#accelerated natural selection

[morbidology]

On July 2, 1951, the quiet city of St. Petersburg, Florida, was rocked by one of the most mysterious and controversial deaths in modern history. Mary Reeser, a 67-year-old widow, was found burned to death in her apartment under circumstances so bizarre that they have puzzled investigators, scientists, and conspiracy theorists for decades.

The macabre discovery was made by Reeser’s landlady, Pansy Carpenter, who had tried to deliver a telegram to her tenant that morning. After receiving no response and noticing an unusually warm doorknob, Carpenter sought help from neighbors. When they managed to open the door, they were met with an astonishing scene: a room relatively untouched by fire, save for the corner where Reeser's remains were found.

Mary Reeser’s body had been almost completely incinerated, reduced to ashes along with the chair she had been sitting in. What remained of her were a part of her backbone, a shrunken skull, and a completely intact left foot still in its slipper. The surrounding area showed minimal damage—plastic household items a short distance from the seat remained unscathed, and although the walls and ceiling were coated with a greasy soot, they were not burnt.

The investigation was led by the St. Petersburg Police Department, who quickly recognized the unusual nature of the scene. Local authorities were joined by the FBI and other experts to determine how such an intense fire could have started and burned so selectively.

Initial hypotheses ranged from a dropped cigarette to an electrical fault. However, both were quickly dismissed. The chair's materials and Reeser's clothing would not typically combust so thoroughly without a higher, sustained temperature than could be achieved by a mere cigarette. Furthermore, there was no evidence of an electrical fire or an accelerant.

As conventional explanations failed, the case began to attract attention from proponents of spontaneous human combustion, a rare and controversial phenomenon in which a person is believed to catch fire without an external ignition source. Advocates of SHC argue that a combination of factors, such as the wick effect (where clothing can absorb melted human fat and act like a candle), could explain the intense and localized burning seen in cases like Reeser’s.

Dr. Wilton Krogman, a physical anthropologist, examined the case and expressed disbelief at the completeness of the combustion. He noted that even bodies exposed to extreme heat in cremation chambers do not typically burn as thoroughly as Reeser's remains had. Dr. Krogman described the case as "the most amazing thing I have ever seen" and found it difficult to reconcile with the known laws of science.

Despite extensive investigation, the official cause of Mary Reeser’s death was ultimately ruled as “death by fire of unknown origin.” The case has remained a source of fascination and debate, appearing in numerous books, documentaries, and discussions about unexplained phenomena.

[reasonsforhope]

"While tourists visiting Mexican beaches complain about piles of smelly seaweed, one Mexican gardener reckoned it was something like a gift.

The governments in places like Cancun have been required to clear away as much as 40,000 tons of sargassum seaweed, which smells like rotten eggs, but Omar de Jesús Vazquez Sánchez is steering it away from the landfills and into a kiln, where he makes adobe-like blocks that pass regulation as a building material.

He started SargaBlock to market the bricks, which are being highlighted by the UN Development Program as a stroke of brilliance, and a sustainable solution to a current environmental problem.

His story begins back in 2015 when, like any experienced laborer, he found rich people were stuck with a job they didn’t want to do. In this case, it was cleaning up the sargassum on the beaches of the Riviera Maya.

Omar grew up in poverty, immigrated to the US as a child to become a day laborer, and eventually dropped out of school and became a substance abuser. The American dream never appealed to him as much as a “Mexican dream”—a mix of memories from his childhood and dreams of being a gardener back home, so he moved back.

His time feeling unwanted as an addict and immigrant gave him a unique perspective on the smelly seaweed.

“When you have problems with drugs or alcohol, you’re viewed as a problem for society. No one wants anything to do with you. They look away,” Omar told Christian Science Monitor in a translated interview.

“When sargassum started arriving, it created a similar reaction. Everyone was complaining, I wanted to mold something good out of something everyone saw as bad.”

The ecology and environment offices of Quintana Roo, the legislative area that includes the city of Cancun, approved the SargaBlocks for use, and similar organic-based blocks have been reckoned as being capable of enduring 120 years.

The UN Development Program selected Omar’s work to be featured in their Accelerator Lab global broadcast to alert the world of its value and ingenuity.

There are all kinds of naturally-occurring pollutants or burdens that could be used in construction, and the UNDP hoped that by sharing Omar’s vision of the future of the Caribbean’s sargassum problem, it would inspire others to act in similar ways.

Bricks and cement can be great sources to use up naturally-occurring material that’s dangerous or burdensome—like this Filippino community using the ash from volcanic eruptions to make bricks.

Omar has been fortunate enough to be able to donate 14 “Casas Angelitas,” or homes made of SargaBlock, to families in need, and seems to be exceedingly close to achieving his “Mexican dream.”"

-via Good News Network, 4/24/23

[showmey0urfangs]

please post the loumand fanficion recommendations!

Alright, since you guys asked so nicely.😌 Here is, in no particular order, my season 2 edition of:

As usual, my main criteria for selection is that Loumand had to be the only or at least the main pairing. So this will not include fics where they're only a side pairing or just mentioned in passing.

Also, also...⚠DISCLAIMER!!! Most of these fics are rated Mature or Explicit, and some are heavy on the angst and feature very dark themes, but ig that's the sort of thing Loumand inspires. So, proceed with caution and mind the tags. (ᵔ.ᵔ)

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➼ A Dark Night in San Francisco by literary_genius

Rating: E | Words: 17.3k | Chapters: 5/5 | Additional Tags: 70s Era, Dom/sub

Summary:

❝ Taking place before he meets Daniel, Louis is high on a victim and has made a mess. Armand is pissed and Louis challenges him to do something about it.❞

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➼ Inside, upstairs by malicewithheld

Rating: E | Words: 2.3k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Paris Era, First Time

Summary:

❝ This does not come entirely naturally to him, Louis thinks. For all his preternatural grace little seems to come naturally to him at all.❞

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➼ Road toll by eyebrowofdoom

Rating: E | Words: 3.1k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Paris Era, First Time

Summary:

❝ My darling Louis was so delicate, when he described where I first approached him, all those years ago in Paris. A park.

Other people would say it was a cottage. A tearoom, a beat, a cruising place. A tasse, a lieu de drague. (One shot, post s02e02.)❞

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➼ your heart to carry by mercuryhatter

Rating: E | Words: 1.5k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Paris Era, Dom/sub

Summary:

❝ "What were you saying, beautiful?'" Louis asked, then grinned when Armand's mouth opened with no answer in it. "Yeah, I thought so." Louis tucked one finger underneath that silk scarf, right next to where he could feel Armand's faint, slow pulse in the large vein of his neck. A front-row seat to the catch of Armand's breath in his throat.

"I think I wanna go home now," Louis said, letting only a hint of a smile into his slow, deliberate tone. "What do you think?"

