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plants_animals_feedThe summer of 1975 was the summer of "Jaws."
plants_animals_feed
Study identifies molecule in stingless bee propolis that can kill dengue mosquito larvae
Jun. 18th, 2025 12:19 pmplants_animals_feedIn Brazil, researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP), the University of Brasília (UnB), and two startups in the city of Ribeirão Preto have found a compound in the propolis of the stingless bee known as mandaçaia (Melipona quadrifasciata) that kills Aedes aegypti larvae.
Studying tiny parasites in Japanese sea cucumbers
Jun. 18th, 2025 12:00 pmplants_animals_feedSea cucumbers spend their lives prowling the ocean floor, scavenging for food and generally minding their own business. We can see snails leading similar lives, slimy but not bothering anyone.
It looks like fetch is going to happen!
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brithistorianToday I finally got around to watching the trailer for the new Fantastic Four movie. I am absolutely jaw-dropped and looking forward to seeing this movie, which I never really expected to be. It's as if someone at Marvel read my post from last year about why previous Fantastic Four movies hadn't really worked well and taken my ideas to heart. I don't think I can ever recall a studio making the movie I wanted them to make!
The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer
Jun. 18th, 2025 05:35 pmprofiterole_readsThe Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer (Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality) was excellent. It's part sequel, part prequel to The Darkness Outside Us.
As you definitely need to go into Book 1 knowing as little as possible, I can't talk about the plot of Book 2. Let's just say that it was a pleasure to meet these characters again.
There's major m/m, minor m/nb, as well as an asexual female character.
As you definitely need to go into Book 1 knowing as little as possible, I can't talk about the plot of Book 2. Let's just say that it was a pleasure to meet these characters again.
There's major m/m, minor m/nb, as well as an asexual female character.
From fear to fascination: Decoding the depths and distances traveled by the world's largest fish
Jun. 18th, 2025 11:05 amplants_animals_feedI became acquainted with sharks at a very early age.
Stargazing flight: How Bogong moths use the night sky to navigate hundreds of kilometers
Jun. 18th, 2025 11:00 amplants_animals_feedIn a world-first discovery, researchers have shown that Australia's iconic Bogong moth uses constellations of stars and the Milky Way to navigate hundreds of kilometers across the country during its annual migration—making it the first known invertebrate to rely on a stellar compass for long-distance travel.
plants_animals_feedFrom hand-sized lantern sharks that glow in the deep sea to bus-sized whale sharks gliding through tropical waters, sharks come in all shapes and sizes.
ogive
Jun. 18th, 2025 07:39 amprettygoodwordogive (OH-jaiv, oh-JAIV) - n., (architecture) a pointed arch; (architecture) a diagonal rib of a Gothic vault; (statistics) the curve of a cumulative distribution function; (ballistics) the pointed, curved nose of a bullet, missile or rocket.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The classic Gothic arch, which until today was the only sense I knew -- I probably should have known the vault ribs were also ogives, my bad. The others I maybe could have expected. This dates to around 1610, alteration modeled on French spellings of Middle English form oggif/ogif, from Middle French augive, after which the trail gets muddy: suggested sources include Spanish aljibe, from Spanish Arabic al-jibb, the well; Vulgar Latin augīvus, from Latin augēre, to augment/increase (supposedly from a pointed arch being stronger than a rounded one); and Late Latin obviāta, feminine past participle of obviāre, to resist.
---L.
Thanks, WikiMedia!
The classic Gothic arch, which until today was the only sense I knew -- I probably should have known the vault ribs were also ogives, my bad. The others I maybe could have expected. This dates to around 1610, alteration modeled on French spellings of Middle English form oggif/ogif, from Middle French augive, after which the trail gets muddy: suggested sources include Spanish aljibe, from Spanish Arabic al-jibb, the well; Vulgar Latin augīvus, from Latin augēre, to augment/increase (supposedly from a pointed arch being stronger than a rounded one); and Late Latin obviāta, feminine past participle of obviāre, to resist.
---L.
In stressful times, our anxiety can rub off on pets. Causes and cures for pet anxiety
Jun. 18th, 2025 10:34 amplants_animals_feedIn this age of heightened anxiety, many of us turn to our pets for emotional support. But is our behavior increasing our furry friends' fears?
Seals study shows melting sea ice is shaping their future
Jun. 18th, 2025 09:44 amplants_animals_feedA new study of Antarctic seals shows that environmental conditions are leading to a severe decline in their populations in the South Orkney Islands. New results are published today (Wednesday 18 June) in the journal Global Change Biology and show how seals depend on sea ice for their survival.
