Medway Towns
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This very MOOtiful double act were busy posing just outside my brother's property near Orange in New South Wales.
Cattle—colloquially cows—are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos taurus.
Cattle are commonly raised as livestock for meat (beef or veal, see beef cattle), for milk (see dairy cattle), and for hides, which are used to make leather. They are used as riding animals and draft animals (oxen or bullocks, which pull carts, plows and other implements). Another product of cattle is dung, which can be used to create manure or fuel. In some regions, such as parts of India, cattle have significant religious meaning. Cattle, mostly small breeds such as the Miniature Zebu, are also kept as pets.
Around 10,500 years ago, cattle were domesticated from as few as 80 progenitors in central Anatolia, the Levant and Western Iran. According to an estimate from 2011, there are 1.4 billion cattle in the world. In 2009, cattle became one of the first livestock animals to have a fully mapped genome.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle
Betty Noyes - Baby Mine / Walt Disney's Dumbo (Original Soundtrack Recording 1957)
Arcade Fire - Baby Mine / Dumbo (2019)
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David Lynch directed in 1980, the film "The Elephant Man" based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, known as "The Elephant Man". Merrick was born in 1862 in Leicester. A year and a half after his birth, he began to suffer from malformations throughout his body, a process that accelerated and worsened at the age of five. Joseph Merrick suffered from Proteus syndrome, a hereditary genetic syndrome that manifests itself in the embryonic phase, due to a mutation in the human genome. This syndrome causes excessive skin growth, abnormal bone development and the formation of tumours in the upper half of the body. Joseph Merrick wandered for years at fairs and freak shows, where he was displayed for cruel mocking. Despite his illness and ill-treatment, Joseph Merrick was sweet-natured and polite, demonstrating in the last years of his life, where he achieved some peace and quiet, that he was a person of above average intelligence. Courage and bravery in overcoming his illness were his life's goals, always with gentleness, delicacy, politeness and in the face of society's rejection. Merrick died in 1890, at the age of 27. You can find this information in more detail at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Merrick. David Lynch's film is highly recommended. A sad and very hard film to watch, which shows us the goodness that can be kept in the soul, even being a strange and different person and showing us the other side of the coin, the cruelty and wickedness of those who consider themselves... "normal people".
The Elephant Man Trailer. Director's film, David Lynch 1980
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Other songs / films
¡Hatari! Director's film, Howard Hawks 1962 - Baby Elephant Walk, Henry Mancini OST
J. Pat O'Malley, Disney Studio Chorus - Colonel Hathi Elephant March / The Jungle Book (OST, 1967)
Tame Impala - Elephant / Elephant (EP 2012)
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Bernard Herrmann – Theme From Taxi Driver / Taxi Driver, Original Soundtrack Recording (1976)
Carole King - You've Got a Friend / Tapestry (1971)
Cuando estés deprimido y con problemas y necesites un poco de cuidado amoroso y nada, nada vaya bien, cierra los ojos y piensa en mí. Y pronto estaré allí para iluminar incluso tu noche más oscura. Sólo tienes que gritar mi nombre y sabes, que dondequiera que esté, vendré corriendo para verte de nuevo... invierno, primavera, verano u otoño... Tienes un amigo...
Image dedicated to Dumbo and Joseph Merrick, "The Elephant Man" and all Dumbo's and Merrick's in this world.
This plant with a beautiful name is endemic to Japan. The diameter of the flower is 6-7 cm. In Tsugaike, Nagano, Japan.
To the best of my knowledge it still holds the record in the genome size: its DNA is the longest or largest among organisms so far examined. Its genome size is 50 times larger as compared to the human one.
白馬の栂池で見たキヌガサソウです。ゲノムサイズが最大の生物で、日本固有種です。
This very beautiful cow was busy posing just outside my brother's property near Orange in New South Wales.
Cattle—colloquially cows—are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos taurus.
Cattle are commonly raised as livestock for meat (beef or veal, see beef cattle), for milk (see dairy cattle), and for hides, which are used to make leather. They are used as riding animals and draft animals (oxen or bullocks, which pull carts, plows and other implements). Another product of cattle is dung, which can be used to create manure or fuel. In some regions, such as parts of India, cattle have significant religious meaning. Cattle, mostly small breeds such as the Miniature Zebu, are also kept as pets.
Around 10,500 years ago, cattle were domesticated from as few as 80 progenitors in central Anatolia, the Levant and Western Iran. According to an estimate from 2011, there are 1.4 billion cattle in the world. In 2009, cattle became one of the first livestock animals to have a fully mapped genome.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle
DNA studies suggest that native American dogs entered North America from Siberia roughly 10,000 years ago, and were then isolated for some 9000 years until the arrival of the first Europeans; these pre-contact dogs exhibited a unique genetic signature that is now almost gone. A study based on sequencing of ancient dog genomes, published in 2020, suggests that this pre-colonial ancestry survives in two Mexican breeds, to the extent of about 4% in the Chihuahua (and some 3% in the Xoloitzcuintli).
Colonial records refer to small, nearly hairless dogs at the beginning of the nineteenth century; one claims that sixteenth-century conquistadores found them plentiful in the region later known as Chihuahua. In a letter written in 1520, Hernan Cortés wrote that the Aztecs raised and sold little dogs as food.
The American Kennel Club first registered a Chihuahua in 1904, Midget, owned by H. Raynor of Texas.
