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Science is Fun Fridays!

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We started talking about snakes yesterday so this felt right. This seemingly friendly face belongs to one of the most venomous snakes in the world - the black mamba. A team has produced a single antivenom that provided mice with full protection against 13 species, and partial protection against six other species. They are confident they are within reach of an antivenom that covers all snakes that use neurotoxic venom, which includes cobras, taipans, black mambas, and some sea snakes. This is partly in thanks to Tim Friede, a snake handler and collector.  He started with injections of venom, small dilutions, before taking it straight from the snake's mouth.  He developed hyperimmunity and had more specific antibodies directed towards snake venom than most/any human. Centivax reached out to him so that they could study these antibodies.  They identified certain common features from the different snake toxins and antibodies, such as LNX-D09 which blocks the activity of many ...
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My Shots - Wood and Rock

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  We took a drive through Greenville, still devastated and recovering from the fire.  A few scenes caught my attention, but I didn't want to photograph their loss like that.  So we found a reservoir to turn off at. I heard some scratching in the log here so I took a look. When I proved to be safe, he came out a little more. Sunday night was Sevendust.  They'll forever be one of my favorite live acts. Not my best seats or shots though.
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Hump Day History

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  Mr. Potato Head was first invented in 1949 by George Lerner. Originally the kit had plastic parts to pin on a real potato, but after complaints of rotting vegetables and new government safety regulations, Hasbro started including a plastic body in 1964. On this day in 1952, it was the first toy advertised on TV. Terrifying. Although it had the selling point of looking different every time, as opposed to the fairly limited creations you could make with the plastic body. Did you know - Hasbro used to be the Hassenfeld Brothers.  Herman, Hillel, and Henry were immigrants from Poland who started in the textile business before turning to toys.
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Best Dressed - Week of April 28

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  Chappell Roan Demi Moore Simu Liu Simone Biles Kerri Kenney-Silver Greta Lee Florence Pugh Shout-out to Michelle Pfeiffer! Hand and Footprint Ceremony.
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Science is Fun Fridays!

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 Perhaps you saw the smiley face from space this morning, as this triple conjunction was visible from about 5:30am to sunrise. Another early morning watch to plan for is the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, which will peak in the hours before dawn on May 5 - but they're active from April 15 through May 27, starting around 2am. The chunks of space debris that create these showers are from Halley's Comet. The comet itself is visible from Earth every 72-80 years.  It was last seen in 1986 and will be back around 2061.
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My Shots - Creek Camp

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 A quick shot just out of town and we're in nature. 4/20 Coffee The pups playing fetch.
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Hump Day History Book Club

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  What timing!   My sister and I finished Othello  last night and today is the reason I chose April to start with. Shakespeare was born on this day in 1564.  This is assumed from church records that confirm his baptism on April 26, and it was customary to do so three days after birth. Anyway, I quite liked this one.  Iago was truly a villain, and Desdemona truly an innocent.  But it's Emilia I'm most unhappy with dying.  She was going to leave her awful husband, and I was rooting for it!  The analysis review suggested she was the play's conscience, and that tracks. Which leaves Othello, the fool, "to die upon a kiss."  He no longer deserved that, but it was well written.  I'm just glad he stabbed Iago too. "I bleed, sir, but not kill'd." "I'd have thee live, for in my sense 'tis happiness to die." Which Othello chose for himself.
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