#cambrian’s precious little life

[postcambrian]

got that “ask me for directions” vibe that tourists love

[sciencespies]

Mysterious Fossils Could Be Some of The Oldest Signs of Animal Life Ever Found

https://sciencespies.com/nature/mysterious-fossils-could-be-some-of-the-oldest-signs-of-animal-life-ever-found/

Mysterious Fossils Could Be Some of The Oldest Signs of Animal Life Ever Found

Within the remains of 890-million-year-old microbial reefs – a world that was dominated by bacteria and algae – lie possible signs of multicellular animal life, 90 million years before there was thought to be enough oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere to sustain such life.

We all personally know oxygen is vital to us as animals – once inhaled, our respiratory systems pass the precious molecule to every corner of our body, so our cells can use it to make their chemical energy.

So it wasn’t known for certain whether multicellular animals (metazoans) could exist before Earth’s oxygen had reached the necessary level that allows this critical process of animal cellular respiration to take place. This milestone is generally thought to have occurred during the Neoproterozoic oxygenation event.

(Turner, Nature, 2021)

Above: Fossil pattern (left) compared to the pattern of a modern sponge skeleton (right).

Before this event, between 800 to 540 million years ago, dissolved oxygen in the oceans was probably too low to sustain metazoans – except near the reefs where oxygen-producing microbes dwelt.

But genetic evidence from animals contradict this. Molecular clocks suggest the Animalia kingdom of life started well back into the Neoproterozoic era.

Now, Laurentian University paleobiologist Elizabeth Turner has found potential fossil evidence to support this – within reefs that were once oases of oxygen.

Examining wafer thin slices of rocks from the Little Dal reefs in Canada with transmitted light micrography, Turner identified rare sections containing complex branching, 20-30 micrometer tubules, resting in gaps within and around the ancient reef formations.

The reefs were mostly built by photosynthesizing cyanobacteria and could reach kilometers in diameter, but the mystery structures were found on exposed edges, within depressions of the reef growth area and in shaded gaps.

This suggests that unlike the sunlight-seeking reef-builders, whatever formed the fossilized imprints didn’t need light but could withstand the exposure at the edges of the reef, and it also didn’t like to sit on the reef itself.

The fossilized pattern doesn’t match the branching seen in fungi and other microbes, or known geological patterns, but “closely resemble both spongin fiber networks of modern keratosan sponges,” Turner explains in her paper.

Example of a modern keratosan sponge. (Philippe Bourjon/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

We have suspected for a while now that the dawn of the metazoans likely began with sponges – or something much like them – as they are the most basic known animals.

You’d be forgiven for thinking these strange creatures are more closely related to a cactus than a cat, given their weird vegetative-like morphology and sedentary existence.

They’re basically a perforated, soft-tissued sack, stuck to the ground on one end, that filters the water. But they, like us, produce sperm and eggs to reproduce, have cells that lack the cell walls found in plants, and their DNA firmly places them as an early relative to all other animals.

This fossil is “perhaps exactly what should be expected of the earliest metazoan body fossils,” writes Turner.

So far, the oldest undisputed sponge fossil is from the Cambrian, around 550 million years ago, but if this new find can be confirmed it suggests early animals emerged before oxygen conditions on Earth were optimal for us – and survived severe ice ages 720 and 635 million years ago.

We may all come from much tougher stock than we’ve realized.

Turner’s research is published in Nature.

#Nature

[fayewonglibrary]

Leah Dou, Faye Wong, Dou Wei: They are the most beautiful individuals in music (2016)

Leah Dou’s new album was officially released on April 22. The fresh psychedelic rock style is perfectly fused with her whole temperament: low-key, comfortable, a little cool, but not cold.

The release of the album was also a hot search topic online. But maybe because her music career is still in its early stages, it did not cause a spectacle of Leah Dou being overhyped all over the place for most netizens. Those who like her are low-key about it and repost it in their circle of friends. After all, this music style follows closely between Dou Wei's "Black Dreams" and the music literacy of most Faye Wong fans.

Fans who simply like Leah Dou's music are still "in reserve". After all, she is still a newcomer in the music industry who has just debuted.

Faye Wong's influence?

Leah Dou made her debut and the media and onlookers are all gearing up. Everyone always thinks that you can get Faye Wong related stories from her. Therefore, regardless of whether it is during Taiwan or Hong Kong promotions, after the veteran reporters and hosts ask two or three questions, they will still talk about Faye Wong. The traditional safe topic is generally: "Does Mom have any input about your music?"