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I love close-ups, especially when you can identify the subject from only a small section. This lovely cow was so accommodating, coming in close enough for me to get the shot!!
Please view Large!!
titles.....
The Midway Geyser Basin's Grand Prismatic Spring is one of the largest hot springs in the world, measuring approximately 370 feet in size and around 121 feet deep (higher than a 10-story building). Only Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica are larger.
This shot was taken while we could still find our own perspective. Now have a viewing stand only. Understand why, but the view there isn't as good.
?4U
What living thing in Yellowstone has helped investigators solve crimes and NASA search for extraterrestrial life on seemingly inhospitable planets? Heat-loving microbes living in the Yellowstone’s thermal pools. In 1968, researcher Thomas Brock discovered a microbe living in one of Yellowstone’s extremely hot springs. In the years since, research on Yellowstone’s microbes has led to major medical and scientific advances, including the sequencing of the entire human genome."
yellowstonepark.com
Have a wonderful week!
"[...] viruses [...] since they are the basis of the evolutionary progression of the whole biological system where viruses and their hosts are constantly adapting to each other, either
gaining certain advantages or suffering considerable
losses. This is a continuous, ongoing process with a
varying rate [...]"
Blinov et al., Viral Component of the Human Genome
Molecular Biology, 2017, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 205–215
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"Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on earth, and recent estimates suggest more than 380 trillion of them (10 times the number of bacteria) inhabit us – seemingly without causing much harm at all."
microbiome.mit.edu/news-events/newsletter/#:~:text=Viruse....
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"The truth is we have an entire universe of flora and fauna inside of us that [...] Living inside every person are trillions of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi [...]"
Dr. Zack Bush
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Music:
"To and Fro" by Rebecca Saunders
A view of Yellowstone's impressive Grand Prismatic Spring at sunset.
"What Makes the Grand Prismatic so Grand?
Deeper than a 10-Story Building
Extremely hot water travels 121 feet from a crack in the Earth to reach the surface of the spring.
Football Field on Steroids
The third largest spring in the world, the Grand Prismatic is bigger than a football field at 370 feet in diameter. A gridiron is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide.
Rainbow of Colors
The hot spring has bright bands of orange, yellow, and green ring the deep blue waters in the spring. The multicolored layers get their hues from different species of thermophile (heat-loving) bacteria living in the progressively cooler water around the spring. And the deep blue center? That’s because water scatters the blue wavelengths of light more than others, reflecting blues back to our eyes.
A Living Thermometer
What living thing in Yellowstone has helped investigators solve crimes and NASA search for extraterrestrial life on seemingly inhospitable planets? Heat-loving microbes living in the Yellowstone’s thermal pools. In 1968, researcher Thomas Brock discovered a microbe living in one of Yellowstone’s extremely hot springs. In the years since, research on Yellowstone’s microbes has led to major medical and scientific advances, including the sequencing of the entire human genome. These microbes even led to the development of the PCR test, which has been instrumental in creating COVID-19 rapid test to slow the spread of the virus." yellowstonepark.com
Have a wonderful Sunday!
This odd looking flower is Kinugasasou (canopy plant, Paris japonica), a perennial herb endemic to Japan as its scientific name indicates. Kinugasa means a type of traditional Japanese umbrella. It is known to have the largest genome of any plant on earth.
Paris is a genus of dozens of flowering plants found in Asia and Europe.
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (Malus domestica). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek, and European Christian tradition.
Apples grown from seed tend to be very different from those of their parents, and the resultant fruit frequently lacks desired characteristics. Generally, apple cultivars are propagated by clonal grafting onto rootstocks. Apple trees grown without rootstocks tend to be larger and much slower to fruit after planting. Rootstocks are used to control the speed of growth and the size of the resulting tree, allowing for easier harvesting.
There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, eating raw, and cider production. Trees and fruit are prone to a number of fungal, bacterial, and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means. In 2010, the fruit's genome was sequenced as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production.
Worldwide production of apples in 2018 was 86 million tonnes, with China accounting for nearly half of the total.
Still no human models :-( Any volunteers?
But It is said that primates genes are at least 95% identical to the human genome (even though a Lemur might not be a primate). So I guess this is a 95% attempt in human portrait photography.
#6 in interestingness (on 2008-02-08) ?!?! And Frontpage ???!!!
It's an immersive lesson in Structure and Design.
I've written a blog about Tower Bridge. There are additional photos as well.
When I'm not working on my blog, you can find me on Twitter
Common Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster)
Have a fab FriYay and a super weekend everyone.
Though it sounds a pest fly it is valuable in cancer research as an understanding and cure are sought.
The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is used as a model organism to study disciplines ranging from fundamental genetics to the development of tissues and organs. Drosophila genome is 60% homologous to that of humans, less redundant, and about 75% of the genes responsible for human diseases have homologs in flies (Ugur et al., 2016). These features, together with a brief generation time, low maintenance costs, and the availability of powerful genetic tools, allow the fruit fly to be eligible to study complex pathways relevant in biomedical research, including cancer.
Happy Fly Day Friday!
Chimpanzees and humans match in 98.7 percent of the genome.
Monkeys - In Germany, these monkeys are subjected to “barbaric” treatment at a laboratory of pharmacology and toxicology.
During testing, the monkeys are restrained by braces.
According to this Cruelty Free International, the monkeys were born in China in a breeding farm, then sent to European labs. The lab is under investigation amid calls for its closure as it breaks E.U. standards on animal welfare.
