Curio Cabinet
- By Date
- By Type
April 25, 2024
-
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
From the BBC World Service: Venice, Italy, has become the first city in the world to charge day trippers. But is $5.30 enough to keep a lid on tourist number...
From the BBC World Service: Venice, Italy, has become the first city in the world to charge day trippers. But is $5.30 enough to keep a lid on tourist number...
-
FREEBiology Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
It’s the ultimate two-for-one deal. An international team of scientists have managed to see one of the world’s rarest natural phenomena—primary endosymbiosis—in action after years of observation. As one of the authors of their recent study stated, when this last happened over a billion years ago, the first plants appeared on Earth. Primary endosymbiosis occurs when two separate lifeforms join together as one, with the smaller of the two becoming an organelle. The first time the phenomenon occurred, a single-celled organism absorbed a bacterium whole, and that bacterium became the mitochondria. Without it, complex life that requires more energy than what a single-celled organism can produce could not have come into existence. Then came plants, which was the result of one of these complex organisms swallowing a cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are capable of turning sunlight into energy, and inside their new hosts, they became chloroplasts which make photosynthesis possible for plants. The latest example of this phenomena was just discovered, but has actually been happening for around a 100 million years. It involves an algae called Braarudosphaera bigelowii that absorbs a cyanobacteria called UCYN-A. Since the process of endosymbiosis first started between these two, UCYN-A has been losing parts of its genome while increasingly becoming reliant on B. bigelowii to provide necessary nutrients, indicating that it has fully accepted its role as an organelle. In exchange, UCYN-A fixes nitrogen from the air, something that algae and plants can’t do on their own. Even legumes—which are often referred to as nitrogen fixers—rely on bacteria living in their roots for the vital element. With further study, scientists say that it may be possible to use the algae to to fix nitrogen in crops, lessening dependence on fertilizers. Now that’s a green solution.
[Image description: A digital diagram of an ovular animal mitochondria with labeled portions.] Credit & copyright: Mariana Ruiz Villarreal LadyofHats, Wikimedia Commons
It’s the ultimate two-for-one deal. An international team of scientists have managed to see one of the world’s rarest natural phenomena—primary endosymbiosis—in action after years of observation. As one of the authors of their recent study stated, when this last happened over a billion years ago, the first plants appeared on Earth. Primary endosymbiosis occurs when two separate lifeforms join together as one, with the smaller of the two becoming an organelle. The first time the phenomenon occurred, a single-celled organism absorbed a bacterium whole, and that bacterium became the mitochondria. Without it, complex life that requires more energy than what a single-celled organism can produce could not have come into existence. Then came plants, which was the result of one of these complex organisms swallowing a cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are capable of turning sunlight into energy, and inside their new hosts, they became chloroplasts which make photosynthesis possible for plants. The latest example of this phenomena was just discovered, but has actually been happening for around a 100 million years. It involves an algae called Braarudosphaera bigelowii that absorbs a cyanobacteria called UCYN-A. Since the process of endosymbiosis first started between these two, UCYN-A has been losing parts of its genome while increasingly becoming reliant on B. bigelowii to provide necessary nutrients, indicating that it has fully accepted its role as an organelle. In exchange, UCYN-A fixes nitrogen from the air, something that algae and plants can’t do on their own. Even legumes—which are often referred to as nitrogen fixers—rely on bacteria living in their roots for the vital element. With further study, scientists say that it may be possible to use the algae to to fix nitrogen in crops, lessening dependence on fertilizers. Now that’s a green solution.
[Image description: A digital diagram of an ovular animal mitochondria with labeled portions.] Credit & copyright: Mariana Ruiz Villarreal LadyofHats, Wikimedia Commons
-
FREEWork Daily Curio #2862Free1 CQ
This is one job where it’s appropriate to be a control freak. Dangerous near-collisions of commercial airplanes have been on the rise lately, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is stepping in to require that air traffic controllers step away for some rest. While a close call in terrestrial traffic might mean an angry honk or a fender bender followed by an annoyed call to an insurance company, the stakes are higher in the air, where near-collisions can lead to hundreds of delayed flights. Of course, near misses are better than the alternative of actual aviation accidents, which could end in mass tragedy. What keeps such disasters at bay is an army of air traffic controllers—trained professionals who often have the final say on where and when a plane can go. Unfortunately, accidents and near-accidents are becoming more common. In April, an airline pilot at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was forced to abort a takeoff at the last second because other jets were entering the runway. Later that same week, a nearly identical incident occurred at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one of the airports that serve the Washington D.C. area and is a hub for various airlines.
