rainacademia

[rainacademia]

cell bio professor closed out today's lecture on free-radical oxidation in mitochondria and programmed cell death by saying "you've probably all seen those commercials for fruit juice that says it's got antioxidants, which are said to prevent this sort of thing from happening, or at least slow it down. well, they don't work. this is an inevitable fact of life— this process that lets us live is also the thing that kills us, and it's why all of us will die someday. there's no escaping that. it's been with us since the dawn of eukaryotic cells; our pact with mitochondria is to the death. anyway, enjoy the rest of your friday, and remember, exam four is next week!"

[rainacademia]

Be proud of yourself for surviving the silent battles no one knows about.

[rainacademia]

The first teeth were sensory organs on the skin of ancient fish

Teeth are good for chewing and biting, but they are also sensitive – and that may have been their original function hundreds of millions of years ago

Teeth first evolved as sensory organs, not for chewing, according to a new analysis of animal fossils. The first tooth-like structures seem to have been sensitive nodules on the skin of early fish that could detect changes in the surrounding water. The finding supports a long-standing idea that teeth first evolved outside the mouth, says Yara Haridy at the University of Chicago. While there was some evidence to back this up, there was an obvious question. “What good is having all these teeth on the outside?” says Haridy. One possibility was that they served as defensive armour, but Haridy thinks there was more to it. “It’s great to cover yourself in hard things, but what if those hard things could also help you sense your environment?”

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2481186-the-first-teeth-were-sensory-organs-on-the-skin-of-ancient-fish/

Image: Yara Haridy

[rainacademia]

[rainacademia]

20.05.25

last weeks of spring semester: energy drinks, coffee on top of that, two hours of sleep, doing a whole semester's worth of work in one night, two exams in one morning, sunny afternoons, chilly mornings and evenings, counting the days until the summer break

[rainacademia]

contents of my bag (i love library books)

[rainacademia]

Cigarette smoke and old books. Faded sketches and rain-soaked streets. The poetry of solitude written in sepia tones.

[rainacademia]

Espresso-stained pages, whispered thoughts between hardcover spines, and mornings that begin with poetry and croissants. A soft life of books, cafés, and intentional stillness.

[rainacademia]

Good morning from the lake!

[rainacademia]

Mary Oliver, “Thirst.” Thirst

[rainacademia]

anyone else feel a deep crushing sense of loneliness or what

[rainacademia]

Details from the painting Medea meditating on killing her children (1852), by Bezzuoli.

[rainacademia]

I received a message today from inside Gaza—an internally displaced family living in unimaginable conditions. There's not enough food, no clean water, and prices are soaring while even the most basic necessities are out of reach. The bombing hasn’t stopped, fear is constant, and displacement has become the daily reality for thousands.

Imagine children going to sleep suffering from malnutrition, and homes being destroyed along with the dreams of those who lived in them. This is not a scene from a movie—it’s a relentless, ongoing reality.

What’s happening in Gaza is not just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a call to the conscience of the world. These people deserve to be heard. Their stories deserve to be told—with truth and urgency.

For those who can help: Ahed’s family is one of thousands in Gaza in urgent need of support—food, clean water, and medicine. Any contribution, no matter how small, can make a real difference.

Ahed’s fundraiser is at €13,857 raised out of 40,000, and is supporting Ahed, his wife, and their three young daughters under ten. Please share this post and donate if you can ❤️

@90-ghost , @tamamita @rhubarbspring @heritageposts @dirhwangdaseul @neechees @butchniqabi @socalgal @finalgirlabigailhobbs @darthteeth @newporters @pikslasrce @vampiricvenus @danlous @loumandivorce @jackiedaytona @deepspaceboytoy @autisticmudkip @nashvillethotchicken @femmefitz @pitbolshevik @innerchildabortionclinic @omegaversereloaded @hotvampireadjacent @boobieteriat @mens-rights-activia @ot3

[rainacademia]

[rainacademia]

academic rage is trying to insert a table into microsoft word

[rainacademia]

sliver of sunlight

[rainacademia]

found another local bookstore to frequent thats right near where i like to go thrifting~~~