The Daily Drift

Welcome to today's issue of Carolina Naturally

'Nuff Said!

Today is February 22, 2023

Today is: Pink Shirt Day

On This Day In History

In 1632CE: Galileo's book "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" is published comparing the Copernican and Ptolemaic systems and whether the Earth orbits the sun.

Ain't That The Truth

Oh, and while you're at it - check out our sister blog Come What May for off the cuff and off the wall seriousness. Heck, who are we kidding, it's just fun and hilarity.

Editorial Comment

Summer temperatures again, so it's yardwork - nude of course - because the outdoor party season is just about to kick off and we have to be ready.

We do want to give a shout out to our readers in Romania and Spain and say thanks for stopping by to read Carolina Naturally.

Remember to have fun and enjoy life.

Editorial Staff

Yardwork

Two, or more?

How much is a dollar bill worth? For rare currency collectors, it’s a broad question, and for one type of U.S. banknote, it’s even broader.

The $2 bill, first printed in 1862, is hard to find due to its lack of use. There have been several editions of the $2 bill, with the most recent version designed in 1963, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Depending on which version of the $2 bill you’ve got on hand, in a wallet, or kept in a safety deposit box, may feature a portrait of America’s first Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton.
After a redesign in 1869, the portrait changed to Thomas Jefferson, another Founding Father and the third President of the United States, according to the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Florida lawmaker files ‘Tyre Sampson Act' to better regulate theme park ride safety
Depending on which version of the bill you’ve got, it could be worth far more than just the $2 printed on the front and back.
According to online auction service U.S. Currency Auctions, if the bill was minted and printed before 1976, when the most recent printing started, the bill could actually be worth as much as $4,500. However, even with notes printed in the same year, different versions have different values for collectors.
2, or more? How rarely seen bills could be worth beyond their printed value

Saudi Arabia Announces Gigantic Cubed Skyscraper Filled With Holographic Worlds

As if Saudi Arabia doesn't already have enough giga-scale construction projects on its plate, Riyadh-based newspaper Arab News reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has unveiled plans to construct a gigantic downtown development in the country's capital called New Murabba. At over seven square miles in area, it will be about a third the size of Manhattan.
Somehow, that's not even the most fantastical detail of this supposedly soon-to-be "world's largest modern downtown." Behold the crowning jewel of New Murabba: the Mukaab, a gargantuan, hollow cubed skyscraper that reaches nearly a quarter mile long in each direction.
Basically, picture the Empire State Building, except it's a cube that's as wide as it is tall — and that the massive structure also contains an additional tower in the center that itself will rival the height of many skyscrapers.
Saudi Arabia Announces Gigantic Cubed Skyscraper Filled With Holographic Worlds

NIFOC

Ada Lovelace Showed What a Disparate and Well-Rounded Education Can Do

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, is known today as Ada Lovelace. She wrote the world's first computer program in 1842, for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, a theoretical computer that was never built, but would have worked with Lovelace's programming.
Lovelace was gifted, both genetically and financially, as the daughter of Lord Byron. But her education differed from that of a privileged son born at the time. She was tutored at home in math, science, and logic, which was unusual for girls, but also in art, needlework, music, and languages, as would be expected. This combination of studies in widespread fields contributed to Lovelace's analytical thinking. For example, she saw that the punch cards used in weaving patterns for fabric would be a logical framework for mathematical commands, and that numbers could be converted into musical notes. Read how Lovelace distilled what she learned in disparate fields and how they contributed to her development of computer programming at Gizmodo. While reading, writing, and math are fundamental basics, there's always value in adding the humanities and other subjects.

