#you still get fossil '''enthusiasts'' like this

[queer-overwatch]

Omg hi! We need more venture! And im having major brainrot of Venture and how they might be with kids! What if Reader and Sloane went to one of those itty bitty play dig sight activities and just see little kids brushing sand away from (fake) fossils! Like how will they react seeing a little kid learning about dinosaurs from Venture?

OR!

Reader having to babysit their niece or nephew and Venture is there along the way. And the just their niece/nephew just absolutely love listening to Sloane’s stories!

Im sorry if this is too much! You dont have to do this! Or you can just do whatever! I love your work and finally we can get more Venture love!

Venture with readers Niece!

It's not to much at all! I really like the idea of Venture being a parent personally- decided to do a one-shot for this one, hope u like it anon! -Frisk

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"Heeey, Sloane-? Sooooo quick question, how do you feel about 5 year olds-?" You grin sheepishly, standing behind Venture who was at their desk, studying a rock from an ancient Roman burial sight they found.

"Oh I love kids! They're always so cute, even though they can be brats sometimes- why you askin?" They put down the rock as they talk, turning to look at you curiously.

"Well, my sibling asked me if I could babysit today, and I may have said yes without thinking of the fact that you'd have to deal with my niece too." You laugh nervously, really hoping they won't be upset. You knew they loved kids so you weren't too worried about it, but you also weren't sure if they'd planned to do something today.

"Aw really!? I've haven't gotten to meet your family before! That's so cool! Does your niece like history?! I really hope she does- I love telling people about my discoveries! Do you think she likes eating rocks too-?" Venture, just as enthusiastic as ever, bombards you with questions about your family. You let out a sigh of relief as you try your best to answer all of their many, many, many questions, trying your best to keep them contained as you wait for your sister to drop off your niece, "Venture you are not feeding my niece rocks."

"Aww, but these ones are so cool!"

"I will chip another one of your teeth if you convince her to eat a rock."

"GASP! Betrayal!"

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"Of course, see you later! Love you too!" You gently usher your niece inside as you part ways with your sibling, now stuck babysitting for the next five hours.

Venture stands just behind the door, a nervous feeling in the back of their head. Despite being slightly worried your niece wouldn't like them, they were still super excited! They really hoped she would like them so she would tell your sibling good things about them and your sibling would finally want to meet them! And, of course, they were also hoping your niece would like to hear the story's Venture had to share.

As soon as you're niece is five steps in the door, Venture makes themselves known, jumping in front of her with their hands on their hips, in a sort of superhero pose.

"Hey there, little miss! How'd you get in here, huh?" They kneel down, a light tone in their voice as they tease her. "Mi amor! I think we've got an intruder on our hands!"

You shut the front door as you laugh to yourself, moving to stand next to Venture and rest one hand on their shoulder, slightly leaning against them. "Yeah, I think we do! We've gotta send 'em to the interrogation room!"

You scoop up your niece, laughing as she squirm around in your arms, cleary enjoying all the attention.

You both bring her to Venture's work space, setting her down in their chair and trying your hardest to look serious as you "interrogate" her.

"Who might you be, hm? And why are you here?!" Venture starts, poking your niece's cheek as they question her.

Your niece, while giggling, manages to answer their questions pretty well in your opinion. "I'm Charlotte! I'm here 'cuz my momma wants me to be!" She huffs, hands on her hips with the most adorable, smug face you've ever seen.

Venture nods along as she answers, clearly taking this so, so very seriously. "Well then, I suppose you can stick around, as long as you like to learn about history!" They laugh, picking her up and tucking her under their arm, bringing them to a spare room where they keep a few of their favorite artifacts they've they've found to show off.

"This one is from Greece! I got to go there for a week last year! And this one if from a remote area in northern Canada! Found that during my first year with the Wayfinders!" They point out different rocks and other things you can't quite identify, easily answering any questions your niece throws their way.

You stand in the doorway, smiling to yourself and admiring just how sweet Venture can be, wondering how in the world you got lucky enough to be dating them.

Your mind wanders, wondering what Venture would be like if the two of you had a kid. It wasn't something you thought about too often, but seeing how sweet they were with your niece, you couldn't help but wonder if they'd ever want kids of their own.

Obviously it wouldn't be anytime soon, you were both far too busy for that, but one day, maybe.

"Amor! Come here! You gotta listen to this story too! This cool little coin is from the Renaissance Era!" Venture snaps you out of your thoughts, holding a little golden coin up for you to see.

You move to stand next to them, taking your niece out of their arms and holding her yourself, both of you listening intently to Ventures story. Clearly, you're niece and you had one thing in common, you both absolutely adored the wonderful nerd you were dating.

[fishrights69]

My Top 5 GARBAGE fish that suck

Here we go again. After receiving a very high ammount of notes!! (61 UwU) on the last fish list, here's another top 5 no one asked for. I've tried to use the reasoning of ''all fish are good'' but let's be honest, we'd be better off without these. 5. Monkfish🙏

So these things are weird as hell. Their ugliness alone landed them on this list. Not only are they ugly as shit, but they're also mean motherfuckers that eat basically anything. They like to cover themselves in mud and just chill there until something crosses their path which imo is fucking lazy. Some people do eat them as a delicacy apparently(ew?). Props to them for getting over the looks. Ugly/10 5/10 for laziness 4.Hairy Frog Fish💇‍♀️

If you wonder wtf are you looking at, this fish is the living embodiment of that feeling you get when you find hair in your food. This girlie loves to swallow as it's mouth can open to make space for fish almost twice her size so don't go sitting too close 💦 Still, it doesn't take away from the fact that she looks like a mistake. 4/10 appearance 8/10 for the deep throating skills 3. Goblin Shark 👺

First of all, these sharks look like if someone designed a fish based on a child's drawing of a shark. Instead of going the terrifying route and choosing one of these pictures, I opted for a derpy yet still creepy photo. Besides being quite good at ambushing prey, these dudes still tend to eat man made garbage which further argues their position on ''the garbage fish top5™''. They also are basically living fossils since they're old af and most of their body is atrophied. 3/10 appearance 6/10 for still living so long despite everything.

2.Bony-Eared Assfish🍑

This fish is for all ass obsessed fuckers. Grilling this baby and enjoying it counts as eating ass. Some cool facts about him: -The bony-eared assfish has the smallest brain-to-body weight ratio out of all vertebrates. -Assfish are soft and flabby with a light skeleton (so like a real ass) As for personality, they are not what I'd call assholes. They are quite sluggish as they prefer to sort of flap around with short bursts of energy instead of swim. They don't do much besides that which makes them a very underwhelming fish despite the sexy name :( Apparently they were given this name to make up for how utterly boring they are. 2/10 appearance 1/10 Interest in them or what they are good for (spoiler, nothing)

If you're a fish enthusiast, you probably know what's coming at nr.1 🥁 🥁 1. Ocean Sunfish☀️

There are far, faar too many reasons for this fish to be on the first spot. Not only are they the dumbest fish in the whole world, but they also are not good swimmers AT ALL (wtf is with these poorly designed fish who cannot swim??). Scientists are still perplexed at how this fish continues to stay alive. If you want more shitty facts about them, here's a link to a very famous post trashing these bitches. BUT, I have my very own reason to hate the sunfish. One cursed morning, I decided to go get educated about animals and visit Naturalis, a museum in Leiden, The Netherlands. I was having a blast looking at all the beautiful animals showcased, along with the cool facts and atmosphere. I excitedly get to the aquatic creatures floor and mesmerised, I try to take in all the beauty. At the long corridor nearing the exit, I look around admiring the fish that were displayed. Thinking I had seen it all, I move further when I turn a corner and out of nowhere.. . . . . . . . BAM

this GIANT motherfucker, hidden in a corner makes it's presence known. I'm not kidding when I say this thing is huge. Here's a picture of the replica from another angle for size reference. As you can guess, I was legit extremely spooked and actually screamed. :( 0/10 appearence 0/10 fuck this thing. useless and it gave me a heart attack

BONUS: I'm sorry but I think I've tortured myself and you enough, so to make up for it, here's a cute fishy instead: (take him)

Alright thanks for reading and follow for more fish content. Suggest me some more top5's I could do, be it fish related, or whatever your mind decides to curse me with. Still need to cleanse yours eyes? My top 5 coolest fish

[arminreindl]

Fossil Crocs of 2022

For what its worth, its been a great year for fossil Pseudosuchians, many of which didn't get a lot of attention because people always assume its just "another crocodile". We'll go through them by the order of appearance in the fossil record, or in other words oldest to youngest. Better grab some popcorn and the drink of your choice, cause this is going to be a long one.