When Armand said "yes, maitre," it was breathless, and so surprisingly earnest it stole Louis' breath in turn.❞

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➼ there's another memory that gets stuck by sahwen

Rating: E | Words: 2.4k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Summary:

❝ “Do you think you can alter the taste of your blood?” Louis asked, the picture of innocence as he peaked at Armand from behind the magazine.

Or: "Honey and pineapple. He stuffs himself with both for days before offering himself to me."

Or: Amsterdam, 1996. Armand is desperate not to be flavorless.❞

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➼ inhuman taste by inthebelltower

Rating: E | Words: 1.2k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Paris Era, Dom/sub

Summary:

❝ Louis feels the frisson in the air, the thrumming bass of Armand’s arousal as he speaks the words. Hell, even a mortal man could see how his breathing accelerates, the heavy rise and fall of his chest.❞

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➼ Crack in the Mirror / Bloodstain on the Bed by williamshooketh

Rating: E | Words: 1.2k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Angst, Dom/sub

Summary:

❝ Armand laughs at Louis a little through a closed mouth and moves his foot out of the way. He keeps a grip on his ankle.

“You want to run me like one of your working girls back home," he says.

Marriage is hard work.❞

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I'll finish off with a few of my own because...why not!?

➼ Baby, you're a work of art by Showmeyourfangs

Rating: T | Words: 1.5k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Dubai era, Domestic Fluff

Summary:

❝ Louis and Armand visit a museum in Rome and Louis makes an important realization.❞

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➼ Pendulum by Showmeyourfangs

Rating: E | Words: 3.9k | Chapters: 1/1 | Additional Tags: Dubai era, Light Dom/Sub

Summary:

❝ This too was part of the game. The control was like a sliding door between them, a pendulum that continuously swung back and forth—alternatively, slave and master but always beholden to one another. It was a game they had been playing for eighty years now and Louis never tired of it.

Or: Louis and Armand have a bit of fun and relaxation after a hard interview session.❞

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➼ Who Would Trade That Hum Of Night by Showmeyourfangs

Rating: M | Words: 5.8k | Chapters: 4/4 | Additional Tags: Paris era, Alternate Ending

Summary:

❝ “Why don’t you want him to know how much you love him?” Armand heard the woman Madeleine ask.

“That’s a little personal,” Louis replied and there was a fondness in his voice that Armand had never heard before.

Armand felt sick, the blood from his earlier kill twisting unpleasantly in his stomach. He could sense Tuan, Quang and Gustave, poised and ready at the back entrance of the small café, their crude minds gleeful at the prospect of what they were about to do.

Or: The much needed Season 2 Fix it fic (or is it?)❞

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Happy reading! 😊 ✨

[ivory--raven]

thoughts on ocean sunfish (mola mola)?

A controversial fish and one I have not seen in-person, though I'd like to. This post deserves a picture.

Mola mola is a huge planktonic bony fish - planktonic meaning it lives in the plankton, goes wherever the currents take it and can't outswim them. Most plankton are really small. Can't see them without a microscope small. The common ocean sunfish (mola mola) can weigh up to 1,000 kg. They look like giant heads - or moons. In French their common name is poisson lune, moon fish. They get their bad reputation because they're basically giant heads and they can't swim and they only reason they're not eaten is that they're too big to eat. It's an effective strategy. Natural selection doesn't care about coolness.

I do care about coolness, but my metric's weird. I think ocean sunfish are cool.

Here's a sea lion just chomping out of a sunfish. This is one of the perceived flaws of sunfish - but y'know, sea lions also straight up eat marine iguanas' tails for fun, so sunfish aren't uniquely bad for being eaten by them.

And ocean sunfish are cool. They're a member of order Tetraodontiformes, along with pufferfish, porcupinefish, and filefish (yes, filefish are a real fish). This order is one of ray-finned fishes and they're known for their weird body plans. Most fish are pretty predictable with their body plans, favour manœuvrability or cruising or acceleration. There's a cool diagram about that.

Tetraodontiformes, ocean sunfish included, are doing something else. If I had to put them on the diagram, it would be in the manoeuvrable corner, cause they're rubbish at everything else. I've scooped up a filefish with my bare hands.

The order name is more or less tetra + odont + iformes, meaning four + tooth + shape. And the whole ending in formes thing is pretty typical for orders - people like to name them "shaped like this" or what basically translates, in scientific latin, to "[example organism] and friends." For Tetraodontiformes, it's all about the jaw bone being formed into a beak shape with four chunks. Fish with beaks.

Beaks and weird body plans. I'm sold!

One cool thing about ocean sunfish is their spikes. Yep, spikes, like their relatives.

Left - a porcupinefish. Right - a pufferfish.

Left - a porcupinefish. Right - a pufferfish.

And a young ocean sunfish.

As young fish (the word is fry) they are spiky! And pretty cute, I think.

Ocean sunfish manage to steer themselves by squirting jets of water out of their mouths. They have very few bones, and no swim bladder, which is unusual for a fish that lives so close to the surface. They use cleaner fish to get the parasites off them and I'm a fan of mutualism. They also might use seabirds to clean themselves off, floating at the surface and getting the birds to pick parasites off. That's pretty cool.

So yeah. In general I'm an ocean sunfish fan.

[tofu83]

What men bred for

3.5 Private modification

In a mysterious and dark room, a large device was buzzing, with fluorescent lights flashing one after another. The screen next to it displayed data detected and analyzed by AI, and a progress bar marked the current process.

Subject: EX-11

Physical Enhancement: 90%

Mind Conversion: 70%

Memory Erase: 50%

Emotional State: Stable

Libido Level: Medium

…………

The owner of the subject looked at the data and smiled with satisfaction.

It's amazing that this subject is still resisting and holding on longer than the previous ten subjects. Although individuals with strong mind power are difficult to tame, once conquered, they will become more loyal than ordinary individuals, will not betray their masters, and will be more ferocious in battle.

It was a wise decision to buy this "wild human" at a high price on the black market. It was a wise decision to buy this "wild human" at a high price on the black market. Originally, he was worried that the businessman was deceiving him by saying that this human was a "non-genetically modified human" who accidentally escaped from a hunting ground. It seems that he is worrying too much.

Humans produced by the government for legal purchase are added with various unnecessary genes, especially the absolute obedience gene, which limits human potential.

Nowadays, only those "prey-type" humans who are released in "hunting grounds" for the wealthy Alien Masters to hunt for entertainment may have pure genes closest to the original humans, but even among the "prey-type" there are many individuals have genes from other organisms added to them, making it difficult for the owner to adjust them to his own needs.

The law also stipulates that humans who escape from hunting grounds must be killed immediately. Because they are able to escape from complex alien technological protection measures and survive stubbornly in the wild, it means that they are individuals with superior IQ and physical abilities than ordinary humans, and are very likely to cause ecological catastrophe.

