Woke Doctors Are Insane and Dangerous

We get it okay‚ the ocean is frankly one of the weirdest habitats the Earth has to offer‚ with everything from tiny octopuses to giant whales swimming below the surface. While you might have come across scallops on the menu at the local seafood restaurant‚ what exactly are they and what do they get up to before they reach your plate?What are scallops?Scallops are marine bivalve mollusks‚ usually of the family Pectinidae‚ which includes around 50 genera and subgenera and more than 400 species‚ according to Britannica.What do scallops look like?The shell of a scallop consists of two parts‚ typically in a fan shape with a hinge and two wings on either side. These shells can be rough or smooth and often wash up on the beach in a range of colors.The animal lives inside the shell. The body of the scallop inside the shell consists of a white adductor muscle and a bright orange section called the coral. While both sections are edible‚ it's the white muscle that is typically served in restaurants. The inside of a scallop showing the white muscle and the orange part‚ which is known as the roe or coral.Image Credit: Olga Popova/Shutterstock.comScallops also have around 200 eyes that can see in both peripheral view and narrow view at the same time by using a system of concave mirrors. A 2017 paper found that each eye has more than 100‚000 square mirror tiles‚ and the eyes are all along the edge of the mantle margin according to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Similar to other bivalves like mussels‚ which glue themselves to rocks in one place‚ some scallops prefer to remain on the sea bed or bury themselves in the sand. However‚ scallops can swim through the water quite quickly by snapping their top and bottom shells together‚ to escape from predators like fish and sea turtles.        What do scallops eat?Scallops are filter feeders that sift phytoplankton‚ algae‚ and small organisms out of the water column. Where do scallops live?Scallop species are found all over the world but only in saltwater. Their location differs by species. For example‚ the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is found at depths of 30 to 91 meters (100 to 300 feet) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean‚ according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  A 2020 study estimated that there were 34 billion individual scallops of this species living in an area of 70‚000 square kilometers (27‚000 square miles) on the Atlantic side of North America.The largest scallop species are weathervane scallops (Patinopecten caurinus)‚ which can grow to 30 centimeters (11 inches) in diameter‚ and can be found in sand and gravel habitats from northern Alaska to California‚ writes Central Coast Biodiversity. How do scallops reproduce?Female sea scallops can produce hundreds of millions of eggs in one year‚ which are released into the water column to be fertilized. Some scallops‚ including the bay scallop (Argopecten irradians)‚ are both male and female and capable of producing both eggs and sperm.

Nearly two weeks ago‚ a barge ran aground and capsized off the coast of the island of Tobago and‚ in the aftermath‚ began leaking oil into the surrounding Caribbean Sea. Now‚ the European Space Agency (ESA) has released satellite images showing just how far the oil spill stretches.The images‚ taken by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission‚ show clear waters on February 6. Only eight days later‚ the story was completely different; the next two images show how oil from the barge had spread onto the Tobago coastline and more than 160 kilometers (99 miles) westward. The extent of the Tobago oil spill.Image credit: Copernicus Sentinel data‚ processed by ESA (CC-BY-SA-NC-3.0-IGO)As well as conducting surveys using aircraft‚ the use of satellites to find the source of and track oil spills is commonplace. “Satellite radar is particularly useful for monitoring the progression of oil spills because the presence of oil on the sea surface dampens down wave motion‚” according to the ESA. “Since radar basically measures surface texture‚ oil slicks show up well – as black smears on a grey background.”Monitoring has continued beyond when the satellite images were taken. As of last Friday‚ the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) updated the ESA’s figure to 150 nautical miles (278 kilometers)‚ with the spill heading into the territorial waters of Grenada and potentially spreading out toward Venezuela. Officials have declared the incident as a national emergency.Though it’s not yet hit the coastlines of those countries‚ coming back down to Earth‚ the extent of the oil spill is clear to see on many of Tobago’s beaches. Stretches of sand have been coated black‚ with some of those in resorts forced to close. “The natural beauty of Tobago is a significant attraction for tourism‚ and this oil spill is a direct threat to that beauty‚” said Alexcia Best‚ a campaign associate for ocean conservation organization Oceana‚ in a statement sent to IFLScience.There are also concerns for wildlife in the area. Oil can affect marine life in numerous ways; if coated in it‚ oil can prevent fur from being insulating and feathers from being water-repellent. It can also be inhaled or ingested‚ with consequences such as suffocation or poisoning. The Deepwater Horizon incident‚ for example‚ had wide-ranging and devastating effects on wildlife.Thankfully‚ a major cleanup operation is underway. As reported by Reuters‚ TEMA said that around 2‚000 barrels of oil have been collected so far‚ with significant improvements already seen on some beaches. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.There’s still much work to be done‚ however. "The vessel is‚ as of now‚ still stuck on the reef at Cove and continues to pose a major threat as it continues to foul the coastline and surrounding seas‚" said Prime Minister Keith Rowley‚ speaking to Parliament on Friday.With cleanup efforts continuing‚ plugging the leak is going to be the next major step. 