Mambawakale

Starting off is Mambawakale ruhuhu (Ruhuhu Basin Crocodile Ancestor in Kiswahili) from the middle Triassic Manda Beds of Tanzania. The fossils for this guy had been known since at least the 1960s, after which it was named Pallisteria angustimentum, a name that was never officially published however. It was a large animal, its skull 75 centimeters long attached to what was likely an animal similar in build to what we think of for "rauisuchians", given that it sits at the base of Paracrocodylomorpha. The below life reconstructoin was done by the fantastic Gabriel Ugueto with Steve Irwin inserted in post by me, tho its not rigorously scaled it gives a general idea of the animal's size.

We can then skip over the Jurassic (no new crocs from that period) and straight into the Cretaceous, specifically the Albian some 100 million years ago.

Yanjisuchus

Yanjisuchus longshanensis (Yanji City Crocodile from the Longshan Hill) was a paralligatorid, a group of Neosuchians I fully admitt I'm not too well aquainted with. Its fossils, which include a partial skull, vertebrae osteoderms, ribs, parts of the shoulder girdle and front limbs, were discovered in the Longjing Formation in what is now north-eastern China.

Confractosuchus

One I can decidedly talk more about is Confractosuchus sauroktonos (Lizard Eating Broken Crocodile) from the Australian Winton Formation, home to animals such as Isisfordia, Australovenator and Diamantinasaurus. The genus name refers to the fact that the skull is squashed to hell and back, but its the species name thats interesting. "Lizard eating" in this case refers to the fact that this 2.5 meter long basal Eusuchian was found with preserved stomach contents. Said stomach contents being the bones of a small ornithopod dinosaur as the press release art by Julius Csotonyi enthusiastically shows. The other image here not from the paper was drawn by Joschua Knüppe (@knuppitalism-with-ue ) showing a definitely more relaxed individual.

Eptalofosuchus

We did know about this guy for a bit longer as the pre-proof has been out since 2021, but lets include it anyways because I wasn't on Tumblr last year. Eptalofosuchus viridi (Green Seven Hills Crocodile) is not a crocodile in the strict sense but a Notosuchian, a cousin to the more typical Neosuchians. This animal is known from a single distinct lower jaw that belonged to a rather small creature. Among Notosuchians, Eptalofosuchus is most closely related to "advanced Notosuchians", specifically Sphagesauridae. We also know that it wasn't alone, as described alongside it are fossils of an unnamed baurusuchid (a large carnivore) and a peirosaurid, a more basal Notosuchian. Finally, both parts of the scientific name allude to the Uberaba Formation, specifically the nickname of Uberaba being “the city of the seven hills” and the green color of the sediments there. Life reconstruction of the little guy was done by the always incredible Júlia d'Oliveira.

Titanochampsa

Sticking to South America we have Titanochampsa iorii (Ior's Titan Crocodile). A significant find no doubt tho with an estimated size between 2.98–5.88 m (sizable I admitt) based on very scant remains perhaps a little bit hasty. Alas we only have the skull table of this animal, so the precise size can still vary as you can see. But it is still a fascinating one due to the fact that its the ONLY non-Notosuchian from the Bauru Group. Cretaceous South America is almost synonymous with these mostly terrestrial crocodyliforms but surprisingly lacking a diverse semi-aquatic croc fauna. Being at the very least a Neosuchian, possibly Eusuchian, Titanochampsa seems to have filled this niche. Given that the big terrestrial Baurusuchids had relatively weak bites and reached a length of at most 4 meters, this presents an interesting contrast with the strong bite force of the potentially larger semi-aquatic Titanochampsa. And would you look at that, press release art by Júlia once again.

Eurycephalosuchus

One final croc for the Mesozoic, Eurycephalosuchus gannanensis is an animal I covered very recently so I'll keep things brief. Stemming from the Maastrichtian Hekou Formation in south eastern China, Eurycephalosuchus was a very small species of orientalosuchine. Orientalosuchina is recovered as a group of early alligatoroids in the paper, tho talking to Adam Yates (who's croc phylogeny is my go-to) there is a chance they might be closer to crocodiloids. Regardless, Eurycephalosuchus was a small animal with large teeth towards the front of the skull, blunt teeth in the back and an overall very short face (tho there is slight compression so its not 1:1 like the fossil). Over on twitter people started comparing it to DnD Kobolds, leading to the below artwork by Manusuchus (@ mmujicam2000; full body of course highly speculative lmao)

Qianshanosuchus

Following the cataclysm that was KPG, crocs held on and in China we next meet Qianshanosuchus youngi (Young's Qianshan Basin Crocodile). It's another tricky one. While important as being the first crocodyloid from Paleocene China, the material, as you could guess based on the tiny size, is that of a juvenile (I now realize this being kinda ironic given the small but adult croc above). So the phylogeny is hard to nail down and gave different results. Still it could hold significance in our understanding how crocodyloids spread around the world and entered Europe after KPG. Below a quick comparison of the material with my hand.

Coming up a duo of two new species but not new genera, I also didn't really go deep into their publication as with some of the others so I'll try to stay brief

Maomingosuchus acutirostris

Maomingosuchus acutirostris (Acute Snouted Maoming Crocodile) is a new species of the already established genus Maomingosuchus from China. This new species however, differentiated amongst other things by having a pointed, not rounded, premaxilla stems from the Eocene of northern Vietnam. The skull is about 55 cm long giving us a medium sized tomistomines. Like Qianshanosuchus, M. acutirostris could have implications for the dispersal of crocodilians, in this case the spread of tomistomines from Europe to Asia, which the authors suggest happened thrice. That being said it should be noted that, between the two main ideas of what tomistomines are, the paper goes with them being a sister group to crocs and unrelated to modern gharials as Lee and Yates suggest (the later idea like I said I am more drawn towards).

Diplocynodon kochi

Another new species in a familiar genus, Diplocynodon kochi (Koch's Double Dog Tooth) is the latest in a long list of Diplocynodon species, a genus of alligatoroid very prominent in the Paleogene of Europe. This newest species from Transylvania is known from some well preserved skull material and was recovered as being one of the most derived members of its genus. With a size of 1.76 meters it was a medium sized Diplocynodon species and small by our modern standards. What is interesting is that the fossilw as recovered from shallow marine sediments. This is unusual in so far that alligatoroids are not especially known for their salt tolerance. Tho there's exceptions like Deinosuchus, alligators usually don't venture into salt water unlike crocodiles. Still, given the shallow water and the ability of large adult Mississippie Alligators to tolerate brackish water, it might have occasionally entered coastal waters. It is noted that the skull is in such good condition that it couldn't have been transported for a very long time.

Kinyang

Back to new genera we got Kinyang (derived from various Nilotic terms for crocodile), a genus of "giant" dwarf crocodile from the Miocene of Kenya. Now this guy doesn't just introduce one new species but two: Kinyang mabokoensis (Maboko Island Crocodile) and Kinyang tchernovi (Tchernov's Crocodile). Occuring in western and northern Kenya, Kinyang was a prime example over the prominence osteolaemines (dwarf crocodiles) had in the early Cenozoic prior to the takeover of crocodylines. Kinyang was surprisingly large and had a robust, blunt skull with several traits clearly setting it apart from any modern species. Still there is some clues that could be taken. Given the robust nature and more widened skull rather than V-shaped, its likely that it went after prey as big or even bigger than itself. They appear to have inhabited the shores of lakes located in open forests and woodlands. Alas this might have been their doom too. Osteolaemines are known to build nests made of foliage and with Africa growing increasingly dryer around this point in earths history, both change in prey and environment could have been factors that drove the dwarf crocodiles into the rainforests they inhabit today while the more dry resistant Crocodylus took over their rolle in the grasslands. The first image shows all three known skulls, the second is a quick composite of the cranium and mandible of K. mabokoensis I put together before the third image was published (ironic) by Christopher Brochu.

Almost done, only two more to go.

