The Cosmic Wheels

natashi-san:reallifescomedyrelief: viforcontrol: beautifuloutli...

Wed, 22 Apr 2015 14:32:30 +0800

reallifescomedyrelief:

viforcontrol:

beautifuloutlier:

gwydtheunusual:

too—weird-to-live:

zafojones:

Circus Tree: Six individual sycamore trees were shaped, bent, and braided to form this.

how the hell do you bend and braid a tree

Actually pretty easy. Trees don’t reject tissue from other trees in the same family. You bend the tree to another tree when it is a sapling, scrape off the bark on both trees where they touch, add some damp sphagnum moss around them to keep everything slightly moist and bind them together.
Then wait a few years- The trees will have grown together.

You can use a similar technique to graft a lemon branch or a lime branch or even both- onto an orange tree and have one tree that has all three fruits.

Frankentrees.

As a biologist I can clearly state that plants are fucking weird and you should probably be slightly afraid of them.

On that note! At the university (UBC) located in town, the Agriculture students were told by their teacher that a tree flipped upside down would die. So they took an excavator and flipped the tree upside down. And it’s still growing. But the branches are now the roots, and the roots are now these super gnarly looking branches. Be afraid.

But Vi, how can you mention that and NOT post a picture? D:

[source]

I am both amazed and horrified of nature as we all should be

sixpenceee: Maybe you’ve heard about this molecule from DMT:...

Fri, 10 Apr 2015 12:05:18 +0800

sixpenceee:

Maybe you’ve heard about this molecule from DMT: The Spirit Molecule, documentary, it’s profoundly interesting so let be tell you a few basic facts first

it’s a psychedelic compound and can act as a powerful hallucinogenic drug

it can dramatically alter the human consciousness

depending on how much of it one may take and how one takes it, effects can be drastic

some people describe a total loss to reality and meeting with spiritual beings/relatives

this compound is widely seen in plants and produced in humans but it’s exact use in humans is not known

RELATIONSHIP TO NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES

There is one theory put forward by Dr. Rick Strassman in his book DMT: The Spirit Molecule. His theory is that after death, the pineal gland in the brain deposit DMT into the spinal fluid, allowing it to travel all over the place and cause the profound effects seen during near death experiences.

One critic of this theory put forward by Dr. Michael Potts of Methodist University is the fact that effects such as traveling through a tunnel aren’t reported in a DMT experience. Furthermore most people usually experience a profound change in their life views and personality after a genuine Near Death Experience, the same isn’t seen in a DMT experience.

GIF SOURCE

IMAGE SOURCE

blunt-science: Neil deGrasse Tyson on the God of the Gaps.

Fri, 10 Apr 2015 11:40:28 +0800

blunt-science:

Neil deGrasse Tyson on the God of the Gaps.

sixpenceee:Goosebumps are a remnant of our evolutionary...

Fri, 10 Apr 2015 11:29:34 +0800

sixpenceee:

Goosebumps are a remnant of our evolutionary predecessors. They occur when tiny muscles around the base of each hair tense, pulling the hair more erect. With a decent covering of fur, this would fluff up the coat, getting more air into it, making it a better insulator. But with a human’s thin body hair, it just makes our skin look strange.
Similarly we get the bristling feeling of our hair standing on end when we are scared or experience an emotive memory. Many mammals fluff up their fur when threatened, to look bigger and so more dangerous. Humans used to have a similar defensive fluffing up of their body hairs, but once again, the effect is now ruined. We still feel the sensation of hairs standing on end, but gain no visual bulk. (Source)

ultrafacts:How on earth would you feed a city of over 200,000...

