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The Saguaro National Park in Tucson‚ Arizona‚ is asking members of the public to keep an eye out for a new creeping threat in the Sonoran Desert: invasive stinknet. This strongly scented herb is currently blooming across southern Arizona‚ and park officials want it removed before it sets seed.Stinknet (Oncosiphon pilulifer) is an invasive species that is native to southern Africa. It is characterized by a vibrant yellow flower that favors dunes and scrubland. It spreads via seeds that can be transported long distances by human activity. Although it is pretty to look at‚ biologists believe it may be the most dangerous invasive plant since buffelgrass – another plant native to Africa‚ as well as Asia and the Middle East – was introduced in the 1930s.Stinknet is not only starting to take over native wildflowers‚ but it also poses several risks to health and overall safety within its ecosystem. It tends to grow in thick‚ dense strands which become significant fire risks when they dry out. The plant also has oily foliage that can irritate the skin‚ and the smoke it produces when burnt has been linked to respiratory problems‚ as it is caustic.This is why the National Park is calling on visitors and residents of the wider Tucson area: they need people to help track down the flowers so they can monitor its spread and then remove it.“We have a unique opportunity right now to work together and protect this desert landscape that we love‚” Frankie Foley‚ a biologist at Saguaro National Park‚ said in a statement. “We’re asking the public to notify us when they find stinknet plants by going to www.stinknet.org and submitting a report. We are monitoring those reports daily and contacting landowners to prevent further spread.”If you are feeling particularly invested‚ you can also join one of the volunteer plant pull efforts that are being organized by the National Park in collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service‚ Pima County‚ Tucson Audubon Society‚ and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.Most importantly‚ if you do come across the stinknet in the wild‚ you should avoid touching or stepping on it. In fact‚ avoid getting close to it at all. This is because you may unwittingly carry some of its seeds to new places‚ inadvertently contributing to the spread of this yellow scourge.

Dan Baumgardt: The neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero announced in 2015 that he could soon be capable of performing the world’s first human head transplant procedure. This would mean that it would be possible to remove someone’s head‚ and graft it onto the neck and shoulders of another person. As of yet‚ this has only been performed on cadavers and not on living humans. But suppose you want to keep the face that you’ve already got? Or have grown tired of the body you inhabit? Could it ever be possible to switch brains between bodies instead? Emma Stone recently won her second Oscar for her performance in the brilliantly surreal comedy Poor Things. In the film‚ Stone’s character‚ Bella Baxter‚ receives a brain transplant from her surviving unborn child after killing herself. The surgery is performed by experimental scientist Dr Godwin Baxter (played by Willem Dafoe). Anyone who’s watched the film will see Dr Baxter remove the brain from the back of the skull‚ shelling it as easily as a pea from a pod. For reasons I’ll explain later‚ this scene isn’t anatomically correct‚ but it does beg the question – how feasible is it to perform a brain transplant? What are the practicalities in perhaps the most challenging operation ever conceived? Challenge one: getting in‚ getting out The living brain has the texture of soft-set blancmange‚ and is protected from harm by the skull. Despite being a tough nut to crack‚ the bone would probably prove the easiest structure to negotiate. Modern neurosurgical techniques make use of craniotomy saws to remove a patch of skull‚ and access the brain underneath. It’s worth noting that not all neurosurgical operations reach the brain this way. The pea-sized pituitary gland sits upon the brain’s base‚ just behind one of the sinuses at the back of the nasal cavity. In this case‚ it makes sense to use the nose instead for pituitary surgery. Although the nose wouldn’t be big enough to insert a new brain through‚ it can certainly act as a route for removing one – albeit in pieces. During the mummification process ancient Egyptians‚ who regarded the brain as unimportant‚ removed bits of it via the nasal passages. Past the skull‚ you reach the swaddling of the brain – three protective membranes‚ or meninges. The first‚ the dura‚ is tough. The second‚ the aptly named arachnoid‚ is like a spider’s web‚ while pia‚ the third‚ is delicate and invisibly thin. It’s these structures that become inflamed in meningitis. These membranes provide stability and prevent the brain from sloshing around. They also segregate the skull innards into compartments. The first provides a protective fluid cuff around the outside of the brain – think of gherkins floating in a jar of vinegar. Known as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)‚ it’s made from filtered blood and is colourless. The meninges also make channels between brain and skull. These are the routes through which both blood and CSF from the head are returned back to the heart. On opening up the skull and meninges‚ there will be enough of a window to remove the brain. This would prove the most straightforward part of the operation. Challenge two: connecting up the circuits