c0nc0rdance
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c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
c0nc0rdance
@c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
Molecular biologist from Texas, here to share my meanderings on nature, science, history, politics, and zombies. Long threads a specialty.
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Um, cookie cutter shark teeth are a single, intact unit!? And when it needs to be replaced, they swallow it whole?! What! 🧪
January 2, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Whenever I see this photo of harvester ants working on their nest, I think how it looks like they planted a decorative tree by their door like they have an HOA or something.

(Pogonomyrmex desertorum, west Texas)
January 2, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
The Black Death may have killed as much as half the population of England. The "cures" often contributed to the death toll: bleeding & sweating were the two primary treatments, administered by often 'self-taught' medical staff.

But none of that prepares you for the wonders of the PIGEON SLIPPER.
July 19, 2024 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
The pigeons that fill every city square are the feral offspring of our process of domesticating the wild rock dove (Columba livia) 5-10,000 years ago.

These doves were messengers, livestock, sport and hobby.

Pigeons are doves, and we bred them to depend on us for food and safety.
April 17, 2024 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Happy New Year from the @garlab.bsky.social Team!

Wishing you a GARish 2026!
January 2, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
In the earliest days of WWII, behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner proposed a novel guidance system for the newly developed ASM-N-2 'Bat' glide bomb.

He proposed it be pigeon-powered.

I'm not aware of any live tests, just mockups, so the only CW here is for implied unhappy endings for pigeons.
January 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Why is this pigeon dancing, and what does it have to do with superstition?

Let's talk about B.F. Skinner's SUPERSTITIOUS PIGEONS. It's one of my favorite experiments in animal behavior, because it explains so much of how we view the world.
a white pigeon is standing in front of a green box with the words what if i do this
Alt: a white pigeon is standing in front of a green box with the words what if i do this. It does a little spin and high-stepping, then puts its head in a hole in the machine to retrieve a food treat.
media.tenor.com
January 4, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Remember the ultra-cool scene in the Matrix where Neo can dodge bullets?

That's what it's like to be a HOUSE FLY. They defeat all attempts to swat them because they are 'The One': they're seeing your motion on a different time scale.

Let's talk about how small animals perceive time differently.
a man in a cape is flying through the air
Alt: Neo from the Matrix (Keanu Reeves) in his black overcoat and black outfit, using a fancy rotating camera shot in slow-motion. He's dodging bullets, which leave distortions in the air just around him.
media.tenor.com
June 3, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Let's talk about how "ammonia" (NH₃) gets its name 🧪.

Along the way, we'll talk about Alexander the Great, ancient Egyptian gods & a Roman misunderstanding.

Let's start with these giant CASTLES made for PIGEONS in Siwa, Egypt, a tiny desert town built around an oasis, with 2 dry salt lakes nearby.
September 26, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Otherworldly. Deep in the ocean depths, there is a magical world of creatures waiting to be discovered.
ROV pilots filmed this giant phantom jelly, or Stygiomedusa gigantea, at 253 meters during an ROV descent to explore the Colorado-Rawson submarine canyon wall. #ArgentinianDeepSeeps

January 2, 2026 at 1:29 PM
"ν year, ν me" - physicists, probably.
"gnu year, gnu me" —antelopes, probably
"Pneu year, pneu me." - lungs, probably
January 1, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Guess what?
.
.
.
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Cardinal butt.
January 1, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Correction: Rip Torn's father PROMOTED a much earlier Southern/African-American belief that black-eyed peas were lucky.

The Longview native and Texas Aggie contributed to the popularity of the tradition outside of the South.
Weird but true:
Rip Torn's father, Elmore Torn, is the reason eating black eyed peas especially on New Year's Day is considered "lucky".

A story from my hometown of Longview, TX.
www.news-journal.com/opinion/torn...
January 1, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over
January 1, 2026 at 4:43 AM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Fireworks displays have two components: good ol' gunpowder, and a mineral with a distinctive emission spectrum.

You're seeing the photons emitted by a metal salt as its electrons return to ground state following super-heating from ignition.

Oooh!❇️ Aaah! 🎆
a row of different colored flames with the letters li sr na cu and k on the bottom
Alt: a row of different colored flames with the letters li sr na cu and k on the bottom
media.tenor.com
December 31, 2024 at 1:30 PM
Dinner in a dinosaur.
New Year's Eve, 1853 Benjamin W. Hawkins was almost ready to open a dinosaur sculpture park (a sort of Victorian Jurassic Park).

As an unveiling & celebration he threw a feast for diners that were seated at a table inside the mold of an Iguanodon in his studio.

The guest of honor was Richard Owen.
December 31, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Charlie Brown Christmas Alternate Ending! (with super special guest! Ooo!)
December 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Let's talk about the history of champagne bottles, the myth of Dom Pérignon & how England invented modern champagne.

Dom Pierre Pérignon was a French Benedictine monk (1638-1715) who influenced French viticulture.

And, ironically for someone associated with it, he tried to PREVENT champagne.
December 31, 2025 at 2:52 PM
The cold winters in the Champagne region of France meant that wine fermentation halted in late Fall, then suddenly resurged in Spring, producing rapid gas production.

This led to a lot of ruptured bottles until stronger glass was developed.

Let's talk about the physics of champagne.
December 31, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Fireworks will not be the only thing popping tonight, so a brief PSA:

The pressure inside a champagne bottle is 70-90 psi (5-6 atm), 2-3 times that inside a car tire.

It can propel the cork at 25-50 mph (40-80 km/h), too fast for the blink reflex to protect eyes.
December 31, 2025 at 1:39 PM
The perfect insult thread. 😂
Yeah, man, the only difference between your career and Mark Rufallo’s career is the political stuff.
December 30, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
This meme asks a really good question about why the thresher shark has such expressive eyes & why those eyes always seem so concerned or shocked.

What's up, in other words, with the squaliform side-eye?

I have an answer!
June 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM
ALMOST EVERYTHING about penguins is cute.

There is *one exception*: they are champion poop producers. Specifically, they would win the long-distance contest.

Humboldt penguins can propel poop well over twice their own height (picture is unrelated).

Warning: thread contains penguin defecation.
a group of penguins standing on top of a pile of ice .
Alt: a group of penguins standing on top of a pile of ice . One suddenly steps on thin ice and faceplants into soft spot, disappearing beneath the water.
media.tenor.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Lou Ferrigno was sitting at the booth behind us at a diner (there was a con nearby) and he accidentally elbowed my son in the head.

"Sorry little guy."

My son survived a Hulk attack.
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie

Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
December 29, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by c0nc0rdance
Puffins are social, so to attract them to Maine's rocky islands, National Audubon's Seabird Restoration Program put out decoys to attract real birds.

This puffin is trying to fit in with his new friend by standing on one leg.

Seabird peer-pressure can be intense.

(📷: Robert F. Bukaty)
May 30, 2025 at 10:20 PM