The problem, the FAA says, is a shortage of air traffic controllers, leading to long shifts without sufficient rest time. To address the issue, the FAA is making changes that are due to take effect in three months, mandating 10 hours of rest time between shifts (up from nine), with the number going up to 12 hours for overnight shifts. As for the cause of the shortage itself, it may not be possible to fix by mandate alone. Part of the issue is systemic: back in 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired 11,000 striking air traffic controllers, ridding the nation’s airports of the most experienced in the field. Today, despite being a relatively high-paying occupation, becoming an air traffic controller is difficult, and the job itself can be (understandably) high-stress. The FAA also maintains stringent requirements for candidates, who cannot be 31 or older and must be willing to relocate to any FAA facility in the U.S. after completing the training program, which is held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. But if you’re young, college-educated, and not picky about where you live, it could be “OK.”
[Image description: An air traffic control tower against a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: Eheik, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Eheik, at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.This is one job where it’s appropriate to be a control freak. Dangerous near-collisions of commercial airplanes have been on the rise lately, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is stepping in to require that air traffic controllers step away for some rest. While a close call in terrestrial traffic might mean an angry honk or a fender bender followed by an annoyed call to an insurance company, the stakes are higher in the air, where near-collisions can lead to hundreds of delayed flights. Of course, near misses are better than the alternative of actual aviation accidents, which could end in mass tragedy. What keeps such disasters at bay is an army of air traffic controllers—trained professionals who often have the final say on where and when a plane can go. Unfortunately, accidents and near-accidents are becoming more common. In April, an airline pilot at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York was forced to abort a takeoff at the last second because other jets were entering the runway. Later that same week, a nearly identical incident occurred at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one of the airports that serve the Washington D.C. area and is a hub for various airlines.
The problem, the FAA says, is a shortage of air traffic controllers, leading to long shifts without sufficient rest time. To address the issue, the FAA is making changes that are due to take effect in three months, mandating 10 hours of rest time between shifts (up from nine), with the number going up to 12 hours for overnight shifts. As for the cause of the shortage itself, it may not be possible to fix by mandate alone. Part of the issue is systemic: back in 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired 11,000 striking air traffic controllers, ridding the nation’s airports of the most experienced in the field. Today, despite being a relatively high-paying occupation, becoming an air traffic controller is difficult, and the job itself can be (understandably) high-stress. The FAA also maintains stringent requirements for candidates, who cannot be 31 or older and must be willing to relocate to any FAA facility in the U.S. after completing the training program, which is held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. But if you’re young, college-educated, and not picky about where you live, it could be “OK.”
[Image description: An air traffic control tower against a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: Eheik, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Eheik, at the English Wikipedia project. This applies worldwide.
April 24, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
The Joe Biden administration has announced a pair of new measures to strengthen worker protections. It’s widening eligibility for overtime, bringing in milli...
The Joe Biden administration has announced a pair of new measures to strengthen worker protections. It’s widening eligibility for overtime, bringing in milli...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: April 24, 2024\BER-jun\ verb
What It Means
To bourgeon is to grow or develop quickly—in other words to flourish, blossom or...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: April 24, 2024\BER-jun\ verb
What It Means
To bourgeon is to grow or develop quickly—in other words to flourish, blossom or...
-
FREEMusic Daily Curio #2861Free1 CQ
Mother Nature’s about to hit the big time! Thanks to a UN initiative, recording artists can now credit “Nature” as a featured artist, with royalties going to fund conservation efforts. The initiative was started by the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live, a Copenhagen-based institution that focuses on engaging young people through culture. Their latest effort, “Sounds Right,” seeks to promote the value of conservation through an unconventional avenue: allowing artists to feature natural sounds in their tracks that are credited to “NATURE.” To make this possible, Sounds Right registered NATURE as an artist on various streaming platforms, and any time that a listener plays a track that features the “artist,” a portion of the royalties go toward funding “high-impact” conservation efforts in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, Indo-Burma, Sundaland, the Philippines, the Tropical Andes, and the Atlantic Forest. On Spotify, Nature even has an artist page with a star-studded tracklist. Among the songs that “Feat. NATURE” is Get Real by David Bowie and Brian Eno, which features sounds recorded from hyenas and wild pigs. Other artists on the page include Ellie Goulding and even a member of K-Pop sensation BTS. Some of the artists are contributing new tunes that use everything from ambient rainforest sounds to bird songs. Thanks in part to the immense reach of platforms like Spotify and the participating artists, Sounds Right estimates that the initiative will reach as many as 600 million people and raise $40 million. The initiative isn’t just about raising money today, though. It’s about sowing the seeds of activism for tomorrow. On their website, Sounds Right states, “The dream is to inspire and support fans of NATURE to take further environmental action, whether at a household level or advocating for societal changes that redress our extractive relationship with nature.” Going green never sounded so groovy.
