View allAll Photos Tagged Pulsating
eternal gratitude to The Ramones for making music so fucking cool and for making it cool to have fun!
Hey ho, let's go
Hey ho, let's go
They're forming in a straight line
They're going through a tight wind
The kids are losing their minds
The Blitzkrieg Bop
They're piling in the back seat
They're generating steam heat
Pulsating to the back beat
The Blitzkrieg Bop.
Hey ho, let's go
Shoot'em in the back now
What they want, I don't know
They're all reved up and ready to go
by Tommy + Dee Dee Ramone
I think I took about 20 photos of this beached jellyfish on Seabrook, SC, I was just enthralled with it's colors and it's gloss the way it pulsated-still alive.
We Are FSTVL 2016
28 - 29 May 2016
Upminster, United Kingdom
Winner of Best New Festival, Best Medium Sized Festival and Best International Festival, We Are FSTVL 2016 returns once more this summer after another record breaking sell-out success in 2015!
For one huge weekend in May our beloved Airfield Of Dreams at Damyn’s Hall, Upminster, combines some of the world’s biggest names in electronic dance music with some of the world’s leading club brands and labels for 50,000 FSTVL fans.
Taking place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May, We Are FSTVL features over 200 artists across 16 bespoke stages.
Not content with hosting our best ever line-up to date, our biggest and most elaborate production to date, We Are FSTVL 2016 will go up another level with a brand new set of stylised arenas and structures.
We Are FSVTL is the UK's newest and brightest dance music festival. 8 stages, covering the entire electronic spectrum from drum & bass to mainstream dance, welcome huge names to the aptly named Airfield of Dreams, east of London.
Beyond their spectacular and one-of-a-kind main stage, We Are FSTVL join forces with the legendary Cocoon to create a pulsating Techno Warehouse – led in 2015 by the likes of Tale Of Us, Dixon, Sven Väth and Ricardo Villalobos.
Headline performances from Steve Angello and Carl Cox confirmed the growing prestige of We Are FSTVL – and we can't wait to see what 2016's edition has in store.
We Are FSTVL 2016 Line Up
28 May 2016
Fatboy Slim, DJ Fresh, Sigma [DJ set], Amine Edge & Dance, Claptone, Danny Howard, DJ S.K.T, GW Harrison, Philip George, Theo Kottis, Loco Dice, Caleb Calloway, Chris Liebing, Enzo Siragusa, Tale of Us, Henrik Schwarz [live], MK, Hannah Wants, Catz 'N' Dogz, Oliver Dollar, Ben Pearce, Camelphat, Shy FX, Redlight, Cause & Affect, Dimension, Flava D, Friction, Melé, Monki, My Nu Leng, Plastician, Preditah, Guy Gerber, Apollonia, Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Soundorom, Shonky, Cassy, Eats Everything, Robin Ordell, Greg Brockmann, Hold Youth, Sam Bangura, Todd Terry, Joey Negro, Roger Sanchez, Norman Jay, Simon Dunmore, For the Love of House, Barbara Tucker [live], Shovell, DJ Charlesy, Michael Green, Carbon Copy, Steve Taylor, Mark Ingham, Brad James, Skyhigh, Jack Cavanagh, Ollie Brittan, Bongo Ben, Paolo Francesco, Melanie Ribbe, Kate Elsworth, So: Serious, Jolyon, Nimbla, Will Turner, Josh Parkinson, Jesse Burgess
29 May 2016
Steve Angello, DJ Snake, Tchami, Craig David presents TS5, Disciples, General Levy, Mistajam, Kurupt FM, Billy Kenny, Son of 8, Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, The Martinez Brothers, Âme [live], Ilario Alicante, Carola Pisaturo, Armand van Helden, ShadowChild, Andrea Oliva, Sam Divine, Sonny Fodera, Riva Starr, Simon Dunmore, Franky Rizardo, Purple Disco Machine, Camo & Krooked, Sub Focus, Fred V & Grafix, S.P.Y., Etherwood, Metrik, Maduk, Logistics, Krakota, Ownglow, Jamie Jones, Marco Carola, Solomun, Maya Jane Coles, Hot Since 82, Matthias Tanzmann, Richy Ahmed, Patrick Topping, wAFF, Nathan Barato, Darius Syrossian, Santé, Sidney Charles, Kydus, Bones, GW Harrison, Will Taylor, Jimmy Switch, Taylor, Artikal, Ellie Cocks, The Mistaa, Jack Swift, Devstar, Jarmo, Seb Fontaine, Brandon Block, Alex P, John Kelly, Andy Manston, Danny Clockwork, Keith Mac, James Parker, Tristan Ingram, Geddes, Max Chapman, Juliet Fox, Headspace, Anthony Lowther, Ollie Mundy, Adam Cotier, Secondself, Melvo Baptiste, Russ Jay, Paolo Francesco, Jedd Barry, Shane Macauley, Jnr Windross, George Mensah, Michael Green, Sam Lashmar, Darrell Privett, Brad James, Jack Cavanagh, Nana B, Michael Younger, Craig Martin, CJ Sax [live], Bongo Ben, Iam Lim & William
We Are FSTVL 2016 Venue
The Airfield Of Dreams
Damyns Hall
Upminster RM14 2TN
United Kingdom
East of London city centre and with great transport links to and from the UK capital, Upminster is the perfect out-of-town summer festival location. The Airfield of Dreams was opened in 1969 and has been home to We Are FSTVL since its first edition in 2013.
We Are FSTVL 2016 Tickets and Accommodation Packages.
I had just finished drawing the dwarf galaxy “Leo 1”. It had taken time since it was very faint and capturing it to paper had been hard on the eyes. The sky was still so unusually clear that I could not stop observing just yet. Before calling it a night I decided to nudged the telescope four degrees to the west of Regulus/Leo 1 to the colorful stars 18 Leonis (yellow-orange) and 19 Leonis (light-blue) to see if Leo’s famous Pulsating Red Giant (R Leonis) was bright enough to warrant a drawing. Once again, the night was kind to me. R Leonis was as bright as 18 Leonis (magnitude 5.6) and brighter than 19 Leonis (magnitude 6.3). If R Leonis had been at minimum brightness it would be as dim as the faintest stars in the drawing, so I was in luck.
A pleasing triplet of bright colorful stars met my over-worked eyes. The contrasting red, blue and yellow-orange stars were a fitting end to a wonderful night of observing.
To see Leo1 and Regulus go to: www.flickr.com/photos/dragonflyhunter/49338691371/in/date...
To see additional astronomy drawings visit: www.orrastrodrawing.com
The Mursi people of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley have been called “one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa.”
We’d only been in the village just over two hours, and it was still mid-morning. But the sun was high: pulsating light and radiating heat. Following the men to the cattle pens made for a nice diversion, even though I felt anticipatory dread over what was to come...
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/culture/men-of-the-mursi-mor...
I’m always fascinated with the stream of Consciousness that happens during these ArtQuests. Images shift, sometimes disappear making room for new ideas to arise, nothing is fixed, it is a dance… an expansion with new insights… It started with the second image… a memory of a movie scene flashes…
#2
In the true story movie “Patch Adams”, Robin Williams character finds himself in a psychiatric ward during an existential crisis. His life is turned around when a fellow patient, once known to be a genius tells him to hold up his hand and tell him how many fingers he sees. Ater many attempts, Patch finally understands that the answer is not always in what you see before you but in what is possible to be seen before you. Patch Adams goes on to revolutionalize medical care for thousands of people by seeing in this way. I was reflecting on this while sketching the moving hand in my notebook. Out of one hand became two…
#1
We live in such a beautiful world, such magnificent wonders and yet there is so much isolation and disconnection, so much pain and confusion, lack of fulfillment…
#3
Another world appears and now thought reaches between worlds…through the power of observation…Who is the Observer? Where does one world begin and the other end?
#4
“Slaves of the Information Age”… “Perception, organized, identified”… separated from the actual experiences by windows… Hands extend holding a fragile butterfly …a breakthrough…like seeing a new number of fingers… wings…
#5
The inner theater appears…the birthing, the mountaintop moments, the song arising from the unknown, no walls …there is a breakthrough …breaking away from the masses…a recognition… delight…
#6
The realization of the glorious inner life as a part of the outer life… a place that vibrates with the living direct experience…that is the breakaway…the reintegration of the opulent emotional well of Being…I Am everything and every thing is I… It is beyond the realm of the mind … Life pulsates the reminder again and again…
Danau Segara Anak is a volcanic lake formed in the caldera of Mount Rinjani on over 2,000 meters above sea level. The lake spans across an area of 11 square kilometers, and reaches depths up to 230 meters. Danau Segara Anak is located on the west side of Mount Rinjani in the village of Lawang Sembalun in Lombok, East Indonesia. The mystifyingly blue colour of the lake gives Segara Anak its name: Small Ocean.
The trek from the Senaru Village, and through the crater to Danau Segara Anak takes two days and a night. It begins with a hike through a lush, tropical rainforest, and up the mountain to the rim of the crater. The trek to the Senaru rim is a challenging climb up steep terrain and high cliffs, but the exhaustion is well rewarded by the breathtaking panoramic view of the sun setting over Mount Rinjani, Bali and the Gili Isles on the horizon, and the dazzling blue waters of Segara Anak glistening hundreds of meters below. The top of the crater is a popular camp site for both foreign and domestic tourists on this journey to spend the night. It is advisable to set a morning alarm so as not to miss the magnificence of dawn from atop Rinjani.From the crater’s rim, it is a sharp descent of about 600 meters to Danau Segara Anak.
Part of Segara Anak flows down a steep ravine forming one large waterfall and several smaller ones. There are also four natural hot springs in the lake which are said to hold magical healing powers, and many make the climb solely for medicinal purposes.
Despite its high altitudes, taking a dip in the lake is not as cold as one might imagine. 2,010 meters above sea level, the surface water of the lake is unusually warm for such heights, at about 20-22 degrees Celsius—well above the mountain’s “room temperature,” which is about 14-15 degrees Celsius.
Between 2008 and 2009, researchers of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation as well as UniversiteLibre de Bruxells conducted a geochemical and thermodynamic study on Segara Anak. The tests showed several leaks in the volcanic system of Gunung Baru; the cone in the center of the lake. These leaks from the magma chamber seep a large supply of hot water into Segara Anak, indicating a direct relationship between volcanic activity and the lake’s high temperature. The geochemical composition of the hot water showed a number of elements such as chloride, sodium, potassium, and sulphate. Although rich in elements, rainwater that enters the lake assists in thinning its chemical content. Segara Anak also maintains excellent circulation, and is therefore not harmful to life.
Lake water circulation takes place when the density of the water is higher at the surface than at the base. Rainwater has a higher density than the hydrothermal water, and therefore moves downward, while waters from the hydrothermal vent move up. This is an on-going process providing well-mixed water and bringing the acid level of the lake to neutral—suitable for breeding fish.
In 1969, volcanologists from the Directorate of Geology, (London,) examined the lake and recommended the cultivation of fish. At that time, there were no fish in Segara Anak. In 1985, the Nusa Tenggara Barat provincial government finally began breeding fish in the lake. The fish bred rapidly and the lake is now home to millions of tilapia and carp, making Segara Anak not only a popular spot for fishing, but some locals of the area even make a living from this.
In the 1980’s, the areas surrounding Segara Anak pulsated with wildlife. Grouse, hornbill, and barking deer thrived around the lake. Several species of monkey could be found in the forests, including the rare black ebony leaf monkey, and the black crested macaque, indigenous to Indonesia. But human intervention has changed the ecology of the lake. With more and more people climbing up the mountain and into the lake, more and more species have begun to disappear. Initially, people only caught fish, but then grouse, which soon led to deer hunting as well. Now few grouse remain, and the deer are no longer found along the route. It is estimated that only a hundred or so remain.
In 1998, Danau Segara Anak was immortalized in paper money on the ten thousand rupiah bill.
Like other crater lakes around the world, Danau Segara Anak was born of a violent past, celebrates a brilliant present, and has the potential to lead to a catastrophic future. Yet we remain fascinated by its origin, splendour and unique existence.
Desire is the starting point of all achievement,
not a hope, not a wish,
but a keen pulsating desire,
which transcends everything.
(Napoleon Hill)
The Mursi people of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley have been called “one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa.”
