#(science)

[tinagodiva]

Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹

[azspot]

This minimization keeps the quiet part quiet: that the world is still in a pandemic per the World Health Organization and that more than 73,000 Americans died of COVID in 2023, a higher number than from car accidents or influenza. Among those who have been infected, about 10 percent have long COVID, a serious and often disabling condition with a disease burden comparable to that of cancer or heart disease and an economic cost rivaling that of the Great Recession, for which there are no approved treatments. What’s more, each infection, no matter how mild, is associated with a substantially increased risk of health issues, including cognitive dysfunction, autoimmune disease and cardiovascular problems.

Prepandemic, these statistics would have been eye-popping. Now they constitute “back to normal.” We think we no longer have a problem, when we’ve just changed the standard by which we deem something concerning.

To shore up collective denial, we also rewrite the past. Not only do we repeat that we are better off now, we claim things were never that bad. Contesting the past to remove unwanted memories produces a cultural amnesia about the pandemic. And in burying the past, we sidestep accountability for what went wrong.

Truth tellers are the Achilles heel of collective denial because they call attention to what’s being ignored. Thus, another playbook tactic is to hush them up, often by painting them as subversives or deviants. And so those who wear masks are ridiculed, scientists reporting on COVID risks are cast as fearmongers, and those with long COVID are dismissed as having anxiety disorders.

[the-wolf-and-moon]

NGC 6960, The Veil

[herpsandbirds]

Fish size themselves up in a mirror to decide if they can win a fight

Cleaner wrasse use their reflection to build a mental image of their body size, which they use to compare themselves to rivals before picking a fight

Before deciding whether or not to fight another fish, cleaner wrasse check their own reflection in a mirror and size themselves up. Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) are remarkably bright. These finger-sized coral reef fish were the first fish to pass the mirror test, a common assessment to see whether an animal recognises that the reflection is of its own body and not another animal. Researchers have now found that these wrasses use their likeness to construct a mental image of their body size, which they can compare to others...

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2447414-fish-size-themselves-up-in-a-mirror-to-decide-if-they-can-win-a-fight

[amnhnyc]

It’s the first day of fall, and few things make it feel more like autumn than the foliage of the red maple tree (Acer rubrum). But did you know? The deciduous tree sports something red all year round. In winter, it has red buds; in spring, red flowers begin to bloom; in summer, the leaf stalks turn red; and in autumn, the foliage is a vivid orange-red. This tree originates in the Atlantic Northeast but is a popular ornamental plant across the United States because it thrives in a variety of soil types.

Photo: Ashley M Bradford, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

[typhlonectes]

“Hey Ranger! Is that a California Condor or a Turkey Vulture?”

Well, let’s take a closer look! In the summertime, it can be hard to tell the difference between a condor and a turkey vulture, especially as they soar above you! (Or below you, if you’re on Angels Landing). The bird on the right is definitely a condor, and here are a few ways to tell: Condors are BIG! They have a ten-foot wingspan, the widest of all the birds in the United States. Notice the number on their wing? Each condor has their own number to help scientists recognize and keep track of the condors they spot. Their wings are white towards their center, and their feathers are black out towards the end of their wings. You guessed it, the bird on the left is a turkey vulture! Turkey vultures are quite large birds, but their wingspan is typically around 5.5 feet long. In flight, turkey vultures will have a slight “v” in their wings when looking at them from straight on. Condor wings are generally straight out when they are in flight. Turkey vulture wings are darker in the middle and the feathers are white toward the ends of their wings. Though they are different birds, both are critically important in Zion National Park. Their food source is carrion, or dead and decaying meat (you could say they are the ultimate clean up crew). Since decomposition takes much longer in the harsh desert, having scavengers is a great way to keep the area looking (and smelling) nice. What are ways you can protect these important animals?

Learn more about the California Condor recovery story at:

https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/condors.htm

NPS Photo: Gavin Emmons

via: Zion National Park

[cookiewishesyou]

On this September 23, 2024, Cookie wishes you a happy 177th anniversary of the discovery of Neptune by astronomers Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams, and Johann Gottfried Galle (1846)!

[deelovesbooks]

We all had fun with geography class now onto science! take this quiz to name as many elements as you can :) [note north american spellings]

obligatory rb for sample size <3

[mindblowingscience]

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) makes up about 15% of all breast cancer cases worldwide. It’s particularly hard to treat because it lacks the three common receptors that most therapies target. As a result, most TNBC patients undergo high doses of non-targeted chemotherapy, which often leads to severe side effects such as hair loss, nausea, and pain.

Continue Reading.

[theofficialastronomy101]

Newest image of Earth and Moon as seen from Space by Japanese satellite - Himawari-8

[tinagodiva]

Mount Taranaki, New Zealand 🇳🇿

[lunavaleth]

Glass Frogs

[the-wolf-and-moon]

M77, Galaxy Eye

[herpsandbirds]

100 Million Years Ago, Snakes Gained Their Most Iconic Traits

The origin story of snakes is still being pieced together, but researchers are confident that their unique jaws, lack of limbs, and elongated figure all emerged at about the same time.

Snakes seem like relatively simple creatures—basically a glorified sock with holes on either end. Yet, these creatures have managed to adapt to nearly every continent on the planet over the past 100 million years. But how exactly did snakes evolve, and what made these slithery creatures so successful across the planet today? It was likely a combination of three factors that all arose at roughly the same time. “It all happens in one singular evolutionary burst around 100 to 110 million years ago, and then after that they pretty much have free reign to the planet every time they go into a new habitat,” says Alex Pyron, a biologist at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. ...

Read more: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/100-million-years-ago-snakes-gained-their-most-iconic-traits

[protectoursharks]

I'd love some lemon shark facts 💛

Lemon Shark or Negaprion brevirostris

They get their name from their yellowish brown coloring. Lemon sharks, unlike the lone-shark stereotype, enjoy hanging out in groups! They even have preferred individuals to hang out with!

Lemon sharks are also one of the most well-understood shark species and this is because they do well in captivity. Additionally, most of our knowledge of shark physiology and biology stems from studies of lemon sharks!

Unfortunately, this species is nearly threatened; this is mostly due to overfishing. They're not only caught as bycatch, but are a target for some fisheries. Their meat, skin, and squalene are used for human consumption. It's estimated that between 70-90% of shark squalene harvested each year is used in cosmetics. (Make sure to do your research before buying makeup). To harvest the amount of squalene used for our consumption, almost 3 million sharks are killed every year. But there's a great new alternative source that's gaining traction: olives!

[mammalianmammals]

You never know what you'll see from the deck of an icebreaker in the Arctic!

This polar bear recently greeted #WHOI researchers and their colleagues aboard the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Louis St-Laurent! ⁠ According to Ashley Arroyo, who's writing daily dispatches from the ship: "The polar bear seemed very chill and unbothered by our presence. The coast guard crew slowed the ship for 15 minutes while he was just walking around and jumping around the different ice floes. It also had some blood on its face, so it may have recently been snacking on a seal. It was incredible to see!" ⁠ ⁠For the past two decades, the Beaufort Gyre Observing System has taken detailed measurements in this crucial part of the Arctic Ocean. Follow the current expedition, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF): go.whoi.edu/bgos-2024

via: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)