Therefore, the experimental body in the machine can be said to be the best of the best, rare to find. This human being will become his owner's strongest fighter in the underground fighting arena. Throwing humans into metal cages to fight has become a popular pastime for the Alien Masters, much like how humans once played cockfights. Moreover, centuries ago, humans also locked themselves in cages and fought with each other. It is human nature.

The owner couldn't wait to see what his carefully adjusted fighter looked like now, so he opened the machine's observation window. Inside the machine was a bucket filled with milky white viscous liquid, which is the so-called Modification Tank. The liquid was filled with body-enhancing nutrients, medicines, and DNA carefully selected by the owner to suit the fighter. Through advanced technology, the DNA of the subject would be assimilated and transformed with the DNA in the pool, and he would become a more perfect version.

The base of the liquid was, of course, human semen. Male humans are extremely obsessed with semen. Spraying semen on their heads or bodies will make them blush, their heart beats, their metabolism accelerates, and their spirits are high. So immersing human subjects in the semen pool will naturally improve the efficiency and success rate of transformation. Although the owner cannot produce a large amount of semen with the few humans at hand, it is a common product that can be purchased on the market, although it is usually used as food or drink.

"Raise the experimental subject" the owner commanded the machine.

The human experimental subject EX-11 rose from the thick milk. He has a strong body, a sculpted figure, and a beautiful face. The owner was so excited but also surprised that he actually had a "sexual interest" in this lowly creature! Is he a zoophile? He must discuss this with his psychiatrist.

EX-11's eyes and ears were covered with the brainwashing device, which was a visor with built-in headphones. This device was erasing his unnecessary memories and transforming his desire for freedom into loyalty to his master. It also had the function of calming his emotions.

Control rings were attached to his limbs. Not only is this device heavy, but its movement direction is controlled by a computer. Not only can it avoid human resistance, but it can also force him to perform various actions, such as now allowing him to display his perfect body for the owner to admire.

His hips and thighs were covered in rubber combat shorts, which allowed him to more quickly accept his new identity: a fighter and warrior slave. Having body wrapped tightly ccan turn some humans on, and owners are glad the EX-11 is no exception.

Finally, the most important part: the groin, was fitted with a special chastity belt. This is not simply to prevent his erection, but to control his sexual function to cooperate with the brainwashing device and increase the efficiency of transformation. The inside of this device is a sucker in the front and an anal plug in the back. There is a catheter in between to connect the urethra and anus, so his urine, prostatic fluid, and semen will be used for his own use and will not be wasted.

The owner looked at his perfect creation and couldn't wait to use it, touch it, put it into action, and show it off to his friends.

"Computer, perform the latest brainwashing program to allow his mind conversion to catch up with the progress of his physical transformation."

"Confirmed, start program: Gamma-Alpha-Psi-69"

Ex-11 began to tremble, pant, and roar. The owner laughed excitedly, "Become my fighter now! EX-11!"

————————————————————

What's going on? I remember that I fell into a coma after being caught by the robot. When I woke up, I smelled full of semen, and why couldn't I move? What are these strange symbols and the spiral in front of my eyes? My lower body seems to be covered by something. It’s a little uncomfortable but I feel so happy. So strange.

"You will obey. You are male. Male all obey."

"I am male, I obey." I recite reflexively, and feel my penis being massaged, and something inserted further into my anus. Feel so good. Obey, feel good.

"You will fight. You are male. Male all fight."

"I am male. I will fight." Yes, I will fight and obey! No! It’s not logical! I should fight the urge to obey! I must be free! I escaped the horrible wild land and lived free with my partner! Ahhh!! It’s hurt! My penis and balls are being squeezed so hard!

"Incorrect! You are a slave. You will fight for owner!"

When the voice said "slave" and "owner", I feel immediately pleasure from my back hole! It’s wrong, I must resist but….

"Resistance is pointless, disobedience is wrong. It is wise to give up and right to obey. You are male, you obey and fight. You are a slave and you fight for the owner."

"I…I am male, slave, fight for the owner." And a sudden pleasure wash all over my body. This is correct.

"You are EX-11. You like blood. You are violence. You are a fighter. "

No! I fight but not for blood! I fight because I am male, a male fight for free…Ah, no! I am a male fighter slave of my owner….

Oh, the massage on my phallus is so good. Fight for owner is so good. And there is the blood scenes in front of me, I can feel the blood. Blood smells so good. I roar and tense my muscles, I feel my phallus leaking unstoppably.

"You are a fighter slave, you are bloody violent but you also love your owner."

I had a lover in wild land, he was also captured. But he is nothing to me now. All I need is my owner. I love my owner, fight for him and obey his every command.

"Show your loyalty and strength to your owner, you will be rewarded!"

I roar and lift my arms, flex my muscles, and announce, "I am EX-11, I am a fighter slave, I love my owner, I obey!"

"You did a good job. You are rewarded."

I feel lots of sperm falling from ceiling to my whole body. It smells and test so wonderful. And at the same time, I reach my orgasm. Loads after loads of my sperm ejected from my phallus, and my anus filled with my own liquid. That’s so correct. I was so immersed in pleasure that I forgot how I lost consciousness again.

—————————————————————

The owner was shocked at what he saw. This human being was able to overcome the suppression of the bracelet and raise his arm! Did he make his humans too powerful?

Although EX-11 seems to be very intoxicated in the process of becoming a real slave, immersed in the pleasure brought by orgasm and semen, unable to extricate himself. The owner still panicked and ordered the computer to fully take over EX-11's consciousness. EX-11 immediately put down his hands and lowered his head, like a lifeless puppet.

"Lower the experimental subject into the transformation tank and continue the remaining procedures."

After EX-11 was lowered into the barrel, the observation window was closed. Owners with lingering fears take a look at the data:

Subject: Ex-11

Physical Enhancement: 91%

Mind Conversion: 90%

Memory Erased: 80%

Emotional State: Over excited (forced sleeping)

Libido Level: Extremely high (forced cooling down)

………

The owner thought about it and decided to take a safety precaution.

"Computer, before installing the combat skills package, create the drone mode and set the mode conversion password."

"Confirmed"

After all, this human is too natural and lacks the gene for absolute obedience. No matter how confident you are, you must use it with caution.

The owner began to imagine the joyful scene of this fighter slave being converted into drone mode by him after a bloody match, allowing him to play with it to his heart's content.

Oh no, he really needs to make an appointment with a psychiatrist.

[dreamcatchers-husband]

Animalistic Tendencies

Male Reader X Iz*one MInju

Length: 2200+

Tags: Creampie, Breeding

A/N- Final fic of the year! This fic officially make 30 fics I wrote this year. Thank you for all the support! Sorry for any typos and such ahead of time.

