Wildlife
Sep. 13th, 2026 08:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithGeckos repeatedly evolved new sex chromosomes, but not at random
The X and the Y look permanent. In humans, in mice and in nearly every mammal, the same pair decides sex, which makes it easy to read that arrangement as how sex works everywhere. Geckos don’t work that way. Their lineages have turned ordinary chromosomes into sex chromosomes again and again, using a different chromosome almost every time.
A new study of gecko genomes reports that the repeats weren’t scattered at random. They bunched together in time. And the kind a lineage ended up with, an XY like ours or the ZW system birds use, was not arbitrary. It matches what that chromosome was already doing before it had any role in sex.
This is interesting just as an example against sex determinism, but it's also extremely encouraging about reptiles' ability to adapt.
( Read more... )
The X and the Y look permanent. In humans, in mice and in nearly every mammal, the same pair decides sex, which makes it easy to read that arrangement as how sex works everywhere. Geckos don’t work that way. Their lineages have turned ordinary chromosomes into sex chromosomes again and again, using a different chromosome almost every time.
A new study of gecko genomes reports that the repeats weren’t scattered at random. They bunched together in time. And the kind a lineage ended up with, an XY like ours or the ZW system birds use, was not arbitrary. It matches what that chromosome was already doing before it had any role in sex.
This is interesting just as an example against sex determinism, but it's also extremely encouraging about reptiles' ability to adapt.
( Read more... )
Nature
Sep. 13th, 2026 07:35 pmysabetwordsmithPlants choose root bacteria based on what they can do rather than what species they belong to
Researchers discovered that while soil determines which bacterial species inhabit the root system, the host plant ultimately dictates how those microbes behave and function.
A rich microbiome lets plants choose the partners they need. A poor microbiome means needs may go unmet.
Researchers discovered that while soil determines which bacterial species inhabit the root system, the host plant ultimately dictates how those microbes behave and function.
A rich microbiome lets plants choose the partners they need. A poor microbiome means needs may go unmet.
Birdfeeding
Sep. 13th, 2026 05:55 pmysabetwordsmithToday is sunny and quite warm.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 9/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 9/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 9/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I watered the newly planted bulbs, the new picnic table, and the telephone pole garden.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 9/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 9/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 9/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I watered the newly planted bulbs, the new picnic table, and the telephone pole garden.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Thyme #3 (Starfall)
Sep. 13th, 2026 07:47 pmthisbluespirit posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
rainbowficName: Shattered Dreams (Part 5)
Story: Starfall
Colors: Thyme #3 (Gain)
Supplies and Styles: Eraser + Silhouette
Word Count: 1530
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Notes: Portcallan 1313; Viyony Eseray/Leion Valerno, Kadia Barra.
Summary: Viyony tries to find out what happened in Kalna that she saw echoes of in this timeline.
( Shattered Dreams: Part 5 )
Story: Starfall
Colors: Thyme #3 (Gain)
Supplies and Styles: Eraser + Silhouette
Word Count: 1530
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Notes: Portcallan 1313; Viyony Eseray/Leion Valerno, Kadia Barra.
Summary: Viyony tries to find out what happened in Kalna that she saw echoes of in this timeline.
( Shattered Dreams: Part 5 )
So, over at EnglishLearning some kid was going around saying that most speakers
Sep. 18th, 2026 11:00 amconuly"speak and read at a 6th grade level, which is about the same as an IQ of 70"
Literally all of that is wrong, but what I said is that reading levels are not very scientific. And then he comes back and says "I agree they're arbitrary, but..."
Yeah, no, kid, they're not arbitrary, they're bullshit, and I can prove it. Let's take a look at this representative sample of AR ranked books:
( Read more... )
There are a few different reading level systems, their methodologies are all suspect, and none of them line up with each other at all. You can't even compare books and say "if book A is harder than book B on this system then all systems will rank A as harder than B" because they won't.
You see this sometimes at /r/whatsthatbook too - people will look for a book and say "Well, it's a third grade book" or "it's a tenth grade book". It's, honey, no. Books are not that finely grained that we can sort them by grade level.
I'm willing to believe that you can very broadly divide books - and literacy, I guess - into bands of "nonreader/functionally illiterate", "elementary", "middle school", "high school", "college", and "post-graduate". But you're going to have to make some judgment calls to do so, and if you don't explain your methodology then it is garbage.
And people don't have any concept of what they're talking about when they say things like "oh, Americans read on a sixth grade level". Like, what does that mean? What do they think that means? They can't tell you, and they're astonishingly ignorant of the fact that if you're saying something like this you ought to be able to tell us what you mean! That, I think, is a far sharper indictment of their education and critical thinking than whatever reading level we're assigning them and their literature to.