Sacacosuchus

On the other side of the world, specifically the Sacaco locality of Peru's Pisco Formation (among others) we have Sacacosuchus cordovai (Córdova's Sacaco Crocodile). A medium sized and longirostrine "tomistomine" gharial, here is where we come in conflict between the crocodylid and gavialoid model of what these guys are. Earlier with Maomingosuchus you had the idea that tomistomines were related to crocodylids, well here we have tomistomines being a paraphyletic group leading up to derived gharials. There is some significance to Sacacosuchus for seemingly showing that gharials entered South America on two separate occassions, but imo that's not the coolest thing about it. No instead I prefer to talk about the fact that its not just a marine gharial, living in the coastal waters of the Pacific, but that it coexisted with a second gharial showing perfectly how they specialise in different things. While the contemporary Piscogavialis was notably larger (about 7 meters) it had a very narrow and long snout, better adapted at catching fish. Sacacosuchus meanwhile was only 4.3 meters long, but with much more robust jaws, showing that it was much more of a generalist than its relative. This is well shown in the reconstruction by Javier "Canelita" Herbozo, tho it doesn't show the immense size difference. The third iamge shows Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi with the material and the fourth illustration by Gabriel Ugueto does not feature Sacaco, but the much more gracile Piscogavialis.

Hanyusuchus

The final one, Hanyusuchus sinensis (Han Yu's Crocodile from China) is the youngest crocodile described this year. How young? Well the OLDEST records of the species date to the Chinese Bronze Age, 4.000 BC, while the most recent records indicate that it went extinct in the 15th century. Hanyusuchus is a large tomistomine with a length between 5.43–6.19 meters and, if historical reports are to be believed, a big appetite. Stories tell of large crocodiles in Southern China attacking livestock, deer, boats and even killing humans while other reports suggest that these animals were used to fill moats and fed with prisoners. Despite appearing relatively narrow snouted, people often underestimate just how dangerous such animals could be. Even the modern false gharial has reports of it attacking and eating humans. Unsurprisingly, in addition to spawning some unique folklore (like crocodiles turning into tigers during autumn), this lead to humans attacking and killing these animals in retaliation. Fossils from the Bronze Age bear the clear marks of human attacks with cut marks focused around the animals head and the neck. Given the age of this material humans likely used bronze axes to kill and decapitate Hanyusuchus, drying their heads afterwards. Things didn't get better later in history. Han Yu, poet and politician and namesake of the genus, once demanded that the crocodiles leave the Han River delta before threatening to kill them. Later in history soldiers were sent to kill them in masses to avenge the death of a child. Eventually all of this, coupled with habitat loss, lead to the extinction of Hanyusuchus a mere 600 years ago. The below reconstructions were done by Hikaru Amemiya and Joschua Knüppe respectively.

And that is basically every crocodile officially published in 2022 (I think). Personally, I think its been a fantastic year for Pseudosuchian taxa, with some unique and fascinating additions.

[sixminutestoriesblog]

st. patrick's day

Saint Patrick's Day! Green beer, green clothes, parades and corned beef and cabbage for all! In America, we have a lot of traditions associated with St. Pat's Day and a pleasure in celebrating them whether we're Irish or not - heck, even whether we understand them or not.

So let's take a look at some of the ways we celebrate and what we get wrong - and right.

To start with the man himself, Saint Patrick wasn't Irish. Patrick grew up on the Britain side of things. This doesn't make him British however. At the time, the Isle of Britain was run, mostly, by the Romans and letters from Patrick that have survived see him not only writing them in Latin but signing them as Patricius. Whether he was Roman by birth is still a mystery to this day but his family is believed to have been part of the Roman aristocracy. At sixteen, he was kidnapped and ended up in slavery as a shepherd in Ireland before eventually escaping back to Britain. After receiving training however, he returned to Ireland as a missionary and the rest is - well, not history but certainly lore.

There's some speculation, in fact, that the Saint Patrick of myth was actually two men. Saint Patrick the escaped slave and a bishop sent by Pope Celestine in 431 named Palladius to support the 'Irish believing in Christ' that already lived there.

Did he, or they, at least drive out the snakes? Legend says that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland and the island has been slither free since. The truth is - according to fossil records, Ireland never had any snakes to drive out. Ireland was under an ice sheet up until the last glacial period and after that it was safely surrounded by water. To save a little bit of the story, some historians believe 'driving out the snakes' was more of a metaphor for driving out the pagan religions of that time instead.

But we totally wear green to avoid getting pinched! Right? Actually - yes. Though the pinching is supposed to come from mischievous leprechauns, not your over-enthusiastic siblings. Apparently, leprechauns can't see you if you're wearing green and therefore, they can't pinch what they can't see. Given our decorations featuring the little people dressed all in green, you'd think that would make it hard for them to find each other but - not really. You see, traditionally - leprechauns wore red.

The pot of gold, sometimes at the end of the rainbow though - that's real(ish).

So is the leprechauns' strange blind spot with green why everything's green on St. Pat's Day? Not really. Green is associated with Ireland, the Emerald Isle, these days but for most of its history, Ireland, and St. Patrick's, color - was blue. Green recently came into prominence during Ireland's struggle with England. Green came to be associated with the Irish side of things and wearing green was a way to show which side of that you were on. The green beer/food though? That's entirely an American thing.

Speaking of green beer, the drinking is an American thing as well. Or, at least, the 'this is a traditional part of the holiday'. In Ireland, Saint Patrick's Day has long been a Catholic religious holiday - and it also happens to fall in the middle of Lent. Originally, the day had a lot more to do with going to church than to the local pub. Which isn't to say no one in Ireland celebrates the holiday with a drink. 'Drowning the shamrock' involved pouring whiskey over a shamrock in the bottom of a glass. The whiskey is then drunk and the soaked plant is thrown over your left shoulder to complete the tradition - and get you some extra luck.

Shamrocks being considered lucky is a part of the holiday. Called 'seamroy' by the ancient Celts, the shamrock was considered a sacred plant. St. Patrick was also supposed to have used the three leaves of the plant to explain the Trinity during his sermons. Like the clover, finding a four leaf shamrock is good luck and five leaves promises a future of vast wealth!

So, yes, a lot of our St. Pat's Day traditions aren't exactly... traditional. Don't discount them or their importance however. Many of the ways we celebrate St. Patrick's Day today are the direct results of Irish immigrants to America. The parades, the corned beef and cabbage, the celebration of Irish traditions - those were all created in the mid to late 1800s by Irish Americans that wanted to celebrate their heritage. So don't feel bad for indulging in a day of parties and eating your favorite food.

Just remember to cut a cross in your soda buns to 'let the devil out' before putting them in the oven to bake for the holiday.

[paleopalsfacts]

The dinosaur that shouldn’t have been named

For a while before we had dinosaurs like Microraptor and Archaeopteryx we had the theory that Dinosaurs were linked to Birds but didn’t have the hard evidence like a linking species between the two to prove it.  During this look for a “missing link” farmers in China were digging for fossils illegally and looking to sell what they could find on the black market.  Eventually a farmer did find a rare fossil that did prove interesting and might have been that “missing link” paleontologists were looking for.  The only problem was that it was incomplete, Incomplete fossils are less valuable then complete fossils so to remedy this the farmer combined a different fossil from a nearby site in a way he thought looked correct to him in the hope no one would notice.

“Archeoraptor” fossil [A]

When the fossil was brought to the US it was sold to the The Dinosaur Museum in Blanding Utah.  The museum was run by Stephen A. Czerkas and his wife Sylvia Czerkas.  Stephen did not hold a degree in paleontology but was a dinosaur enthusiast and made some beautiful sculptures.  He arranged for patrons of his museum to provide the $80,000 needed to purchase the fossil.

The Czerkases got in contact with Phil Currie a well-known Canadian Paleontologist to take a look at the fossil under the condition that it would eventually go back to China as according to authorities no fossils were to leave China.  Phil then contacted the National Geographic Society who intended to get the fossil published into the scientific journal Nature and then follow up with a press conference and a spotlight in an issue of the National Geographic magazine.

Initially the Dinosaur museum wanted to keep the fossil in their museum for 5 years before sending it back to China but after Christopher Sloan (the writer for the National Geographic article) said he would not write on it if it was not sent back home immediately after publication they changed there mind.

This is also about the time they flew Xu Xung, a well renowned paleontologist from China to help work on analyzing the fossil.  When Phil did the initial examination on the fossil it was immediately clear that something was off.  And after a CT scan it became clear that some amount of fraud was afoot.  The Czerkas then insisted on keeping this information private.  Phil sent his preparator Kevin Aulenback to get the fossil ready for further study.  Kevin also concluded that the fossil must be a composite skeleton but the Czerkas denied this and still never told National Geographic about any of this.