We’d only been in the village just over two hours, and it was still mid-morning. But the sun was high: pulsating light and radiating heat. Following the men to the cattle pens made for a nice diversion, even though I felt anticipatory dread over what was to come.
First, a cow who hasn’t been bled recently must be caught and restrained. Then the bowman palpates an artery on the cows neck for piercing. The spurting fresh blood is caught in a gourd before the hole in the neck is plugged and the blood is drunk by the participants.
The cattle must be used to this treatment – once let loose, they are unfazed.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/culture/men-of-the-mursi-mor...
Poem.
Beautiful Affric.
As if the Caledonian Forest breathes out,
the mist slowly rises
like a spirit rising to the ethereal heavens.
Just visible, the River Affric surges down the valley,
two hundred feet below, just east of Dog Falls.
Life here is so abundant,
from Golden Eagle to Wood Ants,
from Red Deer Stag to Pine-Marten.
In the dawn, a slow pulse of life gathers pace.
Life begins to pulsate, quietly but tangibly.
The carpet of life is mesmerising.
Stately, dignified Scots Pine sweep up and down
these slopes for over thirty miles.
Early golden gorse contrasts with still burnished bracken.
“Lambs-tail” catkins quivering in the slightest breeze
confirm that spring has arrived.
Delicate silver-birch branches hang, bare of leaves,
but laden with tiny buds.
The sun is rising fast and soon the mist will burn away.
The promise of a glorious new day creates a
quiet excitement and anticipation.
This place is very special.
It has a spirit that absorbs my own
and softly whispers its reassuring but unassuming reality.
It beckons the senses to see, hear and feel
its stupendous splendour,
again and again!
The Mursi people of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley have been called “one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa.”
We’d only been in the village just over two hours, and it was still mid-morning. But the sun was high: pulsating light and radiating heat. Following the men to the cattle pens made for a nice diversion, even though I felt anticipatory dread over what was to come.
First, a cow who hasn’t been bled recently must be caught and restrained. Then the bowman palpates an artery on the cows neck for piercing. The spurting fresh blood is caught in a gourd before the hole in the neck is plugged and the blood is drunk by the participants.
The cattle must be used to this treatment – once let loose, they are unfazed.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/culture/men-of-the-mursi-mor...
While the Taj Majal may be India’s most famous monument, the Golden Temple of Amritsar is equally as beautiful, though harder to reach.
As the early-morning mosque calls echo across the Holy Pool, there's a palpable energy pulsating throughout Amritsar's Golden Temple. In between prayers, Sikhs (and everyone else) sit beside the pool to reflect on the day, look towards the future, or to just enjoy a moment of tranquility.
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Below is an excerpt from A Golden Temple Sunrise, Sunset and Fireworks Display // Amritsar, India
The last time my wife Carrie and I were in India, it was too cold to visit the Golden Temple. This time, the weather was right and only an overnight train ride from Rishikesh separated us from Amritsar.
We arrived at the crack of dawn, found lodging, enjoyed a hearty and free pilgrim’s breakfast and finally, three years later, began our short walk into the Golden Temple.
…shoes not possible…
“You can not take your shoes in. Not even in your bag! Leave them here,” barked the angry and large Sikh security man.
Take two: this time with our shoes safely in our room.
..........................................................
Finally…the Golden Temple!
After walking through a trough of dirty running water meant to clean the feet, we finally descended upon the Golden Temple complex and its shining centerpiece. “This thing is WAY smaller than I imagined,” was my first thought.
The Golden Temple itself sits on an island in the middle of a manmade pool called the Amrit Sarovar (Pool of Nectar), which is also where the city of Amritsar got its name. That pool is surrounded by a square marble walkway (parkarma) and a huge building complex.
The complex’s hundreds of open rooms house an array of temples, museums, memorials and gurus reading scripture from the Sikh holy book and chanting in Gurmukhi all day.
During our first visit, we only wandered the parkarma perimeter, as the line to get into the actual Golden Temple was hours long and the sun was quite hot.
To continue reading the story and see lots more photos and a video, check out A Golden Temple Sunrise, Sunset and Fireworks Display // Amritsar, India
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Caution :
Your monitor screen is about to fill with dramatized accounts and descriptions of the origins of many complex and often very horny birding organism some of which may cause some viewers to feel uncomfortably rewarding.
As a result, viewer's Discretion is a lie. Not to lie is like kicking the can down the road.
Attention : strictly not for children under 13 days and above 113 years of age. This group of 'children' may not have the mental capacity to process the heart-wrenching, excruciating mumbo jumbo, absolute absurdity, explosively hooney, unreasonably honest, raise-blood-pressure and excitingly stupid information display on the screen.
My dog, Bullshit gave me a 'Like' after watching it and he send the link to my neighbour's dog Idiot.
Idiot suffer a massive heart attack after watching but survive to watch it 10 more times before turning into a Hot Dog
Caught this sensational Long-haired Crimson Sunbird perching cross-legged with beak slightly ajar + highly seducing birdeyes + original contour body by Fender + a pair of firm and juicy breast-like organs. This highly unusual pose for this species can only happen in the following combination of circumstances :
1) once in 13.13 years or 20,000 non-stop flying hours or one night stay at my house. (when my wife not in town)
2) Fully relaxed posture after a nice drink of CB juice from the neighbourhood CB plant (scientific name Chee Bye plant)
3) highly diffused sunlight at 5500deg kelvin wavelength
4) it's imperative for the photographer not to panic and scream in excitement during this once in a lifetime encounter which otherwise scare the pants off her. I got only miniseconds to turn her into pixels before she disappear as suddenly as she appear
5) during an extremely rare astronomical phenomenon known as Syzygy (hope I get it right) when this bird is in total alignment with all the planets in our solar system including Pluto and its largest moon Charon. The combined gravitational force from the unusual planetary alignment would reach a breaking point which cause her to lose some flight feathers as shown in the image as exposed bare skin which looks dangerously delicious.
6) a total solar and lunar eclipse that takes place simultaneously at precisely 12 midnight during a severe thunderstorm
which is known as a hula hoop eclipse. This has the potential to create massive airquake, waterquake, windquake, chickenricequake, lousyquake, pussyquake and even a terrible birdquake. Whateverquake, she does not quit.
Meanings of CB :
According to historical records date back to the early days of the SAF (sg army). Soldiers were strongly discouraged from using a particular type of plant for camouflage purpose in the course of field craft training. It was green and it was big and best of all it looked like a pussy. It was extremely hard for the enemies NOT to spot you from miles away even in total darkness because you looked just like a piece of giant green moving pussy.
This is the infamous CB plant. scientific name : Chee Bye plant, common name : simpoh air plant
In the past, hawkers used the CB leafs to wrap the Chai tow kway (black version), a well sought-after cuisine for most locals here including myself. These days, however this practice is loss along with its unique flavour due to the severe short supply of the CB plants.
One of the highlight :
her seducing birdeyes
The original tiny black round eyes which is found in other sunbird species have been replaced with a pair of latest model human-like eyes (come attached with sexy Korean-made eyelashes) called black eye pea. This modern marvel has provided her with excellent over the top quality binocular vision to spot any potential mate light years away. So that she could make advanced preparation for the mating process such as putting on the best makeup and perfume. Even her entire face has been transformed from the original bird face into a stunning sexy babe face using the latest cutting edge Laser technology just invented 13 mins ago. This allows her to smile and wink at ease just like any human babe does. She would then be able to send more compelling mating signals to any potential mate in sight. Other sunbirds can only watch and envy at the special abilities she possesses.
Following she would need to build a nest all by herself with whatever material she could find. But that's in the past, these days she could rent one comfortable fully furnished nest for a small cost of 2 bird seeds.. For another additional 1 seed, she could even have a build-in Jacuzzis bath. She could lay her eggs and incubate them in total comfort until the arrival of her little ones.
Again she could pay her neighbour, the cuckoo to do the feeding for her while she continue to enjoy the facilities and the intimate company of her mate in the nest.
Additional notes:
fake long black hair to conceal more beautiful real blonde hair beneath. A brilliant strategy to deter potential sex predators such as CBhawks, Hornykingfishers, cheekysparrow, pervert-eagle, maniac-myna, lonesomecrow, itchy-finch and ahbeng-pigeon.
The presence of a golden bangle on her right wing bone suggest she has been banded by a group of horny scientists (wish I was one of them). This bird has undergone extensive examination base on standard criteria of scientific investigations to determine her natural history and most importantly her mating requirements, sexual preference, bank load status, shopping preference and migratory behavior. In addition, her blood sample, sweat sample, saliva sample, breath sample and fart sample were also taken for DNA sequencing and future scientific reference. One important research is to collect sufficient data to nail her origins. Whether or not is she a distinct life-form evolved from a single cell organism or a result of speciation due to changing atmospheric conditions or perhaps she is a product of an extreme form of horny gene mutation.
This device is also designed to function as a highly sensitive electromagnetic wave transmitter. The pulse signals transmitted from its fully concealed ass-shaped antenna are being pick up by 20 horny satellites orbiting 13 inches above her head. This allows her every move to be precisely tracked so that her migratory paths could be traced and studied The system is so sensitive that even minute movement of her body parts such as involuntary digging of the nose, indiscriminate spitting of chewing gum or secretly scratching the butt can be instantly detected and recorded for behavior mapping and profile creation. In addition, with the latest firmware upgrade, any abnormal or unusual sounds such as excessive chirping, sing the wrong song, sing off-key, sing wrong note, abnormal wing beats, abnormal heart beats, irregular boob beats, excessive moaning, normal scream at abnormal volume or even irregular excessively soft farting is possible to be picked up as well for scientific analysis and research purposes. Future scientists can then use the data collected to accurately pin point the date for her extinction....which is yesterday.
Exactly why this bird is still hanging on remains one of the greatest mystery of all time after my missing chicken sausage.
It won't take long to notice this bird has got what appears to be breasts. Those things stick out like a sore thumb. It literally swept me off the ground the first time I see it.
This pair of familiar yet peculiar looking things which look like breasts are in fact a technologically advanced Radar system in disguise. Beneath the bra-like stainless steel protective casing lies an all weather multi role highly advanced Radar codename Cockup.. This cockup radar employed the one-of-its-kind-yet to-invent grandma rays emission system to seek and destroy any potential sexual predator which come within fun threatening range of this beauty. The initial reactive characteristic of this pair of radars would swell up to 13.13 times its normal dimension and instinctively begins to pulsate violently. Following that, it would starts to emit 2 beams of high intensity grandma rays from it forward-mounted specially designed photo emitter known as the peanuts. She could then stir her peanuts one way or the other to aim the deadly rays at her desire targets. Nobody would want to be at the receiving end of this CER (concentrated emission of radiation) These things are designed for one single deadly purpose, that is to kill by vaporization. Its latest victims, a male cheeky sparrow and 2 male horny cowbirds .Both vanish without a trace and both have the same last swear words....Cunt Ni Lao Beh !
Apart from the mentioned deadly purpose it is also on the lighter side use for safe navigation, directional finding, mate finding, food finding, shopping etc especially during night flight in sad weather.
To avoid being accidentally grilled by this pair of deadly Cockup radar approach her slowly and carefully from her back. This is the only safest way to get within arm's length of this lovely bird to have her detail photo taken. However, please pay close attention to the jet blast exiting her tiny nozzle located about 13.5 deg angle at her butt which could blow you out of existence during sudden unintentional take- off known as fart-off
Evolution by natural selection over billions of years has favor a CB mouth over a beak in view of the added advantages. One such advantage is to allow her to perform uninterrupted seamless Blowjob ...................to blow away the attacking mosquitoes which stick around to suck her blood.
The major drawback of this piece of beautifully engineered device is that without the long curve bill, she loose the ability to suck nectar from her favorite long and narrow elongated flowers. However, as recent as 100 million years ago, there was an accelerated development in the upper left side of her brain's electrical circuitry which allows her to figure out a method to overcome the pressing issue....simply by means of a horny straw made from recycled male human foreskin. This specially constructed hollow tubes are extremely flexible and can be extended to the desired length according to situation and circumstances by simply stroking it. With the advent of this lovely apparatus, she can reach into the deepest, narrowest and longest flower to access its contents quickly and effectively. There is even a specially made temperature controlled, anti-fungus, air-tight, insect-resistant, cyber-secured, software protected, hardware harden, double locked, nuclear explosion proof Tupperware container to store the life-saving straws in between her 2 breast-like organs.
