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rando.insalubrio.us
Brandon Moore, PhD
@rando.insalubrio.us
220 followers 16 following 160 posts
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https://insalubrio.us
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rando.insalubrio.us
Our earliest vertebrate ancestors (Myllokunmingia) may have navigated the ancient world using four eyes instead of two. The remnants of these two extra eyes likely evolved into the melatonin regulating pineal gland of modern animals! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Artist’s reconstruction of a myllokunmingiid with it's four eyes prominently featured. Credit: Xiangtong Lei & Sihang Zhang
February 17, 2026 at 6:44 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
Life swiftly rebounded after the Chicxulub impact (66 million years ago) such that new species emerged within 2,000 years of this mass extinction event! 🧪

pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/...
Artistic depiction of new life forming after the K/Pg mass extinction. The three hair-covered forms, top left, represent species of plankton found inside the impact crater. The geometric form, on the bottom left, is a species of algae. The bones belong to an extinct marine reptile. Credit: John Maisano
February 16, 2026 at 8:45 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
The Ketton mosaic was not inspired by Homer's Iliad but instead by a lesser-known tragedy by Aeschylus. This suggests that Roman Britain was more interconnected with the broader ancient world than previously thought! 🧪

dx.doi.org/10.1017/S006...
Ancient Roman mosaic depicting the ransom of Hector. Notably, Hector is being traded for his weight in gold which is inconsistent with the story depicted in Homer's Iliad.
February 15, 2026 at 11:08 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Elephant trunks can both rip down trees and gently pluck peanuts because their trunk whiskers contain a stiffness gradient, allowing them to sense fine contours and adjust their grip strength accordingly! 🧪

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Graphical abstract of linked paper. Elephant whisker tops are ovular, dense, and soft. Elephant whisker bases are ovular, porous, and stiff. This contrasts to most other mammals with whiskers that are circular and stiff throughout.
February 14, 2026 at 12:18 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
Twelve years ago, the massive star M31‑2014‑DS1 brightened then gradually faded away. This behavior is consistent with a failed supernova where the star's outer layers fall back before collapsing into a black hole! 🧪

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Photos from 2012, 2016, and 2022 showing the gradual dimming of M31‑2014‑DS1 as it collapsed in on itself to form a black hole.
February 13, 2026 at 11:52 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
@ethz.ch researchers built a miniature stingray-bot that swims through liquids using ultrasound and microbubbles. It can be swallowed and travel the digestive tract to release therapeutics internally! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 13, 2026 at 12:55 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Tyrannoroter heberti is a recently discovered football-sized microsaur from the Late Carboniferous period (~307 million years ago) whose specialized teeth suggest that plant-eating evolved far earlier on land than previously thought! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Artistic reconstruction of Tyrannoroter heberti, eating a fern. Credit: Hannah Fredd
February 11, 2026 at 11:49 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
NASA's Juno mission reports that Jupiter is slightly smaller and flatter than previously thought! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The planet Jupiter is smaller and flatter than previously thought. This figure depicts the old and new equitorial and polar radii as measured by NASA's Juno mission. Old equatorial radius measurement: 71,492 km New equatorial radius measurement: 71,488 km Old polar radius measurement: 66,854 km New polar radius measurement: 66,842 km Credit: NASA
February 10, 2026 at 11:41 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
Ferreiraella populi is a newly described deep-sea chiton found 3 miles below the surface of the ocean. This mollusk's name was chosen from over 8,000 suggestions that were gathered online and literally means "of the people"! 🧪

bdj.pensoft.net/article/1804...
Photograph of the newly discovered chiton (Ferreiraella populi). Credit: Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance
February 9, 2026 at 11:41 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
Rove beetles have evolved a biological stealth mechanism to blend in with ant colonies , however, silencing their own chemical signals comes with a cost: an irreversible dependence on these ants for survival! 🧪

www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
Gaphical abstract from linked paper. Evolution has trapped a species of beetle in an inescapable symbiosis with the aggressive velvety tree ant.
February 8, 2026 at 10:21 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
The Holzman archaeological site in central Alaska reveals ivory and stone tools dating back to the late Pleistocene (14,000 years ago) which challenges the Clovis-first theory and further enriches the tapestry of early human life in the Americas! 🧪

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Late Pleistocene extent of glaciation at 14 and 13 thousand years ago across the North American landmass. Ancient archaeological sites older than 13 thousand years ago are indicated. The Holzman sites are indicated by amber circles (>13 thousand years old) and blue stars (>14 thousand years old). Clovis sites (13.25-13.8 thousand years ago) are included as red triangles for comparison. A) A large quartz bifacial chopper or cleaver. B) Heavy flat anvil stone manuport among a large ivory workstation including small hearth and abundant ivory fragments. C) Large ivory blank with quartz scraper and flake tools lying in situ. D) A female woolly mammoth tusk cached near a small hearth and activity area.
February 7, 2026 at 10:57 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Halftone‑encoded 4D printing leverages programmable cross‑link patterns in a newly engineered, cephalopod‑inspired hydrogel skin that can dynamically alter its color, texture, and shape! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 7, 2026 at 1:51 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Kanzi, a language-trained bonobo (Pan paniscus), demonstrates the ability to engage in pretend play by consistently choosing a cup containing imaginary food or drink over one containing neither! 🧪

