Endless Forms Most Wonderful

1st Jun 2012 | 232 notes

ikenbot:

Rare Transit of Venus Puts Spotlight on Planetary Sun Crossings
Image: Illustration of the Venus transit from James Ferguson’s book Astronomy Explained. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Sun-Earth Day
A rare opportunity to see the planet Venus cross in front of the face of the sun is coming up next week.
On June 5 to 6, Venus will “transit” the sun for the last time until 2117, joining the ranks of the handful of planetary transits that have occurred since the dawn of modern astronomy.
From our vantage point on Earth, we occasionally have the chance to see two planets — Venus and Mercury — pass in front of the sun, as these are the only two planetary bodies between us and our star.
Transits of Mercury are more common than Venus transits, with an average of 13 occurring each century. Venus transits come in pairs separated by eight years, with more than a century usually elapsing between one pair and the next.
Full Article

Rare Transit of Venus Puts Spotlight on Planetary Sun Crossings

Image: Illustration of the Venus transit from James Ferguson’s book Astronomy Explained. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Sun-Earth Day

A rare opportunity to see the planet Venus cross in front of the face of the sun is coming up next week.

On June 5 to 6, Venus will “transit” the sun for the last time until 2117, joining the ranks of the handful of planetary transits that have occurred since the dawn of modern astronomy.

From our vantage point on Earth, we occasionally have the chance to see two planets — Venus and Mercury — pass in front of the sun, as these are the only two planetary bodies between us and our star.

Transits of Mercury are more common than Venus transits, with an average of 13 occurring each century. Venus transits come in pairs separated by eight years, with more than a century usually elapsing between one pair and the next.

Full Article

(via galileannights)

28th May 2012 | 348 notes

megsalot:

expose-the-light:

Views of the Solar System by Cameron Stevens

Fuuuuu- these are neat.

(via galileannights)

$mapmeoblivion: Know Your Neurons Did you know that neurons come in a variety of extraordinary shapes? Imaged above is Ferris Jabr’s drawing, based on reconstructions and drawings by neuroanatomist Santiago Ramón y Cajal, of different types of neurons: A. Purkinje cell B. Granule cell C. Motor neuron D. Tripolar neuron E. Pyramidal Cell F. Chandelier cell G. Spindle neuron H. Stellate cell. In addition to their varying shapes, they each have different functions. Some neurons send electrical signals along fibers that stretch several feet; other neurons’ branches extend only a few millimeters away from the cell body. Some neurons possess a fractal beauty similar to that of ferns and corals: Purkinje cells, for example, often sport finely branched nets, like a sea fan. But some of their neighbors look more like tangled tumbleweeds. One neuron might appear more or less round under the microscope—like a firework frozen in climax—whereas another might spider through the brain like a daddy longlegs. Excitatory neurons mostly stimulate other cells; inhibitory neurons prefer to stifle. Most neurons fire in patterns, but their tempos vary: some keep a steady beat, others remain largely silent except for the occasional burst of activity and still other cells continually fire like a trigger-happy toddler playing laser tag. This is a part of Ferris Jabr’s Know Your Neurons series where he will be exploring the “cellular diversity of the nervous system.” He goes on to explain the discovery and naming of the neuron. Read More$

mapmeoblivion:

Know Your Neurons

Did you know that neurons come in a variety of extraordinary shapes? Imaged above is Ferris Jabr’s drawing, based on reconstructions and drawings by neuroanatomist Santiago Ramón y Cajal, of different types of neurons: A. Purkinje cell B. Granule cell C. Motor neuron D. Tripolar neuron E. Pyramidal Cell F. Chandelier cell G. Spindle neuron H. Stellate cell. In addition to their varying shapes, they each have different functions.

Some neurons send electrical signals along fibers that stretch several feet; other neurons’ branches extend only a few millimeters away from the cell body. Some neurons possess a fractal beauty similar to that of ferns and corals: Purkinje cells, for example, often sport finely branched nets, like a sea fan. But some of their neighbors look more like tangled tumbleweeds. One neuron might appear more or less round under the microscope—like a firework frozen in climax—whereas another might spider through the brain like a daddy longlegs.

Excitatory neurons mostly stimulate other cells; inhibitory neurons prefer to stifle. Most neurons fire in patterns, but their tempos vary: some keep a steady beat, others remain largely silent except for the occasional burst of activity and still other cells continually fire like a trigger-happy toddler playing laser tag.

This is a part of Ferris Jabr’s Know Your Neurons series where he will be exploring the “cellular diversity of the nervous system.” He goes on to explain the discovery and naming of the neuron.

Read More

(via scinerds)

15th May 2012 | 377 notes

cabbagingcove:

Today in History - May 14

Ticrapo, Huancavelica Region, Peru, 1939

On May 14, 1939, a girl named Lina Medina became the youngest recorded mother in history, at 5 years, 7 months, and 17 days of age.

