ope...a life / di.nota.2
On 4 August 2020, a major explosion occurred in Beirut, Lebanon, triggered by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The chemical, confiscated in 2014 from the cargo ship MV Rhosus and stored at the Port of Beirut without adequate safety measures for six years, detonated after a fire broke out in a nearby warehouse. The explosion resulted in at least 218 fatalities, 7,000 injuries, and approximately 300,000 displaced individuals, alongside property damage estimated at US$15 billion. The blast released energy comparable to 1.1 kilotons of TNT, ranking it among the most powerful non-nuclear explosions ever recorded and the largest single detonation of ammonium nitrate.
How Bar-Headed Geese Fly Over the Himalayas
High in the sky fly bar-headed gese. Twice a year, these amazing birds migrate over the Himalayas, the tallest mountains on the planet. Flying requires ten to twenty times more oxygen than resting. Yet at this altitude there's only half to a third of the oxygen.
Bar-headed Geese are adapted to fly in low oxygen conditions. They have larger lungs and breathe more efficiently than other birds. Their hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in the blood, also binds oxygen more tightly than that of other birds.
Amazing photography from astronaut Nichole "Vapor" Ayers on Instagram. An example:
Just. Wow. As we went over Mexico and the U.S. this morning, I caught this sprite.
Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms.
Zooming into a star that detonated twice. From the European Southern Observatory
This video zooms into the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5, the expanding remains of a star that died by detonating twice. This object is located 160 000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.
This zoom was made by blending together images taken at different times with different telescopes. The video ends with an image captured with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), which shows the distribution of different chemical elements ejected when the star died. Calcium is shown in blue, and it is arranged in two concentric shells. This indicates that the star exploded with a double detonation.
Beware Of The “Lasagna Cell”: The Danger Of Food And Metals
Reactive pots and pans made of aluminum, cast iron, hammered steel, brass, or copper can react with some chemicals in foods, especially the acids and salts in sauces, brines, and marinades, and they can undergo a chemical reaction and create off flavors, and in rare cases, are toxic.
Perhaps the most extreme example is the lasagna cell. Lasagna lovers often are appalled when they open the fridge or oven and find holes in the foil on top of the pan and black spots on their dinner.
For a better understanding of the process, I asked the AmazingRibs.com science advisor Prof. Greg Blonder. He explained that the cook has essentially created a small battery, a cell, and the electric current running through it has etched away one of the battery’s electrodes. Huh?
The final line of the song (in the studio, live, and "Blurred Vision" versions, in the album and extended versions the line before the final "God works in mysterious ways... Mysterious ways...") is "fried chicken", although the lyrics say "one vision".
To cure hiccups, get a glass of water and a pen or pencil. Place the pen or pencil inside your mouth and lightly bite down on it. Drink the glass of water.
This may be a tad messy.
Remove pen or pencil from mouth. Enjoy your hiccup-free existence.
Bonus points: To avoid potential gastric distress, wash the pen or pencil before you place it in your mouth.
Unless you're into that sorta thing.
I do not judge.