[Image description: A small bird perched on a branch, singing.] Credit & copyright: Membeth, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law.Mother Nature’s about to hit the big time! Thanks to a UN initiative, recording artists can now credit “Nature” as a featured artist, with royalties going to fund conservation efforts. The initiative was started by the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live, a Copenhagen-based institution that focuses on engaging young people through culture. Their latest effort, “Sounds Right,” seeks to promote the value of conservation through an unconventional avenue: allowing artists to feature natural sounds in their tracks that are credited to “NATURE.” To make this possible, Sounds Right registered NATURE as an artist on various streaming platforms, and any time that a listener plays a track that features the “artist,” a portion of the royalties go toward funding “high-impact” conservation efforts in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, Indo-Burma, Sundaland, the Philippines, the Tropical Andes, and the Atlantic Forest. On Spotify, Nature even has an artist page with a star-studded tracklist. Among the songs that “Feat. NATURE” is Get Real by David Bowie and Brian Eno, which features sounds recorded from hyenas and wild pigs. Other artists on the page include Ellie Goulding and even a member of K-Pop sensation BTS. Some of the artists are contributing new tunes that use everything from ambient rainforest sounds to bird songs. Thanks in part to the immense reach of platforms like Spotify and the participating artists, Sounds Right estimates that the initiative will reach as many as 600 million people and raise $40 million. The initiative isn’t just about raising money today, though. It’s about sowing the seeds of activism for tomorrow. On their website, Sounds Right states, “The dream is to inspire and support fans of NATURE to take further environmental action, whether at a household level or advocating for societal changes that redress our extractive relationship with nature.” Going green never sounded so groovy.
[Image description: A small bird perched on a branch, singing.] Credit & copyright: Membeth, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law.
April 23, 2024
-
8 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
From the BBC World Service: The British government’s policy of sending migrants to the African nation of Rwanda is set to become law, but the United Nations ...
From the BBC World Service: The British government’s policy of sending migrants to the African nation of Rwanda is set to become law, but the United Nations ...
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: April 23, 2024\EK-suh-dus\ noun
What It Means
An exodus is a situation in which many people leave a place at the same time—...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: April 23, 2024\EK-suh-dus\ noun
What It Means
An exodus is a situation in which many people leave a place at the same time—...
-
FREESong CurioFree2 CQ
It’s not always better to burn out than fade away, but you couldn’t tell that to these Heartbreakers. On this day in 1991, 38-year-old American punk rocker Johnny Thunders died at the Inn on St. Peter hotel in New Orleans. While a drug overdose was listed as the official cause of death, some people, including none other than Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones, seemed to believe that there was foul play involved. Either way, there’s no doubt that the music world lost a punk legend that day, as Thunders had helped found the New York Dolls, one of the first successful American punk rock bands, in the early 1970s. After going on to form the Heartbreakers (sometimes called Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers) he released one of his best-remembered songs in 1977: Born to Lose. The song features Thunders’ signature raw vocals over a surprisingly classic-rock-style beat, with lyrics that are as classically punk as they come. The song is about a young, disaffected man who can’t seem to succeed no matter what he does. That certainly didn’t describe Thunders himself though, who’ll always be revered as one of American punk’s founding fathers.
It’s not always better to burn out than fade away, but you couldn’t tell that to these Heartbreakers. On this day in 1991, 38-year-old American punk rocker Johnny Thunders died at the Inn on St. Peter hotel in New Orleans. While a drug overdose was listed as the official cause of death, some people, including none other than Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones, seemed to believe that there was foul play involved. Either way, there’s no doubt that the music world lost a punk legend that day, as Thunders had helped found the New York Dolls, one of the first successful American punk rock bands, in the early 1970s. After going on to form the Heartbreakers (sometimes called Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers) he released one of his best-remembered songs in 1977: Born to Lose. The song features Thunders’ signature raw vocals over a surprisingly classic-rock-style beat, with lyrics that are as classically punk as they come. The song is about a young, disaffected man who can’t seem to succeed no matter what he does. That certainly didn’t describe Thunders himself though, who’ll always be revered as one of American punk’s founding fathers.
