Another blow to the Covid-19 lab leak theory

 

A paper, described in the Daily Mail, indicates that the virus that became Covid-19 might not have come from China. It might have started in Laos.

Pretty clearly, it was carried by bats. Now, that doesn't completely rule out the lab leak, because the lab might have had bats with the virus. Maybe they even researched those viruses. Maybe they even engineered them for gain-of-function.

But it's a lot more likely that the bats or another animal infected by the bats ended up in a Wuhan market. 

I saw that with low confidence. About the same confidence as the reports touted as "proving" the lab leak theory by gullible and conspiracy-theory-prone Republican conservative MAGA nuts.

Covid origin FINALLY revealed in bombshell study...and it might not have been China after all

"Dr Joel Wertheim, a top infectious disease expert and senior co-author of the study, said: 'At the start of the Covid pandemic, people worried the distance between Wuhan and the bat virus reservoir was too vast for a natural origin.

'This paper shows that it isn't unusual.'

The UC San Diego team notes that four live animal markets in Wuhan were selling species known to be susceptible to bat viruses in late 2019 — the clearest evidence yet that one of them may have been the 'epicenter' of the initial human outbreak.

But while the academics argue in favor of a natural origin for Covid, the paper cannot rule out a potential lab leak."

So, lab-leak enthusiasts, don't count your chickens. Or maybe you should, because they might have bird flu. Something that the Republican idiots running their government sh*tshow have cut funding for research and development on bird flu vaccines.

And that's just plain stupid.

Lighthouse of the Week, June 29 - July 5, 2025: Charity Island Lighthouse, Michigan, USA

 

In case you hadn't heard before, the state of the United States that has the most lighthouses is not on an ocean; it's the state of Michigan, which lies betwixt Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Take a look at a map; Michigan has a lot of coastline. And since the lakes are naviagable, there was and still is a lot of commerce on the lakes. So nobody wanted to hit a poorly-placed rock or get lost on the waters of either of these Great Lakes. Hence, lots of lighthouses (and even though there are, a lot of ships were still lost or went down). 

Now, this is an interesting case, because it is privately owned and not in particularly great shape. But it's still there.

So where is there? Here is there. It's in the middle of the large entrance to Saginaw Bay, the body of water that makes the lower part of the state look like a mitten.

Now, about this lighthouse. The Lighthouse Directory (click that for all the links, find the entry) has the basics. If you want a longer compilation of history, go to the Lighthouse Friends link below the basics.

"1858. Inactive since 1939; charted as a landmark. 39 ft (12 m) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, originally painted white, lantern black. ... Gravely endangered by decay and neglect, this lighthouse is a long term resident on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. Charity Island is the largest island in Saginaw Bay. Sold into private hands in 1963, the island has been owned by a series of developers but all development plans fizzled. In 1997 developer Robert Wiltse sold most of the island to the Fish and Wildlife Service for inclusion in the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. He sold additional land to the Michigan Nature Conservancy but retained 5.5 acres (2.4 ha) including the site of the former keeper's house. The ruined keeper's house (seen in a photo by Charles Bash) was demolished in the spring of 2003. Wiltse then built a modern house on the site of the keeper's house. ... Located at the northwest point of the island, in the middle of the entrance to Saginaw Bay."

Lighthouse Friends: Charity Island, MI

Pictures of this one are below. I hope they figure out a way to fully renovate it.

Cornstarch: it's not just for sauces anymore

 

Hard to believe this is an environmental breakthrough, but it definitely could be.

Cornstarch Sanitary Pads Could Avoid Tons of Ocean Plastics
Cornstarch-based sanitary pads are 17x more eco-friendly than plastic

"Alice Medeiros de Lima, corresponding author of the study, says: “Research into sustainable sanitary materials has consistently shown that while many alternatives to traditional products exist, the key to widespread adoption lies in ease of production, price and scalability. Given the detrimental effects of plastic based sanitary products on the environment, transitioning to cornstarch- based products can significantly reduce waste and provide a more sustainable solution for the future.”