(And he is a kid - I keep forgetting. I need to put him on ignore, because he's very argumentative and while normally I'm all for a nice, rousing internet argument it's just not fair to pull it on an actual high schooler. I'm just better at it than he is. I'm better at a lot of things than he is, like assessing the information I've been given. And it's not that he's a particularly stupid or ignorant person - in fact, judging from what he's said I'm fairly confident that he thinks he's pretty smart, academically speaking - but I've got three decades on him.)
Literally all of that is wrong, but what I said is that reading levels are not very scientific. And then he comes back and says "I agree they're arbitrary, but..."
Yeah, no, kid, they're not arbitrary, they're bullshit, and I can prove it. Let's take a look at this representative sample of AR ranked books:
( Read more... )
There are a few different reading level systems, their methodologies are all suspect, and none of them line up with each other at all. You can't even compare books and say "if book A is harder than book B on this system then all systems will rank A as harder than B" because they won't.
You see this sometimes at /r/whatsthatbook too - people will look for a book and say "Well, it's a third grade book" or "it's a tenth grade book". It's, honey, no. Books are not that finely grained that we can sort them by grade level.
I'm willing to believe that you can very broadly divide books - and literacy, I guess - into bands of "nonreader/functionally illiterate", "elementary", "middle school", "high school", "college", and "post-graduate". But you're going to have to make some judgment calls to do so, and if you don't explain your methodology then it is garbage.
And people don't have any concept of what they're talking about when they say things like "oh, Americans read on a sixth grade level". Like, what does that mean? What do they think that means? They can't tell you, and they're astonishingly ignorant of the fact that if you're saying something like this you ought to be able to tell us what you mean! That, I think, is a far sharper indictment of their education and critical thinking than whatever reading level we're assigning them and their literature to.
(And he is a kid - I keep forgetting. I need to put him on ignore, because he's very argumentative and while normally I'm all for a nice, rousing internet argument it's just not fair to pull it on an actual high schooler. I'm just better at it than he is. I'm better at a lot of things than he is, like assessing the information I've been given. And it's not that he's a particularly stupid or ignorant person - in fact, judging from what he's said I'm fairly confident that he thinks he's pretty smart, academically speaking - but I've got three decades on him.)
Bonus Fishbowl
Sep. 13th, 2026 02:56 amysabetwordsmithThe September 1, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl met its $300 goal, so there will be a bonus fishbowl on Tuesday, September 15. Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll. I'll leave it open until Sunday night. If there's a clear answer then, I'll close it. Otherwise I may leave it open a little longer. Here are your options...
Coracle Shores is lifeboat fantasy, a type of portal fantasy. It features a version of Earth with dramatically worsening climate change. In this context, fairies have left lifeboats to help sensitive people make their way to other worlds.
Crystal Wood is science fiction about a virus that could make the wood turn transparent when the tree died. When it escaped from the laboratories, it got into pollen and swiftly traveled around the world on the wind. This killed most of the world's forests of wind-pollinated trees, devastating the ecosystem and then civilization.
Not Quite Kansas is dark fantasy. Raymond Ivener interrupts a ritual in progress, run not-very-well by Gideon Lane. As a result, the two of them tumble from their original world into one where angels and demons walk the Earth. It's not quite Kansas as they know it, a weird blend of familiar and alien aspects. With no way home, they have to cope with their new circumstances as best they can.
Coracle Shores is lifeboat fantasy, a type of portal fantasy. It features a version of Earth with dramatically worsening climate change. In this context, fairies have left lifeboats to help sensitive people make their way to other worlds.
Crystal Wood is science fiction about a virus that could make the wood turn transparent when the tree died. When it escaped from the laboratories, it got into pollen and swiftly traveled around the world on the wind. This killed most of the world's forests of wind-pollinated trees, devastating the ecosystem and then civilization.
Not Quite Kansas is dark fantasy. Raymond Ivener interrupts a ritual in progress, run not-very-well by Gideon Lane. As a result, the two of them tumble from their original world into one where angels and demons walk the Earth. It's not quite Kansas as they know it, a weird blend of familiar and alien aspects. With no way home, they have to cope with their new circumstances as best they can.
Poll #35069 Bonus Fishbowl Theme
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Which of these themes do you want featured in the bonus fishbowl?
Poem: "Spun Sugar Sky"
Sep. 13th, 2026 01:57 amysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette.
"Spun Sugar Sky"
In the gas and dust
of the Milky Way,
there is sugar spun
like cotton candy
across the sky.
