#Center for Research and Advanced Studies

[kuramirocket]

In a landmark move to position Mexico as a global leader in science and technology, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the creation of the National Center for Semiconductor Design “Kutsari”. The initiative, named after the Purépecha word for “sand,” symbolizes the raw material used in semiconductor production and underscores Mexico’s ambition to become a key player in the high-tech industry.

The Kutsari Project will unite scientists and researchers from leading public institutions, including the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics (INAOE), the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV), the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN). Headquartered in Puebla, Jalisco, and Sonora, the center will focus on designing cutting-edge semiconductors for industries such as automotive, medical equipment, and household appliances.

To support this effort, the Mexican government will reform the Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property (LFPPI) to streamline patent processes, reducing approval times from over four years to three. A provisional patent system will also be introduced to protect innovations and prevent plagiarism.

The project is part of the broader Plan Mexico, which aims to strengthen domestic production and attract foreign investment. By 2027, the Kutsari Center aims to consolidate its design capabilities, with plans to expand into semiconductor manufacturing and assembly by 2030. An Accelerated Training Program will also be launched to develop skilled designers and support public and private sector collaboration.

“This initiative is a testament to Mexico’s scientific talent and our commitment to innovation,” said President Sheinbaum. “We are not just designing semiconductors; we are building a future where Mexico is a global technological power.”

[waugh-bao]

*

[oflgtfol]

the human cosmos was such a good book in terms of like, talking about how people have studied astronomy across human history, the interdisciplinary nature of both ancient astronomy as well as the study of ancient astronomy, and how it has all culminated into the modern state of the field. but then the final chapter starts talking about how like, The Mind is a fucking fundamental piece of the fabric of the universe akin to matter, or fucking something along those lines, and it's like girl what in the god damn are you talking about

[catboybiologist]

Today I just found out that the woman who's been the most supportive of me in my transition believes that trans women shouldn't be able to compete against cis women in sports. Do you happen to have any good peer reviewed resources on the effects of estrogenizing HRT on someone's athletic abilities. Said woman in question doesn't seem to believe there's been any research done, which I deeply doubt. Thank you so much for your continued advocacy for us transfems.

I know you're turning to me for scientific guidance, but I'm just so fucking done with this issue overall. To quote contrapoints: I have nothing left but rage.

I've been on this road before. I could give you some. In most ways, trans women match cis women of their height and weight. But there aren't a lot. Yeah, its a problem. But fucking NOBODY will even study it because of how hot this issue is right now.

But more importantly: There will never, EVER be a study that meets their standards. There's always SOME physical metric that has differences between trans women and cis women. It's become essentially an iteration of the multiple testing problem- if you keep on doing statistical tests, eventually something is going to land.

I don't fucking want to provide studies. I don't want to cut myself down. I don't want my defense of myself to be "oohhh look at me I'm just as weak and pathetic and infantile as cis women"

Is this fucking feminism? Really?

I'm fucking done. Call me the evil hysterical woman, but this entire conversation reeks of misogyny to its fucking core. Organized sports as we know them are made by men, for men, to celebrate male accomplishments and excellence. Cis women can and do equal or excel men in many, MANY physical metrics. But the arbitrary set of rules, the arbitrary set of bouncing balls and scoring systems, are all made to reward the physical abilities of men. We create spin offs and systems of score tracking and variations of the same things over, and over, and over again, to give the fragile little male ego more and more reasons to stroke itself.

Let's take a look at some whiny as piss men not being able to handle the thought that women could EVER be physically notable.

Olympic target shooting used to be mixed gender. A woman won one year. The next year, it was segregated. Not only was it segregated, but the scoring system changed so that the scores of men and women could never be directly compared again.

Last year, Donald Trump sat on stage with Riley Gaines, the transphobic swimmer who whipped up the vitriol about Lia Thomas, and bragged about how it wasn't fair she lost her competition because he, Donald Trump, a 78 year old out of shape wax sculpture of a man, was male. And that he could beat Riley. A trained D1 swimmer. And Riley took it, because it advanced her grift.

There's a now infamous poll that 1 in 8 men think they could beat Serena Williams in a tennis match. Its pretty old at this point, but I'm guessing that number is even higher now.

This entire conversation centers around "trans people crushing the dreams of female athletes" but oh my fucking god, are we not doing that as a society already? This entire fucking "debate" is just an excuse for more and more cis men to sit their, stroking their fucking egos on live television about how big and strong and powerful and fucking WHATEVER men are, and even the trace of maleness in trans women is enough to permanently make them some kind of ubermensch that destroys cis women by every metric imagineable.

I don't give two shits about saving sports, one way or another. I detested organized sports long before I transitioned. Ya wanna talk natural advantage, and how sports rewards exactly the kind of physical ability that a certain brand of cis man pushes themselves to? I have a very mild ankle deformity that means jogging for long periods of time is painful. My best mile time is over 11 minutes. And yet I don't see any of the fuckers that are "better" than me out there in the ocean, clinging to the bottom on a single breath for minutes, or up there with me on top of Whitney. Only one of those skills is celebrated.

Fuck me that was a tangent. My point is, I've long since realized that sports are a self propagating system for the egos of people with a very particular kind of physical prowess. The only exception to this is when its exploitative of people with that kind of extremely specific physical prowess, and leaves those it exploits in the fucking gutter. I don't need to start bringing up CTE, I know y'all know exactly what my take would be on that.

but what is sending me over the fucking edge is how I'm supposed to be the crazy one. I'm the delusional tranny for pointing out that we have lost the fucking plot entirely. This is recreation. Its entertainment. And we are using it to punish people. Fuck this.

I'm so sorry OP, but just don't engage in that game. If you need a calm, measured argument, try attacking the misogyny of it all. The only way to "fix" sports is to create more events that reward and celebrate the physical abilities of cis women: flexibility, extreme long term endurance, and fuck I'm not a sports person nor do I want to waste brainspace on more than that. We need a system for cis women, one that doesn't tell them "here, have this shittier, less viewed, less supported, less encouraged, less celebrated version of something a man is good at". Trans people would find some place in that and in theory, there would be nothing to complain about.

Jesus fucking christ, if I see one more male news pundit start talking about trans women in sports I'm going to straight up devolve into a misandrist.

[reasonsforhope]

"A study looking at the bearers of artificial hearts found that a subset of them can regenerate heart muscle tissue—the first time such an observation has ever been made.

It may open the door to new ways to treat and perhaps someday cure heart failure, the deadliest non-communicable disease on Earth. The results were published in the journal Circulation.

