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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 21m

The gap between the 1669 discovery of phosphorus from boiling urine and the development of sodium hypochlorite bleach by Antoine Labarraque in 1820 are referred to by chemists as the STINKY YEARS.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 26m

Phosphorus also gives us "phosphorescence", which is a faint glow given off by substances exposed to light.

The electrons, excited by light, are returning to ground state & emitting photos.

So there you go: from beer to urine to not-gold to a 1669 discovery of phosphorus by an alchemist.

Phosphorus Starts With Pee In This Tale Of Scientific Serendipity

German alchemist Hennig Brand started with about 1,500 gallons of urine in his 17th century hunt for gold. Discovering phosphorus was just a nice surprise. Know a modern tale of scientific luck?

www.npr.org

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 26m

The mineral in our bones & teeth are calcium phosphate (as hydroxyapatite) & even our DNA has a phosphate backbone.

This metabolic currency is constantly being taken in & excreted as our need for it fluctuates. Meat, dairy & nuts tend to be rich in it.

From:
Ressler et al (2021) "Ionic substituted hydroxyapatite for bone regeneration applications: A Review"
"The hierarchical structure of collagen and hydroxyapatite as main constituents of natural bone tissue."

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 26m

Hennig called this substance 'phosphoros', from Greek "light-bearer" (phōs = light, phoros = bearer, also a reference to Lucifer) & he set about trying to purify it.

See, our kidneys extract excess phosphates we get from food, removing it from blood plasma & excreting small amounts in urine.

Lucifer, the morning star, depicted as a nude winged cherub, with a light above its head, bearing a vase that is dispensing water.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 26m

In 1669, Brand collected ~1500 gallons of urine (!!!) & distilled it by various means, mostly slow boiling (my sincerest sympathy to his neighbors).

The final product wasn't gold, but it was a GOLDEN waxy substance: urine solids.

And it *very faintly* glowed in the dark.

Stolen from a Times India article by Sanjana Gupta:
Three circular glass globes showing a lit phosphorus match inside, a globe where the phosphorus from the match has been deposited on the glass, and the third showing the now-coated glass globe glowing after "charging up" its phosphorescence.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 26m

Hennig Brand was a German ALCHEMIST, trying to discover the means by which common, base elements could be transformed to noble, precious metals like gold.

And what could be more base than URINE?

So where can you get a lot of fresh urine? From the pub, of course!

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 26m

This 1771 painting by Joseph Wright of Derby is titled:

"The Alchymist, In Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, Discovers Phosphorus & prays for the successful Conclusion of his operation, as was the custom of the Ancient Chymical Astrologers."

Let's talk about how phosphorus was discovered.

A robed man with a medium length white beard sits on his knees before a round flask that is faintly glowing, with it the only light source to reveal his face and the face of students or assistants behind him.
"The Alchymist, In Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, Discovers Phosphorus & prays for the successful Conclusion of his operation, as was the custom of the Ancient Chymical Astrologers"

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1h

Blonde, brunette, redhead.

Matric Matrix GIF

Alt: Matrix quote with Neo and Cypher (played by Joe Pantoliano) standing in front of screens displaying text/code dropping from top to bottom: "I don't even see the code. All I see is blonde, brunette, redhead."

media.tenor.com

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1h

Some great quotes.

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1h

The lizard equivalent of "How you doin'?" 🤨

David @incnaturalist.bsky.social · 8h

Lunchtime lizard flashing its flashable bits 🚩

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Reposted by c0nc0rdance

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 6h

doomscroll break

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1h

Book it! 😄

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1h

Where else is your ornamental hermit going to live?

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Reposted by c0nc0rdance

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · May 7

What a lovely orchid. 💮

Wait: Look AGAIN.

Hymenopus coronatus, the 'orchid-blossom mantis' has such clever camouflage that, even when you KNOW it's a bug, it can take a minute to parse out.

They climb up to flowers, hang about bobbing as though blown by wind & wait for butterflies.

A pink praying mantis with upright abdoment, folded forelimbs in the praying position, and tall conical eyes. The delicate pink color replicates the pattern on flowers.
From the Arthropods Wiki, uploaded by Entomologist Jr.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

So, as with so many things in biology, the answer is "it depends" or "not enough data to be certain".

That's why giant theropod dinosaurs as a cancer model could be so fascinating to know more about!

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

... length in their telomeres (the 'end caps' that stabilize DNA in your chromosomes) faster than cold-blood animals.

Here again, this can be a good thing or a bad thing, as damaged telomeres keep cells from living as long, reducing their chance of turning cancerous.

Links between thermoregulation and aging in endotherms and ectotherms

While the link between thermoregulation and aging is generally accepted, much further research, reflection, and debate is required to elucidate the physiological and molecular pathways that generate t...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

It's a REALLY hard comparison to make, because the primary driver of cancer development is "number of cell divisions", meaning large animals *should* have much higher cancer rates, but they don't, which is called "Peto's Paradox".

From a mechanistic standpoint, warm-blooded animals lose...

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · Sep 22

Let's talk about one of the most interesting questions in cancer biology: Why don't WHALES get MORE CANCER?

This question is also called "Peto's Paradox" for epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto, who demonstrated the link between smoking and lung cancer, 1951.

So why whales, in particular?

A photo of a humpback whale, eye to the camera, just under the surface of blue water, with sunbeams streaming down. It has ridged skin that is cream colored with darker grey dorsal skin.

Taken from Marine Mammal Center website, where it is uncredited.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

I count that as a win. 🙂

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Important disclaimer.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Dinosaurs got bone cancer, which means we can study TUMOR FOSSILS.

I've since read about some other dinos species with evidence of tumors, but I still suspect there was something about hadrosaurs that made them prone to it.

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · Mar 15

One of the amazing things about science is we will never run out of mysteries.

Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.

I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."

It's a black and white paper header for a short communication, and I've copied the text below. Please stop reading if you don't want the literal copy to be read to you.
"Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500
DOI 10.1007/s00114-003-0473-9
SHORT COMMUNICATION
B. M. Rothschild · D. H. Tanke · M. Helbling ·
L. D. Martin
Epidemiologic study of tumors in dinosaurs
Received: 16 June 2003 / Accepted: 29 August 2003 / Published online: 14 October 2003 Springer-Verlag 2003"

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Still probably shouldn't 😉.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 1d

Looks like it!

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 2d

I am NOT a fungi expert!!

Those look like Desarmillaria tabescens, "ringless honey mushrooms"? One interesting quality is they have bioluminescent mycelium.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 2d

During hyperphagia, bears can spend 22 hours per day foraging.

The sweet scent of wind-fallen apples attracts them, which is why if you live in bear country, it's essential to remove fallen apples daily.

Kilham Bear Center link, if you feel like donating:
kilhambearcenter.org/how-you-can-...

How You Can Help | Kilham Bear Center

kilhambearcenter.org

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 2d

My personal favorite in this shot is the bear cub just spread-eagled on top of the pile.

Bears in 'hyperphagia' in late Summer/Fall can eat 20,000+ calories per day. Wind-fallen apples & acorns can be a big part of that high-calorie diet, packing on the pounds for winter.

A group of black bears browses and munches on apples in a big pile, a mix of yellow, red and green apples. I count 11 of them, all head down to the ground.

There's a tree trunk in the background, and it's a heavily wooded green forested area.

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