The US officially has a new national park. Amache National Historic Site near Granada‚ Colorado‚ has officially joined the likes of Yellowstone and Yosemite‚ the National Park Service announced last week. Amache – also known as the Granada Relocation Center – has a dark past‚ having been one of 10 incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to imprison Japanese Americans. Over 10‚000 people‚ mostly American citizens‚ were detained at Amache from 1942 to 1945. At its peak‚ the site housed 7‚310 incarcerees‚ making it the tenth largest city in Colorado at the time.The site has now become the seventh national park established to preserve this unsavory chapter of American history‚ following the Town of Granada’s acquisition and donation of the land needed to establish the site into a park.“As a nation‚ we must face the wrongs of our past in order to build a more just and equitable future‚” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a statement. “[The] establishment of the Amache National Historic Site will help preserve and honor this important and painful chapter in our nation’s story for future generations.”In March 2022‚ Amache became a National Historic Site‚ as President Biden assigned the area to the National Park System‚ making it the first such designation of the Biden-Harris administration. Prior to this‚ it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994‚ and made a National Historic Landmark in 2006.After it closed in 1945‚ Amache’s original buildings were removed or demolished. However‚ it remains one of the most intact examples of a World War II incarceration site in the US. As well as building foundations and the historic road network‚ which are still visible today‚ the area is home to a historic cemetery‚ a monument‚ and several structures from the World War II era including a barrack‚ recreation hall‚ guard tower‚ and water tank.It is thanks to the efforts of the Town of Granada‚the AmachePreservation Society‚formerincarcereesand their descendants‚ and other individuals and organizations that the site is so well preserved and can help expand public awareness of Amache’s significance.The announcement that the site is now formally established as a national park came days before the Day of Remembrance of Japanese Incarceration During World War II‚ observed on February 19 every year.“Amache’s addition to the National Park System is a reminder that a complete account of the nation’s history must include our dark chapters of injustice‚” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said. “To heal and grow as a nation we need to reflect on past mistakes‚ make amends‚ and strive to form a more perfect union.”

An ancient bronze hand inscribed with a mysterious ancient language may help to illuminate the backstory of the Basque language‚ a fascinating “language isolate” that has no living relatives. It’s said to be a “miracle” that the Basque language is still used today. It’s spoken by just under 1 million people who live in the Basque Country‚ a small pocket on the western edge of the Pyrenees mountains between the borders of France and Spain. Basque is a freak of linguistics because it’s one of the last living descendants of the Palaeo-European language family‚ spoken before the arrival of Indo-European languages. The now-dominant Indo-European language family links the overwhelming majority of languages spoken in Europe and significant portions of Asia‚ including everything from English and Spanish to Hindi and Russian. On its rise to dominance‚ the Indo-European languages stamped out most of the native Palaeo-European languages – yet‚ somehow‚ Basque survived.A medieval castle and the Iron Age Irulegi settlement in the Ebro Valley in northern Spain.Image credit: M. Aiestaran et al.‚ Antiquity‚ 2024While digging at the Irulegi Iron Age site of northern Spain in 2021‚ archaeologists unearthed a 2‚100-year-old bronze artifact shaped like a flat palm of the hand.The researchers came to realize it was inscribed in a Vasconic language‚ a family of languages that includes Basque and a handful of extinct languages. A closer look revealed that the first word may be spelled in the Latin alphabet as “sorioneku” or “sorioneke”‚ which resembles the Basque word “zorioneko”‚ meaning “of good fortune”. The word is not written in true modern Basque‚ but it’s close enough to be considered a cognate of the language‚ meaning they derived from the same linguistic ancestor. As the oldest and longest example of the Vasconic script‚ the inscribed hand holds the possibility of uncovering the hazy origins of Basque.“The Irulegi hand is the only long written text retrieved to date‚ alongside several coins minted in the Vasconic territory‚” Mattin Aiestaran‚ lead study author from the University of the Basque Country‚ said in a statement sent to IFLScience.However‚ “the lack of other comparative texts makes it difficult to prove a direct link between the Vasconic language spoken at Irulegi and the present-day Basque language.”“The discovery of the Hand of Irulegi has opened a new horizon to unravel the history behind the most enigmatic language still alive in Europe: the Basque language‚” added Mikel Edeso Egia from the Aranzadi Science Society. “Unearthing this exceptional object has brought significant advances in the archaeological and linguistic worlds. But it has also opened up many new questions.”Was the bronze hand used as a symbol of good luck?Image credit: M. Aiestaran et al.‚ Antiquity‚ 2024A very similar bronze hand artifact was recently found in Switzerland over 900 kilometers (560 miles) away. As a first-of-its-kind discovery‚ the researchers were unsure about the significance of the object. In the case of the Irulegi hand‚ its inscription has made it a little easier to interpret. The researchers believe the object was likely part of a ritualistic tradition in the area‚ perhaps used as a powerful symbol of good fortune that was hung outside a person’s home. Alternatively‚ maybe the object was intended as a gift to the pre-Christian god or goddess of fortune.“The Irulegi hand must be considered as a well-integrated element within the cultural context of the settlement. The hand would have had a ritual function‚ either to attract good luck or as an offering to an indigenous god or goddess of fortune‚” explained Aiestaran.Whatever its meaning was 2‚100 years ago‚ the artifact will hopefully prove to be a lucky find for researchers wishing to discover the family history of modern Basque.The new study is published in the journal Antiquity.