A team of physician-scientists at the University of Arizona’s Heart Center in Tucson led a collaboration of international experts to investigate whether heart muscles can regenerate.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart failure affects nearly 7 million US adults and is responsible for 14% of deaths per year. There is no cure for heart failure, though medications can slow its progression. The only treatment for advanced heart failure, other than a transplant, is a pump replacement through an artificial heart, called a left ventricular assist device, which can help the heart pump blood.

“Skeletal muscle has a significant ability to regenerate after injury. If you’re playing soccer and you tear a muscle, you need to rest it, and it heals,” said Hesham Sadek, director of the University’s Sarver Heart Center.

It was previously thought that when a heart muscle is injured, it could never grow back.

“Irrefutable evidence of heart muscle regeneration has never been shown before in humans,” he said. “This study provided direct evidence.”

The project began with tissue from artificial heart patients provided by colleagues at the University of Utah Health and School of Medicine led by Stavros Drakos, MD, PhD, and a pioneer in left ventricular assist device-mediated recovery.

Teams in Sweden and Germany used their innovative method of carbon dating human heart tissue to track whether these samples contained newly generated cells. The investigators found that patients with artificial hearts regenerated muscle cells at more than six times the rate of healthy hearts.

“This is the strongest evidence we have, so far, that human heart muscle cells can actually regenerate, which really is exciting, because it solidifies the notion that there is an intrinsic capacity of the human heart to regenerate,” Sadek said.

“It also strongly supports the hypothesis that the inability of the heart muscle to ‘rest’ is a major driver of the heart’s lost ability to regenerate shortly after birth. It may be possible to target the molecular pathways involved in cell division to enhance the heart’s ability to regenerate.”

In 2011, Sadek published a paper in Science showing that while heart muscle cells actively divide in utero, they stop dividing shortly after birth to devote their energy to pumping blood through the body nonstop, with no time for breaks.

In 2014, he published evidence of cell division in patients with artificial hearts, hinting that their heart muscle cells might have been regenerating because they were able to rest.

These findings, combined with other research teams’ observations that some artificial heart patients could have their devices removed after experiencing a reversal of symptoms, led him to wonder if the artificial heart provides cardiac muscles the equivalent of bed rest like a person needs when recovering from injury.

“The pump pushes blood into the aorta, bypassing the heart,” he said. “The heart is essentially resting.”

Sadek’s previous studies indicated that this rest might be beneficial for the heart muscle cells, but he needed to design an experiment to determine whether patients with artificial hearts were actually regenerating muscles.

Next, Sadek wants to figure out why only about 25% of patients are “responders” to artificial hearts, meaning that their cardiac muscle regenerates.

“It’s not clear why some patients respond and some don’t, but it’s very clear that the ones who respond have the ability to regenerate heart muscle,” he said. “The exciting part now is to determine how we can make everyone a responder, because if you can, you can essentially cure heart failure.

“The beauty of this is that a mechanical heart is not a therapy we hope to deliver to our patients in the future—these devices are tried and true, and we’ve been using them for years.”"

-via Good News Network, December 31, 2024

[nasa]

Black Scientists and Engineers Past and Present Enable NASA Space Telescope

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission, set to launch by May 2027. We’re currently integrating parts of the spacecraft in the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center clean room.

Once Roman launches, it will allow astronomers to observe the universe like never before. In celebration of Black History Month, let’s get to know some Black scientists and engineers, past and present, whose contributions will allow Roman to make history.

Dr. Beth Brown

The late Dr. Beth Brown worked at NASA Goddard as an astrophysicist. in 1998, Dr. Brown became the first Black American woman to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Michigan. While at Goddard, Dr. Brown used data from two NASA X-ray missions – ROSAT (the ROentgen SATellite) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory – to study elliptical galaxies that she believed contained supermassive black holes.  

With Roman’s wide field of view and fast survey speeds, astronomers will be able to expand the search for black holes that wander the galaxy without anything nearby to clue us into their presence.

Dr. Harvey Washington Banks 

In 1961, Dr. Harvey Washington Banks was the first Black American to graduate with a doctorate in astronomy. His research was on spectroscopy, the study of how light and matter interact, and his research helped advance our knowledge of the field. Roman will use spectroscopy to explore how dark energy is speeding up the universe's expansion.

NOTE - Sensitive technical details have been digitally obscured in this photograph. 

Sheri Thorn 

Aerospace engineer Sheri Thorn is ensuring Roman’s primary mirror will be protected from the Sun so we can capture the best images of deep space. Thorn works on the Deployable Aperture Cover, a large, soft shade known as a space blanket. It will be mounted to the top of the telescope in the stowed position and then deployed after launch. Thorn helped in the design phase and is now working on building the flight hardware before it goes to environmental testing and is integrated to the spacecraft.

Sanetra Bailey 

Roman will be orbiting a million miles away at the second Lagrange point, or L2. Staying updated on the telescope's status and health will be an integral part of keeping the mission running. Electronics engineer Sanetra Bailey is the person who is making sure that will happen. Bailey works on circuits that will act like the brains of the spacecraft, telling it how and where to move and relaying information about its status back down to Earth.  

 Learn more about Sanetra Bailey and her journey to NASA. 

Dr. Gregory Mosby 

Roman’s field of view will be at least 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope's, even though the primary mirrors are the same size. What gives Roman the larger field of view are its 18 detectors. Dr. Gregory Mosby is one of the detector scientists on the Roman mission who helped select the flight detectors that will be our “eyes” to the universe.

Dr. Beth Brown, Dr. Harvey Washington Banks, Sheri Thorn, Sanetra Bailey, and Dr. Greg Mosby are just some of the many Black scientists and engineers in astrophysics who have and continue to pave the way for others in the field. The Roman Space Telescope team promises to continue to highlight those who came before us and those who are here now to truly appreciate the amazing science to come. 

To stay up to date on the mission, check out our website and follow Roman on X and Facebook.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[justabeewithapen]

Right, I m going to go insane loredump about something but I need to say if you haven't read THIS post by @was-that-a-pun you're going to want to read it first, then come back to what I am doing.

Done that? Great! Venture under the read more at your own peril.

Right, so just re-summarizing what pun said, this is basically an AU where the toy experiments are not just underground work mules, but a genuine attempt to help children who are suffering from incurable ailments. This is where I expand even further. Elliot Ludwig, while deeply invested in the creation of toys, also had his fortune invested into the medical advancement.

This is because his daughter Poppy, who they named their popular Poppy dolls after, was diagnosed with a type of heart cancer that was rapidly growing as her quality of life steadily increased. Studies on reviving dead rats using a mixture of poppy flowers and several other ingredients had been very successful, but generally the rat would die again shortly after due to underlying issues in the body itself. This was when Dr. Harley Sawyer, head of the team, suggested they attempt to move the now functional organs to a different body. Before they even had a chance to begin tests Poppy began deteriorating to a degree where she wasn't going to make it, and so they started with her.