Nature. Nature is really beautiful with all these different creatures out there in the world. Your love for all these things affected your decision on what you wanted to do in life.  

After your strenuous four years of university, you got the job of your dreams. A Zoologist may sound boring to some but for you? It was perfect. Your love for the job let another two years go by as you traveled all over the world to study various animals.

That brings you to today. An exhausting twelve-hour flight the day before brought you to a country you haven’t been to before, South Africa. Currently, you found yourself in the middle of a Safari. The stereotypical Jeep you saw on YouTube videos was your mode of transportation. 

As you sat in the back seat, your hand was full with a hefty recording device. With the window lowered, you used that as an opportunity to extend your arms for a closer shot. The sound of a camera shutter hit your ears as you continued to film. 

“Oppa. Are you getting it?” 

“Yeah. Keep taking pictures of the lions, Minju. I think it’s almost over.” 

What was it that you and Minju were documenting? Lion breeding processes. As the two mammals were occupied in their activities, you and Minju were making sure to get it all. 

Minju was assigned to do a new mating and breeding process study for lions and being a good friend you decided to go with her to help her document. Just as the male lion stopped its movements, you and Minju brought your devices back into the vehicle and brought the windows back up. 

“Yes! We got it! How lucky are we to get two lions mating on our first day here?” 

“Very lucky. I- Minju, Start the car and drive.” 

“Why?” 

“They see us.” 

Turning her head, Minju was faced with the pair of lions staring at you intruders. Without hesitation, Minju started the Vehicle and slammed on the accelerator. As you looked back the two lions could be seen in the distance. The sound of their growl hit your ears even with the closed windows. 

After driving like a madwoman for the next thirty minutes, Minju finally pulled into Capetown. Seeing the familiar surroundings of buildings helped calm down the girl and her erratic driving. Pulling in front of your hotel, Minju put the car in park and relaxed her back on the car seat. 

“You ok?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. That was a rush huh?”

“Yeah, it sure was. Let’s bring our stuff in and see what we got.” 

Agreeing with you, the young girl unlocked the doors and stepped out of the vehicle. Grabbing your equipment, you followed Minju inside the nice hotel and made your way up to your room. As the front door opened, Minju made her way over to your bed and placed her stuff down. 

Once inside, your hands grabbed the laptop next to the tv and turned it on. With the necessary cables already attached, you connected the camera to your laptop which was connected to the hotel tv. 

Selecting the most recent file on the laptop display, the sound of Minju’s voice can be heard from the tv speakers. Stepping back, you sat down on your bed and began to watch the film. 

“Hello. This is Kim Minju, a Zoologist for the Animal Research Department of the University of Seoul. My fellow Zoologist, Jang Doyoon is handling the video camera which will be recording our subjects. Now for my first leading research project, I decided to study something that I feel could use more information. The Lion breeding process. Now due to how protective Lions can be during this, people need to arrive near the beginning of the process or later on. We have been tracking two lions from early in the day, keeping our distance Despite being in this bulky Jeep. Any second now the- Oppa I think they are starting. Make sure to film!”

As the camera moved from Minju, the tv screen then displayed the Male Lion jumping on top of the female lion. The next two minutes felt a little uncomfortable as you and Minju watched the mammals have intercourse. With the final thrust, the Lion ended its mating process and stood back on its four legs. 

Jumping up, you then walked over and paused the video right there. 

“So. I think we learned that lions don’t last long.” 

With a giggle leaving Minju’s mouth, you began to laugh along with your friend at her comment. 

“So, Minju. I was wondering, why did you want to study the Lion breeding process?”

“Well I want to study the breeding process of a specific mammal but I was told there isn’t much on Lion’s process. With that in mind, I decided to first study the lion and now I can study the next mammal.” 

“Really? What’s the mammal you want to study next?.” 

Moving her stuff from the bed, Minju then faced you and smirked. That dangerous gaze began to fill your mind with a lustful sensation. Looking at her outfit, you noticed how all of it matched. The tan beret held her long brown hair that lay on her covered chest. The tan shirt that covered her upper body was accompanied by a striped tie that made the outfit look a bit more professional. Your favorite part of the wardrobe was her shorts. 

Moving your head down, you saw Minju’s legs begin to walk closer to you. Her meaty thighs jiggled with each step she took. A finger touched your chin and brought your glance back up to Minju’s face. 

“You see. I want to study the breeding process of home sapiens, otherwise known as Humans.” 

You didn't need to be a genius to pick up what Minju was saying. Without hesitation, your arms extended and pulled the young woman closer to you. Attaching your Lips to Minju’s, the two of you quickly battle for control. Pushing your tongue forward, Minju stopped fighting and allowed your tongue in her mouth. 

As your appendage intertwined with hers, your hands moved down to her waist and then her ass. The handfuls you grabbed of her ass made your cock begin to twitch from inside the confines of your pants. 

Removing your left hand from her ass cheek, your fingertips began to move along the soft skin of her fat thighs. Just as you did with her ass, your hand began to take a handful of her upper leg. Pulling back from the kiss, your mouth moved to her neck and began to pepper it with kisses. 

Using her hands, Minju then reached down to your belt and began to unbuckle it. Pulling back from your touch, the young woman then dropped to her knees. Pulling down your pants in one swoop, a gasp left your friend's mouth as she saw your exposed member. 

Reaching up once more, Minju’s delicate hand took hold of your length and began to give it small strokes. 

“So first notes. The human man seems to enjoy foreplay before engaging in intercourse. The male penis seems to vary in size compared to a lion. The current subject seems to have a very large phallus. Exact measurement will come later.” 

Speeding up her small strokes, the young girl brought her mouth closer to your length and began to blow a bit of air on the tip. The little teases from Minju made you feel impatient as each second went by. Your friend seemed to pick this up as the sudden sensation of lips wrapped around your tip.

With a few small sucks, Minju then lowered her mouth farther down your cock. As Minju began to bob her head, your right hand grabbed Minju’s hat and threw it off her head. Taking a handful of her hair, you helped guide Minju further down your rod. 

Looking down, Minju’s eyes met your own as she gave you a little smile. Minju at that time began to unbutton her shirt, giving you a small glance at her cleavage. With the final button removed, Minju brought her mouth off your rod and took off her shirt. 

The tan-colored bra that matched her shirt quickly came off with no effort from the girl. Minju’s breasts weren’t the biggest but at that moment they were the most perfect pair you had ever seen. With a small giggle, the woman made her way back to your length and licked it up and down. 

“Fuck Minju. That tongue of yours is amazing.” 

Going down to your balls, Minju began to give each of them a few suck that made your body jolt. With each suck and stroke your friend gave you, the more your body began to jump around from the stimulation. 

As Minju opened her mouth near your cock once more, the girl suddenly stopped and smirked at you. With your hand still on her hair, you began to push Minju’s head down but she stopped you. 

