I Want To See Them

I want to see them

Scientists Just Discovered There Are 'Bees' in the Oceans

Huh...

For the first time, researchers have found evidence that underwater ecosystems have pollinators that perform the same task as bees on land.

Just like their terrestrial cousins, grasses under the sea shed pollen to sexually reproduce. Until now, biologists assumed the marine plants relied on water alone to spread their genes far and wide. But the discovery of pollen-carrying ‘bees of the sea’ has changed all of that.

Over several years from 2009 to 2012, researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico filmed the spring nocturnal wanderings of crustaceans among beds of turtle seagrass, Thalassia testudinum.

Looking through the videos, they spotted more invertebrates visiting male pollen-bearing flowers than those that lacked pollen – just like bees hovering around pollen-producing plants on land.

“We saw all of these animals coming in, and then we saw some of them carrying pollen,” lead researcher Brigitta van Tussenbroek told New Scientist.

The concept was so new, they invented a new term to describe it: zoobenthophilous pollination. Before that, researchers had never predicted that animals were involved in pollinating marine plants.

Pocketful of Stars

I carry a container full of stars in my pocket.

I hand them out to cashiers as the card processes. Like a little crow handing out shinies. Never know who needs a star to make their day.

Once while in the mall, I passed a perfume counter with a girl with sad eyes. I paused. No transaction. No reason to stop to interact, but those dark sad eyes.

I walk back and hold out the container, tiny knickknacks tinkling in the motion.

“Hello, would you like a star?”. It’s awkward. But very little grace is needed to offer something pretty and shiny.

“Why?” Her response is unexpected. Intense. Shocked. Staring with import at the container.

“Just a cute thing I do. Never know who needs a star.”

I feel sheepish. Usually it’s a quick interaction, a star offered as a receipt is passed. Too quick to process the idiosyncrasy of the moment. Too sudden to not be excited for a cheap little star made out of stone.

“My best friend just died.”

Her face is lowered, sad eyes looking at the stars in the myriad of hues.

“She had an entire sleeve of stars. Tattooed all up her arm…”. She traced an invisible path on her skin with delicate fingers.

She looked at those stars and the strange giver with significance. She chose her star of onyx and asked for a hug, happily given.

Coincidence. Miracle. Serendipity. Mundane magic. Whatever it was.

You never know who needs a star.

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126K notes View Post

fuzzybunnylover

1 year ago

genuinely one of the worst things that’s happened to television in the last few years (exacerbated by streaming services) is death of Filler. going from 20 episodes to 8 because “we didn’t really need that episode where the main characters went to the beach right? it had no long lasting effect” but we DID!!! we needed to see how they act without the Big Bad Plot and to establish the dynamics between the characters and lay in the sun (do they forget sunscreen? how do they react to a thieving seagull? do they get buried in the sand or do they do the burying?). the plot isn’t everything. the action doesn’t hit as hard without the quiet moments. give us character development and our little scenes back

128K notes View Post

fuzzybunnylover

1 year ago