She was an unprecedented success, and an un-replicable one. Almost immediately Playtime Co. had both staff members with ill children and ill staff members offer themselves up to test, after of course more testing had been done with animals to ensure it wasn't a total fluke, and quickly everyone realized this was actually possible. Playtime Co. medical division was given government funding to continue to work on this research (all children and adults who are tested have volunteered for this) and they quickly established a hierarchy of what works best and what doesn't.

Initial tests with shells called Miss and Mister Delights (named after Amelia Delight who is an employee at Playtime Co. and due to chronic strokes offered herself up for testing) determined that the more human like a shell is, the harder the transfer procedure is. Of the 15 attempted, only 5 survive currently, though 7 in total were successful. (Two ended up passing away shortly after due to organ failure). All were adult volunteers from both factory workers and outside.

Each of them suffers from rather severe mobility issues and health conditions, requiring them to live on the property. This was when Playcare was established and some proper work could be done!

Playcare was a lot like a care center combined with a hospital. Patients that are currently waiting to be operated on, alongside patients still recovering from operation all live there (and their parents if they so choose). Set up with several common areas, specialized outdoor areas (see the big dome in the back) so toys and patients can get out while still being supervised, and many more, it is meant to be a home away from home for these kids! The whole place is run by Stella Greyber, with Dr. White as the head Physician. Dr. Sawyer, while he mainly works in the labs does frequently visit to advise and monitor progress. Speaking of Dr. Sawyer, you’ll notice here he is in fact a robot still! This is because Dr. Sawyer began developing his own health conditions while working on the project, and as such began to work on their most experimental body by far in case things got too far. After a severe stroke that lead to even more severe brain hemorrhaging, Harley was forced to be transferred into his robotic body.

While very functional he suffers from a lot of phantom pains, and has a very difficult time eating and drinking. However he is a very stubborn man and he is actively improving his body as he lives in it. Unlike canon he is not a sadistic monster, but he is still totally a drama queen. He is very uptight and super invested in his work, coming across as a total hardaft douche at first glance. He really just doesn’t know how to talk to people, especially children, and tries to avoid them if possible. While he mainly exists in one robotic body he is capable of of plugging himself into the lab’s mainframe system and existing like he does in game, but it is very labor intensive and causes migraines. Dr. Sawyer is constantly trying to push for improvements, his goal would be to one day be able to make little robotic or plastic replicas of the children’s bodies that are actually capable of housing the kids AND growth, allowing an almost normal life. It is a long ways away but he is determined to get there.

Jumping back to the toys! After much study and testing they have figured out roughly which toys are most effective and provide the safest procedures, and which toys are more risky! Of all the toys the easiest and safest procedure would be critter toys. For some reason they have the highest success rate of every other toy type. The biggest downside though would be the quality of life post the procedure.

Critters are very small obviously, they have done bigger ones (different from the bigger body critters, think large Baba Chops) but often the critter bodies can be very unbalanced. While updates to the critter designs have allowed for flexible mouths and fingers they still require a lot of help in everyday tasks such as eating and bathing themselves. Despite that, with a proper care guide (and time spent in Playcare with their parents being properly advised) they can generally return home even if going to school and work on their own would be difficult to impossible.

Mini Wuggies, plastic shelled toys, and long legs all have their own pros and cons that are discussed out with parents and their children before anything is done. They all have a very similar success rate though!

After that would be the bigger bodies (quad toys are generally avoided unless the child and parents are both fully informed of how that can impact quality of life, but some kids really really want to be a specific toy and Playtime tries to honor that when possible. Anyway, Bigger bodies have the lowest success rate, the most diversity, and generally the highest quality of life in terms of what they are capable of.

You’ll notice every kid has a tag around their neck or name tag, alongside a bracelet around their wrist! This helps identify them to doctors who work in playcare (all bigger body toys live at playcare as of now but work is being done to have them and their families return home permanently) that way the doctors know what health conditions they have and what room they need to be in. This is probably one of the few times you’ll see me draw the dough boys, and where I differ from Pun! I think Jack WAS still an accident, but the three of them went through the dough procedure separately. However it was quickly determined that dough was not stable enough to use as all three of them have difficulty keeping their forms solid for very long, and struggle with a lot of memory issues. The trio just ended up becoming fast friends being some of Playcare’s permanent residents. They can combine into Doey, though it is hard (really really hard) and they can’t hold the form for long, but that is just a side effect of how unstable they are. Susan and George live at Playcare alongside Kevin’s mom. Matthew’s parents don’t live in Playcare but do visit frequently.

Memory issues are common in bigger bodies, Kissy has them pretty badly and has to have an escort as she will end up in rooms and not remember how to get back fully. Like Pun said Poppy is somewhat a celebrity inside Playcare and she gets a lot of attention from other toys (which she doesn’t like) but she does like hanging out with Kissy!!

Many of the Delights (even those who didn’t previously work at the factory) have taken up jobs at Playcare, helping toys adapt to their bodies alongside the doctors and educators they have on staff! While not focused on it, Playcare does still have some involvement with local orphanages, trips to and from Playcare and the factory are common for both sides to make!! Playtime Co. is making a concerted effort to normalize the existence of living toys while they try and perfect a more humanoid body for the kids, trying to ensure as normal a life as they can for these kids!!!

Think that’s all I have besides a bunch of random interactions and character details I have in my head haha. This was very much a one off post bc I used to do roleplays with like “mutant/super power kids living in an isolated school/hospital/lab and living their lives” all the time growing up XD it is a concept I am very fond of, and was happy to ramble about a bit!!!

[read-marx-and-lenin]

Could you explain the USSR's recriminalization of homosexuality in the 1930's?

(Note that I am not an expert, and I invite anyone to leave comments, critiques, or corrections on this post. As someone who does not speak Russian, I am limited by what has been translated into English on the subject as well as by what is available on the Internet, which is inherently skewed towards post-Soviet and Western perspectives on the subject.)

The events of the February Revolution effectively abolished the old Tsarist criminal code in Russia, including the law prohibiting sodomy. While there were many people in Russia at the time explicitly advocating in favor of decriminalization of homosexuality, and while neither the Provisional Government under Kerensky nor the RSFSR under Lenin reenacted laws prohibiting homosexual activity, this was not a product of any organized gay rights movement and the general attitude towards homosexuality in the Soviet Union at the time was one that regarded it as a mental illness (e.g. Sereisky's entry regarding homosexuality in the 1930 edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.) It is also worth noting that there were other regions within the USSR whose criminal codes did explicitly prohibit sodomy even after the revolution, namely Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Georgia.

