#Melbourne Variant

[spockvarietyhour]

Favourite Kitbash?

All these vessels started off as kitbashes from existing physical models sold commercially. Aside from the Constellation-class Stargazer, all the other TNG ones were barely glimpsed in the aftermath of the Battle of Wolf 359, including the 4-nacelle Melbourne-variant Neula class.

Also the shot I got from defunct Eaglemoss didn't show the baby nacelles so here they are:

The DS9 ones heavily featured the Centaur in one episode, while Curry does a flyby in A Time to Stand. Yeager was usually in stock shots around the station, barely visible.

[tswiftupdatess]

Taylor Swift announcing the new "The Tortured Poets Department” Variant with bonus track ''The Botler'' at The Eras Tour in Melbourne, Night 1!

[titsthedamnseason]

happy melbourne n2!!! we had a loss of epic proportions last night but also an incredible performance preceded by an album variant announcement!! taylor may be wildly unpredictable but at times we must persevere and try anyway….hence why we are playing the surprise song game 💞 as per usual please leave your two guesses in the tags or replies and i will give shoutouts to all the winners :)

i am doubling down on my twily / peace guess from yesterday because i feel it’s only a matter of time before we get one of these if not both 🫡 godspeed everyone

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

Melbourne researchers have discovered more than 200 new vaccine target candidates from the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, that could lead to the development of vaccines with a longer lasting broader immunity than existing vaccinations.

In a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, research led by Prof Anthony W. Purcell and first-authored by Dr. Asolina Braun from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, investigates seven proteins of the COVID-19 virus that could become targets for new vaccines.

The initial vaccines designed to combat COVID-19 were targeted against the original Wuhan strain Spike protein. However, while this approach led to the generation of several highly effective, safe vaccines within an astonishingly brief timeframe, it also comes with some limitations, according to Dr. Braun. "The SARS-CoV-2 virus has mutated its Spike protein leading to lower efficacy of current vaccines," she said.

"Also, the original vaccines focused on B cell-mediated antibody responses for developing immunity. We now know that recruiting the other arm of the immune system, the T cells, can help to maintain immunity for longer."

In the study the researchers describe more than 200 SARS-CoV-2-derived peptides that could be targets for new and improved vaccines against COVID-19 and validate that a number of those peptides can trigger T cell responses in convalescent individuals.

Reflecting on this achievement, lead investigator Prof Tony Purcell remarks, "As part of a long term collaboration with Evaxion Biotech, we pivoted and turned our attention to SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic. Rather than continue the mainstream attention that focused predominantly on the Spike glycoprotein, we turned our attention to other more conserved viral proteins as potential next generation vaccine targets.

"The combination of the Monash team's epitope discovery by immunopeptidomics and protein chemistry, T cell immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute and Evaxion's AI-guided bioinformatics expertise was critical to the development of this paper that highlights the potential of several conserved viral proteins as vaccine candidates."

According to Dr. Braun, COVID-19 still continues to pose a high burden on health systems worldwide, and "this continued burden is mainly caused by the spread of several new variants. Thus, an unmet need remains for the development of novel vaccines able to target several viral strains and confer wide-spread protection in the global population," she said.

"The next generation of vaccines will benefit from eliciting both B-cell and T-cell mediated immunity toward multiple COVID proteins. Our study has uncovered promising candidates for the development of just such vaccines."

More information: Asolina Braun et al, Mapping the immunopeptidome of seven SARS-CoV-2 antigens across common HLA haplotypes, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51959-6 www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51959-6

[moonvisi0n]

BUTTON & BRAWN UP FRONT !

Starting 2009 F1.

Brawn GP's incredible 1&2 finish in Melbourne !!

But cut races in Sepang because of Rain Showers.

Everyone wondering if the race would restart (for like forever—I sat through it.) Webber <3 actually asking every driver on the grid if they also agree that it's too dangerous to race. Finally, final places were awarded from where teams were when the red flag was waved (Lap 23). Jenson takes another win :D

Also McLaren "Slags" SURE yea right Look at them, you couldn't find any more melancholy in gazes like that if you tried 22x44 !!

More rain in Shanghai but Redbull has entered the ring.

"With under 8 laps to go, it's Redbull, Redbull from Brawn, from Brawn. Vettel from Webber from Button from Barricello with two more teammates close together, Kovalainen and Hamilton from Mclaren."

This season's championship battle is starting off so well!!

Everyone was spinning and sliding during this race lol here's Piquet unable to catch a break, Renault nonsense once again.

