FINE stands for Fabulous Interesting Novel & Exciting.

Don’t miss Dr. John Knox’s explanation of a weather pattern that causes storms from the west to split around Athens.

Linda recommends the following two link related to Corvid-19:

A Scientific American article that shows how the coronavirus works. The graphics are outstanding!

 – and –

Professor
Kimberly Prather, PhD, Distinguished Chair in Atmospheric Chemistry at
UC San Diego explains the role of aerosols in the spread of Covid-19.

Linda says: “If you get impatient, scoot forward to minute 12 where she starts talking about masks.”

Over 300 reindeer were killed by lightning. Then what happened?

Sue suggests that you visit the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail website. 

Sue also mentions that one of our ramblers, Katherine Edison, has a beautiful sun garden full of native plants in her front yard (corner of Southview and Ag Drive). There’s a sign posted near the sidewalk that says her garden is part of a Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail.

What makes a tree a tree? A longer article from Knowable magazine tells us.

Gross-out of the week:

Parasites frequently have complex life cycles, spending time in two or more hosts. Getting from one to another can be difficult. Watch how a parasitic worm gets from a snail to a bird, the next phase in its life cycle.

FINE (Fascinating, Interesting, Novel, Exciting) things to read. E could also stand for Enjoyable or Educational.

You probably noticed that recently the sky is a little more milky blue than usual. There’s a reason for that and it comes in the form of dust from the Sahara desert. Read about the cause of this weather pattern and its consequences.

Dust and its contents have had important effects in the past, as revealed in this article from Knowable magazine.

When I was a child there was a rumor that some company would pay you money to collect fireflies. We never found out what that company was, or even if it existed. But it actually did, as recounted in this story.

Many fish spawn by broadcasting thousands of eggs that are fertilized in similar manner by males. But, as owners of Guppies probably know, some fish bear their young alive. Such fish are known as livebearers and there are two types. One simply retains the large, yolk-filled eggs in their body until the young fish have developed enough to be released. The other feeds the developing fish through a placenta. It’s not like a human placenta but it performs the same function. Is there an advantage to having a placenta over retaining yolky eggs? Find out here.

Were the French ever in Texas? Find out who was on a French ship sunk off the Texas coast.

That’s it for this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed some FINE reading.

Dale