Reference: Pereira BAM, Martins NO, Dantas SC, Medeiros De Lima A. Evaluation of the substitution of polyethylene for polylactic acid in sanitary pads through life cycle assessment. Sustain Sci Technol. 2025;2(2):024002. doi: 10.1088/2977-3504/adbdd2

So let's get cooking on this plan.

 

A life well-composed

 

Lalo Schifrin has died at the age of 93.

But he lived well, and his music will live for a long, long time.

Mission: Impossible Composer Lalo Schifrin Dies at 93

Ridiculously recklessly stupid

 

This is a good program. Actually, it's a great program.

There is literally no reason to end this program.  It is wasteful. 

There is absolutely nothing right about not telling people information that could save them money and save energy.

It is flat-out STUPID.

Trump administration plans to end Energy Star program for home appliances

"Ben Evans, federal legislative director at the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit group that advocates for energy efficiency programs, said axing Energy Star “would be incredibly shortsighted” and would undermine efforts by the U.S. DOGE Service, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency, to save taxpayers money.

“Energy Star saves consumers and businesses more than $40 billion every year just by giving them clear information about the energy efficiency of products or buildings,” he said. “And it does that at a cost of $32 million. So it is an incredible bang for the buck.”

Did I say wasteful?  I'll say it again, for emphasis. WASTEFUL.

This administration is chock-full of idiots. But we already knew that.

Lighthouse of the Week, June 22-28, 2025: Faro Claromecó, Argentina

 

It isn't often that you discover a 177-foot tall lighthouse that you never saw before. OK, despite doing this for years, I'm not an expert, so there may be many more. But I think, statistically, there aren't very many this tall.

So this week's lighthouse is the Faro Claromecó, located south of Buenos Aires, Argentina. See where that is by clicking here.

Though this is a quite noticeable lighthouse, surprisingly the Lighthouse Directory entry for it is short. Here's what I borrowed:

"1922 (Dyckerhoff y Widmann S.A.). Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); three white flashes (in a 2+1 pattern) every 30 s. 54 m (177 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery painted with black and white horizontal bands. ... The lighthouse is adjacent to a popular seaside spa, the Balneario Claromecó. The skeleton of a large whale that washed up nearby is displayed in the base of the tower. Located on the coast about halfway between Necochea and Bahía Blanca."

Another website about it:  The Claromecó Lighthouse

Pictures of this tall tower are below.

Abbott signed it

 

Texas has passed and signed into law a bill that will open the door to the government having more "oversight" (i.e., control) over what state universities can teach.

Yeah. Thought control, here we come. The best way to maintain political power is to teach each generation that your party is the one that's supposed to have it.

Weirdly enough, I could only find one article confirming that it was signed, but several articles about how bad it would be if it became law.  Here's the one about the signing, from Forbes (if you go there, you'll lose your one of your quota of five free articles for the month, but hey, it's near the end of the month). 

Texas Governor Signs Bill That Throttles Public University Senates

Since I haven't read that, here's one you can read that discusses why this is a pretty bad development in the higher levels of education in the Lone Star State.

Testimony Against SB 37

"Under SB 37, university regents, currently appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the senate, would have the power to overturn campus administrative decisions and individually approve faculty job postings. This egregious micromanagement of academic institutions erodes decades-deep trust built among faculty and university administration who champion shared governance. These changes transform governing boards from strategic overseers to enforcers of the governor’s will by further consolidating power over institution curricula into the hands of Governor Abbott’s appointees. Institutions of higher learning are not meant to be politicized mechanisms of government control. SB 37 enables politicians to undermine educator expertise in ways that threaten the global standing of our “universities of the first class.” Further, the requirements for university leadership hiring would deter the most qualified candidates from applying to avoid the public scrutiny and political interference that already plague hiring processes in Texas."

