How to escape from a frog

Apparently the key is to tickle open the cloacal sphincter.

After getting swallowed by a frog, [a water scavenger beetle] can scuttle down the amphibian’s gut and force it to poop — emerging slightly soiled, but very much alive...   A whopping 90 percent of the beetles they swallowed made it out the other end alive, all within six hours of being gulped down...

Beetles of other species didn’t fare quite as well and were excreted as corpses after a couple days in amphibio. Dead Regimbartia took days too, hinting that their living counterparts were actively engineering their great escapes...

Dr. Sugiura thinks Regimbartia beetles may use their legs to brace themselves and crawl through the gut, which can stretch several inches — an arduous journey for a four- or five-millimeter-long beetle. When they reach the end of that tunnel, the insects may be able to tickle open the cloacal sphincter, the ring of muscle that drawstrings the frog’s rear end shut, expelling themselves in a flood of feces.

You learn something every day.  More details at The New York Times.

Related:  When a Murder Hornet becomes a Tasty Meal (with video).

Carved conch shell

Image cropped for size; from the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art:

This shell from the 11th century, which was probably used to hold and pour sacred water during religious ceremonies, depicts the god Vishnu who is known for using a conch shell as a war trumpet. (Bengali or Orissan)

Via A London Salmagundi.

Reposted from 2015 (!) to add some new information about Neolithic shell trumpets.  BTW, both the source and the via in the old post above have undergone linkrot over the past 10 years.  The Philadelphia Museum of Art one can probably be found with a quick search, but I'm sorry to see the blog A London Salmagundi gone; they used to post some interesting stuff.

Here are some excerpts from the abstract and discussion of an interesting article in the Cambridge University Press:

The use of large Charonia seashells as labial vibration aerophones is documented in various cultures around the world. In Catalonia, north-eastern Iberia, 12 such instruments have been recovered from Neolithic contexts, dating from the second half of the fifth and the first half of the fourth millennia BC, yet they have received little attention in academia. Given that some examples retain the ability to produce sounds, their archaeoacoustic study offers insight into possible uses and meanings for Neolithic communities. While not all can still produce sounds, the high sound intensity of those that do may indicate a primary function as signalling devices that facilitated communication in Neolithic communities...

Based on the results obtained from the acoustic testing of the eight playable shell trumpets from Neolithic Catalonia, we argue that the primary acoustic characteristic of these instruments—their most notable and likely most functional feature—is their high sound intensity, which aligns with their interpretation as signalling instruments. In this context, techniques such as bending or hand-stopping, which involve a loss of energy, may aid expression but would likely hinder the effectiveness of signalling over long distances. A similar issue applies to overtones: producing them requires more effort and technical skill, and the resulting sound tends to be weaker in terms of intensity.

Shell trumpets may have enabled long-distance communication due to their high sound pressure levels, surpassing any other known prehistoric tool in acoustic power. 

So that corresponds with the observation that Vishnu used a conch shell as a war trumpet, and provides justification for such events in movies and fantasy literature.  You learn something every day.

"Brumation" illustrated

"Brumation is a term used to refer to dormancy of reptiles, which is metabolically somewhat different from mammalian hibernation.

The video above shows alligators lying dormant, not in tunnels in mud, but right in a frozen-over pond, with just their nostrils protruding above the ice.

If anyone has even the faintest doubts about the survival capabilities of this superpredator, this video should change your mind.

Reposted from 2018 to add a photo and excerpted text from the Minnesota Star Tribune:

“If the ice is clear, you can sometimes see snapping or painted turtles moving slowly under the ice,” said Jeff LeClere, zoologist and amphibian and reptile specialist with the Minnesota Biological Survey.

“All of Minnesota’s nine species of turtles overwinter aquatically,” he said.

This winter dormancy, called brumation, requires them to be deep enough to avoid being fatally frozen in ice and to slow their metabolism drastically to conserve energy. Most don’t move at all once this turtle equivalent of hibernation begins. It also minimizes their need for oxygen, which they absorb from the frigid water through a process called cutaneous respiration...

Softshell turtles tend to bury themselves about an inch beneath sand, silt or gravel, while other species sidle under logs or rocky nooks. Map turtles like to congregate along the wing dams, which are rock structures along navigation channels of the Mississippi River, LeClere said. Having shelter can lessen the threat of winter predators such as otters...

Some turtles, such as painted or snapping turtles, simply seek the right depth at the bottom of a lake or pond. They may congregate in areas where natural springs or a lack of shade encourages quicker melting — with vital access to sunshine and food — in the spring.

The embedded image is a screencap from a video posted at this Field Ecology Blog.

Prices falling 500-700%

For the past year I have sincerely tried every possible way to avoid blogging anything about Donald Trump, in part because I find the topic so depressing and aggravating, and because the available material would overwhelm all the other more interesting and useful material I would like to post.