Conclusion :
Her stunning outlook is in fact at the summit of natural beauty. A creature so wondrous that she must has managed to unlock the door of the Twilight Zone and sneak straight into this dimension right into your imagination.
A dimension of sight, a dimension of sound, a dimension of mind, a dimension of smell, a dimension of taste, a dimension that has little or no dimension, a dimension so horny that it goes far beyond your imagination. This bird is sitting in the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, between working and supervision, halfway between fact and fiction, anything between upper body and lower body, somewhere between LA and New York, halfway between the sun and the moon and it lies somewhere between the armpit of man’s fear and the height of his knowledge. This is the dimension of the product of pure hallucination, explosive frustration, untold distress, 100% displeasure, complete bullshit, downhill emotion, violent duress and extreme horny imagination. A dimension so bizarre that you have problems putting on your pants at the bottom of the sea when 6 is read as 9 and 9 is read as mine. This is a mysterious area call The Twilight Zone.
Please switch on the lights if you find it a little too dark.
The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964
eddy
extra info :
This is a featherless bird species (usually female)
Only 4 species known to have existed in this world.
I got 3 and the forth one is still at large.
Believe to be hiding in a place far far away. A place so remote that even MRT+LRT+SBS bus can't reach.
I'm determined to track her down one day, shoot her and post her in flickr backside....i mean ...website.
Behind the scene:
This group of people/photographer together with their supposedly hired model came by while I was busy shooting the Stork-billed Kingfisher hunting beside a small pond.
Out of nowhere a lady came over accusing me for trying to shoot their model and thus scaring her, demanding me to move off from the area. I was rather taken aback and pissed off at her rude remarks. I then reminded her that this is a public place. I shoot my bird while you guys shoot your model. In fact I think the appearance of this huge group of people really impacted my photography.
It was at this moment that I decided to do exactly what they were accusing me.....shoot their fucking model !
A subject that was last on my list. I turn my lens away from the king and started framing this girl which I soon found her to be more appealing than my kingfisher.
Later, while I was reviewing the pics that I decided to do a write-up on this rather unexpected encounter. Inject a little humor, married it with a little avian flavor and turn it into something amusing.
I threw on my "Light Painting is not a crime" T shirt after work and thought it would make the perfect prop for tonight's shot.
Cheers Frodo.
Beauty dish from above, flash with snoot gelled blue/green on the floor. Change focus and aperture for an 8 way rotation of the lp brushes feather blade then a 16 way rotation of the black fibers gelled light blue. All powered by the Ryus Lightworks Vii torch.
شکاری که نازکتر آن برگزید
که بیشیر مهمان همی خون مزید
زال و سیمرغ، برگی از شاهنامه شاه تهماسب، منسوب به عبدالعزیز، دوره صفویان، تبریز، در حدود 1531-33 میلادی
ZAL IS SIGHTED BY A CARAVAN
Attributed to Abdul Aziz
Iran, Tabriz, Safavid period, ca. 1525
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Zal, the father of the hero Rustam, was "born with a body like pure silver ... but his hair was that of an old man." An albino at birth, Zal's snow-white hair was considered an ill omen, and the newborn was left in the wilderness. Fortunately, the infant was rescued by the simurgh, a fantastic creature that raises Zal in a nest with her own fledglings. Some time later, travelers passing through the region are amazed to find "a noble youth" living in the mountains. In this remarkable composition, Zal perches on top of a surging rock just as the magnificent bird, with her magical tail feathers trailing behind, brings food to the nest.
A palette of purples, blues, and aqua greens, complemented by shimmering gold, creates a sense of vibrancy, while the sinuous lines of the simurgh's tail and the swaying foliage further heighten the drama of Zal's discovery. Even the rocks seem to pulsate with life as finely drawn animals, grotesques, and human faces emerge from the deep crags.
بدین گونه تا روزگاری دراز
برآورد داننده بگشاد راز
چو آن کودک خرد پر مایه گشت
برآن کوه بر روزگاری گذشت
یکی مرد شد چون یکی زاد سرو
برش کوه سیمین میانش چو غرو
نشانش پراگنده شد در جهان
بد و نیک هرگز نماند نهان
به سام نریمان رسید آگهی
از آن نیک پی پور با فرهی
While surely we’ll still chum around and admire each other’s work after this, lets be clear that this Iron Builder competition between me and Guy Himber is a battle. We are two well known talented builders with formidable reputations and wits to match. In order to compete against the likes of my friend Guy one would need a legendary warrior with a powerful disposition.
I present to you Ajax The Great! He is a centaur...the most legendary of the mystical beasts and his very name means “greatest warrior” in Greek. He wears a Hoplite helmet and armor and carries a spear and shield. While mostly white, he is adorned with coppery elements that serve as a salute to my competitor’s Steampunk leanings. His form uses a staggering 54 of the 1x6x3 1/3 white curved arch elements required in accordance with the Iron Builder competition. He is also endowed with...um...lets just say...Hurculean attributes designed specifically to intimidate my friend and competitor. And by Hurculean attributes I mean his big...hard...throbbing...vein laden...monstrous...pulsating...unrelenting...biceps! He’s got two tickets to the “gun show” and both guns and all four hooves are going to be used to turn Guy Himber into pulp!
While Guy resorts to creating fake profiles and padding his own images with his own comments in order to create the illusion of popularity, I rely solely on heart, artistry, strength, skill...and the undying adoration of You The People. You have quickly made my first entry one of my most popular and talked about creations of all time and I am certain that this centaur will fare just as well. I thank you, in advance, my friends for your comments, faves, and praise for it is through my win that your voices will be heard.
A free Spirit
Mirit Ben-Nun was born in Beer- Sheva in 1966. Over the years she has presented in solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Israel and around the world.
When she was six, her father was killed in a car accident, leaving behind his wife and two daughters, Mirit and Dana.
Ben-Nun had difficulty concentrating on studies, which caused behavioral problems, and at the age of fourteen she dropped out of the education system and went to work. The colors and writing tools gave her a quiet private space and her own way of surviving. Creativity eased her tumultuous soul.
Until her early 30’s she worked as a telemarketer and for the next fourteen years she doodled and doodled. While talking to customers she filled thousands of pages with lines and dots that resembled hundreds of compressed eggs and seeds which she threw away.
In a large portion of each page she would pick a random word and would write it down over and over while concentrating on her hand movements.
Even then she noticed the rising of her need and obsession as she practiced the endless doodling and writing.
Ben-Nun testifies that the lack of artistic training to paint "correctly" freed her from adhering to the rules of painting and allowed her freedom and spirit of rebellion.
In 1998, she received a bunch of canvases and acrylic paints as a gift from her sister.
She brought the acrylic into her world of lines and dots; she went back to painting women and masks that appeared in her childhood paintings and flooded them with lines and dots without separating body and background.
This is also the moment when Ben-Nun began to refer to herself as a painter and when art became the center of her life.
The intense colors in Ben-Nun's paintings sweep the viewer into a sensual experience. The viewer traces the surge of dots and lines formed in packed layers of paint. The movement leads to a kind of female-male hormonal dance within the human body and to a communion with an artistic experience of instinct, passion, conceiving and birth.
Contributing to this experience is the wealth of characteristics reminiscent of tribal art. Ben-Nun merges these with a humorous and kicking contemporary Western Pop art. In the language of unique art, Ben-Nun creates an unconventional conversation between past and present cultures.
It is evident that the paintings emerge from a regenerated need and desire, a force that erupts from her soul, a subconscious survival instinct to which she cannot or does not want to resist.
Ben-Nun places women at the center stage where they are her work focus. The paintings obsessively deal with the existential experience of being a woman in the world. A few of the women's paintings carry feminist slogans stressing the women's struggle in society, a critique for being held to perfection and being required to perform as a model of "beauty, purity and motherhood". Feminism pulsates in Ben-Nun's psyche, through her diverse female images and the play between beauty and unsightliness; Ben-Nun assimilates the consciousness of feminine possibility, of not being "perfect", of being powerful, influential, and outside social norms. This mandates a departure from acceptable limitations where Ben-Nun creates a new world of free spirit for women.
Mirit Ben-Nun is a mother of three and the grandmother of three grandchildren.
Mirela Tal
The Mursi people of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley have been called “one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa.”
We’d only been in the village just over two hours, and it was still mid-morning. But the sun was high: pulsating light and radiating heat. Following the men to the cattle pens made for a nice diversion, even though I felt anticipatory dread over what was to come.
First, a cow who hasn’t been bled recently must be caught and restrained. Then the bowman palpates an artery on the cows neck for piercing. The spurting fresh blood is caught in a gourd before the hole in the neck is plugged and the blood is drunk by the participants.
The cattle must be used to this treatment – once let loose, they are unfazed.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/culture/men-of-the-mursi-mor...
НИКОЛАЙ ФЕШИН - Портрет Надежды Сапожниковой (с шалью)
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Private collection.
Sotheby's London / Russian Pictures, November, 2017.
Source: www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/russian-pict...
The fight at auction for this painting was serious and ended up being bought for £ 3,650,900
Auction catalog review by GALINA TULUZAKOVA
The year 1908 was of crucial importance to Nikolai Fechin, a final year student at the St Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts. Following the departure of Ilya Repin from the Academy in 1907 his students were left without a mentor and, as Fechin himself recalled in his autobiography (1953), this turned out to be a defining moment: ‘Throughout the whole of my schooling I did what I saw others doing, in no way did my technique differ from theirs. Now, as we were without supervision … and there was no one to praise or criticise, I began to experiment for the first time, and that same winter my technique changed radically.’ In 1908 he created two indisputable masterpieces: the portrait study Lady in Lilac and Bearing Away the Bride. From this moment, one can talk of Fechin as a fully-fledged artistic personality.
In 1908, Fechin accepted a part-time position teaching painting and drawing at the Kazan School of Art, a decision made all the more easy by the school’s offer to provide him with a studio in which to work on his final year piece. One of his first students was Nadezhda Sapozhnikova (1877-1942), who came from a wealthy Kazan merchant family and had already received a musical education before her enrolment at the School in 1904. The teacher-pupil relationship quickly turned into a friendship, helped by the fact that Sapozhnikova was four years older than Fechin. In 1908, Nadezhda agreed to pose for him resulting in the creation of this, his third masterpiece.
Portrait of Nadezhda Sapozhnikova is exceptional in its virtuosity. The large-scale portrait, in which the inevitably static nature of a seated figure is transformed into a dynamic whirlwind, depicts the explosive energy of youth. The subject of the skittishly inclined young woman determines the diagonal construction of the composition; the precisely marked rhythms of the turn of her head and the emotive gestures of her magnificently modelled hands; the considered but seemingly spontaneous alternating between light and dark within the limits of a very refined, muted palette of browns and ochre, running the gamut from black to white and interspersed with glimmering flashes of blue. What sets the painting apart, is the juxtaposition of different textures, the combination of brilliant academic draughtsmanship with the no-less brilliant freedom of the paint application. Unique to the portrait is the exposure of the creative process, the ‘unfinished’ finish, and the way the individual elements which makes up the image seem to pulsate with life. The playfulness in technique is echoed in the playfulness of the sitter’s costume. Sapozhnikova is dressed according to the fashion of the 1840s and holding a fan, but there is no sense of the nostalgic mood of the World of Art movement. The model is no apparition or dream; there is real blood in her veins. Costume is merely used to break the banality of the everyday, art is able to embellish life, but not replace it.
The present lot was one of two paintings shown at the International Exhibition at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh in 1910, Fechin’s debut in the United States. The two paintings hung side by side with works by Claude Manet, Camille Pisarro, Alfred Sisley, Gaston La Touche and other renowned masters. Reviewers of the exhibition commented: ‘Nikolai Fechin’s portrait of M-lle Sapozhnikova outshone all the other portraits in this hall. Rarely does the American public have the opportunity to see a painting that has so much individuality and character… It is hard to give such deep and expressive work and impeccable technique of the kind that manifests itself in Fechin’s paintings, the praise it is due.’ (Evening Post, New York, 1910, p.7). There was a fierce battle to acquire Portrait of Nadezhda Sapozhnikova which in the end was won by George Hearn, the biggest New York collector of the time. In 1913, after Hearn’s death, a part of his collection was sold at auction which is when William Stimmel acquired the portrait of Sapozhnikova for his own collection.