The French and Indian War Was the First 'Real' World War

The name is confusing, right? It sounds like the French and Indians were fighting each other. But the French and Indian War was the North American theater of engagement between two imperial powers — Great Britain and France — battling it out for world dominance. In that regard, some students of history, including former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, call the French and Indian War (also called the Seven Years' War) the first "real" world war because, not only did it include the two most powerful armies at the time, but they also fought on multiple fronts — in Europe, in colonies in the West Indies and even as far away as India.
"The world was turned upside down by the Seven Years' War," says John Giblin, director of education and engagement for the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania (also home to the U.S. Army War College). Giblin is the former director at the Fort Pitt Museum and Bushy Run Battlefield in Pennsylvania and was one of the creators of the 2006 War for Empire project, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War.
"You had superpowers, you had colonial governments vying for states or colonial rights, you had indigenous peoples attempting to hold on to what they believed they rightfully owned, and you had adventurers in the mix, trying to get their piece of the pie," Giblin adds. "It was an extremely tumultuous time. There was no one winner; everyone got something but lost something. But it set the stage for how the world was going to change."
The French and Indian War Was the First 'Real' World War

Holding hands in the rain ...

A Historian Makes a Fascinating Discovery That Challenges Everything We Knew About Early Humans

Many millennia ago, in the ancient forests of Ireland, early humans thrived in spite of competition from other predators like bears and wolves. In the present day, the area, known as the Burren, is a rocky landscape with virtually no trees in sight.
Still, traces of our ancestors have managed to endure the ravages of time, making way for a discovery that challenges our current knowledge of human prehistory.
A Historian Makes a Fascinating Discovery That Challenges Everything We Knew About Early Humans (they looked nothing like we thought)

Animal skulls found in a Spanish cave may reveal Neanderthal rituals

Juan Luis Arsuaga, the co-director of Spain’s Atapuerca archaeological site, was recently involved in a discovery that, he says, entails using a little imagination and keeping an open mind. After that, people can draw their own conclusions.
The story begins as follows: about 70,000 years ago, in a cave in the Lozoya valley, north of Madrid, Spain, Neanderthals deposited the skulls and horns of huge animals – bison, wild bulls, deer, rhinoceroses. They removed the animals’ brains, ate them carefully to avoid damaging the horns, and then took the remains to the cave, lit a small fire and covered them with stone slabs. Up to 35 skulls were found two meters deep in the ground, which means that this was a ritual that went on for “years, decades, centuries, even millennia.” According to Arsuaga, this site is the only place in the world where something like this has been found.
In Arsuaga’s opinion, this finding represents one of the strongest pieces of evidence yet that Neanderthals had complex minds that could manage symbols and perform “ceremonies” revolving around the skulls of fearsome animals. “We don’t know what happened there,” the paleoanthropologist acknowledges, “but I can imagine the group of Neanderthals bringing heavy skulls from the valley floor to the cave, preparing them, lighting them up, covering them, and leaving. Wow!”
Animal skulls found in a Spanish cave may reveal Neanderthal rituals 

Dawn

Science Questions You Should Really Know How to Answer

The U.S. government spends billions each year subsidizing scientific research, and science and engineering graduate programs at U.S. universities are so good that they attract many of the best and brightest students from the rest of the world [source: National Science Foundation]. Surrounded by technological marvels, from talking ATMs and telecommunications satellites to supermarket tomatoes that are genetically modified to retain their flavor, Americans must be pretty darn smart when it comes to science, huh?
Well, guess again. The unsettling truth is that U.S. adults tend to be embarrassingly ignorant when it comes to basic scientific knowledge. A 2009 Harris Interactive survey found that only 53 percent knew that it took a year for Earth to revolve around the sun, and only 59 percent knew that the earliest humans and dinosaurs did not exist at the same time, the way they did in "The Flintstones" [source: ScienceDaily]. In 2018, the National Science Foundation found that 72 percent of poll respondents knew that the Earth revolved around the sun (which means 28 percent thought it was the other way around) and 68 percent incorrectly thought that all radioactivity was man-made.
So obviously, we've got quite a way to go to achieve anything resembling universal scientific literacy. But for those of you who feel the desperate urge to change the subject when someone mentions the Higgs boson, massively parallel supercomputing or the escalating debate over whether dinosaurs had feathers, fear not. We're going to start you off easy, with the answers to 10 really basic science questions that everybody should know how to answer.

