Molecular biologist from Texas, here to share my meanderings on nature, science, history, politics, and zombies. Long threads a specialty.
Imagine working on a cure for malaria and accidentally inventing the first synthetic dye, a new color, and kick-starting a whole textile industry, all at the age of 18.
c0nc0rdanceLet's talk about the time that an 18 YEAR OLD invented the COLOR MAUVE (I am not kidding) and completely revolutionized textiles, fashion & eventually cancer diagnosis. The teenager was William Henry Perkin, a bit of a prodigy, who at 15 began studying with August Wilhelm von Hofmann at ICL.
Sharing as an example of how to properly label a photo: "Ornithologist Herbert Brown (R) with an elf owl (L)"
Lev ParikianHappy International Owl Awareness Day! Please enjoy this photograph of ornithologist Herbert Brown (r) with an elf owl, the world’s smallest owl
If you see this, quote with the energy you bring to Bluesky.
tri-Sarah-topsIf you see this, quote with the energy you bring to Bluesky.
The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is also known as the 'butcher-bird'. This floof is a tiny predator with weak talons, but strong neck muscles, so she snaps necks with a hooked beak & impales her prey. Next post contains a *slightly* gory GIF, so I've marked it "graphic media".
Janet HillSeeing this little fluff-nugget today inspired a thread about the Loggerhead Shrike #birds 🌿
Maybe you've had a cat that liked to nibble on fruit, or enjoy a sweet treat, but I am sorry to say that the research on this is pretty clear: cats can't taste sweet. As with *everything* in science, this is subject to revision with new data. Let's review the existing evidence!
Cute Cat Enjoys Ice Cream ConeAlt: Cute Cat Enjoys Ice Cream Cone. One of those viral types of gifs in the library. Black and white cat licks a vanilla ice cream cone held by a human hand.static.klipy.comGlobal production of watermelon is between 100-200 million tons/year. This red sweet treat has very deep roots, but it's unclear when it was domesticated to the form we know. A new clue comes from an unlikely place: a 3500 year old Egyptian mummy, combined with some very lucky DNA sequencing.🍉🧪
Cute Cat Eating WatermelonAlt: Cute Cat Eating Watermelon. It's a viral meme, so I don't know the attribution, but a grey tabby cat with a nice round face take big chomps out of a red watermelon held in a human hand. Cats can't sense the sugar, but may enjoy the water and texture, but should get only a tiny amount to avoid stomach upset.static.klipy.comThe prime number few. Fat people eat accumulates. The florist sent the flowers was pleased. The horse raced past the barn fell. Missing woman remains found. 😕😵💫
c0nc0rdanceA garden path sentence is one that, while grammatically correct, is almost always read with the wrong interpretation. The classic: "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." requires you to re-parse the meaning of each word carefully to identify the correct meaning.