Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.
Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.
Image: NASA
So...I need to know more...
President Obama told an interviewer that aliens are real but aren't being kept at Area 51. The interviewer did not....repeat DID NOT...ask any follow-up questions.
A few years back, Obama told Stephen Colbert that there are objects moving around our atmosphere that we don't understand (paraphrasing from memory).
wp.me/pcFhgU-8SM?utm_source=ma…
New Research: Indigenous Communities Reduce Amazon Deforestation by 83%”
Although #deforestation rates in the Brazilian #Amazon have halved, this globally critical biome is still losing more than 5,000km² every year. That’s an area three times larger than Greater London…Palm Oil Detectives
First run after the Achilles injury, it went with a very mild pain, so that's good so far. But the pace was extremely slow and the heat rate was very high 😢
Also my new video is out, which coincidentally overlapped with the injuries that the video was exactly scripted for 😂 like testing my thesis on myself first 😁🥇
#running #runnersofmastodon #marathon #marathontraining
Tapanuli Orangutan Pongo tapanuliensis
Act now and save the Tapanuli Orangutan – boycott palm oil! Fewer than 800 individual animals remain alive due to palm oil and timber deforestation.Palm Oil Detectives
Have you wondered where the claim that autistic people lack empathy came from?
The “jellyfish” study (2011) was influential in this, as it concluded that autistic people lacked Theory of Mind & capacity for moral reasoning.
medicalxpress.com/news/2011-01…
In the fictional scenario given to participants, Janet tells a friend it’s safe to swim with jellyfish. She believes they’re harmless. The friend is stung and dies.
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#Autism #Empathy #Neurodiversity #Psychology #TheoryofMind #ActuallyAutistic
Neuroscientists find evidence that autistic patients have trouble understanding others' intentions
(PhysOrg.com) -- A study from MIT neuroscientists reveals that high-functioning autistic adults appear to have trouble using theory of mind to make moral judgments in certain situations.Anne Trafton (Medical Xpress)
Autistic participants were more likely than non-autistic participants to say Janet was to blame, despite her good intentions.
This was interpreted as evidence of faulty moral reasoning or reduced empathy.
But that conclusion rests on three errors of logic built into the task itself, and not on evidence that autistic people care less about others.
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RE: mastodon.social/@Gargron/11606…
There are now 58 big plushies left (US only), and 22 small ones (US, UK, EU).
I posted this earlier today, but realized it was not a reasonable time for US folks. So here goes: The big #plushtodon is now on sale, 20% off. Only available in the US, shipping locally. There are 87 left and we will likely never make one of this size again. I have some cool new things planned and clearing them out would be a big help. Thanks!shop.joinmastodon.org/products…
Mastodon stuffed toy
Deliberately friend-sized and friend-shaped, with a soft surface material and soft, squishy stuffing, the toy is perfect as a travel companion you can rest your head on, or to fill in for you at business meetings.Mastodon
Bald-headed Uacari Cacajao calvus
With their long shaggy coats and striking bright red faces, Bald-headed Uacaris are true icons of the Amazon rainforest and are found in #Brazil, #Peru and #Colombia. When a #Uacari has a bright re…Palm Oil Detectives
Somehow the sea always is somewhere far away. Even if you live near it. Someone else's sea.
#photo #photography
#spring #outdoors
#sea #seaside
#darktable
#creativecommons #ccbysa
Home sweet home. The importance of old trees as habitat, nesting #RainbowLorikeet
Photograph by Gabrielle Pounsett, @gabriellepamela50
Yes decades of “friends of Merri Creek” activities eg rubbish removal, weed removal, revegetation with trees and bushes so “rewilding” return of habitat for insects, birds even some mammals like Kangaroos and Wallabies who turn up for the indigenous grasses.
Long time no see, so I thought I'd share some pictures from last year.
This picture was taken on the edge of one of my favorite backcountry cycling routes in my second home in Styria, Austria.
#styria #austria #cycling #biketooter #alps #mountainbiking #photography
Starlink Is Dropping From the Sky Again and Again. Scientists Warn Earth Is Already Feeling the Effects
For decades, space safety rules assumed satellite reentries would stay rare. By early 2026, with over 70,000 megaconstellation spacecraft planned, that assumption has collapsed.Evelyn Hart (Indian Defence Review)
Be still my English Major heart! I love when Eleanor Morton does this stuff!