The team then started creating the paper for Nature, In the paper it was specified that parts were composited.  Nature rejected the paper because National Geographic refused to delay their publication so there was no time to peer review the paper.  The paper was then submitted to Science, a different scientific journal and was also rejected because Science learned about the fossil's suspicious past and origins. 

National Geographic decided to publish without peer review and the fossil was revealed to the public in a press conference in October 1999 and was then put into the November copy of National Geographic.  It was described as a missing link that helped provide the connection between dinosaurs and birds.  Worst of all though it was named "Archaeoraptor liaoningensis" (with a disclaimer saying this name wouldn’t count but with the assumption that the Czerkas paper would eventually be released).  This is horrible because it sidestepped the academic process of naming a new species through a scientific paper and took the honor of naming the new species away from the people who did the work and opened the door for journalists to rush publication to cement a name they wanted instead.  Along with, you know, naming a dinosaur that didn’t exist confusing further any future papers on the subject.

Image showing the two separate species that make up Archeoraptor 

National Geographic then started their investigation into all of this unraveling this whole tangled mess of miscommunication and hurt egos.  In the end the Czerkas showed remorse in their part in these events saying they made "an idiot, bone-stupid mistake".  Most participants in this also felt regrets for their part.

“Archaeoraptor '' is often used by uninformed people to dismiss the connection between birds and dinosaurs and to discredit paleontologists.  In reality though all paleontologists and professionals who came in contact with the fossil noticed something was wrong and it was simply the lack of any communication and probably a bit of sunken cost fallacy that lead to this embarrassment.  Also many connections have now been found that validate the bird dinosaur connection including. “Archaeoraptor” will serve as a lesson for future paleontologists on knowing the origins of the specimens they study and working with private collectors.

Sources Bellow

Images

Jonathan Chen, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Entelognathus, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Links:

Bonus!

Fun pictures from the Dinosaur Museum:

[bunniesbearsandadventures]

I love Pokemon this is no surprise.

And I love Bug pokemon its my favorite type.

I also love bug boss man.

So yeah forgive me if I feel as if the BUG type was ROBBED! OF GLORY!

what I mean is that I feel like the bug type gets the short end of ths stick when it really doesn't need to be.

For instance case one:

Why was drapion ever given the dark type? I don't care what its pokedex states about personality or the fact that it learns a lot of dark type moves. Either make its pre-evolution dark as well or save us Bug lovers from heartache and just keep it bug please.

Case two:

Why aren't volbeat and illumise bug/electric? (Or bug fire) They are lightning bugs (Fire flies). Nintendo literally went

"Give me a lightning bug pokemon"

"Okay"

"But don't make it bug/electric"

"Not bug/electric?"

"Oh and make syre it doesn't learn any electric moves by level up!"

"No electric moves by level up?!? . Aye YO! Give me a lightning bug pokemon with nothing!"

The fandom: "Nothing?!?

"Nothing!!"

Robbed I tell you ROBBED!

Case three:

Us bug enthusiasts have not only been fucked over

Not once

But twice

TWICE!

They had two opportunities to give us a dragon/bug type and it hurts knowing we've had 9 generations of Pokemon and we still don't have a dragonfly dragon/bug type.

Tell me that these two wouldn't have been the perfect match for a dragonfly dragon/bug Pokemon

Why is flygon and its whole line ground?

Did we really need another bug/flying type?

Don't get me wrong Yanmega is my favorite bug type but it does sting knowing it isn't a dragon type when it literally is a dragonfly!

Case four:

Speaking of missing out

Why don't we have a cool legendary based on a bug or at least has the bug type yet?

I like Genesect but I don't really count it as legendary considering you could have only obtained Genesect through an event.

Its more of a mythical.

There are so many ways a legendary Pokemon to be bug type from lore, to design to awesome new movesets its time for a legendary to show that bug types aren't weak!

Case five:

Now this one isn't a huge deal

But I am still bugged (hehehe) that Kabutos isn't a bug type

I get all fossil Pokemon needing to be part rock duh

But so many people mistake Kabutos for being bug that we forget its actually water.

Now I know that they're based on horseshoe crabs which are found in water

But did kanto need to have both of its fossils be rock/water? I get that a lot of fossils are found in the water so it makes sense that water would be a strong second typing for a lot of fossils but I still wish we had another fossil Pokemon with the bug type besides just the Anorith line.

The water type os already the biggest if not the biggest group of Pokemon.

They're are so many bugs that have been fossilized that would make for cool Pokemon. Its not just dinosaurs and plants and sea creatures. A ton of bugs, huge massive cool bugs were part of ancient times too.

Even google classifies horseshoe crabs as more related to spiders and scorpions!

(Yes I know that spiders and scorpions aren't bugs but many are put into the bug type anyways so yeah!)

Case six:

Why did it take so long to have an easy to obtain Bug/Fire type?

Don't get me wrong Volcarona is a fantastic bug but for many people, including myself, Volcarona is not on many peoples teams because of its difficulty to obtain.

Many people confuse it with being a mythical or a legendary because of it!

In some aspects I think its pretty neat that it has such strong and fascinating lore around it but it just seams disappointing that so many people never get to utilize it during casual teams.

It takes forever to evolve, you can't just obtain it in easy areas (if I recall Volcarona is post game for black and white and Sun and Moon Larvesta can only be caught via a Pokemon calling for it in Lush jungle).

I love centiskorch but again it falls into that "why did it take so long for this to happen" category.

Last case:

The problem with Mega's.

Now this isn't a problem exclusive to the bug type but I am upset with how they handled which Pokemon got mega's overall.

I think mega beedrill, pinsir, scizor, and heracross are dope!

But did so many of them needed to be dragon or become dragon? And why so many kanto and johto only Pokemon?

Again this isn't just a bug type problem as so many types can say the same thing but as much as mega pokemon are a cool concept it's really unfair how so many Pokemon could have been mega's and bug type

Like Yanmega, Flygon, Masquerian, Vespiquen, Drapion, Leavanny, Scoliopede, Crustle, Galvantual, and so many more

And with how GameFreak Handled Mega's beyond X and Y they really wanted to out it to rest too fast.

And it is such a cop out to Make Mega's out to be this terrible thing that hurts Pokemon, by shaming trainers into feeling bad for using Mega's

Like Thanks for basically saying you won't be doing Mega's anymore any hopes for Mega Flygon being Bug Dragon are officially out the window (if they were even going to make Flygons mega bug dragon).

Anyways. .I do love Pokemon but man does it feel like some silly decisions are being made. I still love the bug type with all my heart but so many places and decisions were completely fumbled over the years that makes me want to design my own region with JUST BUG TYPES TO FIX THE DAMN PROBLEMS MYSELF!

[sewer-freak]

[This is a roleplay blog for a DOL character created by @macabrecravings.]

General Degrees of Lewdity Warnings apply (Under 18 DNI, rape/noncon/dubcon) As well as heavy warnings for psuedo-incest fuckery (Morgan), bullying, medical malpractice, delusions/derealization, TBA… (Ask to tag more!!)

Reminder: Evangeline is intentionally transgressive & I do not hold the same values, views, or kinks that she does. ^_^

#oc: evangeline || pinterest board || spotify playlist

General Info:

• Unsocial Moth.

• Generally makes people uneasy. She’s visibly disturbed & clearly unstable which makes people uncomfortable.

• It doesn’t help that she’s an avid thief & people don’t like having their things stolen.

• Has poor hygiene due to her mental state, which is only made worse considering the places she hangs out (She… reeks. </3)

• Her teachers aren’t too fond of her. She’s not a delinquent by any means, but she spends more time daydreaming than anything.

• She also… stares. at them. Has a thing for older men / authority figures and it’s. obvious.

• Meek & submissive as fuck </3

• Works at the office building as a temp, but occasionally does housekeeping jobs around town

• Spends her free time in the forest, moor, smuggler’s cave, the sewers. When it comes to the orphanage, it’s all or nothing. She’s either locked herself in her room or avoids it like the plague.

• Has substance abuse issues. Cigarettes, alcohol, stimulants, aphrodisiacs…… <- Big fan. You can find her stealing stimulants & aphrodisiacs all over town, (even if the punishment she gets for doing so isn’t often worth the high).