Nadezhda Sapozhnikova was a collector and patron who not only studied under Fechin, but also in the studio of Kees van Dongen in Paris. When the outbreak of the First World War prevented Fechin from exhibiting in European and American exhibitions, Sapozhnikova began to commission paintings from him. And so it was at her request and in her studio that the portrait of her niece Varia Adoratskaya was painted in 1914, which became the most recognisable image of the artist’s Russian period.
Sapozhnikova was evidently unable to forget her portrait of 1908. Eight years later, Fechin painted two variations of the large-scale composition in which she is depicted in the same dress, holding the same fan
The valley of the Geysernaya river is located in 180 km to the north-east from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky among the volcanoes stretched along the east coastline of the peninsula near the so called East volcanic belt.
The Valley of geysers has all forms of hydrothermal activity including permanently active and pulsating boiling springs, hot lakes, geysers, mud pools, mud volcanoes, vapour streams, warmed grounds closely located at the small area.
Click to view in Lightbox.
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Bird's eye view of a Multicultural Street Parade on Lonsdale Ave. accompanied by the pulsating sound of steelband and taped calypso music.
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25th Annual Caribbean Days Festival: July 28-29!
Each July, the Trinidad & Tobago Cultural Society of BC presents the Caribbean Days Festival. This event draws a crowd of exuberant fun-lovers to North Vancouver's Waterfront Park for a weekend of parading, dining and dancing in the sunshine.
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This is a weekend of tropical rhythm, cuisine, carnival and culture as only the Caribbean can offer. Over the years, the Festival has grown into the largest Caribbean event on the local calendar, Drawing tens of thousands of attendees, it is among the very largest cultural events in BC, Canada.
Festival and Satellite Events
Here's a look at our complete lineup of activities:
Caribbean Boat Cruise
Multicultural Street Parade
On The Main Stage
International Food Fair
Arts & Clothing Market
Waterfront Outdoor Dance
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The TTCS of BC appreciates your support in its mission to raise awareness of Caribbean culture in BC and benefit the community at large. [...].
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www.caribbeandays.ca/component/content/article/1-welcome-...
The Doyens of Santa Land's Retirement Village looked at each other and said "ohhhhh Lordy Lord, Mrs, "Love of my Life" Claus is out and Santa is asleep. That workshop is positively pulsating and what IS that music"!!!!!
Looking out of their window, the Doyens could see the walls throbbing, disco balls twirling, elves sliding down the roof and landing into snow piles, the whole pack of reindeers flying round and round and one particularly tubby little Santa-in-training, beer mug in hand, swaying at a 45 degree angle and belting out "Jail House Rock".
Pink Doyen looked at Gold Doyen and said, "what do you reckon his punishment will be when she comes back home"?
Gold Doyen tittered and said "well last time he transgressed it wasn't any sex for a week (well it IS an adult story and not for the kiddies!). I reckon its going to be at least a month long ban this time! AND, she'll have him working around the Clock now, no cricket on the TV and no beer".
Giggling hysterically at the thought of all the punishments that were going to be metered out to the hapless Santa, they shuffled off to their room to catch a few zzzzzzz's before the evening's entertainment REALLY started when Mrs. Claus arrived home.
GIGGLED THEIR WAY INTO EXPLORE. #249 19TH DECEMBER
Boracay is a tropical island surrounded by stunning white sand beaches about an hour's flight from Cebu or Manila just off the larger Philippines island of Panay.
For beach connoisseurs it competes with the best beaches of more popular destinations such as the Caribbean and the South Pacific as well as neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. For those wanting to just lounge around and top up their tan, beach-front hotels usually have lounge chairs set up just a few steps away from the hotel entrances. The more active will appreciate water sports and activities such as sailing, wind surfing, snorkelling, diving and jet skiing. The fun in Boracay doesn't end when the sun sets. Boracay night-life pulsates with many bars and restaurants serving food, drink and fun until dawn. Source: wikitravel.org/en/Boracay
Jellyfish, also known sea jellies, are the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria.
Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being mobile. The bell can pulsate to provide propulsion for highly efficient locomotion. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey and defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle. The medusa is normally the sexual phase, which produces planula larvae; these then disperse widely and enter a sedentary polyp phase, before reaching sexual maturity.
Jellyfish are found all over the world, from surface waters to the deep sea. Scyphozoans (the "true jellyfish") are exclusively marine, but some hydrozoans with a similar appearance live in freshwater. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. The medusae of most species are fast-growing, and mature within a few months then die soon after breeding, but the polyp stage, attached to the seabed, may be much more long-lived. Jellyfish have been in existence for at least 500 million years, and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multi-organ animal group.
Jellyfish are eaten by humans in certain cultures. They are considered a delicacy in some Asian countries, where species in the Rhizostomeae order are pressed and salted to remove excess water. Australian researchers have described them as a "perfect food": sustainable and protein-rich but relatively low in food energy.
They are also used in research, where the green fluorescent protein used by some species to cause bioluminescence has been adapted as a fluorescent marker for genes inserted into other cells or organisms.
The stinging cells used by jellyfish to subdue their prey can injure humans. Thousands of swimmers worldwide are stung every year, with effects ranging from mild discomfort to serious injury or even death. When conditions are favourable, jellyfish can form vast swarms, which can be responsible for damage to fishing gear by filling fishing nets, and sometimes clog the cooling systems of power and desalination plants which draw their water from the sea.
Names
The name jellyfish, in use since 1796, has traditionally been applied to medusae and all similar animals including the comb jellies (ctenophores, another phylum). The term jellies or sea jellies is more recent, having been introduced by public aquaria in an effort to avoid use of the word "fish" with its modern connotation of an animal with a backbone, though shellfish, cuttlefish and starfish are not vertebrates either. In scientific literature, "jelly" and "jellyfish" have been used interchangeably. Many sources refer to only scyphozoans as "true jellyfish".
A group of jellyfish is called a "smack" or a "smuck".
Definition
The term jellyfish broadly corresponds to medusae, that is, a life-cycle stage in the Medusozoa. The American evolutionary biologist Paulyn Cartwright gives the following general definition:
Typically, medusozoan cnidarians have a pelagic, predatory jellyfish stage in their life cycle; staurozoans are the exceptions [as they are stalked].
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines jellyfish as follows:
A free-swimming marine coelenterate that is the sexually reproducing form of a hydrozoan or scyphozoan and has a nearly transparent saucer-shaped body and extensible marginal tentacles studded with stinging cells.
Given that jellyfish is a common name, its mapping to biological groups is inexact. Some authorities have called the comb jellies and certain salps jellyfish, though other authorities state that neither of these are jellyfish, which they consider should be limited to certain groups within the medusozoa.
The non-medusozoan clades called jellyfish by some but not all authorities (both agreeing and disagreeing citations are given in each case) are indicated with on the following cladogram of the animal kingdom:
Jellyfish are not a clade, as they include most of the Medusozoa, barring some of the Hydrozoa. The medusozoan groups included by authorities are indicated on the following phylogenetic tree by the presence of citations. Names of included jellyfish, in English where possible, are shown in boldface; the presence of a named and cited example indicates that at least that species within its group has been called a jellyfish.
Taxonomy
The subphylum Medusozoa includes all cnidarians with a medusa stage in their life cycle. The basic cycle is egg, planula larva, polyp, medusa, with the medusa being the sexual stage. The polyp stage is sometimes secondarily lost. The subphylum include the major taxa, Scyphozoa (large jellyfish), Cubozoa (box jellyfish) and Hydrozoa (small jellyfish), and excludes Anthozoa (corals and sea anemones). This suggests that the medusa form evolved after the polyps. Medusozoans have tetramerous symmetry, with parts in fours or multiples of four.
The four major classes of medusozoan Cnidaria are:
Scyphozoa are sometimes called true jellyfish, though they are no more truly jellyfish than the others listed here. They have tetra-radial symmetry. Most have tentacles around the outer margin of the bowl-shaped bell, and long, oral arms around the mouth in the center of the subumbrella.
Cubozoa (box jellyfish) have a (rounded) box-shaped bell, and their velarium assists them to swim more quickly. Box jellyfish may be related more closely to scyphozoan jellyfish than either are to the Hydrozoa.
Hydrozoa medusae also have tetra-radial symmetry, nearly always have a velum (diaphragm used in swimming) attached just inside the bell margin, do not have oral arms, but a much smaller central stalk-like structure, the manubrium, with terminal mouth opening, and are distinguished by the absence of cells in the mesoglea. Hydrozoa show great diversity of lifestyle; some species maintain the polyp form for their entire life and do not form medusae at all (such as Hydra, which is hence not considered a jellyfish), and a few are entirely medusal and have no polyp form.
Staurozoa (stalked jellyfish) are characterized by a medusa form that is generally sessile, oriented upside down and with a stalk emerging from the apex of the "calyx" (bell), which attaches to the substrate. At least some Staurozoa also have a polyp form that alternates with the medusoid portion of the life cycle. Until recently, Staurozoa were classified within the Scyphozoa.
There are over 200 species of Scyphozoa, about 50 species of Staurozoa, about 50 species of Cubozoa, and the Hydrozoa includes about 1000–1500 species that produce medusae, but many more species that do not.
Fossil history
Since jellyfish have no hard parts, fossils are rare. The oldest unambiguous fossil of a free-swimming medusa is Burgessomedusa from the mid Cambrian Burgess Shale of Canada, which is likely either a stem group of box jellyfish (Cubozoa) or Acraspeda (the clade including Staurozoa, Cubozoa, and Scyphozoa). Other claimed records from the Cambrian of China and Utah in the United States are uncertain, and possibly represent ctenophores instead.
Anatomy
The main feature of a true jellyfish is the umbrella-shaped bell. This is a hollow structure consisting of a mass of transparent jelly-like matter known as mesoglea, which forms the hydrostatic skeleton of the animal. 95% or more of the mesogloea consists of water, but it also contains collagen and other fibrous proteins, as well as wandering amoebocytes which can engulf debris and bacteria. The mesogloea is bordered by the epidermis on the outside and the gastrodermis on the inside. The edge of the bell is often divided into rounded lobes known as lappets, which allow the bell to flex. In the gaps or niches between the lappets are dangling rudimentary sense organs known as rhopalia, and the margin of the bell often bears tentacles.
Anatomy of a scyphozoan jellyfish
On the underside of the bell is the manubrium, a stalk-like structure hanging down from the centre, with the mouth, which also functions as the anus, at its tip. There are often four oral arms connected to the manubrium, streaming away into the water below. The mouth opens into the gastrovascular cavity, where digestion takes place and nutrients are absorbed. This is subdivided by four thick septa into a central stomach and four gastric pockets. The four pairs of gonads are attached to the septa, and close to them four septal funnels open to the exterior, perhaps supplying good oxygenation to the gonads. Near the free edges of the septa, gastric filaments extend into the gastric cavity; these are armed with nematocysts and enzyme-producing cells and play a role in subduing and digesting the prey. In some scyphozoans, the gastric cavity is joined to radial canals which branch extensively and may join a marginal ring canal. Cilia in these canals circulate the fluid in a regular direction.
Discharge mechanism of a nematocyst
The box jellyfish is largely similar in structure. It has a squarish, box-like bell. A short pedalium or stalk hangs from each of the four lower corners. One or more long, slender tentacles are attached to each pedalium. The rim of the bell is folded inwards to form a shelf known as a velarium which restricts the bell's aperture and creates a powerful jet when the bell pulsates, allowing box jellyfish to swim faster than true jellyfish. Hydrozoans are also similar, usually with just four tentacles at the edge of the bell, although many hydrozoans are colonial and may not have a free-living medusal stage. In some species, a non-detachable bud known as a gonophore is formed that contains a gonad but is missing many other medusal features such as tentacles and rhopalia. Stalked jellyfish are attached to a solid surface by a basal disk, and resemble a polyp, the oral end of which has partially developed into a medusa with tentacle-bearing lobes and a central manubrium with four-sided mouth.