-
FREEScience Daily Curio #2860Free1 CQ
Here's a chance to take a literal step into the past. For a dinosaur 150 million years ago, leaving some footprints behind probably wasn’t particularly exciting. But as fossilized imprints on limestone, they’re a thrilling paleontological treasure today. Once located on private property, the track of 134 consecutive sauropod footprints near Ouray, Colorado, will soon be available for public viewing. Named the West Gold Hill Dinosaur Track site, it’s the longest such track at 106 total yards. Its path reveals the movement of a giant, long-necked dinosaur that seemed to walk straight for some time before making a 270 degree turn and partly looping around. It may not sound like much, but such long, well-preserved tracks are rare, and ones that show a distinct change in direction are even rarer, with only five other examples—four in China and one in Utah. Of those, none of the tracks show a turn greater than 180 degrees. The tracks in Colorado weren’t discovered until 2021, when the family who owned the land where they’re located noticed a line of strange divots. According to family members, they had been camping in the area for years and merely appreciated the rainwater-filled divots as convenient sources of water for their dogs. After they realized that the divots were actually dinosaur tracks, the family contacted the United States Forest Service in 2022 in order to sell them the land so that the natural wonder could be shared with the public. Recently, the Forest Service acquired the surrounding land for $135,000, with plans to expand an existing trail system in the area leading to the site. But the footprints can be seen even by those who can’t make the trek to Colorado—they are actually visible from Google Earth. You could say it’s a pterosaur’s eye view.
[Image description: A black-and-white illustration of a long-necked dinosaur, or sauropod.] Credit & copyright: Pearson Scott Foresman, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Pearson Scott Foresman. This applies worldwide.Here's a chance to take a literal step into the past. For a dinosaur 150 million years ago, leaving some footprints behind probably wasn’t particularly exciting. But as fossilized imprints on limestone, they’re a thrilling paleontological treasure today. Once located on private property, the track of 134 consecutive sauropod footprints near Ouray, Colorado, will soon be available for public viewing. Named the West Gold Hill Dinosaur Track site, it’s the longest such track at 106 total yards. Its path reveals the movement of a giant, long-necked dinosaur that seemed to walk straight for some time before making a 270 degree turn and partly looping around. It may not sound like much, but such long, well-preserved tracks are rare, and ones that show a distinct change in direction are even rarer, with only five other examples—four in China and one in Utah. Of those, none of the tracks show a turn greater than 180 degrees. The tracks in Colorado weren’t discovered until 2021, when the family who owned the land where they’re located noticed a line of strange divots. According to family members, they had been camping in the area for years and merely appreciated the rainwater-filled divots as convenient sources of water for their dogs. After they realized that the divots were actually dinosaur tracks, the family contacted the United States Forest Service in 2022 in order to sell them the land so that the natural wonder could be shared with the public. Recently, the Forest Service acquired the surrounding land for $135,000, with plans to expand an existing trail system in the area leading to the site. But the footprints can be seen even by those who can’t make the trek to Colorado—they are actually visible from Google Earth. You could say it’s a pterosaur’s eye view.
[Image description: A black-and-white illustration of a long-necked dinosaur, or sauropod.] Credit & copyright: Pearson Scott Foresman, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Pearson Scott Foresman. This applies worldwide.
April 22, 2024
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: April 22, 2024\PAL-puh-bul\ adjective
What It Means
Something described as palpable is obvious and notable. Palpable may al...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: April 22, 2024\PAL-puh-bul\ adjective
What It Means
Something described as palpable is obvious and notable. Palpable may al...
-
FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Seems he was making waves rather than going with the flow. American artist John La Farge painted this dramatic scene of a Daoist master after learning about he philosophy in Japan. A Rishi Stirring Up a Storm depicts a man dressed in blue robes standing by the sea. Blue-green waves can be seen crashing in the background under a dark, gray sky. La Farge visited Japan in 1886 and studied Daoism under Okakura Kakuzō, a Japanese writer and philosopher. Inspired by the philosophy and by Japanese woodblock prints, he created richly textured waves by layering transparent watercolor to create a sense of depth. While the painting is a tribute to his Daoist studies, he may not have been the best student. He apparently mistook “Rishi” to be a title that could be given to anyone, when it was really the Japanese pronunciation of Liezi (Master Lie), the honorific name of Daoist philosopher Lie Yukou. Maybe La Farge was too busy doodling during his lessons.