• Very Much a Recluse. Doesn’t go out of her way to interact with people. Still, heres how she feels about certain NPCS:

• MORGAN — Met Morgan while artifact hunting for Winter, and it. fucked her up. She originally went along with him out of fear, but took to him quickly. He’s the father figure she’s never had. The only one who “understands her”.

Her name rhymes with Charlene, and she bares a resemblance to him (gingers. that’s it.), but it’s enough for her to delude herself into thinking that she hypothetically could be Charlene. (She’s not. & In a more lucid state she would accept that, but. Alas.)

• HARPER — Used to avoid their therapy appts at any cost. Morgan got in her head about him, so she was resilient & slow to warm up. But, deep into treatment at her first asylum visit, she became enthusiastic.

**Looked forward to bathing every day** (because it meant he would touch her and get her off). Liked the way his medicine made her feel, and loved his attention even more.

• KYLAR — A genuine friend. One of the only people she likes being around. Prefers when he’s silent and not overbearing. Keeps him at an arms distance because he’s a little… too into her.

He’s made it very clear that he wants to be more than friends/friends with benefits, but she ignores his feelings. She doesn’t want to date him. She doesn’t want him to “fix her” or “keep her safe”.

• WHITNEY — Evangeline is easy to throw around & take advantage of. She does what Whitney asks of her, little to no resistance.

Not close enough to him to drink at the pub with him & his buddies, but would if he allowed her to. Same with smoking with him. Hypothetically, they could get along. But they don’t.

• MICKEY — Fond of from a distance (They help cover up her tracks and are mysterious. It’s..: appealing :))

• ROBIN & SYDNEY — Not close. Doesn’t interact with them other than what’s necessary.

• WINTER — She helps out with the museum & also wants him carnally. Who cares if he’s a “fossil” or “as old as those antiques he collects”? Not her.

• SIRRIS — Another object of her lust. A seemingly perfect father to Sydney, not to mention hot. She’d do anything to be a demonstration on his home videos, if you catch my drift!

• LEIGHTON — To be determined

[meadforspeed]

A few eagle-eyed readers noticed there was a Nautolan hunter in the latest chapter of TDYK, I wonder who she could beeeee (ㆆ ᴗㆆ)

for my fellow amphibian enthusiasts, Kilindi's skin is based off the blue-spotted salamander (ambystoma laterale)

for my fellow living fossil enthusiasts, the striping on her tresses is patterned off of a Nautilus shell

(also I'm still behind on comment replies--I'm going to get my shit together one of these days I swearrrr)

From Chapter 17 of The Devil You Know:

"[Kilindi] wasn’t the girl of eighteen he remembered. Instead, she looked how [Maul] always imagined she might if she had grown up alongside him. Much like his friendship the boy in the mirror, or his travels to his home on Dathomir, he had spent many long hours imagining a universe with Kilindi still in it. He had made her a bounty hunter, feared and respected from the rotten heart of Coruscant to lawless streets of Nar Shadaa. She took all jobs, but slavers, Zygerrians in particular, were her favored prey. Daleen often joined her when she wasn’t acting as a covert operative for various corporate entities."

[squiddokiddo]

Favourite types of shells!!!

Yours, but also Squirts and Gordon’s if you wish! And any beachy headcanons you happen to have.

I do think Gordon would be very fun to hang out with and go looking in rock pools and would answer enthusiastic questions about sea creatures equally enthusiastically!

Ohh difficult question. I love seashells but I live nowhere near a beach so I don't get to see many very often, just muddy rivers and lakes around here. (;^^)

When I was younger, my mum used to scuba dive a lot in her free time and she brought me back some cool shells. One I remember was a shell from a type of snail I think and it had these pinkish stripes and would turn pearlesent in water. I really liked that shell, I think mum still has it.

Gordon's favourite type of seashells are probably anything with an animal inside, he's picking them up on the beach and flipping them over to check for stranded critters that need a little help to get back to the ocean. Gords sometimes picks up empty shells to make jewelry out of, he uses string, leather and other bits and pieces that wash up on shore like sea glass and driftwood. He's also made some décor and ornaments, with help from Virgil, some of which sit around the Tracy household as well as one being gifted to Lady P.

I think Gordon would like cowries as an aesthetic choice like cowrie bangles and bracelets, both he and Squirt would have cowrie and sea glass friendship bracelets.

Squirt would like anything with bright colours or unusual shapes like auger shells and starfish (not actually a shell but I'm including it anyway) they also like looking for fossils along the Tracy Island beaches.

.⊹*𖦹🫧🪸🐚𖦹*⊹.

[trash-city-radio]

Women Fear Me, Fish Love Me

August 1st (1/5)

The shoreside bar at high noon was filled with company, as the hot summer air filled in the steamy, sunburned water jocks from both the land and sea. These beaches have been the haven of peace between the men of surface and ocean for years, through the courtship at the tides, colloquially known as surfing. The fun distorted guitar softly rang out through the speakers, just under the noise of nasally hoarse voices and the impact of cold drinking glasses. A talkative group sat around a commandingly centered table, consisting of two fossils, and two saltwaters; one of them being the son of the late surf legend, who had just walked in to join the circle.

“Ha-Ran-Go in the hut!” A young man with a drink, leaning near the entrance, chanted, spoiling the presence of the Sailfish Surfer junior. A crowd of vocal, yet low-energy cheers echoed all around the bar, causing the sailfish to huff out a chuckle, waving up in recognition. He sat down at the last remaining chair of the table made of darkened pine planks, scanning his eyes around the table to look at his friends, who are all excitedly looking back at him.

“Hey man, finally!” A tall, many finned latimeria threw his arms up, moving his drink hand more carefully.

“How’s it going, Rango?” The lemon shark, sitting left of the sailfish, chimed in.

An anomalocaris idly floats between the two, blankly staring down the table, presumably.

“Ah… It’s been alright, Trachea.” Rango weakly grins. “I was busy helping the guys with organizing the surfboard shop and all that all week, sorry I haven’t been able to meet up here in a while.”

“It’s alright bro, you’re not the only one that missed the high tide. I had to help my girl out with something before coming here.”

“Sex?” The latimeria did not miss a beat.

“Ekos, that was yesterday, and it was with your mom.” The joke from Trachea prompted a laugh from the whole table.

“Come on, man, don’t talk about my friggin’ mom like that!” Ekos reached around the primitive crustacean to punch the shark in his very muscular shoulder.

“Well your mom is a pretty hot business woman.” The words that casually left Rango’s smiling mouth disrupted the table, even the ‘your mom’ joker was left a bit surprised. The sailfish seemed completely oblivious to the odd silence, turning to watch the gruff bartender showing off with his nimble prosthetic arm. “So, yeah… I really need a girlfriend. It’s been a little lonely in my life- I mean, I have you guys, but… you know.”

“Well, I’m sure you can find one super easily, man, just go up to a girl and have a conversation, you’re the Rango!” Ekos enthusiastically reached out an arm in gesture, towards the Rango.

“Yeah dude, you’re a studmuffin. The girls already love you.”

Rango nervously scratched the back of his neck with a bright smile. “Thanks guys… Maybe someday, right?” He turns his attention towards a nearby waiter, who had just finished jotting down the orders from another table. “Excuse me!” He shouted, raising a hand up.

The waiter was a pink haired person, wearing a bright shirt with a flower design, as well as an out of place white fluffy hat with bunny ears. He perked up, briefly staring wide eyed towards Rango before ducking his head down as he made his way towards their table. “How can I help you?”

“Could I also get whatever he’s making?” Rango pointed at the bartender, who's concocting a colorful and tall drink.

He turned to look for a solid 5 seconds, before curtly nodding and walking away, leaving the interaction without making any eye contact during it.

“Uh, okay, thanks…” Rango trailed off as the waiter quickly disappeared from speaking distance.

…“That guy’s still so friggin’ weird, man.” 

“Yeah, no idea why Benji still keeps him around, it must be so sweaty under that hat, dude.”

More chapters coming soon!

[eigenfunctussy]

I wonder why there's such an aversion to, especially in conservative and conspiracy enthusiast circles, the knowledge of science.

I mean, anyone can make that claim, and some would even argue it. But when you're living it, first-hand, in your own home which never feels like a home... it's not just a claim.

It's your life. It's your upbringing, it's your every waking moment when you step out of campus and into your home.

