Project 2025 rolls on

 

This is "old" news, but it's relevant today, because these cuts are still coming, and they are DANGEROUS. 

Something bad is going to happen, and that will open a lot of eyes. Sadly, that's what it's going to take.

Trump plan would eliminate NOAA climate research, slash agency budget

The plan would cut NOAA’s budget by 27 percent overall and eliminate a research branch of the agency studying the world’s weather, climate and oceans.

"The programs “misaligned with the President’s agenda and the expressed will of the American people,” the document says.

The administration is proposing to zero out funding for programs including all NOAA labs related to climate, weather and oceans, including 16 cooperative institutes housed at universities across the country; regional climate data centers that track historic weather conditions across the country; and Sea Grant programs focused on coastal environments and economies.

It orders NOAA to halt any spending on a program to develop the next generation of geostationary satellites, which provide a constant picture of weather across the U.S. as they remain in fixed positions flying above North America. The document said “proactive action” was needed “to address unsustainable costs in NOAA’s satellite acquisition programs.”

The climate data collected by NOAA is used by a range of Americans, from farmers planning their crops to communities preparing for worsening wildfires and more severe storms.

It also serves as a foundation for much of climate scientists’ work around the world, because it spans decades and is so comprehensive, said Joeri Rogelj, a climate scientist at Imperial College London. Scientists rely on NOAA datasets to evaluate changes in Earth’s climate, and use it as a benchmark for advanced models that assess the consequences of future planetary warming.

“The information provided by NOAA represents the factual backbone of how we know that our climate is changing,” Rogelj said."

 

Michelle Keegan does Cannes

 

New mom Michelle Keegan showed up at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nothing short of spectacular.

Of course, since this is Michelle Keegan, that's what we would expect.

Michelle Keegan puts on a glamorous display in a structured white gown and dramatic hat while in Cannes ahead of L'Oreal Light on Women Award

At a previous Cannes engagement, she looked like this, also spectacular.

Vital and important scientific advance

 

Researchers have determined how to make a better pour-over coffee.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is slashing funds for science in the United States.

At least this important advance has been published before the return of the Dark Ages.

The Perfect Pour-Over Coffee Has Fewer Beans, Say Researchers

" “What we recommend is making the pour height as high as possible, while still maintaining a laminar flow, where the jet doesn’t break up when it impacts the coffee grinds,” said author Ernest Park.

In particular, the group found the thick water jets typical of standard gooseneck kettles are ideal for achieving this necessary height and laminar flow. Strong — but focused — water jets create an avalanche in the coffee grounds. Displaced grounds recirculate as the water digs deeper into the coffee bed, allowing for better mixing between the water and the grounds, and thus, results in a stronger coffee with fewer beans. If the water jet is too thin, it cannot adequately create this interaction to achieve a desirable strength and sensory experience."

Here's the reference, in case you want the deepest details.

Park E, Young M, Mathijssen AJTM. Pour-over coffee: Mixing by a water jet impinging on a granular bed with avalanche dynamics. Phys Flu. 2025. doi: 10.1063/5.0257924.

And if you REALLY want the details, here's a podcast on YouTube.

I think I wondered if this would work

 

When Sargassum first started to show up in much greater amounts than had been historically observed, washing up on beaches and offending tourists (particularly their noses), I wondered if all that biomass could be processed for biofuel.

I guess I wasn't the only one.

How the Caribbean could turn a plague of seaweed into fuel and fertilizer

"Removing seaweed from beaches and carting it to the dump costs countries millions of dollars a year and takes up dwindling space in landfills. But officials in Grenada, an island nation of more than 100,000 people at the far end of the Caribbean archipelago, say they have a better idea: Harvest the sargassum before it hits the beaches and turn it into a renewable source of fuel, fertilizer and other products.

“We shouldn’t just see sargassum as a menace, but as an opportunity,” said Jerry Enoe, Grenada’s special envoy for oceans.

In October, Grenada hosted a sargassum conference among Caribbean nations and the European Union, which has pledged to support Caribbean efforts to turn its climate-change-fueled problem into a green industry. At the conference, Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell vowed that his country would transform 10,000 tons of sargassum into useful products by 2026."