The answer is naturally no. According to Faye Wong’s natural character (type O blood loves freedom), she never guided her daughter to listen to any particular type of music. But during her touring years, she often brought Tong Tong by her side. Leah grew up listening to Faye’s songs since she was a child, so even if Faye didn’t provide a playlist for Leah, her preferences are in the same line as Faye's music.

Leah Dou’s pure English album seems to be different from Faye Wong’s music style, but in fact her creations are still influenced. In an interview, she talked about two Faye Wong songs she likes:  "Only Loves Strangers" and "The Flower on the Other Shore".

The former was released in 1999 on the album of the same name. While the latter was the fifth song on "Fable" in 2000. Around 2000, Faye Wong's music production quality was quite high and classic songs multiplied. At that time, she had broken up with Dou Wei and fell in love with Nicholas Tse. Her emotional life was spread out in front of the public and became the hot news of the times. It also gave the media and songwriters many stories and pictures to play with. The lyrics of "Only Love Strangers" reveal a deep sense of sadness but not misery. The melody and arrangement are in a psychedelic pop electronic style that was avant-garde and fashionable at the time. This album is a classic. Except for the three lyrics written by Taiwanese manager Sister Kwan and Yuan Wenren, the rest of the lyrics were written by Lin Xi. The whole album focuses on broken love. Faye Wong’s attitude towards these feelings gave Lin Xi a lot of inspiration and creative space. By using music to treat people who are broken in love, Lin Xi had a lot of fun in this album. He made the broken relationship less shameful. 

Faye Wong’s love affairs combined with Lin Xi’s words and Zhang Yadong’s psychedelic ambiguity, made this album a classic in the hearts of fans. But in fact, "Fable" from 2000 might be a better reflection of Faye’s music preferences and taste. This was a concept album in which she composed five songs by herself:  "Cambrian Era", "New Tenant", "Chanel", "Asura", "The Flower on the Other Shore". In fact, you can hear the influence in Leah’s music today.

Looking back at Faye Wong's music itself, you will find that Leah Dou’s music is quite similar. Faye has many love songs, but this is the "bundle of love" by Lin Xi and other writers, or in other words, the bundling of the market. After all, her era is different from the era in which Leah made her debut. In Leah’s time, Chinese pop music has no commercial power, so her creative space is actually very large. In the 90s and 2000s, as a representative of mainstream singers, Faye Wong didn’t have many opportunities to be herself in music. "Fable" is one piece and "Di-Dar" is another. The rest of her perception and understanding of music and preferences are scattered in various mainstream albums aimed at the commercial market.

Faye Wong is quite smart. After many years, when we look back, we found that she is actually a musician who combined the best of business and art. She had enough talent and expressiveness to do this. When she needed to cater to the demands of the market, she did it with her personal style. The market wanted love songs, so she had Lin Xi help her write the most out-of-the-world love songs. The market wanted melodies, so she sang the most basic pop songs with a distinct flavor.

Old music fans also know that her singing voice did not take shape in one day. Her understanding, expressive ability and excellent musical taste makes her music enduring.  By making popular music avant-garde and fashionable, this is the absolute reason why she can stand firm in the Chinese music industry. Psychedelic, rock, pop, rap, the concepts and styling... The music she produced brought too much content to the Chinese pop music industry. Classic lyrics that influenced fans. Concerts that made the music beautiful and visual.

But now that there is no such icon anymore, the music world is really lonely. So we must cherish Leah Dou because even as a newcomer, we are greedy for her potential.

Dou Wei accompanied?

This is what the gossip reported. For Leah Dou’s debut, Faye Wong accompanied the rehearsal and Dou Wei accompanied the recording. If it is indeed true, it is also very pleasant to hear.

The public still has a lot of misunderstandings about this talented family, both good and bad. Aside from their ordinary life, just talk about their connection in music. Dou Wei and Faye Wong are actually very similar to the two poles in the same dimension. They have a certain degree of similarity, such as artistic talent, musical taste, aesthetics, and spirituality. So they were attracted and fell in love with each other, and they also influenced each other musically.

Of course they have many differences too. Different living environments and attitudes towards life, different values, different personalities, so they will eventually part ways. However, their short marriage created the most precious treasures for the music industry. They produced great music and they had great live performances. In the classic Faye Wong concert “Scenic Tour”, when the drum beats and the music sounds, the two rose from the darkness on stage together, which was the most beautiful moment in the world.