Most jellyfish do not have specialized systems for osmoregulation, respiration and circulation, and do not have a central nervous system. Nematocysts, which deliver the sting, are located mostly on the tentacles; true jellyfish also have them around the mouth and stomach. Jellyfish do not need a respiratory system because sufficient oxygen diffuses through the epidermis. They have limited control over their movement, but can navigate with the pulsations of the bell-like body; some species are active swimmers most of the time, while others largely drift. The rhopalia contain rudimentary sense organs which are able to detect light, water-borne vibrations, odour and orientation. A loose network of nerves called a "nerve net" is located in the epidermis. Although traditionally thought not to have a central nervous system, nerve net concentration and ganglion-like structures could be considered to constitute one in most species. A jellyfish detects stimuli, and transmits impulses both throughout the nerve net and around a circular nerve ring, to other nerve cells. The rhopalial ganglia contain pacemaker neurones which control swimming rate and direction.
In many species of jellyfish, the rhopalia include ocelli, light-sensitive organs able to tell light from dark. These are generally pigment spot ocelli, which have some of their cells pigmented. The rhopalia are suspended on stalks with heavy crystals at one end, acting like gyroscopes to orient the eyes skyward. Certain jellyfish look upward at the mangrove canopy while making a daily migration from mangrove swamps into the open lagoon, where they feed, and back again.
Box jellyfish have more advanced vision than the other groups. Each individual has 24 eyes, two of which are capable of seeing colour, and four parallel information processing areas that act in competition, supposedly making them one of the few kinds of animal to have a 360-degree view of its environment.
Box jellyfish eye
The study of jellyfish eye evolution is an intermediary to a better understanding of how visual systems evolved on Earth. Jellyfish exhibit immense variation in visual systems ranging from photoreceptive cell patches seen in simple photoreceptive systems to more derived complex eyes seen in box jellyfish. Major topics of jellyfish visual system research (with an emphasis on box jellyfish) include: the evolution of jellyfish vision from simple to complex visual systems), the eye morphology and molecular structures of box jellyfish (including comparisons to vertebrate eyes), and various uses of vision including task-guided behaviors and niche specialization.
Evolution
Experimental evidence for photosensitivity and photoreception in cnidarians antecedes the mid 1900s, and a rich body of research has since covered evolution of visual systems in jellyfish. Jellyfish visual systems range from simple photoreceptive cells to complex image-forming eyes. More ancestral visual systems incorporate extraocular vision (vision without eyes) that encompass numerous receptors dedicated to single-function behaviors. More derived visual systems comprise perception that is capable of multiple task-guided behaviors.
Although they lack a true brain, cnidarian jellyfish have a "ring" nervous system that plays a significant role in motor and sensory activity. This net of nerves is responsible for muscle contraction and movement and culminates the emergence of photosensitive structures. Across Cnidaria, there is large variation in the systems that underlie photosensitivity. Photosensitive structures range from non-specialized groups of cells, to more "conventional" eyes similar to those of vertebrates. The general evolutionary steps to develop complex vision include (from more ancestral to more derived states): non-directional photoreception, directional photoreception, low-resolution vision, and high-resolution vision. Increased habitat and task complexity has favored the high-resolution visual systems common in derived cnidarians such as box jellyfish.
Basal visual systems observed in various cnidarians exhibit photosensitivity representative of a single task or behavior. Extraocular photoreception (a form of non-directional photoreception), is the most basic form of light sensitivity and guides a variety of behaviors among cnidarians. It can function to regulate circadian rhythm (as seen in eyeless hydrozoans) and other light-guided behaviors responsive to the intensity and spectrum of light. Extraocular photoreception can function additionally in positive phototaxis (in planula larvae of hydrozoans), as well as in avoiding harmful amounts of UV radiation via negative phototaxis. Directional photoreception (the ability to perceive direction of incoming light) allows for more complex phototactic responses to light, and likely evolved by means of membrane stacking. The resulting behavioral responses can range from guided spawning events timed by moonlight to shadow responses for potential predator avoidance. Light-guided behaviors are observed in numerous scyphozoans including the common moon jelly, Aurelia aurita, which migrates in response to changes in ambient light and solar position even though they lack proper eyes.
The low-resolution visual system of box jellyfish is more derived than directional photoreception, and thus box jellyfish vision represents the most basic form of true vision in which multiple directional photoreceptors combine to create the first imaging and spatial resolution. This is different from the high-resolution vision that is observed in camera or compound eyes of vertebrates and cephalopods that rely on focusing optics. Critically, the visual systems of box jellyfish are responsible for guiding multiple tasks or behaviors in contrast to less derived visual systems in other jellyfish that guide single behavioral functions. These behaviors include phototaxis based on sunlight (positive) or shadows (negative), obstacle avoidance, and control of swim-pulse rate.
Box jellyfish possess "proper eyes" (similar to vertebrates) that allow them to inhabit environments that lesser derived medusae cannot. In fact, they are considered the only class in the clade Medusozoa that have behaviors necessitating spatial resolution and genuine vision. However, the lens in their eyes are more functionally similar to cup-eyes exhibited in low-resolution organisms, and have very little to no focusing capability. The lack of the ability to focus is due to the focal length exceeding the distance to the retina, thus generating unfocused images and limiting spatial resolution. The visual system is still sufficient for box jellyfish to produce an image to help with tasks such as object avoidance.
Utility as a model organism
Box jellyfish eyes are a visual system that is sophisticated in numerous ways. These intricacies include the considerable variation within the morphology of box jellyfishes' eyes (including their task/behavior specification), and the molecular makeup of their eyes including: photoreceptors, opsins, lenses, and synapses. The comparison of these attributes to more derived visual systems can allow for a further understanding of how the evolution of more derived visual systems may have occurred, and puts into perspective how box jellyfish can play the role as an evolutionary/developmental model for all visual systems.
Characteristics
Box jellyfish visual systems are both diverse and complex, comprising multiple photosystems. There is likely considerable variation in visual properties between species of box jellyfish given the significant inter-species morphological and physiological variation. Eyes tend to differ in size and shape, along with number of receptors (including opsins), and physiology across species of box jellyfish.
Box jellyfish have a series of intricate lensed eyes that are similar to those of more derived multicellular organisms such as vertebrates. Their 24 eyes fit into four different morphological categories. These categories consist of two large, morphologically different medial eyes (a lower and upper lensed eye) containing spherical lenses, a lateral pair of pigment slit eyes, and a lateral pair of pigment pit eyes. The eyes are situated on rhopalia (small sensory structures) which serve sensory functions of the box jellyfish and arise from the cavities of the exumbrella (the surface of the body) on the side of the bells of the jellyfish. The two large eyes are located on the mid-line of the club and are considered complex because they contain lenses. The four remaining eyes lie laterally on either side of each rhopalia and are considered simple. The simple eyes are observed as small invaginated cups of epithelium that have developed pigmentation. The larger of the complex eyes contains a cellular cornea created by a mono ciliated epithelium, cellular lens, homogenous capsule to the lens, vitreous body with prismatic elements, and a retina of pigmented cells. The smaller of the complex eyes is said to be slightly less complex given that it lacks a capsule but otherwise contains the same structure as the larger eye.
Box jellyfish have multiple photosystems that comprise different sets of eyes. Evidence includes immunocytochemical and molecular data that show photopigment differences among the different morphological eye types, and physiological experiments done on box jellyfish to suggest behavioral differences among photosystems. Each individual eye type constitutes photosystems that work collectively to control visually guided behaviors.
Box jellyfish eyes primarily use c-PRCs (ciliary photoreceptor cells) similar to that of vertebrate eyes. These cells undergo phototransduction cascades (process of light absorption by photoreceptors) that are triggered by c-opsins. Available opsin sequences suggest that there are two types of opsins possessed by all cnidarians including an ancient phylogenetic opsin, and a sister ciliary opsin to the c-opsins group. Box jellyfish could have both ciliary and cnidops (cnidarian opsins), which is something not previously believed to appear in the same retina. Nevertheless, it is not entirely evident whether cnidarians possess multiple opsins that are capable of having distinctive spectral sensitivities.
Comparison with other organisms
Comparative research on genetic and molecular makeup of box jellyfishes' eyes versus more derived eyes seen in vertebrates and cephalopods focuses on: lenses and crystallin composition, synapses, and Pax genes and their implied evidence for shared primordial (ancestral) genes in eye evolution.
Box jellyfish eyes are said to be an evolutionary/developmental model of all eyes based on their evolutionary recruitment of crystallins and Pax genes. Research done on box jellyfish including Tripedalia cystophora has suggested that they possess a single Pax gene, PaxB. PaxB functions by binding to crystallin promoters and activating them. PaxB in situ hybridization resulted in PaxB expression in the lens, retina, and statocysts. These results and the rejection of the prior hypothesis that Pax6 was an ancestral Pax gene in eyes has led to the conclusion that PaxB was a primordial gene in eye evolution, and that the eyes of all organisms likely share a common ancestor.
The lens structure of box jellyfish appears very similar to those of other organisms, but the crystallins are distinct in both function and appearance. Weak reactions were seen within the sera and there were very weak sequence similarities within the crystallins among vertebrate and invertebrate lenses. This is likely due to differences in lower molecular weight proteins and the subsequent lack of immunological reactions with antisera that other organisms' lenses exhibit.
All four of the visual systems of box jellyfish species investigated with detail (Carybdea marsupialis, Chiropsalmus quadrumanus, Tamoya haplonema and Tripedalia cystophora) have invaginated synapses, but only in the upper and lower lensed eyes. Different densities were found between the upper and lower lenses, and between species. Four types of chemical synapses have been discovered within the rhopalia which could help in understanding neural organization including: clear unidirectional, dense-core unidirectional, clear bidirectional, and clear and dense-core bidirectional. The synapses of the lensed eyes could be useful as markers to learn more about the neural circuit in box jellyfish retinal areas.
Evolution as a response to natural stimuli
The primary adaptive responses to environmental variation observed in box jellyfish eyes include pupillary constriction speeds in response to light environments, as well as photoreceptor tuning and lens adaptations to better respond to shifts between light environments and darkness. Interestingly, some box jellyfish species' eyes appear to have evolved more focused vision in response to their habitat.
Pupillary contraction appears to have evolved in response to variation in the light environment across ecological niches across three species of box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri, Chiropsella bronzie, and Carukia barnesi). Behavioral studies suggest that faster pupil contraction rates allow for greater object avoidance, and in fact, species with more complex habitats exhibit faster rates. Ch. bronzie inhabit shallow beach fronts that have low visibility and very few obstacles, thus, faster pupil contraction in response to objects in their environment is not important. Ca. barnesi and Ch. fleckeri are found in more three-dimensionally complex environments like mangroves with an abundance of natural obstacles, where faster pupil contraction is more adaptive. Behavioral studies support the idea that faster pupillary contraction rates assist with obstacle avoidance as well as depth adjustments in response to differing light intensities.
Light/dark adaptation via pupillary light reflexes is an additional form of an evolutionary response to the light environment. This relates to the pupil's response to shifts between light intensity (generally from sunlight to darkness). In the process of light/dark adaptation, the upper and lower lens eyes of different box jellyfish species vary in specific function. The lower lens-eyes contain pigmented photoreceptors and long pigment cells with dark pigments that migrate on light/dark adaptation, while the upper-lens eyes play a concentrated role in light direction and phototaxis given that they face upward towards the water surface (towards the sun or moon). The upper lens of Ch. bronzie does not exhibit any considerable optical power while Tr. cystophora (a box jellyfish species that tends to live in mangroves) does. The ability to use light to visually guide behavior is not of as much importance to Ch. bronzie as it is to species in more obstacle-filled environments. Differences in visually guided behavior serve as evidence that species that share the same number and structure of eyes can exhibit differences in how they control behavior.
Largest and smallest
Jellyfish range from about one millimeter in bell height and diameter, to nearly 2 metres (6+1⁄2 ft) in bell height and diameter; the tentacles and mouth parts usually extend beyond this bell dimension.