Wed, 08 Apr 2015 11:49:35 +0800

ultrafacts:

How on earth would you feed a city of over 200,000 people when the land around you was a swampy lake? Seems like an impossible task, but the Aztec managed it by creating floating gardens known as chinampas, then they farmed them intensively.
These ingenious creations were built up from the lake bed by piling layers of mud, decaying vegetation and reeds. This was a great way of recycling waste from the capital city Tenochtitlan. Each garden was framed and held together by wooden poles bound by reeds and then anchored to the lake floor with finely pruned willow trees. The Aztecs also dredged mud from the base of the canals which both kept the waterways clear and rejuvenate the nutrient levels in the gardens.
A variety of crops were grown, most commonly maize or corn, beans, chillies, squash, tomatoes, edible greens such as quelite and amaranth. Colourful flowers were also grown, essential produce for religious festivals and ceremonies. Each plot was systematically planned, the effective use of seedbeds allowed continuous planting and harvesting of crops.
Between each garden was a canal which enabled canoe transport. Fish and birds populated the water and were an additional source of food. [x]
(Fact Source) For more facts, follow Ultrafacts

longlivethebutterflies:princesanegra91:hoodrat-gutterpigeon:forth...

Wed, 18 Mar 2015 12:46:45 +0800

longlivethebutterflies:

princesanegra91:
hoodrat-gutterpigeon:
fortheloveoforca:
acti-veg:
ayana-annapurna:
lacking-ingenuity:

Badly injured rhino whose horn was taken after it was darted by poachers.

#STOPTHEIVORYTRADE

This is really important. Don’t dismiss the ivory trade issues. Elephants and rhinos are suffering.

GOD DAMN POACHERS. FUCK.

This makes my blood boil

that mans face 😢😢😢😢😢

:( baaabyyyy

:(

ONLY ELEPHANTS AND RHINOS DESERVE TO WEAR IVORY. And any other animals with Ivory tusks or horns that I didn’t mention…but above all….NO HUMAN should be wearing Ivory, poachers are savages

Social skills: noticing when repetition is communication

Sat, 14 Mar 2015 23:23:20 +0800

Social skills: noticing when repetition is communication:

painfulwonder:

littlelionheartedavatar:

darziel:

realsocialskills:

So there’s this dynamic:

Autistic person: The door is open!

Other person: I *know* that. It’s hot in here.

Autistic person: The door is open!

Other person: I already explained to you that it’s hot in…

Photo

Sat, 14 Mar 2015 23:14:19 +0800

sixpenceee:This is the view from the Soyuz capsule, the...

Sat, 14 Mar 2015 23:11:18 +0800

sixpenceee:

This is the view from the Soyuz capsule, the spacecraft that takes astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS), as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.

animalsandtrees:By Dave Neale, Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare...

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 12:07:54 +0800

animalsandtrees:

By Dave Neale, Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare Director
Unless you live in Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece or Malta, then the cruelty of animal performance remains a possible issue for you.
Yes, that’s right – these five small countries are the only ones in the world to have enacted a complete ban on all forms of animal performance.
Strong campaigning has resulted in successes in a further 14 countries which have banned the use of wild animals in performances.
But the numbers are still far too small, with most of the near 200 other countries across the globe having a variety of partial bans limiting performance to certain species, animals raised in captivity or bans limited to certain provinces, states, counties and areas.
This means that in reality, the animal cruelty inherent in animal performance remains a global issue.
And the cruelty is shocking.
Tens of thousands of wild animals around the world continue to be used in performances at circuses, zoos and safari parks. Behind the façade of entertainment, they are routinely abused, neglected and malnourished.
The techniques used to force animals to perform are often cruel and abusive, while animal welfare standards are ignored.
Animal performance and its eradication does not follow linear lines of “development”. In fact richer countries can mean animal performance is even bigger business with more powerful friends.
Just last week, a bill to see wild animals banned from circuses in the UK failed for the twelfth time. A poll by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs suggested that the move had the support of 94.5% of the British public, but continues to be blocked by a tiny coterie of MPs.
In the US too, this month brought widespread coverage of the news that the country’s biggest circus, Ringling Bros would phase out the use of elephants. While a welcome development, we must bear in mind that the company has no plans to stop the exploitation of other species and that Ringling Bros remains far from cruelty free.
Films like “Blackfish” may have united us in opposition to cruelty for the sake of entertainment but, while animal performance remains big business, there will be those motivated to maintain the status quo.
But change must come. You could even argue it’s inevitable – just as soon as everyone stops attending animal performance.

