#musseled

[great-and-small]

When I find out someone loves animals in the wolves/cats/bears way I’m like oh nice same but when I find out someone loves animals in the orange-footed pimpleback mussel way I’m like holy shit holy shit same let’s stop what we’re doing right now so you can tell me about all the invertebrates you’ve ever loved with that sweet pure heart and curious mind you have

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

I feel that often, people really disregard bivalves (and other sessile animals absolutely) as just a little more than background objects, somewhere between a plant and a rock, when they’re fellow animals just like us. I mean I get it, a mussel siphoning in water all day is less engaging than like a songbird darting about the woods or a sheep that walks around and that you can pet. But they really aren’t at all just machines!

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting adult freshwater pearl mussels, who were being showcased to raise awareness about their endangerment and ecosystem services. They had a few mussels in these small tanks to show how quickly they can clean the water — I’m sure you’ve seen the setup, there’s one really cloudy tank and a clear tank that used to be cloudy a few hours ago, but is now clear thanks to the filtering made by the mussels! One of the tanks had a strange sight in it: two still mussels and one… flailing one. Its light leg was fully out and waving about, and its shell was sort of lodged in the corner, upside down. When my friends and I asked what the matter with the mussel was, it had apparently been unsatisfied with its place in the sand that the scientists had put it in, and while trying to figure out a nicer position it had accidentally flipped itself over! Poor guy couldn’t quite get out from the corner for a while ToT

[louhinks]

i've taken to drawing AW2 culinary crimes whilst i am beaten unconscious by art block. bon appetit

[iheartliquor]

[cuties-in-codices]

saints & fancy border decorations

in the hours of catherine of cleves, dutch, c. 1440

source: NYC, Morgan Library, MS M.917/945, pp. 228-280

[koenji]

victorian mussel shaped vinaigrette in handcrafted silver, engraved 'Lucy'. 1876.

[thunderstruck9]

Yang Yong (Chinese, 1975), 2016 International Passage No. 3, 2016. Oil on canvas, 210 x 160 cm.

[hellsitegenetics]

Someone showed me this blog because I'm a scientist who sequences stuff for a living but joke's on them because I'm quite neutral about genetic sequences in my off hours; what I do really like are moths.

String identified: t g ca ' a ctt c t a g t ' t ca ' t ta at gtc c ; at a a t.

Closest match: Limnoperna fortunei genome assembly, chromosome: 7 Common name: Golden mussel

[huariqueje]

Mussels in a ceramic bowl with lemons - Gerard Victor Alphons ' Gé ' Röling

Dutch , 1904-1981

Oil, 10.5 x 15 cm.

[las-lus]

Buffy really did the FUNNIEST thing possible with Spike. usually when a villan becomes part of the found family it's because 1. they're already on a redemption rc or 2. there is an even bigger evil and they need to join forces.

with spike they just put a muzzle on him like he is a rabid dog they don't want to put down, dressed him with some Hawaiian shirts and started feeding him blood out of a straw.

[art-missy]

"Percy, no."

You held your journal against your chest and turned your back on him. There were your ideas between the pages, your sketches, analysis of prototypes you did in the past and so much researches. Of course, such thing would get him curious, interested. A pure treasure for any tinkering or engineering passionate. A single glimpse of your notes and drafts had been enough for Percival to feel like a child in front of a new toy, and knowing that you made these made him weak in the knees. But you were adamant on keeping this journal for yourself.

"I am just saying that as an expert in mechanical—"

"No," you cut him off.

You took a step back, as if to put some distance between your journal and his burning green eyes. You were almost moved by the passion blazing in his gaze.

"I can let you analyse my pepperbox if you want," he tried to negotiate. "And in exchange, I can—"

"I already analysed it," you cut him off again as you started to walk away.

Percival followed behind you like an eager puppy, his jaw slightly agape.

"You did ?" he quickly cleared his throat. "So what did you think about it ?"

You raised an eyebrow without looking at him, sighing slightly as you heard his step behind yours.

"Bland," you answered. "I would have add more options."

He stayed silent for a bit and you could literally hear the gears in his mind working. You held your journal tighter against your chest, knowing that his eyes were still on it.

"You put a lock on it," he said after a few minutes of silence. "Are these...magic runes and alchemistic arcanes ?"

"...nice observation," you muttered, your tone neutral.

You knew he was observant and kind of a genius, but you did not expect him to catch up so fast with your talents.

Percival suddenly hurried to walk past you and stood in your way, stopping you in your track. For a second, you saw an excited child instead of the young man you knew, his eyes twinkling with curiosity and excitement. You could even hear him mentally squealing. Then, a blink of your eyes later, you were faced with the gunslinger you knew.

"You managed to mix mechanical engineering with alchemy and goddamn magic !?" he almost shouted, his eyes wide opened in surprise. "How did you manage to do that ?"

"By trying ?" you answered in a 'duh!' tone. "I know it's considered unethical by some people. I don't need your judgement, Percival."

"I don't think you're unethical."

It was your eyes' turn to widen in shock, his words echoing in your mind, silencing the murmurs you heard all your life and blinding the glares you constantly felt on your back.

"You're daring and adventurous, and it manifest through your ideas, your inventions. This is the proof of it," he pointed at your journal. "It thanks to people like you that we evolve and walk toward a future instead of a regressing present."

You stared at him so intensely, with so much emotions that he felt himself almost falling. You took a step forward and grabbed his wrist. Your grip was strong, matching the blaze in your eyes.

"Do you mean that ?" you murmured and by your tone alone, he knew how his answer mattered.

"I do."

You took a big shaky breath and nodded, a relieved and mirthful smile illuminating your gaze as a cruel weight disappeared from your being. Percival felt his cheeks reddening even more at the sight and cleared his throat.

"I...have sketches of a new prototype I plan to make," he stuttered, rubbing his neck. "And I would like your expertise to guide me. Would you please help me ?"

Your grip on his wrist softened as you nodded.

"It would be my pleasure," you said. "Thank you a lot, Percy."

[jasmine7031]

LE PRISTINE CAFE

The pasta, fried mussels, and pork cutlet sandwich were all great!

[ruthlesslistener]

Psst. Hey. Y'all should totally vote for the Mollusc of the Year awards, which are currently open at the moment: the winning species will have its genome sequenced for free, which greatly helps out the scientists studying it. Here are this year's candidates:

All of these guys are really cool, understudied invertevbrates, so spread the word! Its totally free, and you get to learn more about a bunch of cute underrated little guys

[its-where-the-wild-things-are]

[yumcorez]

[fatmagic]