And so. Back into the breach…
Jun. 18th, 2025 12:07 pmbookviewcafe_feedThose of you who might have been following the plot might know that over the last handful of years or so i had basically not been writing – not much, if at all. Caregiving for my husband (and then losing him), and then being the caregiver and the sole person responsible for my mother in her decline (and then losing her) and in between losing a 19-year-old cat whom I desperately wanted the opportunity to throw a 20th birthday party for… these have been fallow years, full of pain, and loss, and a very dry creative well (my mother once asked why I wasn’t writing anything “these days”; all I could do was laugh hollowly.
In recent months I seem to have been picking up some pieces, and a small slow trickle has been seeping back into that dry well. I wrote several short stories (and I have sold THREE within the last six months or so…) I got ambushed by what turned out to be a novella-length thing which is going to be coming out as ebook and possibly a slim paperback scheduled to be released via Book View Cafe (you heard it here first) in the fall (and then did a piece of silk-and-gold-work embroidery to use on the cover…)… and then I discovered myself – in a way that hasn’t happened for a really long time – adrift on the tides of story and simply surrendering to the flow of it in a novel which I began YEARS ago but which got put back on the back burner for a lot of the reasons I mentioned above and to which now I am returning. And as far as that novel is concerned I am… channeling… in a way I haven’t done for a very long time.
I have no idea where I am headed but the words are returning.
There was a moment where I finished writing a scene in this new book and I actually felt tears welling up in my eyes. It’s been so long. It’s been so LONG. It’s been so lonely.
Welcome back, stories. You have no idea how glad I am to see you gathering around me again.
Size matters: Sharks follow two-thirds scaling law, proving theory
Jun. 18th, 2025 09:05 amplants_animals_feedA new study has used cutting-edge 3D modeling to confirm that sharks follow the "two-thirds scaling law" almost perfectly, with the discovery set to help reshape how we understand biology across the animal kingdom.
Champagne Taste, IKEA Budget: Outdoor Kitchen Ideas for Less
Jun. 18th, 2025 12:00 pmikeahacker_feedCreating an outdoors that’s an extension of your living space is a hot trend any time of year. However, summertime certainly invites more opportunities for patio picnics, barbecue potlucks, and al fresco dinner parties. Whether you have plenty of room to spare on your patio or a limited backyard, IKEA delivers plenty of possibilities. Its modular pieces allow you to build out a perfectly-sized kitchen that goes way beyond a simple barbecue. So, fire up the grill! Everyone from amateur […]
The post Champagne Taste, IKEA Budget: Outdoor Kitchen Ideas for Less appeared first on IKEA Hackers.
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Study indicates use of bird-friendly glass saves birds' lives
Jun. 18th, 2025 08:20 amplants_animals_feedA University of Mississippi ornithologist and researcher is working to make the windows on campus safer for birds.
otw_news_feedWould you like to wrangle AO3 tags? Can you read and translate from Indonesian to English? Can you read and translate from Russian to English? Are you interested in actively contributing to the creation and maintenance of a safer volunteering environment within the OTW? Would you like to help your fellow fans use AO3? Are you fluent in Chinese? If you answered “yes” to any of these, you’re in luck: the OTW is recruiting!
We’re excited to announce the opening of applications for:
- Tag Wrangling Volunteer – closing 25 June 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 130 applications]
- Tag Wrangling (Indonesian) Volunteer – closing 25 June 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 30 applications]
- Tag Wrangling (Russian) Volunteer – closing 25 June 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 30 applications]
- Internal Complaint and Conflict Resolution Volunteer – closing 25 June 2025 at 23:59 UTC
- Support Volunteer – closing 25 June 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 30 applications]
- Support (Chinese) Volunteer – closing 25 June 2025 at 23:59 UTC [or after 30 applications]
We have included more information on each role below. Open roles and applications will always be available at the volunteering page. If you don’t see a role that fits with your skills and interests now, keep an eye on the listings. We plan to put up new applications every few weeks, and we will also publicize new roles as they become available.
All applications generate a confirmation page and an auto-reply to your e-mail address. We encourage you to read the confirmation page and to whitelist our email address in your e-mail client. If you do not receive the auto-reply within 24 hours, please check your spam filters and then contact us.
If you have questions regarding volunteering for the OTW, check out our Volunteering FAQ.