Put down the cookies

 

If you're feeling angst, or anxiety, or nervousness, or concerns, or slightly scared about the oncoming world catastrophe of climate change, I have news for you.

Your body fat is making you feel that way.

So, if you want to munch on something other than popcorn (and with less butter) that has lots of calories, I would counsel taking small bites.

Molecular Connection Found Between Body Fat and Anxiety
New research has uncovered a link between adipose tissue, a hormone called GDF15, and anxiety.

"The research team discovered that psychological stress, which triggers the fight or flight response, initiates a process called lipolysis in fat cells. This process leads to the release of fats, which in turn stimulate the release of a hormone called GDF15 from immune cells found in the fat tissue. GDF15 then communicates with the brain, resulting in anxiety. Researchers came to their conclusion through a series of meticulously designed experiments involving mice. Behavioral tests assessed anxiety-like behavior, and molecular analyses identified the activated pathways. A clear connection between metabolic changes in adipose tissue and anxiety was established, offering new insights into the interplay between metabolism and mental health."

So --  you get stressed, your body's metabolic demands go up, and the body release fat to burn to help with those demands. But that also releases a hormone that goes to the brain and makes it anxious. Which would make you stressed, and that means elevated metabolic demands, and at some point you need cookies.

So you have more fat to release when you get stressed.  It all makes sense, right?

Enjoy.

I'm going somewhere with this

 

I'm going somewhere with this, and with the recent set of posts featuring pictures of beautiful women.

So, in this post, I ask you to judge (and I don't know the answer for 100% certain):

Is the woman who is shown in the pictures on this Instagram profile a real woman, or an AI creation?

Vanessa Christine

(I think this one's pretty easy.  But as I lead up to the point of this, they will get more difficult.)

A selection of pictures. I haven't included ones that would make the decision go one way or the other. More on that soon.

Exactly, leave it to the experts

 

This was a great column by Monica Hesse in the Washington Post. Unfortunately, I can only provide excerpts of it here.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shows the fallacy of ‘doing your own research’
Has he even looked into the origins of the phrase?

"Unless, of course, what Kennedy meant by “do your own research” was “faff around on the internet until you find someone saying something you like,” in which case, sure. You can probably knock that out in an afternoon.

“Do your own research” is an insidious phrase. It’s the brother of “just asking questions,” the cousin of “for argument’s sake.” It sounds objectively neutral. Nobody is saying you should believe their research, just your own — nobody is pushing an agenda. But it is based on an unspoken shared understanding that the official story is suspect. That research by experts is a scam. That there are things that nobody wants you to know. In 2023, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Michigan researchers published a study that found that when people felt positively about “doing their own research,” they were more likely to believe misinformation about the pandemic and to mistrust scientific institutions in general."

You don't say. 

Monica also says this:

"I wasn’t sure, when I started writing this column, whether my goal was going to be to take a swipe at RFK Jr. — a nepo baby wastrel who is busy promising to Make America Healthy Again while cutting back HHS programs that assist minority and underserved populations — or whether it was going to be to trace the linguistic history of a four-word phrase — a phrase that sounds like a celebration of intellectual exploration and is really an invitation to divorce yourself from reality and then lash out at the people who try to bring you back."

There's a whole lot of bad research out there too in the social media world, done by people who are assuming the conclusion and then finding a way to "analyze" the data so it bears that conclusion out. Some of them are glib and convincing about it, with a modicum of education that lends them veracity. (Sadly, a whole lot of this bad research pertains to climate change.)

It doesn't make them right. Sadly, they find an audience that wants to believe them, and commonly does.

The loss of our trust in experts is a loss for all of us, and it's causing an increasing amount of problems.  I still trust the experts -- and in some fields, I am one.

Now, here's a good short article to consult.

