Turkeys gobble in sync when motorist honks car horn People love this stuff.
Abstract Trees?
The conclusion: “In tropical forests, mechanisms such as seed dispersal by animals lead to the observed patterns, while in temperate forests, the patterns are shaped by mycorrhizal fungi,” says Wiegand. A new spatial mechanism for coexistence: Hidden patterns in tree distribution stabilize biodiversity in forests I love how it looks like abstract art. Nature imitates art …
Marlin, Swamp Systems
The Moment. Runner-up, Behavior. “November-December at Magdalena Bay in Baja California are the best months to try and get good encounters with blue marlin. However, getting strong images of these fish in wild life is very difficult, because they attack the sardines and mackerels at very high speed, making it extremely difficult to capture …
YouTuber ‘Desert Drifter’ Dead at 36
YouTuber Andrew Cross has died. Cross said his channel, Desert Drifter, offered “Exploration and Adventure with a Historical Twist.” He acted as a tour guide and an archaeology professor for his audience. On February 3, Cross’ wife Evelyn posted a video to his channel asking for prayers and support. A car accident left him with …
For Sinophiles
Thomas Allom’s “China in a Series of Views” is an impressive and highly desirable 19th-century illustrated account of Chinese scenery and architecture. This particular tome features illustrations and descriptions of iconic locations including: PooToo Temple at Chusan, or Zhoushan Valley Bridges Ancient tombs at Amoy, or Xiamen Ting-Hoo, Tripod Lake Chin Chew River and Bay …
Ireland’s Ice Crystal Clouds
Joanna Donnelly of Met Éireann had the answer, and it was no less fascinating than the sight itself. The iridescent clouds are a diffraction phenomenon caused by low winter sunlight bouncing off small ice crystals in the clouds and scattering the light to create a pattern similar to rainbows, although in a more unusual form. …
Biggest Black Hole Ever Found, JWST, etc
Our Solar System vs. the Biggest Black Hole Ever Found Well, this is humbling! TON 618, the largest known black hole, is 66 billion times the mass of our Sun and a diameter 30–40 times wider than our entire solar system. To put that into perspective, if our entire solar system (including the distant Oort …
The Exotic Annual Grass (EAG) dataset
Cheatgrass? Medusahead? Sandberg bluegrass? The Exotic Annual Grass (EAG) dataset, released by EROS, maps invasive species, such as cheatgrass and medusahead—and one native perennial bunchgrass, Sandberg bluegrass—across the western United States. Why is it important to know where exotic annual grasses grow and have expanded? They increase the intensity of fires, decrease rangeland productivity, and outcompete native plants. …
Genetically Modified Horses, Tang Dynasty
Argentinian scientists have created the world’s first genetically modified horses using CRISPR-Cas9, incorporating speed-enhancing genes from the legendary mare Polo Pureza to produce faster polo horses. The five modified foals were born in October and November last year. Biotech firm Kheiron altered muscle-related genes to boost explosive speed while maintaining the champion horse’s elite traits. …
Horse Data
No surprise, it’s why I live in Woodford County, and there are more barrels of Bourbon aging here than people also. Alan Dorton Not surprised either. Everybody seems to have horses here. Many can’t seem to take care of them. No shelter. Enclosures too small and I don’t know what they do with them. I …