Astronomers have reported an incredible stellar discovery. Actually‚ they've reported two incredible discoveries: they have found the smallest star ever and it orbits its companion with the smallest known period for binary stars at just 20.5 minutes.The star is part of a binary system that has been called TMTS J0526 and is located 2‚760 light-years from Earth. J0526B is a hot subdwarf star and we are not exaggerating when we say it is tiny. It has a radius just seven times that of Earth. To compare‚ Jupiter’s radius is 11.2 times Earth’s own‚ Saturn's is 9.5‚ and Neptune's is four times Earth's. This is the smallest star ever discovered by volume‚ and yet it is still a star. Packed into that small volume is about one-third of the mass of the Sun so this tiny star weighs about 350 times that of Jupiter.The heavier object‚ J0526A‚ is a white dwarf that weighs about 74 percent of the Sun. It is rich in carbon and oxygen‚ indicating what kind of star it evolved from. White dwarfs are the destiny of stars like the Sun. Not massive enough to go supernova‚ the small stars evolve into red giants before shedding their outer layers‚ exposing an extremely dense degenerate core in a volume not much bigger than our planet. The two objects orbit each other once every 20.5 minutes‚ the shortest known orbital period of any binary star system. The observations using the Tsinghua University-Ma Huateng Telescope for Survey (TMTS) back up some theoretical views that the lightest subdwarfs are the product of a different evolution compared to the slightly heavier ones – although we are still talking about stars less than half the mass of the Sun. Finding more of these objects could better clarify how they came to be so extreme.TMTS began observing in 2020 and by the end of 2023 had studied over 27 million stars. In the catalog‚ dozens of short-period sources have been found but TMTS J0526 was the shortest. This was confirmed by following up observations using the Keck I telescope in Hawai'i and the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) located in La Palma.The observations suggest that the white dwarf is actually deforming the subdwarf star with every orbit. The tidal gravitational pull stretches the small‚ bright star‚ affecting its brightness. It's this change that was caught by the telescopes. In the future‚ this motion might be caught by space-based gravitational wave observatory LISA. They are too subtle for our current detectors.The study is published in Nature Astronomy.

In a thrilling showcase of bravery and collaboration‚ a team of ATV aficionados and Public Safety Officers embarked on an adventurous rescue near Rogersville‚ New Brunswick. Their mission was to save a young moose trapped on a slippery expanse of ice‚ a tale that not only exposes the dangers wildlife faces near human locales but... The post Safety officer sees moose stranded on icy river and jumps into action to save her appeared first on Animal Channel.

The post 40 Pig Pics So Adorbs Your Heart Just Might Explode With Joy appeared first on Animal Channel.