POLE TO P1 BABYYY, DELIVERED BY THIS MAN REDBULL SEBASTIAN VETTEL ERA RAHHHHHH

HOT IN BAHRAIN.

Thought it was gonna be 2 Brawn wins then 2 Redbull wins but BOOM Toyota?? Trulli pole and Timo the Glock Glock !! But Ross Brawn was like yeaaaahh right check out this insane race strategy and this 29 yr old (Button) boom 3/4 races Button wins <3

Ross Brawn = non-evil variant of Chr*stian H*rner this season ?

Many things I didn't mention like the dreadful silence of Ferrari this season (Raikkonen I miss u and Massa, another one getting strangled by Ferrari's need to destroy itself for some reason), How Hamilton is now Mr. Reigning World Champ but just got to 4th in this race :0

One of the commentators this season is also really good, he said the first quote and this:

"They said it was gonna be too hot, well frankly he's (Button) been too hot for everyone to handle!"

Nevermind slags for sure.

[livspins]

HAZBIN HOTEL ACRYLIC CHARMS?!?!?!

Who’s your favourite?! I can’t get over these designs 🥹 and I did them 💀😂😂

.

PREORDERS WILL MAYBE OPEN ON THE 2ND APRIL!

.

Sticker variants will also debut at my table at Melbourne Supanova on the 6-7 April!

[princesssarisa]

This… out of curiosity

Do you know the different meanings of the name of Cinderella's Stepsisters?

Charles Perrault's Cendrillon

Javotte: A nickname for Geneviève, which means "of the race of woman," "woman of the family," or "white wave."

(Perrault only reveals the older stepsister's name in one scene, not the younger one's.)

Rossini's opera La Cenerentola

Clorinda: “Youthful” or “greenery.”

Tisbe: Unknown; it’s a name from Greek mythology.

Massenet's opera Cendrillon

Noémie: “Pleasantness.”

Dorothée: “Gift from God.”

The 1947 Russian film

Anna: “Grace” or “favor.”

Marianna: A cross between Mary, meaning “bitter,” “drop of the sea,” or “beloved,” and Anna (see above).

The Let's Pretend radio adaptation

Flora: “Flower.”

Isabella: A form of Elizabeth, meaning “My God is an oath.”

The Disney version, animated and live action

Anastasia: “Resurrection.”

Drizella: Probably a variant of Drusilla, meaning “little strong one.”

The 1955 film The Glass Slipper

Birdena: “Little bird.”

Serafina: “Fiery one.”

The 1957 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Portia: “Pig.”

Joy: Self-evident.

The 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Prunella: “Little plum.”

Esmeralda: “Emerald.”

The Muppets' Hey, Cinderella!

Mona: “My lady.”

Lisa: Derived from Elizabeth, meaning “my God is an oath.”

Rankin/Bass's Festival of Family Classics

Fatima: “To abstain” (though it serves as a play on “fat,” because she is fat)

Leania: Probably derived from Helen, meaning “light” (though it serves as a play on “lean” because she’s scrawny)

The 1969 Czech film

Katerina: “Far off” or “pure.”

Dorota: "Gift from God."

The 1973 Czech film Three Wishes for Cinderella

Dora: “Gift.”

The 1976 film The Slipper and the Rose

Isobella: “My God is an oath” (see above).

Palatine: “Of the palace.”

The 1978 African-American adaptation Cindy

Olive: "Olive," of course.

Venus: "Love."

The Faerie Tale Theatre adaptation

Arlene: “Honor” or “eagle.”

Bertha: “Bright.”

The Grimm's Faerie Tale Classics adaptation (English dub)

Phoebe: “Bright.”

Griselda: “Gray battle.”

Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods

Florinda: "Flower."

Lucinda: "Light."

The Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child adaptation

Margarita: “Pearl” or “daisy flower.”

Esmeralda: “Emerald” (see above).

The musical A Tale of Cinderella

Moltovoce: “Much voice.”

Seppia: “Squid.”

The 1996 Burbank Animation version

Nellie: A nickname for Ellen or Helen, meaning “torch” or “light.”

Melba: Derived from Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne means “mill stream.”

(Their names are inspired by the famous Australian opera singer Nellie Melba, whose birth name was Helen Mitchell and who took her stage name from her home city of Melbourne.)

The anime series Cinderella Monogatari

Catherine: “Far off” or “pure.”

Jeanne: “God is gracious.”

The 1997 version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical

Minerva: “Intellect.”

Calliope: “Beautiful voice.”

The 1998 film Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Marguerite: “Pearl” or “daisy flower.”