In quest of quality: 9 ways to assess scientific accuracy

There's a nice conclusion here:

"Summing everything up, know that it’s totally okay to have a difference of opinion with your great-uncle Leslie. However, remember that spreading misinformation can be harmful. Be aware of author bias and transparency and appraise all the data before reaching conclusions. So, keep an open mind, keep it objective, and keep it honest. You’re on your way towards becoming an informed judge of quality science."

When life is tough, women are tougher (than men)

 

Now, it doesn't take much to convince me that women are tougher than man. After all, women give birth. Men have kidney stones in their urinary ducts. Not quite the same.

So, the results of this study shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

Are Women More Metabolically Efficient Under Extreme Conditions?
Findings from an Arctic winter expedition indicate greater metabolic efficiency in women under such extreme conditions.

"Strength, power, speed, and endurance are typically between 10% and 30% greater in males compared to females. However, recent work suggests a shrinking reduction in the performance gap between the sexes as the distance and/or duration increases. Here we address this important issue in our recent study. Using the doubly labeled water method, we reported lower total energy expenditure relative to load carriage in women compared to men during the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classic – a remote and unsupported 200km Arctic winter expedition. These findings indicate greater metabolic efficiency in women under such extreme conditions."

Reference:  

Coker MS, Ravelli MN, Shriver TC, et al. Sex-specific energy expenditure during the Alaska mountain wilderness ski classic; insights from an Arctic winter expedition. Front Physiol. 2025;16:1543834. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1543834

But hey, we always knew they were tough.

That one might leave a mark

 

Neutrinos.

They are very weird.

They can pass through a lot of matter without interacting with any of it. To make observations of neutrinos, researchers have resorted to putting detectors in deep mines or deep underwater so that the matter screens out everything else, leaving just the neutrinos to OCCASIONALLY interact with the detector elements.

They are, in terms that aren't exactly accurate physics, very low mass (but they aren't massless). Despite that, hey can pack a lot of energy.

For more information, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has this site: What's a neutrino?

So, speaking of a lot of energy, this one did pack a wallop (and amazingly enough, it was detected, too):

The Most Energetic Neutrino Ever Seen Makes a Mediterranean Splash
A “ghost particle” discovered by a detector in the Mediterranean carried 30 times more energy than any neutrino observed to date

"This [neutrino] one’s discovery and characterization comes from a predominantly European collaboration dubbed KM3NeT, a sprawling neutrino telescope that is still under construction and that, once fully built, will use about a cubic kilometer of instrument-laced Mediterranean seawater as the basis of its two distinct detectors. Yet even in its incomplete state, the project has delivered a stunning result—a neutrino that likely hails from beyond the galaxy and that contains unprecedented power.

“It’s in a completely unexplored region of energy, 30 times higher than any previous observation of neutrinos,” said Paschal Coyle, a neutrino physicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research and a member of the KM3NeT team, during a press conference about the research that was held on Tuesday."

Here's a link to the actual paper about it:

Observation of an ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrino with KM3NeT

Since I can't snow a picture of a neutrino (that would be difficult, though there is an illustration of the event in the paper), I'll show a picture of the KM3NeT detectors.

It's a new blue!

 

This is a great article about a really interesting development in the world of optics and photonics about a new color. It's so new and exciting that I'm posting links to TWO articles about this colorful story.

(Well, you know I was going to try for something like that.)

Scientists Trick The Eye Into Seeing New Color 'Olo'

"But using a new technique called “Oz,” scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a way to manipulate the human eye into seeing a brand-new color — a blue-green color of unparalleled saturation that the research team has named “olo.”

“It was like a profoundly saturated teal … the most saturated natural color was just pale by comparison,” said Austin Roorda, a professor of optometry and vision science at UC Berkeley’s Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, and one of the creators of Oz."

