#morphological analysis

[ranahan]

*nar-, ‘move(ment), action, act’

nari (n), ‘move, action, act’

narir (v), ‘to act, do, put’

Compound words

There’s a common pattern of creating compound words with this root:

lonar (n), ‘insertion’ < lo, ‘into’, lit. “into movement”

shonar (n), ‘wave’ < *sho-, ‘sea, ocean’, lit. “sea movement”

jenarar (v), ‘to feint’ < *je-, ‘false’, lit. “false movement/action”

cetar’narir (v), ‘to put the boot in’ < cetar, ‘boot’

muninar (a), ‘tall’ < munit, ‘long’

Note that words ending in -nar are nouns (or presumably adjectives derived from nouns in the case of muninar); verbs have an additional verbal suffix after it. So presumably e.g. jenar would be a noun meaning ‘a feint’ and lonarir (or lonarur or some other vowel) would be a verb meaning ‘to insert.’

Note also that many other words also end in -nar, but have the n as part of their base and therefore aren’t derived from this root, e.g. aran > aranar.

Other compounds and derivations

naritir (v), ‘to insert, place, put’ < *nar- + instrumental suffix -(V)t

narser (n), ‘purpose’ < ser(im), ‘accurate, correct’, lit. “do right”

nasreyc (a), ‘determined, resolute’ < this appears to come from *narseryc; it is either a typo or a deliberate metathesis like meshurok. As johamur mentioned in the notes, the pronunciation is given as nar-SAIR-eesh, so more likely a typo.

Ashnar… (phrase), ‘someone has (done),’ can be followed by a noun or a verb < this appears to be a contraction of “ashi nari…”

nar’sheb (phrase), contemptuous comment, like “shove it” but much stronger < sheb, ‘ass’, lit. “move ass.”

[forensicfield]

Forensic Botany: Utilizing Plant Evidence in Crime Scene Analysis

While Botany refers to the scientific study of plant life, growth and development, Forensic Botany can be defined as the study of plants and various plant parts and their derivatives and to understand how these... #forensicbotany #forensicscience #crime

Continue reading Forensic Botany: Utilizing Plant Evidence in Crime Scene Analysis

[youwerethedefeated]

I know the official spelling for Hinata's name is "Shoyo" but I just can't bring myself to type it like that 😭 it just looks wrong idk. Like there's something missing. The best way I can describe it is: saying/writing Shoyo feels like going down a straight waterslide as opposed to a sinuous one, like with "Shouyou ". It goes by too fast. Do you get what I mean?

(Also it reminds me of the sauce and I can't take it seriously lmao)

[creativeera]

Histology And Cytology: An Overview of Microscopic Cell And Tissue Analysis Industry

Histology refers to the study of tissues at a microscopic level. It involves the examination of cell and tissue structure and how they are organised to form different body parts. Cytology is a sub-discipline of histology that focuses specifically on the microscopic evaluation of individual cells. Together, these fields provide crucial insights into normal and abnormal cellular structures and functions. Tools and Techniques Used in Histology Cytology A variety of tools and techniques are used by Histology And Cytology to examine cells and tissues. Light microscopes are essential for magnifying samples up to 1000x. Chemical staining helps distinguish between different tissue components by imparting specific colors like haematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Immunohistochemistry uses labeled antibodies to detect targeted proteins in situ. Enzyme histochemistry localizes enzyme activities in tissue slices. Electron microscopy such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides ultrastructural details up to 200,000x magnification. Frozen sectioning rapidly prepares fresh tissue biopsies for histological evaluation. Collection techniques like fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) extract cellular samples safely and accurately. Histological Examination of Tissues Histologists study tissue morphology to understand cellular architecture and specialization. Epithelial tissues that line and cover organs display characteristic shapes when squamous, cuboidal or columnar. Connective tissues composed of cells and extracellular matrix vary in density from loose areolar to dense regular tissues like bone. Muscle tissues exhibit repeating striations or spindle-like bundles of myofibrils. Nervous tissues have fibrous processes called neurons and neuroglia supporting cells. Examining normal tissue organization serves as a diagnostic baseline for comparison with pathological states. Cytological Evaluation of Bodily Fluids Histology And Cytology involves microscopically analyzing cells collected from various body fluids. Sputum screening diagnoses respiratory diseases via expectorated mucus samples. Urine cytology checks for abnormal or cancerous cells shed in urine which may indicate bladder or kidney problems. Cerebrospinal fluid cytology evaluates cells in CSF to help diagnose inflammatory versus infectious conditions of the brain and spinal cord. Serous cavity fluids from body cavities are also examined cytologically. Perhaps the most well-known application is Pap smear testing of cervical cells to detect pre-cancerous changes or cervical cancer at early treatable stages.