Each year, nearly 800,000 animals are used in U.S. labs for research according to the USDA.
ᙏoᥒƙᥱყ⳽ ᥲɾᥱ ⳽ᥙρᥱɾɩoɾ to ຕᥱᥒ ɩᥒ tᖾɩ⳽: ωᖾᥱᥒ ຕoᥒƙᥱყ Ꙇooƙ⳽ ɩᥒto ᥲ ຕɩɾɾoɾ, ᖾᥱ ⳽ᥱᥱ⳽ ᥲ ຕoᥒƙᥱყ !
ᵐʲ
©
Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh
India
Anyone interested in seeing one of the festivals held in India, check out the image in the first comment section.
The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It was formerly known as the Bankiva or Bankiva Fowl. It is the species that gave rise to the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus); the grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl and green junglefowl have also contributed genetic material to the gene pool of the chicken.
Evidence from the molecular level derived from whole-genome sequencing revealed that the chicken was domesticated from red junglefowl about 8,000 years ago, with this domestication event involving multiple maternal origins. Since then, their domestic form has spread around the world where they are kept by humans for their meat, eggs, and companionship.
The range of the wild form stretches from India, Nepal and Bangladesh in the west, and eastwards across southern China, to Indochina; south/southeast into Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Junglefowl/Chickens were one of three main animals (along with domesticated pigs and dogs) carried by early Austronesian peoples from Island Southeast Asia in their voyages to the islands of Oceania in prehistory, starting around 5,000 years BP. Today, their modern descendants are found throughout Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.
Red junglefowl prefer disturbed habitats and edges, both natural and human created. Apparently, the forage and thick cover in these sorts of areas are attractive to junglefowl, especially nesting females. Junglefowl use both deforested and regenerating forests. - Wikipedia
I doubt if I were to ask all those of your in North America to name the woodpeckers we might to be able to see in a lifetime, you probably wouldn't mention the Northern Flicker or either of the two Sapsuckers. Well, Sapsuckers and Flickers do peck at wood for insects or sap (nectar), and they are definitely classified as Picidae, the family of woodpeckers.
I'll try to make this simple, but there are two subspecies of Northern Flickers, the Red and the Yellow Shafted. The image I'm presenting today is, of course, the Yellow Shafted. And, now we come to the hard part: The Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted Northern Flickers share a genome that is over 99% identical. However, the 0.01% difference in DNA between the two groups is all that is required to have significant differences in appearance! It is the "interbreeding" that creates the problems.
If you take a look at the range maps, you'll find three, not two: Red-shafted, Yellow-shafted, and "Zone of Integradation," aka. where the two interbreed. (To make it easy on me, please see: www.flockingaround.com/post/northern-flicker-intergrades)
Initially, I thought that the shafted flickers were regionally defined. After a year of seeing these "odd" neither-here-nor-there species, I was told that I live in the Integradation zone where I will find all three. Yellow and Red are easy, but the overlaps can be difficult. Furthermore, Flickers feed on the ground as well as in trees, practice anting (getting ants to spray tjem with formic acid to avoid pests such as ... ants, gnats, etc.) And, of course, the first four Northern Flickers I found were rolling around on an ant mound, kicking up dust (they also takedust baths), and that all four were females. Other than "Flicker" I had no idea as to species until I saw two sets of males watching from an oak tree, and both sets had bright red or yellow shafts.
The northern flicker or common flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. Over 100 common names for the northern flicker are known, including yellowhammer. Many of these names derive from attempts to imitate some of its calls. It is the state bird of Alabama (known by its colloquial name "yellowhammer.")
There are 10 subspecies and I'll stop there. It actually becomes more problematic, and I'll leave the rest of the discussion for "real" birders.
Very briefly: Britsh Columbia is split almost exactly in half (vertically): Red to the south; yellow to the north. WA, OR, and CA are all "mixed." NV, CO, and AZ all red. Then two-thirds of the continent east of the Rockies, all yellow.
Next week, a real treat: my one and only real morph woodpecker, and the second photo I got of the species. (I've been very luky with morphs ... all three of them ;-)
Apparently dodder steals more than just water and nutrients from their hosts. They also steal genetic material. The movement of genetic material from the genome of one organism into the genome of another is called "horizontal gene transfer" and it is surprisingly common in nature. Microbes like bacteria do it all the time and more and more we are finding examples in more complex organisms like plants.
Dodder are obligate parasites. They produce no chlorophyl nor any roots. Instead, they tap into their hosts vascular tissues via specialized structures on their stems called haustoria
"Life is encrypted, genome modified
Like a virus in a lullaby
Artificial 'til the day you die, silly program
You're corrupted
Get the fuck up, wake the fuck up
Wipe the system, and back the fuck up
You're a puppet when they cut your strings off
Don't come crawling back, you're on your own"
Malus sylvestris, the European crab apple, also known as the European wild apple or simply the crab apple, is a species of the genus Malus, native to Europe and western Asia. Its scientific name means "forest apple"
The wild apple is a deciduous small to medium-sized tree, but can also grow into a multi-stemmed bush. It can live 80–100 years and grow up to 14 metres (46 feet) tall with trunk diameters of usually 23–45 centimetres (9–17+1⁄2 inches), although diameters exceeding 90 centimetres (35 in) have been recorded. The leaves are roundish-oval and sometimes hairy on the underside. The hermaphrodite flowers appear in May, slightly preceding hawthorn, have white or pinkish petals and are insect-pollinated. The small pome-fruits are around 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter, ripen in autumn and fall to the ground. The bark is light brown and breaks up in flakes. The branches are thorny, especially in response to pruning or browsing.
