#Cell format (pouch

[entertainment-and-you]

GM Unveils Details of Ultium Battery System Powering New Electric Vehicles

Detroit, MI – General Motors (GM) has shed light on the technical details of its Ultium battery system, the foundation for its current and upcoming electric vehicles (EVs) like the Cadillac Lyric. Jerry Beamer, who leads GM’s EV propulsion team, explained the intricate workings of the Ultium system during a recent interview. Core Components and Flexibility The 2024 Cadillac Lyric AWD…

[thesumlax]

On Deviantart I titled this Dream Sketches page "A New Record" because 21 is the largest number of entries yet, and also because I spent the longest time procrastinating on posting them...

Also, I decided that the grid format with six drawings to a page makes them way too small for my liking. On the other hand, I tried a new method of cleaning them up, by meticulously painting the sketches with a selection brush so I can leave all of the dirt behind when I move them... and it does produce great result, but the time waste is crazy.

Anyway:

1) Something like a living cavern monster, with a rock shell and jelly-like flesh. It`s basically hollow inside, and its organs are semi-autonomous entities crawling among those giant papillae on the floor. The bubble-backed thing crawling out is a reproductive one, it produces some strange reproductive bodies that look like either fried eggs or sausages crossed with some unicellular organisms (2). They`re not sex cells, hovewer, but still multicellular structures more like gametophytes.

3) Giant sand-swimming dragon with a bunny face and some fucked-up sand-ship glued to its back.

4) Just a trio of little guys! May have been video game characters who have to escape some sort of bad place by using their abilities (umbrella, spinning hand, and a fucking gun) in combinations. They`re colored red, blue and green.

5) Some sort of sea creature calles something like "trychnotus" or "trychaetus".

6) Another sea monster that kinda looks like a rubber toy.

7) Ghostly transparent axolotl-creature.

8) An erect-limbed toad. For some reason it`s important to note that it is exactly 12 cm tall.

9) A gliding, stinger-tailed draconic creature.

10) A bear-like omnivorous therizinosaurid survivng to the modern day. Started as spec evo but suddenly tranformed into horror movie monster for some reason.

11) Tiny-headed deer-o-saurus.

12-13) Two weird pitch-black horses from two unrelated dreams. Number 13 had its eyes and those weird cracks glowing bright neon green.

14) Bizarre elephantoids. The pitcher-trunk is especially fun.

15) Allegedly some sort of early pterosaur.

16) Don`t really know what that is... Seems to be made of brown rock?

17) Now this was a dream about some superhero who could shrink down do bug size and interact with sapient bugs (of the freakishly human-faced cartoon variety). These bugs had cars, which were also bugs (pictured). Bizarrely, the bug civilization existed in the same exact spaces as human civilization despite the size difference, with human roads having lanes for bug-cars.

18) A giraffe-dragon of some kind?

19) Another thing I don`t even know the context of. The humanoid head does not have a mouth despite the teeth.

20) Something like a gorgon.

21) Pelican dragon. Apparently can spray toxic mist like a crop duster, presumably through pores in its pouch.

[consciouschoice]

here's the link for proper formatting of the story below (it's in google docs)

Night has spread to blanket the land, the clouds above holding back any light for which the stars or moon could provide. And yet the writer can’t sleep, no matter how tranquil the night might be. They could write of their day, of Recon, of a passing coyote. The writer always had plenty to put to words, but their crimson lamp’s cell could only last so long. And so, they chose to keep the night’s recap short, figuring it’d be best to save the light for later in the night.

Another person!

They didn’t really leave time to ask for a name, so I’ll just call ‘em Recon. They were gruff sounding. Probably another Recon specialist. Couldn’t tell what battalion they were from, but they definitely acted the part. That lot are never much for conversation. To be fair, it just makes things easier. I shouldn’t complain. Anywho, they were headed out west. Their company is probably doing another sweep along the trenches. Getting into some sorta trouble. Hope they pass by on the way back. They looked pretty cute.

And while the writer might have wished for another few moments to write, their lantern’s ruby glow was already beginning to dim. They tucked away their journal into a side pouch before snatching up the dying lantern by its handle and snuffing its light. After a few moments of adjusting to their new surroundings of shadow they scale down to the ground below in relative silence, aside from the occasional creak of a branch under their weight.

The ground below welcomed the soles of their worn boots, and before long they snuck into the embrace of a nearby bush. This bush had been the writer’s home for a good many weeks, and it certainly showed. The shrub had been mostly hollowed out and fitted with a dark olive tarp about the remaining twigs, to provide some shelter from the elements. The writer settled their chainmail adorned helm at the bedside of a small mat, the painted eyes at the front of its dome staring back through the dense shadow of the night.

Just as their back hit the mat below, the straps of their thin steel chestplate had already been stripped and tossed off to accompany the helm. Next came the secure pouches which held most of their daily tools, casually slipped away in a few swift motions and the accompanying clicks of even fewer latches. Off came the sheath and its accompanying shortsword with one last clack, the least cumbersome of the steps towards a good night’s rest. The last part of their nightly ritual was already underway as they worked away at the dense coat of their fatigues, revealing fresh bandages below. Despite getting ready for bed, they didn’t bother unstrapping their boots, knowing they’d prefer to at least have the knife within at the ready in case of some emergency.

With little more than a muffled grunt the writer curled up atop their stiff mat and worked to get some shuteye. Rest was often ill advised for such a poorly equipped Peacekeeper. But even still, they certainly had earned it on account of their previous nights of fire watch and surveillance. Yet, even in knowing that rest had been well earned, they remained awake behind closed eyelids.

In spite of what could possibly be another restless night, the writer held out some hope. Eventually exhaustion would turn them over to their dreams, and so there wasn’t any need to fight their brain on this. It will eventually give in on its own… surely. And besides, they’d never had much trouble with sleeping before their service. The recent lack of sleep was likely nothing more than some spare anxiety. Anxiety in what? They didn’t care to ponder over it. There’s plenty to be anxious over, rooted out here alone.

[hamsterpetcaretips]

Can Hamsters Eat Mangoes – 9 Facts Should You Know!

Can hamsters eat mangoes? Hamsters are omnivores, which means they can eat both meat and plant-based foods. They enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables as a part of their daily diet. One question that hamster owners often ask is whether their pets can eat mangoes.

The answer is yes – hamsters can eat mangoes! Mango is a rich source of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for your hamster’s overall health. You can give your hamster mango in moderation, just like any other fruits or vegetables. However, it’s important to note that hamsters have tiny cheek pouches, in which they store food for later. If they store too much food, it can cause oral problems for your hamsters such as abscesses or bloat. So, if you decide to feed mango to your hamster, make sure the pieces are small and manageable for your pet’s mouth!

Is it Safe For Hamsters To Eat Mango?

It is safe for hamsters to eat mango as long as it is given in moderation. A small piece of mango once a week is enough as a treat for your pet hamster. Hamsters will enjoy eating mango because of its sweet and juicy taste.

Make sure not to let your hamster eat too much mango as it is high in sugar and can cause health issues. Consuming excessive amounts of mango can lead to diarrhea and upset stomach in hamsters.

Are Mangos Good for Hamsters?

Mangos are a great new food to introduce to your hamster’s diet. This fruit can offer many health benefits for your little pet, as it contains vitamins A, C, and E. It also helps in boosting the immune system and improving eyesight. Additionally, feeding your hamster mango can help promote a healthy coat and skin due to the fruit’s high concentration of antioxidants. However, keep in mind that mango should only be given to hamsters in small amounts, as too much fruit can cause digestive issues.

Health Benefits of Mango for Hamsters

Mango is a tropical fruit that contains numerous health benefits, and it is also suitable for feeding to your pet hamster in moderation. Hamsters are exposed to various health issues, and providing them with the right nutrition is crucial for their overall health. Mango will help in maintaining the health of hamsters by improving their digestion and immunity. Moreover, mango is rich in Vitamin A and C, which can improve their skin and vision.

Here are some other advantages that hamsters can get from consuming mango: 

1. Vitamin B

Vitamin B improves eye health and keeps your pet hamster’s cholesterol levels stable.

2. Vitamin B9

Mango contains a lot of Vitamin B9, which is good for red blood cell formation. As a result, the immune system functions properly.

3. Helps Boost Immunity

Mangos are one of the highest vitamin C food sources. This vitamin is essential for the immune system.

The vitamin C in mango will help your hamster’s immunity.

Furthermore, vitamin C is essential for muscle, tendon, and bone growth.

4. Promotes Healthy Digestive System

Mangoes are high in dietary fiber. Fiber is beneficial to the digestive system because it promotes regular bowel movements and prevents constipation.

5. High in Antioxidants

Antioxidants are essential for hamster health. This shields cells from free radicals, which can cause heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.

Free radicals are molecules that are produced when the body breaks down food or when hamsters are exposed to cigarette smoke.

How To Feed Mango To Hamsters?

First, hamsters like fresh mango without peels, so make sure you remove the mango peels.

Second, cut the mango into tiny pieces and the hamster can eat it from your hand or from a dish.

One teaspoon of mango is enough to give them a taste of sweet fruit, and they will store the food in their cheek pouches to chew later.

Can you feed mango peels and mango seed to your hamster?

Hamsters can eat dried mango, but it is recommended to give it as a treat. Mango juice or peel is not ideal for hamsters because it can be difficult for them to digest. Mango seeds should also be avoided because they can cause blockages in their digestive system.

Are dried mangos okay for your hamster to eat?

Hamsters have a habit of snacking on sweet treats, but are sugary dried mango treats okay for them? Sugar-sweet and sugary dried mango contain high amounts of sugar, which can lead to obesity and other health problems in hamsters.

How many mangoes can you give your hamster?

As a responsible hamster owner, for Dwarf hamsters, Syrian hamsters and Roborovski hamsters, Chinese hamsters, and other types of hamsters, it’s best to give them a little piece of mango every few days. So, next time you decide to feed them mango, remember to cut the mango into small piece and provide it as a treat – your hamster will thank you for it!

How Often Can Hamsters Eat Mango?

1. Syrian Hamsters

Yes, you can give your Syrian hamster mangoes as long as you only give them one or two tiny slices once or twice a week.