A Rishi Stirring Up a Storm, John La Farge (1835–1910), 1897, watercolor and gouache over graphite, 10.75 x 15.31 in. (27.3 x 38.9 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio.
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1939.267. Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation, public domain.]Seems he was making waves rather than going with the flow. American artist John La Farge painted this dramatic scene of a Daoist master after learning about he philosophy in Japan. A Rishi Stirring Up a Storm depicts a man dressed in blue robes standing by the sea. Blue-green waves can be seen crashing in the background under a dark, gray sky. La Farge visited Japan in 1886 and studied Daoism under Okakura Kakuzō, a Japanese writer and philosopher. Inspired by the philosophy and by Japanese woodblock prints, he created richly textured waves by layering transparent watercolor to create a sense of depth. While the painting is a tribute to his Daoist studies, he may not have been the best student. He apparently mistook “Rishi” to be a title that could be given to anyone, when it was really the Japanese pronunciation of Liezi (Master Lie), the honorific name of Daoist philosopher Lie Yukou. Maybe La Farge was too busy doodling during his lessons.
A Rishi Stirring Up a Storm, John La Farge (1835–1910), 1897, watercolor and gouache over graphite, 10.75 x 15.31 in. (27.3 x 38.9 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio.
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1939.267. Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation, public domain.] -
FREETravel Daily Curio #2859Free1 CQ
Pack it in, pack it out—for real this time. Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts live by the creed “leave no trace,” but Everest hopefuls have famously disregarded this tenet, leaving a mountain of waste next to the actual mountain. Now, authorities in Nepal are putting their foot down. In addition to sending in the army to remove trash (much of which is human waste) as they do every year, they’re implementing new rules for mountaineers to curb the amount of trash that gets left around the peak.
Every year, Nepali troops remove trash left behind on Everest, but it’s a daunting, never-ending task. Scores of climbers from around the world converge at the base of the Himalayan mountain, sometimes spending weeks waiting for their chance to summit. In that time, they leave behind literal tons of trash, and without plumbed lavatories on site, that means a lot of feces. There’s also the matter of trash that gets left behind on the way to the summit, like oxygen tanks that get discarded as they empty. On a more grisly note, there are also deposits of human remains along the path, frozen in time, still clad in bright mountaineering gear. Recovering bodies can be dangerous and expensive, so most people who die on Everest are left where they fall. They are so numerous and distinct against the stark, snowy backdrop that some bodies serve as landmarks on the way to the peak.
Nepal alone has approved well over 300 climbing permits so far this year, and more will surely come from the Tibetan side, which means more waste and potentially more casualties. To address the issue, the governments of Nepal and China have begun efforts to remove bodies and existing trash. All climbers will now be required to carry out their poop in special bags that will be issued to them. Each climber will be given two poop bags filled with chemicals to solidify waste, and each bag can be used 6 times, which should be enough for the two weeks that most climbers spend at base camp. With climbing permits going for $11,000, those are going to cost more than most designer bags!
[Image description: Mount Everest against a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: W. Mason Fuller, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, W. Mason Fuller at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide.Pack it in, pack it out—for real this time. Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts live by the creed “leave no trace,” but Everest hopefuls have famously disregarded this tenet, leaving a mountain of waste next to the actual mountain. Now, authorities in Nepal are putting their foot down. In addition to sending in the army to remove trash (much of which is human waste) as they do every year, they’re implementing new rules for mountaineers to curb the amount of trash that gets left around the peak.
Every year, Nepali troops remove trash left behind on Everest, but it’s a daunting, never-ending task. Scores of climbers from around the world converge at the base of the Himalayan mountain, sometimes spending weeks waiting for their chance to summit. In that time, they leave behind literal tons of trash, and without plumbed lavatories on site, that means a lot of feces. There’s also the matter of trash that gets left behind on the way to the summit, like oxygen tanks that get discarded as they empty. On a more grisly note, there are also deposits of human remains along the path, frozen in time, still clad in bright mountaineering gear. Recovering bodies can be dangerous and expensive, so most people who die on Everest are left where they fall. They are so numerous and distinct against the stark, snowy backdrop that some bodies serve as landmarks on the way to the peak.
Nepal alone has approved well over 300 climbing permits so far this year, and more will surely come from the Tibetan side, which means more waste and potentially more casualties. To address the issue, the governments of Nepal and China have begun efforts to remove bodies and existing trash. All climbers will now be required to carry out their poop in special bags that will be issued to them. Each climber will be given two poop bags filled with chemicals to solidify waste, and each bag can be used 6 times, which should be enough for the two weeks that most climbers spend at base camp. With climbing permits going for $11,000, those are going to cost more than most designer bags!
