FINE Things 49

A Multipurpose Gene Facilitates the Evolution of an Animal Weapon. A single gene called BMP11 regulates not only the size and proportions of a water strider's massively long third legs, but also how it uses the limbs in fight. (link)

Warming is clearly visible in new US 'climate normal' datasets. The US is shifting to a new set of climate 'normals' - data sets averaged over the past 30 years. But normal is a relative concept in a time of climate change. (link)

 
Mushroom That Eats Plastic May Help in Fight Against Plastic Waste, Pestalotiopsis microspora can turn polyurethane into organic material, naturally (link)

Pollen is not plant sperm.(link)

 
This Old Bee House: Study Deems Hive Boxes Drafty, Inefficient. (link)

Plant Story--Ground Ivy, Creeping Charlie, Glechoma hederacea. This post from one of my favorite Botanical bloggers tells you most of what you'd want to know about this pest of lawn and garden. It also used to preserve beer. (link)

 
Just when you think you've read about the most bizarre animal along comes Ramisyllis. It lives inside wild sponges, but that's not what makes it so unusual. I won't spoil it for you. You'll have to visit the website to see the FINE animal of the week, maybe of all the FINE posts. (FINE stands for Fun, Interesting, Novel, Exciting.)(link) 

Think the 17 yr. periodical cicadas are strange? Ace sience writer Ed Yong (The Atlantic) tells us about the microbes that the periodical cicadas must host. It is, paraphrasing J. B. S. Haldane: "Not only is nature stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine." (link)

 

Firefly Tourism Can Put Insects in Peril. A new study shines light on how bug spray, flashlights, and foot traffic can spell disaster for the fragile creatures behind brilliant synchronous displays. (link)

Nature Curiosity: Why and How Do Turtles Breathe With Their Butts? (link)

And, just to let you know, even mammals can breathe through their intestines. (link)