Jacqueline: “Heel-grabber” or “supplanter."

Gregory Maguire's novel Confession of an Ugly Stepsister

Iris: "Rainbow" or "iris flower."

Ruth: "Friend."

Margaret Peterson Haddix's novel Just Ella

Griselda: "Gray battle" (see above).

Corimunde: Possibly a variant of "Clarimond," meaning "shining defender."

The Shrek franchise

Doris: "Dorian woman."

Mabel: "Lovable."

The 2000 stage version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical

Grace: Self-evident.

Joy: Self-evident (see above).

The 2000 British TV film

Goneril: Unknown meaning.

Regan: "Little ruler" or "king's child."

(In case anyone didn't know it, their names are taken from the evil sisters in Shakespeare's King Lear.)

The Simsala Grimm adaptation

Agatha: “Good.”

Beatrice: "One who blesses.”

The novel and film Ella Enchanted

Hattie: A nickname for Harriet, meaning “home ruler.”

Olive: Self-evident (see above).

The 2004 film A Cinderella Story

Brianna: "High" or "noble."

Gabriella: "God is my strength."

Malinda Lo's novel Ash

Ana: "Grace" or "favor" (see above).

Clara: "Clear" or "bright.

The 2010 Märchenperlen adaptation

Clothilde: “Glorious battle.”

The 2011 Sechs auf einen Streich adaptation

Annabella: "Grace and beauty."

The 2013 stage version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical

Gabrielle: “God is my strength” (see above).

Charlotte: “Free woman.”

Alma Deutscher's opera

Griselda: “Gray battle” (see above).

Zibaldona: Possibly derived from Zebada, which is derived from Zebadiah, meaning “God has bestowed.”

Betsy Cornwell's novel Mechanica

Piety: Self-evident.

Chastity: Self-evident.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bad Cinderella

Adéle: “Noble.”

Marie: “Bitter,” “drop of the sea,” or “beloved.”

The 2021 Sony/Amazon film

Narissa: “Sea nymph.”

Malvolia: “Ill will.”

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Wednesday

SpaceTime 20241016 Series 27 Episode 125

Discovery of the most distant rotating disc galaxy ever seen

Astronomers have discovered the most distant spiral galaxy ever seen. The galaxy catalogued as REBELS-25 seems as orderly as present-day spiral galaxies – but is being observed some 13.1 billion years ago – a time when the universe was only 700 million years old.

Record breaking recovery of rocks that originated in Earth’s mantle

Scientists have recovered the first long section of rocks that originated in the Earth’s mantle. The nearly continuous 1,268 metres of mantle rock was recovered from a “tectonic window,” a section of the seabed where rocks from the mantle were exposed along the Mid-Atlantic ocean Ridge.

Europe’s Hera asteroid mission launches into space

SpaceX have managed to launch the European Space Agency’s Hera asteroid inspection mission just hours before the Milton the monster show hurricane slammed into Florida.

The Science Report

A new highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Australia.

Choice has discovered that car manufacturers are spying on you and everything you do.

Deactivating your Facebook really does increase your well-being.

Alex on Tech AMD’s new AI chips

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[this-daydream-is-dangerous-13]

Happy 10th Birthday to what might just be my favourite Blondie song (definitely my fave single).

One decade of Style (and counting…)

Also: loved all the Melbourne songs and prospective future mash ups. Am here for the TTPD variants and bonus tracks (only two months) I loved H at the Luton vs Man U match.

We are being fed!

[rollingwithg]

Recap Melbourne show

Night 1

Announce a new cover variant of taylor swift “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” with a bonus track “ THE BOLTER”!

Night 2

3 Song mashup for the first time!!!

August is the first song on the setlist, to be performed as a surprise song!

Night 3

Second MASHUP!

Melbourne you have won big time!!!!

[dorothygale]

i think there will be 2 more variants, each with their own bonus track, announced at sydney n1 and singapore n1. supporting evidence:

she would have announced the album at tokyo n1 if she hadn't won at the grammys, and she announced the second variant at melbourne n1

her last two releases, midnights and 1989tv, both had four main variants (aside from the target & miscellaneous editions). i think they are favoring this setup in order to sell it as an arrangement like with the midnights clock and the 1989 vinyl film stand things

there are exactly four cities on this stretch between announcement and release, so if the previous point is correct, it works out well as a reveal schedule

this one is just vibes but i think it would be weird to go that hard on the collector's editions with so much emphasis on the bonus track, if there's only two. not weird to do it with one. not weird to do it with three or four. but two seems off to me.