The world's supreme illusion of love is not like this: we are together, we like each other, imitate each other, worship each other, we collaborate, and we appear in the most perfect and beautiful way.

Dou Wei also did not give his daughter any so-called detailed guidance. He is a genius. His parenting to her comes in the form of exchanging talents. Needless to say, it is teaching by example. Dou Wei also doesn't need to provide a playlist for his daughter because as she grows older, she will naturally listen to her father's classics whether it was in the Hei Bao era or after flying solo. Of course, the reclusive music road that he eventually went on, only playing instrumentals in the later period, may not be understood by everyone. But she has grown up to an age when she can thoroughly understand the inner peace of her genius father.  Ordinary music lovers may only interpret Dou Wei in the three albums of "Black Dream", "Sunny Days", and "Mountain River", but they cannot understand the position he expressed in later periods. If we limit the criteria for success to the commercial scope, it can be said that as a non-commercial musician who has not gained benefits in proportion to fame and respect in the music industry, Dou Wei has suffered from the great changes of the times. Faye Wong was lucky enough to step on the right point each time, while Dou Wei finally chose to withdraw and not participate. Of course, such an independent position is consistent with his music, unique aesthetic, independent thinking, and independent walking outside the circle. This is actually very good, he has not become a grandson and veteran of the times. He still became the only Dou Wei in his own way.

Child

In 1998, Faye Wong's "Sing and Play" album included the song "Child" written for her daughter. Faye Wong is not very good at expressing love face-to-face, but the lyrics are extremely loving. Leah Dou was not obedient and dropped out of school at age 16 but she did not learn bad behavior. She is humble, polite, bright and confident. She did illuminate the darkness of Faye Wong's heart and became her dependence.

Why is the saying "the whole Chinese music industry is waiting for her to grow up" a bit annoying? Because in those years when we grew up, there was always music related to her to accompany us, whether it is the song “Child”, "You're Happy So I’m Happy", or the babblings recorded by Faye Wong in various singles. For music fans who loved Faye Wong, Leah Dou seems to have verified our youth. But now she has grown up and created her own album, her voice is slightly low but also in the shadow of Faye Wong’s voice. Her raised eyebrows and surprised look is exactly like Faye Wong. She is languid with a slightly shy look. She accidentally pulled people into their memories, but you snap out of it in three seconds. She is the most independent individual. She is like Faye Wong but is completely different from Faye Wong. Her thoughts are systemic rather than sentimental and fragmented like Faye Wong. She said that she does not rely on inspiration to write songs. “Inspiration has no continuity. It just comes and goes for a while.” She just loves to write. When inspiration comes, write faster. When there is no inspiration, she is still willing to do it.  She likes Radiohead's "Creep", it feels very bare and the music sounds honest. She also likes psychology, philosophy, and language...

She is rational and calm. She is a very independent individual. She came from her parents, but she is very different from them. She is Leah Dou, the most anticipated newcomer in the Chinese music industry in 2016.

------------------------------------------------------------------  

SOURCE: TENCENT // TRANSLATED BY: FAYE WONG FUZAO

[anastpaul]

Saint of the day – 1 March – St David of Wales (Birth date unknown, estimated at c. 500 in Caerfai, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Died 1 March 589 at St David’s, Pembrokeshire, Wales) – Bishop/Monk/Missionary/Founder – Patron of Wales, Pembrokeshire; Naas; vegetarians; poets, doves.

Born to the Welsh royalty, the son of King Sandde, Prince of Powys and of Saint Non, the daughter of a chieftain of Menevia (western Wales). Grandson of Ceredig, Prince of Cardigan.    Uncle of King Arthur.    Priest.   David studied under Saint Paul Aurelian.   Worked with Saint Columbanus, Saint Gildas the Wise and Saint Finnigan. Missionary and founder of monasteries.

Following his contribution to the synod of Brevi in Cardiganshire, he was chosen primate of the Cambrian Church.    Archbishop of Caerleon on Usk, he moved the see to Menevia. Presided at the Synod of Brefi which condemned the Pelagian heresy.   He encouraged the life of austerity and founded monasteries.   David was the first to build a chancel to Saint Joseph of Arimathea’s wattle church at Glastonbury.

After a vision in his monastery in the Rhos Valley, he set out next day with two monks to Jerusalem to aid the Patriarch.    While there his preaching converted anti-Christians. Legend says that once while he was preaching, a dove descended to his shoulder to show he had the blessings of the Spirit and that the earth rose to lift him high above the people so that he could be heard by them all.    Another time when was preaching to a crowd at Llandewi Brefi, people on the outer edges could not hear, so he spread a handkerchief on the ground, stood on it and the ground beneath rose up in a pillar so all could hear.

