I made it!

I can make three little kids out of seasoning, but I can't get these lights to work! [Independent RP for Professor Utonium. Faceclaim (when necessary): Pierce Brosnan]

[sixpenceee]

And here they are:

Thermoception:  Ability to sense heat and cold. Thermoceptors in the brain are used for monitoring internal body temperature.

Proprioception: The sense of where your body parts are located relevant to each other. 

Chronoception: Sense of the passing of time. Your body has an internal clock. 

Equilibrioception:  The sense that allows you to keep your balance and sense body movement in terms of acceleration and directional changes. 

Magentoception:  This is the ability to detect magnetic fields. Unlike most birds, humans do not have a strong magentoception, however, experiments have demonstrated that we do tend to have some sense of magnetic fields. 

Tension Sensors:  These are found in such places as your muscles and allow the brain the ability to monitor muscle tension.

Nociception:  In a word, pain.  This was once thought to simply be the result of overloading other senses, such as “touch”, but it has it’s own unique sensory system.  There are three distinct types of pain receptors: cutaneous (skin), somatic (bones and joints), and visceral (body organs).

SOURCE

[idontreallygive]

Need to know

[mothernaturenetwork]

As tiny black bear cub emerges from den, lucky photographer documents once-in-a-lifetime event Through sheer luck, a wildlife photographer spent an hour with a teensy wild black bear cub and its mother, documenting its experience of seeing the world for the first time.

[levantine-viper-deactivated2014]

Jupiter texture map

Image credit: Celestia Motherlode

[alxndrasplace]

(astronomy.com)  Saturn shines brightest in May

(Tonight, o)n May 10, at 2 p.m. EDT, Saturn reaches opposition — the point in its orbit when it lies opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. The planet then appears as a bright yellowish object at magnitude 0.1 in the constellation Libra the Scales. In the Northern Hemisphere, that star pattern rises in the southeast at sunset.

As you might guess, opposition means the planet rises at sunset, climbs highest in the south around 1 A.M. local daylight time, and sets as the Sun comes up. Opposition also brings Saturn closest to Earth, so it shines brightest for the year (at magnitude 0.1). During times of good seeing (atmospheric steadiness), an observer can pick out the more prominent features of the globe and rings through a 3-inch telescope.

(more…)

[sci-universe]

[professorantonioutonium]

Earthrise filmed during the Apollo 10 mission, 1969.

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Aegina citrea

Sometimes known as the “Golf Tee Medusa” Aegina citrea is a species of Aeginid hydrozoan that boasts a cosmopolitan distribution throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Like other many other cnidarians Aegina citrea is a planktonic ‘predator’ feeding on small invertebrates and other organisms. 

Classification

Animalia-Cnidaria-Hydrozoa-Trachylinae-Narcomedusae-Aeginidae-Aegina-A. citrea

Images: ©Robert Lee

[ppgdaily]

[professorantonioutonium]

I hope everyone is having a good spring break! I sure am. A week from classes, but I'll be back to the swing of things on Monday

[penny4nasa]

"NASA’s annual budget is half a penny on your tax dollar. For twice that—a penny on a dollar—we can transform the country" - Neil deGrasse Tyson If you enjoyed learning about all that we’ve discovered in the short time that we’ve been exploring the COSMOS. Then help NASA get the funding they need to continue pushing the frontier.   Take Action: http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Penny4NASA1

[humanoidhistory]

TURTLE ROCK — Apollo 14 astronaut Ed Mitchell took a series of photos during the mission’s second spacewalk on February 6, 1971. The subject is Turtle Rock, a lunar boulder about 1.5 meters wide and 0.75 meters high, named for the turtle-like shape at the top. In the one image that doesn’t feature the rock, you can spot Mitchell’s shadow. (NASA)

[scienceyoucanlove-deactivated20]

The term “false color” is used to describe what astronomers (and others) often do to images to make them more comprehensible. Long ago, when radio astronomers first started generating images of sources, they wound up with essentially images that were just shades of gray - ranging from pure black to pure white. Each shade represented the intensity of the radio emission from a particular part of the object. Radio astronomers took their shades-of-gray images and converted them to color ones by assigning red to the most intense radio emission and blue to the least intense emission recorded on the image. Intermediate colors (orange, yellow, and green) were assigned to the intermediate levels of radio intensity. Black was assigned to places in the image in which there appeared to be no radio emission.