In the past M. sylvestris was thought to be the most important ancestor of the cultivated apple (M. domestica), which has since been shown to have been primarily derived from the central Asian species M. sieversii. However, DNA analyses confirm that M. sylvestris has contributed significantly to the genome. They found that secondary introgression from other species of the genus Malus has greatly shaped the genome of M. domestica, with M. sylvestris being the largest secondary contributor. They also found that current populations of M. domestica are more closely related to M. sylvestris than to M. sieversii. However, in more pure strains of M. domestica, the M. sieversii ancestry still predominates.
Malus sylvestris, the European crab apple, also known as the European wild apple or simply the crab apple, is a species of the genus Malus, native to Europe and western Asia. Its scientific name means "forest apple"
The wild apple is a deciduous small to medium-sized tree, but can also grow into a multi-stemmed bush. It can live 80–100 years and grow up to 14 metres (46 feet) tall with trunk diameters of usually 23–45 centimetres (9–17+1⁄2 inches), although diameters exceeding 90 centimetres (35 in) have been recorded. The leaves are roundish-oval and sometimes hairy on the underside. The hermaphrodite flowers appear in May, slightly preceding hawthorn, have white or pinkish petals and are insect-pollinated. The small pome-fruits are around 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter, ripen in autumn and fall to the ground. The bark is light brown and breaks up in flakes. The branches are thorny, especially in response to pruning or browsing.
In the past M. sylvestris was thought to be the most important ancestor of the cultivated apple (M. domestica), which has since been shown to have been primarily derived from the central Asian species M. sieversii. However, DNA analyses confirm that M. sylvestris has contributed significantly to the genome. They found that secondary introgression from other species of the genus Malus has greatly shaped the genome of M. domestica, with M. sylvestris being the largest secondary contributor. They also found that current populations of M. domestica are more closely related to M. sylvestris than to M. sieversii. However, in more pure strains of M. domestica, the M. sieversii ancestry still predominates.
Wikipedia: The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. Red junglefowl are the primary ancestor of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus); the grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl and green junglefowl have also contributed genetic material to the gene pool of the chicken.
Evidence from the molecular level derived from whole-genome sequencing revealed that the chicken was domesticated from red junglefowl about 8,000 years ago, with this domestication event involving multiple maternal origins. Since then, their domestic form has spread around the world where they are kept by humans for their meat and eggs.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_junglefowl
Conservation status: Least Concern
No it hasn't snowed here yet. I needed a photo to illustrate my blog and this was the best I could do on these fast moving birds.
In 1851 the house sparrow (Passer domesticus ) was introduced into North America. Check out my blog where I consider this case of an introduced species and the unintended consequences.
There are sparrows in my yard! What can I do? Part 1 House Sparrow
There are sparrows in my yard! What can I do? Part 2 Our local sparrows
When I blog science, you can find me on Twitter
In the Pennines where I live Kestrels are quite wary and will not perch close to people. But this bird perched right outside the visitor centre at Spurn and this photograph is uncropped. I identified it as a juvenile because of the diffuse breast markings, but they are not easy to separate from adult females. Kestrels are the small birds of prey most often seen hovering by roadsides. They feed mainly on voles and have UV sensitive eyes that can detect the glow of fresh vole urine in the grass. They used to be much more common but their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years. In Britain numbers fell by 32% in the 15 years between 1995 and 2010. There are now approximately 31,000 pairs in Britain. They used to be our commonest bird of prey but Buzzards have now taken that place with about 75,000 pairs.
Kestrels are true falcons, related to Merlin, Peregrine and Hobby in Britain. For years Eagles, Hawks and Falcons have been categorised in the same family but DNA studies have shown without doubt that Falcons are not closely related to Eagles and Hawks, but their predatory life has led to similarities through convergent evolution. This is bit like Guillemots and Penguins looking the same because of a similar lifestyle. So who are Falcons closely related to? Almost unbelievably it is Parrots. Parrots and Falcons share large sequences of highly conserved genes within their genome that are markedly different from other birds of prey. This explains why up-to-date field guides and checklists place the falcons in a different place from Eagles and Hawks.
Common Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster)
Though it sounds a pest fly it is valuable in cancer research as an understanding and cure are sought.
The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is used as a model organism to study disciplines ranging from fundamental genetics to the development of tissues and organs. Drosophila genome is 60% homologous to that of humans, less redundant, and about 75% of the genes responsible for human diseases have homologs in flies (Ugur et al., 2016). These features, together with a brief generation time, low maintenance costs, and the availability of powerful genetic tools, allow the fruit fly to be eligible to study complex pathways relevant in biomedical research, including cancer.
Wikipedia: The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical bird in the family Phasianidae. It ranges across much of Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. Red junglefowl are the primary ancestor of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), but the grey junglefowl, Sri Lankan junglefowl and green junglefowl have also contributed genetic materials to the gene pool of the chicken. Evidence from the molecular level derived from whole-genome sequencing revealed that chicken was domesticated from red junglefowl about 8,000 years ago, with this domestication event involving multiple maternal origins.