The smallest jellyfish are the peculiar creeping jellyfish in the genera Staurocladia and Eleutheria, which have bell disks from 0.5 millimetres (1⁄32 in) to a few millimeters in diameter, with short tentacles that extend out beyond this, which these jellyfish use to move across the surface of seaweed or the bottoms of rocky pools; many of these tiny creeping jellyfish cannot be seen in the field without a hand lens or microscope. They can reproduce asexually by fission (splitting in half). Other very small jellyfish, which have bells about one millimeter, are the hydromedusae of many species that have just been released from their parent polyps; some of these live only a few minutes before shedding their gametes in the plankton and then dying, while others will grow in the plankton for weeks or months. The hydromedusae Cladonema radiatum and Cladonema californicum are also very small, living for months, yet never growing beyond a few mm in bell height and diameter.
The lion's mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, was long-cited as the largest jellyfish, and arguably the longest animal in the world, with fine, thread-like tentacles that may extend up to 36.5 m (119 ft 9 in) long (though most are nowhere near that large). They have a moderately painful, but rarely fatal, sting. The increasingly common giant Nomura's jellyfish, Nemopilema nomurai, found in some, but not all years in the waters of Japan, Korea and China in summer and autumn is another candidate for "largest jellyfish", in terms of diameter and weight, since the largest Nomura's jellyfish in late autumn can reach 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in bell (body) diameter and about 200 kg (440 lb) in weight, with average specimens frequently reaching 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) in bell diameter and about 150 kg (330 lb) in weight. The large bell mass of the giant Nomura's jellyfish can dwarf a diver and is nearly always much greater than the Lion's Mane, whose bell diameter can reach 1 m (3 ft 3 in).
The rarely encountered deep-sea jellyfish Stygiomedusa gigantea is another candidate for "largest jellyfish", with its thick, massive bell up to 100 cm (3 ft 3 in) wide, and four thick, "strap-like" oral arms extending up to 6 m (19+1⁄2 ft) in length, very different from the typical fine, threadlike tentacles that rim the umbrella of more-typical-looking jellyfish, including the Lion's Mane.
Desmonema glaciale, which lives in the Antarctic region, can reach a very large size (several meters). Purple-striped jelly (Chrysaora colorata) can also be extremely long (up to 15 feet).
Life history and behavior
Life cycle
Jellyfish have a complex life cycle which includes both sexual and asexual phases, with the medusa being the sexual stage in most instances. Sperm fertilize eggs, which develop into larval planulae, become polyps, bud into ephyrae and then transform into adult medusae. In some species certain stages may be skipped.
Upon reaching adult size, jellyfish spawn regularly if there is a sufficient supply of food. In most species, spawning is controlled by light, with all individuals spawning at about the same time of day; in many instances this is at dawn or dusk. Jellyfish are usually either male or female (with occasional hermaphrodites). In most cases, adults release sperm and eggs into the surrounding water, where the unprotected eggs are fertilized and develop into larvae. In a few species, the sperm swim into the female's mouth, fertilizing the eggs within her body, where they remain during early development stages. In moon jellies, the eggs lodge in pits on the oral arms, which form a temporary brood chamber for the developing planula larvae.
The planula is a small larva covered with cilia. When sufficiently developed, it settles onto a firm surface and develops into a polyp. The polyp generally consists of a small stalk topped by a mouth that is ringed by upward-facing tentacles. The polyps resemble those of closely related anthozoans, such as sea anemones and corals. The jellyfish polyp may be sessile, living on the bottom, boat hulls or other substrates, or it may be free-floating or attached to tiny bits of free-living plankton or rarely, fish or other invertebrates. Polyps may be solitary or colonial. Most polyps are only millimetres in diameter and feed continuously. The polyp stage may last for years.
After an interval and stimulated by seasonal or hormonal changes, the polyp may begin reproducing asexually by budding and, in the Scyphozoa, is called a segmenting polyp, or a scyphistoma. Budding produces more scyphistomae and also ephyrae. Budding sites vary by species; from the tentacle bulbs, the manubrium (above the mouth), or the gonads of hydromedusae. In a process known as strobilation, the polyp's tentacles are reabsorbed and the body starts to narrow, forming transverse constrictions, in several places near the upper extremity of the polyp. These deepen as the constriction sites migrate down the body, and separate segments known as ephyra detach. These are free-swimming precursors of the adult medusa stage, which is the life stage that is typically identified as a jellyfish. The ephyrae, usually only a millimeter or two across initially, swim away from the polyp and grow. Limnomedusae polyps can asexually produce a creeping frustule larval form, which crawls away before developing into another polyp. A few species can produce new medusae by budding directly from the medusan stage. Some hydromedusae reproduce by fission.
Lifespan
Little is known of the life histories of many jellyfish as the places on the seabed where the benthic forms of those species live have not been found. However, an asexually reproducing strobila form can sometimes live for several years, producing new medusae (ephyra larvae) each year.
An unusual species, Turritopsis dohrnii, formerly classified as Turritopsis nutricula, might be effectively immortal because of its ability under certain circumstances to transform from medusa back to the polyp stage, thereby escaping the death that typically awaits medusae post-reproduction if they have not otherwise been eaten by some other organism. So far this reversal has been observed only in the laboratory.
Locomotion
Jellyfish locomotion is highly efficient. Muscles in the jellylike bell contract, setting up a start vortex and propelling the animal. When the contraction ends, the bell recoils elastically, creating a stop vortex with no extra energy input.
Using the moon jelly Aurelia aurita as an example, jellyfish have been shown to be the most energy-efficient swimmers of all animals. They move through the water by radially expanding and contracting their bell-shaped bodies to push water behind them. They pause between the contraction and expansion phases to create two vortex rings. Muscles are used for the contraction of the body, which creates the first vortex and pushes the animal forward, but the mesoglea is so elastic that the expansion is powered exclusively by relaxing the bell, which releases the energy stored from the contraction. Meanwhile, the second vortex ring starts to spin faster, sucking water into the bell and pushing against the centre of the body, giving a secondary and "free" boost forward. The mechanism, called passive energy recapture, only works in relatively small jellyfish moving at low speeds, allowing the animal to travel 30 percent farther on each swimming cycle. Jellyfish achieved a 48 percent lower cost of transport (food and oxygen intake versus energy spent in movement) than other animals in similar studies. One reason for this is that most of the gelatinous tissue of the bell is inactive, using no energy during swimming.
Ecology
Diet
Jellyfish are, like other cnidarians, generally carnivorous (or parasitic), feeding on planktonic organisms, crustaceans, small fish, fish eggs and larvae, and other jellyfish, ingesting food and voiding undigested waste through the mouth. They hunt passively using their tentacles as drift lines, or sink through the water with their tentacles spread widely; the tentacles, which contain nematocysts to stun or kill the prey, may then flex to help bring it to the mouth. Their swimming technique also helps them to capture prey; when their bell expands it sucks in water which brings more potential prey within reach of the tentacles.
A few species such as Aglaura hemistoma are omnivorous, feeding on microplankton which is a mixture of zooplankton and phytoplankton (microscopic plants) such as dinoflagellates. Others harbour mutualistic algae (Zooxanthellae) in their tissues; the spotted jellyfish (Mastigias papua) is typical of these, deriving part of its nutrition from the products of photosynthesis, and part from captured zooplankton. The upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea andromeda) also has a symbiotic relationship with microalgae, but captures tiny animals to supplement their diet. This is done by releasing tiny balls of living cells composed of mesoglea. These use cilia to drive them through water and stinging cells which stun the prey. The blobs also seems to have digestive capabilities.
Predation
Other species of jellyfish are among the most common and important jellyfish predators. Sea anemones may eat jellyfish that drift into their range. Other predators include tunas, sharks, swordfish, sea turtles and penguins. Jellyfish washed up on the beach are consumed by foxes, other terrestrial mammals and birds. In general however, few animals prey on jellyfish; they can broadly be considered to be top predators in the food chain. Once jellyfish have become dominant in an ecosystem, for example through overfishing which removes predators of jellyfish larvae, there may be no obvious way for the previous balance to be restored: they eat fish eggs and juvenile fish, and compete with fish for food, preventing fish stocks from recovering.
Symbiosis
Some small fish are immune to the stings of the jellyfish and live among the tentacles, serving as bait in a fish trap; they are safe from potential predators and are able to share the fish caught by the jellyfish. The cannonball jellyfish has a symbiotic relationship with ten different species of fish, and with the longnose spider crab, which lives inside the bell, sharing the jellyfish's food and nibbling its tissues.
Main article: Jellyfish bloom
Jellyfish form large masses or blooms in certain environmental conditions of ocean currents, nutrients, sunshine, temperature, season, prey availability, reduced predation and oxygen concentration. Currents collect jellyfish together, especially in years with unusually high populations. Jellyfish can detect marine currents and swim against the current to congregate in blooms. Jellyfish are better able to survive in nutrient-rich, oxygen-poor water than competitors, and thus can feast on plankton without competition. Jellyfish may also benefit from saltier waters, as saltier waters contain more iodine, which is necessary for polyps to turn into jellyfish. Rising sea temperatures caused by climate change may also contribute to jellyfish blooms, because many species of jellyfish are able to survive in warmer waters. Increased nutrients from agricultural or urban runoff with nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorus compounds increase the growth of phytoplankton, causing eutrophication and algal blooms. When the phytoplankton die, they may create dead zones, so-called because they are hypoxic (low in oxygen). This in turn kills fish and other animals, but not jellyfish, allowing them to bloom. Jellyfish populations may be expanding globally as a result of land runoff and overfishing of their natural predators. Jellyfish are well placed to benefit from disturbance of marine ecosystems. They reproduce rapidly; they prey upon many species, while few species prey on them; and they feed via touch rather than visually, so they can feed effectively at night and in turbid waters. It may be difficult for fish stocks to re-establish themselves in marine ecosystems once they have become dominated by jellyfish, because jellyfish feed on plankton, which includes fish eggs and larvae.
As suspected at the turn of this century, jellyfish blooms are increasing in frequency. Between 2013 and 2020 the Mediterranean Science Commission monitored on a weekly basis the frequency of such outbreaks in coastal waters from Morocco to the Black Sea, revealing a relatively high frequency of these blooms nearly all year round, with peaks observed from March to July and often again in the autumn. The blooms are caused by different jellyfish species, depending on their localisation within the Basin: one observes a clear dominance of Pelagia noctiluca and Velella velella outbreaks in the western Mediterranean, of Rhizostoma pulmo and Rhopilema nomadica outbreaks in the eastern Mediterranean, and of Aurelia aurita and Mnemiopsis leidyi outbreaks in the Black Sea.
Some jellyfish populations that have shown clear increases in the past few decades are invasive species, newly arrived from other habitats: examples include the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Baltic Sea, central and eastern Mediterranean, Hawaii, and tropical and subtropical parts of the West Atlantic (including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Brazil).
Jellyfish blooms can have significant impact on community structure. Some carnivorous jellyfish species prey on zooplankton while others graze on primary producers. Reductions in zooplankton and ichthyoplankton due to a jellyfish bloom can ripple through the trophic levels. High-density jellyfish populations can outcompete other predators and reduce fish recruitment. Increased grazing on primary producers by jellyfish can also interrupt energy transfer to higher trophic levels.
During blooms, jellyfish significantly alter the nutrient availability in their environment. Blooms require large amounts of available organic nutrients in the water column to grow, limiting availability for other organisms. Some jellyfish have a symbiotic relationship with single-celled dinoflagellates, allowing them to assimilate inorganic carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen creating competition for phytoplankton. Their large biomass makes them an important source of dissolved and particulate organic matter for microbial communities through excretion, mucus production, and decomposition. The microbes break down the organic matter into inorganic ammonium and phosphate. However, the low carbon availability shifts the process from production to respiration creating low oxygen areas making the dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus largely unavailable for primary production.
These blooms have very real impacts on industries. Jellyfish can outcompete fish by utilizing open niches in over-fished fisheries. Catch of jellyfish can strain fishing gear and lead to expenses relating to damaged gear. Power plants have been shut down due to jellyfish blocking the flow of cooling water. Blooms have also been harmful for tourism, causing a rise in stings and sometimes the closure of beaches.
Jellyfish form a component of jelly-falls, events where gelatinous zooplankton fall to the seafloor, providing food for the benthic organisms there. In temperate and subpolar regions, jelly-falls usually follow immediately after a bloom.