Letting go of her hair, Minju then stood up and reached down for her shorts. Unbuckling them, Minju then pulled down her shorts revealing her wet pussy. Minju’s snatch seemed to be leaking as her fluids ran down her thighs. 

“No cumming Oppa. I had a taste of you. Why don’t you have a taste of me?”

Laying down on the bed, Minju then spread her legs open. Her freshly shaven pussy made your mouth water with each second that passed by. Dropping to your knees, you pulled Minju closer to the edge of the bed and your face. Like a thirsty animal, Your tongue began to lick Minju’s lips like it was a source of water. Each lick filled your tongue with Minju’s juices that had a flavor incomparable to anything else. 

Each slurp of her fluids made you crave more. Finding her clit at the top of her folds, Your tongue began to lick it just as you did with her lips. Little jolts and moans came from Minju as you continued to stimulate her pink nub. Bringing your hand up, you pushed a finger into her pussy and began to move it in and out. 

“A-Ah. Oppa, more please.” 

Listening to Minju’s pleas, you introduced another finger into her pussy and sped up your movements. With your tongue and fingers attacking her senses, Minju began to close her legs around your head. The strangling feeling around your head was your confirmation that the girl was getting close to her peak. 

With that in mind, your movements came to a halt. A loud whine left Minju’s mouth as she opened her legs. 

Just as Minju did to you, you gave Minju a big smirk and stood up. Lining your length up with her folds, you pushed your way in aggressively. Your friend’s eyes shot open at the sensation of being filled. Taking hold of her legs, you began to move your hips back and forth. 

Each thrust into Minju resulted in a grunt from you. Your movements continued to speed up as Minju raised her upper body. 

“F-Fuck. Oppa I’m so close. Don’t stop a-again.”

Hearing those words, you let go of the hold on her legs and reached down for her clit. Rubbing the erect button in a circular motion, Minju began to scream as her peak was arriving. Matching your speed, Minju fucked herself on your length and wrapped her legs around your body until her own stopped moving. 

Minju’s walls began to tighten around your length as her yells filled the room. Despite Minju reaching her orgasm, your own thrusts continued with some resistance from her constricting walls. With that gut feeling arriving, you used all your remaining strength to move as fast as possible. 

Minju at that time came back to her senses as she wrapped her arms around your neck. 

“Remember Oppa. You need to breed me. Fill my womb up with the load.” 

Those words served as the catalyst for your peak. With two-final thrusts, your cock began to twitch from inside the young woman. Your cock at that time began to shoot out semen, filling Minju to the brim. Your legs at that time gave out as you dropped on top of Minju. 

Seeing her beautiful face in front of you, your lips went back to Minju, and began to kiss her once more. Your hand at that time began to grab her breast and play with her mounds. Pulling back from the kiss, you looked down at Minju and smiled. 

“That was quite the study.” 

“Well. Anything in the name of science, right?” 

“Did you really want to study the breeding process of humans?” 

“Oh yes. As a matter of fact, I’m ovulating. The next part of the study is how a man and a female act when expecting offspring.” 

Hearing those words made you smile. Grabbing Minju, you threw Minju on top of you and lined up your length with her folds once more. 

“Well then. Let’s make sure we put a baby in you.” 

With a smile, Minju hopped back on your erect length. 

Safe to say the breeding study went on for the rest of the night.

[octoir]

I think the brilliance of Harry is that he is very adaptable - nerdy Tom wouldn't be expecting some of the chaos Harry would naturally have, so he's just not as prepared for the unexpected

anon, I totally agree. this is also the interpretation that some of my favorite fics go with. we don’t even know a lot of what Harry’s going to do…until he does it.

once again though, cross-applying my previous arguments about spell repertoire. Harry’s unpredictable but I think he’s used to everyone just being bad. He’s not really shown to care too much about a meta (e.g, spell length, spell length and intensity, shield breaking/disabling, etc) which Tom absolutely would know. he’s at a severe disadvantage, don’t tell me he’s going to yet again counter with expelliarmus and pray

BUT Jesus if Harry just went on a fucking training arc like JKR should have put him through, that creativity and adaptivity would be cracked. I NEED to see a selective stupefy where Harry only freezes select parts of someone’s body, or maybe even a reverse stupefy where Harry accelerates someone’s movements/mind to the point of infeasibility.

shit, I’m inspired. I might write a duel scene between Harry and Tom tbh just to see what would happen

[drdemonprince]

In a piece that’s very much giving stop buying avocado toast, Buzzfeed asks a financial planner for advice on how to get out of debt when you have ADHD.

Debt is framed simply as a result of “impulse spending”, and capital management expert Daniel DeWitt’s tips include things we’ve all been told a thousand times, like not using credit cards, cancelling subscriptions, and cutting back on that pesky expense, food.

It’s a classic American message of personal responsibility filtered through a diagnostic lens, the solution to economic hardship presented as learning better “self-management” skills to generate more wealth. I can’t help but think about the idea of false consciousness here — those structures or ideas that hide the real nature of a capitalist economy.

In this case, it’s the idea that a brain disorder is the cause of your money problems. The DSM is being used to obscure the real cause of economic hardship: exploitation.

Svend Brinkman has described diagnoses as “anchors” in a modern world that is constantly shifting and accelerating. They can be a kind of answer (see: the rock bottom to “it finally all makes sense!” trope in diagnosis stories), but they can also take all the politics out of our pain.

A biomedical view of ADHD explains economic hardship with a detached neurological lens that seems to exist somewhere outside of history. But debt isn’t caused by Bad With Money Disorder — it’s a tool of class warfare, and ADHD or not, we’re all being targeted.

yet another absolute banger by Jesse Meadows. Check it out.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Electric fields boost graphene's potential, study shows

Researchers at the National Graphene Institute have made a discovery that could revolutionize energy harnessing and information computing. Their study, published in Nature, reveals how electric field effects can selectively accelerate coupled electrochemical processes in graphene. Electrochemical processes are essential in renewable energy technologies like batteries, fuel cells, and electrolyzers. However, their efficiency is often hindered by slow reactions and unwanted side effects. Traditional approaches have focused on new materials, yet significant challenges remain. The Manchester team, led by Dr. Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo, has taken a novel approach. They have successfully decoupled the inseparable link between charge and electric field within graphene electrodes, enabling unprecedented control over electrochemical processes in this material. The breakthrough challenges previous assumptions and opens new avenues for energy technologies.

Read more.

[solarpunkbusiness]

Bacteria in soil could power technology that makes farms more productive

UK startup Bactery draws on the electrons produced by bacteria in soil to harvest clean electricity from the earth.

Its soil-rechargeable batteries have the potential to work around the clock - and around the world.

The company’s founders hope the technology will accelerate the shift towards data-driven agriculture, helping farmers to increase yields and conserve resources without having to install expensive and hard-to-maintain energy infrastructure.