But... some things are so egregiously stupid, so extraordinarily incomprehensible that they beg to be emphasized.  An average, normal 5th grader knows that you cannot reduce things by hundreds of percentages.  Yet the above (which I understand he posted on Twitter for all the world to see) is expressed by a man who considers himself a business genius.  

Does even his base believe this utter crap?

Addendum:  As long as I'm creating a Trump post, I might as well throw in this viewpoint from the U.K.:

I think I'd better close comments for this post.  Let's move on to turtles and Neolithic shell trumpets.

Addendum:  I have read (I not on Twitter) that the post about drug prices was one of 400 posts in a 4-hour period, which some are interpreting as a mania-like episode due to dementia.  Somebody in the Republican party needs to stop him for their own good.

Superb Paleolithic art

I previously blogged about the deteriorating conditions of the famous cave paintings at Lascaux. On a more upbeat note, there is another extensive cave system - the Chauvet Cave - that also has spectacular Paleolithic art. Especially when you consider that the images embedded above were drawn 30,000 years ago - it's truly impressive artwork.

All of the source links from this 2008 post have undergone linkrot over the years, but I'm reposting it for 2025 to add some interesting observations from the most recent issue of The Atlantic:

When the American republic was founded, the Earth was no more than 75,000 years old. No contemporary thinker imagined it could possibly be older. Thus Thomas Jefferson was confident that woolly mammoths must still live in “the northern and western parts of America,” places that “still remain in their aboriginal state, unexplored and undisturbed by us.”

The idea that mammoths or any other kind of creature might have ceased to exist was, to him, inconceivable. “Such is the œconomy of nature,” he wrote in Notes on the State of Virginia, “that no instance can be produced of her having permitted any one race of her animals to become extinct; of her having formed any link in her great work so weak as to be broken.”

Those illusory behemoths roaming out there somewhere beyond the Rockies remind us that the world of the Founding Fathers is in some ways as alien to us as ours would be to them... The originalist fallacy that dominates the current Supreme Court—the pretense that it is possible to read the minds of the Founders and discern what they “really” meant—in fact turns the Founders into ventriloquists’ dummies. We express our own prejudices by moving their lips.

It is fascinating to me that Thomas Jefferson, arguably one of the best educated and progressive thinkers of colonial America, would not have any concept of the age of the earth (or the cosmos, of course).  

Chest of a man taking a diuretic

This 76-year-old man has a history of coronary artery disease, as evidenced by the old midline thoracotomy scar from a coronary bypass.  I'm posting the image to feature his amazing gynecomastia, which developed as a side effect of his taking the prescribed diuretic spironolactone (physical exam and laboratory evaluation ruled out other potential causes).

A diagnosis of spironolactone-induced gynecomastia — an adverse drug effect seen more frequently in men taking more than 100 mg per day — was made. The mechanism is multifactorial and includes androgen-receptor blockade and increased peripheral conversion of testosterone to estradiol. 

An abstract at PubMed lists other causes of drug-induced gynecomastia:

"The drugs definitely associated with the onset of gynecomastia are spironolactone, cimetidine, ketoconazole, hGH, estrogens, hCG, anti-androgens, GnRH analogs and 5-α reductase inhibitors. Medications probably associated with gynecomastia include risperidone, verapamil, nifedipine, omeprazole, alkylating agents, HIV medications (efavirenz), anabolic steroids, alcohol and opioids."

Trivial/juvenile comments will be blocked.

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin 2025 - battle for the Paul Bunyan's Axe trophy

Posted as memorabilia for me and a few friends and family members.  This is not a "game for the ages" for anyone other than Minnesota Gopher fans.  Highlights at 4:00, 6:25, and 6:50 for those curious and in a hurry.

Thinking of refugees on Thanksgiving

If you have nothing else to be thankful for on this day, be thankful that you are not a refugee - political refugee, war refugee, climate refugee, whatever.  I fully understand that some migrants are economic opportunists seeking to game the system, but the vast majority are helpless victims of circumstances beyond their control - from wildfires, floods, droughts, ethnic cleansing, national geopolitical policies, and wars.

The top embedded image is from the border between Poland and Belarus, where the migrants are political pawns in an autocrat's power struggle with the EU.  They have been displaced from their homes, have only what they can carry, lack food and shelter and are facing an oncoming winter entirely at the mercy of strangers.

Here's an old photo of a Syrian refugee child:

“I was using a telephoto lens, and she thought it was a weapon,” photographer Osman Sağırlı told the BBC. “İ realized she was terrified after I took it, and looked at the picture, because she bit her lips and raised her hands. Normally kids run away, hide their faces or smile when they see a camera.”

It's tempting to succumb to "compassion fatigue" when reading about the never-ending world crises, or to consider oneself safe from geopolitical conflicts, ignoring the potential of becoming a climate refugee.