It's "that's just what they want you to believe so they can turn you into a sucker." It's "that's what you want to do? lie to people for their money?" It's "physics? you have to survive. you're going to be a naturopath so you can actually help yourself and your family." It's "you think you're sooo much smarter because you get a piece of paper you paid for?"

It's so much more. It's every piece of knowledge being scrutinized and shunned. It's every presentation of excitement shut down in favor of conspiracy.

Worse of all, it's knowing. It's knowing that you're right, and she's not, and she just doesn't believe you. It's knowing the earth isn't flat from math and physics that you've done yourself. It's knowing that the fossil record isn't a lie, because you've studied the half-lives of carbon-14 yourself. It's knowing for yourself and still having "THEY'RE LYING, YOU'RE TOO STUPID TO KNOW, YOU'RE JUST GULLIBLE" shoveled down your throat.

[officialleehadan]

At Dinner

Hello darlings! Today’s story was brought to you by Jennifer, who is Level 35 and got to pick TWO Prompts for Prompt Month. Darling, thank you so much for your support!

Prompt: HGE – Riptide

+++

Evan turned in time to see Eione slip through the door with a net bag full of shellfish in her hand. Her hair was wet. She must have just come in from fishing.

Anita just gave her friend an easy smile and took the proffered bag. With a sharp knife and steady hands she neatly dispatched the spiny red-and-white lobsters and dropped them into the waiting pot.

“Nice catch.” Evan told Eione. “Free-diving?”

“Yes,” Eione replied, shy but proud. The fish were already cleaned, and ready for the pot, so Anita filleted them separately and dropped the white meat into the pot in large chunks. “I fish with a spear most of the time. Not to relaxing as with a rod, I admit, but more fun.”

Evan watched with interest as Anita snapped the ends off the conch shells with a hammer and cleaned them before dumping them into the pot of water with the lobsters. The shells she set into a bucket to go outside later.

Eione reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long?”

“Not long at all,” he assured her cheerfully. “We were just chatting about places we’ve been in the world. I spent some time in Hawaii not long ago.”

“I was born in Hawaii.” Eione nodded and came over to sit at the counter next to him. Evan slid over to give her room, but was pleased when she didn’t take it “We moved here when I was eleven.”

Anita gave the girl an odd questioning sort of look, and Evan filed it away to think about later. A mention of a move shouldn’t get such surprise. “Why did you move?”

“My grandmother and cousin live here and Hawaii was getting crowded,” Eione explained, either unaware or ignoring her friend’s reaction. “Mother wanted my sister and me to grow up where we had space to grow.”

She didn’t seem to talk like her family was still in the picture and she had never mentioned a father. It added up to the uncomfortable realization that something had probably happened to them. He wasn’t getting the feeling that they were the type to just go off somewhere and left her behind.

“Hawaii’s nice. Especially for fish documentaries.” he said, hoping to distract her from whatever put that sad expression on her face. “Not generally my kind of diving. I like wrecks and caves. I’m weird that way.”

“Have you ever been to Bermuda?” Eione asked him as her eyes lit up, frown lost in the memory of the ocean. “We went a few winters ago. I’ve never seen such amazing wrecks.”

“I barely saw you that whole trip,” Anita contributed with a laugh. “Just getting you out of the water and into the boat when the sun was setting was all sorts of trouble. We never bothered to do dinner reservations and lunch was a lost cause.”

I’ve seen all the wrecks around here!” Eione protested, not bothered by her friend’s jokes. “And I even got you some souvenirs. You loved those coins I brought up.”

Evan joined the laughter. “I mostly work with archeologists these days and they usually send me down for fossils or artifacts. Some of the wrecks there are in great shape.”

Anita turned away from them and rummaged in the refrigerator until she came up with a large container of chopped and peeled tomatoes. She added them to the pot she had thrown everything else into and gave everything an enthusiastic stir.

“You would like the bits and bobs Eione found for me on that trip,” she commented with her back to them, adding more broth to the soup. “You might have seen them. They’re in a jar on the bookcase along with some of the other stuff she brings me. Of course, my favorites are the fresh lobsters for chowder.”

“I didn’t have to go far to find them either.” Eione told her, taking the subject change in stride. “I think I may move my hunting ground soon. Mine is getting a little sparse and I don’t want to hunt it clean.”

The older woman turned from the soup and reached under the counter to pull out a food processor.

“Might not be a bad idea to move. I would like it if you were hunting closer to home during storm season,” he commented as she chopped the conch into a couple big pieces and dropped them in. “Cover your ears..”

Eione obediently covered her ears so Anita could run the conch through her food processor, before it joined everything else in the pot.

Evan watched Anita clean the lobsters and chop the meat before dumping it into the soup pot. He had seen fish sellers have more trouble with the spiny lobsters. Anita hadn’t even bothered to let them cool.

“This will be done pretty soon,” she told them when she was done, and had turned to rinsing the dishes in the sink and putting them in the dishwasher for later. “Feel like eating outside on the patio? It’s nice out.”

“Who am I to argue with a lady?” Evan told Anita, watching Eione smile and look down out of the corner of his eye. “You’ve got a great view and the sun will be setting soon.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Anita agreed. “Wrong side of the island to see it unfortunately but the west side was farther than I wanted to drive every day just to have a nice sunset view.”

Evan shrugged one shoulder. ”Makes sense to me. Anything I can help with?”

“You could open the wine.” Anita said with a quick smile. “I think we’ve got this part pretty well covered. Eione, would you pull down the wine glasses?”

”Sure,” Eione agreed as she finished slicing the bread before heading for a high cabinet.

She was not a tall woman. He grinned when she climbed onto a stool and then onto the counter. The long-stemmed glasses were on the top shelf and Eione pulled three of them down.

“I can take them.” Evan offered, holding his hands for the glasses. After a moment Eione passed them down before letting him help her down off the counter. “Okay?”

“Thank you.” She mumbled as she grabbed the basket of bread on her way past him. She looked a little embarrassed again and he hoped it wasn’t because of him.

Anita was snickering again and gave him a wink when he looked over at her. “Don’t worry. You didn’t do anything wrong.” she told him “She’s just not used to having a guy around who’s paying so much attention to her.”

“Got it. So…” Evan said slowly. “Would it be okay if I asked her out? On a date I mean.”

“Oh honey, you go right ahead.” Anita said with a wolfish grin. “She’s a grown woman and I’m not her mama. I don’t tell her who to date. It is sweet of you to ask though.”

She pulled the pot of soup off the table. “Oh, a word to the wise. Eione swims for a living. You might want to think of something else besides that for a date.”

It was good advice.

“I’ll do that,” he agreed, grabbing the wine and taking the bottle-opener she pulled out for him. “Any suggestions?”

“She loves the beach.”

“I’ll remember that.”

The cork came free with a pop and he carried the bottle out through the door and onto the patio. The evening breeze was starting to cool off. It was a nice change from the scorching hot days. Eione brushed past him going into the kitchen for the bowls and she flashed him a quick smile on the way. He smiled back and set the wine on the table before looking around.

The patio shared the view of the ocean. It was framed by tall coconut palms that swayed, heavy with fruit.  As promised the sun was setting behind the island, turning the clouds red orange against the darkening sky Anita set the soup on a large tile on the table and busied herself lighting a handful of torches scented with citronella.

“The bugs will be out soon,” she explained as Evan poured wine for them all. “You ain’t been bit till a Bahamian mosquito does it. I swear. They leave a bump the size of a golf ball.”

Evan laughed and moved out of Eione’s way when she came back with the bowls. He pulled her chair out for her when she went to sit. Anita joined them after she finished with the torches and she began ladling out the chowder.

“I made a lot. Eat up,” Anita ordered him, filling his bowl and reaching for Eione’s before her own. “We don’t stand on ceremony here.”

Evan laughed and passed around slices of the fragrant bread before tucking into the spiced chowder eagerly.

+++

HGE - Riptide:

Under Stone

White Sand Sky

The Hint of Answers

Drift to Home

Boats and Salt Wind

Eyes of the Ocean

Dinner Cruise

Water's Cares (Subscriber Only!)

Beneath Bahamian Waters

Gossip Surf (Subscriber Only!)

Diving Discussion

At Dinner (New!)

