c0nc0rdance
@c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
Molecular biologist from Texas, here to share my meanderings on nature, science, history, politics, and zombies. Long threads a specialty.
'Spaghetti' comes from combining Italian 'spago' which means "string or twine", with the diminutive '-etto', so "little strings."
So did pasta come from China via Marco Polo?
Definitely not.
Around the 8th century, Arab traders brought a dish called 'Itrya' (or 'itriyya') to Italy.
So did pasta come from China via Marco Polo?
Definitely not.
Around the 8th century, Arab traders brought a dish called 'Itrya' (or 'itriyya') to Italy.
a close up of spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs
Alt: a close up of spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs. A fork spins around, gathering up noodles behind a meatball.
media.tenor.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:54 PM
'Spaghetti' comes from combining Italian 'spago' which means "string or twine", with the diminutive '-etto', so "little strings."
So did pasta come from China via Marco Polo?
Definitely not.
Around the 8th century, Arab traders brought a dish called 'Itrya' (or 'itriyya') to Italy.
So did pasta come from China via Marco Polo?
Definitely not.
Around the 8th century, Arab traders brought a dish called 'Itrya' (or 'itriyya') to Italy.
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
At this point, why not?
(📷: Daniel SanFilippo, 2016, on Northern State Parkway)
(📷: Daniel SanFilippo, 2016, on Northern State Parkway)
January 30, 2025 at 12:18 PM
At this point, why not?
(📷: Daniel SanFilippo, 2016, on Northern State Parkway)
(📷: Daniel SanFilippo, 2016, on Northern State Parkway)
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
What if you took a HAMSTER & grew it to the size of a BULL ELEPHANT?
You'd:
A. Have to get a *much bigger* hamster wheel
B. Have something that looks a bit like a giant ground sloth (Megatherium).
Let's talk about what Megatherium has to do with giant tunnels in modern-day Brazil.
You'd:
A. Have to get a *much bigger* hamster wheel
B. Have something that looks a bit like a giant ground sloth (Megatherium).
Let's talk about what Megatherium has to do with giant tunnels in modern-day Brazil.
a brown bear is walking across a gray background
Alt: A brown furry megatherium with long sickle claws is walking in a perfect loop across a grey background.
media.tenor.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:36 PM
What if you took a HAMSTER & grew it to the size of a BULL ELEPHANT?
You'd:
A. Have to get a *much bigger* hamster wheel
B. Have something that looks a bit like a giant ground sloth (Megatherium).
Let's talk about what Megatherium has to do with giant tunnels in modern-day Brazil.
You'd:
A. Have to get a *much bigger* hamster wheel
B. Have something that looks a bit like a giant ground sloth (Megatherium).
Let's talk about what Megatherium has to do with giant tunnels in modern-day Brazil.
What do you call a waterfall where the water goes UP?
A Water no-fall?
Water-rise?
Water-up?
Let's talk about 'reverse waterfalls' like this one at England's 'Kinder Downfall' in Derbyshire.
The physics isn't that complex: wind forces overcome gravity on water droplets in free-fall.
A Water no-fall?
Water-rise?
Water-up?
Let's talk about 'reverse waterfalls' like this one at England's 'Kinder Downfall' in Derbyshire.
The physics isn't that complex: wind forces overcome gravity on water droplets in free-fall.
January 16, 2026 at 1:28 PM
What do you call a waterfall where the water goes UP?
A Water no-fall?
Water-rise?
Water-up?
Let's talk about 'reverse waterfalls' like this one at England's 'Kinder Downfall' in Derbyshire.
The physics isn't that complex: wind forces overcome gravity on water droplets in free-fall.
A Water no-fall?
Water-rise?
Water-up?
Let's talk about 'reverse waterfalls' like this one at England's 'Kinder Downfall' in Derbyshire.
The physics isn't that complex: wind forces overcome gravity on water droplets in free-fall.
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Cassowary eggs contain biliverdin, a pigment synthesized in the shell gland, that gives them their distinctive green color, which may help camouflage the eggs in ground nests among vegetation.
The males incubate the eggs & care for the young for up to 9 months.