Get more insights on Histology And Cytology

Alice Mutum is a seasoned senior content editor at Coherent Market Insights, leveraging extensive expertise gained from her previous role as a content writer. With seven years in content development, Alice masterfully employs SEO best practices and cutting-edge digital marketing strategies to craft high-ranking, impactful content. As an editor, she meticulously ensures flawless grammar and punctuation, precise data accuracy, and perfect alignment with audience needs in every research report. Alice's dedication to excellence and her strategic approach to content make her an invaluable asset in the world of market insights.

(LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alice-mutum-3b247b137 )

[writer-logbook]

How I improved my writing style... without actually writing.

Intro : It's just a clickbait title to talk about theory and side techniques - before actually practicing, of course.

LINGUISTIC ISN'T GRAMMAR - AND IT'S BETTER TO KNOW ABOUT BOTH. It's useful for writing impactful dialogue and giving your characters depth. Your characters' language should (ideally) take into account: their social position (rich or poor), the locality (local expressions?) and sometimes their age (different cultural references). And this is best transcribed with linguistic knowledge. In short: linguistics is descriptive, grammar is prescriptive.

The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences),  semantics (meaning),  morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures in sign languages), phonology (the abstract sound system of a particular language, and analogous systems of sign languages), and pragmatics (how the context of use contributes to meaning). (Linguistics, Wikipedia)

Literary theory isn't as boring as it sounds. Learn more about internal criteria of the text (figure of speech, style, aesthetic...) and external criteria of the text (the author's persona and responsability, the role of the reader and what is left to interpretation...). I refer you to the French Wikipedia page, which you can translate directly via your browser in case you need more information. (Make sure you translate the page not switch language, because the content isn't the same).

Listening to Youtube Video about the analysis of film sequences and/or scenario. Remember when I told you to read historical fiction to learn how to describe a castle properly ? Same vibe.

Novel adaptations of movies. = when the movie exists before the book, and not the other way around. e.g : The Shape of Water ; Pan's Labyrinth. In line with tip n°3, it allows us to see how emotions, scenes and descriptions have been translated into writing - and thus to better visualize concepts that may have been abstract.

Read books about authors' writing experiences. e.g : Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Everyone's different, but they can provide some insightful tips not only on the act of writing itself, but on the environment conducive to writing, planning… Comparing completely different authors' experience could also be fun (this video of King and Martin is actually one of my fav)

Ah and many thanks for your ❤ and reblogs on my latest post ! UwU

[celepeace]

Having an internal crisis that is SO unrelatable to 99.99% of the population

[official-linguistics-post]

frequently asked questions

PLEASE check these items before you send an ask!

icon...

it's the old logo for the speech analysis software praat.

pronouns?

they/them!

why can't i find your ask box?

it's probably temporarily closed so i can pretend i didn't accidentally start a semi-popular blog.

where can i start learning about linguistics?

i recommend crash course linguistics as a good entry point. for more thorough coverage, essentials of linguistics is an open access textbook.

how do i major in linguistics? how do i get a graduate degree in linguistics?

go to a school that has a major or graduate program in linguistics. then do well in classes. sorry, y'all, i'm not an admissions consultant.

how many languages do you know?

english, arguably. possibly more. no i will not specify further.

thoughts on...

chat/bro being pronouns? they're not. fourth person pronouns? don't exist in english. conlangs? not my area.

can you answer my really specific question?

i try not to act authoritative about topics i'm not actually an authority on—which is most of linguistics. i can offer my educated thoughts, but please don't use me as a formal source (unless you've magically hit on the single minuscule topic i know like the back of my hand, in which case i'll swear you to secrecy and then send you my citations).

what's your subfield?

i generally cite it as being historical linguistics, but that's kind of just my umbrella: under that my primary research has touched on morphology, sociolinguistics, and epigraphy.

are you [insert real person]?

statistically, no!

are you really a linguist?

i have a BA, MA, and PhD in linguistics/linguistic anthropology.

you're a loser.

you don't know the half of it!

