A Bee Vaccine!
No, not a vaccine against bee-stings, but an actual vaccine for bees! I just can’t help picturing fluffy little bumble bees holding their knees out for a tiny little needle.
The vaccine - to prevent an aggressive bacteria known as ‘foulbrood’ that apparently turns bee larva into goop - is delivered in the queen’s bee food (royal jelly), and this is then deposited in the queen’s bee ovaries that then protects the bee larva as they develop. Bee-yootiful!
Science is amazing.
Ocean Liming
A test to add lime to the ocean, to reduce acidity levels, has apparently been super successful off the coast of Florida.
As CO2 in the atmosphere is also absorbed into the ocean, it makes it more acidic, threatening marine life - especially organisms with shells made of calcium carbonate. Corals are suffering from both the warming waters as well as the acidity, as are oysters for example.
By adding lime to the water, scientists raised the pH (decreased acidity) and allowed the water to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere at the same time - win win. There were apparently no harmful effects and the lime is readily available.
Could be an interesting geo-engineering solution to watch.
Science and Space Overrides Politics and War
I was pleased to read that Russia will be sending a replacement Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station. The capsule that got the current astronauts to the ISS sprung a leak in the coolant (because of a micometeorite strike), so Russia will send an unmanned replacement both to get the astronauts home when scheduled, and to provide an emergency escape vehicle while they’re there.
I find it a very hopeful for humanity that even in a war unjustly started by Russia, that the nation is still able and willing to engage in collaborative science and space activities. I don’t know why this is reassuring exactly, but it is.
Go East Young Puma
Cougars (also known as pumas, panthers, or mountain lions) are being spotted further and further east. Illinois and Minnesota have both had recent verified sightings. Studies have been done to see where cougars could establish sustainable populations east of the Mississippi, and it looks like there are plenty of options (including in the Smokies - my part of the world).
Interactions with humans didn’t go so well for panthers in the last century (which is why we no longer have them on the East Coast), but perhaps we could be more tolerant now….? Hard to say. There is good evidence at least, that restoring apex predators would be good for the landscape (and reduce traffic-deer collisions).
A bunch of eastern bunnies are now organizing to restrict immigration of cougars.
Nature photo from my week.
Hundreds and hundreds of common grackles descended on a neighbor’s yard yesterday morning and while this picture is pretty bad (it was from a distance away with an iPhone), it captures a tiny bit of the scale.
I’m guessing there were close to a thousand birds all in all. Their groups tend to be smaller in the summer, but in winter they flock in these huge numbers and plunder the fields at will.
Common grackles are not the nicest of birds - pilfering other birds’ food and eggs, as well as marauding newly-seeded farmland - but they do eat japanese beetles which is a small but useful redeeming feature from my perspective.
It’s pretty awe-inspiring to see any creature in such numbers though.
Have a great weekend y’all.
Happy weekend!
The birds photo looks like a Hitchcock movie!