Originally thought to have a massive abdominal tumor that was growing at an alarming rate, Lina’s parents took her to the nearest hospital, where she was diagnosed as being seven months pregnant. The doctor who diagnosed her, Dr. Gerardo Lozada, took her to Lima, Peru, to a larger hospital, in order to have his diagnosis confirmed and to have Lina’s condition monitored.

One-and-a-half months later, a caesarean-section was performed on the small girl, and her son Gerardo Medina was born. He was named after the doctor who delivered him, and who mentored and provided medical care to both Lina and the boy, after the birth and through their young adulthood. Until he was 10-years-old, Gerardo was raised to believe that his mom was really his sister, but after incessant teasing at school one year, the doctor and Lina told him the truth. By most accounts, he was a normal child, and fairly bright. He died at age 40, of an unrelated bone cancer.

How did this happen?

Well, precocious puberty isn’t all that uncommon, but extreme precocious puberty is. Some children with extreme precocious puberty reach menarche (first menstruation) at nine months or younger, and if this condition is allowed to continue, the body develops to the point where a full-term pregnancy is completely possible. Today, hormone-suppressing drugs are available, and many of the complications of precocious puberty (both psychological and physical) are avoided, but the early versions of these medications were both dangerous and not terribly effective.

Lina had begun menstruating at eight-months-old, and began developing breast tissue at four-years-old. Though her hips had begun widening significantly beyond where they should be for a child her age, they were obviously nowhere near large enough to deliver a baby at just five-years-old.

Of course, this still leads to the question of who would impregnate a five-year-old. Her father was initially arrested on suspicion of incest and rape, but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence. Other possibilities included her mentally-deficient older brother, an uncle, or one of the village men, during an Andean fertility festival. Lina herself never gave a clear answer to who impregnated her, and it’s completely possible that she herself doesn’t know.

Lina Today

Lina Medina had a second son in 1972, almost 33 years after her first. She is still alive today, in a poor section of Lima, Peru, and lives with her husband Raul Jurado. Despite living in relative poverty, she refuses media and publicity as much as possible, and prefers her privacy over fiscal gain.

Read More about Lina Medina:

LINA MEDINA, MADRE A LOS CINCO AÑOS

Youngest Mother @ DamnInteresting

Youngest Mother? by Snopes

Time Magazine: Little Mother [similar case]

Calcutta Telegraph

All images from listed sources.

29th Apr 2012 | 534 notes

the-star-stuff:

April’s Corona

The night of April 27th was very cold and humid, with some clouds. The moon displayed a very soft and difuse corona.

Photographed by Luis Argerich

(via scinerds)

28th Apr 2012 | 151 notes

expose-the-light:

Microscopic Monsters: Gallery of Ugly Bugs

1. Little Red Riding Hood

Credit: Therry The & Marilee Sellers | Northern Arizona University, Page Baluch | W.M. Keck Bioimaging Laboratory |

Arizona State UniversityAnother helpful beetle, the soft-winged flower beetle (Collops vittatus) feeds on whiteflies, which helps to naturally control the pest’s population in cotton fields. Soft-winged flower beetles also eat soft-bodied insects such as mites, aphids and caterpillars.

2. Sinister Wasp

Credit: Therry The & Marilee Sellers | Northern Arizona University, Page Baluch | W.M. Keck Bioimaging Laboratory |

Arizona State UniversityThe ichneumon wasp (Hymenoptera) is a parasitoid, which means that its larvae feed on their host organism. Using her long, stinger-like ovipositor, the mother wasp injects her eggs into a host’s dwelling or body — sometimes even into their larvae. When the wasp’s larvae hatch, they will devour their host, which include butterfly pupae and moth caterpillars.

3. Egg Eater

Credit: Therry The & Marilee Sellers | Northern Arizona University, Page Baluch | W.M. Keck Bioimaging Laboratory |

Arizona State UniversityThe above googly-eyed bug may look pretty silly, but don’t be fooled — it’s a predatory insect. Damsel bugs (Nabis americoferus) feed on the eggs of other insects, as well as devouring small caterpillars and aphids, which are also known as plant lice.

4. Tarnished Sap Suckers

Credit: Therry The & Marilee Sellers | Northern Arizona University, Page Baluch | W.M. Keck Bioimaging Laboratory |

Arizona State UniversityThe Western tarnished plant bug (Lygus Hesperus) feeds on the sap of plants, including peach trees, strawberries and cotton plants. It is considered to be a major agricultural pest and causes millions of dollars in damage to the cotton and strawberry industry in California alone, according to researchers at Northern Arizona University.

(via scinerds)

28th Apr 2012 | 2,313 notes

Wonderful assembly from itsfullofstars.

itsfullofstars:

As promised, this is what I’ve gotten done so far, just us and our neighbors this side of the asteroid belt. Keeping the format simple.

- spacedriver

PS - just noticed the above images are iPhone sized, so have at it:)

(via scishow)