[ranahan]

*je-, ‘false, un-’

A prefix with a typical (for Mando’a) alternation: je- before a consonant, j- before a vowel.

jekai (n), ‘bait’ < je + kai, ‘food,’ lit. “false food”

jehaat (n), ‘lie, untruth’ < je + haat, ‘truth,’ lit. “untruth”

jahaatir (v), ‘to lie’ < obviously from jehaat, but somehow the first vowel has assimilated, making it look like *ja(t), which would mean ‘good’. As johamur mentioned in the notes, the pronunciation is given as jeh-HAH-teer, so this might be a typo.

jaal (a), ‘numb’ < j(e) + aal, ‘feeling,’ lit. “false feeling” (like pins and needles) or “un-feeling” (not having a feeling)

jenarar (v), ‘to feint’ < je + nar, ‘act,’ lit. “false action”

jehavey’ir (v), ‘to ambush’ < this one is trickier, but possibly from je + haav, meaning something like “to lie falsely in wait.” Though I’ll accept suggestions for alternative etymologies as well; apparently some other groups have made different analyses but as I’m not privy to them, unfortunately I cannot offer comments. Edit: it was pointed out (forget by whom, sorry) the pronunciation is given as jeh-HAHR-vay'eer which would match *jehaarveyir. In other words, Traviss gives the pronunciation of a syllable as “-ahr” if it is spelled as -ar/-aar, but never if there’s no r.

I’ve been tentatively using jen as an adjective/adverb meaning ‘false(ly)’. It’s punchy and the resemblance to ur-Kittât (the old Sith tongue) jen, ‘dark, shadow, hidden’ amuses me.

[herpsandbirds]

A remarkable new blue Ranitomeya species (Anura: Dendrobatidae) with copper metallic legs from open forests of Juruá River Basin, Amazonia

Esteban Diego Koch, Alexander Tamanini Monico, et al.

ABSTRACT

Poison dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) are known for their aposematic coloration and toxic skin, making them a frequent subject of interest and research. However, descriptions of new species of Ranitomeya were interrupted for more than a decade. The implementation of a RAPELD (Rapid Assessment surveys of Long-Term Ecological Research) module in the Juruá River basin, a highly biodiverse and underexplored region, led to the record of a Ranitomeya species with blue dorsal stripes and coppery limbs. Herein we use morphological, morphometric, advertisement call, natural history, tadpole data and genetic data to describe the new species. Our phylogenetic analysis places the species within the Ranitomeya vanzolinii clade, and all delimitation methods confirmed its status as a new species. The species is characterized by its (i) small size (snout-vent length: males 15.2–17.0 mm, females 14.4–16.9 mm), (ii) dorsum with light sky-blue stripes on a reddish-brown ground, and metallic copper limbs with reddish-brown spots, (iii) ring-shaped granular region on the belly, (iv) toes with poorly developed lateral fringes, (v) later tadpole stages with tooth rows P1 = P2 > P3, P3 of 83–87% of P1, and conspicuous light sky-blue dorsal stripes, and (vi) cricket-like advertisement call consisting of 16–35 notes, call duration of 490–1,005 ms, note duration of 8.2–16.9 ms and dominant frequency of 5,168–6,029 Hz. The discovery of the new species emphasizes the significance of researching under-sampled regions like the Juruá River basin, and the usefulness of using a multidisciplinary approach to reveal new dendrobatid species.

