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Let's put things in "Perspective"
We probably all think that it’s a mess out there now. Hard to discern between what’s a real threat and what is just simple panic and hysteria.
For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900. Many would think that that was a pretty simple time of life. Then on your 14th birthday, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday. 22 million people perish in that war, including many of your friends who volunteered to defend freedom in Europe.
Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until your 20th birthday. 50 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.
On your 29th birthday, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, the World GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. If you were lucky, you had a job that paid $300 a year, a dollar a day.
When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet. And don’t try to catch your breath. If you lived in London England or most of continental Europe, bombing of your neighbourhood, or invasion of your country by foreign soldiers along with their tank and artillery was a daily event. Thousands of Canadian young men joined the army to defend liberty with their lives. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war.
At 50, the Korean War starts. 5 million perish.
At 55 the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict.
On your 62nd birthday there is the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could have ended. Sensible leaders prevented that from happening.
Now, in 2020, we have the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands have died; it feels pretty dangerous; and it is!
Now think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? When you were a kid in 1965 and didn’t think your 85 year old grandparent understood how hard school was. And how mean that kid in your class was. Yet they survived through everything listed above.
Perspective is an amazing art. Refined as time goes on, and very very enlightening.
So let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, we are all in this together. Let's help each other out, and we will get through all of this.
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Finally something practical and honest from the Head of the Infectious Disease Clinic, University of Maryland, USA: re.Covid19.
1. We may have to live with C19 for months or years. Let's not deny it or panic. Let's not make our lives useless. Let's learn to live with this fact.
2. You can't destroy C19 viruses that have penetrated cell walls, by drinking gallons of hot water - you'll just go to the bathroom more often.
3. Washing hands and maintaining a two-metre physical distance is the best method for your protection.
4. If you don't have a C19 patient at home, there's no need to disinfect the surfaces at your house.
5. Packaged cargo, gas pumps, shopping carts and ATMs do not cause infection. If you Wash your hands, live your life as usual.
6. C19 is not a food infection. It is associated with drops of infection like the ‘flu. There is no demonstrated risk that C19 is transmitted by food.
7. You can lose your sense of smell with a lot of allergies and viral infections. This is only a non-specific symptom of C19.
8. Once at home, you don't need to change your clothes urgently and go shower! Purity is a virtue, paranoia is not!
9. The C19 virus doesn't hang in the air for long. This is a respiratory droplet infection that requires close contact.
10. The air is clean, you can walk through the gardens (just keeping your physical protection distance, through parks.
11. It is sufficient to use normal soap against C19, not antibacterial soap. This is a virus, not a bacteria.
12. You don't have to worry about your food orders. But you can heat it all up in the microwave, if you wish.
13. The chances of bringing C19 home with your shoes is like being struck by lightning twice in a day. I've been working against viruses for 20 years - drop infections don't spread like that!
14. You can't be protected from the virus by taking vinegar, sugarcane juice and ginger! These are for immunity not a cure.
15. Wearing a mask for long periods interferes with your breathing and oxygen levels. Wear it only in crowds.
16. Wearing gloves is also a bad idea; the virus can accumulate into the glove and be easily transmitted if you touch your face. Better just to wash your hands regularly.
Immunity is greatly weakened by always staying in a sterile environment. Even if you eat immunity boosting foods, please go out of your house regularly to any park/beach.
Immunity is increased by EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS, not by sitting at home and consuming fried/spicy/sugary food and aerated drinks.
Live life sensibly and to the fullest. Be smart and stay informed!
Wash your hands this way
Filthy fly I met might say
Keep the germs away
Note: According to iNaturalist, "Cynomya cadaverina, also known as the shiny blue bottle fly... has been described by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as being a part of the "filthy fly" category, as it tends to breed in excrement and thrives in filthy habitats. This fly can also pose a health hazard due to the transmission of enteric pathogens that can lead to foodborne diseases in humans.[11]"
[Grazed] Pathogen Tee - M/F
Pathogen tee comes in 7 graphical colour ways for single sale with a fatpack including 3 super exclusive variants as well as including all the basic ones.
Rigged fitted mesh : LegacyM,LegacyF + Reborn
coming too this round of the Wasteland SL Event tonight! @ 6pm SLT
Happy Halloween!
Action Figures Scale 1/6.
Special medley of action figures temporarily in display cabinet during the halloween season, a few quick shots before storage.
Our dear friends the Crenitar Cansects of Crenitar Prime undergo Earth border astromite inspections upon landing to be sure they do not unwilling caring any extraterrestrial space-born pathogens hitch hiking their way into Earth's food chain. Usually a good wanding by Pakistani Starfleet Issue Pulsar Beam Swords always does the trick. Catazillas are usually most prone to these pesky stow always riding along.