Despite the lack of laws in the RSFSR explicitly prohibiting homosexual activity prior to 1934, there were instances in the 20s of homosexual behavior being prosecuted under provisions prohibiting "antisocial" behavior. So while it was not strictly illegal to be gay at the time, it was not exactly a period that tolerated openness about it. Even after the passage of Article 121 (the law explicitly prohibiting homosexual activity), many cases of homosexuality were still prosecuted as antisocial behavior, possibly due to low awareness of the relevant statute or the purpose of the statute being directed more towards "organized" homosexuality.

In any case, by the 30s, there was a socially conservative backlash against homosexuality in both Russia and Germany. Throughout the decade prior, Germany had been the center of the proto-gay rights movement and the IfS the most advanced center of sexology research. But with the rise of Nazism, the attitudes towards homosexuality in Germany took a 180, with the Nazis branding homosexuality as a "Jewish perversion" and an attempt to sow "moral degeneracy" in German society.

Ostensibly, the German left was progressive regarding homosexuality. In 1929, both the SPD and the KPD worked together along with the center-left DDP to propose a repeal of Paragraph 175, the law prohibiting male homosexuality. However, by 1931, the Social-Democrats and Communists both began to opportunistically levy accusations of homosexuality against the fascists, particularly against SA leader Ernst Röhm, who was outed as gay in the SPD newspapers and whom the SPD even tried to prosecute under Paragraph 175. When Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested by the Nazis and accused of having started the Reichstag fire and the Communists were implicated in the alleged conspiracy, the Communists were quick to accuse van der Lubbe of being one of Röhm's prostitutes.

Meanwhile, the famine in the USSR compelled the Soviets to redouble their efforts towards building a sustainable industrial and agricultural base in the country, redirecting scientific resources away from social sciences such as sexology and towards more pressing fields of study. At the same time, the urban centers saw heavy immigration from impoverished and famine-stricken rural areas, spawning new cultural-ideological clashes between rural and urban communities.

As charges of homosexuality were bandied about from both sides in Germany during the political upheaval of the 30s, the Soviets seemed to be rather uncritical towards these accusations. They held fast to stereotypes of Germans having homosexual predilections, and rumors of secret pederastic cults within the Nazi ranks only added fuel to a growing sentiment among Soviets that homosexuality was not only antisocial but counterrevolutionary or even actively fascist in nature.

In 1933, prior to the introduction of Article 121, there was a major raid where 130 alleged "pederasts" were arrested in Leningrad and accused of having formed a counterrevolutionary organization. In the aftermath of the arrest, deputy chief G. G. Iagoda wrote to Stalin and urged the creation of legislation against homosexuality to better curb "networks" of organized pederasts who were "demoralizing" young men and risking the formation of a fifth column in Soviet society. Stalin, in turn, forwarded the letter to Kaganovich with an approving note appended, and the Politburo got to work drafting the law.

In 1934, in reaction to the growing homophobic sentiment in the USSR, a British communist living in Moscow, Harry Whyte, wrote a letter to Stalin advocating in favor of tolerance towards homosexuals. Stalin never publicly acknowledged or responded to the letter, however according to historian Dan Healey, it was present in the Soviet archives along with a note from Stalin calling Whyte "an idiot and a degenerate."

In the same month, Maxim Gorky wrote an article in Pravda attacking the rise of fascism in Germany and in doing so briefly painting the tolerance of homosexuality as one of the factors that led to the "corruption" of young people in Germany and thus to the rise of fascism.

I will point out, however, that in a country where the proletariat manages courageously and successfully (i.e. the USSR), a homosexuality that corrupts young people is recognized as socially criminal and punishable, and in a ‘cultural’ country of great philosophers, scientists, musicians, (i.e. Nazi Germany) it manifests freely and with impunity. A sarcastic saying has already taken shape: ‘Destroy homosexuals – fascism will disappear.’

(Maxim Gorky, 'Proletarian Humanism', 1934, translation and parentheticals Adrian Chan-Wyles)

Leslie Feinberg claimed that Gorky was acting as a mouthpiece for Stalin here or otherwise obliquely responding to Whyte's letter, however I can find no evidence Gorky was aware of the letter in the first place. It seems unlikely to me as it was a personal letter to Stalin himself that was not published for public consumption. Still, Gorky's remarks here illustrate the connections being made at the time between homosexuality and fascism.

It should be noted here that while Article 121 was the form the law took in the Russian criminal code, the law was established under an all-union order, and other republics had their own formulations of the law. Some have tried to argue that because the Russian formulation of the law explicitly targeted "pederasty", that it was not strictly anti-gay but rather anti-pedophilia. However, I don't think this holds up to scrutiny, as Soviet society remained thoroughly against homosexuality in general, as there were already laws on the books prohibiting pedophilia and so no particularly homosexual formulation of the law was strictly necessary, as the article as written specifically prohibited sexual relations "of a man with a man" rather than a man with a boy or child, and as the equivalent laws in other republics often prohibited sodomy directly, such as in Ukraine which was actually the first republic to enact such a law after Iagoda's proposal and whose law was based on an earlier draft which explicitly prohibited sodomy. It seems to me that there was no hard distinction at this time under the law or in Soviet society more broadly between homosexuality and pederasty.

References:

"Can a homosexual be a member of the Communist Party?", Leslie Feinberg, Workers World, October 7 2004

Homosexual Desire in Revolutionary Russia, Dan Healey, 2001 (which the previous article references heavily)

Homosexuality in the USSR, Alfonso Casal, Stalin Society of North America, July 2015

Soviet Homophobia, Igor Kon, Gay.Ru, 1998 (which the previous article references heavily)

[red5cars]

We should talk more about naga gaz and scientist reader who thinks her cover is good as fuck because she’s managed to get reallyyy close to his nest but nu uh. Gaz knows and he’s highly entertained watching his darling mate slowly make her way willingly into his nest and arms 🙂‍↕️

-noona 💕💕

why yes beloved noona, we should talk more about him!

just like, imagine working at some sort of research center, specializing in the study of hybrids. while some might call them monstrosities, you and your team see them as the key to the future.

unfortunately, many of them see y'all as a nuisance. especially gaz.

he's been here about a month, yet retains the hostility he has since first arriving; hissing at the doctors, curling away into the trees, and constantly breaking stuff in his enclosure. he hasn't harmed any of the researches directly, but after he snapped a log in half with ease, everyone keeps there distance.

talk about letting him back out into the wild circulates across the building, his lack of cooperation threatening any progress. and you, little junior researcher, see an opportunity. think about it, you'll be respected amongst your peers, no longer a little assistant that gets ordered around. and they'll have another test subject.

nearly everyone is gone when you enter his enclosure, the lush greens a harsh contrast to the white hallways that make up the building. it would be a serene experience if you forgot about the apex predator that inhabited this place, watching, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"bit late to run some tests, doctor?"

a deep voice behind you makes you jump, finding gaz curled around some branch. you've only caught glimpses of him from behind the door, x-rays, and some shedded skin. none of it could compare to the beauty standing right in front of you.

his upper half is handsome, as if someone carved it from marble but what really caught your attention was his tail. the intricate pattern, shimmering despite the dim lights of the enclosure.

you almost forget that he could break your bones, too enamored by his appearance.