2. Roborovski Hamsters

They can be fed one or two teaspoons of mango once or twice a week because, like Syrian hamsters, they are giant hamsters.

3. Winter White Dwarf Hamsters

They can’t eat mango because they are also dwarf hamsters, which could be unhealthy for them. However, if you really want to feed them, just give them a slice or two of mango every two weeks.

4. Chinese Hamsters

In addition, since they are a species of dwarf hamster, they shouldn’t be given mango because it might be too sweet for them.

What Are The Risks Of Feeding Your Hamster Mangos?

Feeding mangos to your hamsters can come with certain risks. Hamster would get digestive issues, obesity because mango has a high amount of natural sugars which can lead to if overconsumed. Additionally, the skin and flesh of the fruit can be tough for a hamster to digest, leading to stomach problems such as diarrhea, constipation, or bloating. The seeds of mangos should also be avoided as they contain traces of cyanide which can be toxic to rodents.

Can Hamsters have Mango Juice?

It is not recommended to give hamsters mango juice or any juice. This is because hamsters have a very delicate digestive system and too much sugar can upset their delicate balance.

Other Fruits That Hamster Can Eat

Orange.

Banana.

Apple.

Grapes.

[gastroenterologyucgconferences]

Esophageal Disorders: Types, Risks, Symptoms and Causes-To know more Attend the 13th World Gastroenterology, IBD & Hepatology Conference 2023

Esophageal Cancer:

Causes: Chronic irritation and inflammation of the esophagus, often due to Barrett's esophagus, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, or certain genetic factors.

Symptoms: Difficulty swallowing, unintentional weight loss, chest pain, and hoarseness.

Risks: Smoking, heavy alcohol use, obesity, GERD, and a family history of esophageal cancer increase the risk.

Achalasia:

Causes: Achalasia is a rare disorder where the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax properly, causing difficulty in food and liquid passage into the stomach.

Symptoms: Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), chest pain, regurgitation, and weight loss.

Risks: The exact cause is unknown, but it may involve autoimmune factors.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE):

Causes: EoE is an allergic condition where the esophagus becomes inflamed due to the presence of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.

Symptoms: Difficulty swallowing, food impaction, and chest pain.

Risks: Allergies and a family history of EoE may contribute.

Esophageal Strictures:

Causes: Narrowing of the esophagus can result from chronic irritation (e.g., from GERD), scar tissue formation, or external compression.

Symptoms: Difficulty swallowing, sensation of food sticking in the throat, and chest pain.

Risks: Chronic GERD is a common cause.

Diverticula:

Causes: Diverticula are small pouches that can form in the esophagus, sometimes due to increased pressure during swallowing.

Symptoms: Often asymptomatic but can cause difficulty swallowing and regurgitation.

Risks: Risk factors are not well-defined.

It's important to consult a healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment if you suspect you have an esophageal disorder. The management of these conditions varies depending on the specific disorder and its underlying causes. Lifestyle changes, medications, and surgical interventions may be recommended to manage symptoms and prevent complications.

[xiaozb]

Get the right eye care done

The importance of eye care:

The skin around the eyes is particularly soft, thin, and has many wrinkles, making it the most prone area to aging and problems. There are many wrinkles around the eyes, so the moisture evaporation rate of the skin around the eyes is faster; At the same time, sweat glands and Sebaceous gland of the skin around the eyes are less distributed, which is particularly easy to dry and lack water, resulting in eye aging. Generally, the skin around the eyes begins to decline after the age of 25, with problems such as Periorbital dark circles, crow's feet, pouch, granulation, edema, etc. So, prevention and care are very important.

What are the eye problems?

one ⃣ dark under-eye circles

Periorbital dark circles are caused by staying up late, high mood fluctuations, eye fatigue and aging, which lead to the formation of stagnant blood flow in the skin blood vessels of the eyes; Insufficient oxygen supply to tissues, excessive accumulation of metabolic waste in blood vessels, resulting in pigmentation of the eyes.

two ⃣ Fine lines around the eyes

Eye fine lines refer to the small lines and wrinkles formed by the skin around the eyes due to the influence of external environment, which forms free radicals and damages the collagen, active substances, and oxidized cells in normal cell membrane tissues

three ⃣ Adipose granules

Fat particles are irritating ingredients in cosmetics that cause damage to the skin, and during the process of skin self repair, a small white cyst is formed. It is also possible that cosmetics are too greasy, and sebum is covered by keratin, which cannot be discharged to the epidermis normally, resulting in the accumulation of white particles inside the skin.

four ⃣ Eyebags

Bags under the eyes refer to the sagging, bloated, and baggy skin on the lower face. Bags under the eyes can be divided into two categories based on their etiology: primary and secondary. Primary eye bags often have a family genetic history and are common in young people. Secondary facial pouches are more common in middle-aged and elderly people.

Ten Benefits of Eye Care

✔ Fade Periorbital dark circles

✔ Solve the problem of dry glasses

✔ Eliminate eye bags

✔ Fade fine lines

✔ Relieve vision

✔ Eliminate swelling

✔ Inhibiting the growth of fat particles

✔ Restore skin elasticity

✔ Eliminate granulation

✔ Delaying aging

[dracademy]

Humans are viviparous, meaning they give birth to children. Human reproduction involves a series of processes. The process of creating sperm and eggs is known as gametogenesis. Transfer of male gametes to the female vaginal tract, fertilization, blastocyst, implantation, gestation, and parturition are all examples of insemination. The structure, function, and development of male and female reproductive organs differ.

Male Reproductive System- The male reproductive system comprises the testis, accessory ducts, accessory glands, and external genitalia (Penis). 

Testis- The testes are located in a pouch known as the Scrotum. Spermatogenesis is the formation of sperm in the testis, which requires 2-2.5 degrees Celsius less body temperature than normal body temperature, and the scrotum maintains a low temperature to generate spermatogenesis. The testis are densely coated. Testis can be 4-5 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. Each testis contains 250 Testicular- Lobules, each lobules contains 1-3 Seminiferous- Tubule, that is lined from inside by 2 types of cells- Male germ cell and Sertoli cells. 

Male Accessory Glands- Seminal vesicles (2), prostate (1), and Bulbourethral  (2) are the male accessory glands. Seminal vesicle secretion is rich in fructose, calcium, and other enzymes, while bulbourethral secretion aids in penis lubrication. 

Male External Genitalia (Penis)- It is made up of a type of tissue known as erectile. The glans-penis is an enlarged end of the penis that is covered by loose skin called the foreskin.

Female Reproductive System- Female reproductive system consists of Ovaries, Fallopian, Uterus, Cervix, Vagina and External Genitalia. 

Overy is a primary sex organ that produces ovum & ovarian hormones. It  can be 2-4 cm in length and connected to pelvic walls & uterus by ligament. In Fallopian tube, fimbriae collects ovum and travels to infundibulum, then ampulla (wider part) and then isthmus. Isthmus joins the uterus and travels to the cervix and at last in release through vagina.

Layer which undergoes cyclic changes during menstrual cycle called Endometrium and layer which exhibits strong contraction during childbirth called Myometrium. Female external genitalia consists of mons pubis (Cushion of fatty tissue), labia majora (Fleshy fold of tissue), labia minora (Paired fold of tissue), hymen and clitoris. Female reproductive parts along with a pair of mammary glands that are integrated structurally & Functionally to support ovulation, fertilization, pregnancy, birth and child care. Mammary glands consist of Glandular tissues that form milk and variable amounts of fat for support. 

Spermatogenesis- Formation of sperm is called spermatogenesis. If forms by following steps- Spermatogonia (Mitosis)

Primary Spermatocytes (Mitosis 1)

Secondary Spermatocytes (Mitosis 2)

Spermatids (Do not have tail)

Spermatozoa (Do have tail)

Process of making spermatids to spermatozoa is called spermiogenesis.  Release of the sperm from the seminiferous tubule is called spermiation.

When a human male ejaculates once, it releases 200-300 million of sperm/coitus. For a fertile human male should have at least 60% normal shape & size of sperm and at least 40% of vigorous motility. 

Oogenesis- It forms by following steps-

Oogonia (Mitosis)

Primary-Oocyte

Primary-Oocyte (arrested in prophase-1, until meiosis-1 completed prior to ovulation)

Secondary-Oocytes

Secondary-Oocyte (arrested in metaphase- 2, meiosis completes at the time of fertilization)

Ovum 

Menarche is when first menstruation begins at puberty in females and Menopause is called when the menstruation cycle ceases around 50 years of age in females.

Fertilisation- When semen released by penis in vagina is called insemination. Matile sperm swims rapidly and reaches Ampulla of the fallopian tube through cervix and uterus ovum released by ovary also transported to Ampula for fertilisation. Fertilisation takes place only if both sperm and ovum simultaneously reach the Ampulla region. 

Human reproduction is an important but broad topic to study for NEET preparation. The best NEET coaching in Bangalore and Hyderabad provides students preparing for the NEET with comprehensive advice and notes to help them grasp the topics better.

[researchvishal]

Electric Vehicle Battery Housing Market Latest Advancements And Business Opportunities up to 2033

 According to ESOMAR-certified Future Market Insights’ (FMI) - Over the forecast period, the global electric vehicle battery housing market demand is expected to grow at a rapid CAGR of 31.8%. The market is expected to reach US$ 1,531.1 Mn in 2023. The market is anticipated to reach US$ 24,219.1 Mn by 2033.

The battery housing in an electric vehicle (EV) is the compartment that contains the battery pack. The battery pack is a critical component of the EV, providing the electrical energy to power the electric motor.

The Electric Vehicle Battery Housing can be made from various materials, including aluminum, steel, or composite materials. Some manufacturers also use materials such as carbon fiber to reduce weight and improve performance.

The design of the battery housing is also critical to ensure safety in the event of a collision or impact. Manufacturers design the housing to absorb and distribute energy in a crash, reducing the risk of battery damage or fire.

Overall, the battery housing is an essential component of an EV, protecting the battery pack and ensuring optimal performance, safety, and longevity."

