RenoVous

 April is a time to celebrate the power of community involvement in environmental conservation and research. I came across a local project mentioning this and then found an online source for studies to participate in. One Million Acts of Science The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center is asking anyone who visits the lake to report on critical conditions, such as litter, cloudy water, aquatic invasive species sightings, and particularly the presence or absence of algae along the shoreline. Algae reports will be utilized by TERC researchers who are studying the distribution and seasonal variation of algal blooms. Citizen Science Tahoe

Thursday is Take Action for Libraries Day. As library funding is under attack, the American Library Association encourages us to advocate and contact our representatives about protecting federal support through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  #ForOurLibraries But libraries are also facing local attacks from people who don't support freedom of choice. A bill in Nevada is being proposed to ban book banning. "AB416 would prohibit school boards, the governing body of a charter school, a school employee, or public library from limiting access to or removing certain books based on the characteristics of the author or the content of the book, or because of the subject, or intended audience of the book." I saw a comment on a local story recently that said libraries are becoming obsolete - an inaccurate and narrow opinion.  Sure, we could all buy books or use online resources, but not everyone has that option.  The accessibility of a library and all it has to...

  In June of 1946, the Supreme Court decision in Morgan v. Virginia mandated segregation on interstate buses was unconstitutional.  On this day in 1947, the Congress of Racial Equality sent 16 black and white activists on a bus tour in the South to test this, known as the Journey of Reconciliation. On April 13, after arriving the day before, riders boarded in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  They attempted to sit at the front of the bus and the driver refused, removing some by force.  They were then attacked by a mob of angry cab drivers, and four men were arrested for disorderly conduct. The riders ultimately fled Chapel Hill to Greensboro by car because of threats of violence. It wasn't until 1955 that Rosa Parks initiated the protests against having to sit in the back of the bus. In 1939, Marian Anderson was an international superstar.  But here in her home country, she was not allowed on many stages.  She was specifically denied to perform at Constitution ...

 The two eaglets have been named! Sunny is the eldest, by four days.  He has been engaging in wing-flapping and standing exercises. Some play was witnessed with a baby pine cone. And here they are!

  Jenna Ortega Teyana Taylor Colman Domingo Florence Pugh Ana de Armas Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Hannah John-Kamen Regina Hall Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis

That itty bitty bit there by the pencil tip is the world's smallest pacemaker. It has yet to be tested on humans, but it would be implanted with a syringe and controlled by light before dissolving when no longer needed. It would be particularly well-suited for newborns with congenital heart defects. The pacemaker is paired with a wearable device on the patient's chest.  When an irregular heartbeat is detected, the device shines a light pulse to activate the unit.  It is powered by a galvanic cell, which uses the body's fluids to convert chemical energy into electrical pulses that stimulate the heart. It would be meant for short-term use though, to help adults restore a normal heartbeat following cardiac surgery.  "It's a paradigm shift in temporary pacing and bioelectronic medicine, opening up possibilities far beyond cardiology - including nerve regeneration, wound healing, and integrated smart implants," says researcher Bozhi Tian.

 My shot from the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz. I've always been intrigued by sea anemone but never quite sure of what's going on, so that's our direction today. While they largely stay in one place, they are predatory.  Their tentacles contain nematocysts, or stinging cells, that paralyze prey.  The venom is harmless to humans though. And you may know that clownfish are able to withstand these stings so they like to hang out for protection and they clean the anemones of parasites. My shot from Mattole, Pacific Coast. The giant green anemone is intertidal, seen here in a tide pool. They feed on crabs, mussels, small fishes, and sea urchins.  We did see it try to grab something it thought might be food.  And we saw what it would've liked on the shore nearby.