Here's another article about this idea.

Researchers convert washed-up seaweed into biofuels and fertiliser

There's certainly enough of it.

The laws don't always hold

 

An interesting discovery about a liquid that doesn't behave like a liquid.

“Shape-Recovering Liquid” Appears To Defy Laws of Thermodynamics

"The team conducted experiments and reached out to colleagues at Tufts and Syracuse universities to construct simulations. Together, the collaborative effort determined that magnetism, strong magnetism, explains the inexplicable phenomenon Raykh had discovered. 

“When you look very closely at the individual nanoparticles of magnetized nickel that form the boundary between the water and oil,” says Hoagland, “you can get extremely detailed information on how different forms assemble. In this case, the particles are magnetized strongly enough that their assembly interferes with the process of emulsification, which the laws of thermodynamics describe.”

Now let's watch.

Lighthouse of the Week, May 25 - 31, 2025: Cape Mudge, British Columbia, Canada

 

I decided to head west (in North America) for this week's lighthouse, to British Columbia, which has a few of them.  This one happens to be on the northern part of the BC coast. But this one isn't on the Pacific Coast, it's on the inland Strait of Georgia.

It's called, somewhat inelegantly, the Cape Mudge lighthouse.  Cape Mudge and the lighthouse are here. It's near the small domicile of Campbell River, but that's not very well-known, so I zoomed the map way out to show the lighthouse location with respect to Vancouver Island.

Here's what the Lighthouse Directory says, short and basically simple.

"1916 (station established 1898). Active; focal plane 17.5 m (58 ft); continuous red or white light, depending on direction, with a more intense flash every 5 s. 12 m (40 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery painted red. Fog horn (3 s blast every 30 s). Staffed light station with two 2-story red-roofed keeper's houses and other buildings. ... The lighthouse marks the entrance from the broad Strait of Georgia to the Discovery Passage, the first narrow section of the Inside Passage. Located in Cape Mudge Village at the southern end of Quadra Island."

Another website:  Cape Mudge (Quadra Island), BC  (Lighthouse Friends) 

 As would be expected, pictures and a video are below.

Where to get the really good eat$$$

 

Here's the list of James Beard award nominations for 2025.  The winners will be announced June 16.

2025 James Beard Award Restaurant and Chef Finalists

There are a couple of them somewhat near to me. Not that I could afford to eat there.

Is more logging needed for an 'emergency' ?

 

The Trump administration wants to cut down more trees -- a LOT more trees -- to address a supposed emergency.  Is there really an emergency?

Of course there isn't. But that's what Trump has been doing on numerous fronts (and has been thwarted legally in some cases) -- declaring an emergency to invoke emergency powers, and then steamrolling ahead regardless of consequence. It is very misguided, for now and the future, but that's our autocrat-in-chief's modus operandi.

Trump proposed cutting the Northwest’s national forests. So what happens next?

"In all, the administration has put more than 100 million acres of national forests across the country up for accelerated logging with a sidestepping of environmental laws to address a declared emergency of fire risk and domestic lumber supply. Nearly 60% of the country’s national forests are subject to the order."

In one sense, they are right. There's a lot lower risk of fires in places like this:

Cough cough, fizz fizz

 

Very simply, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant cuts are not healthy.

EPA cuts could leave small rural towns choking in smoke

The EPA’s slashing of more than $1 billion in grant funding has hit hard in Western communities that have felt climate impacts from flooding, wildfire smoke and melting permafrost.

"The EPA’s decision to slash more than $1.5 billion in funding that Administrator Lee Zeldin characterized as “DEI and Environmental Justice grants” has hit hard in many rural communities in the West that have firsthand experience with the destructive realities of the warming climate. The cuts landed in Alaska villages reeling from melting permafrost and coastal flooding; Native American reservations suffering from smoke and long-running drought; and mountain towns in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by burning forests."

This is worth watching and listening to.  Zeldin not only doesn't give a rat's ass, he strongly resembles one that's on a horse.