Malus sylvestris, the European crab apple, also known as the European wild apple or simply the crab apple, is a species of the genus Malus, native to Europe and western Asia. Its scientific name means "forest apple"
The wild apple is a deciduous small to medium-sized tree, but can also grow into a multi-stemmed bush. It can live 80–100 years and grow up to 14 metres (46 feet) tall with trunk diameters of usually 23–45 centimetres (9–17+1⁄2 inches), although diameters exceeding 90 centimetres (35 in) have been recorded. The leaves are roundish-oval and sometimes hairy on the underside. The hermaphrodite flowers appear in May, slightly preceding hawthorn, have white or pinkish petals and are insect-pollinated. The small pome-fruits are around 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter, ripen in autumn and fall to the ground. The bark is light brown and breaks up in flakes. The branches are thorny, especially in response to pruning or browsing.
In the past M. sylvestris was thought to be the most important ancestor of the cultivated apple (M. domestica), which has since been shown to have been primarily derived from the central Asian species M. sieversii. However, DNA analyses confirm that M. sylvestris has contributed significantly to the genome. They found that secondary introgression from other species of the genus Malus has greatly shaped the genome of M. domestica, with M. sylvestris being the largest secondary contributor. They also found that current populations of M. domestica are more closely related to M. sylvestris than to M. sieversii. However, in more pure strains of M. domestica, the M. sieversii ancestry still predominates.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Part of Special Exhibit, "Genome: Unlocking Life's Code". (3/27/2022)
Malus sylvestris, the European crab apple, also known as the European wild apple or simply the crab apple, is a species of the genus Malus, native to Europe and western Asia. Its scientific name means "forest apple"
The wild apple is a deciduous small to medium-sized tree, but can also grow into a multi-stemmed bush. It can live 80–100 years and grow up to 14 metres (46 feet) tall with trunk diameters of usually 23–45 centimetres (9–17+1⁄2 inches), although diameters exceeding 90 centimetres (35 in) have been recorded. The leaves are roundish-oval and sometimes hairy on the underside. The hermaphrodite flowers appear in May, slightly preceding hawthorn, have white or pinkish petals and are insect-pollinated. The small pome-fruits are around 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter, ripen in autumn and fall to the ground. The bark is light brown and breaks up in flakes. The branches are thorny, especially in response to pruning or browsing.
In the past M. sylvestris was thought to be the most important ancestor of the cultivated apple (M. domestica), which has since been shown to have been primarily derived from the central Asian species M. sieversii. However, DNA analyses confirm that M. sylvestris has contributed significantly to the genome. They found that secondary introgression from other species of the genus Malus has greatly shaped the genome of M. domestica, with M. sylvestris being the largest secondary contributor. They also found that current populations of M. domestica are more closely related to M. sylvestris than to M. sieversii. However, in more pure strains of M. domestica, the M. sieversii ancestry still predominates.
Wildflowers of the West 5: I have seen monkeyflowers in almost every national park and mountainous area I've visited over the past 50+ years. It's almost as common as Vetch, certainly in the western continent. On the last hike to Nisqually Glacier Meadow (Trail - flic.kr/p/vewv3c), just trailside was this one plant with one open flower. From the looks of it, I thought I had found my first orchid, but noooo, "just" a beautiful little Sweet Pea.
Erythranthe guttata, with the common names seep monkeyflower and common yellow monkeyflower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial plant. It was formerly known as Mimulus guttatus. I don't know why, but several things I read point out that "There may be as many as 1000 scientific papers focused on this species. The genome is (as of 2012) being studied in depth."
A herbaceous wildflower, Erythranthe guttata grows along the banks of streams and seeps throughout much of western North America from sea level to 12,000 feet. It is found in a wide range of habitats including the splash zone of the Pacific Ocean, the chaparral of California, Western U.S. deserts, the geysers of Yellowstone National Park, alpine meadows at Mt. Rainier, serpentine barrens, and even on the toxic tailings of copper mines. It is also very common in New Zealand near water bodies. (Eyes open, Lance.)
Though I found this at Nisqually, my favorite spot in all of Mt. Rainier has got to be Louise Lake - see below.
There are so many wildflowers that I've photographed in Washington state (I haven't even gotten to the Pacific Coast, Hoh Rain Forest, Hurricane Ridge, Port Angeles or the coast roadside where I found wild Digitalis, Paintbrush, and all manner of Fuscia). Another time, perhaps...
The apple tree (Malus domestica) is a deciduous tree in the rose family best known for its sweet, pomaceous fruit, the apple. It is cultivated worldwide as a fruit tree, and is the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek and European Christian traditions.
Apple trees are large if grown from seed, but small if grafted onto roots (rootstock). There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, eating raw and cider production. Apples are generally propagated by grafting, although wild apples grow readily from seed. Trees and fruit are prone to a number of fungal, bacterial and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means. In 2010, the fruit's genome was decoded as part of research on disease control and selective breeding in apple production.
About 80 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2013, and China produced almost half of this total.[3] The United States is the second-leading producer, with more than 6% of world production. Turkey is third, followed by Italy, India and Poland. Apples are often eaten raw, but can also be found in many prepared foods (especially desserts) and drinks. Many beneficial health effects are thought to result from eating apples; however, two types of allergies are attributed to various proteins found in the fruit.
Erythranthe guttata, with the common names seep monkeyflower and common yellow monkeyflower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial plant. It was formerly known as Mimulus guttatus.