Reposted from 2021 to add a WTF development:

Foreigners seeking visas to live in the U.S. might be rejected if they have certain medical conditions, including diabetes or obesity, under a Thursday directive from the Trump administration.

While assessing the health of potential immigrants has been part of the visa application process for years, including screening for communicable diseases like tuberculosis and obtaining vaccine history, experts said the new guidelines greatly expand the list of medical conditions to be considered and give visa officers more power to make decisions about immigration based on an applicant’s health status.

We (and other countries) have always in modern times screened immigration applicants for health status - especially communicable diseases - which is why Ellis Island exists.  But extending those guidelines to chronic or potential disorders gives the immigration office a new method to exclude persons for unexpressed criteria, such as religion and race.

A concise summary of the Oxfordian narrative

I have excerpted the following from the Summer 2025 issue of the Shakespeare Oxford Newsletter:

"Where do you begin when, at a dinner party, someone says to you, “What’s this authorship nonsense all about? Who is this Oxford anyway?” Have you ever wished for a conversational aid; a simple statement to which you could refer that succinctly describes why you are an Oxfordian? The Shakespeare Authorship Question (SAQ) is horrifically complicated and requires real commitment, deep reading and thoughtful analysis to have a full appreciation of the issues. It’s difficult to explain quickly to people unfamiliar with the topic.

What if we could consolidate and summarize “The Case for Oxford?” What if we tried to winnow down all the research, wisdom and weight of circumstantial evidence accumulated over the past hundred years into a clear set of statements? Is it even possible to declare what all Oxfordians agree on? This spring, a group of Oxfordians in England, the United States and around the world attempted to do just that... 

The Oxfordian Narrative was deliberately kept to one page with six statements. This core principles section is supported by a few Frequently Asked Questions, all composed from information available in more detail on the SOF and DVS websites...

The following set of statements has been compiled to provide speaking and written prompts for Oxfordians engaging externally with the media and more widely. The core principles are concise, positive and authoritative, and are supported by a section of Frequently Asked Questions. They form the basis of the Oxfordian narrative and represent the common ground that is respectful of the many differing views held by our members."

A new existential threat to lemurs

"...in their native Madagascar, the endangered animals are facing a growing threat: City-dwellers with cash to spare love to eat them. They say that the meat from fruit-eating lemur species tastes sweet and that consuming these primates promotes strength and good health. The meat from these tree-dwellers is valued for its cleanliness and “purity.” The startling revelation comes from the first-ever assessment of Madagascar’s urban lemur trade. Conducted over the past four years, it concludes that more than 10,000 lemurs were sold for pricey dishes across 17 cities in the country...

Though dining on wild species from African forests often evokes people trying to survive hunger in desperate situations, this new work suggests that people from a wealthier rung of society in Madagascar, those making perhaps thousands of U.S. dollars a year, are a distinct threat to these endangered primates...

All buyers and sellers included in the survey reported they were aware of the illegality of the trade and feared being caught, jailed or fined. But the economic benefits motivated their actions. They were also aware of how rare the animals were becoming. More than half of the interviewees said they expected to have fewer lemurs to trade in the future because of declining populations..."

"Porgy and Bess" - the American folk opera

"Porgy and Bess was first performed in Boston on September 30, 1935, before it moved to Broadway in New York City. It featured a cast of classically trained African-American singers—a daring artistic choice at the time. A 1976 Houston Grand Opera production gained it a renewed popularity, and it is now one of the best known and most frequently performed operas.

The libretto of Porgy and Bess tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black street beggar living in the slums of Charleston. It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, her drug dealer. The opera plot generally follows the stage play.

In the years following Gershwin's death, Porgy and Bess was adapted for smaller-scale performances. It was adapted as a film in 1959. Some of the songs in the opera, such as "Summertime", became popular and are frequently recorded. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the trend has been toward productions with greater fidelity to Gershwin's original intentions, though smaller-scale productions also continue to be mounted..."

The "American folk opera" term derives from the fact that the musical score combines gospel, jazz, and blues influences and some vocals are of operatic quality, including this one.

Word for the day: mews

I have encountered the word "mews" many hundreds of times while reading British literature, sussed out that it was an arrangement of buildings, but never looked it up.   This week The Guardian featured "Mews-style homes for sale in England," so it was time to dig deeper.  One click at Wikipedia did the trick:

A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential areas, having been built to cater for the horses, coachmen and stable-servants of prosperous residents.

The word mews comes from the Royal Mews in London, England, a set of royal stables built 500 years ago on a former royal hawk mews. The term is now commonly used in English-speaking countries for city housing of a similar design....