Chem Trails Copyright © 2018 F.E. All rights reserved. Panorama Time-Lapse taken on 8/12/18.
Chemtrails 08-12-18 DSCN0534-PANO_c_2018_96dpi.jpg
The Australian green tree frog, also known as simply green tree frog in Australia, White's tree frog, or dumpy tree frog, is a species of tree frog native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in the United States and New Zealand, though the latter is believed to have died out.
Description
The green tree frog is usually a beautiful bright green, though, depending on the mood of the frog, this may sometimes fade to a dark khaki green. Some specimens also have white spots that are outlined in darker colours. The underside is creamy-white. In its adult stage, a female green tree frog may reach almost 12cm in length. Males are much smaller and less robust than the females.
The green tree frogs can climb smooth surfaces by clinging with their belly skin and the pads on their toes. Their call is an extremely distinctive ‘wark-wark-wark’, which is only produced by the males. Both males and females will produce a loud, high-pitched scream if taken by a predator that may surprise it into dropping the frog. The main danger to the green tree frog is the destruction of its habitat through wetland clearance and drainage. Disease has also become an important factor, particularly a type of fungus called a chytrid fungus that attacks the frog’s skin. Researchers are currently examining the effects and spread of this pathogen very closely as it appears to have caused the decline of several species of frog both in Australia and South America.
Habitat
The green tree frog is distributed through the eastern and northern parts of Australia. It prefers cool damp places and, particularly in more arid areas, will often use human habitation for shelter. It is well known for its habit of hiding under the rim of outback toilet bowls!
Diet
The tree frog’s diet includes spiders, crickets, lizards, other frogs and cockroaches and, when in captivity, it will even eat small mice.
Reproduction
The green tree frog is a summer and wet season breeder and will make use of all types of still water including water tanks, swimming pools, semi-permanent swamps and drainage systems. Before metamorphosing, the tadpoles may grow to about 10cm in total length.
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The fungi is described as a plant pathogen and its infection of the cones causes this kind of plant gall ...
Un «Fau de Verzy» est un hêtre dit tortillard du nom latin «Fagus Sylvatica L.Var. Tortuosa Pépin» soit la désignation scientifique du hêtre commun, suivie du nom de la variété «Tortuosa» ainsi nommée par Pépin en 1861.
Le mot «Fau» désignait le hêtre en ancien français, il dérive du latin «fagus», le terme «hêtre» est d’origine germanique.
La mutation génétique est actuellement l'hypothèse la plus probable concernant le phénomène « tortillard ». Survenue spontanément ou peut-être induite par un pathogène il y a plusieurs siècles, la mutation serait stable et héréditaire.
Il y a environ 800 Faux dans la forêt domaniale de Verzy. L'aspect extérieur n'est pas très spectaculaire et ressemble à une sorte de tumulus végétal.
Le "spectacle" est sous le couvert des feuilles où on découvre des troncs totalement torturés.
...a fungal plant pathogen that causes Alder Tongue Galls, a chemically induced distortion of female Alder catkins. A bit past it's best... And a tiny shield bug.
My plan when I started this A-Z challenge was to only consider native species. That turned out not to be possible for Y. I checked my iNaturalist life list, zero entries for the letter Y. Flora-on, the plant guide I use to ID flowers, zero entries for Y. And I couldn't think of anything either. I turned to AI for help, and found out about a moth, but it seems to be rare and to only fly in summer, it would be almost impossible to find it now. ChatGPT also thought it relevant to suggest... Yersinia pestis. Well, I'm a microbiologist, I could take a photo of bacteria... but the bubonic plague pathogen? Yikes! AI clearly doesn't think things through!
So I went to a garden, got under a Yucca tree, native to America but common in gardens here, and looked up to see if anything caught my attention. A leaf piercing through another did. So that's my photo for letter Y.
The Saige antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a critically endangered antelope that previously inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe now is restricted to portions of Russia, Kazakhstan and western Mongolia. 2015 & 2016 were bad years for the Saige antelope - in just a few days, more than one-third of the world's saiga antelopes died off. Samples collected from the carcasses during the die-off, confirmed that the deaths were linked to bacterium Pasteurella multocida. This pathogen caused hemorrhagic septicemia in the saiga population likely linked to a warming event. Reports have come in that the Mongolian subspecies hundreds of miles away had succumbed to an unrelated virus but the prevalence of the pathogen is largely unknown so scientists studying the antelope remain cautious. I’ve tried several times to photograph them – largely unsuccessfully – on this trip I managed to get pretty close to them but most of the shots were pretty blurry – see the bottom shot. I found it somewhat humorous that only shot I got reasonably in good focus was on the antelope showing its backside.
This little Hawaiian owl was found aboard a naval vessel touring the Pacific. Hawaii has very strict rules to protect its native species from outside pathogens, so once this little guy left the islands, he wasn't allowed back. So now he's living the high life at the L.A. Zoo, where he proudly posed for his fans during the L.A. Zoo Photo Day event.
Friday's fly, genus Sarcophaga flesh fly.
Larvae typically feed on decaying meat. I learned that some, however, eat the bacteria and other small organisms living on carrion.
Many species have adapted to humans, and while they are usually nuisance pests, some are medically significant vectors of pathogens and bacteria.
10 mm length.
Link to image of lateral view: www.flickr.com/photos/112623317@N03/44764661132/in/photol...
© All rights reserved.
Mushroom family found in the forest :)
Honey fungus (Armillaria mellea), is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus Armillaria. It is a plant pathogen and part of a cryptic species complex of closely related and morphologically similar species. It causes Armillaria root rot in many plant species and produces mushrooms around the base of trees it has infected. Armillaria mellea is widely distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The fruit body or mushroom grows typically on hardwoods but may be found around and on other living and dead wood or in open areas. Armillaria mellea mushroom are considered good edibles, although some individuals have reported "allergic" reactions that result in stomach upsets. The mushrooms have a taste that has been described as slightly sweet and nutty, with a texture ranging from chewy to crunchy, depending on the method of preparation. Can also be pickled and roasted.
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Opieńkowa rodzinka znaleziona w lesie :)
Opieńka miodowa (Armillaria mellea) – gatunek grzybów z rodziny obrzękowcowatych. Występuje na wszystkich kontynentach z wyjątkiem Antarktydy i Ameryki Południowej. W Europie Środkowej jest pospolita, w Polsce również. Pojawia się najczęściej jesienią od września do listopada, ale czasami może pojawić się nawet na początku sierpnia. Zwykle występuje gromadnie, czasami bardzo licznie. Rośnie na drewnie (pnie, pniaki, gałęzie, korzenie) różnych gatunków drzew liściastych w lasach, ogrodach, parkach i sadach. Opieńka jest pasożytem atakującym zarówno martwe, jak i żywe drzewa. Wywołuje u zaatakowanych drzew chorobę o nazwie opieńkowa zgnilizna korzeni prowadzącą do obumarcia drzewa i powodującą białą zgniliznę drewna. Opieńki są grzybami jadalnymi. Są smaczne, twarde, o łykowatym, mniej wykorzystywanym do konsumpcji trzonie. Do spożycia używa się najczęściej młodych kapeluszy. W stanie surowym lub niedogotowanym opieńka miodowa może być trująca. Dlatego też należy ją najpierw obgotować przez około 5 minut i odlać wywar, po czym dopiero poddaje się ją dalszej obróbce.
I couldn't find an English name for this fungus 'Serpula himantioides". In Dutch it is called 'Dakloze huiszwam'
"Serpula himantioides is a fungal pathogen within the division Basidiomycota. It produces thin, resupinate (inverted), membranous fan-like basidiocarps that are brownish in color and appear as distinctive fruiting bodies on the exterior of the host. S. himantioides prefers the moist wood of coniferous hosts such as fir, larch, spruce, and pine. It is the causal agent of butt rot disease, the symptoms of which include rotting the heartwood at base of tree, as well as damage to the tap root and cores of lateral roots, but standing trees show no signs of infection." - WiKi
Although it looks like it could be some bloodborne pathogen, this is actually a close-up of a vase. The vase is transparent red glass with more opaque glittery areas. The vase had some backlighting as well as some side lighting. HMM
Quand tout va bien on vit avec sans s'en soucier, pourtant ILS sont là, sur et dans notre corps, en permanence et en quantité :
Le microbiote humain est l'ensemble des micro-organismes - bactéries, virus, parasites, champignons non pathogènes, dits " commensaux " - hébergés par le corps humain. On considère que l'on a environ 100 000 milliards de bactéries dans notre organisme pour près de 10 000 à 30 000 milliards de cellules humaines.
Un déréglement ou un indésirable qui s'invite et ça ne va plus !
MINI-MONDES EN VOIE D'ILLUMINATION
Jardin des Plantes de Paris
This week I posted also a topview shot of a similar immature fungus 'Chondrostereum purpureum' and after a few days I went back to see how it was developing, but it was gone already.
Luckily there were other immature ones. I choose this one to follow. I must say that I like this beginning appearance very much. ;-)
After a few days this one looks like this.
"Silver leaf is a fungal disease of trees caused by the fungus plant pathogen Chondrostereum purpureum. It attacks most species of the rose family Rosaceae, particularly the genus Prunus. The disease is progressive and often fatal. The common name is taken from the progressive silvering of leaves on affected branches. It is spread by airborne spores landing on freshly exposed sapwood. For this reason cherries and plums are pruned in summer, when spores are least likely to be present and when disease is visible. Silver Leaf can also happen on poming fruits like apples and pears. Plums are especially vulnerable.
In the past the name Stereum purpureum Pers. was widely used for this fungus, but according to modern taxonomy it is only distantly related to Stereum, actually belonging to order Agaricales whereas Stereum is in order Russulales.
After starting as just a crust on the wood, the fruiting structure develops undulating intergrowing brackets up to about 3 cm broad, which have a tough rubbery texture. The edges and fertile lower surfaces show a fairly vivid violet colour while the fungus is growing, and the upper surfaces have a grey aspect (sometimes with zonation) and are covered with whitish hairs. After a week or two the fructification dries out, becomes brittle, and turns a drab brown or beige. Infected wood can be recognized because it is stained a darker tint.
The spores are rounded cylinders approximately 5-8 µm x 3-4 µm in size. The hyphal structure is monomitic with clamp connections.
It is often found on old stumps and dead wood, but can also be a serious parasite of living trees. As well as plum trees it attacks many other broad-leafed species (other Prunus, apple, pear, willow, poplar, maple, hornbeam, plane, oak, elm, lilac, and many others).Occasionally it also infects conifers (fir, spruce, Thuja, ...).Geographically it is roughly speaking just as widespread as its hosts - it is common in woods, orchards and tree plantations in temperate climates.
Chondrostereum purpureum is commercially available as a method of combatting forest "weed" trees such as red alder, aspens and other species.The fungus is applied directly to the weed trees in a nutrient paste which can be stored and handled conveniently. According to a report of the Canadian Pest Management Agency, the use of this control method will only have a limited impact on non-target trees since the fungal spores are ubiquitous anyway and healthy trees are resistant to attack." - WiKi
"De paarse korstzwam (Chondrostereum purpureum), purperkorstzwam of loodglansschimmel is een paddenstoel uit de familie Cyphellaceae. De soort lijkt op een elfenbankje, maar is paars en aan de rand wit gekleurd. De randen zijn golvend en wit donzig behaard. De onderzijde is glad, donkerbruin of bruin-violet tot bruin. De paddenstoel wordt carpophores genoemd en wordt in de herfst gevormd bij een hoge relatieve luchtvochtigheid met veel regen, mist of dauw en een temperatuur van 10 °C. Hieruit ontstaan de basidiosporen, die bij infectie via wonden loodglans veroorzaken. Zo genoemd omdat de bladeren een loodachtige kleur krijgen als de schimmel de boom heeft aangetast.
De purperkorstzwam wordt gevonden als saprofyt op dood hout van allerlei loofbomen en als parasiet op levende bomen en struiken uit de rozenfamilie. Het veroorzaakt op vruchtbomen loodglansziekte, onder andere bij de pruim en kers. De purperkorstzwam komt het gehele jaar voor en is een algemene verschijning.
Het vruchtlichaam heeft een doorsnede van 2-4 cm, is dun en leerachtig. De korsten hebben een opstaande rand. De bovenkant is voorzien van groeven, is viltig en licht grijsachtig geelbruin. De onderkant is lila tot purperkleurig. Later wordt de onderkant meer bruinachtig. Bij een korst zit het hymenium aan de bovenzijde en is aan de violette kleur te herkennen.
De paarse korstzwam wordt gebruikt voor de bestrijding van de Amerikaanse vogelkers. Op de afgezaagde stobben worden de sporen van de schimmel gesmeerd en zodra de schimmel de wortels bereikt heeft gaat de boom dood." - WiKi
a new picture for you to freeze
in which I try to hide so deep
hearten we put our self to rest
ignited by hopes of trust
the wind has lost it's breath
and calmed the seas we’re in
how simple to let us drift
in a moment when nothing’s real
Pathogen - Pride and Fall
My site dedicated to mushrooms of Finland
1000 species and 8000 images of fungi and slime molds photographed in Finland.
This beautiful 'Tinder fungus' is already more developed than this one. You are looking at the underside.
"Fomes fomentarius (commonly known as the tinder fungus, false tinder fungus, hoof fungus, tinder conk, tinder polypore or ice man fungus) is a species of fungal plant pathogen found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. The species produces very large polypore fruit bodies which are shaped like a horse's hoof and vary in colour from a silvery grey to almost black, though they are normally brown. It grows on the side of various species of tree, which it infects through broken bark, causing rot. The species typically continues to live on trees long after they have died, changing from a parasite to a decomposer.
Though inedible, F. fomentarius has traditionally seen use as the main ingredient of amadou, a material used primarily as tinder, but also used to make clothing and other items. The 5,000-year-old Ötzi the Iceman carried four pieces of F. fomentarius, concluded to be for use as tinder. It also has medicinal and other uses. The species is both a pest and useful in timber production." - WiKi
"De Echte tonderzwam (Fomes fomentarius, synoniem: Polyporus fomentarius), in de volksmond ook tondelzwam of tonder-gaatjeszwam genoemd, is een schimmel die behoort tot de familie Polyporaceae. Het is een zwakteparasiet die groeit op verzwakte of dode bomen.
De echte tonderzwam heeft zijn naam deels te danken aan het feit dat zijn vlees vaak wordt gebruikt voor het vervaardigen van tondel. In de 17e eeuw werd dit licht ontvlambare materiaal, dat werd gebruikt voor het laten smeulen van vuur, 'tonder' genoemd.
De echte tonderzwam is van groot belang voor de voortplanting van veel insectensoorten, waaronder een aantal zeldzame kevers en sluipwespen. Deze leggen hun eitjes in het vruchtlichaam, waarop de larven zich te goed doen aan het vlees.- WiKi
Entered in Challenge 140.0 ~ Tree and Texture ~ The Award Tree
www.flickr.com/groups/awardtree/discuss/72157665358311306/
Koalas typically inhabit open eucalypt woodlands, and the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. Because this eucalypt diet has limited nutritional and caloric content, koalas are largely sedentary and sleep up to 20 hours a day. They are asocial animals, and bonding exists only between mothers and dependent offspring. Adult males communicate with loud bellows that intimidate rivals and attract mates. Males mark their presence with secretions from scent glands located on their chests. Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers' pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives. These young koalas, known as joeys, are fully weaned around a year old. Koalas have few natural predators and parasites, but are threatened by various pathogens, such as Chlamydiaceae bacteria and the koala retrovirus, as well as by bushfires and droughts.
Wetenschappelijk: Armillaria mellea
Scientific name: Armillaria mellea
honey fungus
Armillaria mellea, commonly known as honey fungus, is a basidiomycete fungus in the genus Armillaria. It is a plant pathogen and part of a cryptic species complex of closely related and morphologically similar species. It causes Armillaria root rot in many plant species and produces mushrooms around the base of trees it has infected. The symptoms of infection appear in the crowns of infected trees as discoloured foliage, reduced growth, dieback of the branches and death. The mushrooms are edible but some people may be intolerant to them. This species is capable of producing light via bioluminescence in its mycelium.
Armillaria mellea is widely distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The fruit body or mushroom, commonly known as stump mushroom, stumpie, honey mushroom, pipinky or pinky, grows typically on hardwoods but may be found around and on other living and dead wood or in open areas.
The main part of the fungus is underground where a mat of mycelial threads may extend for great distances. They are bundled together in rhizomorphs that are black in this species. The fungal body is not bioluminescent but its mycelia are luminous when in active growth.
How does it last the blink of an eye? You could measure it, if you really want to, but the truth is that we are so accustomed to blink our eyes that we are almost entirely unaware of the whole thing. Our brain compensates for it. So, in a way, we could say that a blink of an eye has an infinitesimal duration. The amazing thing I was thinking of while processing this fireflies shot - while recalling the actual experience - is that a whole, huge lot of things happen in the blink of an eye. Proteins in our cells are freshly synthetised; old, worn-out proteins are digested and reduced to aminoacids to be recycled; tiny yet powerful molecules of ATP continually bind to enzymes, allowing them to perform their "unlawful" duties at amazing rates; B lymphocytes produce and refine astronomical quantities and varieties of antibodies to fight some intruding pathogen; neurons alternately fire and rest in what we could envisage as, well, an astoundingly complex network of hyperfast fireflies. In the blink of an eye whole universes are born, and whole worlds are destroyed. We are so bound to our perception of time, to our own timescale, that it is utterly difficult for us to imagine what is happening on different timescales. In a mere hour a bacterial colony can proliferate enormously and, sadly, viruses can get huge hordes of self-copies at the expense of an unwittingly complicit cell.
There are further non-human timescales though, well beyond the microscopic word of cells or molecules. It is not by chance that for centuries people have been believing that the world had truly been created in seven days (well, actually six) and that everything - from geology to animals and plants - have remained basically unchanged since then. And that fossils were either remains of antediluvian creatures or tricks of the devil to test our faith and potentially lead us astray.
Well my friends, somehow this photo has reminded me that the world - both the micro- and the macroscopic - is something unutterably complex, almost beyond our grasp (almost being the key of everything). The quest for its understanding is a collective, neverending adventure. I often feel so small that even these fireflies, with their wonders, humble the feeling of being part of the species who believe to be master of the world. My mind is a minute firefly lost in a vast expanse of darkness. Yet I cannot give up. We cannot give up, since we "were not made to live [our] lives as brutes, / but to be followers of worth and knowledge" (Divine Comedy, Inferno, 26). Maybe our lives are the blink of an eye in the unutterable spatial and temporal vastness of the universe. But they are well worth living.
It has always been one of my unfulfilled dreams to photograph fireflies, which, sadly, are becoming a rarity in our countryside; the positive effects of the lockdown for the environment have probably favoured a blooming this year, so I decided to have a try. I followed the advices of a master of fireflies photography, the Bulgarian photographer Hristo Svinarov. However I will eagerly accept hints and positive criticism from everyone who will be so kind to offer it.
In my second fireflies session I have become a little more confident in my possibilities. I have tried to lower the ISO below 1000, and this is by itself a huge step towards better photos; moreover I have somehow dared more in composition. I am forced to use my Samyang 14 mm, which is the only fast-aperture lens I have in my gear, so I ventured nearer and nearer, until I was literally surrounded by dancing fireflies.
I have stacked 15 5-second photos with the Gimp. As the basic layer I used an image I have obtained by averaging the photos with John Paul ChaCha's Chasys Draw IES Artist: the fireflies themselves were almost obliterated but the landscape were effectively denoised, while the details were improved. In this photo I have processed separately the image which would have been the basic layer, just in the same way as any other photo - luminosity masks, and so on. When I was satisfied with the landscape I faced a new problem: it was just like I wanted it to be, so the 15 layers to be blended (those actually containing the fireflies) should not alter it - they should only add the precious fireflies. After a good bit of trial and error I developed my own workflow: a) duplicate one of the fireflies layers; b) extract LAB L component; c) in the bw image so obtained play with levels to force all the dark tones to black, then lower the light tones slider to better the fireflies signal; d) manually paint out the sky and the trees, and the other unwanted parts still visible (e.g. the water in the ditch); e) use this image showing only the fireflies as the layer mask of the original photo; f) set the blending mode to Addition: at this point the fireflies appear in the scene; g) duplicate 4 times the layer and then merge down the copies to get only one layer with the fireflies signal very naturally amplified; h) proceed in this way for all the (gasp) 15 shots; i) after all this, you can inspect the contribution of every layer to the result and, if needed, you can duplicate it and blend with Addition or Dodge to amplify it.
Taphrina betulina is a fungal plant pathogen that causes the gall, witches broom, which is a chemical infection of birch buds or the developing shoots, leading to a proliferation of growth.
Helliwell Provincial Park on Hornby Island, BC, contains many Arbutus trees (Pacific madrone, Arbutus menziesii) that grow in communities intermixed with Coastal Douglas-fir and Garry oaks. These mixed ecosystems are at risk from environmental stresses such as drought and pollution, as well as pathogens such as Arbutus canker.
26/03/2024 www.allenfotowild.com
Stereum hirsutum, also called false turkey tail and hairy curtain crust, is a fungus typically forming multiple brackets on dead wood. It is also a plant pathogen infecting peach trees. S. hirsutum is in turn parasitised by certain other species such as the fungus Tremella aurantia.
An unwelcome visitor in the garden - Asian tiger mosquito.
"This mosquito has become a significant pest in many communities because it closely associates with humans (rather than living in wetlands), and typically flies and feeds in the daytime in addition to at dusk and dawn. The insect is called a tiger mosquito for its striped appearance, which resembles that of the tiger. Ae. albopictus is an epidemiologically important vector for the transmission of many viral pathogens, including the yellow fever virus, dengue fever, and Chikungunya fever,[2] as well as several filarial nematodes such as Dirofilaria immitis.[3] Aedes albopictus is capable of hosting the Zika virus[4][5] and is considered a potential vector for Zika transmission among humans." - Wikipedia
With 25 mm tube
Halyomorpha halys is an insect native from Asia. It has recently established itself also in Europe and South America and is a serious agricultural pest. They feed on a wide array of plants and this makes them extremely versatile as they do not require a specific plant to feed on. To obtain their food, stink bugs use their stylets to pierce the plant tissue to extract the plant fluids. In doing so, the plant loses necessary fluids, which can lead to deformation of seeds, destruction of seeds, destruction of fruiting structures, delayed plant maturation, and increased vulnerability to harmful pathogens. While harvesting the plant's juices, the stink bug injects saliva into the plant, creating a dimpling of the fruit's surface and rotting of the material underneath.
Le microbiote humain est l'ensemble des micro-organismes - bactéries, virus, parasites, champignons non pathogènes, dits " commensaux " - hébergés par le corps humain. On considère que l'on a environ 100 000 milliards de bactéries dans notre organisme pour près de 10 000 à 30 000 milliards de cellules humaines.
MINI-MONDES EN VOIE D'ILLUMINATION
Jardin des Plantes de Paris
Happy Halloween!
Action Figures Scale 1/6.
Special medley of action figures temporarily in display cabinet during the halloween season, a few quick shots before storage.
Galls on oak leaf caused by a parasitic wasp. Galls are abnormal growths caused by pathogens or parasites that occur on leaves, twigs, branches or fruits.
Alter Ego: White Skull
Name: Unknown
Allegiance: Villain
Powers:
* Enhanced physical attributes and advanced healing factor
* Invulnerable against all sorts of toxins and lethal pathogens
* Immunity to pain
Weapons:
* Variation of syringes full of toxic chemicals which can nullify a Metas powers temporarily.
* Pistol with suppressor
* Unique helmet which blocks telekinetic attacks
Key Weakness: Rumour has it that he is afraid of fire although the reason is unknown.
Origin:
White Skull is a devoted member of T.O.X.I.N and second in command to the leader of the organisation. He does not question his leader, Dr. Toxic, he just follows his orders no matter the risk. But don't get him wrong he is highly intelligent and his IQ is rumoured to even trump that of his masters but he's nowhere near as powerful as him, which is probably why he does not attempt to take over the organisation himself. He often is the face of the company and more widely knows throughout the criminal industry due to him being more "out there" in the open than Dr. Toxic. However this makes many believe that he is the leader of the illegal organisation and that Dr. Toxic is just a rumour to make him less of a target, although that is not the case.
From Wikipedia:
Nymphaea nouchali var. caerulea, is a water lily in the genus Nymphaea, a botanical variety of Nymphaea nouchali.
It is an aquatic plant of freshwater lakes, pools and rivers, naturally found throughout most of the eastern half of Africa, as well as parts of southern Arabia, but has also been spread to other regions as an ornamental plant. It was grown by the Ancient Egyptian civilization, and had significance in their religion. It can tolerate the roots being in anoxic mud in nutritionally poor conditions, and can become a dominant plant in deeper water in such habitats. It is associated with a species of snail, which is one of the main hosts of the pathogen causing human schistosomiasis. The underwater rhizomes are edible. Like other species in the genus, the plant contains the psychoactive alkaloid aporphine[inconsistent] (not to be confused with apomorphine, a metabolic product of aporphine).
Lepra ist eine Infektionskrankheit, deren Erreger die Haut und das Nervensystem befällt.
Armut, verbunden mit schlechten hygienischen Verhältnissen begünstigt die Ansteckung.
Wenn die Lepra ausbricht, führt sie zur Bildung von Beulen, Knoten und Geschwüre auf der Haut und auf die Dauer zu Nervenschäden.
Die Folgen sind Gefühllosigkeit besonders in Händen und Füßen oder Schädigungen der Hornhaut des Auges.
Ein Lepra Patient, der kein Gefühl in seinen Händen oder Füßen hat, verletzt sich leicht.
Leprosy is an infectious disease whose pathogen affects the skin and the nervous System.
Poverty, combined with poor hygienic conditions, favours contagion.
When the leprosy breaks out, it leads to the formation of bumps, knots and ulcers on the skin and in the long run to nerve damage.
The consequences are insensibility especially in the hands and feet or damage to the cornea of the eye…
A leprosy patient who has no feeling in his hands or feet is easily injured.
See, i knew i wasn't crazy. Tonight i got there when i usually try to, 9:30pm. I couldn't test shoot cause it would have disrupted the snow.
But it came at 9:50 tonight! Two whole hours earlier than last time, wow, waiting for the amtrak is awesome. ∆
You just have to see the hood of the jacket large, it's sweet
Tim, the next door neighbor to the third cousin twice removed of famous surfer Duke Kahanamoku keeps his balance going in the curl of the wave on Lake Lego. Yes, lakes in Lego land can have big waves as you create them as desired.
International Surfing Day Is June 20 2020
International Surfing Day, held annually on the third Saturday of June, is an unofficial, environmentally conscious sports-centered holiday that celebrates the sport of surfing, surfing lifestyle, and the sustainability of ocean resources. Contests and prizes are also part of the celebration, with surfing-related industries donating prizes such as surfboards and wetsuits. Another purpose of the celebration is to promote the popularity of surfing and to attract new participants.
International Surfing Day was established in 2005 by Surfing Magazine and The Surfrider Foundation. International Surfing Day closely follows the spirit and intent of the World Surf Day in 1993. International Surfing Day is a worldwide celebration of the sport of surfing. The day is observed with surf contests, barbecues, film screenings and other surf-related activities. Surfers also use the day to give back to the environment by organizing beach clean-ups, dune and other habitat restoration, and other activities, such as lobbying to maintain the recreation areas in California where surfing occurs, or planting Naupaka (a flowering coastal plant) in Hawaii.
Other efforts continue throughout the year, including making sure water returned to the oceans is clean and not having high levels of pathogens which can infect a surfer who may have sports-related injuries.
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I was photographing birds in my garden yesterday and I noticed that this male Greenfinch had a blood-sucking tick attached to his cheek. I have seen very few bird ticks, either in the wild or in other's photographs, so I thought it was worth uploading. I'm no expert on ticks but this is very likely to be "Ixodes frontalis" also known as the Passerine Tick (Passerines are songbirds). Its scientific name is interesting too as Ixodes means like Mistletoe, as ticks generally are a similar size and colour to Mistletoe berries. Frontalis means of the front, because they are usually only found on the face or head of birds. And that is because birds' beaks are extremely good at removing ticks, apart from on the parts they can't reach, like the face. There are about 20 species of ticks in Britain and according to Bristol University www.bristoluniversitytickid.uk/page/Ixodes+frontalis/36/#... this species has been reported on "Swallow, tit, warbler, thrush, pigeon, crow, rail, collared dove, turtle dove and badgers (occasionally)". I also saw a paper in Germany that reported it in Blackbirds (which are a thrush) and captive Harris's Hawk. The distribution of the Passerine Tick states "South East England, West and North coast England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Spain, Italy. Generally found in birds nest in coniferous/deciduous woodland, parks and gardens." So this report on a finch, a long way from any coast in northern England might be quite an interesting record. Ticks can carry diseases, most famously Lyme Disease, and this species also has associated pathogens. And despite having plumage in beautiful condition, this Greenfinch did not look especially healthy.
The current (20/04/2020) arrangement for TFL buses is, where possible to have entry & exit dependent on the rear doors only, this isn't possible on single door buses however in effort to reduce contact between passengers & drivers no oyster payments are being taken. The system however has had some quite serious drawbacks with the service being seen as "free" by many resulting in a visible increase of passengers compared to the last 2 weeks. Additionally contact between passengers has increased as everyone is funnelled through a single set of doors.
In my opinion what should be done? - Massively cut back services on non-trunk routes, there are no reason for routes such as the B15 to be running full stop as they primarily serve people who should not be going outside to begin with in the current circumstance. The nightbus network should be running 24hrs operation as to reduce the number of possible contact scenarios and reduce the awful levels of regulation buses are undergoing.
What does this mean in the long run however, faith in public transport will be at an all time low, measures such as the anti-pathogen handles on the new Ceatano buses could and should become standard across the fleet to help break down the fear that buses are just germ machines.
In the long run could we see assets such as the emirates air line & bike hire schemes sold off? and the money saved reinvested into services that everyone can use, bare in mind that everyone pays tax which funds these schemes but not everyone can benefit equally.
Snow Plant Sarcodes sanguinea Torr.
Sequoia National Park California
Sarcodes is a monotypic genus of a single springtime flowering plant in the heath family (Ericaceae) containing the single species Sarcodes sanguinea, commonly called the snow plant or snow flower. It is a parasitic plant that derives sustenance and nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi that attach to roots of trees. Lacking chlorophyll, it is unable to photosynthesize.[1] Ectomycorrhizal (EM) symbioses involve a mutualism between a plant root and a fungus; the plant provides fixed carbon to the fungus and in return, the fungus provides mineral nutrients, water and protection from pathogens to the plant. The snow plant takes advantage of this mutualism by tapping into the network and stealing sugars from the photosynthetic partner by way of the fungus.[2] This form of parasitism is known as mycoheterotrophy.
Scientists have discovered that flies carry more diseases than suspected.
The house fly and the blowfly together harbour more than 600 different bacteria, according to a DNA analysis.
Many are linked with human infections, including stomach bugs, blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Flies can spread bacteria from place-to-place on their legs, feet and wings, experiments show. In fact, every step taken by a fly can transfer live bacteria, researchers said.
''People had some notion that there were pathogens that were carried by flies but had no idea of the extent to which this is true and the extent to which they are transferred," Prof Donald Bryant of Penn State University, a co-researcher on the study, told BBC News.
Turkey vultures warming their flight muscles with solar power. A truly underappreciated bird, IMHO. Their scientific name, Cathartes aura, means Cleansing breeze. Every rotten thing that goes through them, including dangerous pathogens, is rendered harmless. They can detect the tiniest trace of the smell of those rotting things from miles away. They share location of carcasses with the rest of the roost, social and cooperative beings that they are. They stay aloft for hours expending almost no calories doing it - a few flaps to get aloft and a few to land at the end of the day. They are mute and so don't bore people with all the cool factoids about themselves.
It'd be great to feed a flock someday. I hope they like me!
Mykonos is one of those Greek Islands where everything is painted white except the roofs of the churches which there are many. Originally the white was a lime wash to kill infectious disease pathogens but today it is mostly acrylic paint and is continued for tradition. It makes for a beautiful island.
This church did not have the typical blue domed room featuring instead a bell tower which I thought was worth capturing.