All that glitters is not gold, and might not be good

 

You know what glitter is, right? That flaky shiny stuff kids can paint with, and which sometimes women put on their faces and eyebrows and such to look pretty and shiny and flashy? 

Like this, for example:

Well, if glitter gets into the ocean, apparently it can act as a crystallization site for the formation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3, where that "3" should be a subscript). This article talks about that, but it doesn't really identify a specific concern, just that it might be a problem.

Glitter Can Disrupt Marine Biomineralisation

Microplastics from PET-based glitter could have a negative long-term impact on marine ecosystems.

"The study mimicked seawater conditions and investigated six different types of PET glitter to determine how their surface properties influence the formation of Ca-Mg carbonate minerals. Using advanced analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy, the researchers found that glitter microplastics provide sites for CaCO3 crystallisation, accelerating mineral formation and potentially altering skeletal structures in marine organisms."

Well, I guess that's not good, but I don't see what kind of not good it is.

There is more.

"The researchers discovered that PET-based glitter microplastics can actively promote the crystallisation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) minerals in seawater. Their experiments revealed that the surface properties of these microplastics, particularly their irregular textures and functional chemical groups, create favourable sites for mineral crystallisation. This means that when PET glitter is present in seawater, calcium carbonate forms more readily on its surface, potentially influencing the natural biomineralisation processes of marine organisms that rely on CaCO3 to build their shells and skeletons."

This is what I don't understand (and I need to read the paper, which is referenced below). If the glitter is causing CaCO3 formation in seawater, how does it affect biomineralization, which happens in association with an organism?  I.e., they make their CaCO3 out of calcium and carbonate ions, not out of solid CaCO3. 

I guess I better read the paper.

Reference: Zubovic KP, Horvath A, Brien DM, et al. Crystallisation of CaCO3 polymorphs induced by layered PET-based microplastic particles. Environ Sci Eur. 2025;37(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s12302-025-01090-0.

So, the whole paper is accessible, but to make things quick, there are Conclusions at the beginning. This helps explain some of the concerns.

"PET [Polyethylene terephthalate] uniquely influences surface CaCO3 nucleation compared to other microplastics. Unlike polystyrene or polyethylene, which require organic coatings for encapsulation, PET actively promotes crystallisation via ester (–COO–) and hydroxyl (–OH) groups that facilitate Ca2+ adsorption, creating local supersaturation zones. Surface defects further concentrate ions, accelerating mineral growth. Crystallisation in confined PET features enhances fragmentation, increasing micro- and nanoplastic release. The strong attachment of CaCO3 phases to PET may affect biomineralisation in marine organisms, impacting shell formation and skeletal integrity. Additionally, PET degradation through crystallisation-driven fragmentation raises concerns about increased microplastic bioavailability and long-term environmental pollution."

So I'd have to say, the less that glitters the better, at least in the ocean. 

Lighthouse of the Week, May 18-24, 2025: Monomoy Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts, USA

 

I expect that you would expect that Massachusetts, especially the Cape Cod area, has a few lighthouses. And it does. I've featured a few, such as the Nauset Lighthouse.  But when I looked back at the area and explored a bit, I found one that I didn't expect to find. 

The one I found is the Monomoy Point Lighthouse, an inactive lighthouse, but an easy one to see if you go around the southeastern end of Cape Cod.  It's out on a little sandy beach island, which fortunately has been accreting sand, so it's not going to fall into the ocean anytime soon, probably. The little islands are a national wildlife refuge.

This is where it is. That map is zoomed out far enough to see where Cape Cod is, too. Most of it, anyway.

Below are some informational excerpts from the Lighthouse Directory. It's actually a long entry, on this page of the directory, discussing preservation and renovation and such.  I stuck with the basics. 

"1849 (station established 1823). Inactive since 1923; charted as a landmark. 47 ft (14 m) round cylindrical cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted red; lantern and gallery painted black. The original 2-story wood keeper's house is used as a guest house. Brick oil house (1894) and generator building. ... This early cast iron tower has a unique design. ... The beach has built up in the area so that the lighthouse, built at the dune line, is now 1/2 mile (800 m) from the ocean. In October 2009 $1.5 million in federal recovery act funding was allocated to restoration of the lighthouse; this was enough to restore the lighthouse and the exterior of the keeper's house and add solar and wind generators to provide power for the buildings."