But here's the cool bit...
The males incubate the eggs & care for the young for up to 9 months.
But here's the cool bit...
March 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Cassowary eggs contain biliverdin, a pigment synthesized in the shell gland, that gives them their distinctive green color, which may help camouflage the eggs in ground nests among vegetation.
The males incubate the eggs & care for the young for up to 9 months.
But here's the cool bit...
The males incubate the eggs & care for the young for up to 9 months.
But here's the cool bit...
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
The largest unreinforced concrete dome on Earth is also one of the oldest: the Pantheon in Rome, built 126 CE under Emperor Hadrian (to replace an earlier version that burned down).
The height of the dome (to the Oculus) & its interior diameter are the same: 43 m high, 43 m across (142 ft.)
The height of the dome (to the Oculus) & its interior diameter are the same: 43 m high, 43 m across (142 ft.)
November 12, 2024 at 1:52 AM
The largest unreinforced concrete dome on Earth is also one of the oldest: the Pantheon in Rome, built 126 CE under Emperor Hadrian (to replace an earlier version that burned down).
The height of the dome (to the Oculus) & its interior diameter are the same: 43 m high, 43 m across (142 ft.)
The height of the dome (to the Oculus) & its interior diameter are the same: 43 m high, 43 m across (142 ft.)
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Crunchy and refreshing lunchtime snacks with bat-eared fox Fletcher!
🎥: Zookeeper Murphy
🎥: Zookeeper Murphy
January 15, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Crunchy and refreshing lunchtime snacks with bat-eared fox Fletcher!
🎥: Zookeeper Murphy
🎥: Zookeeper Murphy
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Warning: potential cute overload. Baby penguin's first steps. For those of you who need to see something good today. Enjoy. (Video taken by Kelly C.).
January 15, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Warning: potential cute overload. Baby penguin's first steps. For those of you who need to see something good today. Enjoy. (Video taken by Kelly C.).
I think of macaroni and cheese as a happy childhood meal, BUT:
Italian 'maccheroni' /probably/ comes from Ancient Greek μακαρία (makaría) which means... "the honored dead."
It usually referred to a barley dish eaten at funerals;
in Medieval Greek μακαρώνεια (makarṓneia).
Italian 'maccheroni' /probably/ comes from Ancient Greek μακαρία (makaría) which means... "the honored dead."
It usually referred to a barley dish eaten at funerals;
in Medieval Greek μακαρώνεια (makarṓneia).
January 15, 2026 at 5:41 PM
I think of macaroni and cheese as a happy childhood meal, BUT:
Italian 'maccheroni' /probably/ comes from Ancient Greek μακαρία (makaría) which means... "the honored dead."
It usually referred to a barley dish eaten at funerals;
in Medieval Greek μακαρώνεια (makarṓneia).
Italian 'maccheroni' /probably/ comes from Ancient Greek μακαρία (makaría) which means... "the honored dead."
It usually referred to a barley dish eaten at funerals;
in Medieval Greek μακαρώνεια (makarṓneia).
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Let's talk about the Great Boston #Molasses Flood of 1919 that killed 21 and injured 150.
Maybe you've heard that it happened, but don't know the details.
The world was just righting from pandemic flu & would approve the 18th Amendment to usher in Prohibition the very next day.
Maybe you've heard that it happened, but don't know the details.
The world was just righting from pandemic flu & would approve the 18th Amendment to usher in Prohibition the very next day.
December 19, 2023 at 2:22 PM
Let's talk about the Great Boston #Molasses Flood of 1919 that killed 21 and injured 150.
Maybe you've heard that it happened, but don't know the details.
The world was just righting from pandemic flu & would approve the 18th Amendment to usher in Prohibition the very next day.
Maybe you've heard that it happened, but don't know the details.
The world was just righting from pandemic flu & would approve the 18th Amendment to usher in Prohibition the very next day.
Seeing this video of two Great Horned owls (Bubo virginianus) from Colton Lockridge you might think:
"Get a room, you two."
But, uh... these are juvenile siblings. 🤨
The behavior shown here is called 'billing' or 'bill fencing' & it's a playful social interaction, *no matter what it looks like*.
