#today in science news

[saudrag]

sooo… nobody’s gonna talk about how every time hughie kills someone & gets their blood all over himself the next thing happening is butcher killing someone & getting coated in blood too? literally every. single. time.

murder husbands i guess?

also i was SO fucking cheering for hughie to kill that man. i need this boy morally RUINED

[palatinewolfsblog]

"If you can't question it it's not science. It's propaganda." U.N. Owen.

[i-was-today-years-old-when]

i learned that the Palmar Reflex is a primal instinct that develops in the womb. This instinct allows newborns to support their entire body weight on their own, similar to animal species. Most babies lose between 5 and 6 months.

There is also a reflection that if a sleeping baby is tossed into the air, it will instinctively open like an eagle to break its fall. Scientists say this is evidence that humans were once tree-dwellers.

[rahiwatching]

Liquid Protodermis seem similar to water at first glance, but it actually has some very strange and often contradictory properties when you look into it. In this video, we take a closer look at those properties and establish a theory to explain those contradictions.

This theory includes maths, material science and fluid dynamics - but also hot tubs and Rahi poop!?

Liquid Protodermis may be strange, but theories about it may prove to be even stranger…

New Bionicle Science investigations every month. What part of Bionicle lore do you want to see investigated next?

If you want to support the Knowledge Tower you can donate on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/theknowledgetower

[marlynnofmany]

Starseed Apples

“Here you go,” I said, putting down the last box. “Uncut fabric, plumbing supplies, and three cases with a fungus biohazard label. Do I even want to know what’s in those?” I cast a curious look at my fellow human as I handed over the signing pad. She was shorter and rounder than I was, dressed in a crisp uniform of a type I didn’t recognize. Big pockets everywhere.

She signed with a wry grin. “Those are dirt.”

“Dirt?” I repeated, looking around the admittedly spotless loading dock of this particular space station. “Dirt warrants a biohazard here?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” she said, handing the pad back. “Organic mulch that could contain anything from decomposed animals to fungus to poop? With uncountable amounts of bacterial life and potential germs? We’re lucky they only focused on the mold aspect!”

“Hm, good point,” I said.

Zhee, who was busy moving boxes off the hover sled, muttered something disparaging. I expected him to complain about how gross it all was, since he was always the first to point out when humans did something to offend his bug-alien sensibilities, but it sounded like he was griping about the strict station rules this time.

The human continued. “We have to keep a clean room between the greenhouse area and everything else. Even there, most things are in pots. We’ve got a great crop from Johnny Starseed right now!”

I’d heard that name before. “Oh, was he the one who sells little potted—”

“Apple trees, yeah,” she said. “Tiny and convenient, but they make an impressive number of apples as long as you feed ‘em quality dirt.” She bent down to pat a box.

Zhee finished freeing the sled. “Reasonable business plan,” he said, sounding almost complimentary.

“The guy named himself after Johnny Appleseed,” I told Zhee. “A human from centuries ago who got famous for traveling around and setting up apple orchards on Earth. Everybody likes a guy who brings food wherever he goes. And drink — I think some of those apples were supposed to be the cider variety.”

Zhee flicked his antennae. “Sounds like a very human thing to do,” he said drily.

“Have you tried the Starseed Reds?” the other human asked. “They’re very good.”

“No I haven’t, but I’d like to!” I said. “I’ve heard good things. I was kind of hoping to cross paths with him at some point. I wouldn’t mind a tiny apple tree in my quarters. Of course, the cat might get at it, and I’d probably have to find a grow lamp…”

She opened a boxy hip pocket, and pulled out the shiniest red apple I’d seen in a while. “Here you go.”

“Thank you!” I said, taking it eagerly. “That’s very generous!”

She waved it off. “Like I said, we’ve got a big crop. And I’ve got a different one that I’m saving for when I get off shift.” From another pocket, she produced a red apple with distinct orange stripes. “Which should be as soon as I get the supplies back to base.”

I laughed. “Is that the booze kind? I didn’t think those were real!”

“Oh yes,” she said with relish, putting it back in the pocket. “Starseed Cider Apples, no fermenting required!”

Zhee cocked his head, faceted eyes looking at both of us. “Poisonous apples?”

“Alcoholic apples,” I corrected, knowing full well that he considered that to be the same thing.

Zhee pushed the hover cart back toward the ship with a dramatic head tilt and antennae swirl. “Now that sounds like a human thing to do.”