Erythranthe guttata is a model organism for biological studies, and in that context is still referred to as Mimulus guttatus. There may be as many as 1000 scientific papers focused on this species. The genome is (as of 2012) being studied in depth.
For combined research of evolution, genetics, and ecology, particularly plant-insect interactions, the yellow monkeyflower has become a model system. With the help of physically resistant protections called trichomes, which have been thoroughly examined, the yellow monkeyflower defends itself against herbivores.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
“‘Alarm Bells’: Genetic ‘Fingerprint’ of COVID Vaccine Found in 31-Year-Old Cancer Patient’s DNA”
“Genetic material contained within mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can integrate into the human genome, potentially contributing to the onset of aggressive cancer, new research suggests.”
childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/genetic-fingerprint-c...
A 2023 finding by Kevin McKernan, chief scientific officer and founder of Medicinal Genomics, identified DNA contamination in the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine — a discovery later confirmed by others, including Health Canada, a government agency overseeing that country’s health system.
A peer-reviewed study published last year in the journal Science, Public Health Policy and the Law, found DNA in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines at levels three to four times higher than regulatory limits.
A peer-reviewed study, published last year in the journal Methods and Protocols, found DNA impurity levels ranging from 360 to 534 times higher than the regulatory limit.
A study performed last year at a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laboratory by high school students under the supervision of FDA researchers confirmed the presence of a high level of DNA contamination in Pfizer’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
A literature review published earlier this year identified over 100 peer-reviewed studies indicating that mRNA COVID-19 vaccination may lead to turbo cancer, through 17 distinct biological mechanisms.
Jeremiah 36:24 “Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow.”
Following Linnaeus's first descriptions of the species, several tiger specimens were described and proposed as subspecies. The validity of several tiger subspecies was questioned in 1999. Most putative subspecies described in the 19th and 20th centuries were distinguished on basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size, hence characteristics that vary widely within populations. Morphologically, tigers from different regions vary little, and gene flow between populations in those regions is considered to have been possible during the Pleistocene. Therefore, it was proposed to recognize only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely P. t. tigris in mainland Asia, and P. t. sondaica in the Greater Sunda Islands.
Results of craniological analysis of 111 tiger skulls from Southeast Asian range countries indicate that Sumatran tiger skulls differ from Indochinese and Javan tiger skulls, whereas Bali tiger skulls are similar in size to Javan tiger skulls. The authors proposed to classify the Sumatran and Javan tigers as distinct species, P. sumatrae and P. sondaica, with the Bali tiger as subspecies P. sondaica balica.
In 2015, morphological, ecological, and molecular traits of all putative tiger subspecies were analysed in a combined approach. Results support distinction of the two evolutionary groups continental and Sunda tigers. The authors proposed recognition of only two subspecies, namely P. t. tigris comprising the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South Chinese, Siberian and Caspian tiger populations, and P. t. sondaica comprising the Javan, Bali and Sumatran tiger populations. The authors also noted that this reclassification will affect tiger conservation management. The nominate subspecies P. t. tigris constitutes two clades:
a northern clade composed of the Siberian and Caspian tiger populations
a southern clade composed of all other mainland populations.
One conservation specialist welcomed this proposal as it would make captive breeding programmes and future rewilding of zoo-born tigers easier. One geneticist was sceptical of this study and maintained that the currently recognised nine subspecies can be distinguished genetically.
In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy and recognized the tiger populations in continental Asia as P. t. tigris, and those in the Sunda Islands as P. t. sondaica. This two-subspecies view has been largely rejected by researchers. Results of a 2018 whole-genome sequencing of 32 specimens support six monophyletic tiger clades corresponding with the living subspecies and indicate that the most recent common ancestor lived about 110,000 years ago. The following tables are based on the classification of the species Panthera tigris provided in Mammal Species of the World. It also reflects the classification used by the Cat Classification Task Force in 2017
▌▌MAN CAVE ▌▌
Taxi:
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Match/131/129/46
Fitted mesh, for BELLEZA Jake, SIGNATURE gianni & Geralt, SLINK, & TMP Male bodies .
Photographed in Serengeti National Park, Mara Region, Tanzania
=> Please click on the image to see the largest size. <=
Seeing these four very young cheetahs with their mom was the highlight of our several game drives in Serengeti National Park and we felt *extremely* fortunate to see and photograph them.
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From Wikipedia: The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae that occurs in Southern, North and East Africa and and a few localities in Iran. The species is IUCN Red Listed as vulnerable, as it suffered a substantial decline in its historic range in the 20th century due to habitat loss, poaching, illegal pet trade, and conflict with humans. By 2016, the global cheetah population has been estimated at approximately 7,100 individuals in the wild. Several African countries have taken steps to improve cheetah conservation measures.
It is the fastest land animal. The only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, the cheetah was formally described by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1775. The cheetah is characterised by a slender body, deep chest, spotted coat, small rounded head, black tear-like streaks on the face, long thin legs and long spotted tail. Its lightly built, slender form is in sharp contrast with the robust build of the big cats, making it more similar to the cougar. The cheetah reaches nearly 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 21–72 kg (46–159 lb). Though taller than the leopard, it is notably smaller than the lion. Typically yellowish tan or rufous to greyish white, the coat is uniformly covered with nearly 2,000 solid black spots.