"Get a room, you two."
But, uh... these are juvenile siblings. 🤨
The behavior shown here is called 'billing' or 'bill fencing' & it's a playful social interaction, *no matter what it looks like*.
January 15, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Seeing this video of two Great Horned owls (Bubo virginianus) from Colton Lockridge you might think:
"Get a room, you two."
But, uh... these are juvenile siblings. 🤨
The behavior shown here is called 'billing' or 'bill fencing' & it's a playful social interaction, *no matter what it looks like*.
"Get a room, you two."
But, uh... these are juvenile siblings. 🤨
The behavior shown here is called 'billing' or 'bill fencing' & it's a playful social interaction, *no matter what it looks like*.
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Step back and think about this…it’s INCREDIBLE
We can sequence DNA from an extinct species that’s been dead for thousands of years. Not only that, we can sequence DNA from another extinct species that first extinct species ate as its last meal…to learn about population dynamics of the extinct prey.
We can sequence DNA from an extinct species that’s been dead for thousands of years. Not only that, we can sequence DNA from another extinct species that first extinct species ate as its last meal…to learn about population dynamics of the extinct prey.
A rare sample from a woolly rhinoceroses reveals how the population changed in the lead-up to the species’ extinction
go.nature.com/4qWohHb
go.nature.com/4qWohHb
Wolf pup’s stomach yields DNA from one of world’s last surviving woolly rhinos
A rare sample from a woolly rhinoceroses reveals how the population changed in the lead-up to the species’ extinction.
go.nature.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Step back and think about this…it’s INCREDIBLE
We can sequence DNA from an extinct species that’s been dead for thousands of years. Not only that, we can sequence DNA from another extinct species that first extinct species ate as its last meal…to learn about population dynamics of the extinct prey.
We can sequence DNA from an extinct species that’s been dead for thousands of years. Not only that, we can sequence DNA from another extinct species that first extinct species ate as its last meal…to learn about population dynamics of the extinct prey.
Here's a weird question:
How do whales sleep without drowning?
These sperm whales are power-napping below the water's surface, hanging like cocoons in the ocean.
But whales evolved from land creatures: they breathe under *voluntary control*. What happens when the conscious mind shuts down?
How do whales sleep without drowning?
These sperm whales are power-napping below the water's surface, hanging like cocoons in the ocean.
But whales evolved from land creatures: they breathe under *voluntary control*. What happens when the conscious mind shuts down?
January 15, 2026 at 2:38 AM
Here's a weird question:
How do whales sleep without drowning?
These sperm whales are power-napping below the water's surface, hanging like cocoons in the ocean.
But whales evolved from land creatures: they breathe under *voluntary control*. What happens when the conscious mind shuts down?
How do whales sleep without drowning?
These sperm whales are power-napping below the water's surface, hanging like cocoons in the ocean.
But whales evolved from land creatures: they breathe under *voluntary control*. What happens when the conscious mind shuts down?
Take a close look at this picture.
What an interesting coin or artifact, you probably think 🤔. Such interesting detail, intricately carved or molded 🧐 ... HAHA sucker, you're looking at a SPIDER'S BUTT.
Let's meet Cyclocosmia ricketti, the Chinese hourglass spider.
CW: spiders & their butts
What an interesting coin or artifact, you probably think 🤔. Such interesting detail, intricately carved or molded 🧐 ... HAHA sucker, you're looking at a SPIDER'S BUTT.
Let's meet Cyclocosmia ricketti, the Chinese hourglass spider.
CW: spiders & their butts
January 15, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Take a close look at this picture.
What an interesting coin or artifact, you probably think 🤔. Such interesting detail, intricately carved or molded 🧐 ... HAHA sucker, you're looking at a SPIDER'S BUTT.
Let's meet Cyclocosmia ricketti, the Chinese hourglass spider.
CW: spiders & their butts
What an interesting coin or artifact, you probably think 🤔. Such interesting detail, intricately carved or molded 🧐 ... HAHA sucker, you're looking at a SPIDER'S BUTT.
Let's meet Cyclocosmia ricketti, the Chinese hourglass spider.