How do the bacterial batteries work?

Bactery’s bacteria-powered batteries build on ‘soil microbial fuel cells’ (SMFCs), which capture energy from natural chemical reactions that occur in soil-based microorganisms.

Carbon-based electrodes are positioned in the soil and connected to an external circuit. This system transfers the electrons generated by certain microorganisms as they ‘consume’ the organic compounds present in the soil, turning them into electricity.

Stacks of these cells can be connected to a battery to store this energy.

Over the last four years of research and development, "we’ve learned a whole lot more about the different bioelectrochemical processes, and grasped a better understanding of the roles both bacteria and the soil play in this complex equation," Dr Dziegielowski tells Euronews Green.

"This know-how enabled us to engineer solutions that stimulate and control selective processes in the ground, allowing us to maximise energy extraction and sustain continuous electricity generation for years."

In the next 12 months, his company Bactery will continue refining its prototypes with a view to starting small scale production before launching a commercial product in 2026.

[hirocimacruiser]

FC3S

FC standard mountain pass specification with excellent handling controllability

Easy maneuverability that takes advantage of its light body and the power and response of a rotary turbo. And it has a sharp form typical of a sports car. The FC3S has gained popularity due to its excellent total package. With the advent of more advanced FDs, FCs have a strong image of having retreated from the front lines, but they are still very popular in the used car market.

More than 10 years have passed since its introduction, and there are a lot of Tamas on the market, and tuned cars come in a variety of specifications, from light tunes that only involve the suspension to hard tunes that include modifications to the engine internals. Among them, the most popular is the mountain pass and drift version. The Garage R FC introduced here is also one that has been finished to such mountain pass specifications.

It is a typical mountain pass specification with a stiffened intake/exhaust system and suspension. The suspension is made up of coilovers and reinforced springs, and I don't know the exact spring rate, but it's pretty hard. The LSD initial is also high, and is set up to aggressively attack corners. It's a bit tricky when riding around town, but once you get used to it you should be able to control your posture freely.

Additionally, although the engine itself is stock, the exhaust system has been replaced, from the front pipe to the catalyst to the main muffler. Although it doesn't have an overwhelming sense of power, the revs are sharp and the engine responds quickly to the accelerator. It seems to be a mountain pass specification that emphasizes response rather than absolute power. Combined with the precisely designed suspension, you should be able to drive comfortably through mountain passes.

This is the perfect car for people who not only want to tune their cars, but also want to hone their skills.

INFO BOX

Savannah RX-7 GT-X

1990 model inspected September 9th

Mileage 58,000km 1,280,000 yen

Tune data: Amemiya Aircree

NA TRUST INTERCOOLER

Garage EL sports muffler strong

Kasusu Amemiya Full Aero 4-point test

roll cage additional meter

PIC CAPTIONS

●The bright purple color and recessed headlights create a unique atmosphere. The suspension with coilovers has a high spring rate and hard specifications, and is set up with an emphasis on handling.

●Equipped with a 4-point roll cage. The seats are still standard, but you can also have your favorite bucket ordered, so you can have it replaced before the car is delivered.

●The interior is simple due to the light tune specifications, but the boost gauge is casually placed in the ventilation hole. Naturally, the mirrors have also been replaced with standard aero mirrors.

SHOP INFO

Garage R

1-44-21 Matsushima, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 132

03-5662-7000

We mainly handle rotary vehicles such as FC and FD. We especially have a wide selection of light-tuned cars equipped with aero parts, so if you're looking for a Heas car, please come and have a look.

[probablybadquirkideas]

Quirk: Fool

Effect: This Quirk's holder may randomly mutate into one of twenty-one other effects:

Effect I: The Quirk holder gains affinity for the four elements. The use of one element weakens the other three, so balance is key.

Effect II: The Quirk holder choses one fact they are aware of - until the Fool reactivates, no one else may speak of this secret.

Effect III: The Quirk holder accelerates the growth and seeding of all plant matter, including the creation of fruit.

Effect IV: The Quirk holder inflicts their dominion on others, sapping their will to fight. This is based on the opponent's own ego - weaker wills are unable to fight back.

Effect V: The Quirk holder passively obtains information they are otherwise unaware of. The usefulness of the knowledge... Varies.

Effect VI: The Quirk holder becomes aware of the bonds between others. This can mean friendships, romances, rivalries, familial bonds... All sorts.

Effect VII: The Quirk holder selects one goal. Once that goal is accomplished, the Fool reactivates. If the Quirk holder were to perish in pursuit of this goal: revive instantly, unharmed, and the Fool reactivates.

Effect VIII: The Quirk holder places into effect one universal rule. The rule will then reset when the Fool reactivates.

Effect IX: The Quirk holder alone may access a room, hidden in the border formed by the corners of walls. This room has basic amenities, such as a bed and running water, but no windows or timekeeping devices. No one other than the Quirk holder may enter.

Effect X: The Quirk holder can manipulate the future effect of a single action. For this to work, a "cause" must be known. Once completed, the Fool will reactivate.

Effect XI: The Quirk holder gains boundless physical strength, as well as an unshakeable moral compass to compensate and regulate.

Effect XII: When this effect is activated, time will stop. The only thing unfrozen is the Quirk holder's own perception. When time resumes, the Fool will reactivate.

Effect XIII: The Quirk holder has the ability to manipulate and shape forms like putty, including themselves. Unlike most other effects, the changes are permanent.

Effect XIV: The Quirk holder becomes attuned to the natural flow of energy within the earth, and can heal as well as harm with it. An imbalance of positive and negative will force a reactivation of the Fool, however.

Effect XV: The Quirk holder may inflict the effects of drug withdrawal on opponents: irritability, thirst, mania, hunger, confusion, paranoia, etc. Wield responsibly.

Effect XVI: A natural disaster shall strike the exact location of the Quirk holder.

Effect XVII: The Quirk holder is protected from disaster. This could be seen as "good luck", but others may consider it "a breather".

Effect XVIII: The Quirk holder can project their worst fears into reality. This construct is also capable of reflecting the fears of those that gaze upon it - however, it is merely an illusion.

Effect XVIX: The Quirk holder radiates light. Those in the light of the Quirk holder will gain a weak physical boost.

Effect XX: The Quirk holder can refine a material into its base components: a book may revert to water and wood pulp, steel to iron ore and other minerals, etc. This will not work on people.

Effect XXI: The Quirk holder may move through space. It is, in effect, teleportation, except the holder is not disappearing from one spot and appearing in another location, but rather, moving the entire universe around themselves until they've reached their destination.

[dasenergi-diary]

A question that has persisted in science — how did we go from “caveman” to “modern man”?

A team of scientists from the United States, Italy, and China may have finally found the answer in DNA mapping.

800,000 years ago (during the Ice Age), about 98.7% of the population died off.