Read the paper here:

A remarkable new blue Ranitomeya species (Anura: Dendrobatidae) with copper metallic legs from open forests of Juruá River Basin, Amazonia | PLOS One

[typhlonectes]

One Mountain, Two Tigers: A New Species of Gloydius (Serpentes: Viperidae) from the Upper Lancang Valley in Xizang, China, with Comments on the Diagnostic Characters and Evolution of the G. strauchi (Bedriaga, 1912) Species Complex

Jinlong REN, Junjie HUANG, Wei WU, Ke JIANG, Jiatang LI

Abstract

The Hengduan Mountains Region (HMR) in China, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot, has garnered attention for its potential to harbor cryptic species within the Asian pit viper genus Gloydius Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981. Based on comprehensive morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Gloydius strauchi complex, this study identified a previously unrecognized species of Asian pit viper. Discovered in the upper Lancang (Mekong) hot dry valley of Xizang, China, this species is geographically proximate to G. huangi but exhibits clear morphological distinctions from other members of the genus, representing the second Gloydius species identified along the upper Lancang River. We describe here this new species and highlight the significance of skull and hemipenis morphology, which were instrumental in its diagnosis and in resolving taxonomic boundaries and ambiguities within the G. strauchi complex. This study provides insights into the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of this newly described species, enhancing our understanding of diversification patterns in this genus.

Read the paper here:

One Mountain, Two Tigers: A New Species of <italic>Gloydius</italic> (Serpentes: Viperidae) from the Upper Lancang Valley in Xizang, China, with Comments on the Diagnostic Characters and Evolution of the <italic>G</italic>. <italic>strauchi</italic> (Bedriaga, 1912) Species Complex

[arminreindl]

Tewkensuchus: King of Punta Peligro

Last month we got our fourth croc of the year and our second notosuchian: Tewkensuchus salamanquensis (Forehead crocodile from the Salamanca Formation), a large-bodied sebecoid from the earliest Paleocene of Argentina. And GODDAMN is it a cool one.

Below some of the fossil material of Tewkensuchus, it doesn't look like much but stay with me for this post.

Starting with the fossil material, Tewkensuchus is admittedly not the most complete sebecid, hell Dentaneosuchus from two years ago is significantly better preserved. Essentially, Tewkensuchus preserves a bit of the skull and a few vertebrae. But the material we do have is exceptional in other ways. Like some European sebecoids, it had a high and broad sagittal crest that extends over its forehead flanked by two broad depressions. Remember the similarity to European sebecoids, thats gonna come back later. Theres also some interesting stuff in how the bony eyebrows, the palpebrals, articulate with the rest of the skull.

What is REALLY weird however is the shape of the postorbitals. Quick anatomy lesson, in crocs the postorbitals form the front corners of the skull table thats located just behind the eyes. They tend to be flat, but in the case of Tewkensuchus they are inclined so that they rise upwards behind the eyes. Now we have plenty of examples of crocodylomorphs with raised squamosals, giving them a somewhat ear-like appearance, but raised postorbitals are a new one.

Below: An artistic interpretation of Tewkensuchus featuring its unique cranial morphology by Manusuchus (give them a follow) from different angles.

One last thing on its anatomy, it was BIG. And I mean big. The team that described Tewkensuchus estimate that its complete skull might have been just over half a meter long, so some 20 inches. This might correspond to a weight of perhaps 300 kg (660 lb), larger than even the largest Cretaceous Baurusuchids.

Now, I hope you remember the part where I said that theres similarities to European sebecoids. Well that sentence has two key points the paper deals with. First of all, the connection to European forms itself. Phylogenetic analysis seems to indicate that despite being found in Patagonia, all its closest relatives are from the Eocene of Europe. These are the recently named giant Dentaneosuchus from France, Bergisuchus from Germany and Iberosuchus (I'll let you figure that one out for yourselves). So after Tewkensuchus disappears South America is inhabited by only distant cousins while its closest relatives show up some 20 million years later on the other side of the Atlantic.