Data shows that winds of political change are blowing among Black voters. In volatile times like now‚ predictions can be made with only the greatest caution. However‚ it seems clear that something is going on and Black voters are breaking with past voting patterns. The New York Times reported last November that‚ per its polling with Siena College‚ 22% of Black voters in six key battleground states -- Arizona‚ Georgia‚ Michigan‚ Nevada‚ Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- indicated they would support Republican Donald Trump. In 2020‚ Trump gained ground with Blacks‚ picking up 12% of the Black vote‚ up from 8% in 2016. But any suggestion that any Republican candidate might pick up 20-plus percent of the Black vote is revolutionary. The last time the Black vote went beyond the teens for a Republican was in 1960‚ when Richard Nixon got 32% of the Black vote‚ in a close election he lost to John Kennedy. The next election in 1964 was‚ for Blacks‚ about the Civil Rights Movement. The Republican candidate‚ Barry Goldwater‚ opposed passage of the Civil Rights Act and got 4% of the Black vote. Republicans have not recovered since. Nixon returned and won the presidency in 1968 and 1972. However‚ Blacks supported him at a fraction of what he received in 1960 -- Nixon getting 10% of the Black vote in 1968 and 13% in 1972. In a USA Today/Suffolk University Poll reported in January‚ only 63% of Black voters indicated support for President Joe Biden‚ compared to 87% who voted for him in 2020. The USA Today/Suffolk University poll shows a less compelling picture of Blacks moving toward Trump. That poll shows 12% support for Trump‚ exactly where he was in 2020. However‚ the poll shows Black sentiment moving away from Democrats with almost 20% of Black voters indicating they would support a third party candidate. Now we have new data from Gallup reporting that “The Democratic Party’s wide lead over Republicans in Black Americans’ party preferences has shrunk by nearly 20 points over the past three years.” Among Black Americans surveyed‚ 66% said they identify as Democrat/lean Democrat and 19% Republican/lean Republican‚ for a differential of 47 points. A little over three years ago in 2020‚ in the same survey‚ 77% of Black Americans identified as Democrat/lean Democrat‚ compared to 11% identifying as Republican/lean Republican‚ for a differential of 66 points. In just three years‚ the differential between Black support for Democrats and for Republicans has shrunk 19 points. Overall‚ the 47-point differential in this latest survey is the smallest since Gallup first started doing the survey in 1999‚ when the differential was 72 points. With recent elections decided by tiny margins in battleground states‚ a fundamental change in voting behavior by one key demographic -- Blacks -- can be a game changer. The implications over the long haul are profound given the demographic changes taking place‚ with the percentage of the white vote‚ which accounts for the majority of Republican votes‚ shrinking in each election. In 2020‚ whites accounted for 67% of the vote. This compared to 1980 when the white vote stood at 88%. Per the Census Bureau‚ the percentage of the U.S. population that is white will be down to 45% by 2060. So‚ any movement of Blacks‚ and Hispanics‚ away from Democrats means a lot. Why is this apparent movement of Blacks from Democrats happening? Here’s one hypothesis I propose from the New York Times/Siena College Poll. That poll shows that‚ relative to whites‚ Blacks care more about economic issues than social issues. Sixty-five percent of Blacks say economic issues are most important compared to 53% of whites. Twenty-one percent of Blacks say social issues are most important compared to 33% of whites. Perhaps we are entering new times when fewer Blacks look to government for social justice and more want economic growth and opportunity. This means Republicans.