This process allows astronomers to more quickly recognize features in the images. Typically, when looking at a photograph, the human eye can only distinguish about 16 shades of gray from one another. Using millions of colors, instead, we can often bring out details in an image that we might otherwise miss. These days, just about every area of astronomy creates “false color” images. Remember - electromagnetic radiation does not have “real” color except for the radiation that has a wavelength of between 400 and 700 nm. That little range is called the “visible" spectrum, since it is what we humans beings see with our eyes!

text and photos from NASA

last photo source

[professorantonioutonium]

Late night science rambles:

The uncertainty that surrounds the case of the Malaysia Airlines flight makes the "small" world we live in seem much more bigger. With that in mind, our earth really isn't that small, is it? Then to think that there are bodies out there in space much bigger than our earth and further away than fathomable. As an astronomy professor and general admirer of space in general, there's something disappointing about how untouchable the stars and other planets are. I'm a lab scientist and enjoy the hands-on experiences I have had in a lab. Sometimes I feel like I'm a hopeless romantic of space, only able to dream of experiencing what I see through a telescope-- And, yes, I have taken into consideration that much of what we've discovered in the universe would kill a person immediately upon contact, but it's really the thought that counts.

[spaceexp]

Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft brings three ISS crewmembers back to Earth

The Soyuz TMA-10M capsule carrying Russia’s Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky and U.S. astronaut Michael Hopkins has successfully landed in Kazakhstan Full article

[professorantonioutonium]

6:30am and the students are using the overhead speakers to play "Drop It like It's Hot" ... Too early. Maybe I'm just too old

[professorantonioutonium]

"I have to wake up in four hours and I'm wondering why this sickness won't go away...

Goodnight, Townsville."

[mscerebellum]

Tangerine curls bob around slowly as Antonio speaks; what he’s saying does make sense to her—yes—but it was a diagnosis given to her by someone who seemed—hence, they weren’t actually one, mind you—to fit the role of a doctor, given that they were so close; he was serving as her company for the time being, of course. And even though Antonio wasn’t a doctor, what could one even say to something like this? It wasn’t a severe injury—at least, not to Bellum, for she had survived long enough with treating the wound by herself—so she wasn’t worried for her sake in the slightest, though she had been wondering why it would occasionally cover the bandages that she wore with spots of crimson, and it was apparent that her question was now answered. The professor went on to explain means of how to properly treat the wound, and Sara did take these to heart, but she couldn’t help but to think about how worried he seemed to be when announcing said ways. She still did not look in his direction, rather she glanced away as her lips parted slightly, but then she finally responds, keeping the sound of his worried tone locked in a chest within the back of her mind.

She finally shifts in his direction; “I suppose I should have gotten this checked out sooner. I haven’t done much beyond cleaning around the wound because I would imagine that something like”—her right hand raises as she gesticulates for emphasis—“peroxide—like you said—would only worsen the pain.” Though her words weren’t as medically inclined as Antonio’s were, she still seemed to be on the right track. It was in the short moment of silence that followed that Sara finally realized how genuinely concerned Antonio must have been, He handled her arm with great care; his voice took on a nervous tone as he—she assumed—could only imagine what could happen in the future; even the fact that he offered an examination in the first place showed care, let alone the fact that he was now willing to bandage her arm properly as well. Sara almost deemed the addition if she had wanted for him to heal her as funny; who would deny medical attention in a situation such as this one? She nodded, curls bouncing. “Of course; I’d hate to slow the healing process or cause any more damage than I might have already brought upon myself.” She paused for a moment. “I’ll see what I have in my bathroom.” And then she left.

The trip to her bathroom didn’t take long; she could practically complete the adventure with her eyes close, seeing how she had been living in this house for the majority of her life. An open door frame shouldered by two floor plants led to a hallway; the beginning led into a small staircase—only five steps made up this particular staircase—that led into the rest of the hallway. The walls were littered with various photographs from Bellum’s life, allowing whomever wished to walk along said hallway to glimpse upon the hanging photo album that defined her life, despite the fact that hardly anyone ever saw these pictures. Finally, she was led onto a landing, consisting of a few doors. The door placed straight ahead of her was the one that led into her bedroom; the two on the left led to separate rooms that she had arranged differently—one was a guest bedroom while the other was a quaint library-like room. The last door on the right led into her bathroom—her desired location—and she walked in, darting towards the place that she had pictured in her mind ever since Antonio had mentioned various medicines that would assist in treating her wound.