Another page about it:   Monomoy Point Lighthouse (New England Lighthouses)

So, some pictures are below, and a video, which even shows the restoration.

 

Why men like to look at women

 

One reason that men like to look at women is that women can do this.  (From art of ck)

It won't stop the bite, but ...

 

It's possible that taking a drug can help control mosquitoes because if the mosquitoes ingest the blood with the drug in it, it kills them.

Of course, sorry to say, they have to bite you first.

Yet, still, long-term, it could help.  My question about this article is -- is it safe to take this particular drug if someone doesn't have the condition it is used to treat?

Repurposed Rare Disease Drug Makes Blood Deadly to Mosquitoes

" “One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects,” said Lee R. Haines, associate research professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, honorary fellow at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and co-lead author of the study. “Our findings suggest that using nitisinone could be a promising new complementary tool for controlling insect-borne diseases like malaria.”

Typically, nitisinone is a medication for individuals with rare inherited diseases — such as alkaptonuria and tyrosinemia type 1 — whose bodies struggle to metabolize the amino acid tyrosine. The medication works by blocking the enzyme 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), preventing the build-up of harmful disease byproducts in the human body. When mosquitoes drink blood that contains nitisinone, the drug also blocks this crucial HPPD enzyme in their bodies. This prevents the mosquitoes from properly digesting the blood, causing them to quickly die."

Now, let's be clear; mosquito larvae do serve a purpose -- feeding little fish. So we don't want to get rid of them completely.

But less of them around the house or campground or school?  Fine with me. And less of them where they carry a deadly disease, like malaria? That's good too.

Female superpower

 

Women can hear better than men. For example, even when her back is turned, at a crowded party, a wife can hear her husband flirting with the young and desirable office assistant.

That's just one example, of course.

Why Women Have More Sensitive Hearing Than Men

A study shows sex and environment, not just age, affect hearing sensitivity.

Professor Turi King, University of Bath, said: 

“We were surprised to find that women had two decibels more sensitive hearing across all the populations we measured, and this accounted for most of the variations between individuals.

“This could be due to different exposure to hormones during development in the womb, due to men and women having slight structural differences in cochlear anatomy.

“As well as having higher hearing sensitivity, women also perform better in other hearing tests and speech perception, indicating that their brains are also better at processing the information."

So, guys, she can hear you, and you'd better listen to her, too.

One of the great mini-series actors dies

 

I neglected to note this when it happened, so I'll note it now;  actor Richard Chamberlain passed away at the end of March.

Chamberlain did a LOT of acting, famously in mini-series such as Shogun and The Thorn Birds, movies like The Towering Inferno and King Solomon's Mines, and on TV as Dr. Kildare. He was also in several classic novel adaptations, like The Count of Monte Cristo and (believe it or not) The Bourne Identity.

For the full list, see his IMDb page.

Here he is as the priest Ralph deBricassart who gives up his vows for the young and luscious and irresistible Meggie, played by Rachel Ward. 

Crystal Palace ... Did that really happen?

 

Back in the autumn, I felt that the inevitable was likely to happen this year, the inevitable being that the Crystal Palace Football Club would finish in the bottom three in the Premier League and be relegated to the second tier, the Championship. Then they started playing better, which they've done before, and slowly climbed up the standings to the safe zone. Along the way they defeated Manchester City, but at the time, Manchester City was playing awful. 

So, ho-hum, the Premier League season is nearly over, one of the big five teams (Liverpool) has won it, and Crystal Palace is comfortably 12th, four points ahead of Everton and four points behind Bournemouth. And that's unlikely to change. So it goes on, they keep playing in the Premier League, and nothing else much happens.