+++

MASTERLIST

[market-spy]

The Natural Gas Tango: Dancing Between Boom and Bust (with a Few Methane Hiccups)

Remember that feeling of staring at your bank account after a particularly gas-guzzling road trip? Well, multiply that by, like, a billion, and you've got the global natural gas market. This $109.48 billion behemoth in 2021 is projected to balloon to a whopping $220.68 billion by 2030 – enough green (both the leafy and paper kind) to make even the most hardened cynic raise an eyebrow (and maybe check their investment portfolio).

But before we all get gassy about all that moolah, let's peek under the hood of this hydrocarbon behemoth and see what makes it tick (and potentially leak, but we'll get to that later).

Fueling the Flames:

Cleaner(ish) Darling: Compared to its fossil fuel frenemies like coal, natural gas burns less dirty, making it the "cool kid" of the energy transition party. As the world tries to kick its coal habit, gas is stepping in to keep the lights on (and the factories humming) with a slightly less grimy conscience.

Industrial Thirst: Industries, particularly in Asia-Pacific, guzzle energy like there's no tomorrow. And what's their drink of choice? You guessed it – natural gas, readily available and versatile enough to power factories and generate electricity like a caffeinated Olympian on a sugar rush.

Throwing Sand in the Gears:

Geopolitical Jitters: Unrest in major gas-producing regions like the Middle East can send supply chains haywire and gas prices on a rollercoaster ride more thrilling than a faulty elevator. Nobody likes a volatile market,especially not investors whose blood pressure rivals that of a pressure cooker about to explode.

Regulation Blues: Stringent environmental regulations and concerns about methane leaks (a potent greenhouse gas that makes even Greta Thunberg cry) can put the brakes on gas development and use. Green concerns, as noble as they are, can sometimes act like a speed bump on the road to gas-powered glory.

Pricey Rollercoaster: The price of natural gas is about as stable as a toddler on a sugar rush. Supply-demand imbalances and geopolitical events can send it soaring like a SpaceX rocket or plummeting like a deflated soufflé, making long-term planning a bit of a gamble (one that could leave you with empty pockets and a rumbling stomach).

Shaking Up the Dance Floor:

Conventional King: Conventional natural gas, extracted the old-fashioned way, still reigns supreme, but unconventional sources like shale gas are making a play for the throne. Watch this space for a potential shale shake-up that could redefine the energy landscape.

Power Play: The power generation sector is the gas guzzler extraordinaire, but don't sleep on transportation.As natural gas vehicles and infrastructure gain traction, expect this segment to roar like a lion on a caffeine bender (which, trust me, is loud).

LNG: The Global Gas Trotter: Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is basically gas in a travel mug, allowing it to be shipped around the world like never before. This opens up new markets and trade possibilities, making the world a gassier (and potentially more interconnected) place.

Regional Rockstars:

Middle East: These guys have been in the gas game for a long time and boast reserves that would make Scrooge McDuck blush. Think Qatar and Iran, the OPEC of natural gas (except not really, but you get the picture).

Asia-Pacific: This economic powerhouse is hungry for energy, and natural gas is on the menu. China and India are leading the charge, with their ever-growing populations and industries demanding more and more gas (like bottomless brunch enthusiasts at a buffet).

Future Footprints:

LNG Boom: Expect to see more LNG terminals popping up like mushrooms after a rainstorm. This will make gas even more accessible and global trade even gassier (I know, I'm milking this metaphor like a dairy farmer on steroids).

Green Gas Gambit: Renewable natural gas (RNG), made from organic waste, is the new kid on the block. It's carbon-neutral and has the potential to make gas greener and more sustainable. Watch this space for some exciting developments that could change the game.

Tech Transformation: From smarter drilling to digital pipelines, technology is transforming the gas industry.Expect efficiency gains, environmental improvements, and maybe even gas-powered robots (okay, maybe not that last one, but hey, a man can dream, right?). For More Information: https://www.skyquestt.com/report/natural-gas-market

The Bottom Line:

The global natural gas market is a dynamic beast with its fair share of opportunities and challenges. While it's not without its hiccups (and leaks), the rising demand for cleaner energy, coupled with technological advancements and regional growth, paints a promising picture for the future. Just remember, with great power (and gas) comes great responsibility. Let's develop and use this resource responsibly, keeping both the environment and the economy in mind. After all, even the hottest tango needs a bit of grace to avoid stepping on toes (and carbon footprints).

About Us-

SkyQuest Technology Group is a Global Market Intelligence, Innovation Management & Commercialization organization that connects innovation to new markets, networks & collaborators for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Contact Us-

SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

1 Apache Way,

Westford,

Massachusetts 01886

USA (+1) 617–230–0741

Email- info@skyquestt.com

Website: https://www.skyquestt.com

[ieccgreentech]

7 Reasons People Are Enthusiastic About EVs

If there is one thing electric car owners will tell people, it is to give the vehicle a try. Using one can give you a different driving experience, considering there are changes in its fuelling aspect. Instead of visiting a gas station, a charging station is what you need to look for. Some perform commercial EV charging to make the job easy. But if you are not yet convinced with these, here are some reasons people are enthusiastic about electric vehicles:

Environmental Friendliness

Since you do not need to use gas or fuel for your car, you can help the environment reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles also produce zero tailpipe emissions, making them a good choice for people who want to contribute something good to the environment. But aside from this, you will notice a reduction in the dependence on fossil fuels.

Low Operating Costs

Since the vehicle will be efficient in energy, the maintenance is more bearable, sustainable, and budget-friendly to some. Electricity is cheaper than gasoline, especially if you will drive miles when travelling. And since there is no fuel usage, you can already schedule fewer maintenance rotations. It is better to ensure that everything is checked still because, like other vehicles, it can also experience issues like decreasing battery life. There are many reasons why people love electric cars, and do not forget to check them to help with your decision-making.

Fuel Savings

The vehicle will not use gasoline, so you can breathe easily because of fuel savings. But even if there is no need to gas up, charging is its alternative. Do not worry though, because as mentioned earlier, electricity is cheaper than fuel. It can also help you save some amount with maintenance, especially if your car is new. But if it is already old, do not hesitate to have it checked by professionals.

Silent Operation

When you start a traditional vehicle and drive it, one of the many things you will notice is its noise. It can make sounds and noises that are bearable to the hearing and not damaging to the engine. Though it is normal for traditional vehicles to create those noises, you might encounter a new experience with electric vehicles. Unlike traditional cars, EVs are quieter and are more peaceful to operate. And if there is a silent operation in the car, you can drive more freely without worrying about the vehicle's condition. This factor can help reduce noise pollution, especially now that noise, even in rural areas, is becoming more unbearable. Just imagine how it would be if you were in an urban area.

Home Charging Convenience

If you have a garage where you can place a charging station, you do not need to worry when leaving the house. You can charge your vehicle before leaving, saving you a considerable amount of time preparing and driving. But if you go for a long drive, it is better if you know charging stations along the way because you might run out of battery charge and cause problems to your trip. There are applications you can download to check the possible charging places. Ensure to have three to five options to avoid having more problems if the ones you first visit are unavailable. When it comes to electric cars vs. gas cars, this reason differentiates them entirely.

Advanced Technology

People get interested when talking about technology. When some people think of it, the first things that come to their mind are smartphones, tablets, and laptops. But there are certain parts of homes that are already a product of technology, like refrigerators and air conditioners. However, do not forget cars because they symbolise many things. Even if vehicles have already evolved, car brands do not stop innovating something new. Every year, you will see new releases with improved engines. For the past years, electric vehicles have been part of them.

Supporting Innovation

Innovation has been the friend of many people for many years. And to contribute something, driving an electric car is one way to go. You can support the EV industry with more technological advancements and job creation.

These motivations for choosing electric vehicles can influence your decision to buy one. You may have doubts at first because of the changes, but you will understand EV drivers once you use it.

[lockyourmytrip]

Ooty Travel Guide: Discover the Natural Beauty of Scenic Hill Station

Ooty, officially known as Udagamandalam is nestled in the heart of the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. It is a picturesque hill station that has captured the hearts of travelers for generations. It has lush tea gardens, serene lakes, and a pleasant climate throughout the year. Ooty is truly a haven for nature enthusiasts and those seeking a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Here we are going to help you with your Ooty trip plan with this amazing travel guide.

Discovering Ooty's Rich History

Ooty has a rich history that dates back to the early 19th century when it was established by the British as a summer retreat. The town's colonial legacy is still evident in its architecture and the famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which offers a scenic journey through the hills.

