#cryptobiotic

[olvaheiner]

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Smithsonian Magazine:

Under the dry, piercing heat of the Utah sun, Sasha Reed is growing plots of plants—and bacteria, lichen and fungi, too. But Reed is no farmer, and at first glance, her fields look to be mostly dirt. She’s an ecologist, and what she is growing is cryptobiotic soil.

Also called biocrust, cryptobiotic soil is a community of tiny, dirt-dwelling organisms that form a distinct crust on the top of soil in arid landscapes. These crusts are vital across Earth’s dryland ecosystems, helping to hold loose soil together and prevent erosion. They retain water, provide nooks for other microbes to live in and add nitrogen to the soil.

Cryptobiotic soil often looks like a discolored patch of ground. Upon closer inspection, the stain becomes a mosaic of small, dark lumps, dotted with tiny beds of moss and inconspicuous patches of lichen. But it can also look very similar to regular, crusty soil. Although the crunchy earth might be tempting to trek over, like stomping through a pile of crisp autumn leaves, that’s a major faux pas: Biocrust can take decades to regenerate.

And these days, in addition to getting crushed by boots, biocrusts are threatened by another kind of human footprint: climate change. So researchers are diligently working to learn more about the crusts and how to restore them.

“It’s been a pretty busy but also exciting time, because we’re kind of inventing how to do this,” says Anita Antoninka, a plant and soil ecologist at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff who studies the crusts.

The drylands where biocrusts reside are vital ecosystems, she says, but they are some of the most degraded around the globe. As biocrusts decline in these areas, soil fertility will drop, and wind erosion will blow away the loose, unprotected dirt. Less water will soak into the ground. Even the carbon cycle could be affected, as there will be fewer tiny life forms absorbing carbon dioxide.

Biocrusts cover around 12 percent of Earth’s land surfaces and inhabit every continent in the world. A major component of these crusts is often photosynthesizing bacteria called cyanobacteria. The cyanobacteria form sticky filaments that act like glue in sandy desert soil, creating a clumpy, crusty surface where fungi and other bacteria take hold.

[konnestrasketch]

Fragile storing cryptobiotes for later

[compressednerve]

CRYPTOBIOTE PIZZA?!?!

[higgssupremacy]

Day 3. Boots

[hobogobbo]

just a little guy

terralien myo design inspired by death stranding

[parasitefun]

took the maximum possible sized piss at higgs' house btw

since the limit of sam's bladder is 1000ml, that means sam can store two monster cans worth of urine at a time

[6xextinction]

it is said to have a distinctive taste

[imadhatt3r]

Today's random DS headcanon is that Fragile loves frogs. She just thinks they're insanely cute. One of the dreams she has that she feels she has no chance of ever fulfilling is seeing and holding a common rain frog (yes, the small squeaky ones) because they don't live in the US and they're probably extinct due to the Stranding.

She has a few frog-themed items like her favorite mug, and she has a frog phone charm she wanted to have attached to the handle of her umbrella, but her technicians said that adding anything new to it might throw off its precision, which is highly important in how it's used to navigate Beaches, so it was not meant to be 😔

She always loved frogs, ever since she was a child, but she really developed a deeper fondness for them after she ran through the Timefall, since frogs live in the rain and thrive in it, so she found that inspirational, I guess.

[mymanreedus]

Hideo Kojima twitter

[selcouthian]

I’ve been super sick the past few days. Not fun. 100% don’t recommend it.

[kirrafoster]

calling the desert a "barren wasteland" or "devoid of life" does suuuuch a disservice to the rich ecosystems that exist in the desert

[yukichouji]

This one’s so cute, I love it!! I want one in rl :o

[eldritch-elrics]

the "death stranding meal":

the yellow jello represents the bb fluid (and also the water at the beach, in this composition)

the sand (crushed cookies) represents the sand on the beach

the chocolate represents the strands and the bt handprints

the gummy bears represent the cryptobiotes

verdict: don't do this

[cultofdixon]

Sam: *eats cryptobiotes*

Y/N: *playing DS* You really are like Sam

Daryl: I eat a worm on a dare that one time and yea never let me live that down

Y/N: You’re the one that tried to kiss me after, you’ll have to die before I stop using it against you

Daryl: Explain how that’s gross but yea want me to still love yea if you turned into a worm

Y/N: That’s very different

Daryl: HOW

[wintrsss]

『S/O with High Level DOOMs』

Fandom: Death Stranding.

Characters: Sam, Higgs, Cliff.

Request: Can you maybe do Headcannons for a reader with high level DOOMS? Like sometimes just forgetting that (other then higgs) their S/O doesn't have DOOMS like they do? Not in like a dangerous situation but more like teleporting behind them and scaring them accidentally. How would they react and so on with things that just come with being a high level?

Genre: Fluff, Headcanon.

Warnings: None. Reader is gender neutral!

A/N: I'm sure you only wanted Sam and Higgs, but I included Cliff bc I love him <3 let's pretend he knows abt DOOMs

Requests open!

.ೃ࿐

-

Sam Porter Bridges

You'll scare the hell outta him if you teleport without letting him know about it, but with how reticent he is, you probably wouldn't notice

He only knows a handful of people who have DOOMs and only two can teleport, it's rare for him to see one who can. Can't blame him for getting a little alarmed

He is more than happy to pass you some spare cryptobiotes in the case you getting tired from teleporting. You clearly need them more than he does

He will get a little worried once you tell him you're at a high level, with all the repercussions it has, but other than that, he won't dwell on it too much

Sam isn't very good at dealing with emotional problems, but he is a good listener. If you need an ear to talk to about those nightmares, he'll stay quietly at your side. Sometimes he'll say some things that Amelie told him to make him feel better, hoping they'll help you too

He'd rather you not resort to any sort of violence unless it's self defense; there's no need for it. But hey, if you really wanna let off some steam, you should do it to the MULEs or something to clear the area for future porters. Do some good with it at least, right?

-

Higgs Monaghan

Half of him is excited to see you at a higher level like he is, the other half wants to show his superiority to you in every way

Sure, you can teleport like he can, but can you control BTs? Nuh uh, didn't think so

So yeah, with the many times he tries to brush aside your dooms abilities as less than par (compared to him), he's totally forgotten at least once

But after the first scare, you wont get him again! That's a promise!

With nightmares however, he may not understand your fear in them, seeing as he's already accepted mass extinction. He'll probably just tell you to go back to sleep without any thought

But if he sees you really shook from it, he'll at least try to comfort you, but it'll end up seeming really half-assed; he's just not used to cheering people up

Higgs isn't gonna be the one to dissuade you from any violent urges you may experience with DOOMs, in fact he's going to fuel the fire and encourage you to act upon these thoughts. Only thing he draws the line at is you hurting yourself

-

Cliff Unger

I would not advise trying to scare him with your teleporting because you WILL get put to the ground

He wasn't an army captain for no reason, his reflexes undoubtedly prove that

But with how tired you get from doing that, Cliff strongly advises you to not use it so often, especially if it's for your own pleasure of getting a reaction out of him

You having DOOMs fascinates him, he'd love to learn more if you're willing to tell him about it

He can empathize to an extent on the nightmares you receive from this condition, having had plenty of his own in the past, he'll do his best to try to comfort you during the bad ones, rubbing your back and whispering soft affirmations to you

He knows he doesn't have to, but he likes to wipe away your chiral tears

Cliff doesn't want you following the same path of destruction he's gone to, so he'll keep on eye out in any changes in your behavior so that he can help in any way he can