A Precisely Pointed Laser Allows People To See New Color ‘Olo’

"This week, researchers reported in the journal Science Advances that by using precisely aimed laser light, they were able to selectively target just one of the three types of color-sensing cones in the human retina. The cone, dubbed “M” because it responds to medium wavelengths of light, is normally stimulated at the same time as cones that respond to longer wavelength reddish light, or shorter wavelength bluish light. But after mapping the location of the cones in several subjects’ eyes, the researchers were able to target just the M cones with one specific wavelength of green laser light—a condition that would never exist in nature. The result, they say, is a highly saturated bluish-green teal color unlike anything in the real world. The researchers named their new color “olo.”

So, nothing to LOL about, it's olo.

Supposedly, the picture/image below is a reasonable facsimile. 

Lighthouse of the Week, June 15-21, 2025: Scituate Lighthouse, Massachusetts, USA

 

I thought I'd stay in the state of Massachusetts one more week, this time with a visit to the village (town?) of Scituate, and the Scituate Lighthouse.

That is located here on the map.

This is the Lighthouse Directory excerpted information for this one:

"1811 (heightened by 15 ft (4.5 m) in 1827). Reactivated (inactive 1860-1994; now privately maintained); focal plane 49 ft (15 m); white flash every 15 s. 50 ft (15 m) round granite and brick tower connected by a covered "runway" to a 1-1/2 story keeper's house. FA-250 lens. Tower painted white; lantern and gallery are green. The lantern is a replica installed in 1930. ... After being closed in 1860, the keeper's house was reopened (1891-1924) to serve the Scituate North Jetty Light. The light station has been restored through the efforts of the Scituate Historical Society and Cedar Point Association. The keeper's house is leased to a resident lightkeeper. In 2001 historical displays were installed in the covered walkway connecting the light tower and keeper's house."

 Another website:  Scituate Lighthouse (Scituate Historical Society)

Looks like it is regularly photographed:  below are my selections.

Let's look down there

 

A European satellite way way out in space has adjusted its orbit so it could see the north and south poles of the Sun.

The articles about this say it was a first. But I thought the Ulysses mission did this several years ago? 

OK, well, no it didn't.  It did orbit over both poles of the Sun, but it was examining the solar wind environment out there.

So yes, this was a first.

European probe snaps first images of the sun's south pole

It's fascinating.  See for yourself.

Where did that come from?

 

On a recent underwater survey of the USS Yorktown, located on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, the survey team spotted a car.

As of this point, no one is sure where it came from. So if you have an idea, speak up.

Researchers Stunned After Finding Mysterious Car Inside WWII Aircraft Carrier Wreck

"There is speculation that the car might have belonged to Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher, who used the USS Yorktown as his flagship. The stylish chrome elements and overall design hint that it might have served as his personal staff car. However, its exact purpose remains uncertain."

 

Think about it if you aren't hungry right now

 

Go ahead, read it. It will indeed make you think.

Rural America is hungry. Is Congress about to make that worse?

"The dirty secret of our food economy is this: In many of the communities that grow and supply our food, far too many people can’t afford basic healthy meals. The government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — once known as food stamps — is a lifeline not just for North Carolinians still living in shelters, but for entire rural economies."

The GOP thinks that it's pro-life, but in reality, it is pro-cruelty, in so many different ways.

So support those that need SNAP, because we're connected.

I think it's still for sale

 

Though the Daily Mail had the following article about this nice place in the Florida Keys that's for sale in late April, I don't think it has found a buyer yet.

So if you've got a spare $35 mil to squander, and the time available for squandering at a really nice place, then go get it.

Stunning $35million Florida mansion has striking feature that's just like being at all-inclusive hotel

For a lot more pictures and more information and how to get your hands on it, I'm providing the website (Sotheby's) that's offering it.

Zephyr Cove, Grassy Key, Florida

Check it out.

Lighthouse of the Week, June 8-14, 2025: Duxbury Pier, Massachusetts, USA

 

I decided to find a cute lighthouse this week, and I figured a lighthouse nicknamed the "Bug Light" would qualify.  This one is visible from Plymouth, Massachusetts, but it's not easy to visit. However, it's pretty easy to swing a boat by it, if you have one.