Except that yesterday, as I write this, they won the FA Cup. That's the historic championship fully named the Football Association Challenge Cup, a tournament dating back to 1871-72. The oldest national football championship in the world. Anybody can play, from the fifth tier up to the first tier (aka the Premier League). It's prestigious, especially in England. 

So, playing mostly defense most of the time, and not having the ball most of the time, but with one dazzling goal by Eberechi Eze sixteen minutes into the game, and surviving both a penalty kick (which was saved by the heroic goalie Dean Henderson) and 10 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the second half, which included a Kevin deBruyne shot that curled wide, 

Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 to win the FA Cup. 

Unlikely?  Well, CP or something like it dates back to 1861, and the actual team with that name dates back to 1905.  In that whole period, 164 or 120 years, this club had never won a major championship. Ever. And given that Manchester United and Manchester City play in Manchester, and Liverpool plays in Liverpool, most of the London cheers have gone to either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur -- but Crystal Palace plays in London too. So yesterday at Wembley, with shouts of joy and tears of unbelieving rapture, the fans cheered for the valiant, victorious underdogs.

It really happened. And though I have been following them for fun ever since they had a lower-tier development team playing near here in Maryland, and I have been following them since they made it into the Premier League over a decade ago and haven't been relegated since (that too is a record), I never really expected to see something this large and notable. And it makes me feel good.  I'm sure it makes their long-time devoted fans feel good too.

Bonus (but this can be a difficulty, too), they play in the Europa League next year. The problem with this honor is that it adds a lot of games to the schedule, which can lead to injuries, which can lead to losses, which can hurt a club in the long run. We shall see how well the Crystal Palace Eagles can handle it.

The highlights:

Lighthouse of the Week, May 11-17, 2025: Faro di San Venerio, Isola del Tino, Italy

 

I found this lighthouse after seeing the somewhat picturesque port and coastal town of Porto Venere, which deserves a picture itself. It's even got its own castle. Porto Venere is considered on the Cinque Terre coast, but isn't included in the famous bluffside towns on the coast, which lie to the north. 

OK, so if you take a look at Porto Venere on the map, you will see an island south of it, which is a regional park, named Isola Palmaria. And south of that, there is an even smaller island, the Isola del Tino, which is where this week's lighthouse is located. (By the way, south of the Isola del Tino, there is an even smaller Isola del Tinetto, but it doesn't have a lighthouse.)

So here is where to find the Faro di San Venerio, Isola del Tino. It's zoomed out enough so you can see where it is in relation to Porto Venere.

Next, the Lighthouse Directory describes the basics. It's next to an older red tower that dates back to 1840.

"1884 (station established 1840). Active; focal plane 117 m (384 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 24 m (79 ft) round cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and double gallery, painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic."

Below are the pictures I found.

The start of mind and social control

Sadly, there are more examples to come, and I will be discussing them.

Trump order launches Smithsonian and its visitors into confusion, dismay

Current and former members of the institution’s board of regents condemned the edict, while visitors said the Trump administration was trying to edit U.S. history.

"President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order to eliminate what he considers “anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution cast the world’s largest museum, education and research complex into a state of confusion Friday, just as streams of tourists poured into Washington, drawn by idyllic spring weather and the appearance of the city’s famed cherry blossoms."

And here's a comment (or slapback):

"Former senator Patrick J. Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont who had been one of the longest-serving Smithsonian board members before his 2023 retirement, said in an interview with The Post on Friday that Trump “is trying to destroy everything that makes us so strong and diverse. I’ve never seen anybody be so destructive in such a short time.”

Controlling the society and country's perception and understanding of history, and trying to change that perception to fit a political mold, is an authoritarian tactic. And there have been many more, which I will describe soon.

It's not good. In fact, it's real bad.  

“There is no place like the Smithsonian,” Leahy added. “The reason there’s no place like it is because it always expanded knowledge.”

Sadly, that's not something our current farce of a President is in favor of.

Worth waiting for

 

Barbara Palvin is a notable model for many brands, and even made it to the level of Victoria's Secret Angel.

And now she's the lead model for Intimissimi lingerie. This is a very welcome development.