Tag Wrangling Volunteer
The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.
If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.
Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role, we’re currently looking for wranglers for specific fandoms only, which will change each recruitment round. Please see the application for which fandoms are in need.
Wranglers need to be fluent in English but we welcome applicants who are also fluent in other languages, especially Čeština (Czech), Español (Spanish), isiZulu (Zulu), Italiano (Italian), Polski (Polish), Português brasileiro (Brazilian Portuguese), Suomi (Finnish), Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese), Türkçe (Turkish), Українська (Ukrainian), ไทย (Thai), беларуская (Belarusian), 한국어 (Korean) and 中文 (Chinese – we welcome all dialects) — but help with other languages would be much appreciated!
Applications are due 25 June 2025 [or after 130 applications]
Apply for Tag Wrangling Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.
Tag Wrangling (Indonesian) Volunteer
The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.
If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.
Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Indonesian. We welcome all Indonesian dialects. The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Indonesian into English.
Applications are due 25 June 2025 [or after 30 applications]
Apply for Tag Wrangling (Indonesian) Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.
Tag Wrangling (Russian) Volunteer
The Tag Wranglers are responsible for helping to connect and sort the tags on AO3! Wranglers follow internal guidelines to choose the tags that appear in the filters and auto-complete, which link related works together. This makes it easier to browse and search on the archive.
If you’re an experienced AO3 user who likes organizing, working in teams, or having excuses to fact-check your favorite fandoms, you might enjoy tag wrangling! To join us, click through to the job description and fill in our application form. There will also be a short questionnaire that will help us assess whether you have the skills and attributes that will lead to your success in this role.
Please note: you must be 18+ in order to apply for this role. For this role we’re currently looking for applicants who are fluent in both English and Russian. We welcome all Russian dialects. The work will involve both regular Tag Wrangling work and translating tags from Russian into English.
Applications are due 25 June 2025 [or after 30 applications]
Apply for Tag Wrangling (Russian) Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.
Internal Complaint and Conflict Resolution Volunteer
Are you passionate about fostering a safer and more supportive volunteering environment within the OTW?
As an Internal Complaint and Conflict Resolution (“ICCR”) volunteer, you will play a key role in maintaining fair and respectful interactions across the Organization. Your work will include reviewing, investigating, and adjudicating complaints, and mediating conflicts. Our team is also in the process of refining the OTW’s policies to create a more effective and inclusive volunteer experience. Our goal is to serve as an objective, neutral party for personnel-related issues to help resolve situations with compassion and equity.
Please note that due to the nature of the work, current OTW volunteers who apply for the role will have to resign from all other roles within the OTW to serve on this subcommittee.
Applications are due 25 June 2025
Apply for Internal Complaint and Conflict Resolution Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.
Support Volunteer
The Support team is responsible for handling the feedback and requests for assistance we receive from users of the Archive of Our Own. We answer users’ questions, help to resolve problems they’re experiencing, and pass on information to and from coders, testers, tag wranglers and other teams involved with AO3. If you enjoy helping others to learn how to use AO3 and figuring out solutions to problems, you might enjoy being a Support volunteer!
Applications are due 25 June 2025 [or after 40 applications]
Apply for Support Volunteer at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.
Support Volunteer (Chinese)
The Support team is responsible for handling the feedback and requests for assistance we receive from users of the Archive of Our Own. We answer users’ questions, help to resolve problems they’re experiencing, and pass on information to and from coders, testers, tag wranglers and other teams involved with AO3.
We’re currently recruiting for applicants who are fluent in both English and Chinese (We welcome all Chinese dialects!). If you are a fluent Chinese speaker who enjoys helping others to learn how to use AO3 and figuring out solutions to problems, you might enjoy being a Support volunteer!
Applications are due 25 June 2025 [or after 40 applications]
Apply for Support Volunteer (Chinese) at the volunteering page! If you have further questions, please contact us.
Heatstroke in pets: What every pet owner should know
Jun. 18th, 2025 07:51 amplants_animals_feedPets can't speak up and tell their owners that they're getting overheated, so as temperatures warm up, it's important that pet owners are aware of heatstroke (a condition caused by the body overheating).
Approximately one-third of vertebrate scavenger species may be facing population decline
Jun. 18th, 2025 07:20 amplants_animals_feedA small team of biologists at Stanford University has found evidence that approximately one-third of all vertebrate scavengers are threatened or decreasing in abundance. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group made a list of all known vertebrate scavengers and compared it with published listings of species.