"i asked you a question," his comment snaps you out of it, the coldness of his words hitting you like a violent breeze.

"i-i'm not here to run any tests," you state, though gaz hardly seems convinced. if anything, he narrows his eyes, two little slits holding nothing but spite for you.

"really? then what are you here for, doctor?" it shakes you, the way he addresses your title with so much contempt. a title that isn't yours (yet), but who are you to tell him that?

"i.. i wanted to warn you. the other researchers are talking..” it's a miracle your voice stays leveled, hands trembling as you continue, "..that if you keep being uncooperative they'll throw you out."

the words hang in the air, gaz seeming to contemplate your words. rather than panic, he flashes a sharp grin, "well, that’s probably the best thing i’ve heard since i got here"

his response stuns you.

"b-but," you start, yet he already looks so disinterested, "you.. this could be bad! i mean you won't have the facilities resources or protection, and you’ve gotten so used to life here-"

"hey," he snaps, your lips closing together, "just because i'm kept in some lush prison does not make me your glorified pet," the reminder rings in your ears, embarassment warming your face.

"well, still," you say, "if they let you go it would just backtrack our research," not that anyone has managed to progress with gaz anyways, "you could advance society, lengthen lifespans, further evolution," his head perks up at that slightly.

"don't you want to be apart of that?"

his gaze hasn't softened, but at the very least his interest is piqued. you fail to realize how his eyes rove over you form, thinking about evolution.

gaz's lips curl into a grin, "well, now that you bring it up.." he begins to uncurl his tail, moving down the trunk, "you do have quite a convincing argument."

it's wrong to read it as such, but the way he glides down is nearly.. sensual. the smooth movements of his tail, his muscles flexing. as he finally makes his way to the ground, you're reminded of all the ways you two are different both in species and size.

“how about this, doctor," he's starts, moving closer towards you, "i'll be your cooperative little subject if you're the only one monitoring me." the deal makes your eyes widen. you, a simple researcher be in charge of him?

"well i-" you start, "i'm not too sure-"

"you seem a lot nicer than the others," he hums, a hand coming out to graze your face. it makes you shiver, the lack of warmth throwing you for a loop, "plus, being the sole scientist would have its perks, hm?"

a voice in your head tells you this is a bad idea, but it can hardly be heard by the applause and praise you'll get once you publish your findings, experiment with his genetics, re-define evolution.

"so what do you say, doctor?" he pulls you back in with the soft drone of his voice, deep brown eyes meeting yours, "do we have a deal?"

praise. recognition. progress.

"..yes."

——

the other researches are astounded that you, the little junior researcher they hired only months ago, managed to appeal to him. they all wonder how, but you tell them all will be revealed when you publish your studies.

if only they knew you were already conducting an experiment, the key to evolution tucked neatly into your womb.

[narxcisse]

Request: Hi hi!! Happy new year!! Would you be willing to write something NSFW for Viktor as his Herald Of The Arcane self? If so, maybe possibly with a chubby reader insert? Either way, thank you in advance and I hope you'll have a wonderful 2025!! — @ofironandivory

Pairing: MH!Viktor x GN!Reader

CW: suggestive, sub/dom nuances, porn without plot, I had to do a research of how his mask worked because I didn't finish watching Arcane and I don't understand if it was attached (because it matches his neck) or something like that, so I'm sorry if it feels weird, feel free to trash me if this sucks.

English isn't my native language

The air shimmered with ethereal light, each flicker of energy humming against your skin. You stood in the vastness of the astral plane, weightless yet tethered by the sharp intensity of his gaze. Viktor, in his ascendant Herald form, loomed before you—an imposing figure of geometric perfection and glowing power. His mask-like visage split to reveal those molten-orange eyes, their light seeming to pierce directly through you.

“You’ve wandered far into my domain,” his voice reverberated, a mixture of metallic resonance and something achingly human. His clawed third arm flexed behind him, the glowing purple circle at its center pulsing in time with the energy around you.

You swallowed, rooted in place, as his elongated, otherworldly frame closed the distance. His touch was surprisingly gentle when his metal fingers brushed over your bare arm, leaving trails of warmth that made your breath hitch.

“Your form…” he murmured, his voice dipping lower as his clawed hand traced the curve of your hip. “Soft. Mortal. Perfectly flawed.”

Before you could respond, Viktor’s staff shifted into the air, floating away as he took full command of the moment. His hands explored you with a calculated fervor, fingertips teasing over your exposed skin, lingering on every curve and dip. His touch felt both worshipful and possessive, as if he sought to map every inch of you.

“Show me,” he commanded softly, his voice dripping with authority.

Heat surged through you as his words wrapped around your senses. The astral plane flickered, responding to the growing tension, as you began to shed the remaining barriers between you. His golden-tipped fingers were unyielding, guiding you to bare yourself completely to his unrelenting gaze.

“You’re exquisite,” Viktor breathed, the mask on his face glowing brighter. His claw extended, its glowing circle rotating as arcs of magic danced between his fingers. The sensation of the arcane power grazed your skin, a mixture of cool electricity and fiery heat that left you trembling.

He descended on you with deliberate precision, his mechanical body pressing against your softness. The contrast was intoxicating—his cool, unyielding metal against your warmth. His hands gripped your hips firmly, pinning you beneath him as his mouth ghosted over your skin.

“You’re mine to shape,” he whispered, his voice dark and commanding.

Viktor’s clawed hand shifted to grip your wrist, pinning it above your head while his other hand explored lower. The glowing claw above you pulsed with light, creating a surreal ambiance as his touch sent shivers down your spine. His movements were precise, calculated, as though he was studying the way your body responded to him—and using that knowledge to push you further.

When he finally took you, it was overwhelming. His strength contrasted beautifully with his restraint; every thrust was purposeful, every touch calculated to draw out every gasp and moan he could wring from you. The astral plane itself seemed to respond, its light flickering in rhythm with your joined movements.

“You’ll break under me,” he growled, his mask splitting further as his molten gaze bore into you. Yet his touch betrayed a reverence, a fascination with the way your body yielded to him, how your soft curves pressed against his unyielding frame.

Each surge of pleasure left you feeling weightless, tethered only to him as he guided you through waves of ecstasy. Viktor’s control was absolute, his dominance unrelenting, yet you felt worshipped beneath his hands—an intimate paradox that left you utterly undone.