It is erythrulose,
found in raspberries
and suntan lotion.
It has been there
for a long time.
In the depths
of space, before
flowers ever bloomed,
the stars were already
dreaming of raspberries,
and before planets or
oceans ever were,
whispering of beaches
and sunscreen and
cotton candy at the fair.
( Read more... )
"Spun Sugar Sky"
In the gas and dust
of the Milky Way,
there is sugar spun
like cotton candy
across the sky.
It is erythrulose,
found in raspberries
and suntan lotion.
It has been there
for a long time.
In the depths
of space, before
flowers ever bloomed,
the stars were already
dreaming of raspberries,
and before planets or
oceans ever were,
whispering of beaches
and sunscreen and
cotton candy at the fair.
( Read more... )
Poem: "The Single Biggest Boost"
Sep. 13th, 2026 01:23 amysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the September 1, 2026 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from chanter1944 and see_also_friend. It also fills the "learning to do "" square in my 9-1-26 card for the Life Events Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Big One and Kraken threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.
( Read more... )
chanter1944 and see_also_friend. It also fills the "learning to do "" square in my 9-1-26 card for the Life Events Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It belongs to the Big One and Kraken threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
The Good Life by Tracy K. Smith
Sep. 16th, 2026 09:21 pmconulyWhen some people talk about money
They speak as if it were a mysterious lover
Who went out to buy milk and never
Came back, and it makes me nostalgic
For the years I lived on coffee and bread,
Hungry all the time, walking to work on payday
Like a woman journeying for water
From a village without a well, then living
One or two nights like everyone else
On roast chicken and red wine.
*****
Link
They speak as if it were a mysterious lover
Who went out to buy milk and never
Came back, and it makes me nostalgic
For the years I lived on coffee and bread,
Hungry all the time, walking to work on payday
Like a woman journeying for water
From a village without a well, then living
One or two nights like everyone else
On roast chicken and red wine.
Link
Fossils
Sep. 12th, 2026 03:11 pmysabetwordsmithMassive Footprints Reveal First Ever Adult T Rex Trackway, a 66-Million-Year-old Walk Through North Dakota
The 23-foot-long trackway consists of four three-toed footprints discovered in the Hell Creek Formation. Each footprint is roughly 3 feet long, and researchers estimate they were made about 66.5 million years ago.
In findings published this week in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, the team identified T. rex as the likely track-maker based on the footprints’ exceptional size and narrow shape of the toes, along with the abundance of T. rex fossils found in the surrounding area.
The 23-foot-long trackway consists of four three-toed footprints discovered in the Hell Creek Formation. Each footprint is roughly 3 feet long, and researchers estimate they were made about 66.5 million years ago.
In findings published this week in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, the team identified T. rex as the likely track-maker based on the footprints’ exceptional size and narrow shape of the toes, along with the abundance of T. rex fossils found in the surrounding area.
Birdfeeding
Sep. 12th, 2026 12:31 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and warm.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I cracked 2 yellow peach pits and got 1 good seed. I cracked 2 red plum pits and got 1 good seed. I bagged those in damp sand to cold-stratify in the fridge.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I processed the 12 seeds from the second pawpaw and bagged them.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I planted half a bag of leucojum near the maple tree in the house yard.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I finished planting the rest of the leucojum.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I watered the leucojum, patio plants, and old picnic table garden.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I watered the new picnic table garden, purple-and-white garden, and maple garden.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden, house yard plants, and re-watered the new picnic table.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
Cicadas and crickets are singing.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I cracked 2 yellow peach pits and got 1 good seed. I cracked 2 red plum pits and got 1 good seed. I bagged those in damp sand to cold-stratify in the fridge.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I processed the 12 seeds from the second pawpaw and bagged them.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I planted half a bag of leucojum near the maple tree in the house yard.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I finished planting the rest of the leucojum.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I watered the leucojum, patio plants, and old picnic table garden.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I watered the new picnic table garden, purple-and-white garden, and maple garden.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden, house yard plants, and re-watered the new picnic table.
EDIT 9/12/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
Cicadas and crickets are singing.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Philosophical Questions: Peace
Sep. 12th, 2026 03:19 amysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
Has the invention of the atomic bomb made the world a more peaceful place?
Obviously not. It's an existential threat hanging over everyone. Radiation from previous explosions has contaminated Earth. Any country with an arsenal could decide to launch at any time. That isn't peace. It's just being not dead yet.