The new season of HBO’s Last Week Tonight debuted on Sunday with host John Oliver bitterly attacking Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for making people’s lives “demonstrable worse for decades” and therefore offering him $1 million per year and a new luxury RV if he resigns and gets “the fuck off the Supreme Court.” A day later on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show‚ Jon Stewart approved‚ wondering if Thomas would accept the offer. Oliver wasn’t sure if the $1 million was enough‚ “You have exactly 30 days from midnight tonight to make your resignation effective. And if you're still on the fence‚ I actually have a little deal sweetener that I'm excited to show you‚ so please come with me. Just come this way. Because we know you've got a lot on your plate right now from stripping away women's rights to hearing January 6th cases you definitely shouldn't be hearing to potentially helping roll back decades of federal regulations‚ and you deserve a break.”     While walking off set to a different stage‚ Oliver continued: You know‚ away from the ‘meanness of Washington.’ So you can be surrounded by the ‘regular folks’ whose lives you've made demonstrably worse for decades now. And the good news is‚ I think we can help you there because‚ since your favorite mode of travel might be in need of an upgrade‚ we're excited to offer you... this brand new‚ top-of-the-line Prevost Marathon Motor Coach. Look at this beauty‚ Clarence! It's worth $2.4 million‚ and it's got a full bedroom—yes‚ that's a king bed—one and a half baths‚ a fucking fireplace‚ four TVs‚ a washer-dryer‚ and I quote‚ ‘Residential-sized fridge.’” Oliver could not bring himself to believe that Thomas actually has a judicial philosophy. For him‚ Thomas could only be other people’s puppet: And if you're thinking‚ what will my friends say if I take this offer? Will they judge me‚ as they sit in their boardrooms and mega yachts and Hitler shrines? Will they still treat me to luxury vacations‚ and sing songs about me off their phones? Well‚ that's the beauty of friendship‚ Clarence. If they're real friends‚ they'll love you no matter what your job is. So‚ I guess this might be the perfect way to find out who your real friends actually are. So that's the offer. A million dollars a year‚ Clarence‚ and a brand new condo on wheels‚ and all you have to do in return is sign the contract and get the fuck off the Supreme Court.” A day later‚ Stewart was interviewing podcasters and law professors Melissa Murray and Kate Shaw who contribute to MSNBC and ABC‚ respectively. Stewart began‚ “John Oliver has offered Clarence Thomas a Winnebago and a million dollars a year to—and this is his words‚ not mine—get the [bleep] off the Supreme Court. Will—in your—you’re Court watchers‚ you’re experts on the Supreme Court‚ will he accept this offer?” Murray retorted that “I think this is a Harlan Crow counter-offer opportunity.” Following up‚ Stewart wondered‚ “You believe that his benefactor is going to have to counter‚ but what do you counter with? It's a beautiful Winnebago and a million dollars here. Is there anything else to life?” Ultimately‚ Oliver and Stewart are just looking for reasons to be angry at Thomas and delegitimize the Court for rulings it doesn’t like. Does anyone who has followed Thomas’s life and career really believe that he is simply other people’s puppet? Here are transcripts for the February 18 and 19 shows: HBO Last Week Tonight 2/18/2-24 11:36 PM ET JOHN OLIVER: You have exactly 30 days from midnight tonight to make your resignation effective. And if you're still on the fence‚ I actually have a little deal sweetener that I'm excited to show you‚ so please come with me. Just come come this way. Because we know you've got a lot on your plate right now from stripping away women's rights to hearing January 6th cases you definitely shouldn't be hearing to potentially helping roll back decades of federal regulations‚ and you deserve a break.  You know‚ away from the "Meanness of Washington." So you can be surrounded by the "regular folks" whose lives you've made demonstrably worse for decades now. And the good news is‚ I think we can help you there because‚ since your favorite mode of travel might be in need of an upgrade‚ we're excited to offer you... this brand new‚ top-of-the-line Prevost Marathon Motor Coach. Look at this beauty‚ Clarence! It's worth $2.4 million‚ and it's got a full bedroom —yes‚ that's a king bed— one and a half baths‚ a fucking fireplace‚ four TVs‚ a washer-dryer‚ and I quote‚ "Residential-sized fridge."  And if you're thinking‚ what will my friends say if I take this offer? Will they judge me‚ as they sit in their boardrooms and mega yachts and Hitler shrines? Will they still treat me to luxury vacations‚ and sing songs about me off their phones? Well‚ that's the beauty of friendship‚ Clarence. If they're real friends‚ they'll love you no matter what your job is. So‚ I guess this might be the perfect way to find out who your real friends actually are. So that's the offer. A million dollars a year‚ Clarence‚ and a brand new condo on wheels‚ and all you have to do in return is sign the contract and get the fuck off the Supreme Court.  *** Comedy Central The Daily Show 2/19/2024 11:21 PM ET JON STEWART: I want to start with you guys‚ a simple question. John Oliver has offered Clarence Thomas a Winnebago and a million dollars a year —and this is his words‚ not mine—get the [bleep] off the Supreme Court. Will— in your—you’re Court watchers‚ you’re experts on the Supreme Court‚ will he accept this offer?  MELISSA MURRAY: I think this is a Harlan Crow counter-offer opportunity.  STEWART: You believe that his benefactor is going to have to counter‚ but what do you counter with? It's a beautiful Winnebago and a million dollars here. Is there anything else to life? MURRAY:  Not if you enjoy spending time in the parking lots of Walmart‚ as Justice Thomas does.