Now it’s time to get the new brain in. This is where things get complicated. The brain receives sensory information from all over the body and sends instructions back to it‚ making muscles contract‚ the heart beat and glands secrete hormones. Removing a brain requires cutting through the 12 pairs of cranial nerves which come directly off it‚ and the spinal cord. Information enters and exits the brain through all these structures. See the difficulty? Nerves don’t simply join back together. As soon as you’ve cut them‚ they typically begin to disintegrate and die‚ though some are more resilient to damage than others. Research groups around the world experiment with how to promote regrowth of nerve cells after damage to avert neurological symptoms. Ideas about this might be achieved are manifold but include use of chemicals or grafting in cells that stimulate neuronal recovery. Researchers have also suggested that a special biological glue could be used in order to stick two cut ends of a severed nerve or spinal cord back together. Removing the old brain will have also required cutting through the arteries which provide blood. This will also have cut off critical oxygen and nutrition‚ which will also require recoupling. Challenge three: the aftermath The final‚ most uncertain period is the aftermath. And the list of speculations are endless. Will the subject regain consciousness? Will they be able to think? Move? Breathe? How will the body react to the new brain? Most transplant surgeries require donors matched to recipients‚ since the body’s normal reaction to unknown tissues is to reject them. The immune system sends a cavalry of white blood cells and antibodies to attack and destroy‚ convinced this new presence means harm. Normally brains are protected from this onslaught by another shield‚ called the blood-brain barrier. If not properly reconstructed during the operation‚ the donor brain could be open to attack. It’s equally important to consider how the brain will react to its new home. In Poor Things‚ Bella Baxter’s brain and body were reported to be “not quite synchronised”. But brains can learn to grow. So‚ just as babies gain an arsenal of thoughts‚ behaviours‚ skills and abilities during their childhood development‚ a transplanted brain might do the same. So‚ brain transplantation currently remains the stuff of science fiction and academy award-winning cinema. Feasibility according to basic anatomy and physiology make developing such a complex procedure unlikely. But will more time‚ tools‚ technologies‚ expertise and‚ of course‚ money ever make it viable? If Poor Things offers a glimpse into the ethics of brain swapping‚ then that’s a frightening thought. Dan Baumgardt‚ Senior Lecturer‚ School of Physiology‚ Pharmacology and Neuroscience‚ University of Bristol This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The post How realistic is it to transplant a brain from one head to another? appeared first on Anomalien.com.

If you’ve ever shared your home with a cat‚ you’re familiar with the enigmatic display of them stretching out‚ turning over‚ and presenting their belly in all its glory. This gesture‚ often misinterpreted as an invitation for belly rubs‚ holds a more complex meaning in the world of feline behavior. It’s a blend of trust‚... The post Here’s why your cat rolls over and shows off their belly when they see you appeared first on Animal Channel.

It’s Good Friday‚ which means that tonight I’m probably going to lose the last ten pounds of baby weight in tears while watching "The Passion of the Christ." When the movie originally came out‚ critics panned director Mel Gibson for “excessive gore” and “sadism.” I hear similar critiques today. It reminds me of those from people who favor‚ say‚ a diamond cross necklace over a crucifix or who reject the imagery as inappropriate for a church pulpit. It’s unnecessarily gory. If we aren’t willing to truthfully contemplate the brutality of Christ’s suffering‚ how can we expect to “take up our cross and follow Him” as he commands us? Discomfort with brutality is‚ of course‚ natural. But the brutality of Christ crucified is inseparable from the truth of salvation. News flash: Crucifixion is one of the most brutal ways to die. Christ was flayed by Roman soldiers. He was calumniated by the Sanhedrin. The soldiers did press the crown of thorns into his head mockingly. His body was beaten‚ broken‚ and bloody. And here’s the kicker: Though the Jews and the Romans and their instruments of death were the proximate cause of his torture‚ our sin remains the primary cause of his torture. What do we achieve by averting our eyes from the hurt we cause our Savior through sin‚ either by our fleshly discomfort with blood or our spiritual discomfort with guilt? Why would we ever attempt to minimize His ultimate act of self-sacrificial charity‚ His confrontation of the wages of our sin on our behalf? “For God so loved the world‚ that he gave his only begotten Son‚ that whosoever believeth in him should not perish‚ but have everlasting life.” “Greater love hath no man than this‚ that a man lay down his life for his friends.” To meditate on Christ’s love is to meditate on His sacrifice. Among Gibson’s most genius choices in the film is his deliberate inclusion of scenes involving Christ’s mother. One in particular stands out: As Christ first falls while carrying his cross to Golgotha‚ Mary sees him. We are given a flashback in which he as a child stumbles on a stone path. Mary runs to him‚ arms outstretched‚ her presence his succor. Flash forward‚ and she runs again‚ arms outstretched‚ as Christ chokes on his own blood‚ crushed under the weight of the cross. I imagine the profound grief and gratitude commingling in both of their hearts for just a moment of one another’s presence. The crucifix takes on new meaning from the perspective of the woman standing beneath it‚ looking up at him unblinkingly‚ soaked in his blood‚ blood of her blood. In so many ways‚ his wounds are hers‚ too. I imagine her human‚ maternal nature‚ her desire to bring him comfort‚ to take her baby’s pain away‚ to switch places‚ something‚ anything — all brushing up against the hope of the greater good to come. The cross is the fulfillment of his promise and of her fiat: her ultimate confidence in God’s promise‚ unchanged by the bitter fact of Simeon’s prophecy. She suffers alongside her son‚ as only a mother could‚ in total surrender. His words in the Garden of Gethsemane and hers at the Annunciation echo one another: Thy will be done. Catholic tradition holds that we take Christ seriously by honoring who he honors. I love Gibson’s "Passion" for so many reasons‚ but primarily because he takes Christ seriously by paying serious attention to his mother — and by refusing to shy away from the brutality he endured. This sincerity‚ the act of taking historical subjects seriously‚ is accomplished by placing oneself in the shoes of those subjects without pretense‚ judgment‚ or ideological imposition. Dr. Rachel Fulton Brown‚ my guest in this episode of "Girlboss‚ Interrupted‚" in her latest book‚ "Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought‚" has accomplished something so unique and interesting by doing just this. This history of Marian devotion begins with a call for readers to take their subjects‚ medieval Christians‚ seriously‚ by praying the psalms as they did throughout the day. I won’t spoil any more surprises. This episode was so fun to record. Please enjoy‚ and as ever‚ send messages‚ leave comments‚ share with friends‚ and drop me a five-star review on Spotify and Apple podcasts. I hope y’all have a holy holy week. Christ is coming.

There has been a recent series of unprovoked‚ broad-daylight attacks on women in New York City. The savage assaults have prompted outrage‚ even among some Democrats. One Democratic New York City councilwoman in particular asked why men were not altogether stepping up to address the issue. Critics swiftly provided Councilwoman Amanda Farías with one possible reason why: She and other leftists have cried foul when men have previously stepped into the breach. The attacks Blaze News previously reported that various women peacefully navigating Manhattan sidewalks have been viciously attacked in recent weeks. Halley Kate Mcgookin‚ a social media influencer‚ was apparently one of them. Choked up and tear-soused‚ Mcgookin recently noted in a viral video‚ "I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face." "Oh my God‚ it hurts so bad. I can't even talk‚" added Mcgookin. Sarah Harvard‚ another recent victim‚ was on her way to a comedy gig on the Lower East Side on March 19 when she was attacked from behind. "I was walking‚ and out of nowhere‚ BAM!" she wrote on X. "I almost fell over. The back of my skull throbbing in pain‚ brain feels rattled." — (@) At least one arrest has been made — 40-year-old Skiboky Stora of Brooklyn — but there appear to be multiple attackers. Where have all the good men gone? Amid mounting outrage over the attacks‚ the New York City Council's predominantly leftist Women's Caucus stated it was "deeply disturbed and concerned about widespread reports of attacks against women in New York City that have been confirmed by the NYPD." "The Women's Caucus calls on the NYPD for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into these incidents with transparent updates to the public‚" continued the statement. "We are encouraging New Yorkers with similar experience to notify the NYPD to conduct a thorough investigation. Amid an alarming trend in violence against women‚ this kind of violence is reprehensible." New York City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías shared the statement‚ adding‚ "Where are the men calling this out?" — (@) Handcuffed heroes In May 2023‚ Jordan Neely‚ a 30-year-old homeless man with a history of criminal arrests‚ was said by witnesses to have threatened various passengers on a New York City subway train. One witness told Fox News Digital‚ "I'm sitting on a train reading my book‚ and‚ all of a sudden‚ I hear someone spewing this rhetoric. He said‚ 'I don't care if I have to kill an F‚ I will. I'll go to jail‚ I'll take a bullet." Passengers crewed on one side of the train to avoid Neely‚ especially after his alleged use of the words "bullet" and "kill." "Why in the world would you take a bullet? Why? You don't take a bullet because you've snatched something from somebody's hand. You take a bullet for violence‚" said the female witness. With women and men alike ostensibly in danger‚ former Marine Daniel Penny‚ then 24‚ did not simply call out the danger. He did something about it. "The three main threats he repeated over and over was 'I'm going to kill you‚' 'I'm prepared to go to jail for life‚' and 'I'm willing to die‚'" Penny later recalled. The former Marine put Neely in a chokehold. Neely subsequently died. The female witness said‚ "It was self-defense‚ and I believe in my heart that he saved a lot of people that day that could have gotten hurt." Leftists such as Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) rushed to condemn Penny and paint Neely as a victim. — (@) Amanda Farías was among