Cheetahs are active mainly during the day, with hunting their major activity. Adult males are sociable despite their territoriality, forming groups called coalitions. Females are not territorial; they may be solitary or live with their offspring in home ranges. Carnivores, cheetah mainly prey upon antelopes and gazelles. They will stalk their prey to within 100–300 m (330–980 ft), charge towards it and kill it by tripping it during the chase and biting its throat to suffocate it to death. Cheetahs can reach speeds of 112 km/h (70 mph) in short bursts, but this is disputed by more recent measurements. The average speed of cheetahs is about 64 km/h (40 mph). Cheetahs are induced ovulators, breeding throughout the year. Gestation is nearly three months long, resulting in a litter of typically three to five cubs (the number can vary from one to eight). Weaning occurs at six months; siblings tend to stay together for some time. Cheetah cubs face higher mortality than most other mammals, especially in the Serengeti region. Cheetahs inhabit a variety of habitats – dry forests, scrub forests and savannahs.
Because of its prowess at hunting, the cheetah was tamed and used to kill game at hunts in the past. The animal has been widely depicted in art, literature, advertising and animation.
The cheetah's closest relatives are the cougar (Puma concolor) and the jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi).[These three species together form the Puma lineage, one of the eight lineages of Felidae. The sister group of the Puma lineage is a clade of smaller Old World cats that includes the genera Felis, Otocolobus and Prionailurus.
Although the cheetah is an African cat, molecular evidence indicates that the three species of the Puma lineage evolved in North America two to three million years ago, where they possibly had a common ancestor during the Miocene. They possibly diverged from this ancestor 8.25 million years ago. The cheetah diverged from the puma and the jaguarundi around 6.7 million years ago. A genome study suggests that cheetahs experienced two genetic bottlenecks in their history, the first about 100,000 years ago and the second about 12,000 years ago, greatly lowering their genetic variability. These bottlenecks may have been associated with migrations across Asia and into Africa (with the current African population founded about 12,000 years ago), and/or with a depletion of prey species at the end of the Pleistocene.
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Common Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster)
Though it sounds a pest fly it is valuable in cancer research as an understanding and cure are sought.
The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is used as a model organism to study disciplines ranging from fundamental genetics to the development of tissues and organs. Drosophila genome is 60% homologous to that of humans, less redundant, and about 75% of the genes responsible for human diseases have homologs in flies (Ugur et al., 2016). These features, together with a brief generation time, low maintenance costs, and the availability of powerful genetic tools, allow the fruit fly to be eligible to study complex pathways relevant in biomedical research, including cancer.
Happy Fly Day Friday!
(from Wikipedia:)
The house mouse (Mus musculus) is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and hairy tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus Mus. Although a wild animal, the house mouse has benefited significantly from associating with human habitation to the point that truly wild populations are significantly less common than the semi-tame populations near human activity.
The house mouse has been domesticated as the pet or fancy mouse, and as the laboratory mouse, which is one of the most important model organisms in biology and medicine. The complete mouse reference genome was sequenced in 2002.
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Lots and lots of sprinkles. We buy these luscious delights everytime we go to Cleveland (of all places). Boy are they good. Kind of looks like a genome of some odd bodily wonder that science has just discovered???
SN/NC: Malus sylvestris, Rosaceae Family
The wild apple tree or European wild apple tree, or simply crab apple is one of the species of the genus Malus originating in central Europe. Its scientific name means "apple of the forest". In the past it was thought to be an important ancestor of the cultivated apple (Malus domestica), however it is now known to come mainly from the Central Asian species Malus sieversii. On the other hand, recent genetic studies confirm that M. sylvestris has contributed in a secondary, but significant way, to the genome of the cultivated apple tree.
A macieira selvagem ou macieira selvagem europeia, é uma das espécies do gênero Malus originárias da Europa central. Seu nome científico significa "maçã da floresta". No passado, pensava-se que era um importante ancestral da maçã cultivada (Malus domestica), mas agora sabe-se que vem principalmente da espécie da Ásia Central Malus sieversii. Por outro lado, estudos genéticos recentes confirmam que M. sylvestris contribuiu de forma secundária, mas significativa, para o genoma da macieira cultivada.
El manzano silvestre o manzano silvestre europeo, es una de las especies del género Malus originario de la Europa central. Su nombre científico significa "manzana del bosque". En el pasado se pensó que pudiera ser un antepasado importante del manzano de cultivo (Malus domestica), sin embargo ahora se sabe que proviene principalmente de la especie Malus sieversii de Asia central. Por otra parte, estudios genéticos recientes confirman que M. sylvestris a contribuido de manera secundaria, pero significativa, al genoma del manzano de cultivo.
Le pommier sauvage ou pommier sauvage européen, est une des espèces du genre Malus originaire d'Europe centrale. Son nom scientifique signifie "pomme de la forêt". Dans le passé, on pensait qu'il s'agissait d'un ancêtre important du pommier cultivé (Malus domestica), mais on sait maintenant qu'il provient principalement de l'espèce d'Asie centrale Malus sieversii. En revanche, des études génétiques récentes confirment que M. sylvestris a contribué de manière secondaire, mais significative, au génome du pommier cultivé.
Il melo selvatico o melo selvatico europeo, è una delle specie del genere Malus originarie dell'Europa centrale. Il suo nome scientifico significa "mela della foresta". In passato si pensava fosse un importante antenato del melo coltivato (Malus domestica), tuttavia oggi è noto che provenga principalmente dalla specie centroasiatica Malus sieversii. D'altronde recenti studi genetici confermano che M. sylvestris ha contribuito in modo secondario, ma significativo, al genoma del melo coltivato.