Barbara Palvin shows off her incredible figure as she strips down to her underwear for Intimissimi campaign

Barbara has an unconventional look, not (I think) what would be expected for a lingerie model. That difference makes her even more noticeable. I'll have some more thoughts on this later, if I can collect them. 

Meanwhile, this picture can be pondered.

For further ponderance, there's a video, too.

Walking by where the dinos walked

 

Sometimes you just have to take a closer look at the ground (soil/sidewalk/rock) under your feet. Or in this case, the rock sitting in your school's entrance.

Look what happened when they did that at a school in Australia.

More than 60 dinosaur footprints found on boulder that sat at Queensland school for 20 years

That's the Guardian article, which you can read without having to pay for it.  Below is the Washington Post article, which if you haven't read too many other articles from, you might be able to read it. But I'll quote from that one. 

A rock sat in a school for years. Scientists say it’s a fossil jackpot.

"For two decades, Australian students walked by the 5-foot-long boulder in their school’s foyer unaware of its significance. When paleontologist Anthony Romilio finally inspected the roughly 200 million year old artifact in 2023, he had to remove a few pieces of chewed gum stuck to the sandstone before he could take a closer look."

So after a bit of preparation and processing to bring out the impressions of what was on the rock, this is what it looked like.

"Researchers determined the footprints belonged to the ichnospecies Anomoepus scambus. No bones for the possible species have been discovered, but paleontologists used fossilized traces — footprints and trackways — to determine the animal was probably a small, three-toed herbivore."

I had to look up ichnospecies, that was a new one for me. Here's what it means (from the San Joaquin Valley Geology Glossay of Trace Fossils page):

"Ichnogenera and Ichnospecies - The genus and species names of trace fossils are called ichnogenera and ichnospecies, and paleontologists since the early 1800s have been assigning these names to traces in the same way they are given to plants and animals. In addition, attempts are made from time to time to further organize ichnogenera into a Linnaean-type system of classes, orders and families, but these efforts largely fail for the simple reason that trace fossil names refer only to the form of the burrow, and not to the animal that made it."

 

The only thing negative is carbon-negative!

 

Researchers have discovered that a by-product of splitting seawater to make hydrogen -- by itself not a bad thing -- might be used as sand to make concrete and in the process absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

Haven't seen a downside to this process yet.

Judge for yourself -- read the article:

Carbon-Negative Building Material Made From Seawater and CO2

The material can hold up to half its weight in trapped CO2 and replace sand in concrete.

(That's what I said.)

sd

"During this electrochemical process [seawater splitting], mineral deposits of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) also slowly build up at the cathode – especially when there is a high amount of dissolved CO2 present in the water. These deposits have generally been dismissed as an energy-intensive byproduct by those who produce green hydrogen. However, some believe that these minerals could have untapped potential for carbon sequestration."

"  “These factors collectively influence the precipitation process in a highly complex manner, as it strongly depends on local pH, ionic availability and type, temperature and other variables,” [lead author Dr. Alessandro] Rotta Loria explained. “Through our work, we have developed an understanding of how to simultaneously control all these variables to achieve mineral precipitations with desired properties while also optimizing the energy input required to obtain the intended outcomes.” "

"Depending on these factors and the resultant ratio of minerals produced, the deposited material can trap approximately half its weight in CO2."

The diagram below shows different ways to do the splitting process.

Long-distance running changes your brain

 

Well, I think it was pretty obvious that to be a good long-distance runner your brain is different than normal folks, but now we know that it actually changes the brain. But it can get better if you give it time.

Marathon Running Reduces Brain Myelin, But It Fully Recovers

Marathon running temporarily reduces brain myelin content, but levels fully recover within two months.

"Marathon running is the ultimate test of human endurance, pushing the body to its metabolic limits over a grueling distance of 42 km. During a marathon, runners predominantly rely on carbohydrates, particularly glycogen stored in their muscles, as the primary source of energy. However, as glycogen reserves become depleted over the course of the race, the body gradually shifts to utilizing fat as fuel. This metabolic transition is essential for maintaining energy levels during prolonged exercise, but it also poses a challenge for the brain – which typically relies on glucose as its primary energy source."