Europe is leading the global electric vehicle battery housing market as a result of growing government support for the EV market, despite the fact that electric vehicles are currently expensive. Furthermore, the significant concentration of OEMs in the region encouraged market development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The UK electric vehicle battery housing market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 28% over the forecast period.

The German electric car battery housing market is expected to hold 11.2% of the global market over the forecast period

During the projection period, the Chinese electric vehicle battery housing market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 26.4% through 2032.

Japan is expected to hold 1.1% of the global market over the forecast period.

The Indian electric vehicle battery housing market is expected to have the highest global market share, growing at a CAGR of 42.2%.

Over the projected period, the US electric vehicle battery housing market is expected to hold 9.3% of the global market.

For more information: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/electric-vehicle-battery-housing-market

 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Key players operating in the electric vehicle battery housing market are SGL Carbon, Novelis Inc., Nemak S.A.B. de C.V, Constellium SE, Gestamp Automocion, UACJ Corporation, GF Linamar LLC, Hanwha Advanced Materials, Minth, Continental Structural Plastics, Thyssenkrupp AG, TRB Lightweight, Hitachi Metals Ltd., POSCO, Norsk Hydro ASA and other major players.

These companies have used a variety of techniques to improve their market share for electric vehicle battery housing. To widen their client base and increase revenue, they have used both organic and inorganic growth techniques, such as new product launches, acquisitions, corporate expansions, and collaborations.

Key Segmentation of the Electric Vehicle Battery Housing Market

By Material:

Metallic

Non-metallic

By Application:

Passenger Vehicle

Commercial Vehicle

By Cell Format Type:

Pouch Cell

Cylindrical Cell

Prismatic Cell

[industrytrends1]

Booming Urban Population Driving Commercial Electric Vehicle Demand

The World Bank estimates that nearly 35% of the Indian population and 87% of Brazil’s population resided in urban areas in 2020. The World Bank also states that 185,081,850 people and 481,980,330 people resided in urban areas in Brazil and India, respectively, in 2020. Thus, the high urbanization rate here will augment the production and adoption of commercial electric vehicles (EVs), owing to the increasing air pollution levels caused due to conventional commercial vehicles.

Moreover, the improving operational efficiency and declining cost of batteries will fuel the commercial electric vehicle market at a robust CAGR of 13.3% during 2018–2025. The market was valued at $144.5 billion in 2017, and it is projected to generate $362.7 billion revenue by 2025. As the battery accounts for a significant part of the commercial EV production cost, any plunge in the battery cost would enable automakers to cut down the selling price of such automobiles. The reducing battery cost can be credited to the rising technological advancements in and surging production of such energy storage devices in emerging economies, such as China.

Buses and trucks are the two types of commercial EVs being integrated into transportation systems across the world. AB Volvo, Bozankaya A.S., Dongfeng Motor Corp., Tata Motors Ltd., Bluebus SAS, Chariot Motors, Proterra Inc., Ashok Leyland Ltd., Caetanobus - Fabrico De Autocarros E Carrocarias S.A., BYD Co. Ltd., Alstom–NTL, and Alexander Dennis Ltd. are the leading electric bus manufacturers. Whereas, Cummins Inc., Scania AB, E-Force One AG, Workhorse Group Inc., Hino Motors Ltd., Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., and Isuzu Motors Ltd. are some of the prominent electric truck manufacturers.

These original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) deploy lithium–iron phosphate (LFP) or lithium–nickel–manganese–cobalt oxide (NMC) batteries in their electric buses and heavy-duty, medium-duty, and light-duty electric trucks. These batteries can have round, pouch, and prismatic cell formats. In the coming years, round cells will be deployed at the highest rate because they offer the highest energy density, of nearly 250 Watt-hours (Wh)/kg. Whereas, pouch cells exhibit an energy density of approximately 190 Wh/kg.

At present, companies operating in the commercial electric vehicle market are engaging in product launches, facility expansions, and mergers and acquisitions to expand their clientele. For example, in August 2018, LCK6120EVQG, a 12-meter electric bus model, was introduced by Zhongtong Bus Holding Co. Ltd. in China. The bus is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and made of magnesium alloy materials and carbon fiber to reduce its overall weight by 26%. Similarly, in September 2018, Mercedes-Benz announced its plan to begin the practical trials for an all-electric heavy-duty truck, named eActros.

According to P&S Intelligence, Asia-Pacific (APAC) adopted the highest number of commercial EVs in the preceding years, and it is expected to adopt them at the highest rate in the forthcoming years too. This can be ascribed to the surging focus of the government of China on increasing the deployment of electric buses in the transportation system of the country. Additionally, the plunging costs and increasing production of advanced batteries in China facilitate the purchase of commercial EVs.

Thus, the surging urban population of developing countries and declining battery costs will augment the adoption of commercial EVs worldwide.

[writinginthedarkwood]

Alien! Kirishima x Reader: Better With You

Warning: NSFW, ovipositor kink, implications of past abuse (not done by our shark toothed boy)

I recommend checking out some of the other parts to this AU! MY MASTERLIST 

You can enjoy this without it, but reading the other parts might answer some questions you have. :) 

The tornado siren wailed. It’s a sound I’ve heard my entire life, but it’s taken on a completely new meaning. 

Before, we’d run to the middle of the park and take shelter with our neighbors. I remember being little, and hiding under the ground from the violent winds that would tear through our community. 

The piercing sound stirred all the sleeping bodies around, the light flicked on in my neighbors trailer. I watched her shadow hurry and throw things into a bag through her window. She pushed her small son out of the door as they ran to take shelter. 

Everyone in the park jolted awake, panicking and running in fear.

Everyone but me, and my father. 

My father whistled through his nose as he slept. He turned only slightly in that worn down chair, his foot kicking the pile of aluminum cans over, but otherwise completely unconscious. The T.V. was a loud rerun of a crime show, but it suddenly switched over to the emergency broadcast. 

The male anchor spoke with a shaking voice. “Paris is falling.” He swallowed hard. “Please take shelter immediately....” He held the paper holding his cues and set it down before reading the next line. “A craft was spotted over Lexington... may God have mercy on us.” The camera cut to the sound of the emergency alarm. I rushed and shut the T.V. off, my heart pounding. My father didn’t stir, still sleeping like the dead.

This was it, it was finally my turn.

I ran to the front door and opened it slowly, closing it behind me as quietly as possible. I climbed onto our garbage can, using the gutter to stable myself before jumping onto the roof.

I used to sit out here when I was little, breathing air that wasn't heavy with cigarette smoke.

The sky looks different to me now, like the stars were actually thousands of eyes looking down at me. Or that it might actually crack open, spilling thousands of bug like aliens down to the ground like in the movies. Even though people are terrified, cities are going up in flames and families are being separated. The footage they catch of girls being taken, they always go with a smile on their face.

Whatever was coming for me, had to be better than here.

"Wow the sky looks really cool from down here." A male voice startled me, I gasped and stared at an interesting looking soldier stood behind me. He had no shirt on, but a sash going over his chest was decorated with patches and medals. His black pants almost seemed a bit big on him, and one pant leg was tucked into his boots. He had brilliant and striking red hair, sticking out of his head like a spikey rock formation with just as incredible red eyes to match.

His teeth were sharp, but his face was gentle and kind.

He smiled at me and sat down beside me. "I wish I had more time to look around..." My breath was stuck in my chest, my hands were shaking.

Is this... man the alien? He dug in a pouch on his hip and pulled out a clay figurine. "I found this. I just think it looks awesome, it's for you." I didn't reach out to take it, my body feeling frozen with shock. He gently grabbed my wrist and flipped my palm over, placing a little frog statue in my hand. It was warm from him holding it. It must have came from someone's garden in the park. "I-..." The little frogs paint was chipped, but it was cute. "Thank you. I like it." I kind of smiled at him, not entirely sure how I'm supposed to feel. "I was hoping you would! You've probably guessed who I am." He said with a hint of blush on his cheeks like he was shy. "I was surprised to find you out here in the open." He thought for a moment. "Are you alright?"

I looked at him, his face was sweet and filled with concern.

Hot tears stung my eyes and I buried my head between my knees and tried to hold back a sob.

"Hey, hey don't be upset... I promise I'm not here to hurt you." His touch surprised me. His hand pulled my head out of my hands and turned my face to look at him better.

"Your cheek is swollen. Are you injured?"

I said nothing and his eyes narrowed. "Come here, come here everything is okay now..." He stood and helped me stand to my feet. He placed his lips on my cheek and parted his mouth, his spit making a small space sticky and wet.

A pleasant sensation came over my tired body. He pulled me into his arms, lifting my feet off of the ground and holding me bridal style. I laid my head on his chest, feeling warm and comfortable. I closed my eyes and rested on him.

Is this why all that footage from fallen cities had girls with smiling faces? They suspected brain washing. I don't feel brainwashed.

I feel good.

I opened my eyes to look at him and saw that we were somewhere completely different.

We were in some type of hallway. There were a lot of people here, couples walking together. Some girls looked a bit like me, wearing normal clothes. They looked a bit shaken up, and clung onto their accompanying alien tightly. Other girls were human, but something was different. They were smiling brightly, wearing all the same dress but in different colors and patterns.

A lot of them had small pregnant bellies.

He set me down on my feet and took my arm to keep me steady. "Welcome home! The ship is designed to look like a neutral place our humans would enjoy vacationing too."

It did sort of look like a hotel.

He opened a sliding door by placing his palm on the wall and we stepped inside. "You know you're a little quiet, which surprises me. But I'm hoping you'll warm up... you still have what I gave you?"

I held out the little frog and he took it, setting it on a plain white table. "Our first decoration!" He leaned against the table and crossing his arms, making the medals on his sash jingle. "You probably have a lot of questions. I am Captain Kirishima Eijiro. You can just call me Eijiro, but if you don't like that name you can call me something else!" He nervously laughed. "Wait that's weird. Am I blowing this? I feel like I'm messing up."

"I'm Y/N... it's nice to meet you." I stood there awkwardly and looked around the room. It was pretty plain, a small bed in the corner. A kitchen without any utensils. "So you're not going to... kill me?" I asked feeling like my tears might come back.

He looked at me funny. "No not at all. Did you think that and you didn't fight me?" Eijiro's face was very concerned. "How about you take a hot shower and afterwards we get you something to eat."