So, it's called the Duxbury Pier Lighthouse, and as I noted, it carries the nickname "Bug Light". You might not believe it, but keepers could live there.

This is the location of this cutie. 

There's some interesting information about it, from the Lighthouse Directory, of course. A couple of other websites that include it are below. If you go to the Northern Massachusetts page, you can peruse the links in the entry.

"1871. Active; focal plane 35 ft (10.5 m); 2 red flashes every 5 s. 47 ft (14.5 m) round sparkplug cast iron tower (brick lined) with lantern and upper and lower galleries, incorporating 2-story keeper's quarters and mounted on a concrete caisson; solar-powered 250 mm lens. Fog horn (blast every 15 s). Lower half of lighthouse is red, upper portion white, lantern black. ... The lighthouse is chronically endangered by age and weather. Project Gurnet and Bug Lights worked to restore the tower in the mid-80's and again in the mid 90's. In 2001 Campbell Construction completed a $40,000 restoration and repair project. Lighthouse Digest has D'Entremont's September 2001 feature on restoration efforts here and at the Gurnet (previous entry). In 2009 the Coast Guard agreed to repair the upper gallery handrail and lantern windows; additional repairs and a repainting were carried out in 2010. In May 2014 the lighthouse became available for transfer under NHLPA. Project Gurnet and Bug Lights was approved for ownership in September 2018 and the transfer was finalized a year later on 17 September 2019. Located in Duxbury Bay (not on a pier) on the north side of the entrance channel to Plymouth."

Duxbury Pier, MA  (Lighthouse Friends, with good history)

Duxbury Pier Lighthouse (New England Lighthouses, A Virtual Guide)

Commonly photographed, so there are numerous photographs. I included one of a nice model, too.

Here's the model.

Paige Nicole has a lot going on

 

Finally, this series of posts comes to Paige Nicole Johnson, who has an app, has art, and has some kind of connection to a golf fitness page.

The main page is here:  charliepaigejay

So pretty clearly she's real, in a lot of different ways.  

And she's also, shall I say, really pretty.

She's definitely engaged, though I'm not sure if she's married yet. Based on the third photo below, she should be. 

The reality of Kate Tyga

 

This particular post featuring the beauty of real women is a highlight -- the subject is a model named Kate Tyga.  It's clear that she's real, because here is a website with her modeling pictures. 

Of course, she has an Instagram account, named kate_tyga.  That seems obvious.

One of the ways you can determine reality is candid shots like this (even though I'm sure AI could simulate it if it had to). 

She's just plain knockout gorgeous. Choosing three pictures is not easy.

XX means curves curves

 

This is a two-named feature, where the model appears to be named Xin Xiao, but her Instagram is cherylxxw.  She's full-figured (ff) and Asian, and all woman.

She looks good from all angles, as far as I can tell.

Bianka wears bikinis

 

If you're following along, the theme of this series is women, who are real and not the creation of a computer (or the modification of a computer).  This post features Bianka, who has an Instagram account named "_its.bianka_".  There is a unique style to these photographs, as you'll see if you visit there. She also has an OnlyFans account, if you have money to spend and want to spend it on that.

She actually has two accounts, one of which I just discovered, which is _b.i.a.n.k.a_. The second account has nearly 1,000 pictures, so it may take time to think this over. 

To consider whether or not you'd do that, consider the pictures below.

Rebecca is radiant

 

Next up in this review of reality, in terms of gorgeous women, is model Rebecca Raines (Pignano). Her Instagram account doesn't have a lot of pictures, but in at least a couple of them, she's with a love interest, indicating that she's living in the realm of the real.

I did a little bit of searching, and it looks like they are getting married in September 2025. I guess she anticipated it by a few months by adding the name of her intended.

I can see what he sees in her.  Both sides, in fact.