[Image description: Mount Everest against a blue sky.] Credit & copyright: W. Mason Fuller, Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, W. Mason Fuller at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide. -
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
The United Auto Workers union is trying to organize foreign vehicle factories in the South, and today, workers at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennes...
The United Auto Workers union is trying to organize foreign vehicle factories in the South, and today, workers at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennes...
April 21, 2024
-
FREEBiology PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
Would you like the ability to regrow your limbs while staying young forever? Sounds like you want to be an axolotl. These amphibians have become such pop-culture darlings in the past few years that they’re one of the few non-fluffy creatures commonly found in stuffed-animal form. While there’s no doubt that axolotls are cute, they also happen to be some of the strangest (and most threatened) creatures on earth.
Axolotls are amphibians (aquatic salamanders, to be exact) but their life cycle is much different from other amphibians’. The vast majority of amphibians undergo metamorphosis in order to reach adulthood, such as frogs, which begin life as tadpoles. Even most other salamander species begin life in the water with feathery gills similar to axolotls’, but eventually lose them when they mature and move onto land. Researchers have found that, while axolotls can be forced to change into an “adult” form if they are exposed to large amounts of iodine (a chemical element that triggers metamorphosis in some other amphibians) they do not survive long after the forced metamorphosis. One trait that axolotls do share with some other salamander species is the ability to regenerate body parts. They’re extremely good at it, in fact. Not only can axolotls grow new tails or legs should they lose one, they can even regrow internal organs and bones, including the heart, brain, and spine.
Social media could easily convince someone that axolotls are common. In a way, it’s true: they are common in the pet trade. In the wild, though, they’re practically extinct—and their range was never very big to begin with. In fact, wild axolotls have only ever been found in two freshwater lakes in the Valley of Mexico: Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. These lakes offered unique habitats for axolotls that some pet owners find difficult to emulate. The waters are dark and, most importantly, cold. Axolotls thrive at temperatures of around 55 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which would be much too cold for many other amphibians. Unfortunately, people have never been content to leave axolotls alone in their cool, dark homes. The salamanders’ first bout of bad luck came when the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire and partially drained the lakes, killing many axolotls. Lake Chalco was completely drained in the 1970s, relegating all remaining wild axolotls to Lake Xochimilco. Their problems weren’t over, though: in the 1980s, the lake became polluted with wastewater and in the early 2000s, tilapia were introduced to the lake. These fish compete with axolotls for food and eat their eggs. On top of all that, people living near the lake had no qualms about eating axolotls, if the chance arose. Today, there are only around 50 to 1,000 wild axolotls left on earth, all of them relegated to a single, polluted lake.
While the pet trade can lead to ecological disaster for some animal species, it may actually help save axolotls. Plenty of people from all over the world breed captive axolotls, which means that the species has managed to maintain a large gene pool. This could bode well for efforts to re-introduce axolotls to the wild…assuming that their natural habitat is made fit for them again. In order for any such effort to succeed, Lake Xochimilco would have to be cleaned of pollution, rules about waste dumping would need to be passed and enforced, and large numbers of tilapia would need to be removed from the lake. Were all those things to happen, there’s a good chance that wild axolotls would take to the lake like fish…or, rather, like salamanders to water.
[Image description: A gray axolotl in an aquarium.] Credit & copyright: Vassil, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.Would you like the ability to regrow your limbs while staying young forever? Sounds like you want to be an axolotl. These amphibians have become such pop-culture darlings in the past few years that they’re one of the few non-fluffy creatures commonly found in stuffed-animal form. While there’s no doubt that axolotls are cute, they also happen to be some of the strangest (and most threatened) creatures on earth.
Axolotls are amphibians (aquatic salamanders, to be exact) but their life cycle is much different from other amphibians’. The vast majority of amphibians undergo metamorphosis in order to reach adulthood, such as frogs, which begin life as tadpoles. Even most other salamander species begin life in the water with feathery gills similar to axolotls’, but eventually lose them when they mature and move onto land. Researchers have found that, while axolotls can be forced to change into an “adult” form if they are exposed to large amounts of iodine (a chemical element that triggers metamorphosis in some other amphibians) they do not survive long after the forced metamorphosis. One trait that axolotls do share with some other salamander species is the ability to regenerate body parts. They’re extremely good at it, in fact. Not only can axolotls grow new tails or legs should they lose one, they can even regrow internal organs and bones, including the heart, brain, and spine.