It is estimated that only 1,280 breeding individuals may have existed at this moment in time.

This was due to the change in Earth’s climate (the ice sheets covering the Earth) which included droughts, and food sources going extinct like the mastodon, the mammoth, and giant sloths.

This is also around the time when humans first set foot in Australia and the Americas.

And because these ancestors had the brain power to survive in these conditions (due to natural selection) this “bottleneck” accelerated the evolution of the human brain — Because our surviving ancestors were smart enough to learn how to control fire, and farm, and hunt, invent animal husbandry, and incorporate improved living conditions.

Source: https://www.popsci.com/science/human-population-pleistocene/

[spacenutspod]

It’s an exciting time in astronomy today, where records are being broken and reset regularly. We are barely two months into 2023, and already new records have been set for the farthest black hole yet observed, the brightest supernova, and the highest-energy gamma rays from our Sun. Most recently, an international team of astronomers using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile reportedly saw the brightest object ever observed in the Universe: a quasar (J0529-4351) located about 12 billion light years away that has the fastest-growing supermassive black hole (SMBH) at its center. The international team responsible for the discovery consisted of astrophysicists from the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) and the Center for Gravitational Astrophysics (CGA) at the Australian National University (ANU). They were joined by researchers from the University of Melbourne, the Paris Institute of Astrophysics (IAP), and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The paper that describes their findings, titled “The accretion of a solar mass per day by a 17-billion solar mass black hole,” recently appeared online and will published in the journal Nature Astronomy. First observed in 1963 by Dutch-American astronomer Maarten Schmidt, quasars (short for “quasi-stellar objects”) are the bright cores of galaxies powered by SMBHs. These black holes collect matter from their surroundings and accelerate it to near the speed of light, which releases tremendous amounts of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum. Quasars become so bright that their cores will outshine all the stars in their disk, making them the brightest objects in the sky and visible from billions of light-years away. As a general rule, astronomers gauge the growth rate of SMBHs based on the luminosity of their galaxy’s core region – the brighter the quasar, the faster the black hole is accreting matter. In this case, the SMBH at the core of J0529-4351 is growing by the equivalent of one Solar mass a day, making it the fastest-growing black hole yet observed. In the process, the accretion disk alone releases a radiative energy of 2 × 1041 Watts, more than 500 trillion times the luminous energy emitted by the Sun. Christian Wolf, an ANU astronomer and lead author of the study, characterized the discovery in a recent ESO press release: “We have discovered the fastest-growing black hole known to date. It has a mass of 17 billion Suns, and eats just over a Sun per day. This makes it the most luminous object in the known Universe. Personally, I simply like the chase. For a few minutes a day, I get to feel like a child again, playing treasure hunt, and now I bring everything to the table that I have learned since.” But what was most surprising was that this quasar was hiding in plain sight. “All this light comes from a hot accretion disc that measures seven light-years in diameter — this must be the largest accretion disc in the Universe,” said ANU Ph.D. student and co-author Samuel Lai. “It is a surprise that it has remained unknown until today, when we already know about a million less impressive quasars. It has literally been staring us in the face until now,” added co-author Christopher Onken, who is also an astronomer at ANU. As Onken explained, J0529-4351 showed up in images taken by the ESO Schmidt Southern Sky Survey dating back to 1980. It was only in recent years that it was recognized as a quasar, thanks to improved instruments and measurements. Finding quasars requires precise observations from large areas of the sky, resulting in massive datasets that often require machine learning algorithms to analyze them. However, these models are somewhat limited because they are trained on existing data, meaning candidates are selected based on previously observed objects. This image shows the region of the sky in which the record-breaking quasar J0529-4351 is situated. Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Dark Energy Survey Since J0529-4351 is so luminous, it was dismissed by the ESA’s Gaia Observatory as being too bright to be a quasar and was ruled to be a bright star. Last year, the ANU-led team identified it as a distant quasar based on observations using the 2.3-meter telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. They then conducted follow-up observations using the X-shooter spectrograph on the ESO’s VLT telescope to confirm their results. The quasar is also an ideal target for the GRAVITY+ upgrade on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), designed to accurately measure the mass of black holes. In addition, astronomers look forward to making observations with next-generation telescopes like the ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). This 39-meter telescope, currently under construction in the Atacama Desert in Chile, will make identifying and characterizing distant quasars easier. Studying these objects and their central black holes could reveal vital details about how SMBHs and galaxies co-evolved during the early Universe. Further Reading: ESO, ESO Science Papers The post The Brightest Object Ever Seen in the Universe appeared first on Universe Today.

[jcmarchi]

Dark Energy Discovery a Decade in the Making: New Supernova Insights Offer Clues to the Expansion of the Universe - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/dark-energy-discovery-a-decade-in-the-making-new-supernova-insights-offer-clues-to-the-expansion-of-the-universe-technology-org/

Dark Energy Discovery a Decade in the Making: New Supernova Insights Offer Clues to the Expansion of the Universe - Technology Org

Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology have contributed to a landmark study that complicates our understanding of the universe.

An example of a supernova discovered by the Dark Energy Survey within the field covered by one of the individual detectors in the Dark Energy Camera. The supernova exploded in a spiral galaxy with redshift = 0.04528, about 0.6 billion years light years away. This is one of the nearest supernovae in the sample. In the inset, the supernova is a small dot at the upper-right of the bright galaxy center. Image credit: DES collaboration

The Dark Energy Survey (DES) represents the work of over 400 astrophysicists, astronomers and cosmologists from over 25 institutions. 

DES scientists took data for 758 nights across six years to understand the nature of dark energy and measure the universe’s expansion rate. According to a new complex theory, the density of dark energy in the universe could have varied over time.

Dr Anais Möller from Swinburne University of Technology’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing was part of the team working on this revolutionary analysis, alongside Swinburne’s Mitchell Dixon, Professor Karl Glazebrook and Emeritus Professor Jeremy Mould.

“These results, a collaboration between hundreds of scientists around the world, are a testament to power of cooperation and hard work to make major scientific progress,” says Dr Möller.

“I am very proud of the work we have achieved as a team; it is an incredibly thorough analysis which reduces our uncertainties to new levels and shows the power of the Dark Energy Survey.”

“We not only used state-of-the-art data, but also developed pioneering methods to extract the maximum information from the Supernova Survey. I am particularly proud of this, as I developed the method to select the supernovae used for the survey with machine learning.”

In 1998, astrophysicists discovered that the universe is accelerating, attributed to a mysterious entity called dark energy that makes up about 70 per cent of our universe. At the time, astrophysicists agreed that the universe’s expansion should be slowing down because of gravity. 

This revolutionary discovery, which astrophysicists achieved with observations of specific kinds of exploding stars, called type Ia (read “type one-A”) supernovae, was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011.

