Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 15m

If we don't crush orphans here, they'll just offshore the whole thing to some Chinese orphan-crushing sweatshop.

Crush American!

6

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1h

Of course, I have my Womball right on my desk.

1

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 2h

Exactly where I'm at. I suspect 14 days in the gut produces natural chunking & compression.

Squeezing that last little bit of moisture out without creating blockages is just *accidentally* producing Minecraftian poops.

3

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 2h

New sequel to 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' just dropped. 😀

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 2h

Glowing shark and hidden crab found deep off Australia

In a stunning glimpse into the mysteries of the deep, scientists have uncovered two new marine species off Western Australia—a glowing lanternshark and a tiny porcelain crab. The discoveries, made…

www.sciencedaily.com

2 7 80

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

Appropriately cubical sign. 😉

2

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

We'll need to buy a few hundred and put the kettle on to do some testing! 😄

3

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

Oh yeah, I think I saw you guys open for... uh, never mind.

1 11

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

I think the cubic shape is the *unintentional consequence* of their very long digestive process (14+ days), required to process tough roots & grasses, extracting all moisture.

The cubes are just a fortunate happenstance of super-efficient distal colons.

Article here:

How do wombats poop cubes? Scientists get to the bottom of the mystery

Distinctive intestines mold feces into sharp-cornered poop

www.science.org

5 7 48

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

The predominant theory is *territoriality*.

They place their stacked poo strategically on rocks & logs to mark the borders of their territory, to avoid harmful confrontation with other wombats.

They can make 100 cubes in a single night.

My own theory is a little different:

a gif from gifrun.com shows a bear standing next to a sink

Alt: A grey furry wombat in a zoo setting on concrete floor. It's scratching its hind end with a forelimb and looking very focused on the task.

media.tenor.com

1 29

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

2-D computer modeling recreated the forces acting on the cubes (see article).

So mystery solved:
Cubic poop is made by specially structured colon tissue.

Now the question is WHY? & here we still have a mystery.

The wombat lives in dry environs, so they maximize water extraction from food waste.

Intestines of non-uniform stiffness mold the corners of wombat feces

The bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is a fossorial, herbivorous, Australian marsupial, renowned for its cubic feces. However, the ability of the wombat's soft intestine to sculpt flat faces and s...

pubs.rsc.org

1 24

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

There are "zones" near the end of the tubular colon where 2 sides are less 'stretchy', more muscularized. As the wastes reach this zone, they become compressed along these two axes, producing 'corners'.

The 'exit shape' on the wombat is unremarkable & doesn't play a role in shaping the cubes.

a brown furry animal is standing next to a tree trunk

Alt: A brown furry wombat is wiggling its hind end on a tree trunk, moving from side to side awkwardly.

media.tenor.com

1 27

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

The answer came in 2018, with close examination of animals killed in unfortunate car vs. wildlife incidents.

Researchers inflated the intestine with surgical balloons to examine the biomechanical properties of the wombat intestine.

And they found the 'cube-maker'.

(GIF is cute but unrelated)

a wombat is being brushed by a green broom that says class on the handle

Alt: a wombat is being brushed by a green broom that says class on the handle

media.tenor.com

1 25

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

Sorry, this will be the only picture I'll share of wombat poop.

Their poop comes out in neat 2 cm cubes, about 5-8 cubes per session, which means that artistic wombat POO STACKING is a very real possibility.

How do wombats, of all animals, manage to produce these sugar cubes made of excrement?

A dark brown cubic poop from a wombat on a grey rock. Taken from a Science article. There's greenery around the rock.

2 4 26

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 3h

There's nothing I don't love about WOMBATS, from their curmudgeonly mannerisms to their armored, bony butts (that protect them from predators when they're head-first in a burrow).

But we should talk about their cubic poop & how it gets that way.

CW: animal poo in next post

a man is holding a wombat in his arms while wearing a bjp shirt

Alt: Czech professional mixed martial artist Jiri Prochazka is kissing a wombat he has in his lap.

media.tenor.com

4 31 110

Reposted by c0nc0rdance

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · Mar 16

There's no other way to say this:
Bees and wasps make butt-shaped holes in their homes.

That's how they shape combs & nests & hives: their own butts (ok, 'abdomens').

But here's the real question to bake your noodle:
How does a bee's butt make a *hexagonal* honeycomb?