Mews derives from the French muer, 'to moult', reflecting its original function to confine a hawk to a mews while it moulted.  William Shakespeare deploys to mew up to mean confine, coop up, or shut up in The Taming of the Shrew: "What, will you mew her up, Signor Baptista?" and also Richard III: "This day should Clarence closely be mewed up".

The rather modest-appearing one embedded at the top is listed at £8,950,000 because of its prime location in Marylebone and its surprisingly spacious interior.

Addendum:  This is the image from the listing depicting one of the bathrooms:

Reader Tom239 noticed that the view is into a mirror and the camera is not evident.  

Clever mashup of 150+ movie titles

 

Reposted from 2014 because even though the content is contrived, it's very clever and deserves a second viewing.  Every word of the dialogue is a movie title.

The sad slow death of the CDC

"A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website that previously said that vaccines do not cause autism walked back that statement, contradicting the agency’s previous efforts to fight misinformation about a connection between the two.

The agency’s webpage on vaccines and autism, updated on Wednesday, now repeats the skepticism that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has voiced about the safety of vaccines, though dozens of scientific studies have failed to find evidence of a link.

A previous version of the webpage said that studies had shown “no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder.” It cited a 2012 National Academy of Medicine review of scientific papers and a C.D.C. study from 2013.

On Thursday, the live version of the page stated: “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism.”"

How the tariffs have affected me

There has been a boatload of analysis, commentary, criticism, and speculation about the effects the new tariffs may or may not be having on the U.S. economy.  I thought I'd throw some actual data into the mix.

One of my retirement activities has been orchestrating the disposal of all the "stuff" I've accumulated during the past 7 decades.   This is what might reasonably be termed a "first world problem."

Books went years ago; Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr collections to eBay, various fiction, history, and science books to the library.  Clothes to Goodwill.  Rocks, minerals, crystals etc to neighborhood children.  High school and collegiate memorabilia to classmates.  Now I'm working on collectibles - stamps, comic books, baseball cards etc.  For these latter items, eBay is an excellent venue.

This summer I noticed a significant change in how the eBay sales were processing, and I began to track numbers.  For the first 125 lots I sold this year, these were the shipping destinations:

United States          72

United Kingdom    26

Australia/NZ          10

Canada                     8

Others                      9 (Estonia, Czech Repub, Sweden, Norway, Sri Lanka, Singapore)

The next 125 exhibited a markedly different pattern:

United States        114

United Kingdom      5

Canada                     2

Others                      4

At the end of July, sales to foreign buyers evaporated.  Instead of 40% going abroad, quite suddenly it was fewer than 10%.  The reason became apparent when I looked at the invoices eBay was sending to the foreign buyers (example embedded at top).  On a $35 purchase, but winning bidder was asked for $27 in shipping, tariffs, and taxes.  The VAT had always been there [this lot going to the UK], but in previous years and at the start of this year I was able to ship small lots of stamps in regular mailing envelopes for USD $1.75 and my sales (typically less than $40) were not subject to tariffs.   It was on July 30 of this year that the Trump-imposed tariffs were applied to "de minimus" items of modest monetary value.  And I presume what the buyers of my items are seeing are reciprocal tariffs imposed by their home countries?

I have corresponded with some of my (former) buyers in Scotland and elsewhere.  They are still interested in my material, but when they have to factor in the new "shipping" costs, my lots become unattractive.

I'm not suffering financially because for me this is discretionary hobby activity and basically a housecleaning operation, not a business.  But I will bet you there are lots of small businesses (especially home businesses and side hustles) in the U.S. who are seeing a similar phenomenon be more impactful on their bottom line.   I totally dismiss the claims of politicians that the U.S. economy is strong.  The stock market does continue to approach new all-time highs, but that's because of an irrational enthusiasm regarding the "magnificent severn" stocks (AAPL, GOOGL, TSLA, NVDA, META, MSFT, AMZN).   I will bet you a dollar to a dime that the weakness will show up not in the Dow or NASDAQ, but in the broad-based Russel 2000 index.

And this recent quote I find particularly baffling:

"The Federal Reserve is facing a difficult situation as the US economy shows strong growth and high productivity, yet hiring has significantly slowed... This divergence complicates decisions on whether to cool or boost the economy [via interest rates], with concerns about a potential jobless expansion despite investments in AI..."

Rising unemployment DESPITE AI?  Correct me if I'm wrong (please.  I'm no expert on such matters), but my understanding was that one of the major powers of AI was to improve efficiency by having the bots do the work formerly done by humans.  I would think decreased unemployment would be expected, not a surprise.

Those who understand these sorts of things, please chime in with comments.  

Related:  A recent Bloomberg article is entitled Boomers Are Passing Down Fortunes — And Way, Way Too Much Stuff.  "As the $90 trillion Great Wealth Transfer begins, millennials and Gen X aren’t just inheriting money. They’re being buried under an avalanche of baseball cards, fine china and collections of all sorts..."  True that.