The bathroom was small, and the shower wasn't too difficult to figure out how to turn on, but I couldn't get the steamy water to shut off. I wrapped myself in a soft towel and just about opened the door when I heard his voice.

"Yes I'm worried about the wellbeing of my mate. Her wellness scan says her brain is imbalanced. I think she's been emotionally injured." He was speaking to someone, I didn't hear another voice. "Yes sir. Thank you your Highness. I'll give her nutrition and treat her with the medical aide you're sending by. I'll give you a report after a few days to see if her conditions improved."

I opened the door and he smiled at me, looking up from a watch on his wrist. "I can't get the shower to turn off." I said quietly. He happily walked into the bathroom and showed me how to work everything. He turned the water off, and showed me how to open the cabinet and get toiletries. "And if you ever just want to relax you can change what oils go into the water. They're good for stress, sleep, and even waking you up in the morning."

I stood there, feeling a bit exposed in my towel. Eijiro tried to discretely look at my body. His eyes darted over me quickly, but he managed to mostly hold eye contact. "I should probably let you get dressed. I have some clothes for you."

Eijiro gave me a red dress to put on. It had pretty flower patterns sewn into it, giving the fabric just a bit of texture. It was lightweight and comfortable like a night gown. "Before we get some food in you, I'm going to offer some first aid okay?" He opened the front door and grabbed a package that was sitting outside. He unwrapped a vial and prepped a syringe.

He sat down beside me. "Things are going to better for you now. I'm going to keep you safe." He kissed my exposed arm, dragging his tongue across my skin and leaving a sticky trail. The saliva sizzled and absorbed into my skin.

My whole body felt warm. My skin erupted in tingles and chills. The needle entering my arm didn't hurt. "That didn't hurt did it?" He rubbed the injection spot tenderly. "No, what was that?"

"Your wellness scan came back showing some light damage to your lungs, as well as some sort of chemical imbalance in your brain. A few injections should clear up any damaged cells and get the hormones flowing correctly."

Could he really be curing my asthma? I've had issues my whole life with breathing. Nobody seemed to care enough to stop smoking in the house, or even roll the windows down in the car while I'm in there.

"You can make my depression go away?" I looked down at my hands. My finger nails are always picked down to the nub.

"If that's what your imbalance is called, yes."

Eijiro made a meal for me out of a tan powder and some type of hot green liquid. It reminded me of oats, but was very sweet. After eating together in the relative quiet, a sudden drowsiness came over me. He pulled the blanket over my shoulders and tucked me. I was asleep before I could even count to ten.

I rolled over, groggy and still feeling a bit tired. My arms hit something hard, and my eyes shot open. I gasped and almost fell out of the bed at the sight of sleeping Eijiro. He was breathing out of his mouth softly, a bit of drool falling onto his pillow.

I sat up on my elbow and his left arm flopped over me, pulling me back down on the bed with a loud exhale of air leaving my chest. "Hey!"

Kirishima lazily opened one eye before snuggling into my neck. "Good morning Y/N... ready to start the day?"

For some reason I feel a bit more comfortable today. After getting dressed, I had a lot of questions. He explained why I'm here, how the two of us will be living together from now on. "See I don't know how ready I am to start a family." He smiled and put a hand over mine. "I figured we could spend our time on the ship getting to know each other. Our culture is a little different than yours, we usually start a family right away once we find a mate."

I felt a bit of panic rise in my chest. A family? Is that what the rumors meant about the aliens needing DNA? "But I think you could use some time to heal and adjust. What do ya think?"

"I... I don't even know what to say. I feel like I walked into a dream world." It felt too good to be true. There must be more to this I'm not seeing, people aren't whisked away from our troubles to paradise. Maybe I died, and he's really my guardian angel?

"Does that make me your dream guy?" He gave me a wink and I smiled at him.

"So down this way we have all these resteraunts that we can stop by for lunch." Outside of the hotel like halls were more sterile looking, white halls that lead to different sections of the ship. "Before that I thought maybe we could take a look at the gardens." I held his hand while we walked through rows and rows of gorgeous, vibrant flowers. Tree's grew tall and made beautiful shade for us to sit under. We leaned against the cool bark, I rested my head on his shoulder. Kirishima told me stories about Home World and what our lives will look like when we get there.

"I feel like I'm talking a lot. Why don't you tell me about your life on Earth?"

My smile fell and I tried to think of something, anything positive about my child hood. "Well Earth wasn't that interesting. Home World sounds so beautiful and incredible. I mean, no human has any type of power like you do." He held up his hand and flexed, his skin hardening like rock. I giggled and he kissed my cheek.

We spent time like this together, building some type of routine. Wake up together, and then spend the day having fun and eating.

Every night he would give me an injection, and we'd fall asleep holding each other closely.

On my seventh night, I sat up in the dark gasping for air. My heart was pounding against my chest and I let out a terrible choking sob. Kirishima woke up immediately, hopping out of bed and searching the room for some type of threat. The light flicked on and after a few seconds of looking for an attacker he turned back to me and pulled me into his lap. "Y/N what's happening?" His voice was panicked and I tried gulping down air. "I had a nightmare." I pushed my words out with a shaking voice. He grabbed his watch he always wears off of the night stand and put it on. Holding my hand, a holographic screen appeared from the watch. "Your heart rate is rapid, and your endocrine system is pumping a lot of adrenaline." He moved me off of his lap and started digging in the kitchen. He pulled a medical kit out and starting prepping a syringe. "No! No I don't need any medicine." Tears stung my eyes and I took a deep breath. "It's just a panic attack."

He set the med kit down and looked at me strange. "A what?"

"A panic attack. Sometimes I have bad dreams, and they make me freak out." I pushed some of my hair behind my ears and started to settle myself. Usually they last a lot longer than this, but I feel like I have slightly more control than usual.

"What kind of horrible thing in your dreams made you wake up like that?" He sat down beside me and took my hands in his. His hands are callused and warm. I wanted to tell him, tell him anything and everything.

The years and years of living in hell, always being told that I'm nothing and deserve nothing.

"Your injections you've been giving me... they help a lot with-" I took another deep breath. "They help me to not feel like I'm always drowning." He started rubbing my back, just letting me talk. "Does your species have medicine that can make me forget Earth?" My voice cracked and he pulled my head to rest on his shoulder. "I just want to forget everything." I let my walls fall just a bit and cried into his shoulder. "Hey I've got an idea. How about we go for a walk?"

It was dark in the gardens. The artificial sky was lit up with a beautiful display of soft twinkling starry lights. Nobody is around but the two of us.

We laid down in a clearing and just looked up, staring at the beautiful lights like we're stargazing. He let me just enjoy the quiet, holding my hand beside me.

After a little bit he broke the silence.

"You know, I'm a pretty positive guy." He chuckled a bit. "But I'm also a soldier, I've seen a lot of messy and terrible things. Lost organisms that I was supposed to save. Kill organisms because I was ordered too." He spoke seriously, but still managed to have an air of kindness behind his tone. "I think I understand what's going on with you. You've been through war. I can't make the things you've seen and been through go away..." he rolled to his side and touched my face gently. "But I can fill the rest of your life with new memories..." I looked at his face and couldn't help but smile. "And be here for you when the old ones creep back up. You'll never have to go through anything alone again."

I grabbed both sides of his face and kissed him. His eyes were huge with shock, but he leaned into my kiss. He hovered over me, trying to keep his muscular body from pressing down on me too hard. He swirled his tongue past my lips and I shuddered, waves of heat washing over me and pulsing in my core. I gasped and pulled him down on top of me harder, a slight moan leaving the corners of my mouth. He pulled away from me slightly with a nervous laugh. "A-are you alright?"

I kissed his nose. "Your kiss made me lose my breath."

"Well that's because of my spit. It makes you... comfortable." He looked down at me with a smile. "Ready to go back home?"

The next morning I woke up and stared dreamily at Eijiro's face. He looked so much different to me today. His gorgeous face, his toned body. I ran my finger down his chest and my touch caused him to flutter his eyes open. "Good morning baby girl..." He yawned and stretched out his arm. His stretch had him flex all of his muscles and I pushed myself a little closer to him. "Good morning, I was going to hop in the shower..." I tried to lace my voice with lust so he would take the hint that I wanted him to join me. "Okay! While you're showering I'll cook us up some breakfast."

Lightly disappointed I stepped into the bathroom and undressed. I turned the water on and let it run for a moment before wrapping a towel around me. "Eijiro?" I called out and he quickly opened the door and stepped in the steamy shower. "You alright Y/N?" I dropped my towel and stepped in the water. "Oh I'm fine. Could you hand me more body wash?" Eijiro stood stunned for a moment. "Of course I can." He cleared his throat and got into the cabinet. I took the bottle from him and rubbed the soap on myself. "Would you mind washing my back?" I bat my eyelashes at him and he quickly stripped his shorts off and joined me in the water. He slammed his lips against mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pressed my back against the cool tile and his hips pressed against mine. His fingers combed down my back, his nails dragging against my skin and scratching me. I moaned into his mouth. "Please Eijiro... I want you." I whined. He pressed two fingers against my folds and swirled around, feeling my wetness stretch around him. "Are you sure about this Y/N?" I looked down and noticed his member was strange. His member was large, and the tip was rounded and closed off. The veins stood out against his pale skin, because they were maroon instead of a light purple or blue. "Yes please..."

He turned me around and bent me against the wall. I pressed my hands against the glass to steady myself and he backed my hips up to meet him. His tip pushed into my walls, my body eager to meet him. I gasped as he started to move, letting my body adjust slowly at first before gaining speed. His fingers dug into my hips as he groaned while thrusting into me. The bathroom echoing the sound of his body hitting mine. He bounced me off of his pelvis over and over again, I just moaned and cried out his name over and over again. "Eijiro please I'm going to cum-"

"I wanna make you feel so good baby- hold on-" His member shifted in my body, I felt him pulse as something moved through him. He pushed himself against the very tip of my cervix. Something moved up into my body, it felt like a jelly substance for just a moment before dissolving.