As the tension finally broke, the astral plane erupted in a cascade of light, Viktor’s body trembling against yours as his claw pulsed one final time. He leaned close, his breath cool against your skin as he whispered:

“You are a part of me now—forever bound to the Glorious Evolution.”

[tisayemate]

In her shadow

Fred Weasley x reader

Angsty, but comfort from our lovely Fred

Summary: In the shadow of Cho Chang’s perfection, you find the fire to rise—and Fred Weasley lights the spark.

Story under the cut

The parchment was crumpled in your fist, the creases cutting deep as you glared at the words on the page.

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding.

Charms: Exceeds Expectations.

Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations.

Potions: Acceptable.

Herbology: Acceptable.

Astronomy: Acceptable.

History of Magic: Poor.

It wasn’t a bad set of results—not really. But when you looked over at the Ravenclaw table, where Cho Chang was holding court like a queen on her throne, it felt like nothing.

“Perfect marks again!” someone gushed, loud enough to carry over the hall.

“Professor Flitwick said she’s the best he’s ever seen,” Marietta chirped, practically hanging off Cho’s arm.

And there she was, smiling so delicately, tilting her head just so, pretending to be modest while soaking up every ounce of attention. Perfect bloody Cho Chang.

Your teeth ground together as you shoved the parchment into your bag, shoulders tense with fury. It wasn’t just that she always came out on top. It wasn’t just her stupid perfect grades or the way she walked like the whole world owed her something. It was the rumors. The lies she’d spread about you last year—saying you were desperate, a pathetic little mess chasing after anyone who so much as looked your way. And people had believed her. They still did.

The laughter around her table grew louder, and it felt like every single word was aimed at you. You shoved back from your seat, ignoring the curious stares of your friends, and stormed out of the hall.

The briefing room for the Advanced Magical Research Programme should have been a chance to prove yourself, to rise above all of it. But the moment you stepped inside, you saw her—front and center, poised like she already had the spot locked down.

Your stomach sank. You froze for a moment, your hand tightening on the strap of your bag as rage bubbled up again. She didn’t even look your way, too busy laughing with a group of Ravenclaws. And Merlin help you, if she smirked even once, you might lose it.

You slumped into a chair at the very back of the room, as far from her as possible. Your jaw was tight, your fingers trembling with the sheer effort of holding yourself together.

“Alright,” came a familiar voice to your left, light and casual. “What’s all this, then?”

You didn’t need to look to know it was Fred Weasley.

“Fred,” you muttered, keeping your gaze locked on the table in front of you. “Not now.”

“Not now?” he repeated, and you could hear the smirk in his voice. “What’s wrong? Didn’t they have your favorite pudding at dinner?”

You shot him a glare. “I’m serious.”

Fred leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he studied you. “Yeah, I can see that. You’ve got that whole I’m going to set something on fire look about you. What’s going on?”

You hesitated, but he followed your gaze to the front of the room. His face darkened when he spotted her.

“Chang,” he said, his voice low. “Say no more.”

You exhaled sharply, folding your arms tightly across your chest. “She’s perfect, Fred. Always. Top marks, favorite of the professors, and now she’s here, too. Why do I even bother?”

“Alright, stop right there,” he said, sitting up straighter and turning toward you fully. His voice lost its usual teasing edge, replaced with something firm, unyielding. “Do you honestly think you don’t deserve to be here?”

You shrugged, not trusting yourself to answer.

“Look at me,” Fred said, his tone sharp enough to cut through your haze of anger. When you met his eyes, they were steady, unwavering. “You’re here because you earned it. You don’t need to compare yourself to her—or anyone else.”

“But she’s—”

“Annoying,” Fred interrupted. “And maybe a bit shiny in the way magpies like. But you? You’re a firecracker, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who could keep up with you when you’re not busy doubting yourself.”

You stared at him, caught off guard by his intensity.

“She doesn’t win because she’s better,” Fred continued, his voice softening slightly. “She wins because she’s louder. She makes sure everyone sees her. You don’t need that. You’ll blow her out of the water the moment you stop giving a damn about what she’s doing.”

You didn’t know what to say, but something in your chest eased. The knot of anger and jealousy loosened, just enough for you to breathe again.

“And if she so much as thinks about messing with you again,” Fred added with a wicked grin, “well, let’s just say George and I have a whole line of products that haven’t been properly tested yet.”

A laugh escaped you before you could stop it, and Fred’s grin widened.

“There she is,” he said, nudging your arm. “Now, keep your head up, yeah? Don’t let her get in your way. You’ve got this.”

The briefing ended not long after, and as you walked out of the room, Fred fell into step beside you.

“Let’s grab a Butterbeer,” he said, casually slinging an arm around your shoulders. “You’ve earned it.”

For the first time all day, you felt lighter. And as you glanced back at Cho, her head high and her smile as fake as ever, you felt something shift.

Let her have her moment. Let her think she’s untouchable.

Because the next time she tried to get in your way, you’d be ready. You’d tear that bitch off the pedestal so fast, she wouldn’t even see it coming.

[viperify]

hey girlie congrats on 1k!! I also want to be on the dating booth 🤭🤭

(I need Tom riddle plsss 😍😍😍😍)

I’m a ravenclaw Pisces and my ideal date is probably somewhere like you know where Tyler took Wednesday with all the candles and movie. Yeah something like that, it doesn’t have to be a crypt but something macabre like that since it’s Tom I want 😅

thanks girlieeee 💗

1k celebration | ᴛᴏᴍ ʀɪᴅᴅʟᴇ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

𓉸 Origins and Secrets.

A/N: Thank you, boo! 🖤 I am sorry in advance, I never watched Wednesday. I did do my research on the scene and this is not exactly what it’s supposed to be like, but I went with the vibe :3 also, u sent this request late, but I am determined and a people pleaser. just as a reminder for everyone though, REQUESTS ARE CLOSED!!

beware, this is pretty far from canon.

Tom Riddle and you are friends—or, as he prefers to label it—acquaintances.

But finding this—it might change how he views you.

You’re leading him through an underground tunnel you’ve discovered near the castle not too long ago. It didn’t seem to be looked after—even better, you thought.

But then, you spotted it.

An odd indent.

Written above, it read: 

S L Y T H E R I N

And now you are here, with Tom.

“Here it is. The grave of Salazar Slytherin,” you remark, pointing to the name. “You’ve been looking for it, haven’t you? To find out more about your origin.”

“You’re—brilliant.” Tom breathes, brushing the pad of his forefinger over the inscription on the marble stone.

At the contact—although featherlight—the letters begin to glow and sparkle in a faint blue light, slowly moving towards a carved-out symbol in the stone.

“It seems as though you need something like an amulet to open the chamber,” you murmur, tracing the letters yourself—at your touch, however, nothing changes. “And it’s you who must do it. So you were right, he is your ancestor.”