The hellish thing is, Russia's attack on Ukraine made it clear that disarming makes you anyone's meat. If Ukraine had kept its nuclear weapons, Russia would've picked a softer target. So disarmament is not as ethical to recommend as it once was. Let's not forget that one of the countries promising to protect Ukraine if it disarmed was Russia. That's never going to be a believable promise again. >_< For a lifelong activist, that is beyond infuriating.
Has the invention of the atomic bomb made the world a more peaceful place?
Obviously not. It's an existential threat hanging over everyone. Radiation from previous explosions has contaminated Earth. Any country with an arsenal could decide to launch at any time. That isn't peace. It's just being not dead yet.
The hellish thing is, Russia's attack on Ukraine made it clear that disarming makes you anyone's meat. If Ukraine had kept its nuclear weapons, Russia would've picked a softer target. So disarmament is not as ethical to recommend as it once was. Let's not forget that one of the countries promising to protect Ukraine if it disarmed was Russia. That's never going to be a believable promise again. >_< For a lifelong activist, that is beyond infuriating.
Today's Cooking
Sep. 11th, 2026 11:35 pmysabetwordsmithTonight I am making pawpaw quickbread. I'm using my standard recipe for banana bread, but I used pawpaw instead of applesauce, reduced cinnamon to about 3/4 teaspoon, reduced vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon, and added 1/4 orange flower water to bring up the floral notes in the pawpaw. The flavor is a bit diluted in the batter but still distinctive -- those high ethereal notes remain, at least before cooking.
I got about 1/2 cup of puree out of the pawpaw, and 12 seeds. \o/ At a total of 25 seeds from the two large pawpaws, and a dollar apiece if I'd bought seeds from a catalog, I think I came out ahead!
I got about 1/2 cup of puree out of the pawpaw, and 12 seeds. \o/ At a total of 25 seeds from the two large pawpaws, and a dollar apiece if I'd bought seeds from a catalog, I think I came out ahead!
Crafts
Sep. 11th, 2026 09:12 pmysabetwordsmithsoc_puppet shared some Hex Quilt Patterns. In addition to standard quilting, these should also work in other hex-based crafts, such as knitting or crochet. These knitted hexagons have raised ribs like a snowflake. These knitted ones are flat. Here are 4 ways to crochet a hexagon, and even more hexagons.Friday Five
Sep. 11th, 2026 06:59 pmysabetwordsmithThese are today's questions from thefridayfive...
1. What is your favorite soup?
"Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Onions"
2. Have you made your favorite soup yourself?
Yes. I discovered it last year. This year, I planned in advance to make enough to freeze. I have made one batch already. I have enough butternut squash to make at least one more batch.
3. What is your favorite dessert?
Fruit pie or cobbler; I like many kinds including strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, peach, apple, and so on.
4. Have you made your favorite dessert yourself?
Yes, all of the above and then some.
5. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream or other frozen treat?
There are so many I love, but we just discovered boxed ice cream cones in Bueno bar and Nutella flavors. Both are the best boxed ice cream cones I've ever had, but I slightly prefer the Bueno flavor.
thefridayfive...1. What is your favorite soup?
"Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Onions"
2. Have you made your favorite soup yourself?
Yes. I discovered it last year. This year, I planned in advance to make enough to freeze. I have made one batch already. I have enough butternut squash to make at least one more batch.
3. What is your favorite dessert?
Fruit pie or cobbler; I like many kinds including strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, peach, apple, and so on.
4. Have you made your favorite dessert yourself?
Yes, all of the above and then some.
5. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream or other frozen treat?
There are so many I love, but we just discovered boxed ice cream cones in Bueno bar and Nutella flavors. Both are the best boxed ice cream cones I've ever had, but I slightly prefer the Bueno flavor.
Nature
Sep. 11th, 2026 04:11 pmysabetwordsmithNature groups may be most effective for people with deeper loneliness
In parts of Europe, a doctor can now hand a lonely patient a referral to a gardening club or a walking group rather than a course of pills. The practice rests on a belief that had never been tested directly: someone who feels alone needs a real group, run by trained facilitators, to feel better.
It is essential for medics to have more options than just pills, because that one method cannot solve many problems. Nonmedical methods are more effective in relieving many issues -- including those like loneliness which can exacerbate illness or injury.
( Read more... )
In parts of Europe, a doctor can now hand a lonely patient a referral to a gardening club or a walking group rather than a course of pills. The practice rests on a belief that had never been tested directly: someone who feels alone needs a real group, run by trained facilitators, to feel better.
It is essential for medics to have more options than just pills, because that one method cannot solve many problems. Nonmedical methods are more effective in relieving many issues -- including those like loneliness which can exacerbate illness or injury.
( Read more... )