The other noteworthy part of the statement is the use of "Sebecoid" rather than sebecid. That's because of taxonomic back and forth. Essentially, a few previous studies have not included European sebecoids (Bergisuchus and Iberosuchus) within the family Sebecidae, instead featuring them as a separate branch that split off beforehand. In some studies that branch is known as Bergisuchidae, in others they are two branches, you get the idea. Now the description of Dentaneosuchus for instance did away with Bergisuchidae and simply include these European forms within Sebecidae itself. Still as the basalmost members, but given the honor of being at least included. Same goes for Ogresuchus. Well, in the description of Tewkensuchus, we go back to the separate model. So Bergisuchus, Iberosuchus, Dentaneosuchus and Tewkensuchus all form a single not officially named group simply referred to as the "Eurogondwanan clade". This group was placed as the sister family to Sebecidae and together with Ogresuchus the two form the newly named Sebecoidea.

Europe's sebecoids, Dentaneosuchus (art by Joschua Knüppe), Bergisuchus (by Scott Reid) and Iberosuchus (once again Manusuchus)

And this is where we need to address the fact that Tewkensuchus creates a bunch of new problems and makes old ones worse. For starters, it's size. By all accounts its way too big. Keep in mind, this animal appeared some 2 to 3 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs, an extinction event that is generally thought to have killed everything on land heavier than 10 kilos. And then you get Tewkensuchus with an estimated weight of 300. Well, there's two possible explanations for that. Explanation 1 hinges on the known fact that these rules don't quite apply to semi-aquatic animals. Sure, anything large on land got whiped out, but eusuchian crocodiles managed to survive quite well despite their large size in part because they were partially aquatic. So perhaps Tewkensuchus and sebecoids as a whole underwent an aquatic phase? Well, this would work quite well with what is known as the Sebecia-hypothesis. Essentially, there is some debate on the relationship between sebecids and other notosuchians. Some studies draw a link between them and the similarily terrestrial baurusuchids, placing them in the group Sebecosuchia. Other studies meanwhile believe that sebecids are most closely related to peirosaurids, which in turn are close kin to itasuchids and mahajangasuchids, with both of the latter being more semi-aquatic than other notosuchians. The problem with this is twofold. On the one hand, to my knowledge there has never been any indication that sebecids underwent an aquatic phase and even Cretaceous sebecoids like Ogresuchus from before the impact were clearly terrestrial. The other issue, as nice as this would fit with the Sebecia-hypothesis, this particular study actually recovers the Sebecosuchia model. So there's that.

Personally I don't really buy into this explanation, which takes us to the second possibility. Sebecoids got really jacked really fast. I mean, that's it really. If sebecoids didn't undergo some weird little phase that somehow excempts them from the 10 kilo rule then the only logical answer is that they must have grown to a ridiculous degree the second the dust settled. Do we have evidence for that? Well....kinda but not really no. The closest we have is the fact that Dentaneosuchus from the Eocene clearly reached an enormous size on its own, but that was over 20 million years after the impact. We do at least know that sebecoids were small prior to the KPG thanks to Ogresuchus from Spain, which grew to only a meter in length. But a sample size of one isn't exactly exact proof that all sebecoids were small prior to the impact, especially with shifting phylogenies. The paper itself argues that its most parsimonious that whatever sebecoid crossed the boundry was already fairly large, but time will tell if this holds up. Whatever the case, with a skull half a meter in length it was certainly a formidable predator and a terrifying sight to any unfortunate mammal to cross its path.

Tewkensuchus attacking a startled Monotrematum, a South American monotreme, art by Joschua Knüppe

Finally the last thing to address, paleogeography. It sucks. Moving on. Jokes aside, sebecoid geography was already a pain in the ass. Assuming the sebecosuchian model, sebecoids likely split off from baurusuchids during the Santonian. Mind you this is purely based in the first appearance of baurusuchids, since sebecoids didn't appear for quite a while. Ignoring the problematic Doratodon, the first sebecoid to appear in the fossil record is Ogresuchus in the Maastrichtian of Spain. In the Paleocene we then obviously get Tewkensuchus representing the Eurogondwana clade in Argentina as well as sebecids proper, which seem to be constrained to South America. But then in the Eocene we suddenly have sebecoids in Europe and Africa (for simplicity I'm assuming that Eremosuchus was a sebecoid rather than a sebecid as is traditional). So, how does any of this work? We don't know. I've been breaking my head over how to best explain this without just repeating the paper itself, so let me just say this. Maybe sebecoids originated in South America with baurusuchids, they managed to enter Europe at the very least once giving rise to Ogresuchus, probably via Africa given that its very much undersampled. From there who fucking knows. Maybe Ogresuchus was just one random branch and the two main groups both actually originate in South America. Maybe the Eurogondwana group emmigrating to Europe as well while sebecids proper remained. Maybe the Eurogondwana group originated in Europe and Tewkensuchus simply returned to South America, or maybe they originated in Africa and had members travel west to South America and north to Europe. Or maybe....you get the idea, we don't know. We don't know if they rafted or took land bridges (tho the latter seems more likely), we don't know where certain groups first originated in actuality, we do not know a lot and Tewkensuchus being such a blatant link between Paleocene South America and Europe, which were well separated by that point, raises so many questions.