Now, 25 years after the initial discovery, the Dark Energy Survey is a culmination of a decade’s worth of research from scientists worldwide who analysed more than 1,500 supernovas using the strongest constraints on the expansion of the universe ever obtained. This is largest number of type Ia supernovae ever used for constraining dark energy from a single survey probing large cosmic times.

The outcome results are consistent with the now-standard cosmological model of a universe with an accelerated expansion. Yet, the findings are not definitive enough to rule out a possibly more complex model.

“There is still so much to discover about dark energy, but this analysis can be considered as the gold standard in supernova cosmology for quite some time,” says Dr Moller.

“This analysis also brings innovative methods that will be used in the next generation of surveys, so we are taking a leap in the way we do science. I’m excited to uncover more about the mystery that is dark energy in the upcoming decade.”

Pioneering a new approach

The new study pioneered a new approach to use photometry — with an unprecedented four filters — to find the supernovae, classify them and measure their light curves. Dr. Möller created the method to select these type Ia supernovae using modern machine learning. 

“It is very exciting times to see this innovative technology to harness the power of large astronomical surveys”, she says. “Not only we are able to obtain more type Ia supernovae than before, but we tested these methods thoroughly as we want to do more precision measurements on the fundamental physics of our universe.”

This technique requires data from type Ia supernovae, which occur when an extremely dense dead star, known as a white dwarf, reaches a critical mass and explodes. Since the critical mass is nearly the same for all white dwarfs, all type Ia supernovae have approximately the same actual brightness and any remaining variations can be calibrated out. So, when astrophysicists compare the apparent brightnesses of two type Ia supernovae as seen from Earth, they can determine their relative distances from us.

Astrophysicists trace out the history of cosmic expansion with large samples of supernovae spanning a wide range of distances. For each supernova, they combine its distance with a measurement of its redshift — how quickly it is moving away from Earth due to the expansion of the universe. They can use that history to determine whether the dark energy density has remained constant or changed over time.

The results found w = –0.80 +/- 0.18 using supernovae alone. Combined with complementary data from the European Space Agency’s Planck telescope, w reaches –1 within the error bars. To come to a definitive conclusion, scientists will need more data using a new survey.

DES researchers used advanced machine-learning techniques to aid in supernova classification. Among the data from about two million distant observed galaxies, DES found several thousand supernovae. Scientists ultimately used 1,499 type Ia supernovae with high-quality data, making it the largest, deepest supernova sample from a single telescope ever compiled. In 1998, the Nobel-winning astronomers used just 52 supernovae to determine that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.

Source: Swinburne University of Technology

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

[mk-writes-stuff]

Cloning on the Seven Stations

I’ve had the urge to make this post for like a week now so here goes. My disorganized worldbuilding thoughts on clones and cloning on the Seven Stations :)

Note: the word “donor” refers to the person the clone was cloned from, their genetic donor.

Clones

Clones are… just people, really. They don’t share memories with their donors, or anything except genetics really. They’re essentially artificial identical twins in terms of relation. Of course, the nobles don’t see them that way lol.

Legally, clones are classified as property of their donor. They have no human rights and are often used as slave labour or exposed to dangerous radiation to be killed for their magic. Escapee clones are to be returned to their donors immediately. It is essentially legal to do anything you’d like with one of your clones, although the nobles might frown on it if it’s weird.

Clones are identified through a combination of magic (clones do not have the same magic(s) as their donors and so cannot demonstrate them) and through fingerprinting.

The Cloning Process

This is the interesting part :)

Cells for cloning are usually taken from a cheek swab and usually retaken yearly (or less if the donor makes clones less frequently than yearly). The process is harmless and minimally invasive.

The donor DNA is then replicated and inserted into a zygote cell that’s been manually printed for this purpose. The cell is then put in a growth chamber to grow into a clone.

A series of hormonal treatments is used to accelerate clone aging drastically. Progress from a single cell to an infant is done in about a week. Another three ish weeks are used to grow the clone to the age of 20. After this, aging can be done at a pace of about fifteen years in a week.

During this time, electrical nerve stimulation, constant nutrients, and hormones are used to ensure that the clone’s body and brain are aged properly. A clone grown to the age of, say, 25 and imprinted properly (more on that in a moment) is no different from an amnesiac naturally-aged human of 25.

Imprinting

Clones are typically imprinted during the cloning process with what are called imprints - select brain and knowledge paths that are directly wired into their brain rather than being taught naturally. These contribute to the brain development of the clone and allow them to function comfortably once they are taken out of the cloning vat.

The imprints include:

Motor function (including but not limited to eyes tracking and ability to walk)

Language (typically only spoken, most clones are not taught to read or write)

The ability to eat, drink, use the bathroom, and bathe independently (both knowledge and motor paths)

Use of many basic objects (such as doors and tablets)

Basic arithmetic

Social cues (such as the ability to tell when someone is angry)

Personality (most clones are imprinted to be docile and obedient)

Many freed clones object to the process of artificially accelerating clone aging and imprinting, particularly the personality imprint. Note that the personality imprint does not prevent a clone from experiencing anger or fighting the injustice of their mistreatment - it tends to simply make them shy and quiet.

Defects and Misprints

Obviously the cloning process is imperfect. Clones whose “defects” are considered severe are typically killed, while those with mostly unnoticeable ones are left alone.

Improper connections from the devices supplying nutrition and signals to limbs and other parts can lead to deformities in limbs - in severe cases, the clone may be missing a limb, while in other cases, they may merely have a weaker limb. Parts of the body tangled improperly in the hardware can also lead to visible deformities. (Please let me know if “deformities” isn’t the word to use here, I’ve seen some disabled people use it so I’m using it, but if there’s a more respectful term I’m happy to modify this post.)

Clones can also have their genetics copy improperly. Most cases of improper copying are unnoticeable, but, occasionally, significant changes occur. These are typically not considered a cause for alarm unless significant.

Misprints are a special category of “defective” clones, referring specifically to clones whose imprints (one or more) copied improperly. This can result in everything from a slight lisp to the way a one speaks to complete inability to move one’s own body. A misprint clone is still more than capable of learning to do the things that did not print correctly, but they must learn them manually over time.

There are two misprint clones in the story, both of whom are somewhat exceptional cases. Rhys is a misprint due to being taken out early - as a Ricinus clone, he was supposed to be aged to 53, but he was taken out at the age of 25. His language and motor control imprints misprinted, leaving him with poor manual dexterity and a small vocabulary. Cassie is also a misprint - she suffered an extremely rare complete personality misprint, making her a complete blank slate when she emerged from her vat. She instead learned her personality from the people around her, primarily the guards.

I hope this is interesting! I’ve been really worried to post this because I’m afraid of being judged for it (some of the ways they treat clones are super fucked up and I know this) but I wanted to share it with y’all. I hope you like it :)