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” I said with a smile. I thanked the other human and followed him, taking a bite of my non-alcoholic apple. It really was good.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come!

[peaceloveandhistory]

Today in 1882, Thomas Edison, and his partner Edward H. Johnson created the very first string of electric lights intended for a Christmas Tree. People originally illuminated their trees with candles, which as you can guess was a dangerous practice leading to many house fires. Edison and Johnson hand-wired 80 red, white, and blue bulbs, and hung them around the Christmas tree. During this time many people mistrusted electricity, it wasn't until 1895, when President Grover Cleveland had the White House family Christmas tree illuminated by hundreds of multicolored bulbs, people started to change their minds. It is important to remember for the time being, families would have to hire a wire man which would have cost $2,000 in today's dollars. It wouldn't be until 1903 when General Electric began to sell preassembled kits of stringed Christmas lights, as a more affordable option.

[vroomvroomwee]

You know what one of the nicest things about Doctor Who is? It's that, at its core, this show is fundamentally a sci-fi show, and how whenever they're running away from fighting aliens and monsters and what not, they never beat them by using force or physical conflict (unlike every new and old generic marvel movie) these silly guys (gn) always find a way to outsmart them, or find an actually science based solution, or talk them down. And that just shows they understood the essence and genre of the show, and I think that's so cool

[kyouka-supremacy]

---

[enhanced-operatives-division]

I can't wait for their reunion

(Robutler doodles under the cut)

These all have definitely been done before but I couldn't get them out my head

[idroveatank]

quick trip to the bay area before I turn the big 6-0 wednesday. covered a lot of ground from san francisco to big basin to santa rosa to sonoma valley and finally to palo alto to catch the gizz playing the frost @ stanford univ nov 4 2024 😼

sad to see the torched coastal redwoods from the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fires in big basin but so inspiring to see them starting to rejuvenate! ❤️

[messo-rawand]

This is how we live now

Tents ⛺️ through this winter

Tents through this cold

Our little children is starving and cold

We need the world help

Your support always matters ❤️

Link to Donate in my bio

Thank you 🙏🏽

[i-was-today-years-old-when]

i learned who is the mother of the animal kingdom that sacrifices the most in the world

The female octopus is the most selfless mother in the world

Because after laying about 50,000 eggs at once, it keeps them for up to 6 consecutive months.

During this period, the mother refrains from eating any food in order to protect the eggs and not move around during this time.

After 6 months, the eggs hatch and the mother dies of starvation. That is why the female octopus is considered the most selfless mother in the world.

Follow my Twitter/X account for more: www.x.com/toastbutteregg

I follow back!

[ixesese]

Hello Starlo. How are you doing today?

(also sorry for answering a bit late! Thx for the ask!)

(i'm workin on a blog for asks to Science Starlo since well- it's better to have a side blog for that than to do It in your main, so I'll make a post once I have it all done!)

[brothfan1997]

the problem with working a job where u interact with like 1500 people per day & u are supposed to be charming and informative the whole time is that sometimes you are so weird on accident?? and u say something that is so weird to say to another person out loud ?? and u just have to be like :) lets pretend that was normal. do you have any other questions

[peaceloveandhistory]

Today in 1961: Bob Dylan took to the stage in New York for his first major gig at Gerde’s Folk City. Dylan was hired to open for none other than the blues icon John Lee Hooker, for a two-week engagement that would go down in history. His setlist included classics like "House of the Rising Sun," "Song to Woody," and "Talkin' Hava Negeilah Blues." He played two other songs that night, identified only as "unknown Woody Guthrie song" and "a black blues," showcasing his incredible range and versatility as a musician. The audience was blown away, including folk legend Dave Van Ronk who attended Dylan's first show and declared, "he was absolutely remarkable." It was a night that would go down in history, but unfortunately, none of the concerts were recorded and amateur recordings have never surfaced.

[the-busy-ghost]

"Oh it would have been more satisfying if the humans had invented a technology which defeated the Martians rather than have them killed off by accident just when humanity's impotence in the face of disaster seems to be confirmed". I

To me that's just a fancy way of saying "Yeah but humans could totally handle the Martians and the writer has a duty to reassure the audience of that!"

Sir we cannot even handle climate change and I'm sorry to tell you that it's not entirely due to a lack of technological expertise