I felt fire run down my spine and erupt. I cried out, my orgasm rocking my body. He wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me steady as his cock shifted again. Another dissolving sensation, and then another. I cried out, shaking. My hands fell off of the wall and Ejiro held me close to him, keeping me from slipping in the water. "You alright baby?" I nodded yes, my chest heaving.

We laid snuggled together on the bed for most of the afternoon. He traced shapes on my back, giving me kisses on my head while we talked between naps.

I could get used to this, being touched with such gentleness. "I love you Eijiro." I whispered to him. I snuggled into his chest further. "I love you too Y/N. I always will."

[f107group4]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Fireflies by Owl City

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◄◄⠀▐▐ ⠀►►⠀⠀ ⠀ 1:17 / 3:48 ⠀ ───○ 🔊⠀ ᴴᴰ ⚙ ❐ ⊏⊐

Can you believe that these glowing light in the waters are sea fireflies? Everything is indeed never as it seems.

I bet you were awestruck[cod]! 

 Now, these millions of sea fireflies would like to wave “Hi!” as you go through the blog and get to know the bioluminescent ostracods under genus Vargula. 

CLASSIFICATION

          Kingdom: Animalia  

                Subkingdom: Bilateria                

                   Infrakingdom: Protostomia    

                      Superphylum: Ecdysozoa    

                         Phylum: Arthropoda    

                            Subphylum: Crustacea  

                               Class: Ostracoda          

                                  Subclass: Myodocopa            

                                     Order: Myodocopida

                                        Suborder: Myodocopina  

                                           Superfamily: Cypridinoidea        

                                              Family: Cypridinidae  

                                                 Genus: Vargula

                                                       Species Name: Vargula annecohenae

(ITIS nd ; Cohen and Morin, 2010)

BIOLOGY

Cod you see me?

Ostracods can be found in basically every aquatic environment ranging from marine, freshwater, and estuarine habitats. These organisms are either swimming in the surface waters or crawling on the sea bed and moist land. Their distribution depends on their adaptations to environmental parameters, mainly salinity and water temperature. Vargula species inhabit the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea coastal landmasses (Wilkinson, 1996; Ogoh & Ohmiya, 2005). 

Although they are everywhere, ostracods rarely grow to a few millimeters long; small but (Pechenik, 2015). A single organism can’t be easily seen unless we look closely. Still, they’re small but widespread. 

What do you mistake me as?

Ostracoda is an ancient group of crustaceans. Surprised? 

The unsegmented external feature separates them from other crustaceans (Pechenik, 2015). Besides this, they resemble bivalves by having their entire body laterally enclosed inside a pair of partially calcified carapace or shells held by adductor muscles, even during early development; hence, the common name — mussel shrimp (Moore, 2006). 

They are also similar to branchiopods Conchostraca (clam shrimps) such as water fleas, but the appendages, lack of growth rings, and smooth swimming of mussel shrimps gave it away. Another feature that differentiates both is the carapace formation. Clam shrimps add material to their carapace as they grow, while mussel shrimps shed their carapace with each molt (UC Museum of Paleontology, 1995). 

Mussel shrimps are mostly head which means that the other body parts are greatly reduced. Their trunk is merged to the head. Usually, they have seven pairs of appendages adapted for locomotion, grasping, feeding, cleaning the carapace, or as sense organs. Vargula uses two pairs of antennae for swimming, some species only utilize one pair or the other. Notably, they have setae or tiny hairs protruding through the carapace pores that function for sensory mechanisms (Wilkinson, 1996;  Pechenik, 2015). 

A light show to remember

Bioluminescence is often used, but only by males of the species V. annecohenae, for mating displays. Males of each species, like fireflies on land, use distinct patterns of light flashes (seen as a series of dots) that only attract females of the same species. By performing brief dances in which they release short bursts of light as they pass towards the surface of the water, males show off just how sparkling they can be. They start their "dance," which lasts 45 minutes on average, with a stationary period in which brief (second-long or shorter) flashes of bright blue light are produced, attracting the interest of possible female mates. Then in the next process, males spiral up the water column vertically, producing quicker light bursts that are less bright (Gonzales, 2017). 

(Courtesy of Gretchen Gerrish)

We compete to procreate

The male grabs onto his newfound partner with his antennae if a male is successful and an interested female arrives, and the pair will mate. Competition is intense, sometimes a woman's attention is won by the brightest male, but males can also impress by synchronizing their lighting display with other males or creeping up and taking a mate from another male (Gonzales,2017).

Life cycle

V. annecohenae has a long life cycle of up to about 1 year. It typically develops slowly for 3 months before adulthood. It has several broods of a few offspring numbering between 10-15, and has no free-living larval stage (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

Five juvenile instars constitute the life cycle of Photeros annecohenae The life cycle of an ostracod in the genus Vargula (now Photeros) are divided by molts (that occur by the ecdysis) as well as an adult instar that is followed by a final molt (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

The total growth period of ostracod eggs and embryos in females was 26 days, with an average of 7.84 days for the interval between mating and brood deposition, and an average of 18.4 days for the eventual release from the brood chamber. Eggs initially become evident within the female's body during development. While inside the mother's body, eggs increase in size but exhibit no other noticeable morphological changes. Females discharge fertilized embryos as translucent, spheroidal, or ovoidal masses into the marsupium or brood chamber (Gerrish and Morin, 2008). 

(a) One egg of this female has been released into the marsupium and the four remaining eggs are visible in the female ovary. (b) The eggs are extruded into a marsupial brood pouch after 7-8 days. Each egg consists of a large yolk mass at this stage, and the cells inside are barely visible. C) Cell division has created a defined, cloudy cellular mass that fills the egg by day nine in the brood pouch. D) The first apparent structures include the naupliar eye, a red speck, and the intestine as the embryo develops its organs. E) The embryos appear as A-V instars with a large brown eye spot and a fully developed and functioning light organ just before release (Gerrish and Morin, 2008). 

 I have a sperm bank?

Female V. annecohenae can produce several broods without male re-exposure. suggesting that sperm is stored between broods (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

 I’m a natural

15-17 days after a previous cohort was released new broods can be formed (Gerrish and Morin, 2008).

ECOLOGY

Ostracods are considered to be useful paleoenvironmental indicators because their ecology is often reflected in the shape and structure of their carapaces and also considering their wide distribution in aquatic environments. They can range from warm waters of the tropics to very cold environments such as polar seas and are found from intertidal zones to many thousands of meters depth in the deep sea. They can also thrive in freshwater niches such as rivers, lakes, and even temporary ponds (Brandão & Karanovic, 2020). Generally, ostracods are characterized as omnivorous scavengers because they mainly feed on tiny organisms like algae, diatoms, bacteria, molds, and pieces of organic detritus that are present in the water or on vegetation. Some ostracods are also predatory. Being relatively smaller, they attack their prey in groups so that they can eat organisms larger than them. However, ostracods are also often preyed by small fishes (MESA, 2020).

Freshwater ostracods usually have smooth, thin, weakly calcified simple bean-shaped carapaces and feed on diatoms, bacteria, and detritus. On the other hand, pelagic ostracods may also have thin, smooth shells but they have long powerful swimming appendages or antennules. The formation of rostral incisures at the anterior of the carapace of pelagic ostracods allowed freer movement of these appendages. Furthermore, benthic ostracods are commonly detritivores or filter feeders. Their carapace is usually smooth, small, robust, and sometimes elongated because they tend to burrow into the substrate. Epifaunal ostracods have flattened ventral surfaces sometimes with projecting alar wings, frills, keels, or lateral spines while those found on coarser substrates in higher energy environments tend to have more robust heavily ribbed or reticulated carapaces (Olney, 2002).

RELATIONSHIP TO HUMANS

Generally, ostracods are useful for scientific purposes. According to Boomer et al. (2013), ostracods are being used in studies of earth science and related disciplines such as archaeology, ecology, and genetics. This is because ostracods are widely distributed and are easily preservable. Their assemblage and morphology are some of the important ecological proxies. For instance, in recent research conducted by McCormack et al. (2018) wherein ostracods are being used as a bioindicator. Their research has shown the sensitivity of ostracods’ faunal assemblage (Candona sp.) to changes in water salinity and alkalinity in Lake Van.

Next, valves of ostracods are also being used in paleoenvironmental studies. Valves of ostracods are said to absorb trace elements from host waters (Palacios-Fest et al., 1994). This characteristic makes these microcrustaceans ideal models for reconstructing and analyzing past environments that could range from deep-seas to small lakes. Aside from this, the diversity and variety of reproductive modes of ostracods are also one of the main reasons why they are being used as model organisms for laboratory and research studies (Martens & Hornes, 2009).

Moreover, laboratories have started culturing bioluminescent ostracods. The culture of these organisms is done to determine the biosynthetic pathways of bioluminescent substrates that could lead to the discovery of new tools for biotechnology and biomedicine. For instance, in the study conducted by Goodheart et al. (2019) wherein they cultured California Sea Firefly (V. tsuji) for studies regarding the biosynthetic pathway of cypridinid luciferin and genomic manipulation of an autogenic bioluminescent system.

Serve the Teaaaaa!

The T in Osctracod means Teaaaaa! 5 amazing facts you need to know about ostracods.

1. OLD BUT GOLD

Colymbosathon ecplecticos, a species of ostracod, holds the record of oldest known fossil penis. The historical penis was discovered from a 425 million-year-old rock in England. It was said that a wide variety of animals living in the sea 425 million years ago were killed by an ash fall from a volcanic eruption. However, the ash preserved the animals, including their soft parts. Through technology, the painstaking 3-D reconstructions of a preserved male ostracod revealed amazing details such as the hairs on limbs, gills, and a penis.

2. LIGHT IT UP LIKE A DYNAMITE

Some species of Myodocopida ostracods produce a bright blue light. These are known in Japan as Umi-Hotaru or sea-fireflies. The light is produced by mixing two chemicals together in the presence of oxygen and is for mating displays. Each species flash at different rates to stop any confusion in the dark. Japanese army collected Umi-Hotaru in baited traps during the Second World War. They dry them out and ground them down to a powder. Adding a small amount of water to the powder produces a low-intensity light used by soldiers to read orders or maps without giving their position away to the enemy during battles.   