the loudest critics of Penny's attempt to restore order and protect women. Farías tweeted on May 11‚ 2023‚ "I continue to be heartbroken and outraged by the death of Jordan Neely and the lack of justice. The @BLACaucusNYC stands together to demand justice for Jordan and to pay attention to the systems that failed him so we do not lose any more Black New Yorkers to senseless violence." — (@) Penny was ultimately indicted by a Manhattan grand jury of second-degree manslaughter. His trial is scheduled for October. Backlash Critics seized upon Farías' Thursday comment‚ noting her past contempt for the kind of New Yorker who might intervene if he saw a woman attacked randomly. Christina Pushaw‚ an aide to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)‚ was one of many who responded to Farías' question with a picture of Penny. @CMAmandaFarias Why aren\u2019t men standing up against criminals who attack women in NYC? Great question\u2026 — (@) One X user wrote‚ "'Where are the men calling this out?' On trial right now‚ that's where." Second Amendment activist Dana Loesch wrote‚ "Ya'll jail them." Michael Seifert‚ the founder and CCEO of the conservative Amazon alternative PublicSq.‚ wrote‚ "They're all getting arrested like Daniel Penny." Heritage research fellow Jason Bedrick responded‚ "NYC policies are doing this. Here's an idea: stop punishing the men who step up and help and stop releasing dangerous perpetrators awaiting trial." The New York Post editorial board noted that while Farías is now desperate for police to do something about the trend of random attacks on women‚ she was previously desperate to kneecap the police. The Post highlighted how Farías‚ when still a council candidate‚ underscored the need "to significantly divest from police precincts" and pledged to support "the reduction of NYPD's operating budget and partnering alongside the community to create real solutions and justice for New Yorkers." Since taking office‚ she has made good on her anti-police promises‚ sponsoring the "How Many Stops Act‚" legislation that serves to stymie policing efforts. She also helped to override Mayor Eric Adams' subsequent veto attempt. Republican NYC Councilwoman Vickie Paladino noted that a real fix to the problem Farías now seems to care about may require addressing the laws that allow criminals to prowl the streets freely. "'Calling out' a problem isn't really going to do much unless it's followed up with solutions‚ and progressives are completely opposed to the solutions which actually work‚" wrote Paladino. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has recently been added to Trump’s growing list of potential vice president candidates. While Rubio has never spoken directly to Trump or anyone running his campaign about the position‚ the senator says he would consider the opportunity “an honor.” Apparently‚ that shocked ABC News host Jonathan Karl. “You said it would be an honor to be offered a spot on his ticket. Really?” Karl asked‚ confused. “Yeah‚ I think anyone who’s offered the opportunity to serve this country as vice president should be honored‚” Rubio said. “I'm in the Senate because I want to serve the country; being vice president is an important way to serve the country.” “Look what happened to the last guy. A mob stormed the Capitol‚ literally calling to hang Mike Pence‚ and Trump defended those chants of ‘Hang Mike Pence‚”’ Karl fired back. “I will tell you this: When Donald Trump was President of the United States‚ this country was safer; it was more prosperous; we had relations‚ for example‚ in a part of the world that I care about called the Western Hemisphere ... I think the country and world was a better place when he was president‚ and I would love to see him return to the White House‚” said Rubio. He then went on an epic tear about all the ways Joe Biden has been “a disaster.” “Every single day‚ we wake up to a new crisis‚ a new conflict. Everything has been on fire since the time Joe Biden took over‚” he said. “Afghanistan has gone down‚ Ukraine has been invaded‚ now the Philippines and the Chinese are on the verge of something bad ... not to mention the threats to Taiwan. We have this blowup in Haiti going on in our very own hemisphere.” “You’re not suggesting that’s all happening because of Biden?” Karl asked. “Absolutely‚ I am‚” Rubio boldly stated. “Because of Biden‚ Russia invaded Ukraine?” Karl asked‚ shocked‚ adding that “Trump's the one suggesting that there should be a deal that effectively gives Putin what he wants in Ukraine.” “That’s not true. What he’s said is that he wants the conflict to end‚” Rubio corrected‚ noting that “there is going to be a negotiation” in which “Russia is not going to take all of Ukraine‚ and Ukraine is not going to push Russia back to where it was in 2014.” Pat Gray is wholly impressed with Rubio’s ability to so effortlessly debunk fake news while simultaneously speaking the truth. “Consider just some of the international things that have gone on — some of the policies of [Joe Biden] that have led to the slaughter in Israel‚ the debacle of the pullout in Afghanistan‚ China continues to threaten to invade Taiwan‚ the censure of the U.S. from the British Parliament for the first time in history‚ the French are pissed off at us over the submarine deal they were left out of‚ the border invasion catastrophe — I'm sure there's a hundred more things I could name‚ and that's not even getting into the economy‚ taxes‚ wages‚” says Pat. “It’s a disaster‚ John Karl.” Want more from Pat Gray?To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.