Social media could easily convince someone that axolotls are common. In a way, it’s true: they are common in the pet trade. In the wild, though, they’re practically extinct—and their range was never very big to begin with. In fact, wild axolotls have only ever been found in two freshwater lakes in the Valley of Mexico: Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. These lakes offered unique habitats for axolotls that some pet owners find difficult to emulate. The waters are dark and, most importantly, cold. Axolotls thrive at temperatures of around 55 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which would be much too cold for many other amphibians. Unfortunately, people have never been content to leave axolotls alone in their cool, dark homes. The salamanders’ first bout of bad luck came when the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire and partially drained the lakes, killing many axolotls. Lake Chalco was completely drained in the 1970s, relegating all remaining wild axolotls to Lake Xochimilco. Their problems weren’t over, though: in the 1980s, the lake became polluted with wastewater and in the early 2000s, tilapia were introduced to the lake. These fish compete with axolotls for food and eat their eggs. On top of all that, people living near the lake had no qualms about eating axolotls, if the chance arose. Today, there are only around 50 to 1,000 wild axolotls left on earth, all of them relegated to a single, polluted lake.
While the pet trade can lead to ecological disaster for some animal species, it may actually help save axolotls. Plenty of people from all over the world breed captive axolotls, which means that the species has managed to maintain a large gene pool. This could bode well for efforts to re-introduce axolotls to the wild…assuming that their natural habitat is made fit for them again. In order for any such effort to succeed, Lake Xochimilco would have to be cleaned of pollution, rules about waste dumping would need to be passed and enforced, and large numbers of tilapia would need to be removed from the lake. Were all those things to happen, there’s a good chance that wild axolotls would take to the lake like fish…or, rather, like salamanders to water.
[Image description: A gray axolotl in an aquarium.] Credit & copyright: Vassil, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. -
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
When the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was built in the ’70s, it was a chance for workers to prove themselves on a massive construction project. Foll...
When the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was built in the ’70s, it was a chance for workers to prove themselves on a massive construction project. Foll...
April 20, 2024
-
2 minFREEHumanities Word CurioFree2 CQ
Word of the Day
: April 20, 2024\JIN-jer-lee\ adjective
What It Means
An act or manner described as gingerly is very cautious or careful.
//...
with Merriam-WebsterWord of the Day
: April 20, 2024\JIN-jer-lee\ adjective
What It Means
An act or manner described as gingerly is very cautious or careful.
//...
-
9 minFREEWork Business CurioFree5 CQ
This week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finalized regulations to ensure that most employees around the country are entitled to unpaid time off...
This week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finalized regulations to ensure that most employees around the country are entitled to unpaid time off...
-
FREESports Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
Keep up the pace—no, not like that! A half-marathon in Beijing recently went viral for its unusual finish, and now the results of the race have been canceled after an investigation. On April 14, during the race organized by World Athletics, four runners were in the lead: Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat of Kenya, Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia, and He Jie of China. But it’s how the race finished that had people questioning the results. As the pack of four approached the finish line, He Jie took the lead after seemingly being waved forward by the other three. As he crossed the finish line, his competitors seemed to trail behind at a leisurely pace. When asked about the race, Mnangat explained that he allowed Jie to win, “because he is my friend,” and that he wasn’t racing competitively during the event. Elaborating, he said, “I don’t know why they put my name on my bib/chest number instead of labeling it as a pacemaker. My job was to set the pace and help the guy win but unfortunately, he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record.” Yet the Beijing Sports Bureau and World Athletics weren’t completely convinced, and both organizations investigated the race. In the end, the scores for all four runners were canceled along with their trophies, medals, and bonuses. Was it a case of poor sportsmanship or too much of it?
Keep up the pace—no, not like that! A half-marathon in Beijing recently went viral for its unusual finish, and now the results of the race have been canceled after an investigation. On April 14, during the race organized by World Athletics, four runners were in the lead: Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat of Kenya, Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia, and He Jie of China. But it’s how the race finished that had people questioning the results. As the pack of four approached the finish line, He Jie took the lead after seemingly being waved forward by the other three. As he crossed the finish line, his competitors seemed to trail behind at a leisurely pace. When asked about the race, Mnangat explained that he allowed Jie to win, “because he is my friend,” and that he wasn’t racing competitively during the event. Elaborating, he said, “I don’t know why they put my name on my bib/chest number instead of labeling it as a pacemaker. My job was to set the pace and help the guy win but unfortunately, he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record.” Yet the Beijing Sports Bureau and World Athletics weren’t completely convinced, and both organizations investigated the race. In the end, the scores for all four runners were canceled along with their trophies, medals, and bonuses. Was it a case of poor sportsmanship or too much of it?
