(via andreaaae)
The name's Jake.
I play the piano. I play soccer. I draw. I write. I'm into many things.
I like:
STUPID
WEIRD
SCIENTIFIC
AMAZING
FUNNY
BEAUTIFUL
and
PHILOSOPHICAL stuff.
I can give you either CHAOS or Mental Sanctuary depending on the situation.We can be friends! I usually don't bite.
• Go ahead and ask, human.
• Submit
Rare “Pinapple” Opal
“Opal Pseudomorphs are created by the deposition of opal in casts (molds) of fossil bone, teeth, shell, belemnoids (ancient relatives of cuttlefish), crinoids (sea lillies), wood, fir cones and even skeletons of large prehistoric animals. Many of these fossilized forms contain exceptional quality noble opal. White Cliffs is the only place where these marvelous (and very rare) pseudomorphic “pineapple” opals have been found. They were formed when a mineral crystal of glauberite (or ikalite) was first replaced by calcite and then opalised.”
(via scienceyoucanlove)
Calming Jellyfish Jar: I have met many children who report being calmed by thoughts of the ocean/beach, and this an especially effective “calm jar” for them.
Supplies: Waterbottle (ex. smart water), 1 drop food coloring, water, plastic bag (like the kind you put veggies in at the grocery store)
Click here for a photo tutorial on how to create this jellyfish jar. I haven’t tried adding corn syrup and glitter to one but that could potentially look really cool if it works.
(via bonnie-cate)
Symphony - Iraqi Artist Adel Abidin
Symphony pays homage to Iraqi teenagers with “emo” appearances, stoned to death by religious extremists in Baghdad.The work is presented simultaneously in two different forms, settings and spaces: A sculpture-based installation and a video installation. With the sculpture-based installation, there are small white doors on the walls; some of them are closed, while others are open with drawers in them. When the viewer pulls open doors and sliding drawers, small white statues of these young people, resting in peace, comes into view. - Adel Abidin
(Source: isqineeha, via somestrangeseahorse)
Human lungs are composed of roughly 700 million of tiny, elastic air sacs called alveoli that pass oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide from it. Photo courtesy of David Gregory and Debbie Marshall, Wellcome Images
Bad fad
The “cinnamon challenge” doesn’t sound ominous: You’re supposed to attempt to swallow a tablespoon of ground cinnamon within 60 seconds without drinking any fluids. How bad can that be?
Bad enough.
In a recent paper in Pediatrics, researchers at the University of Miami describe what happens next: the ingested spice triggers a severe gag reflex, with immediate coughing, the sensation of burning in the mouth and likely vomiting.
All of which are apparently quite amusing to watch, judging from the popularity of Internet videos depicting kids (no surprise) attempting the challenge. In their paper, the University of Miami scientists reported at least 51,100 YouTube clips depicting people taking the challenge.
“One video was viewed more than 19 million times, predominantly by 13- to 24-year-olds, ages similar to people taking the Cinnamon Challenge and associated with the greatest need for conformity,” the researchers wrote.
If gagging and looking foolish were the sole results of swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon that would be one thing, but doctors say the health risks are much more serious: Inadvertently inhaling the ground cinnamon can result in choking, aspiration and pulmonary damage. Scores of challenge-takers have found themselves calling poison control centers, visiting emergency rooms - some have been hospitalized for collapsed lungs.
Cinnamon should be eaten, not inhaled. It’s a caustic power composed of cellulose fibers that do not dissolve or degrade in the lungs. The Miami scientists found no studies of cinnamon inhalation in humans, but did find one with rats. Inhaling the spice inflamed the rats’ lungs, predisposing delicate air sacs called alveoli and lung passages to lesions, thickening, loss of elasticity and scarring.
Scientists say that in people, the effects of inhaled cinnamon appear to be temporary and probably do not increase the risk of long-term damage, but in some they may trigger serious allergic reactions, including asthma, or worsen other existing lung conditions.
