robot stands at nearly 60 feet tall and weighs
24 tons.
Mushroom spores released at night.
A dog named Stella loves jumping into leaf piles.
Worlds largest anamorphic illusion in Seoul, South Korea.
Salt ponds in the San Francisco bay area.
Jatrapha curas is a plant found around the world in subtropical and tropical climates. It has a unique property.
The ribbon eel a species of moray eel, the only member of the genus
Rhinomuraena and is found in sand burrows and reefs in the
Indo-Pacific Ocean.
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| Jason Rudolph |
Iconic architecture from San Francisco: Coit Tower
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| Matt Boyle |
This art deco concrete tower was built in 1933. Coit Tower is named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit, an early San Francisco philanthropist and adorer of local firefighters. In addition to her love of San Francisco and firefighting, Coit was noted for sometimes dressing like a man and pursuing what were considered masculine pastimes—like gambling, sharpshooting and phallic symbols.
A rare spotted zebra born in 2019 in Kenya likely has a genetic mutation called pseudomelanism.
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| Frank Liu |
Divers off the coast of Norway come across a giant squid egg sack containing thousands of baby squid. These sacs are rarely seen as they tend to fill with water and sink to the sea floor, too deep for divers to go.
Nudibranchs-from Wiki: belong to the order Nudibranchia, a group ofsoft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs that shed their shells after their larval stage.They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms.
They live in seas worldwide, ranging from the Arctic, through temperate and tropical regions, to the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. They are almost entirely restricted to salt water, although a few species are known to inhabit lower salinities in brackish water.
Nudibranchs live at virtually all depths, from the intertidal zone to depths well over 2,300 ft. Their greatest diversity is seen in warm, shallow reefs, although one species was discovered at a depth near 8,200 ft.
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Saturday afternoon at the Diner: while chilly, the sun brought many of our regulars in. Nutkin, in his manic Looney Tunes on speed persona, was everywhere. Evidently, he has learned his lessons from multiple ass-kickings by the big squirrels. If they show up, he skedaddles out of their way and returns asap once they have gone.
M/M Redbird stopped by for a bite
I was watching an Aussie storm chaser's vid of his encounter with the infamous 2014 "Pilger Twins". Like many, he has a proximity warning to alert him that he is close to a tornado (many are rain-wrapped and invisible). His was vocal, male and flat, saying:
You are approaching a twisting storm. Please exercise caution.
Think of the robot's voice on Lost In Space.
It struck me as curious for choice and style of warning. Perhaps Aussie humor, wry and ironic. Or, where he was from, it was the only one available.
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