CW: spiders & their butts
Ongoing disclaimer:
I'm feeling just as anxious, angry & horrified as *anyone with a basic sense of empathy & compassion* right now.
My coping mechanism is sharing weird little guys & science threads with you.
If it feels like I'm not reflecting the tone of this moment, that's a purposeful choice.
I'm feeling just as anxious, angry & horrified as *anyone with a basic sense of empathy & compassion* right now.
My coping mechanism is sharing weird little guys & science threads with you.
If it feels like I'm not reflecting the tone of this moment, that's a purposeful choice.
January 15, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Ongoing disclaimer:
I'm feeling just as anxious, angry & horrified as *anyone with a basic sense of empathy & compassion* right now.
My coping mechanism is sharing weird little guys & science threads with you.
If it feels like I'm not reflecting the tone of this moment, that's a purposeful choice.
I'm feeling just as anxious, angry & horrified as *anyone with a basic sense of empathy & compassion* right now.
My coping mechanism is sharing weird little guys & science threads with you.
If it feels like I'm not reflecting the tone of this moment, that's a purposeful choice.
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
The Aztec word (in Nahuatl) for armadillo is "ayotochtli" which directly translates to "turtle rabbit". 🐢🐰
(photo: Raul Alonzo, TX Std)
(photo: Raul Alonzo, TX Std)
February 15, 2024 at 12:10 AM
The Aztec word (in Nahuatl) for armadillo is "ayotochtli" which directly translates to "turtle rabbit". 🐢🐰
(photo: Raul Alonzo, TX Std)
(photo: Raul Alonzo, TX Std)
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Pliny the Elder referred to a porpoise as a 'porculus marinus' or 'sea-pig'. Later Latin rendered this as porcus ("pig") + peis ("fish"), so porpoise = "fish-pig".
Old German was "meri-swin" which literally means "mer-pig" (modern German is 'Meerschwein') Modern French is 'marsouin'.
Mer-pig! 🐬🐷
Old German was "meri-swin" which literally means "mer-pig" (modern German is 'Meerschwein') Modern French is 'marsouin'.
Mer-pig! 🐬🐷
June 23, 2024 at 1:14 PM
Pliny the Elder referred to a porpoise as a 'porculus marinus' or 'sea-pig'. Later Latin rendered this as porcus ("pig") + peis ("fish"), so porpoise = "fish-pig".
Old German was "meri-swin" which literally means "mer-pig" (modern German is 'Meerschwein') Modern French is 'marsouin'.
Mer-pig! 🐬🐷
Old German was "meri-swin" which literally means "mer-pig" (modern German is 'Meerschwein') Modern French is 'marsouin'.
Mer-pig! 🐬🐷
I followed a pickup truck most of the way to work that had:
"FREE DOM" written in shoeshine on the tailgate.
I wondered to myself: "Who is Dom, and why was he jailed?"
And then it hit me. 🤦♂️ #kerningmatters
"FREE DOM" written in shoeshine on the tailgate.
I wondered to myself: "Who is Dom, and why was he jailed?"
And then it hit me. 🤦♂️ #kerningmatters
January 14, 2026 at 3:42 PM
I followed a pickup truck most of the way to work that had:
"FREE DOM" written in shoeshine on the tailgate.
I wondered to myself: "Who is Dom, and why was he jailed?"
And then it hit me. 🤦♂️ #kerningmatters
"FREE DOM" written in shoeshine on the tailgate.
I wondered to myself: "Who is Dom, and why was he jailed?"
And then it hit me. 🤦♂️ #kerningmatters
I want to start by sharing this delightful video of a bird of paradise doing his best to outshine Sir David Attenborough on BBC's "Attenborough's Paradise Birds".
Then let's talk about biofluorescence in birds.
But first, let's talk about why naturalists thought these birds had no feet or wings.
Then let's talk about biofluorescence in birds.
But first, let's talk about why naturalists thought these birds had no feet or wings.
January 14, 2026 at 1:51 PM
I want to start by sharing this delightful video of a bird of paradise doing his best to outshine Sir David Attenborough on BBC's "Attenborough's Paradise Birds".