April 19, 2024
-
7 minFREEWork Business CurioFree4 CQ
Bitcoin is trading well above where it did in 2023. Friday or Saturday, something called the “bitcoin halving” is supposed to happen — an event that occurs r...
Bitcoin is trading well above where it did in 2023. Friday or Saturday, something called the “bitcoin halving” is supposed to happen — an event that occurs r...
-
FREEMind + Body Daily CurioFree1 CQ
You can enjoy this snack on the go, just don’t forget your napkin! As the weather warms, plenty of people around the world will be reaching for doubles, a street food created in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. These delicious, saucy (somewhat messy) fried sandwiches manage to meld sweet, savory, and tart flavors together at once—and, though they’ve been around for almost a century, we know exactly who invented them.
Doubles are fried, open-faced sandwiches made from two pieces of fried dough called baras. The dough is stuffed with spicy, curried chickpeas and topped with a variety of sauces and spices. Some of the most common toppings include mango chutney, coriander sauce, diced cucumber, or a combination thereof. In some ways, doubles serve as a culinary expression of Trinidad and Tobego’s diverse population. Baras, chutneys, and currys have their roots in Indian and other South Asian cuisines, while chickpeas are an important staple in African cuisine. This melding makes sense, considering that Trinidad and Tobego is home to many people of Indian, West African, Chinese, and Indigenous Caribbean descent.
The invention of doubles is widely credited to the husband and wife team of Emamool and Raheman Deen, who began selling single baras topped with curried chickpeas to Indian sugar estate workers in Princes Town some time in the 1910s. Eventually, the Deens added chutneys to the baras, and coined the term “doubles” when customers began requesting two baras instead of one. The first, true doubles were sold by the Deens in 1936.
Doubles didn’t remain a family secret for long, though. Soon, other street vendors in Princes Town began selling the food, and it quickly grew popular enough to spread throughout the entire country, with some vendors even choosing to sell doubles and nothing else. Though some people today choose to make their doubles at home, the dish is still most famous as a street food. Doubles can and often are eaten any time of day, usually by working people in a hurry, but also by late-night partiers who consider them an excellent accompaniment to alcohol. Able to be enjoyed as a breakfast food and a midnight snack, you could say that doubles are double-delicious.
[Image description: Chickpeas in a silver pan.] Credit & copyright: Kyle Killam, PexelsYou can enjoy this snack on the go, just don’t forget your napkin! As the weather warms, plenty of people around the world will be reaching for doubles, a street food created in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. These delicious, saucy (somewhat messy) fried sandwiches manage to meld sweet, savory, and tart flavors together at once—and, though they’ve been around for almost a century, we know exactly who invented them.
Doubles are fried, open-faced sandwiches made from two pieces of fried dough called baras. The dough is stuffed with spicy, curried chickpeas and topped with a variety of sauces and spices. Some of the most common toppings include mango chutney, coriander sauce, diced cucumber, or a combination thereof. In some ways, doubles serve as a culinary expression of Trinidad and Tobego’s diverse population. Baras, chutneys, and currys have their roots in Indian and other South Asian cuisines, while chickpeas are an important staple in African cuisine. This melding makes sense, considering that Trinidad and Tobego is home to many people of Indian, West African, Chinese, and Indigenous Caribbean descent.
The invention of doubles is widely credited to the husband and wife team of Emamool and Raheman Deen, who began selling single baras topped with curried chickpeas to Indian sugar estate workers in Princes Town some time in the 1910s. Eventually, the Deens added chutneys to the baras, and coined the term “doubles” when customers began requesting two baras instead of one. The first, true doubles were sold by the Deens in 1936.
Doubles didn’t remain a family secret for long, though. Soon, other street vendors in Princes Town began selling the food, and it quickly grew popular enough to spread throughout the entire country, with some vendors even choosing to sell doubles and nothing else. Though some people today choose to make their doubles at home, the dish is still most famous as a street food. Doubles can and often are eaten any time of day, usually by working people in a hurry, but also by late-night partiers who consider them an excellent accompaniment to alcohol. Able to be enjoyed as a breakfast food and a midnight snack, you could say that doubles are double-delicious.
[Image description: Chickpeas in a silver pan.] Credit & copyright: Kyle Killam, Pexels