3. ULTIMATE SURVIVOR

Ostracods can survive being eaten by fish. Experiments with the ostracod Cypridopsis vidua showed that 26% of specimens eaten by small bluegill sunfish came out the other end alive and unharmed. This is possible because ostracods can close their shells very tightly inside their carapace to survive passage through the gut of the fish eventually to be excreted out by the fish.

4. OSTRACODS ARE OMNIPRESENT

Ostracods are found in almost every aquatic habitat, even in some very small and isolated places. They are found deep in the sea, on the shore, on wet leaf litters, springs, groundwaters, puddles, small pools, rice fields, ponds, lakes, and rivers. Some species have a global distribution and are found from the subarctic to the tropics. Their dispersal abilities caused this massive distribution of ostracods. For example, the eggs and adults can hitch a lift on the feet of birds and are displaced because of migration.

5. WE DON’T DIE, JUST DRY

The ostracod eggs can be viable many years after being dried. This is the reason why many freshwater ostracods can be found in temporary water bodies, such as puddles and rice fields. These eggs start to develop and hatch when water is already available in their environment

References

Boomer, I., et al. (2003).  The Use of Ostracods in Palaeoenvironmental Studies, or What can you do with an Ostracod Shell? The Paleontological Society Papers. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1089332600002199

Brandão, S.N.; Karanovic, I. (2020). World Ostracoda Database. Accessed at http://www.marinespecies.org/ostracoda on 2020-11-15. doi:10.14284/364  

Cohen, A. C.; Morin, J. G. (2010). Two New Bioluminescent Ostracode Genera, Enewton And Photeros (Myodocopida: Cypridinidae), with Three New Species from Jamaica. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 30(1): 1-55., https://doi.org/10.1651/08-3075.1

Gonzales, M.R. (2017).  You Light Up My World! Smithsonian. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/you-light-my-world

Goodheart, J., et al. (2019).  Laboratory culture of the California Sea Firefly Vargula tsujii (Ostracoda: Cypridinidae): Developing a model system for the evolution of marine bioluminescence. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334600678_Laboratory_culture_of_the_California_Sea_Firefly_Vargula_tsujii_Ostracoda_Cypridinidae_Developing_a_model_system_for_the_evolution_of_marine_bioluminescence

Gretchen A. Gerrish, James G. Morin, Life Cycle of a Bioluminescent Marine Ostracode, Vargula Annecohenae (Myodocopida: Cypridinidae), Journal of Crustacean Biology, Volume 28, Issue 4, 1 October 2008, Pages 669–674, https://doi.org/10.1651/07-2934.1

Horne, D. J. & Smith, R. J. (2004). First British record of Potamocypris humilis (Sars, 1924), a freshwater ostracod with a disjunct distribution in northern Europe and southern Africa. Bollettino della Societe Paleontologica Italiana, 43 (1-2), 297-306.  

Laessle, A. M. 1961. A micro-limnological study of Jamaican Bromeliads. Ecology, 42, 499-517. 

Martens, K., and Horne, D.J. (2009). Ostracoda. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012370626-3.00184-8

McCormack, J., et al. 2019.  Ostracods as ecological and isotopic indicators of lake water salinity changes: the Lake Van example.  Biogeosciences, 16, 2095–2114, 2019 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2095-2019

MESA. 2020. Ostracods. Marine Education Society of Australia. http://www.mesa.edu.au/crustaceans/crustaceans03.asp

Moore, J. (2006). An Introduction to the Invertebrates (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Morin, J. G. and Cohen, A. C. 1991. Bioluminescent displays, courtship, and reproduction in ostracodes. In R. Bauer and Martin, J. (Eds.), Crustacean Sexual Biology:1 16. New York:Columbia University Press. 

Ogoh, K. Ohmiya, Y. (2005). Biogeography of Luminous Marine Ostracod Driven Irreversibly by the Japan Current. Molecular Biology Evolution, 22(7):1543-1545. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msi155]

Olney, M. (2002). Ostracods. Microfossil image recovery and circulation for learning and education. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/GeolSci/micropal/ostracod.html

Palacios-Fest, M.R., et al. (1994).  Use of ostracodes as paleoenvironmental tools in the interpretation of ancient lacustrine records. Revista Espanola de Paleontologia 9(2):145-164. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291990499_Use_of_ostracodes_as_paleoenvironmental_tools_in_the_interpretation_of_ancient_lacustrine_records

Pechenik, J. A. (2015). Biology of Invertebrates (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Sars, G. O. 1895. On some South-African Entomostraca raised from dried mud. Skrifter i Videnskabs-selskabet. I. Mathematisk-Naturvidenskabs Klasse 1895 (8): 1-56.  

Sars, G. O. 1896. On some west Australian Entomostraca raised from dried sand. Arch. Math. Naturv. 18, 1-35.

Seidel, B. 1989. Phoresis of Cyclocypris ovum (Jurine) (Ostracoda, Podocopida, Cyprididae) on Bombina variegata (L.) (Anura, Amphibia) and Triruris vulgaris (L.) (Urodela, Amphibia). Crustaceana 57, 171-176.  

Siveter, D. J., Sutton, M. D., Briggs, D. E. G. & Siveter, D. J. 2003. An ostracod crustacean with soft parts from the Lower Silurian. Science, 302, 1749 - 1751.

UC Museum of Paleontology. (1995).  Introduction to the Ostracoda. https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/maxillopoda/ostracoda.html

[mcatmemoranda]

Reviewing questions:

Non-caseating granulomas with multinucleated giant cells (macrophages that fuse together and therefore the multinucleated giant cells have multiple nuclei) and increased serum calcium are seen in pts with sarcoidosis. You see bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy. Activated macrophages make 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-> increased Ca2+. I remember posting about why sarcoidosis causes increased calcium before. Here's what I said:

I wasn’t understanding how/why sarcoidosis causes hypercalcemia. It’s because the epithelioid histiocytes [macrophages in the epithelial tissue] of the granulomas have alpha 1 hydroxylase, which converts vitamin D to the active form, which makes you absorb more calcium. I know alpha 1 hydroxylase is in the kidney. Apparently, it’s also in the noncaseating granulomas you see in sarcoidosis.

Glucocorticoids can be given to treat sarcoidosis in the short term. Glucocorticoids reduce inflammation by decreasing transcription of proinflammatory genes-> decreased macrophage and lymphocyte activation, so no inflammatory mediators (IL-1, IFN-gamma). Glucocorticoids also prevent endothelial cells from expressing selectins, which are necessary for neutrophils to leave the blood and go to sites of cytokine release. Glucocorticoids basically prevent margination and emigration of neutrophils-> increased neutrophil count in the blood. IL-8 = inflammatory cytokine that summons neutrophils; reduced by steroids. IL-10 = anti-inflammatory cytokine; increased by steroids. Steroids also cause apoptosis of eosinophils, monocytes, and lymphs-> susceptibility to infection. Steroids inhibit phospholipase A2-> decreased PGEs and leukotriene. Adverse effects of steroids include weight gain and glucose intolerance.

DiGeorge syndrome-> no thymus, so no T cells-> recurrent sinopulmonary infections. The structures that derive from the 3rd and 4th pharyngeal pouches (i.e., thymus) don't develop. Specifically, the ventral wings of the third pharyngeal pouch give rise to the thymus gland. In DiGeorge syndrome, this fails. Without a thymus, T cells can't mature and pts are susceptible to bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal pathogens. T cells are in the paracortex of lymph nodes (the cortex contains the naive B cells and the medulla contains the memory B cells). The paracortex of lymph node is undedeveloped in pts with DiGeorge syndrome (because there are no T cells to inhabit the paracortex).

Eosinophils respond to IgG and IgA on parasites by releasing their granules (e.g., major basic protein) and reactive oxygen species, which kill the parasites. This is antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Th2 and mast cells make IL-5, which stimulates eosinophil activation and proliferation.

The Membrane Attack Complex (MAC) is made with complement factors C5b, C6, C7, C8, and C9. The MAC kills bacteria such as N. meningitidis. If you lack complement factors C5b through 9 (terminal complement deficiency), you can't make MAC and thus are susceptible to N. meningitidis meningitis. The petechial rash (on palms and soles, among other places) that you may see in N. meningitidis meningitis is due to vasculitis of small blood vessels due to N. meningitidis.

SCID = Sever Combined Immunodeficiency; can be X-linked recessive or AR; T cells don't develop; B cells also don't function normally; pts present with failure to thrive, recurrent viral, fungal, and opportunistic infections, and diarrhea. Pts will have hypogammaglobulinemia (not enough immunoglobulins) and lymphopenia (not enough B cells and T cells). When you do candidal antigen skin testing, these pts don't respond (no induration at site). In the candidal antigen skin test, you are trying to elicit the cell-mediated immune response of the type IV HSR, which involves not only CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, but also CD4+ helper T cells and macrophages. Macrophages are APCs, which present candida Ag to helper T cells, who then release cytokine to activate cytotoxic T cells, which destroy infected cells. IFN-gamma from both helper and cytotoxic T cells enhances macrophage phagocytosis of candida. Tx of SCID = stem cell transplant. Must r/o congenital HIV.

CD14 is the cell marker for macrophages. I didn't know that and that's what a question was asking. -_-

I answered a question where an old man got the flu even though he was vaccinated. The reason he got the flu was because of impaired naive B cell production. Vaccines expose you to antigens and your B cells should respond by making antibodies to the antigen. Vaccine failure will occur if the pt has atopy, uses steroids, or has impaired naive B cell production due to aging (called immunosenescence). So immunosenescence makes an older pt less likely to respond to a vaccine. Apparently, chronic inflammation with aging causes the B cells and T cells to respond to antigens the pt has already encountered and makes the pt less likely to respond to new Ags (e.g., those presented to the immune system in a flu vaccine).

From Wikipedia:

Immunosenescence refers to the gradual deterioration of the immune system brought on by natural age advancement. The adaptive immune system is affected more than the innate immune system.

Immunosenescence involves both the host's capacity to respond to infections and the development of long-term immune memory, especially by vaccination.[2] This age-associated immune deficiency is ubiquitous and found in both long- and short-living species as a function of their age relative to life expectancy rather than chronological time.[3] It is considered a major contributory factor to the increased frequency of morbidity and mortality among the elderly.