Habitats
Most jellyfish are marine animals, although a few hydromedusae inhabit freshwater. The best known freshwater example is the cosmopolitan hydrozoan jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii. It is less than an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, colorless and does not sting. Some jellyfish populations have become restricted to coastal saltwater lakes, such as Jellyfish Lake in Palau. Jellyfish Lake is a marine lake where millions of golden jellyfish (Mastigias spp.) migrate horizontally across the lake daily.
Although most jellyfish live well off the ocean floor and form part of the plankton, a few species are closely associated with the bottom for much of their lives and can be considered benthic. The upside-down jellyfish in the genus Cassiopea typically lie on the bottom of shallow lagoons where they sometimes pulsate gently with their umbrella top facing down. Even some deep-sea species of hydromedusae and scyphomedusae are usually collected on or near the bottom. All of the stauromedusae are found attached to either seaweed or rocky or other firm material on the bottom.
Some species explicitly adapt to tidal flux. In Roscoe Bay, jellyfish ride the current at ebb tide until they hit a gravel bar, and then descend below the current. They remain in still waters until the tide rises, ascending and allowing it to sweep them back into the bay. They also actively avoid fresh water from mountain snowmelt, diving until they find enough salt.
Parasites
Jellyfish are hosts to a wide variety of parasitic organisms. They act as intermediate hosts of endoparasitic helminths, with the infection being transferred to the definitive host fish after predation. Some digenean trematodes, especially species in the family Lepocreadiidae, use jellyfish as their second intermediate hosts. Fish become infected by the trematodes when they feed on infected jellyfish.
Relation to humans
Jellyfish have long been eaten in some parts of the world. Fisheries have begun harvesting the American cannonball jellyfish, Stomolophus meleagris, along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico for export to Asia.
Jellyfish are also harvested for their collagen, which is being investigated for use in a variety of applications including the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Aquaculture and fisheries of other species often suffer severe losses – and so losses of productivity – due to jellyfish.
Products
Main article: Jellyfish as food
In some countries, including China, Japan, and Korea, jellyfish are a delicacy. The jellyfish is dried to prevent spoiling. Only some 12 species of scyphozoan jellyfish belonging to the order Rhizostomeae are harvested for food, mostly in southeast Asia. Rhizostomes, especially Rhopilema esculentum in China (海蜇 hǎizhé, 'sea stingers') and Stomolophus meleagris (cannonball jellyfish) in the United States, are favored because of their larger and more rigid bodies and because their toxins are harmless to humans.
Traditional processing methods, carried out by a jellyfish master, involve a 20- to 40-day multi-phase procedure in which, after removing the gonads and mucous membranes, the umbrella and oral arms are treated with a mixture of table salt and alum, and compressed. Processing makes the jellyfish drier and more acidic, producing a crisp texture. Jellyfish prepared this way retain 7–10% of their original weight, and the processed product consists of approximately 94% water and 6% protein. Freshly processed jellyfish has a white, creamy color and turns yellow or brown during prolonged storage.
In China, processed jellyfish are desalted by soaking in water overnight and eaten cooked or raw. The dish is often served shredded with a dressing of oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, or as a salad with vegetables. In Japan, cured jellyfish are rinsed, cut into strips and served with vinegar as an appetizer. Desalted, ready-to-eat products are also available.
Biotechnology
The hydromedusa Aequorea victoria was the source of green fluorescent protein, studied for its role in bioluminescence and later for use as a marker in genetic engineering.
Pliny the Elder reported in his Natural History that the slime of the jellyfish "Pulmo marinus" produced light when rubbed on a walking stick.
In 1961, Osamu Shimomura extracted green fluorescent protein (GFP) and another bioluminescent protein, called aequorin, from the large and abundant hydromedusa Aequorea victoria, while studying photoproteins that cause bioluminescence in this species. Three decades later, Douglas Prasher sequenced and cloned the gene for GFP. Martin Chalfie figured out how to use GFP as a fluorescent marker of genes inserted into other cells or organisms. Roger Tsien later chemically manipulated GFP to produce other fluorescent colors to use as markers. In 2008, Shimomura, Chalfie and Tsien won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work with GFP. Man-made GFP became widely used as a fluorescent tag to show which cells or tissues express specific genes. The genetic engineering technique fuses the gene of interest to the GFP gene. The fused DNA is then put into a cell, to generate either a cell line or (via IVF techniques) an entire animal bearing the gene. In the cell or animal, the artificial gene turns on in the same tissues and the same time as the normal gene, making a fusion of the normal protein with GFP attached to the end, illuminating the animal or cell reveals what tissues express that protein—or at what stage of development. The fluorescence shows where the gene is expressed.
Aquarium display
Jellyfish are displayed in many public aquariums. Often the tank's background is blue and the animals are illuminated by side light, increasing the contrast between the animal and the background. In natural conditions, many jellies are so transparent that they are nearly invisible. Jellyfish are not adapted to closed spaces. They depend on currents to transport them from place to place. Professional exhibits as in the Monterey Bay Aquarium feature precise water flows, typically in circular tanks to avoid trapping specimens in corners. The outflow is spread out over a large surface area and the inflow enters as a sheet of water in front of the outflow, so the jellyfish do not get sucked into it. As of 2009, jellyfish were becoming popular in home aquariums, where they require similar equipment.
Stings
Jellyfish are armed with nematocysts, a type of specialized stinging cell. Contact with a jellyfish tentacle can trigger millions of nematocysts to pierce the skin and inject venom, but only some species' venom causes an adverse reaction in humans. In a study published in Communications Biology, researchers found a jellyfish species called Cassiopea xamachana which when triggered will release tiny balls of cells that swim around the jellyfish stinging everything in their path. Researchers described these as "self-propelling microscopic grenades" and named them cassiosomes.
The effects of stings range from mild discomfort to extreme pain and death. Most jellyfish stings are not deadly, but stings of some box jellyfish (Irukandji jellyfish), such as the sea wasp, can be deadly. Stings may cause anaphylaxis (a form of shock), which can be fatal. Jellyfish kill 20 to 40 people a year in the Philippines alone. In 2006 the Spanish Red Cross treated 19,000 stung swimmers along the Costa Brava.
Vinegar (3–10% aqueous acetic acid) may help with box jellyfish stings but not the stings of the Portuguese man o' war. Clearing the area of jelly and tentacles reduces nematocyst firing. Scraping the affected skin, such as with the edge of a credit card, may remove remaining nematocysts. Once the skin has been cleaned of nematocysts, hydrocortisone cream applied locally reduces pain and inflammation. Antihistamines may help to control itching. Immunobased antivenins are used for serious box jellyfish stings.
In Elba Island and Corsica dittrichia viscosa is now used by residents and tourists to heal stings from jellyfish, bees and wasps pressing fresh leaves on the skin with quick results.
Mechanical issues
Jellyfish in large quantities can fill and split fishing nets and crush captured fish. They can clog cooling equipment, having disabled power stations in several countries; jellyfish caused a cascading blackout in the Philippines in 1999, as well as damaging the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California in 2008. They can also stop desalination plants and ships' engines.
The Volcano at The Mirage is igniting the Las Vegas Strip by combining fire with music and choreography -- beautiful and thrilling at the same time.
Since its opening in 1989, the volcano has been one of most popular attractions on the Strip. In 1996, the volcano added new water, lighting and sound effects. Today, the volcano is looking - and sounding - better than ever thanks to a $25 million redesign, which reopened to the public on Dec. 8, 2008.
WET, the company responsible for The Fountains of Bellagio, led the design team for the volcano. The volcano includes two volcano systems, a lagoon and fire shooters that shoot flame on demand. These massive fireballs are capable of shooting more than 12 feet into the air. It also features waterfalls with surrounding pools including fire and smoke effects.
Another exciting highlight of the volcano is its hypnotic music score. Mickey Hart, the legendary Grateful Dead drummer, and Indian music composer Zakir Hussain worked together to create and perform a soundtrack exclusively for the volcano. During the composing process, the two studied legends, myths and history about volcanoes. As a result, they incorporated instruments from around the world. The musical masterpiece infuses chants, percussion and other tribal elements.
The volcano's sound recordings come from actual eruptions. The volcano's state-of-the-art sound sonic sound system allows the audience to actually feel the rumble while a state-of-the-art computer system makes massive fireballs move to the rhythm.
To gain a full appreciation of the volcano's spectacular sights and sounds, patrons walking by the Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip are in luck. The best view of the volcano show is right in front of the hotel. Nothing beats being right there - up close - where you can feel the heat of the flames and hear the pulsating soundtrack. Guests staying on the 14th floor or above at The Mirage meanwhile can experience a top-notch aerial view of the attraction.
For those who arrive early enough to stand in front, the volcano actually gets quite toasty. Fiery choreography, water and music have never come together like this before.
Vegas.com
Early Tuesday morning there was a lot of pulsating and flickering Aurora and a little band to the north of Fairbanks. It wasn't incredibly bright, but had really cool texture that you can kind of see in this.
When you think of diving in Hawaii, images of colourful reef fish come to mind, perhaps turtles, or the epic Manta Night Dive. But for critter nerds like me, the opportunity to hang tethered over 1km deep waters off the coast of Kona on the Big Island was not to be missed. Labelled the "Black Water" or "Pelagic Magic", this dive sees a small group of divers drifting in the open ocean watching as deep sea 'wierdness' emerges on its nightly migration to the shallows. Strange creatures reveal themselves in divers lights from larval fish to pulsating Ctenophores and other translucent and often bioluminescent creatures. After the all too short 80 minute dive was up, one of my favorite images of the night was this Pelagic Octopus.
Pulsating heartbeat and blinking lights - available at The Boardwalk Event beginning Jan 15. COPY / MOD / NO TRANS
Please see the blog post:
“Northern dream routes” allows the public to tap into the energy of the North’s pristine wilderness, the mystical power of its deep lakes and the pulsating metropolitan areas: water fountains rise like powerful geysers and light-and-fire-effects arouse images of the northern lights. Vivid projections and sweeping music bring to life the breathtaking Canadian and Alaskan landscapes and St Petersburg’s white nights. Europe’s largest water show transports Autostadt guests to the far north – a new trip for every week in July.
Perhaps in the Scleropogon genus.
It appears that our approach scared the grasshopper into flight providing opportunity for this approximately one inch long (25mm) robber fly.
At this junction in the takedown the robber fly has either already plunged his proboscis into the hapless grasshopper, pumping in his cocktail of noxious fluids which will cause imminent death, or is waiting for the opportune time to do so. The proboscis appears to be free of the grasshopper. I tend to lean towards the 2nd scenario because of the time element and in my experience robber flies don't pull out until they are done. Either way the hopper's abdomen was pulsating rapidly as he anticipated his last breaths or perhaps gathering strength for one last attempt to save his life.
Fascinating to me is the middle leg of the robber fly pinning the "cocked" back leg of the grasshopper and rendering it powerless. Now all those barbs on robber fly legs make sense.
The grasshopper is in the Melanoplus family.
Full frame image
Expressing a magical wish to alter and create reality in the environment around me, by distorting it.
Mastery over the physical world as expressed in animation.
Neon Dreams: Alluring and Vibrant's Urban Odyssey
Description:
In the heart of our neon jungle, light and shadow dance in an endless waltz. Two figures stand against the vibrant tapestry of the city. Alluring and Vibrant, they reflect and contradict the world around them.
Alluring, bathed in soft pink and purple hues, radiates a calm, captivating presence. Her gaze is steady, her movements deliberate, commanding the air around her. Inside, her consciousness is a serene ocean, deep and mysterious, where thoughts drift like gentle waves. She sees the world through a lens of elegance and poise, filtering chaos into a symphony of harmonious moments.
Beside her, Vibrant is a burst of electric blues and vivid purples, an embodiment of energy and exuberance. Her eyes sparkle with unrestrained joy, capturing every flicker of light with insatiable curiosity. Her inner world is a kaleidoscope of colors, emotions swirling in a frenetic dance. She perceives the city as a playground of possibilities, each neon light a beacon of adventure and discovery.
Together, they navigate the pulsating cityscape, their contrasting energies creating a balance. Alluring grounds Vibrant's exuberance, while Vibrant infuses Alluring's calm with bursts of excitement. Their shared journey is about the duality of existence: how tranquility and dynamism coexist and how inner peace and external vibrancy form each experience.
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www.jjfbbennett.com/2024/05/neon-dreams-alluring-and-vibr...