I imagine this is what this entire last section reads like....

I wish that last segment wasn't as chaotic as it is, but like I said, its a big old confusing mess and it gives me a headachse just thinking about it. So for the time being, its simplest to assume that they split from baurusuchids in South America and then some stuff happened we don't understand. Personally, I'm very much putting my trust in Africa here, I am 100% convinced that some very important stuff went down that we just haven't found yet. But thats just me.

[alphynix]

Allenypterus montanus was an unusual early coelacanth that lived during the late Carboniferous, around 324 million years ago, in a tropical bay covering what is now central Montana, USA.

Up to about 15cm long (~6"), its tapering tadpole-like body plan somewhat resembled that of modern knifefishes and featherbacks, with the top part of its tail fin highly elongated into a ribbon-like shape and the rest of its tail fins being vestigial. The distinctive humped shape of its back was also much more pronounced in larger, more mature individuals.

It was probably a fairly slow swimmer, and preserved gut contents suggest it mainly ate small soft-bodied prey.

Its closest known relative seems to have been the eel-like Holopterygius – but since around 60 million years and different continents separated them both, this suggests the existence of a whole ghost lineage of other tapering coelacanths yet to be discovered.

———

NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Friedman, Matt, and Michael I. Coates. "A newly recognized fossil coelacanth highlights the early morphological diversification of the clade." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 273.1583 (2006): 245-250. https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frspb.2005.3316

Lund, Richard, and Wendy Lund. "New genera and species of coelacanths from the Bear Gulch Limestone (Lower Carboniferous) of Montana (USA)." Geobios 17.2 (1984): 237-244. https://www.academia.edu/download/66985268/s0016-6995_2884_2980145-x20210504-8876-dzniic.pdf

Lund, Wendy L., Richard Lund, and G. Klein. "Coelacanth feeding mechanisms and ecology of the Bear Gulch coelacanths." Compte Rendus du Neuvième Congrès International sur la Stratigraphie et la Géologie du Carbonifère 5 (1985): 492-500. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285577607_Coelacanth_Feeding_Mechanisms_and_Ecolqgy_of_the_Bear_Gulch_Coelacanths

Toriño, Pablo, Matías Soto, and Daniel Perea. "A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of coelacanth fishes (Sarcopterygii, Actinistia) with comments on the composition of the Mawsoniidae and Latimeriidae: Evaluating old and new methodological challenges and constraints." Historical Biology 33.12 (2021): 3423-3443. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2020.1867982

[nohiketoosmall]

A Brief Summary of the Anaconda News

This post is about "Disentangling the Anacondas: Revealing a New Green Species and Rethinking Yellows"

Please note this post is not an analysis of the veracity of this paper, it is simply a summary of the findings.

This research team performed genetic testing on known species within the Anaconda genus (Eunectes). They are suggesting two things in their paper:

Two recognized species of yellow anacondas, E. beniensis and E. deschauenseei, are not significantly genetically distinct from E. notaeus. Note that E. notaeus has a slightly different pattern/morphology while the other two are more similar and differentiated mostly by location. They propose grouping these all three as one species.

The Green Anaconda, the heaviest species of snake, with a range all across the continent, may actually be two species. They found significant genetic differences between Northern and Southern Green Anacondas and are proposing they be made into separate species.