T cells are made in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus, hence T cells are also called "thymocytes." He explained T cell maturation with positive and negative selection really well in OnlineMedEd, so I won't go over it again here. I get it. Hopefully I will remember it.

Macrophages infected with intracellular pathogens (like mycobacterium tuberculosis) release IL-12-> T cells and NK cells release IFN-gamma-> macrophages become activated and increase phagocytosis; macrophages also release TNF-alpha, which leads to granuloma formation. IFN-gamma binds the IFN-gamma receoptor on macrophages-> receptor dimerization-> activation of Janus kinase 1 and 2-> STAT1 translocated to nucleus-> increased macrophage phagocytosis and killing of bacteria. Problems with the IFN-gamma pathway-> inability to kill M. tuberculosis-> disseminated infection.

From Wikipedia:

The JAK-STAT signalling pathway is a chain of interactions between proteins in a cell, and is involved in processes such as immunity, cell division, cell death and tumour formation. The pathway communicates information from chemical signals outside of a cell to the cell nucleus, resulting in the activation of genes through a process called transcription. There are three key parts of JAK-STAT signalling: Janus kinases (JAKs), signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins (STATs), and receptors (which bind the chemical signals).[1] Disrupted JAK-STAT signalling may lead to a variety of diseases, such as skin conditions, cancers, and disorders affecting the immune system.[1]

The JAK-STAT pathway in cytokine receptor signalling can activate STATs, which can bind to DNA and allow the transcription of genes involved in immune cell division, survival, activation and recruitment. For example, STAT1 can enable the transcription of genes which inhibit cell division and stimulate inflammation.

IFN-apha and beta are made by cells infected by viruses; the interferons prevent protein synthesis in virally infected cells. Specifically, IFN-alpha and beta cause cells to make enzymes that degrade viral proteins (e.g., RNAse L).

Neutrophils respond to IL-8, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Pus = liquor puris + leukocytes (mostly neutrophils). So pus is basically dead neutrophils and a proteinaceous fluid called liquor puris. Chemotaxis = IL-8 released by macrophages at site of infection summons neutrophils. Other chemokines = leukotriene C4, C5a, 5-HETE.

TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6 induce inflammation during sepsis. TNF-alpha from macrophages summons neutrophils and more macrophages.

In chronic lung transplant rejection, small airways become inflamed due to lymphocytes-> scar tissue blocks small airways (bronchiolitis obliterans).

Wiskott Aldrich syndrome = X-linked recessive mutation of genes coding for cell cytoskeleton proteins; pts present with thrombocytopenia (low platelets) + eczema + B cell and T cell deficiency (presents as recurrent infections). Platelets will be abnormal-> petechiae, epistaxis. No B cells-> pyogenic infections; no T cells-> opportunistic infections. Tx = bone marrow transplant.

HLA-DP, HLA-DQ, and HLA-DR are the genes that encode MHC Class II. In bare lymphocyte syndrome type II, you lack MHC Class II, so you can't activate B cells and T cells (normally, APCs present foreign antigens to naive B cells on their MHC-II receptors; this then causes B cells to activate T cells, which give the costimulatory signal to B cells, allowing the B cells to proliferate and class switch).

[powerelec]

Sion Power announces Licerion-EV cell with large format 17 Ah, 400 Wh/kg

Sion Power announces Licerion-EV cell with large format 17 Ah, 400 Wh/kg

Sion Power®, a technology leader in high-energy, lithium-metal rechargeable batteries, announced ground-breaking advancements in its Licerion® Electric Vehicle (EV) cell, measuring 400 Wh/kg, 700 Wh/L in a large format 17 Ah pouch cell. Licerion-EV is being designed for electric vehicle applications, focusing on high energy density, increased cycle life, safety, and fast charging capability. Sion…

[thoughts-of-the-unheard]

fuck America for their public school system

fuck America for many reasons all the time but for now bc of public schools lack of education

I took a creative writing class. one assignment involved MLA format. multiple freshman (ninth grade, first year of high school) didn't know what that was, let alone how to do it. the teacher had to take the day to teach them. I learned MLA in 6th grade, at a charter school (which is still technically a public school just better).  

I am going into my senior year (12th grade, last year) of high school. I was required to take one health class, which I took in freshman year. it was a 45 day class. the only time women were referenced was when we were talking about birth and pregnancy. my teacher said abstinence was “the only 100% foolproof way not to get pregnant”. I missed half of the time we talked about pregnancy because me and two other classmates were in the library printing out our work for another assignment in that class. we only saw the last 5 or 10 minutes of “the miracle of life”, a video about birth from 1982. we did not have to make it up in any way. I have never be told anything about whats in my body or how anything works. ive never heard anything about the female body that wasn't ‘you can give birth, heres a video from 20 years before you were born”. 

in honors biology, we learned how the body breaks down food, which I learned in 7th grade. we learned about dna and rna, which I learned in 8th grade. we learned about how cells work, which I learned in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th grade (I did go to different schools for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade though (catholic school, catholic, charter school)). a classmate and I were on a field trip the day we dissected frogs. we did not have to make it up. we talked about it once the next day and moved on. we learned about extra chromosomes and missing chromosomes. we did not learn which gender went with x and which went with y. we did not learn about primary sex characteristics, let alone secondary ones. we did not learn that women store fat differently than men. we did not learn about the different organs females have. we did not learn that those very important organs are the reason we have a little pouch by our belly. we did not learn that it is impossible to have a flat stomach because of this. 

I learned all of that off of various things that have happened onto my path on the internet. ive learned so much more about my body through offhanded comments and random posts then I have learned and will ever learn through the American public school system. 

everyone knows the signs of a heart attack. not everyone knows those are the signs for men. not everyone knows the signs of a heart attack are completely different in women. the only reason I know, is because I happened to have a female first aid teacher who made sure we knew, even if the textbook didn't tell us. 

I took child development because I work with kids and though it could help. we spent like 3 weeks on pregnancy and birth. the class was 9 weeks long. we didn't talk about how painful birth can be. we didn't talk about how the mother being in that position for hours can be damaging. we didn't talk about having to get stitched up. we didn't talk about how some male doctors will unconsentually add an extra stitch, nicknamed the ‘husband stitch’, so the vigina is tighter. we didn't talk about how painful this can make things for the woman. the teacher had us try on a pregnancy belly to simulate “what it will be like when youre pregnant”. I don't want to have children and I never have. I got out of it because I went to the bathroom. the final was in part a project and part written test. our final project was to take care of a mechanical baby for 15 hours. I asked what would happen if the baby cried during the night and I didn't wake up. she said “you will”. the baby cried ten times at night. I was awake for two of them. I failed that part of the final. I didn't learn anything I didn't already know.

I definitely have more examples but my mom distracted me and now I cant remember but basis is: fuck America and fuck the government who decided kids aren't worth it and fuck the old people who are in that government or who voted for them and call us dumb for not knowing the shit theyre hiding from us

[officialtoa]

TRAVELING BOOTH SPOTLIGHT

There are as many traveling booths this year as stationary, wandering the grounds with assorted and incredible goods! Here’s a list of those who have posted their amazing menus and ads in the Tournament of Ages Traveling Booths channel! 

Legacy of the Aspects

Hours of Operation: 3PM-7PM daily

Food Menu: tinyurl.com/LoAToAfood

"Fuel your inner Dragon!"

Who are we?  Our guild story is centered around the idea of bringing together the members of the various flights that walk among the folds of the Alliance in hiding. After the great sundering and Wrathion's expulsion of the corrupt black dragonflight, some survived and went into hiding. They meander as normal citizens in various cells undetected, however some have begun to rear their head's at an order of which they seek - dragons and drakes of various clutches under one banner.

The Dragon's Bounty  We have many of assortment for food, drink and snacks! one for each Dragonflight! And different styles!

Red: Home cooked Blue: Sweet Green: Vegetarian Black: Spicy Bronze: Caramel and Old fashioned! for the whole menu please visit this link!

The Dragon's Hoard  We have many assortments of weapons available, please go here for the list! tinyurl.com/LoAToAweapons

Gyle Shadowrend's Fate Alteration and Editing Service

Come to Gyle Shadowrend's Fate Alteration and Editing Service at the Tournament of Ages

. A traveling booth, so catch him while you can! Gyle offers IC/OOC editing/review services for RPers of all skill levels. New to RP and not sure if your profile is awful and need some advice? An experienced RPer who is frustrated why nobody will actually read your profile despite it being beautifully constructed? Gyle can help with that~! Also offering IC Ret-con services for a nominal fee! Feel burdened by your character's old choices that don't matter anymore? Plot points that aren't relevant to present-day RP? Just want to forget that one-time tryst in Silvermoon that forever traumatized your character? Let Gyle absorb your story into his already substantially bad reputation. Live guilt-free and use Gyle's Ret-con service today*! **Terms apply. Please purchase The Agreement from Gyle at the Tournament of Ages. (

https://pastebin.com/G20eKVep

PROFILES CRITIQUED: 4 RET-CONS PROCESSED: 3

The Sanguine Grove 

The Sanguine Grove is a traveling booth selling protection pouches, elixirs, curiosities and more! Located adjacent to the Alliance tent. Look for the red and black flags!

The Azeroth Wildlife Society

Stop by The Azeroth Wildlife Society’s traveling booth! Offering handmade keepsakes, plushies, & more! Also featuring special minigames with fun prizes involved, along with seminars on animal care and safety! If you’re lucky, you may get to feast your eyes upon some special creations!

Find Charlotte Hollander and her wild menagerie and support wildlife! 

 UPDATED MENU : https://imgur.com/gallery/VasKLyp

The Azeroth Coalition 

The Azeroth Coalition will be available most days of the Tournament! Come find us to look at our variety of available goods! MENU:  https://tinyurl.com/ACVendor

Murloc!

Murloc will be roaming the grounds again this year with murloc plushies to hand out to ToA attendees for free!   They can be received by Alliance members by trading, and for Horde members, you simply have to pick the plushie up off the ground to claim it for yourself or friends! Can't wait to see you there! Mrglrgl!