Above the toilet was a cabinet that was built into the wall. It branched out into a small towel rack—which she utilized—underneath itself and above said rack was two cabinet doors and an open area that was occupied by relaxing images of the beach, even though it was rather difficult for one to see such (though it was quite simple for Sara, given her height). Opening the cabinet doors, her fingers began shifting through various items. A tube of toothpaste was pushed aside; her hairbrush was placed somewhere else; various makeup was rearranged in such a way that she could get a better view, but alas, Sara could find nothing that Antonio spoke of. Walking over to her sink, the woman bent down and situated herself as her knees bent forward, thighs pressing against one another. As one of the doors was opened, her hands began sorting through various items (and it was quite easy to find her way around, seeing how everything was properly organized) until she produced a rather large, clear bag and produced it by putting it on the ledge of the sink after she stood back up. Sara poked around inside of it for a moment to find that various boxes of bandages lived in there, accompanied by the medical tape that she had already been using, various medicines that ranged from chewable tablets to liquid medicines—which did include hydrogen peroxide as the professor had warned about earlier—, tissues, and cotton in both the form of swabs and balls. Sara wasn’t sure if what he required was to be found in here, but it was what had served as her first-aid kit for around the house, so it would do. She then turned off the light and briskly headed for the living room once more, her body undergoing a small spasm from the cool temperature and the absence of her blazer as she passed through the gallery of her childhood and years later.

Finally, she reappeared and handed the bag to Antonio with a small smile. “Here’s what I could find. I’m not entirely sure if it’ll suffice, but I have a feeling that it will. If not,” she continues, “I can run out to the drugstore later and pick some things out for myself so I can treat it properly—and it would be great if you could show me how to do so as well.”

[professorantonioutonium]

Silently he analyzes each word that he has just spoken over and over again, hoping it makes sense to her just as it does to him. He may not be a doctor, but he is trying his best. At times, he realizes he can be too technical with his words--especially when he's nervous as he is now--and it won't make sense even to him. For now, he keeps his eyes downcast at her arm until she confirms in some small way that she's understood what he meant.

Antonio's eyes are no longer downcast when he decides he hasn't done so bad and stay on her until she looks away and he does as well. There's a small part of his mind hoping he hasn't over-imposed in some way that made her uncomfortable because that is the opposite of what he's trying to achieve.Much to his relief, she responds and a small smile takes place of a possibly worried--for many reasons--expression on his face.

"You did pretty good considering. I'm impressed that it isn't infected. Now, however, it's time to heal." He smiles at her. Getting into an explanatory state of mind again, he nods in agreement. "I suppose alcohol or peroxide would be good during the initial time you received the injury simply to be sure you hadn't gotten anything that could possibly cause infection in your arm." Though, he's saying it to her just before she leaves to go find the rest of her medical equipment.

Keeping himself entertained while she's away, he chuckles to himself, knowing full well that it might be a surprise to some that these sort of bandages and first aid equipment aren't on his person at all times considering the accidents that he has caused in the past. If you were to be in his car, lab, or home, there would be plenty of places he had set up in case of emergency, but even then sometimes his hidden first aid fails. His hiding spots only seemed to double up when the girls started coming home with various cuts and scrapes on them after a long day of fighting crime. Blossom would prefer the normal, skin-colored, bandages with an antiseptic ointment already on it; Bubbles prefers band-aids that have shapes of rainbows or animals on them; and Buttercup always prefers to keep her cuts and scrapes bare, but occasionally the professor can sway her with a Spider Man band-aid or something of that sort.

The telescope across the room hasn't left his thoughts yet and he glances at the beautiful equipment, still living in a shocked state of "it's finally mine" and wanting badly to test it out.

As it is, he's an animated man when it comes to things that excite him and there has been plenty of that for one day. By the time Sara returns to the room with her first aid items in stow, he's humming a random tune to himself that came from the depths of his mind and may not even be a real song at all.

"I think it will be just fine." The professor glances at the kitchen before looking back to his hostess. "If that's alright, I'm going to wash my hands first." The microbiologist in him would never stand for anything less.

If she says yes--which he assumes she will--he'll go to the kitchen, hum the "A B C's" until his hands are clean and return to show her how to treat the wound like the one she has.

[professorantonioutonium]

Being the fact that I'm extremely under the weather (but still going to work much to my supervisor's dismay), I've been laying around when I'm not at work and looking at satellite images of the possible place the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 might have crashed. I feel like it's the only productive thing I can do at the moment.

I think the entire situation behind that flight is extremely unsettling for a frequent flyer such as myself. It's 2014 and you'd think there would be another way to see whether or not the people of that flight are going to be okay or otherwise. I truly hope it's the former.

Even the smallest discovery could help the bigger picture.