do u think omegaverse acknowledges covid-19 and the generation of people who permanently lost their sense of smell like how are they all scenting each other now is the omegaverse economy in shambles
actually pheromone sensing works differently from normal olfaction, since humans in our world don’t have a functioning vomeronasal organ (VNO), we don’t have any data on how covid-19 would affect a functioning VNO in omegaverse AUs
Actually there is evidence that covid probably would affect the VNO and it stands to reason would accordingly impair its function. Briefly:
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid, can only infect cells expressing a certain protein called ACE2
ACE2 is expressed widely in nasal cavity epithelial cells but not in olfactory sensory neurons.
Seo et al. (2021) studied potential nasal targets for SARS-CoV-2 using golden hamsters as a model organism (commonly used as a proxy for humans in virology studies)
They found ACE2 expression in the main olfactory bulb epithelium (MOE, your “normal” nose organ) as well as the vomeronasal organ (VNO)
Several cell types in the VNO were able to be infected and they also found significant inflammatory activity (macrophage activation, apoptotic cells, etc)
The specifics of how covid actually causes dysosmia are not known for sure but epithelial damage by local inflammatory immune responses likely plays a role, especially because sensory neurons themselves are not affected (Bilinska, & Butowt, 2020). Therefore I would suggest a potential similar effect of VNO dysfunction as we see in the main olfactory bulb
From Seo et al.: “Considering the function of the VNO, infection and subsequent pathologic changes may affect the behavior of Syrian hamsters”
If it stands to reason that omegaverse individuals have functioning VNOs similar to members of the animal kingdom, then it is more than reasonable to conclude that covid may cause them to lose not only their main olfactory function, but also their VNO function as well
In conclusion the omegaverse economy IS in shambles.
OP this is very well-written but im still hung up on how you came onstage dressed as a clown only to tear off the costume and reveal yourself as a biologist
Imagine you’re 400 kilometres above the ground, hurtling along at eight kilometres per second, you get a short break from your strict work schedule to call up your wife who you haven’t seen for months, and she hangs up on you.
Tiny invertebrates called 'water bears’ can survive in the vacuum of space, a European Space Agency experiment has shown. They are the first animals known to be able to survive the harsh combination of low pressure and intense radiation found in space.
Water bears, also known as tardigrades, are known for their virtual indestructibility on Earth. The creatures can survive intense pressures, huge doses of radiation, and years of being dried out.
After 10 days of exposure to space, the satellite returned to Earth. The tardigrades were retrieved and rehydrated to test how they reacted to the airless conditions in space, as well as ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and charged particles from space called cosmic rays.
The vacuum itself seemed to have little effect on the creatures. But ultraviolet radiation, which can damage cellular material and DNA, did take its toll.
Almost 100 million euros has been spent so far on conservation efforts for the last 250 remaining Iberian lynxes in the wild. But the charismatic species is likely to go extinct within 50 years because the current management plans do not account for the effects of climate change.
Almost 100 million euros has been spent so far on conservation efforts for the last 250 remaining Iberian lynxes in the wild. But the charismatic species is likely to go extinct within 50 years because the current management plans do not account for the effects of climate change.
A New Journal of the American Medical Association Study Suggests That Smoking Marijuana May Not Harm Your Lungs. Here is the Study
Attention pot smokers: a recent study in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that marijuana smoking may not harm your lungs. A study that appeared in the Journal of American Medicine took “repeated measurements of pulmonary function and smoking over 20 years in a cohort of 5115 men and women in 4 US cities.”
What did the marijuana smoke study find?
“Occasional and low cumulative marijuana use was not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function.”
The New York Times translates the study into English, quoting a doctor not involved with the study who states: “essentially there is no significant relationship between marijuana exposure and impairment in lung function.”
So if you like to light up, your lungs may not end up bothering you too much in the future. Of course, you’re not out of the woods entirely. The New York Times does point out that marijuana "causes impairment that reduces attention, lowers motivation and heightens the risk of accidents.”
“Living” Chandelier That Naturally Purifies the Air Contains Real Algae
Design engineer and biotechnologist Julian Melchiorri is the brain behind the “living” chandelier, something that not only adorns your home but also purifies the air that you breathe in, an ingenious design that can be the perfect addition to your home decor.
He calls it Exhale, a lovely chandelier that is composed of seventy glass leaves filled with algae that purify air. This has been on display at the V&A Museum during the London Design Festival, another green design that has been created by the emerging design-engineer Julian Melchiorri, who has also created the world’s first synthetic biological leaf.