De wilde appelboom of Europese wilde appelboom, is een van de soorten van het geslacht Malus van oorsprong uit Midden-Europa. De wetenschappelijke naam betekent "appel van het bos". In het verleden werd gedacht dat het een belangrijke voorouder was van de gecultiveerde appel (Malus domestica), maar nu is bekend dat het voornamelijk afkomstig is van de Centraal-Aziatische soort Malus sieversii. Aan de andere kant bevestigen recente genetische studies dat M. sylvestris op een secundaire, maar significante manier heeft bijgedragen aan het genoom van de gecultiveerde appelboom.
Der Wildapfelbaum oder Europäischer Wildapfelbaum ist eine aus Mitteleuropa stammende Art der Gattung Malus. Sein wissenschaftlicher Name bedeutet „Apfel des Waldes". Früher hielt man ihn für einen wichtigen Vorfahren des Kulturapfels (Malus domestica), heute ist jedoch bekannt, dass er hauptsächlich von der zentralasiatischen Art Malus sieversii abstammt. Andererseits bestätigen neuere genetische Studien, dass M. sylvestris in sekundärer, aber signifikanter Weise zum Genom des Kulturapfelbaums (Malus domestica) beigetragen hat.
شجرة التفاح البرية أو شجرة التفاح البرية الأوروبية ، هي أحد أنواع جنس Malus التي نشأت في وسط أوروبا. اسمها العلمي يعني \ "تفاحة الغابة \". في الماضي كان يُعتقد أنه سلف مهم للتفاح المزروع (Malus domestica) ، ولكن من المعروف الآن أنه يأتي بشكل رئيسي من الأنواع في آسيا الوسطى Malus sieversii. من ناحية أخرى ، تؤكد الدراسات الوراثية الحديثة أن M. sylvestris ساهم بطريقة ثانوية ، ولكن مهمة ، في جينوم شجرة التفاح المزروعة
野生のリンゴの木またはヨーロッパの野生のリンゴの木は、中央ヨーロッパに由来するマルス属の種の1つです。その学名は「森のリンゴ」を意味します。かつては栽培リンゴ（Malusdomestica）の重要な祖先であると考えられていましたが、現在では主に中央アジアの種であるMalussieversiiに由来することが知られています。一方、最近の遺伝学的研究では、M。sylvestrisが、栽培されているリンゴの木（Malusdomestica）のゲノムに二次的ではあるが重要な方法で貢献していることが確認されています。
Favorite,
Metal Gear character,
Ever.
If you have ever played Metal Gear, you know who these guys are, dressed in white for camo, and they use FAMAS to make a rain of bullets...
Yeah...
Little Mountain,
Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Fritillaria (fritillaries) is a genus of spring flowering herbaceous bulbous perennial plants in the lily family (Liliaceae). The type species, Fritillaria meleagris, was first described in Europe in 1571, while other species from the Middle East and Asia were also introduced to Europe at that time. The genus has about 130–140 species divided among eight subgenera. The flowers are usually solitary, nodding and bell-shaped with bulbs that have fleshy scales, resembling those of lilies. They are known for their large genome size and genetically are very closely related to lilies. They are native to the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere, from the Mediterranean and North Africa through Eurasia and southwest Asia to western North America. Many are endangered due to enthusiastic picking.
Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla, gorilla, gorilla) female called "Kamilah" was born December 5, 1977 at Woodland Park Zoo and in 1983 came to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Kamilah is the mother of two: "Paul Donn" (born 1/3/89) and "N'Djia" (born 12/31/94). She is also the grandmother of four and the great grandmother of a gorilla boy living in North Carolina.
Kamilah has represented her species through her DNA used to map the western lowland gorilla genome. She lives in a troop at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Conservation status: critically endangered.
The hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using their long proboscis while hovering in the air; this resemblance is an example of convergent evolution. The hummingbird hawk-moth was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. As of 2018, its entire genome and mitogenome have been sequenced
Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla, gorilla, gorilla) female called "Kamilah" was born December 5th 1977 at Woodland Park Zoo and in 1983 came to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
She is the mother of two: "Paul Donn" (born 1/3/89) living in San Diego and "N'Djia" (born 12/31/94) living in Los Angeles. She is also the grandmother of four and the great grandmother of a gorilla boy living in North Carolina.
When she was 35 years old, a sample of Kamilah's DNA was used to map the genome of the Western Lowland Gorilla. She was credited and pictured in this Nature article. www.nature.com/news/gorilla-joins-the-genome-club-1.10185
Conservation status: critically endangered.
1953 England DNA The "Secret Of Life"
25th April 1953 : Two Cambridge University scientists "James D Watson and Francis Crick" publish an article in Nature Magazine explaining the structure of DNA and that DNA is the material that makes up genes which pass hereditary characteristics in all life from one parent to another. They conclude that it consists of a double helix of two strands coiled around each other and could even be considered the "secret of life".
2003 Human Genome Project
25th April 2003 : The Human Genome Project to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA of the human genome consisting of 20,000-25,000 genes started in 1990 is published. The project started in the US with James D. Watson who was head of the National Center for Human Genome Research at the National Institutes of Health but over the next 10 years geneticists in China, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom all worked together on the project helping the project end two years earlier than planned. One of the most important aspects of this research is it available to available to anyone on the Internet and not owned or controlled by any one company or government.