Tom nods, eyes gleaming as he studies the shape. “Salazar Slytherin’s locket. That’s what you need to open it.” 

“But it was lost centuries ago—“ you start, though he interrupts you.

“No. It’s a Gaunt family heirloom. I may have an idea of its whereabouts.”

You agree with a short nod. “I’ll come with you.”

“That’s too obvious. I will do it tomorrow morning. Let’s head back before anyone notices.”

With your wand in hand, lighting your way, you return to the castle, acting as though nothing happened the next morning.

Not even when he’s missing at breakfast do you tell anyone, simply shrugging off their questions.

It’s not until the late evening that you hear a knock on your door. You quickly put aside the book in your hands, slip out from beneath your duvet, and open your door slightly to peek outside—it’s Tom.

“I’ve found it. Meet me there at 22:00.”

And just a second later, without leaving any space for questions, he turns his back on you and disappears down the corridor.

It’s a rainy night, definitely one of the coldest of the whole summer—and yet, you quietly leave your dorm, sneaking past the exit and finally, with quick steps, head towards your meeting point.

Tom is already there, waiting. Holding the locket in one hand.

“Let’s go inside,” he says, pushing the locket into its designated position—and with a low groan and rumble, the huge rock blocking the entrance moves out of the way.

What reveals itself is breathing. Dozens of candles are lit, the flickering light casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. In the center of the room, there’s a tombstone—though opened.

You follow him inside. It’s a small space, and it seems as though someone has been here before.

“It’s empty,” you whisper, glancing around you. “I am sorry.”

“No need. I appreciate your effort nonetheless.”

What he doesn’t tell you—he opened it before you arrived. Placing the candles, retrieving the treasures hidden inside.

A diary. A ring. A map.

A map leading towards the Chamber of Secrets—a place hidden underneath Hogwarts, which only he can open. The heir of Slytherin.

“And, I think you deserve a reward for finding this.”

And then, he presses his lips to yours.

They are pleasantly warm against your own—moving slowly as his hand cups your face.

You inhale a soft, shaky breath when you part, a grin tugging at the corner of your lips.

“I think we should be more than just acquaintances, Tom.”

He merely looks down at you, his brown eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight as he brushes a strand of hair from your face. “You might regret this.”

“I would love to regret this.”

thank you for reading! feel free to reblog and leave feedback <3 — masterlist. | 1k celebration. <- event masterlist.

©2025 viperify. please do not copy, translate or claim my work as your own.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

A wearable electrical nerve stimulation device can provide relief to people experiencing the persistent pain and fatigue linked to long COVID, a study co-led by UCLA and Baylor College of Medicine researchers suggests.

Long-COVID, a complex and lingering condition following COVID-19 recovery, affects approximately 1 in 13 adults in the U.S. Symptoms such as widespread pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness often continue to disrupt daily activities, including walking and basic tasks.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed Scientific Reports, focused on a wearable Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device, which uses low-voltage electrical currents to reduce pain, fatigue, and mobility issues associated with long-COVID.

The project was co-led by Dr. Bijan Najafi, research director of the Center for Advanced Surgical & Interventional Technology at UCLA Health and co-director of NSF IUCRC Center to Stream HealthCare in Place (C2SHIP), who said the device could have wider applications.

"While this study focused on managing pain and fatigue caused by long COVID, it may also have potential applications for addressing similar symptoms in individuals with other respiratory diseases, those who have experienced extended ICU stays and developed post-hospitalization weaknesses, and conditions involving chronic fatigue and pain, such as fibromyalgia or chemotherapy-related side effects," Najafi said. "But further studies are needed to confirm these potential uses."

In the study, 25 participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and gait difficulties were assigned either a high-dose (active) TENS device or a low-dose (placebo) device. Both groups used the TENS device for three to five hours daily over a four-week period.

Researchers measured participants' pain levels, fatigue, and walking performance before and after the therapy period. Findings indicated that the high-dose TENS group experienced notable improvements in pain relief (26.1% more relief compared to placebo) and walking ability (8% during fast walking), suggesting that wearable TENS therapy may help reduce long-COVID's impact on daily life.

The high-dose TENS group also reported a slightly higher perceived benefit (71.2%) compared to the low-dose group (61.4%), underscoring the potential of wearable TENS technology to support long-COVID recovery.

One factor in the study's success was likely the high rate of daily device usage, Najafi said. The wearable nature of the TENS device allowed participants to use it seamlessly throughout the day, without disrupting their routines.

"This wearable TENS system offered immediate, on-demand relief from pain and fatigue, making it easy to integrate into daily activities," Najafi said.

He also cautioned that more research is needed. "This study provides some hope for finding an effective, non-invasive solution for managing lingering COVID-19 symptoms that continue to affect millions," he said. "But our sample size was limited, so further research is needed to confirm these findings."

Study co-authors are Alejandro Zulbaran-Rojas, Rasha Bara, Myeounggon Lee, Miguel Bargas-Ochoa, Tina Phan, Manuel Pacheco, Areli Flores Camargo, Syed Murtaza Kazmi, Mohammad Dehghan Rouzi, Dipaben Modi, and Fidaa Shaib of Baylor College of Medicine.

More information: Alejandro Zulbaran-Rojas et al, Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for fibromyalgia-like syndrome in patients with Long-COVID: a pilot randomized clinical trial, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-78651-5 www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-78651-5

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - November 28, 2023

🐑 - Why did Fiona the sheep become a mountaineer? She was tired of the "baa-d" jokes at sea level!

1. Pope Francis dines with transgender women for Vatican luncheon

Pope Francis hosted a group of transgender women — many of whom are sex workers or migrants from Latin America — to a Vatican luncheon for the Catholic Church's "World Day of the Poor" last week.

The pontiff and the transgender women have formed a close relationship since the pope came to their aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were unable to work. Now, they meet monthly for VIP visits with the pope and receive medicine, money and shampoo any day, according to The Associated Press.

2. New York just installed its first offshore wind turbine

The first wind turbine installation at South Fork Wind, New York State’s first offshore wind farm, is complete.

The 130-megawatt (MW) South Fork Wind will be the US’s first completed utility-scale wind farm in federal waters.

3. Anonymous businessman donates $800k to struggling food bank

But this Thanksgiving, a longtime prayer of food bank leaders was finally answered: an anonymous benefactor donated the full $800,000 they needed to move out of a facility they've long outgrown. That benefactor, however, preferred to stay anonymous.

"Very private company, really don't want attention," said Debbie Christian, executive director of the Auburn Food Bank. "It's a goodhearted person that just wants to see the work here continue, wants to see it expand."

4. Empowering woman saving hopes and mental health of suffering Ukrainian kids

Kenza Hadij-Brahim is at the forefront of promoting Circle of Toys

Hadj-Brahim is helping to launch the Circle of Toys initiative. A project that provides Ukrainian children in need of some normality with preloved toys. This new initiative connects people with old toys they might otherwise throw away, with Ukrainian families in need who want to provide some comfort to their children in this distressing time.

Find Refuge said : “The endeavour is driven by a sincere purpose: spark joy, foster play, and bring a hint of normalcy back to the young lives in Ukraine.”

5. TWO LOST CITIES HIDDEN FOR CENTURIES WERE JUST DISCOVERED IN BOLIVIA

Researchers have found these areas not only housed structures and pyramids but it has been uncovered that there were advanced irrigation systems, earthworks, large towns, causeways, and canals that cover miles.

Dr. Heiko Prümers from the German Archaeological Institute, who was also involved in the study comments that “this indicated a relatively dense settlement in pre-Hispanic times. Our goal was to conduct basic research and trace the settlements and life there. The research sheds light on the sheer magnitude and magnificence of the civic-ceremonial centers found buried in the forest”.

6. Sheep dubbed Fiona rescued from cliff in Scotland where she was stuck for more than 2 years

And at last, some positive climate news:

7. Three positive climate developments

Heating

When the Paris Agreement was adopted, the global reliance on fossil fuels placed the world on a path towards a 3.5C rise in temperature by 2100. Eight years on, country commitments to reduce their carbon footprints have pulled that down slightly, putting the world on a path for a 2.5C to 2.9C by the end of the century.

Peak emissions

Annual greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change have risen roughly nine percent since COP21, according to UN data. But the rate of the increase has slowed significantly. Recent estimates by the Climate Analytics institute find global emissions could peak by 2024

Rising renewables

Three technologies—solar, wind and electric vehicles—are largely behind the improved global warming estimates since 2015.

---

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

[mbari-blog]

Step into the command center for a deep-sea robot 🤖

At the heart of MBARI’s research vessel David Packard, a team of skilled pilots commands the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts. Equipped with advanced cameras, scientific instruments, and other technologies, this robotic submersible is a vital tool for studying marine life, ecosystems, and processes 4,000 meters (2.5 miles) beneath the ocean’s surface. 

Chief ROV Pilot Marko Talkovic and his team ensure every system runs safely and efficiently to support missions and advance marine science. 

Watch the full video on our YouTube channel to learn how their expertise is crucial for supporting MBARI’s science expeditions at sea.

[babygurlaura]

KURO UZUMAKI

黒い女司祭

Kuroi on'nashisai

Who Is Kuro Uzumaki?

Kuro Uzumaki, most commonly known as The Black Priestess of the Uzumaki clan, was the youngest sister of the Uzumaki clan matriarch line–Mito’s great-grandmother’s sister–though she is rarely spoken of by name. She was seen as a commodity by many, but was respected due to her towering figure in both stature and intellect. Kuro often diverged from clan traditions, often ignoring her ceremonial duties. Instead, she secluded herself in her carriage, which the men of the clan carried, consumed by experimentation in sealing arts, spiritualism, and painting.

Kuro is also known as the first Uzumaki to bear the Sen Fūin seal on her forehead, which would later be passed onto her eldest sister and become a staple for the clan heads to bear. Kuro was known among her clan to be obsessed with understanding the boundaries between life and death, between flesh and spirit. Her work, while intriguing the elders, was at times dismissed as eccentric or cursed; this became the foundation for both yokai summoning techniques and early genetic research.

It is said that Kuro theorized that bloodlines could carry spiritual memory, that trauma, power, and jutsu could imprint not just on the human body but also imprints itself onto the soul across generations. These writings were preserved only in fragments, would later inspire Orochimaru’s human experimentation and fuel Tobirama’s reanimation theories.

Her deal with the shinigami, an act which was at first disregarded as one of the Uzumaki clan’s darkest secrets, was struck in exchange for access to yokai spirits, which she used as summons. For each soul she provided the shinigami, hr allowed her claim to a yokai servant, sealed within painted scrolls. Her victims were often those who threatened the Uzumaki clan, centering her as a hidden protector within the clan.

Though her practice was considered taboo, it aided the Uzumaki clan in progressing. She wasn’t feared but rather revered for her intelligence. Many scholars within the clan looked up to her and studied her scrolls after her death. From her madness, she and advanced knowledge and strengthened the clan's sealing art further.

Her Appearance

Height: 6’8, the tallest recorded Uzumaki woman.

Hair: Long, brimming red hair, knee-length when inbound. Her hair was styled in a unique hybrid of the hime cut and a braid loop that resembles a noose or ring, a symbolic nod to eternal return or sealing.

Eyes: Narrowed slanted not by genetics, but linked due to constantly squinting. She spent most of her life in the dim painting chambers of her carriage and would only leave her carriage at night, which caused her vision to weaken over time.

Makeup: Embracing the Ohaguro tradition, her skin is naturally pale in comparison to the common tan skin of the Uzumaki. She wore pale foundation with red-shadowed eyes reminiscent of a geisha or funerary doll.

Clothing: Usually depicted in elegant, ink-stained robes with long sleeves that concealed her hands, often trailing behind her. Her color scheme contrasted with the Uzumaki, who adorn bright colors, while she adorned dark color schemes.

Her Ability

Kuro Uzumaki was a master in soul-binding, spiritual sealing, and living art.

Soul Paintings: She could trap people, memories, or yokai within her canvases. Some she created as prisons, others as shrines.

Yokai Summoning: Through a pact with the Shinigami, she could summon yokai in exchange for offering them their lives or sealing souls into art.

Shiki Fūjin (Death Reaper Seal): Kuro was the original creator of the Shiki Fūjin, a jutsu birthed out of desperation to contain a rampaging yokai that even she could not purify. In return for an uncleaned soul, she offered the Shinigami the body of the summoner—a binding contract that became legend.

Her Role

Kuro Uzumaki’s existence answers a fundamental mystery long glossed over: Why does the Shinigami answer to Uzumaki's hands? Why are Uzumaki bodies capable of such prolonged sealing, unnatural longevity, and survivability beyond human limits?

Kuro's sacrifice, intellect, and spiritual attunement forged the blood pact that made Shiki Fūjin even possible. Her work inspired Tobirama and Orochimaru’s own research.

Kuro is seen as the silent foundation of the Uzumaki clan's spiritual and sealing arts. Her work created forbidden jutsu libraries, later sealed away in her temple alongside her research.

The mask shrine within the Uzumaki compound derives from a relic based on Kuro’s original pact. The shrine mask was mottled after the first one she painted, said to be dipped in yokai blood. These masks were later embedded into Uzumkai ceremonial traditions.