Melchiorri’s work is based on the simple principle of photosynthesis, but the well-thought of use of the man-made household item, making it functional for the environment, makes this a brilliant innovation. He has been awarded the Emerging Talent Award during London Design Week, in an effort to applaud his great contribution. While the Exhale chandelier is still a prototype, the young designer wishes to bring the technology to larger buildings in the future, combating against harmful emissions. Visit Melchiorri’s website here!
A young 9 banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) I captured at work today. Released unharmed after brief examination. Since these guys are one of my favorite native mammals I will celebrate by posting Fun Armadillo Facts™ .
1. Nine-banded armadillos were unheard of in the United States until the late 19th century, when they crossed the Rio-Grande naturally and were introduced to Florida by humans. Their range has expanded rapidly and they now occupy much of the southern US, and are still spreading.
2. Every nine-banded armadillo you see, at one point in its life, had three identical siblings. The species almost invariably produces quadruplets!
3. They are one of the only animals other than humans to be susceptible to leprosy. With a low core temperature and a long lifespan they are perfect for the bacteria to propagate, and actually suffer it systemically rather than on mainly peripheral tissues the way humans do. You are unlikely to get leprosy from the average armadillo, however.
4. Unlike the smaller three-banded armadillo, the nine-banded cannot roll into a ball. Its methods of escape involve either a surprising rapid run, attempting to dig down to where only its carapace is exposed, or, and this is why so many are hit by cars, leaping 3+ vertical feet in order to startle predators. In the words of zefrank, this is precisely the wrong defense to survive a charging honda, regrettably.
5. They can be litter box trained much like a cat!
6.They once had gigantic prehistoric relatives includingDoedicurusandGlyptotherium. Large herbivores reaching the size of small cars. I wish so badly that they remained alive so I could ride one.
i used to work at a used bookstore and there was an insect anatomy book for sale that was over $8000 im not even kidding. and i just found it at my school library. its mine for the month.
It’s page after page of the most detailed illustration on insect morphology I’ve ever seen
External anatomy only I’m afraid, but an absolutely invaluable resource nonetheless
It’s called An Atlas of Insect Morphology by Steinmann and Zombori. Looks like there are some much cheaper options now than when I last looked. When I saw it in the bookstore’s system I thought it was a pricing error but I remember looking it up and seeing one for sale that was over $10,000 so I was like okay then. I could only find pdfs from university libraries I don’t have access too. So I’m glad my school has a physical copy.
Idk if I can describe how useful this book is. It’s all illustration. The only text is the labels. I have a really nice book on insect anatomy but it’s like your classic textbook
Like very useful but it is still a pain to flip through a thousand page book looking for images but it’s mostly text. There aren’t nearly as many diagrams. It doesn’t show you nearly as many angles. It doesn’t show or label even close to level of detail the one above does.
In case anyone hasn’t read my tags: I’m going to scan this whole book and make it into a pdf. You all can have it for free. It will take a while. Bear with me.
PHOBIA SAFE (no real creatures shown in post) with clickable source link for every single fact!
Arthropods are wonderful amazing living things, but often poorly appreciated. This post dispels some common arthropod myths in time for summer, but also collects some cool and fun facts about everyday insects or arachnids that a lot of people find surprising whenever I’ve brought them up!
Some people don’t like looking at arthropods, and I won’t pretend to get it, but they still deserve cool and (to the best of my ability) accurate facts, so there will be no real photos in this post. It’s also extremely long, so I’ve put a cut after the first few items!
First: “Bugs” ARE animals. An animal can really be as simple as a jellyfish or a sea sponge, but Arthropods are on the more complex side of the animal kingdom, and may comprise the majority of it (potentially only outnumbered by certain worms).
Wasps are at least as important as bees. Wasps can pollinate almost all the same flowers, even if it’s with slightly less efficiency, but many plants also attract wasps alone for pollination, and wasps pull additional duty regulating every food web that involves insects at all.
Mosquitoes are also necessary, sorry. The viral claim that “scientists” have “proven” them to be useless is a misunderstanding of one researcher’s opinion that it would be safe to eradicate one variety of mosquito from a limited area. All over the world, mosquitoes are a massive part of the nutrient cycle, and little else can multiply as rapidly in the same range of conditions.
Ants and bees are effectively just specialized wasps themselves, together forming the order Hymenoptera along with the less famous “sawflies.” You can think of ants as super-social, super-successful subterranean wasps for having evolved from the same ancestors.
Fireflies are carnivorous beetles, which feed primarily on slugs and snails during their larval stages. In some species, adult female fireflies also prey on the males of other fireflies, imitating their light signals as a lure.
Termites are cockroaches. Totally unrelated to ants despite their very similar lifestyles, termites were always considered closely related to roaches but were more recently proven to actually just be very oddball roaches themselves.
OVER 30 MORE FACTS UNDER CUT (is the cut actually working?? I think the formatting might be breaking it)
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