"Scientists are now suggesting that the brain may adapt to this energy deficit by utilizing myelin lipids as an alternative fuel. Myelin is a fatty substance that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, forming a sheath that facilitates the rapid transmission of electrical signals between neurons. Composed of approximately 70–80% lipids, myelin has traditionally been understood as purely structural and insulating. However, animal studies have hinted at a dual function: under extreme metabolic stress, myelin lipids may be mobilized to sustain neural function. Yet, whether this phenomenon occurs in humans during endurance exercise has remained unclear."

"The study revealed a consistent reduction in MWF in 12 areas of white matter, with the most significant reductions – up to 28% and 26% – observed in the pontine crossing and corticospinal tracts, respectively. The affected areas are vital for motor function and integrating sensory and emotional inputs, highlighting a potential impact on movement and emotional regulation."

" “The signal for myelin water fraction – a surrogate of myelin content – is substantially reduced upon marathon running in specific brain regions but recovers within two months. These findings suggest that brain myelin content is temporarily and reversibly diminished by severe exercise,” said the authors."

But is it bad?  That's not clear yet.

"The ability to draw on myelin lipids may support brain function during endurance challenges, but repeated depletion and restoration of myelin could have long-term consequences, particularly in athletes who frequently engage in prolonged, strenuous activities. Individuals with neurological vulnerabilities, such as those predisposed to demyelinating diseases, might also face increased risks if myelin is routinely used as an energy reserve. While the reversible nature of MWF reduction is reassuring, it remains unclear whether repeated cycles of depletion and recovery could lead to cumulative damage or impaired remyelination over time."

I wonder if they should change the name of "Heartbreak Hill" in the Boston Marathon to "The Myelin Mile"?  

Probably not.

Fly in style on Air France

 

As I always say, if you have style and money (I don't have either), then you might as well utilize it in certain situations, like traveling on an airplane. Obviously, the wealthy class does this.

So here's one way that can be done, on Air France.

Air France throws down the gauntlet with new La Première first class cabin

Enjoy your flight.

(I'm still waiting for the next supersonic passenger airplane. C'mon, Ovation, let's get it finished.)

Please explain in understandable detail

 

I think that up to this point in world history, there are four kinds of states of matter.  The ones I'm sure of are solid, liquid, gas, and I believe that plasma is a fourth.  (After I wrote that I did a very cursory search and it appears that's right.)

Well, guess why I'm writing this?  It appears that there's a fifth. 

Physicists Create New Phase of Matter Inside a Diamond

The new phase is a "time quasicrystal".  The first thing that I thought when I saw that was to wonder when this movie was coming out.  (Think about it:  The Time Traveler's Wife, Timecop, Time Bandits, The Time Machine, In Time, Hot Tube Time Machine ...)

Second was to seek a comprehensible explanation of what a time quasicrystal actually is.

The article says this:

"Much like the atoms in a normal crystal repeat patterns in space, the particles in a time crystal repeat patterns over time, Zu explained. In other words, they vibrate or “tick” at constant frequencies, making them crystallized in four dimensions: the three physical dimensions plus the dimension of time."

OK, maybe that helps a bit.  Next, a description of how they made it, which is impressive:

"The team built their quasicrystals inside a small, millimeter-sized chunk of diamond. They then bombarded the diamond with beams of nitrogen that were powerful enough to knock out carbon atoms, leaving atom-sized blank spaces. Electrons move into those spaces, and each electron has quantum-level interactions with its neighbors."

Of course.

Now, there might not be a movie, but here's a picture that makes it very clear. 

Throwing in the towel (or robe)

The pictures (and theme) are pretty much self-explanatory.

Anet Mlcakova

Cristy Ren

Hope Beel

Amanda Cerny is statuesque

Lighthouse of the Week, May 4-10, 2025: Slyne Head, Ireland

 

It turns out that this is another case where there's an older lighthouse next to a newer working lighthouse. This pair is in Ireland, on a rocky outcrop called Illaunamid, which is located here. The little island is the western extension of County Galway. 

