kachimera

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guy who needs to send an email so he completely isolates himself from the world misses out on every opportunity curls up in a ball and dies. and like 2 months later sends said email finally

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A cat I met in the woods yesterday

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UNMASKING THE BLUEBOTTLE REVEALING FOUR DISTINCT SPECIES THROUGH GLOBAL CITIZEN SCIENCE

For over two centuries, the Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia spp) was considered a single, cosmopolitan species, drifting across the world’s oceans and stinging unsuspecting swimmers. But new genomic research has overturned this long-held view, revealing that Physalia is not one species, but at least four: P. physalis, P. megalista, P. utriculus, and a newly described species, P. minuta. Researchers sequenced the genomes of 151 specimens from around the globe and found strong reproductive isolation between genetic lineages, even when their distributions overlap. This evidence aligns with historical descriptions from the 18th and 19th centuries, which proposed several species that were later dismissed due to limited data.

Crucially, the study integrated over 4,000 photographs from iNaturalist, using citizen science to match distinct morphologies with genetic lineages. These images, contributed by amateur naturalists, swimmers, and lifeguards, allowed researchers to confirm physical differences that earlier taxonomists could not consistently observe due to preservation challenges. The result is a rare success story in which modern genomics, historical records, and participatory science come together to clarify the taxonomy of one of the ocean’s most recognisable creatures.

The discovery not only rewrites the story of Physalia but also challenges assumptions about biodiversity in the open ocean, reminding us that even the most visible marine life can hold hidden complexity, and that everyone, from sailors of the past to today’s citizen scientists, has a role to play in uncovering it.

Reference: Church et al., 2025. Population genomics of a sailing siphonophore reveals genetic structure in the open ocean. Current Biology.

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A chonk of a unicorn please 💜

one chonk coming right up

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dos games

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This remains, to me, the most poignant Les Misérables quote

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In Sickness and in Health

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A (much more detailed than usual) sketch of our monthly gouache on Patreon! I am super excited to paint this one, hopefully it'll turn out the same, hehehe ❤ Originally it was supposed to only be Link wearing a hanfu, but I couldn't resist adding a smoll dragon 🥹

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(edit: chat idk why it’s blurry pls im sorry gang IM SORRY)

i’ve been tweaking this piece for two days and STILL feel like there’s something so off with it……. god speed bc i’m never gonna scratch the itch in my brain until this looks perfect

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Fixed it.

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Poorly drawn Cottonee line

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yeah the boys are talkin zelink today