Though the exact date of his death is not certain, tradition holds that it was on March 1, which is the date now marked as Saint David’s Day.   The two most common years given for his death are 601 and 589.   The monastery is said to have been “filled with angels as Christ received his soul.”   His last words to his followers were in a sermon on the previous Sunday.    The Welsh Life of St David gives these as, “Lords, brothers and sisters, Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed, and do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. And as for me, I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.”   “Do ye the little things in life”  is today a very well known phrase in Welsh.   The same passage states that he died on a Tuesday, from which attempts have been made to calculate the year of his death.

David was buried at St David’s Cathedral at St Davids, Pembrokeshire, where his shrine was a popular place of pilgrimage throughout the Middle Ages.   During the 10th and 11th centuries the Cathedral was regularly raided by Vikings, who removed the shrine from the church and stripped off the precious metal adornments.   In 1275 a new shrine was constructed, the ruined base of which remains to this day which was originally surmounted by an ornamental wooden canopy with murals of David, Patrick and Denis. The relics of David and Justinian of Ramsey Island were kept in a portable casket on the stone base of the shrine. It was at this shrine that Edward I came to pray in 1284.   During the reformation Bishop Barlow (1536–48), a staunch Protestant, stripped the shrine of its jewels and confiscated the relics of David and Justinian.

David was officially recognised at the Holy See by Pope Callixtus II in 1120, thanks to the work of Bernard, Bishop of St David’s.  Over 50 churches in South Wales were dedicated to him in pre-Reformation days.

In the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology, David is listed under 1 March with the Latin name Dávus.   He is recognised as bishop of Menevia in Wales who governed his monastery following the example of the Eastern Fathers.   Through his leadership, many monks went forth to evangelise Wales, Ireland, Cornwall and Armorica (Brittany and surrounding provinces).

Welsh tradition says that during a battle against the Anglo-Saxons, David advised the Welsh warriors each to wear a leek in his hat or armour so that the warriors might distinguish themselves from their enemies.   Ever since then, the Welsh wear leeks every March 1 in memory of David.

[erinlauraoneil-blog]

“But even if we do escape the Trump years with our breath, a scientific approach to how we might meet our end provides little more solace. To research the emergence of life on this planet is to bear witness to disaster, tumult, and cataclysmic change. Humans have christened these events with names befitting battles, golden ages, and scandalous dynasties. The Great Oxygenation Event. Abiogenesis. The Cambrian Explosion. These events were more exciting than they sound, and they already sound quite exciting. They also lasted longer than human life likely will. Much longer. They also tell us that the emergence of land was not an accident, per se, but they do point to something more temporary than the seas. We are owed back to the seas from which our ancestors came.”

[postcambrian]

Okay to do list

get up

groceries

art?

stardew valley

LAUNDRY

PAY BILLS

friend time :)

[postcambrian]

extended gender-based anxiety attack

[postcambrian]

hair = ourpled

[postcambrian]

I’m having a DAY OFF after working 90 hours last fortnight and my kitchen is CLEAN and ORGANISED and my living room is MOSTLY CLEAN and ORGANISED and my bedroom is uhhhhhh and I made MY NANA’S BISCUITS and the sun is SHINING

[postcambrian]

help I have less than 24 hours to write a wedding speech for my childhood friends wedding

[postcambrian]

I’m really tired

at the point where the burn out is manifesting physically. I can’t do the dishes, I can’t scroll through social media, I was trembling and stumbling through my walk home from work yesterday

I have a few days off coming up but not until week after next. I can’t even summon the energy to organise something to do during that time, I might just lie on the couch staring at the ceiling

[postcambrian]

not to be annoying about my new house, but I went there today and the inside temperature was different to the outside temperature!

[postcambrian]

I was looking for a local pottery class and -

oh okay

[postcambrian]

I went to the ocean and swam in the green and laughed with the sheer joy of it. A pelican swooped by just inside the shipping lane and there was no one else around. A wave of exhilaration hit when I could no longer touch the bottom. I turned to the shore and the waves and wind fought to keep me, but I turned my face towards the light.

[postcambrian]

I have been productive today

[postcambrian]

book post

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

Don’t Go Without Me by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (comic)

I See a Knight by Xulia Vicente (comic)

Moving by Luis Yang (comic)

Temple by Jack T Cole (comic)

Temeraire/His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen