Welcome to nerd central

I will take asks about any random question I love looking up that stuff ~~~~~ Piccolo and tenor sax player - marine bio enthusiast- nintendo enthusiast- basically just a nerd- he/him - minor- fandoms, octonauts, gachiakuta, studio investigrave, Gideon the ninth, alien stage, Minecraft, hollow knight

[partialscarab]

General Info/Intro Post

Nickname: Scarab

This is the main blog

I take any asks, but prefer ones that are related to science questions 🧫🧪

DNI: bigots, pro ED blogs, heavily NSFW blogs, bug haters, ginger trumpet players, Elon Musk, ppl who use AI for easily googleable stuff, people who like AI, people who think flute can't be a jazz instrument etc

Artfight: PartialScarab team mystery

I post about (in order of frequency)

Marine bio, insects, and paleo content- including my own pets and SCUBA diving escapades. Favorite fish is alligator gar 🐟🐡Favorite dinosaur is currently Shuvuuia.

marching band stuff - as a woodwind player and drum major. Be warned I am not a fan of trumpet players who think they are better than everyone. Piccolo players ily ✨🪈

health sciences/biology - usually whatever rabbit hole I am down that week, tends to be in the realm of embryology, virology/parasites, endocrine system and digestive system. I will never post gore on here even for medical purposes. 🦠

Politics, usually within the realm of public health and safety, including trans healthcare because this is Tumblr. (I am not a trans medicalist or anything btw, people don't need to medically transition if they don't want to)

Sci fi and horror media, probably whatever books I'm reading

Whatever I think is whimsical and fun

Warnings:

Occasional TW for terminal illness mentions

thalassophobia, especially murky water because I dive in lakes

If you don't like bugs this blog is full of them

Animal death mentioned in the context of dissection

If you don't like evolution for some reason this will also not be a fun place for you

[lortharn-art]

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

YEE-CLAW :D

[daddysdeepdesires]

@joy-and-whimsy-official

[joy-and-whimsy-official]

Joy and whimsy detected! This Yee-Claw is joyful and whimsical!

[thecryptkeeper]

really dig these

[partialscarab]

Charlie Kirk reincarnated as a fruit fly and his testes were so small I had to leave them out of my experiment as an outlier

[ratbugs]

[bugssavetheworld]

Fun fact!!!! Roaches display all types of sociality within insects, from eusocial to solitary depending on the species, with most species falling somewhere in the semisocal category as they will aggregate, socially groom, or take care of their babies.

The most well know eusocial roach are the termite, but another one was recently posited: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70333

[partialscarab]

All the bugs bring whimsy, the roaches are friend

[animentality]

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

I do wish we could make it a little more socially acceptable to wander the streets at night weeping inconsolably I feel like that would have a great catharsis factor for a lot of people

[spicymochi]

they are sitting and pondering

[partialscarab]

How bugs breathe if you even care.

You have probably heard some variation of "bugs breathing through their skin" but I'm a know it all so I wanted to be more specific.

They have a row of holes, called spiracles or stigma, down the abdomen, where air enters into tiny tube networks called tracheae. No lungs needed, it all happens through diffusion as the oxygen inside the bug's body is used up.

The spiracles are sometimes muscle operated and can be closed off, but in other species they are always open. I lied slightly when I said it was all diffusion, because it depends on the species. Some are able to use abdominal muscles and the contraction of the spiracles to have a discontinuous gas exchange.

Other bugs cannot close them, and are constantly losing water, which is the reason why silverfish have to live in damp environments.

Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_system_of_insects https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/spiracle https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/fact-files/respiration.html

https://tenor.com/view/minecraft-silverfish-gif-19251730

[partialscarab]

Why does titanium mix with flesh?

If you ever got a biomedical implant that sets off metal detectors in the airport, it was probably made of titanium.

This is the metal used in pacemakers, hip replacements, hearing aids, and basically everything mechanical that needs to get put in your body, but what makes titanium good for this?

In short, titanium has the highest biocompatibility of any metal

The largest factor is the surface oxide, a film that forms in the presence of oxygen and prevents chemical reactions between the body and metal. This film can bond with bones and adhere, called osteointegration, eliminating the need for "gluing it in."

The implant can further integrate with bones because of the high molecular energy found on it's surface. This is thought in induce angiogenesis (new blood vessels) and make healing more rapid.

Titanium 3D printing is also being adapted to making custom medical devices, which I think is so cool it deserves it's own post!

Despite this, high biocompatibility does not mean no risk. Allergies are rare, and much less common than other metals, but they do exist in around .6% of people

Sources: https://hontitan.com/titanium-biocompatibility-implants-safety/#elementor-toc__heading-anchor-7 https://www.3dnatives.com/en/titanium-3d-printing-metal-medical-implants-131120204/#!

[partialscarab]

Fih

[2-many-ideas-help]

all of you need to go do yourself a MASSIVE favor and watch a dci show right now. theyre on youtube go watch one

[alex-fictus]

The Paleo Party Guest of the day is the living fossil, the Horseshoe crab! They are one of a few Xiphosurans that are extant, the last of a lineage that has been on this Earth since the Ordovician!

This sticker can be found in my Living Animals listing!

Stickers || Phone Wallpapers Masterlist

[heat0nic]

watering my chud ❤️‍🩹

[etcstims]

Clawing at you | source

[uncharismatic-fauna]

The Riveting Ribbon Eel

The ribbon eel, also known as the blue ribbon eel, the leaf-nosed moray eel or the bernis eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) is a species of moray eel distributed throughout the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Ocean. They are often found in warm lagoons and sandy or rocky areas near coral reefs. They are seldom seen at depths greater than 57 m (187 ft).

Leaf-nosed moray eels spend most of their time in burrows or rocky crevices, waiting for small fish and crustaceans to come close enough to ambush. They are active mainly during the day, but even then they don't often venture out into the open unless they have to. R. quaesita has a few natural predators, including other moray eels and groupers. Unlike their more famous cousins the giant moray, they don't have a very strong bite, so they avoid being eaten mainly by hiding. Thanks to their unique, tube-shaped nostrils they also have excellent senses of smell.

Blue ribbon eels are characterised by their extremely long, thin bodies. Adults have up to 255 vertebrae, making them one of the longest known eels in the world. Males range from 65 to 94 cm (26 to 37 in) in length, while females can reach up to 130 cm (51 in). Males and females are also differentiated by their color; males are striped blue and yellow, while females are completely yellow from head to tail.

R. quaesita are protandrous, which means they all intially develop as male, and transition to female as they get older and larger- typically starting their transition around 1 m (39 in) in length. Little is known about when they reproduce, but when males and females do decide to mate they release sperm and eggs into the water where they fertilize. The females will only do this once, and they die within a month of reproduction. The larvae drift in the currents until they settle on the ocean bed and develop into black juveniles. It can take several years for them to become fully mature, and adults in the wild may live up to 20 years.

Conservation status: Ribbon eels are considered Least Concern by the IUCN. Those that live near coral reefs may be threatened by coral bleaching and damage. Capture for the pet trade is also a threat, as those held in captivity tend to die quickly and breeding is difficult.

Photos

Erik Schlögl

Lawrence T

Bernard Dupont

[trilobutch]

california quails they’re unforgettable. small and round, black feather on top.

[partialscarab]

flatfish go through metamorphosis?!??

today I learned that flatfish are, in fact, not born flat. Their skull changes shape during development as one eye migrates over to the same side as the other.

They will then proceed to lay on the seafloor with silly little faces like so

It is a full metamorphosis mediated by the thyroid hormone like in amphibians btw