Graphical Abstract, sourced from linked paper, showing revised taxonomy. The Northern Green Anaconda's proposed scientific named is E. akayima. Akayima means "The Great Snake" in the indigenous language of the region.

The paper points out that there are conservation implications behind redefining these species. If the Northern Green Anaconda is accepted as a separate species, habitat loss may impact it more severely than the Southern, who has a wider range. For the the opposite reason, scientists may feel reluctant to group three previously defined species into one, as it could make it more difficult to protect the subcategories.

Read more: Nat Geo article on the findings, Bryan Fry Live Science article

Oh yeah, and one of the scientists who published the article posted this video of an Anaconda that's estimated to be 8 meters long and 200kg. Here's a still:

big dog

[covid-safer-hotties]

SARS-CoV-2 impairs male fertility by targeting semen quality and testosterone level: A systematic review and meta-analysis - Published Sept 9, 2024

Abstract Background Since the discovery of COVID-19 in December 2019, the novel virus has spread globally causing significant medical and socio-economic burden. Although the pandemic has been curtailed, the virus and its attendant complication live on. A major global concern is its adverse impact on male fertility.

Aim This study was aimed to give an up to date and robust data regarding the effect of COVID-19 on semen variables and male reproductive hormones.

Materials and methods Literature search was performed according to the recommendations of PRISMA. Out of the 852 studies collected, only 40 were eligible for inclusion in assessing the effect SARS-CoV-2 exerts on semen quality and androgens. More so, a SWOT analysis was conducted.

Results The present study demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 significantly reduced ejaculate volume, sperm count, concentration, viability, normal morphology, and total and progressive motility. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 led to a reduction in circulating testosterone level, but a rise in oestrogen, prolactin, and luteinizing hormone levels. These findings were associated with a decline in testosterone/luteinizing hormone ratio.

Conclusions The current study provides compelling evidence that SARS-CoV-2 may lower male fertility by reducing semen quality through a hormone-dependent mechanism; reduction in testosterone level and increase in oestrogen and prolactin levels.

[outerwildsgeology]

Meet the Founders: Mohs

Outer Wilds Geological Survey Founder: Mohs, drawn by @dekkiidan Howdy! Thanks so much for stopping by the Outer Wilds Geological Survey database, it's always great to know there are folks out there interested in the amazing stories and secrets that our local, and not so local, geology can tell us!

Anyways, I'm Mohs - nice to meet you! I'm one of the founders of the survey alongside my good pal and esteemed colleague and pilot, Lari. Ah, yeah, most folks already know, I'm not a fan of flying . . . but that's why Lari is our pilot and not me. Besides, how can I solve the mysteries of the Quantum Shards with only the samples we have on Timber Hearth when there are more outcrops out there waiting to be analysed? Conclusion:- I can't! Unfortunately. And, you know, Lari hasn't crashed us! No yet, anyway.

Geology wise, my main areas of expertise lie in what most folks would call laboratory and technician work, so things like sample and specimen prep, sorting out thin sections for microscopy, and sawing large samples to get a nice clean surface for proper observational analysis. This is why you're more likely to find me in the museum prep. room than out in the field. Don't get me wrong, I love field work too, especially when Lari and I are wrangling a particularly tricky outcrop, or if there are fossils involved; but somebody has to ensure the survey sample and field note collections are properly organised, analysed and documented. And, I'm not sure if you've ever seen Lari or Hornfels' own collections, whether that be geological, astronomical or research based, but - well let's just say, I don't think they're the right hearthians for keeping things organised. Sorry Lari! Sorry Hornfels!

I'm also currently working on a research paper and presentation regarding Quantum Geology that has recently come along in leaps and bounds thanks to Hal and the hatchling's translation tool titled -

"Quantum Geology: A morphological mystery, or lost in translation?"

Because, you know, based on some of the latest translations, I really don't think the Nomai fully understood the complex nature of these curious shards, and I would love to crack the mystery of their formation and origins!

Ah, apologies, I got a little carried away there, heh! Well, if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with either of us, we'll do our best to shed some light on the mysteries and puzzles of the amazing geological history of our solar system! And if you have any questions about Quantum Geology, or even want to share theories, I'm all ears!

Thanks again for stopping by!