[florida3exclamationpoints]

16 tracks . 4 variants for an even 20. . 3 Melbourne shows

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Australia has also become a case study in what happens when people push biodiversity to the brink. Habitat degradation, invasive species, infectious diseases and climate change have put many native animals in jeopardy and given Australia one of the worst rates of species loss in the world.

In some cases, scientists say, the threats are so intractable that the only way to protect Australia’s unique animals is to change them. Using a variety of techniques, including crossbreeding and gene editing, scientists are altering the genomes of vulnerable animals, hoping to arm them with the traits they need to survive.

“We’re looking at how we can assist evolution,” said Anthony Waddle, a conservation biologist at Macquarie University in Sydney.

It is an audacious concept, one that challenges a fundamental conservation impulse to preserve wild creatures as they are. But in this human-dominated age — in which Australia is simply at the leading edge of a global biodiversity crisis — the traditional conservation playbook may no longer be enough, some scientists said.

“We’re searching for solutions in an altered world,” said Dan Harley, a senior ecologist at Zoos Victoria. “We need to take risks. We need to be bolder.”

Still, no matter how sophisticated the technology becomes, organisms and ecosystems will remain complex. Genetic interventions are “likely to have some unintended impacts,” said Tiffany Kosch, a conservation geneticist at the University of Melbourne who is also hoping to create chytrid-resistant frogs. A genetic variant that helps frogs survive chytrid might make them more susceptible to another health problem, she said.

There are plenty of cautionary tales, efforts to re-engineer nature that have backfired spectacularly. The toxic cane toads, in fact, were set loose in Australia deliberately, in what would turn out to be a deeply misguided attempt to control pest beetles.

But some environmental groups and experts are uneasy about genetic approaches for other reasons, too. “Focusing on intensive intervention in specific species can be a distraction,” said Cam Walker, a spokesman for Friends of the Earth Australia. Staving off the extinction crisis will require broader, landscape-level solutions such as halting habitat loss, he said.

[covid-safer-hotties]

New Covid Variant XEC Spreading Rapidly Across Continents - Published Aug 28, 2024

A new Covid variant is spreading rapidly and has caught the attention of the research world: 111 samples have already been reported from 15 countries, across three different continents. A significant spread, which may have originated from Germany. The Xec variant, in the coming months, could change the current landscape of Covid variants and has already ignited intense summer waves in various parts of the world. First appearing 'in Berlin at the end of June,' Xec is a recombinant variant and has already been detected on 3 different continents. Since its debut, 'it has spread rather quickly in Europe, North America, and Asia' and 'continues to spread.' It seems to be 'a likely next challenger to the currently dominant variants (KP.3.1.1 and descendants),' explains Melbourne (Australia) data expert Mike Honey, who has recently charted a first profile of Xec. But several variant hunters have already set their sights on it. Raj Rajnarayanan, professor at Nyitcom-Arkansas State University, is documenting its advance in various charts posted on X. In one published on August 18, two sequences of Xec were already appearing in Italy, detected in Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige on July 31 and 18, respectively. What stands out, Honey highlights in a focus posted on X, is the 'growth advantage' it is showing 'globally,' estimated at '3.8% per day (27% per week)' compared to the JN.1 variants, which already have additional mutations making them competitive (Honey calls them 'DeFLuQE' variants). According to the expert, the new 'contender' seems to have 'the fastest growth of which I am aware.' Until a few days ago, about 111 samples of this new variant had been reported from 15 countries across 3 continents. Israel and Spain have recently reported their first samples. Xec 'is a mix' of two different variants: 'KS.1.1 (a so-called FLiRT variant) and KP.3.3 (FLuQE variant),' lists Honey, who believes this new version of Sars-CoV-2 'may have an advantage' particularly from its 'unusual mutation' (T22N), combined with those that already characterize the faster variants. Its growth 'has been stronger in Germany, presumed origin,' but Xec is also making its presence felt in 'neighboring Denmark and the Netherlands.'

[ferswiftietv]

🤍 TS The Eras Tour - 2024 🤍

Shows 71 - 73 In Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺 .

The BIGGEST SHOW OF HER CAREER.

Surprise Songs

N1 :🎸 RED

🎹 You’re Losing Me

Announced a new variant of “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” including bonus track “The Bolter”.

N2:🎸Mashup of “Getaway Car” , “August” & “The Other Side Of The Doo”.

🎹 This is me trying

N3:🎸 Mashup of Come Back Be Here & Daylight

🎹 Teardrops On My Guitar

@taylorswift @taylornation