A paper wasp of some sort, in close-up, showing a nest newly formed, with hexagonal holes in it.

Three Honeybees on a honeycomb rich with honey.

6 36 140

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 23h

People keep trying, and mostly they make it more complicated. 😀

5

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Similar fates awaited words like 'colour', 'honour' & 'favour'.

Webster, attempting to reform some of the worst 'excesses' of Continental word blending, tried to spell them more "simply & honestly."

His alternative for "neighbor": 'nabor', never caught on. 😉

That's the story, from A to Zed.

The American Dictionary of the English Language first edition, showing a front page, with a portrait of Noah Webster. and the title page.

3 30

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

The version based on Webster's American English ends instead on "Zee", removing the ending consonant sound to make it more consistent with all the other letters.

And that became the American standard for pronunciation.

The original blue back speller, and the American Spelling book in white, and the Elementary Spelling Book in green. The three books are fanned out on a white background.

1 16

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

In addition to the first Webster's Dictionary of American English, his "Blue-Backed Speller" taught generations of American children how to spell & read.

And he wanted English to be more consistent.

A version of "A-B-C Song" was already established, at least since 1761. It ended on "zed".

An original “Blue Back” speller from the New York City Library.

Noah Webster was an ardent patriot who, soon after the country won independence, found his calling as the author of American schoolbooks for American children. He yearned for an American English purged of what he considered to be British aristocratic influence. Aiming for democratic clarity in spelling and grammar, Webster succeeded in removing the “u” from “favour” and “honour,” though his alternative for “neighbour”—“nabor”—never gained popularity.

During the 1800s, as many as 100 million copies of Webster’s spellers were in circulation. Most of these, however, were pirated editions from which the author himself did not profit. Webster is now best remembered as the compiler and editor of the English-language dictionary that bears his name. "

1 1 9

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Old English had no letter "Z".

It was the Norman Conquest that introduced it & French 'zède' became English 'zed'.

Enter Noah Webster, American English lexicographer who was deeply involved with Revolutionary Era politics, editing the Federalist Party newsletter for Alexander Hamilton.

A painting of Noah Webster, later in life. He wears a coat with high black collar, has a receding hairline and grey silver hair and eyebrows.

1 9

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

A Brit looks at this letter: Z
and says "zed" while
an American says "zee".

Why?

The answer lies in the Norman Conquest, American nationalism & Noah Webster of Merriam-Webster fame.

It starts with the Greek letter: zeta (Z, ζ), which entered Old French as "zède" via Church Latin.

An ornate version of the letter Z, with inked oak clusters, flowers and leaves behind it. It's in black and white, from getty images.

4 12 55

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Whale poop makes the ocean go 'round.

10

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

So as whale populations declined, iron became less available, which decreased the krill's supply of phytoplankton, which caused their numbers to decline.

You can read more about whale pumps and the krill paradox here:

Staggering Data on How Much Whales Actually Eat Just Solved The 'Krill Paradox'

Scientists have found that large whales eat at least three times as much as previously thought, a discovery which highlights their importance in keeping the oceans healthy.

www.sciencealert.com

3 7 90

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

The limiting nutrient in these waters is iron & whales are the final step in a chain that moves iron from lower levels back up to the surface waters, where it can cause phytoplankton blooms.

Guess what eats phytoplankton? That's right: krill.

The whales are farming their food.

Whales and Climate Change: The Whale Pump Explained - Campbell River Whale

Written by Maddie Lemke Whales are not only magical creatures, but also play a vital role in the health of our planet. As we struggle with the effects of climate change, it is crucial to understand

campbellriverwhalewatching.com

1 8 91

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Whales feed on deep-living krill, but their POOP is 'flocculent' (fluffy?) & floats to the surface.

The nutrients they obtain from eating krill are cycled UPWARDS.

When a krill dies 'naturally' or is eaten by a fish, that poop forms "marine snow" and SINKS where it no longer cycles.

A figure from the cited paper, showing how whale poop floats and that makes all the difference in how nutrients cycle in marine environments.
"Figure 1. A conceptual model of the whale pump. In the common concept of the biological pump, zooplankton feed in the euphotic zone and export nutrients via sinking fecal pellets, and vertical migration. Fish typically release nutrients at the same depth at which they feed. Excretion for marine mammals, tethered to the surface for respiration, is expected to be shallower in the water column than where they feed."

3 6 53