Keywords:
Alluring and Vibrant, Neon jungle, Urban odyssey, Duality of existence, Serenity and liveliness, Calm and exuberance, Cityscape, Harmonious moments, Adventure and discovery, Light and shadow
It's so rare that jellyfish are stationary! This Moon Jelly was plastered against the glass of the tank - must have been because it was early morning. I thought it looked so much like a flower. Shortly after I took this shot, it began to pulsate and move through the water.
Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita)
Its diet mainly consists of small crustaceans and other small marine life forms. It feeds on zooplankton and mollusks. In captivity it also feeds on brine shrimp (Artemia NYOS - commercially known as “sea monkeys”)
Moon Jellyfish have no brain, heart, blood, head, eyes or ears. They are 95% water and are basically a floating mouth and digestive system. They have a complex set of nerves that respond to stimuli, but they cannot think. They don't possess lungs, gills or trachea.
Nice on black
The e-stim cups are made from soft silicone and can be used with a hand vacuum pump or the SeriousKit milker for pulsating suction.
Red 4mm banana socket connections for bi-polar e-stim. Available soon from SeriousKit.Com
The body of a jellyfish pulsates enabling it to move through the water. It will squeeze it’s umbrella shape body forcing out jets of water resulting in movement. B and I stood watching as they puffed out and squeezed in releasing and moving through the tank.
submitted to ODC/ topic ~ puffed
WALKING IN THE FOG
Softly and gently
Like a grey blanket
The fog envelopes me...
I love to walk in the fog
Picking my way on the steamy earth
Feeling quite like the only one...
The allure of the fog
Has often pulled me
Like a magnet...
To catch the pulsating rhythm of creation
Stretching as far as eternity
This fog
Hold a promise of knowledge
Far beyond the eyes can see.
~ Madhuli
The cold, damp, dreary weather of winter has arrived in the midwest...but even so, one can find some beauty if you look deep enough :-)
Hope you're having a great Sunday....thanks for stopping by to visit!!!!!
The Mursi people of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley have been called “one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa.”
We’d only been in the village just over two hours, and it was still mid-morning. But the sun was high: pulsating light and radiating heat. Following the men to the cattle pens made for a nice diversion, even though I felt anticipatory dread over what was to come.
First, a cow who hasn’t been bled recently must be caught and restrained. Then the bowman palpates an artery on the cows neck for piercing. The spurting fresh blood is caught in a gourd before the hole in the neck is plugged and the blood is drunk by the participants.
The cattle must be used to this treatment – once let loose, they are unfazed.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/culture/men-of-the-mursi-mor...
I woke up suddenly. I felt like death warmed over; everything ached. I gasped as I tried to sit up, feeling the sharp pulsating pain in my head. I cursed and slumped back down. The door opened and I saw someone walking into the room. I looked over at him, trying to get a good look at him; my vision was still slightly fuzzy.
“Hello, Connor.”
“Bruce?!” I looked over at him as he slowly came into focus while my vision cleared. I groaned and slowly, painfully sat up. Bruce was standing there, arms crossed. He unfolded them and walked over to me, gingerly sitting down on the couch.
“Connor, what happened?” The floodgates opened and it all came back to me in an instant; the fight with Onomatopoeia, John coming to my rescue, we limping out of the building.
John staying behind to save me even though it was all my fault.
Guilt crushed me, and I felt as if someone had strapped a weight to me. I told Bruce the whole story, the guilt continuing to simultaneously build up inside me and weigh me down. When I finished, Bruce was looking down, his arm on his knee and his face on his fist. He lifted his eyes to connect to mine.
“Connor, I am so sorry. I should have been there for you, I should have co–”
“Don’t be sorry. You were busy, with Jason and all...” At the mention of Jason, Bruce’s expression darkened. I cringed inwardly; this was obviously a touchy subject.
“Who told you about where I was?” I probed in an attempt to switch the topic, not only to distract Bruce from Jason but to distract myself from the guilt.
“I’m not sure. I got a call from someone claiming that he had found you lying on the ground outside the old Lordtech factory, unconscious, and to come to your mansion. When I got here, there was no one around except for you. I gave you some healing herbs from your father’s Island Room, and set you here, until you woke up.”
“Oh,” I said. I hadn’t been in the Island Room since my mother died; it felt too much like a graveyard. Her deathbed had been the table in there.
“Connor, did you get a good look at the man who was shooting from the building?” Bruce asked me. I shook my head.
“No. Why?”
“Well,” Bruce continued, “I think I know who he is. He’s been in Gotham before, as a hired assassin for another man, Cobblepot, but disappeared awhile ago. He was a master sniper, often hitting a victim in spots that didn’t kill but left them alive just enough to feel the pain. And he never missed.”
“What was his name?” I asked.
“Deadshot.”
Sorry to Chris and Julian for not tagging them, Flickr was acting up and wouldn't let me do it.
Be sure to check out the rest of the series!
Juvenile Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). During the winter months, the numbers of Starlings present within Britain and Ireland are swelled by the arrival of individuals from breeding populations located elsewhere within Europe. The numbers arriving vary from one winter to the next and are influenced by weather conditions on the Continent. Wintering Starlings roost communally and vast flocks may congregate at favoured sites, typically performing amazing aerobatic displays (known as ‘murmurations’) before dropping into the roost, which may be a reedbed, a group of conifers or a human structure, such as a pier. With many thousands of birds using a roost there is the potential for nuisance, their droppings fouling the ground beneath and around the chosen site.
These vast flocks have more humble beginnings, with small flocks of Starlings coming together as dusk approaches. Gradually, as more and more birds join the gathering, a huge pulsating flock is formed. As the light begins to fade so part of the flock will plunge down towards the chosen roost, almost as if testing its nerve to see who will be the first bird to drop into the roost itself. The birds have good reason to be nervous; these large gatherings attract the attentions of predators like Peregrine and Sparrowhawk. Photo by Nick Dobbs, Wareham, Dorset 07-06-2024
Description: Powwows are large social gatherings of Native Americans who follow traditional dances started centuries ago by their ancestors, and which continually evolve to include contemporary aspects. These events of drum music, dancing, singing, artistry and food, are attended by Natives and non-Natives, all of whom join in the dancing and take advantage of the opportunity to see old friends and teach the traditional ways to a younger generation. During the National Powwow, the audience see dancers in full regalia compete in several dance categories, including Men and Women's Golden Age (ages 50 and older); Men's Fancy Dance, Grass and Traditional (Northern and Southern); Women's Jingle Dress, Fancy Shawl, and Traditional (Northern and Southern); Teens (13-17); Juniors (6-12) and Tiny Tots (ages 5 and younger). The drum groups are the heart of all powwows and provide the pulsating and thunderous beats that accompany a dancer's every movement. The powwow is led by three "host drums" that showcase three distinct styles of singing (Northern, Southern and contemporary) and represent the best examples of each style. The drum contest highlights groups of 10 to 12 members each, and they sing traditional family songs that are passed down orally from one generation to the next. The National Museum of the American Indian sponsored the National Powwow in 2002, 2005, and 2007 as a way of presenting to the public the diversity and social traditions of contemporary Native cultures.
Creator/Photographer: Walter Larrimore
Medium: Digital photograph
Culture: American Indian
Geography: USA
Date: 2005
Repository: National Museum of the American Indian
Accession number: 081205WLPOWWOW0455
*New story live NOW.
There is a chilling echo.
A reverberation, a continuation, a thread of stitches, a commonality, a mirroring of the ‘memory loops’ that occupy and feed upon Tilney1.
In writing these opening paragraphs – The hours, days, weeks and months roll on. Not filled with evolution as one might expect. Chaos is not permitted to intervene and gift chance meetings, no friendships born from new seeds, blossoming, growing. No tenderness, no love, no lingering kisses shared to be savoured, no holidays, these are days of no surprises. There is little escape from the barren landscape of Tilney1’s day to day, a landscape left scarred and sterile by his schizophrenia, his medication and continual isolation – words, written almost a year to the day ago, still, as relevant, as though on repeat.
A day repeated, on repeat.
In the absence of profound change, of change in diagnosis, of change in environment, relationships, isolation, in being, still a ghost.
Seen, yet unseen, on the fringe, on the outside, alien, alienated, misunderstood, maligned, marooned.
Still, in this vacuum, Tilney1, as though a last man on earth, endures. Fights, minute to minute, day upon day, weeks, years, through a lifetime.
How then, to breathe and be?, to face a day that is a forever echo, pulsating with past traumas and the scars of yesterday and yesterdays, alive with them.
How to navigate the walls of this invisible maze, walls that are unyielding, forever steering, pushing, forcing. How?.
There is, here, such a force, to equal medication, diagnosis, stigma, indifference, prejudice, of being little more, to so many, than both parasite and statistic.
What equals these boxes and fears, these judgements?.
Hope.
The hope that Tilney1 has. His.
As loud within his being as any invasive thought or voice, at it’s best, as loud as any fear, or state of self loathing, most, imposed by the failings of others around him, for it’s their projected contempt, that breeds Tilney1’s own notions and absence of self worth.
This hope, his hope, that drives him onwards.
Hope, for love, for acceptance, for understanding. Hope is the fuel that powers Tilney1’s endurance.
A hope, that goes as un-noticed in life, as Tilney1, himself.
smalltowninertia.co.uk/market-town-tilney1-mixed-media-pr...
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adrianon.com
Nature has its ways of making us feel little, but nothing can quite compare to the sheer and brute forces of volcanoes. In the middle of the Afar region, Erta Ale reveals itself as a pulsating pathway to the depths beneath our feet, a molten lava portal to the inner core.
© Adriano Neves - acseven - All Rights Reserved.
КОНСТАНТИН КОРОВИН - Девушка у окна
☆
Location: The Museum of Russian Impressionism, Moscow, Russia.
Source: www.rusimp.su/en/collection/object/113
The work was purchased directly Alexander Garin’s collection of Konstantin Korovin’s art, which he purchased in 1930s Paris. For a long time, Garin’s heirs held the painting and did not want to part with the masterpiece.
“Girl by the Window” is an example of the late works of Konstantin Korovin. Even in his early works in the 1880s, the marks of his characteristic style began to show. His work is characterized by his loose style of painting and dynamic, pulsating brushstrokes, along with brightness, richness of colors, attention to lighting effects, and freshness of color
💖 Canon EOS R5 + RF 10 - 20mm F4L IS STM，焦距 10mm 拍攝 1238 張 RAW 檔案做成 41 秒的 4K 縮時影片
💖 影片中間有綠色極光非常快速閃爍的是脈動極光（pulsating aurora）
💖 拍攝極光的時候，到處都是流星啊 ! 邊拍邊許願，整個晚上許了好多願望啊 ! 看到流星四處亂竄真的很過癮 !
💖 從縮時影片可以看到清楚的銀河系在移動 (這季節北極圈看不到銀河核心天蠍座，因為在地平線地下)
💖 2025 雪莉老師挪威羅浮敦極光開放報名中，報名或詢問行程請私訊雪莉老師 LINE ID ~ shirleywung
#雪莉老師 #2025挪威羅浮敦極光團
Mother of All in Leaf and Nature
The turning of the season brings chills
Another letting go comes swiftly
Unsure of what lies ahead in that cold
I shrink in behind you
You cover me with your nurturing
Invite me to see through Your Eyes
Promises rich and pervading
Open up in that sight
Icy winds shake loose the old thoughts
Beauty swells in hidden places
I feel eternal green
Pulsating in every cell of life
© Ganga Fondan, 2011
*Art and words inspired by Shelley's poem "Ode to the West Wind".
The Mursi people of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley have been called “one of the most fascinating tribes in Africa.”
We’d only been in the village just over two hours, and it was still mid-morning. But the sun was high: pulsating light and radiating heat. Following the men to the cattle pens made for a nice diversion, even though I felt anticipatory dread over what was to come.
First, a cow who hasn’t been bled recently must be caught and restrained. Then the bowman palpates an artery on the cows neck for piercing. The spurting fresh blood is caught in a gourd before the hole in the neck is plugged and the blood is drunk by the participants. I don’t think the young lad enjoyed it much!
The cattle must be used to this treatment – once let loose, they are unfazed.
For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/culture/men-of-the-mursi-mor...