Photo

Thu, 05 Mar 2015 13:17:47 +0800

what it says

okay thats p cool

oooh big planets

the sun is friggin massive man

there are things bigger than the fRIGGIN SUN????

HOLY FLAMING CRAP BALLS THATS HUGE

SCIENCE IS SO RAD

GOSH DARN FRIGGIN SPACE MAN

OH MY FRIGGIN FRICK THIS FRACK IS SO FRICKIN AWESOME!!!!!!

HØW ĮŠ THĪŚ RÈÃŁ!⁇⁉︎¡?!¡¿?⸘‽⸘⸘?¡

wilted-scenes:Meteor shower time lapse 2/? (x)

Fri, 06 Feb 2015 23:33:57 +0800

wilted-scenes:

Meteor shower time lapse 2/? (x)

npr: skunkbear: Time for a snapshot of the science-y words in...

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:16:42 +0800

npr:

skunkbear:

Time for a snapshot of the science-y words in “State of the Union“ addresses since 1900. I took word frequency data (words per 10,000) from onetwothree.net and grouped the words by topic. For example “doctors,” “vaccines,” and “medicine” were all included in the “HEALTH” total. I added global oil prices (adjusted for inflation, source: BP Statistical Review) as a reference.

Things I noticed:

Presidents tend to talk more about alternative fuels and climate change near the end of their presidencies. Hmmm …

The 1973 Oil Crisis really got ‘em talking.

There’s a major shift from worrying about agriculture to worrying about health.

Look how excited Nixon was about natural resources!

Interesting how infrequently Obama uses health words compared to Clinton and Bush 2.

A fascinating look at the use of science words in State of the Union addresses. Interesting to see what trends exist in terms of popularity of topics. -Tajha

mapsontheweb: Map of legalization of Marijuana

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:13:41 +0800

mapsontheweb:

Map of legalization of Marijuana

space-pics: This is the greatest astronaut photo I’ve...

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 17:52:08 +0800

space-pics:

This is the greatest astronaut photo I’ve seen.
http://space-pics.tumblr.com/

jtotheizzoe: From the coldest cold to the hottest hot, here’s...

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 17:51:03 +0800

jtotheizzoe:

From the coldest cold to the hottest hot, here’s all the universe’s temperatures.

(from BBC Future)

Bonus question: What is hotter, a boiling tea kettle or an iceberg?

science-junkie: Star-forming Nebula N90 Credit: NASA, ESA,...

Sun, 28 Dec 2014 22:43:45 +0800

science-junkie:

Star-forming Nebula N90

Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team.

space-wallpapers: Annotated Nebulae

Fri, 26 Dec 2014 01:56:34 +0800

space-wallpapers:

Annotated Nebulae

righteous-cowboy-lightning: gingersaurus: Bill Nye is having...

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 17:50:55 +0800

righteous-cowboy-lightning:

gingersaurus:

Bill Nye is having NONE of your shit lady.

sorry, but I will always reblog this when it comes across my dash with the real back story behind this gifset.

This Crossfire debate is actually a four way debate. There are two men, who aren’t shown in this gifset who are are worried about the economic toll of making America greener. This woman acknowledges that climate change is a problem, and is literally begging Bill Nye to say that climate change is our biggest problem and that politicians should focus more on preventing climate change. That’s what’s being shown in this gifset. Note how in the last gif she smiles and nods when Bill Nye takes her side. Right afterwards she says “That’s what I thought you’d say!” Stop mocking this woman because this quote was taken out of context.

Watch the interview here: x

wow I didn’t know that. very important extra info

Photo

Mon, 22 Dec 2014 16:13:16 +0800