The Perfect Time to Visit

One of the first things you should consider when planning a trip to Ooty is the timing. The hill station enjoys a temperate climate, making it an ideal destination year-round. However, the best time to visit Ooty is during the summer months from March to June when the weather is pleasantly cool, and the flowers are in full bloom. Whether it is Ooty or Coonoor, you will have a great experience in pleasant weather.

Getting there in Ooty

By Air

The airport that is closest to Ooty is Coimbatore International Airport, which has good connections to important Indian cities. From the airport, you can hire a taxi or take a bus to reach Ooty, which is approximately 86 kilometers away.

By Train

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway mentioned earlier, is not just a tourist attraction but also a convenient way to reach Ooty. It connects the town with Mettupalayam, which is connected to major cities like Chennai and Coimbatore by regular trains.

By Road

Major cities in Tamil Nadu and adjoining states are easily accessible by road from Ooty. You can hire a cab or take a bus to reach Ooty via the scenic Nilgiri Ghat Roads.

Exploring Ooty's Attractions

Ooty Botanical Gardens

One of the most famous attractions in Ooty is the Government Botanical Gardens. Established in 1848, these gardens are a paradise for nature lovers. You can stroll among the exotic plants and vibrant flowers, including the stunning fossil tree that is over 20 million years old.

Ooty Lake

A visit to Ooty would be incomplete without spending some time at Ooty Lake. You can enjoy boating, paddle boating, or simply take a leisurely walk around the lake. The surrounding area also offers a range of activities, including horse riding and a mini amusement park.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

As mentioned earlier, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a must-experience attraction. The toy train journey takes you through tunnels, lush forests, and steep curves, offering breathtaking views of the Nilgiri Hills. You must add this to your Ooty itinerary.

Doddabetta Peak

For the best panoramic views of Ooty and its surrounding hills, head to Doddabetta Peak, the highest point in the Nilgiris. A telescope house at the summit allows you to get a closer look at the stunning landscape.

Tea Gardens

Ooty is renowned for its tea plantations. Don't miss the opportunity to visit a tea estate and witness the tea-making process. You can also purchase fresh tea leaves and aromatic tea as souvenirs.

Experience the Ooty's Local Culture

The natural beauty of Ooty Kodaikanal is undoubtedly its biggest draw. These towns also boast a rich local culture. During your visit, take some time to interact with the friendly locals and immerse yourself in the traditions of this hill station. You might be lucky enough to witness a traditional dance performance or participate in a local festival, providing you with a deeper understanding of the region's heritage.

Experiencing Ooty's Culinary Delights

Ooty offers a delectable range of South Indian cuisine. From aromatic dosas and idlis for breakfast to flavorful biryanis for lunch and dinner, the local food is a treat for your taste buds. Be sure to try the homemade chocolates, a specialty of the region.

Where to Stay in Ooty

Ooty offers a variety of accommodation options to suit every budget. Whether you prefer a luxurious hillside resort or a cozy cottage by the tea gardens, you'll find plenty of choices to make your stay memorable. There are various amazing hotels for honeymoon in Ooty that are available at normal prices.

Ooty's Hidden Gems

In addition to the well-known attractions, Ooty hides a few gems that are worth exploring. Consider visiting the lesser-known Avalanche Lake, where you can enjoy a peaceful picnic or take a nature walk amidst pristine landscapes. The Rose Garden, another hidden treasure, is home to thousands of rose varieties, creating a riot of colors and fragrances. Ooty sightseeing packages for 2 days can be booked to explore these charming locations.

Adventure in Ooty

For the adventure enthusiasts, Ooty offers a range of exciting activities. Trekking in the Nilgiri Hills is a popular choice, with trails suitable for both beginners and experienced trekkers. The thrill-seekers can indulge in mountain biking, zip-lining, and even paragliding, taking in panoramic views of Ooty from high above.

Shopping in Ooty

Your trip is incomplete without a bit of shopping for souvenirs. Ooty is famous for its handmade crafts and local products. Visit the Tibetan Market for colorful shawls, handicrafts, and Tibetan artifacts. The Charring Cross Market is another excellent place to shop for woolen clothing, antiques, and spices. You should add shopping to your Ooty trip plan.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ooty is a destination that seamlessly blends natural beauty, colonial charm, and a tranquil atmosphere. With its diverse attractions and pleasant climate, it's no wonder that Ooty has earned its place as one of India's most beloved hill stations. The honeymoon packages in Ooty with prices are available at Lock Your Trip. So, plan your trip, pack your bags, and get ready to explore the enchanting world of Ooty. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, a history buff, or simply seeking a serene getaway, Ooty has something to offer everyone. Make memories that will last a lifetime in this charming hill station.

[wilquinones]

Museums and relevant narratives

During one of our class discussions, I remember voicing a concern about how, living in the southeastern area of DC, I saw people on my way to the metro that came from low income households or poor socioeconomic backgrounds and I asked myself: why should they care about going to any Smithsonian? I questioned my devotion to, and career within museums. Museums, especially the ones I’ve seen in the United States, are huge, marble floored buildings, with imposing columns both outside and inside. They house everything from artworks to fossils to rare diamonds, all of which feel imposing and lofty, even to a regular museum goer like myself. I studied art history and still feel intimidated in the face of contemporary works, trying to decipher and “get it”, so why should the mother I see on the bus who is simply trying to feed her child care about Botticelli?

It was then that my classmate Lea mentioned the Anacostia Community Museum (thank you, Lea!). I was excited to know about a museum that was placed specifically within a low-income neighborhood, with exhibitions and programming relevant to the community. So much so that I took a trip to see it myself.

(pictured above: Entrance to the ACM, taken by me)

In its conception, the Anacostia Museum (ACM) was meant to be a museum in an inner city within the district, which exhibited objects from other museums at the National Mall, mostly due to a glaring lack of residents from these areas among museum goers (James, p.30). Smithsonian officials chose Anacostia thanks to the lobbying of community activists who were enthusiastic about the idea. During its early years, ACM was highly involved with the community. The staff was incredibly small, which meant that residents’ suggestions were more taken into account, members of the community could actively participate in the process of setting up an exhibition, and the themes that the museum focused on were exclusively about black history and culture, as well as issues that were directly affecting the neighborhood (James p. 24). This was a complete change from the initial idea of what the ACM was meant to be, and by offering the community an opportunity to voice their concerns, as well as their identities, the museum became a more relevant institution. One interesting example is The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction, an exhibit in which actual rats that were caught around the museum were displayed, which highlighted the very real problem of the infestation within the city, offered a comprehensive history, and educated visitors on how to help manage the blight.

(pictured above: Exhibition catalogue,The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction, Anacostia, taken from Smithsonian website)

Throughout the years, the ACM has undergone many changes. Its name for example, which used to be the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, and its location, from the Carver Theater placed within the city, to where it is today. These changes came from bureaucratic, racist concerns of the museum not being a fully functioning institution and the pressure to comply so as to not lose necessary funding from the Smithsonian (James p. 30). These changes also alienated the community that was once so involved; exhibition themes became less and less about community issues, and the exhibits themselves became less interactive and more like the roped off, glass cased exhibitions we see in more traditional museums. 

When I went to the Anacostia Community Museum, I was pleasantly surprised by the subject matter of the current exhibition Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C., which also explored the impact of climate change in low income areas. However, I see the result of the aforementioned changes in the museum. Everything is polished, and high tech and attractive, yes, but it seemed much more like a downtown DC museum in Anacostia, talking about the community’s issues, rather than a community led project, where its voice was making itself heard.

(pictured above: interior of Women and Environmental Justice in Washington, D.C., taken by me)

Maybe this was always bound to happen, since the ACM is part of the Smithsonian, a large federal institution. This does raise questions of just how relevant can these large museums actually be? How can they successfully engage with communities? I’m not sure that the museum as an institution will ever be able to tackle these questions in any meaningful way, but the first few years of the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum show just how important it is when they, at the very least, attempt to do so.

References: 

Institution, Smithsonian. “The Rat: Man’s Invited Affliction.” Smithsonian Institution, www.si.edu/exhibitions/rat-mans-invited-affliction-event-exhib-6388. 

James, Portia. “Building a Community-Based Identity at Anacostia Museum.” Curator: The Museum Journal, vol. 39, no. 1, Mar. 1996, pp. 19–44, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2151-6952.1996.tb01073.x.