UK Army Nurse Morale Patch

 Probably my favorite morale patch:

Miniature nuclear reactors and rifle caliber depleted uranium ammo

 

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMqHTbXm3rs

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/depleted-uranium-7-62-nato-rounds-obscure-object-desire/

Nuclear reactors the size of those in submarines are the way forward. Ever notice those reactors don't have giant cooling towers?

Tanks were made obsolete in 1976 with the advent of rifle caliber depleted uranium ammo. There is no need for high-tech weapons like the Javelin except to enrich weapons manufacturers. 

moon haiku and abiogenesis limerick - poems 31 and 32

a once smooth moon shone

above the ancient new earth

then by rain untouched

the first lifeforms were chemical brews

within the crude primordial ooze

amino acids made polypeptides

which then formed membranes for sides

and now the results fill up our zoos

Successful acclimation of saltwater fish to freshwater

Lionfish can be trained to live in freshwater 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJZz9SM2Q8I

There is a freshwater sardine in the Philippines which is vulnerable from overfishing. Perhaps it could be trained to live in saltwater.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinella_tawilis

Salmon can famously survive in both environments at different times in their life cycle.

Freshwater fish account for about 40% of the species even though only about 2.5% of the earth's surface is freshwater. If vulnerable freshwater species could be trained to live in saltwater, that would ease conservation efforts, particularly for cavefish

Of course, the introduction of the Nile perch to Lake Victoria shows the dangers of invasive species.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_perch#Lake_Victoria_introduction

 

My blog - read on 6 continents

 

I've gotten hits from every country, but the map only shows the top 20 for the past year. 

Triops - an alternative to DDT for mosquito control

Triops, also called tadpole shrimp, often live in rice paddies. Besides rice seedlings and weeds, they also enjoy eating mosquito larvae. 

about Triops and rice cultivation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2xnXaX7r3g

It would be interesting to introduce such varieties to malaria hotspots. However, the disastrous results of introducing the cane toad to Australia must be considered.

From Wikipedia:

***

T. longicaudatus is considered a human ally against the West Nile virus, as the individuals consume Culex mosquito larvae.[18] They also are used as a biological pest control in Japan, eating weeds in rice paddies. The Beni-Kabuto Ebi Albino variant of T. cancriformis is particularly valued for this purpose. In Wyoming, the presence of T. longicaudatus usually indicates a good chance of the hatching of American spadefoot toads.

Dried eggs of T. longicaudatus are sold in kits to be raised as aquarium pets, sold under the name of "aquasaurs", "trigons" or "triops". Among enthusiasts, T. cancriformis is also common. Other species often encountered in captivity include T. australiensis, T. newberryi and T. granarius.

Captive Triops are frequently kept in aquaria and fed a diet consisting mainly of carrots, shrimp pellets and dried shrimp.[19] Often they are also given living shrimp and Daphnia as live prey.[20] Because they can feed on just about anything they are also fed lunch meat, crackers, potatoes etc.[21]

In California, T. longicaudatus has emerged as a significant pest of rice cultivation, due to its digging behaviour uprooting young rice seedlings.[22]

***

***

The cane toad has poison glands, and the tadpoles are highly toxic to most animals if ingested. Its toxic skin can kill many animals, both wild and domesticated, and cane toads are particularly dangerous to dogs. Because of its voracious appetite, the cane toad has been introduced to many regions of the Pacific and the Caribbean islands as a method of agricultural pest control. The common name of the species is derived from its use against the cane beetle (Dermolepida albohirtum), which damages sugar cane. The cane toad is now considered a pest and an invasive species in many of its introduced regions. The 1988 film Cane Toads: An Unnatural History documented the trials and tribulations of the introduction of cane toads in Australia.

***

How archaeologists gave Viking helmets horns by mistake

 Yours truly in a fanciful plastic replica:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vikso-helmets-copenhagen-denmark

Supposedly, the horns were in imitation of the extinct auroch, a bull-like animal that was a symbol of strength.

The helmets were mistakenly thought to be Viking for a time.