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Hildegard von Blingin' is BACK! After a lengthy hiatus she has returned with a few songs including this lovely cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley.
@Joyce Donahue @Katherine Bond @Susan ✶✶✶✶ @Ivy Blackledge Whitfield 2026
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So nice to hear a soprano sing without wailing!
And yes, Saint Hildegard is a fave of mine. Those popular recordings of her songs made during the 90's were a staple in my playlist. The mystics saints are pillars o wisdom.
Muse likes this.
After years of progress, Indonesia risks ‘tragedy’ of a deforestation spike
After years of uneven progress, deforestation in Indonesia is poised to accelerate, owing to widespread logging, expanding plantations and mining.Philip Jacobson (Mongabay)
Liquorix is built for better performance and responsiveness.
What Is Liquorix Kernel? Should You Use It?
In this jargon buster, we explain what is Liquorix kernel, why it is popular among Linux gamers and if there are any real benefits of using it on your regular Linux desktop.Neville Ondara (It's FOSS)
along with all the cool and fun news i really like the cool Penguin toons
Is there a collection thatnis available for people to download and use ?
Rethinking Economics, the movement changing how the subject is taught
Born of student disquiet after the 2008 crash, the group says it is reshaping economists’ educationMatthew Taylor (The Guardian)
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What went right this week: the good news that matters
Ireland’s basic income for artists goes permanent, there's progress on FGM, and Norway’s polar bears prove resilient, plus more good newsGavin Haines (Positive News)
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These birds are little. I mean really really little. They are smaller than many mice. We have them flitting around our backyard. They are called superb fairy wrens.
One of the things that makes me laugh is when they decide they are going to eat a butterfly. The butterfly's wingspan is larger than they are! And yet, I will seem them jousting in mid-air until the wren gets a good hold of the insect, then brings it down and eats it!
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Looking for an Ubuntu manual? You just found it.
itsfoss.com/ultimate-ubuntu-ha…
Looking for an Ubuntu Manual? Try This Book
Whether you’re new to Ubuntu or have been using it for years, The Ultimate Ubuntu Handbook offers a wealth of practical tips, time-saving tricks, and insider insights that will help you get even more out of your Ubuntu experience.Abhishek Prakash (It's FOSS)
On this day in 1990, the Voyager 1 space probe took a photo of our planet from approximately 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) away.
"Commissioned by NASA and resulting from the advocacy of astronomer and author Carl Sagan, the photograph was interpreted in Sagan's 1994 book, Pale Blue Dot, as representing humanity's minuscule and ephemeral place amidst the cosmos."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blu…
Image via bbc.com/news/science-environme…
#OnThisDay #OTD #history #space #science #nasa #PaleBlueDot #humanity
Nasa 're-masters' classic 'Pale Blue Dot' image of Earth
The US space agency reprocesses the Voyager probe's iconic "Pale Blue Dot" picture of Planet Earth.By Jonathan Amos (BBC News)
Why Pangolins Are So Special
Pangolins get their name from the Malay ‘pengguling’ meaning rolling up. These special critically endangered animals deserve a break from savage poachingPalm Oil Detectives
Inconsistent national reports undercount wastewater emissions
National greenhouse gas inventories systematically undercount methane and nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater due to outdated methods and incomplete coverage. Addressing these discrepancies is essential to strengthen transparency in global climate efforts and improving the effectiveness of national mitigation strategies.
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Actual lol
Winter Olympics plunged into crisis as athletes deplete entire stock of 10,000 free condoms
independent.co.uk/sport/olympi…
Winter Olympics plunged into crisis as athletes deplete entire stock of 10,000 free condoms
‘It is rule 62 of the Olympic Charter that we have to have a condoms story,’ says IOC spokesman Mark AdamsKarolos Grohmann (The Independent)
I have visited mother and also Rudolf, who for some reason thought we'd be packing him away in his carrier to take him somewhere... And then hid in the kitchen sink in protest. 😆 Not even wet food enticed him out at first!
Frank Aylward
in reply to Brian Vastag • • •