www.science.org/doi/full/10....
February 6, 2026 at 12:18 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
A patient's severely infected lungs were temporarily replaced with an external artificial lung which kept them alive for 48 hours - eliminating the infection while ensuring proper oxygenation until they could receive a transplant! 🧪

www.cell.com/med/fulltext...
Graphical abstract of the linked paper. Left) Lungs with drug-resistant infections are rarely replaced via transplantation. Center) This paper presents a novel flow-adaptive system which acts as an external lung in place of diseased, damaged, or missing lungs. Right) Patients can rely on this artificial lung while waiting for a transplant.
February 5, 2026 at 12:48 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Foskeia pelendonum is a newly discovered dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous (120 million years ago). This chicken-sized herbivore has unique cranial and dental morphology that changes the current understanding of ornithischian phylogeny! 🧪

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Life reconstuction of Foskeia pelendonum. Credit: Martina Charnell
February 4, 2026 at 12:31 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Descriptions of plants in traditional Indian myths, poems, and folk songs provide greater context to the ecological history of western Maharashtra and suggest that local tropical savannas are not the result of deforestation! 🧪

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Top) A folio depicting saint-poet Nāmadeva (circa 1270–1350 CE; fifth from right) performing a devotional verse. Two verses attributed to saint Nāmadeva were included in this study. Center) Donut plot depicting the diversity of genres of traditional literature included in the linked study. Divisions of the doughnut plot represent the genres and include the number of excerpts/examples of that particular genre. Inset shows the flower of Capparis divaricata, a savanna indicator plant which features in multiple excerpts cited in the linked paper. Flanking this plot are two photographs of local folk performers. Bottom) A folio from an early 19th-century manuscript of the Bhaktavijaya mentioning the taraṭī tree (Capparis divaricata; underlined)
February 3, 2026 at 12:44 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Recent excavations at Xigou in central China have uncovered evidence of East Asia's earliest known composite tools which were made by ancient hominins between 160 and 72 thousand years ago! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Paleo-art depicting a point-of-view perspective of an ancient hominin creating a composite tool by securing a sharp stone point to a wooden shaft. Time and region appropriate fauna are depicted in the landscape that lies just beyond. Credit: Hulk Yuan
February 1, 2026 at 11:14 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
@urochester.bsky.social engineers have developed superhydrophobic tubes that can stay afloat even when damaged or submerged! 🧪

advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
January 31, 2026 at 11:23 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
This detachable robotic hand design, reminiscent of "Thing" from The Addams Family, enhances both manipulation and locomotion - overcoming some limitations of traditional human-like hands! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 31, 2026 at 1:49 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
The Perseverance rover found white rocks containing aluminum-rich clay minerals, likely kaolinite, which suggest wet conditions once existed on Mars! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s43...
One of the light-colored Martian rocks described in the linked research article. Credit: NASA
January 29, 2026 at 11:35 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
@annemiekemilks.bsky.social and colleagues have uncovered the earliest known handheld wooden tools (~430kya) at the Marathousa 1 site in Greece. Notably, they describe a small alder trunk used for digging and a tiny willow tool likely used for lithic manufacturing! 🧪

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Paleoart depicting a woman of the Middle Pleistocene carving a small alder trunk with period appropriate fauna in the background. Credit: Gleiver Prieto
January 29, 2026 at 1:52 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
European blister beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) larvae emit a floral scent to lure bees before hitching a ride back with them to their hive where they then devour the colony's eggs. 🧪

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Blister beetle larvae congregating as an orange mass on a plant stem. Credit: Brenda Black
January 28, 2026 at 1:42 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
Over 10,000 years ago, indigenous communities spread the Four Corners potato (Solanum jamesii) across the American Southwest - greatly expanding its geographic distribution. To this day, these tiny tubers are still used for food and ceremonial practices! 🧪

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Proposed delineation of the anthropogenic range of S. jamesii (blue) based upon starch granule and genetic data. Most plant populations in this portion of the range are associated with one or more archaeological sites and are of human origin. S. jamesii tubers in a ceremonial basket. Tubers are approximately 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. Credit: Alastair Lee Bítsoí
January 27, 2026 at 1:43 AM
rando.insalubrio.us
@biotay.bsky.social and @auersperga.bsky.social report that Veronika, a companion cow, uses a broom to alleviate itching. This clever cow demonstrates flexible tool use by adjusting her scratching technique in a targeted manner! 🧪

www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 25, 2026 at 1:25 PM
rando.insalubrio.us
While it was previously believed that giant Pleistocene kangaroos could only walk, recent analysis of fossilized heel bones suggest that they may have been capable of hopping in short bursts to escape predators! 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Paleo-art depicting two marsupial lions (Thylacoleo) hunting a group of giant kangaroo (Procoptodon goliah) in Pleistocene Australia (50,000 years ago). The giant kangaroos are hopping to avoid capture. Credit: Mauricio Anton
January 24, 2026 at 10:05 AM