Lugdor

Name: Lugdor 

Race: Peon 

Guild: N/A, Lugdor Is The Horde! 

 Goods for Sale: Sweets and Treats! As well as Items that Can’t Be Bear! Description: Lugdor's Wagon of Wonders is coming to Scary Fight Fight Land once again to sell his wares! Hopefully you may find interest in his Horde-Made Goods, whether it be to satisfy a Sweet Tooth, or even toys for the kids or even for your loved ones!

House Straüs Brewery

We will be walking the grounds selling our signature brews! We have stouts and wheat beers. We also have the exotic and incredibly rare, "Sirah's Special Brew!" We look forward to sharing our beverages with you!

Evergold Sanctuary

Evergold Sanctuary will have a special Tournament-themed menu of drinks and snacks! Follow the green-gold banners to find these delicious offerings.

The Merry Mermaid

Layla Bexley, master mixologist, skilled flair bartender, and three time First Place Winner of The Worlds and Planes Bartending Championships annually held in Dalaran, proudly presents to you her pop-up bar concept The Merry Mermaid! 

 I will be wearing a gold Brewfest banner and using a spotlight. 

 There will also be tree toys and cushions set in a little circle for the grotto. My player name is Larceny-Moon Guard (Alliance) in-game so please don't hesitate to whisper me if you can't find me! The menu is available in alternate formats: TRP About + pure text. Please DM me in Discord if you'd like a more accessible format.

MENU: https://tinyurl.com/MerryMermaidToA

The Other Worldly Cabaret

The Other Worldly Cabaret's lead performers will be wondering around the Tournament grounds, offering mini performances and personalized masquerade masks! Don't miss our stage performance on Monday, at 6pm WrA/8pm MG!

The Snak Yak 

The Snak Yak will be back again this year! Both Launa and Foamy will be roaming the Faire Ground! We have fresh, hot, and amazing tasting food as well as home made brew and imported brew! We'll be selling Pretzels, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Fish, Chicken, Turkey, As well as Foamy's assorted other Meats! All cooked fresh in front of you either on the Patented Gromble Grill or the Yum Yum Forge! Prices are faire hehe hehe and not overly costly, So look around for either the Grumpy Old Dwarf with a Musken, or the Small Gilnean Girl with an Animated Stove to get yourself situated!

The Little Sunbeam

The Little Sunbeam will be selling candy and crystalline creations on behalf of the Farbound Company and in conjunction with the Briarstone Boutique! Keep an eye out for Ortullus wandering the grounds or hanging out at booth 15!

The Sea Siren Street Shop

The Sea Siren Street Shop is opening its...uh...wheels to ToA this year! Stop by each day for a new stock of items, including auctions of legendary one-of-a-kind item and exclusive ToA goods! Magefire Noodles will be available all week, as well as an assortment of rotating alcohols and candies.   Sunday's Menu: https://tinyurl.com/SSSToA20Sun

The Good Apples 

The Good Apples plays Monday, but don't let the memory of the music be the only thing you take with you when we set up a merch stand by the show and wandering throughout the day! See you then! https://twitter.com/GnomesAreGood/status/1289634197095817222

Brotherhood of Valor

Here is the Brotherhood of Valor's menu for today. We will have a new menu for each day! Come get your plushie's cookies and engineered goods from us today! Make sure to look down as I am a gnome!

Lewin

On the northern edge of the Tournament Grounds sits a Gilnean carriage reinforced by a skeleton of elementium, drawn by an armor-obfuscated horse and bearing lanterns aglow with a violet light. The Puckish Scoundrel is here, and ready to sell you all sorts of shady things! Of course, if anyone asks, all the proprietor sells is potions, elixirs, poultices, and other various alchemical supplies. Absolutely -no- stolen goods here either, no sir. Why, that would be illegal and immoral and all that drivel.

Mok'ra Noodles 

Mok'ra Noodles will be serving somewhere on the grounds this week, with what ever menu I whip up fifteen minutes before hand, the finest in Orc-Pandaren Fusion Cuisine! Sweet Sour Boar Skewer, Draenor Riceballs, Sea Scorpion Ragoons, Boar Eggrolls, our Famous Rylak Raman, Shadowmoon Lo Mein, Half-Hill Fried Rice, Fat Sleeper Fish n Chips, Gronn Nugget, Blackrock Dumplings, your choice of Clefthoof, Wildfowl, Pork, Veggie, Salmon or Seafood Bento with Fried Rice or Noodles, and now with dessert with Pandaren Cheesecake and Tropical Fruit Sushi!

[scifigeneration]

Evolution tells us we might be the only intelligent life in the universe

by Nick Longrich

NASA

Are we alone in the universe? It comes down to whether intelligence is a probable outcome of natural selection, or an improbable fluke. By definition, probable events occur frequently, improbable events occur rarely – or once. Our evolutionary history shows that many key adaptations – not just intelligence, but complex animals, complex cells, photosynthesis, and life itself – were unique, one-off events, and therefore highly improbable. Our evolution may have been like winning the lottery … only far less likely.

The universe is astonishingly vast. The Milky Way has more than 100 billion stars, and there are over a trillion galaxies in the visible universe, the tiny fraction of the universe we can see. Even if habitable worlds are rare, their sheer number – there are as many planets as stars, maybe more – suggests lots of life is out there. So where is everyone? This is the Fermi paradox. The universe is large, and old, with time and room for intelligence to evolve, but there’s no evidence of it.

Could intelligence simply be unlikely to evolve? Unfortunately, we can’t study extraterrestrial life to answer this question. But we can study some 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history, looking at where evolution repeats itself, or doesn’t.

Evolution sometimes repeats, with different species independently converging on similar outcomes. If evolution frequently repeats itself, then our evolution might be probable, even inevitable.

The wolf-like thylacine. Wikipedia

And striking examples of convergent evolution do exist. Australia’s extinct, marsupial thylacine had a kangaroo-like pouch but otherwise looked like a wolf, despite evolving from a different mammal lineage. There are also marsupial moles, marsupial anteaters and marsupial flying squirrels. Remarkably, Australia’s entire evolutionary history, with mammals diversifying after the dinosaur extinction, parallels other continents.

Other striking cases of convergence include dolphins and extinct ichthyosaurs, which evolved similar shapes to glide through the water, and birds, bats and pterosaurs, which convergently evolved flight.

Squid eye. PLoS Biology

We also see convergence in individual organs. Eyes evolved not just in vertebrates, but in arthropods, octopi, worms and jellyfish. Vertebrates, arthropods, octopi and worms independently invented jaws. Legs evolved convergently in the arthropods, octopi and four kinds of fish (tetrapods, frogfish, skates, mudskippers).

Here’s the catch. All this convergence happened within one lineage, the Eumetazoa. Eumetazoans are complex animals with symmetry, mouths, guts, muscles, a nervous system. Different eumetazoans evolved similar solutions to similar problems, but the complex body plan that made it all possible is unique. Complex animals evolved once in life’s history, suggesting they’re improbable.

Surprisingly, many critical events in our evolutionary history are unique and, probably, improbable. One is the bony skeleton of vertebrates, which let large animals move onto land. The complex, eukaryotic cells that all animals and plants are built from, containing nuclei and mitochondria, evolved only once. Sex evolved just once. Photosynthesis, which increased the energy available to life and produced oxygen, is a one-off. For that matter, so is human-level intelligence. There are marsupial wolves and moles, but no marsupial humans.

The vertebrate skeleton is unique. Smithsonian Institution

There are places where evolution repeats, and places where it doesn’t. If we only look for convergence, it creates confirmation bias. Convergence seems to be the rule, and our evolution looks probable. But when you look for non-convergence, it’s everywhere, and critical, complex adaptations seem to be the least repeatable, and therefore improbable.

What’s more, these events depended on one another. Humans couldn’t evolve until fish evolved bones that let them crawl onto land. Bones couldn’t evolve until complex animals appeared. Complex animals needed complex cells, and complex cells needed oxygen, made by photosynthesis. None of this happens without the evolution of life, a singular event among singular events. All organisms come from a single ancestor; as far as we can tell, life only happened once.

Curiously, all this takes a surprisingly long time. Photosynthesis evolved 1.5 billion years after the Earth’s formation, complex cells after 2.7 billion years, complex animals after 4 billion years, and human intelligence 4.5 billion years after the Earth formed. That these innovations are so useful but took so long to evolve implies that they’re exceedingly improbable.

An unlikely series of events

These one-off innovations, critical flukes, may create a chain of evolutionary bottlenecks or filters. If so, our evolution wasn’t like winning the lottery. It was like winning the lottery again, and again, and again. On other worlds, these critical adaptations might have evolved too late for intelligence to emerge before their suns went nova, or not at all.

Imagine that intelligence depends on a chain of seven unlikely innovations – the origin of life, photosynthesis, complex cells, sex, complex animals, skeletons and intelligence itself – each with a 10% chance of evolving. The odds of evolving intelligence become one in 10 million.

Photosynthesis, another unique adaptation. Nick Longrich

But complex adaptations might be even less likely. Photosynthesis required a series of adaptations in proteins, pigments and membranes. Eumetazoan animals required multiple anatomical innovations (nerves, muscles, mouths and so on). So maybe each of these seven key innovations evolve just 1% of the time. If so, intelligence will evolve on just 1 in 100 trillion habitable worlds. If habitable worlds are rare, then we might be the only intelligent life in the galaxy, or even the visible universe.

And yet, we’re here. That must count for something, right? If evolution gets lucky one in 100 trillion times, what are the odds we happen to be on a planet where it happened? Actually, the odds of being on that improbable world are 100%, because we couldn’t have this conversation on a world where photosynthesis, complex cells, or animals didn’t evolve. That’s the anthropic principle: Earth’s history must have allowed intelligent life to evolve, or we wouldn’t be here to ponder it.

Intelligence seems to depend on a chain of improbable events. But given the vast number of planets, then like an infinite number of monkeys pounding on an infinite number of typewriters to write Hamlet, it’s bound to evolve somewhere. The improbable result was us.

About The Author:

Nick Longrich is a Senior Lecturer in Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Bath

This article has been republished from our content partners over at The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.