Then let's talk about biofluorescence in birds.
But first, let's talk about why naturalists thought these birds had no feet or wings.
Then let's talk about biofluorescence in birds.
But first, let's talk about why naturalists thought these birds had no feet or wings.
"Werewolf" derives from Old English 'werewulf', where the 'wer-' prefix means "man". So literally "wolf-man."
"Where" derives from Old English 'hwær'.
Both words probably harken back to the earliest common root of language, Proto-Indo-European, & probably only recently had similar sounds.
"Where" derives from Old English 'hwær'.
Both words probably harken back to the earliest common root of language, Proto-Indo-European, & probably only recently had similar sounds.
I'm thinking about this stupid joke and how it only works in writing but not in speech
The questions "Where?" and "Were-?" have distinctly different intonations, but I can't really articulate what the distinction is, which frustrates me
Does anyone have a good account of the difference?
The questions "Where?" and "Were-?" have distinctly different intonations, but I can't really articulate what the distinction is, which frustrates me
Does anyone have a good account of the difference?
January 14, 2026 at 11:27 AM
"Werewolf" derives from Old English 'werewulf', where the 'wer-' prefix means "man". So literally "wolf-man."
"Where" derives from Old English 'hwær'.
Both words probably harken back to the earliest common root of language, Proto-Indo-European, & probably only recently had similar sounds.
"Where" derives from Old English 'hwær'.
Both words probably harken back to the earliest common root of language, Proto-Indo-European, & probably only recently had similar sounds.
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
They're a type of sea cucumber, but we've decided to call them SEA PIGS. Let's meet 'Scotoplanes globosa'.
They live on the bottom of the sea, on abyssal plains.
They're adapted to crushing depths (up to 6,000 m / 20,000 feet) & near-freezing temps.
(📷: MBARI)
They live on the bottom of the sea, on abyssal plains.
They're adapted to crushing depths (up to 6,000 m / 20,000 feet) & near-freezing temps.
(📷: MBARI)
June 5, 2025 at 12:31 PM
They're a type of sea cucumber, but we've decided to call them SEA PIGS. Let's meet 'Scotoplanes globosa'.
They live on the bottom of the sea, on abyssal plains.
They're adapted to crushing depths (up to 6,000 m / 20,000 feet) & near-freezing temps.
(📷: MBARI)
They live on the bottom of the sea, on abyssal plains.
They're adapted to crushing depths (up to 6,000 m / 20,000 feet) & near-freezing temps.
(📷: MBARI)
Have you been accused of being a "BOOKWORM"?📚🪱
Maybe because you love the smell of books or have a "To Be Read" shelf stacked dangerously high?
But *actual bookworms* are a thing.
Let's talk about insect damage in libraries & one of the oldest book protection systems in existence.
Maybe because you love the smell of books or have a "To Be Read" shelf stacked dangerously high?
But *actual bookworms* are a thing.
Let's talk about insect damage in libraries & one of the oldest book protection systems in existence.
January 14, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Have you been accused of being a "BOOKWORM"?📚🪱
Maybe because you love the smell of books or have a "To Be Read" shelf stacked dangerously high?
But *actual bookworms* are a thing.
Let's talk about insect damage in libraries & one of the oldest book protection systems in existence.
Maybe because you love the smell of books or have a "To Be Read" shelf stacked dangerously high?
But *actual bookworms* are a thing.
Let's talk about insect damage in libraries & one of the oldest book protection systems in existence.
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Took a little time for myself to visit some friends.
*taking a mental break at an aquarium housed in Mall of America (where ICE often stages) is a curious juxtaposition, but these are unprecedented times.
*taking a mental break at an aquarium housed in Mall of America (where ICE often stages) is a curious juxtaposition, but these are unprecedented times.
January 13, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Took a little time for myself to visit some friends.
*taking a mental break at an aquarium housed in Mall of America (where ICE often stages) is a curious juxtaposition, but these are unprecedented times.
*taking a mental break at an aquarium housed in Mall of America (where ICE often stages) is a curious juxtaposition, but these are unprecedented times.