RenoVous

  I follow NASA Hubble on Instagram and this was today's post for Asteroid Day, showing their streaks across galaxy cluster Abell 370. This day was designed to educate the public about asteroids and the importance of defending our planet against them. The Jet Propulsion Lab at the California Institute of Technology has put together some online sources to help explain how they track and study asteroids. NASA has sent several spacecraft to study these, such as the Dawn mission in 2007, which explored the two largest objects in the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres. In 2016, they launched OSIRIS-REx to check out Bennu.  It landed in 2018 and is expected back on Earth in 2023 with samples to evaluate.  Here is the last image it took as it left earlier this year. Out of 730,000 known asteroids about 16,000 are considered near-Earth objects, and these are closely monitored.  The Center for Near Earth Object Studies compiles data acquired by telescopes and submitted to the...

 "The camera, in all of its many forms, is to be celebrated." Days of the Year 1825 - Heliograph invented by Joseph Niépce, first known photograph 1839 - Louis Jacque Daguerre invents the Daguerreotype process 1888 - George Eastman invents flexible and unbreakable film and the first Kodak was sold 1925 - The Leica I goes on sale 1936 - First 35mm camera, the Argus A, goes on sale with the birth of Canon 1948 - The Polaroid takes the market by storm Today, almost everyone has a camera on hand in their smart phone.  This is where most of my photos come from.  Speaking of, here are some from the weekend. Downtown. And taking a drive. So hey, take a picture today! You don't have to share it here, but you're welcome to!

  Megan Thee Stallion Ciara Taraji P. Henson (Host) Lil Nas X Bonus Lil Nas X Ashanti Andra Day Queen Latifah Marsai Martin DaBaby Issa Rae Zendaya with Lil Kim And Cardi B announced her second pregnancy with Offset.

  The Bdelloid rotifer was discovered in the permafrost of Siberia, where it has lived for 24,000 years! These multicellular animals are known for surviving extreme conditions - starvation, freezing temperatures, low oxygen, even ionizing radiation.  But scientists did not know they could endure dormancy for so long. Once it was thawed, it was able to reproduce asexually, no problemo. They used radiocarbon dating to verify the age of the rotifer, and will study further to understand how exactly it was able to remain in a state of cryptobiosis for so long.  Previous research said they could survive only 10 years frozen. The team drilled into the permafrost along the Alayeza River and samples were taken to the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute for Physiochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, located in Pushchino, Russia. The lab specializes in separating microscopic organisms from the permafrost and have successfully regenerated several multicellular animals, mo...

 Four years ago I got to have a weekend with my bestie in Spokane. Flying in, we went through Boise. Backyard Bloom Downtown Lake Coeur d'Alene Girls gotta have a Mimosa Morning! The flight back home was through Portland. Hubby and I are hoping to make a trip back this summer and spend some time, especially since I can work from anywhere with secure internet.

  Image is borrowed from a page I'm linking to because it was on their podcast that I learned of today's topic. TLO Podcast That topic is Polari - a code language used by gay men to communicate in order to survive. It was used in the UK in response to strict anti-homosexuality laws in the 1920's but it originates from at least the 19th century.  It's a combination of Italian, Romani, London slang, backslang, sailor slang, circus slang, and thieves' cant.  It later expanded to include some Yiddish as well. The core lexicon includes words such as: bona - good ajax - nearby eek (or ecaf) - face cod - bad, vile naff - bad, dull lattie - room, house, flat nanti - no omi - man palone - woman trade - sex rozzer - policeman There were specific words to identify oneself and to compliment others on their hair or fashion.  Drag, queen, and butch are Polari terms.  It allowed gay men to interact with one another without fear of the law, or getting beat up when reaching out ...

  Tropical rainforests cover only 2% of the earth's surface, but they provide habitat and food for nearly half of all living species.  Each year, we lose 78 million hectares through deforestation and climate change.  News reports are indicating we could very well see the Amazon die in our lifetime. The Rainforest Partnership launched in 2007 to help protect the rainforests.  They work with Indigenous Peoples to restore, regenerate, and preserve the lands.  In 2017, they created this day to increase awareness and positive action. We can all support sustainable production and make eco-friendly choices in our everyday lives.  We can donate for tree planting and we can help our local wildlife to sustain global biodiversity. Days of the Year Rainforest Partnership Rainforest Rescue It all starts with appreciating our home, its plants and its animals.

  Vin Diesel Charlize Theron Tyrese Gibson Jordana Brewster Ludacris and Eudoxie Meadow Walker (Paul's daughter) Finn Cole Anna Sawai Sung Kang Also Vanessa and Natalia Bryant

  This is Mia, a bearded vulture who was found without a foot. They're the largest flying bird, and as scavengers, landing is an important process which needs two good feet to maneuver successfully. So the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery MedUni in Vienna, Austria worked to create a prosthetic using osseointegration. Called a "Plug and Play" limb, the prosthesis is connected directly to the bone, and has been used to replace a human hand as well. "Osseoperception provides direct intuitive feedback, thereby allowing natural use of the extremity for walking and feeding," says Dr. Oskar Aszmann of MedUni.  The surgery was a success.  Mia attempted to walk after just three weeks, with full weight bearing at six weeks. "Today the bearded vulture can once again land and walk using both feet, making it the first 'bionic bird.'"  For bidirectional communication, a titanium plate is implanted in the bones and the nerves are w...