I won't worry about the old one, but you can go to the page of the Lighthouse Directory that features this region and read about it. 

As for the new one:

"1836 (George Halpin). Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); two white flashes, separated by 2.4 s, every 15 s. 24 m (79 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery, tower and lantern painted black. Keeper's houses and other buildings enclosed by a stone wall. ... The original lantern was replaced with a new Chance Brothers lantern and lens in 1898, and the tower was first painted black in 1907."

 Here are a couple of other websites that discuss it.

Slyne Head Lighthouse (Commissioners of Irish Lights)

Connacht / County Galway / Slyne Head Lighthouse (World of Lighthouses)

I've gathered four pictures below.

I had not seen this before

 

I'm not sure where I encountered this, but it is a really interesting (and entertaining) animal behavior.

Watch a Black Heron Fool Fish by Turning Into an Umbrella

" “It could also be argued that the lure of both the shade and the bright feet now work in tandem to attract fish into gobbling range,” Evans says. “It would be interesting to see an experiment that manipulated foot color and investigated how it affected canopy feeding success.”

In the attic? Seriously?

 

Well, without going into details, I did have something like this happen to me, but not nearly as exciting as finding an original Turner in the attic.

Forgotten J.M.W. Turner Watercolor Discovered in an Attic

The painter, renowned for his atmospheric landscapes, created the sketch of Hampton Court Castle in England when he was about 21

"How did Turner’s sketch of Hampton Court end up in a Kinsham Court attic?

In the early 19th century, the inventor and industrialist Richard Arkwright purchased Hampton Court. The property remained in the family’s possession until the early 20th century, when they sold it and moved to Kinsham Court. They likely brought the painting along with them.

Arkwright’s descendants found the watercolor in Kinsham’s attic, where it had been “stuck amongst the middle” of other watercolors and hunting prints, which were “nothing very exciting, to be honest,” as Pearn tells BBC Hereford and Worcester. The family then handed the file to [auction house art expert] Pearn, who immediately identified it as a Turner sketch. He says that recognizing the Romantic master’s work was easy."

"Created in the late 18th century, the artwork depicts nearby Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire. The 12.5- by 17-inch piece is expected to sell for between £30,000 and £50,000 ($38,000 and $63,000) at auction next month."

Humans still have an advantage

 

Artificial intelligence may have many attributes, and it is clearly being used in many different ways and situations, but apparently it doesn't defeat humans in all cases (so far, at least).

Humans Outsmart AI in Risky Decision Making

The human brain can make decisions quicker than the world’s most powerful computer in critical risk situations.

"To design the CHARM [Complex Harmonics Decomposition] model, the researchers start from a paradigm of analysis of brain dynamics that we could compare to the Internet. In certain scenarios, such as risk situations, neurons distributed in different brain regions, both close to and far from each other, are joined by different connections. These connections enable pooling the information processing power of all the neurons in the network. Thus, although groups of neurons located in different brain regions have a limited capacity to transmit information, when they pool their resources in a network, they attain far greater processing power. This paradigm has gained strength over the past decade, as opposed to the traditional approach whereby neural regions only function in a localized manner."

"The researchers have found that the efficiency of long-distance connections is enhanced when the brain is dominated by critical dynamics, which lead it to a state of transition between order and chaos. “We could assimilate this state to a transitional phase like the process whereby water becomes ice. At this critical point, the brain has exacerbated properties”, Deco explains."

Sunny day at the beach

 

Ekaterina Novikova, a glamour model and influencer and social media asset-displayer, who goes by the moniker "Killer Katrin", demonstrated that it was sunny at the beach recently.  (Here's her Instagram.)

She also demonstrated that she looks good in red.

50 is worth waiting for

 

Eva Longoria turned 50 years old in March.

She noted the occasion in a very good way.

Inside Eva Longoria's glitzy 50th birthday bash as she parties in Miami with her closet pals

(yes, that's exactly how the headline from the Daily Mail reads -- I think they meant "closest pals")

But it wasn't so much about the party as it was about the guest of honor.  She showed off a pretty impressive birthday suit (suitably draped).