1. Why is the sky blue?

1. How old is Earth?

1. How does natural selection work?

1. Will the sun ever stop shining?

1. How do magnets work?

1. What causes a rainbow?

1. What is the theory of relativity?

1. Why are bubbles round?

1. What are clouds made of?

1. Why does water evaporate at room temperature?

The Jones Diamond, the largest alluvial diamond in North America, was found in West Virginia

West Virginia contains its fair share of gems, but did you know that it was where the largest alluvial diamond in North America was found? It’s called the Jones Diamond, a blue-white gem weighing 34.46 carats, or 34.48 depending on the source, and measuring 5/8 inch in diameter. What’s most fascinating is that its discovery is still a mystery to this day.
The Jones Diamond, also called the Jones “Punch” Diamond or Horseshoe Diamond, was discovered in April 1928 in Rich Creek, near Peterstown. Grover Jones and the eldest son of his 17 children, William Pinkney “Punch” Jones, were pitching horseshoes when they noticed a peculiar stone in the horseshoe pit. What they did not know was that the stone they found was actually the largest known alluvial diamond in North America, with an estimated value of over $100,000.
What still confuses many scholars and geologists is just how a diamond like that ended up in the pit, especially since American diamonds are exceptionally rare.
The Jones Diamond, the largest alluvial diamond in North America, was found in West Virginia

Can you see Earth spin?

If Earth didn't spin, there would be no sunrise and sunset, and no night and day. We can't feel the motion of Earth's rotation or see the planet spin as we go about our daily lives. But are there ways to confirm its rotation from the ground? And is it possible to watch our planet spinning from somewhere in space? 
The answer depends on the time frame and your perspective.
Earth spins much too slowly for its rotation to be visible from anywhere in real time. With the exception of a time-lapse video — such as this one from NASA, which was made with footage from a camera on the International Space Station — it is not possible to watch Earth in motion because it makes only one revolution every 24 hours. That is excruciatingly slow — much too slow for our eyes to detect. 
However, there are still ways to prove our planet spins without ever leaving terra firma: by observing the positions of other objects in the sky, for instance.
"The easiest way to observe Earth's rotation is by watching the apparent motion of celestial bodies," Stephen Merkowitz, a scientist and project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, told Live Science in an email. "This motion is most noticeable when the body is close to the horizon where you have parts of the Earth in view as a reference."
Can you see Earth spin?

In Space

James Webb peered deep into the hearts of nearby spiral galaxies

NASA’s James Webb space telescope has peered deep into the hearts of nearby spiral galaxies to get a better look at star formation. The new observations are part of a much larger survey where astronomers used Webb to capture observations of the core hearts of nearby galaxies. The goal was to learn more about star formation, as well as how dust and gas coalesces in galactic formations.
The images provide an unprecedented look at the core of the observed galaxies thanks to Webb;’s infrared imaging tools. The data, NASA announced, has helped fuel a collection of 21 initial papers to provide more insight on some of the smallest-scale processes found within our universe. With Webb’s deeper look at star formation, scientists hope to learn more about how the cosmos evolved.
James Webb peered deep into the hearts of nearby spiral galaxies 

Hubble telescope captures dazzling stellar duo in Orion Nebula

The Hubble Space Telescope captured a dazzling new view of two tempestuous young stars in the nearby Orion Nebula. 
A bright variable star known as V 372 Orionis is the larger central star surrounded by hazy blue clouds in the recent Hubble Space Telescope photo, while its companion star can be seen to the upper left. These stars reside in the Orion Nebula — a region of stellar formation located around 1,450 light-years away from Earth. 
"V 372 Orionis is a particular type of variable star known as an Orion Variable. These young stars experience some tempestuous moods and growing pains, which are visible to astronomers as irregular variations in luminosity," European Space Agency (ESA) officials said in a statement. "Orion Variables are often associated with diffuse nebulae, and V 372 Orionis is no exception; the patchy gas and dust of the Orion Nebula pervade this scene." 
Hubble telescope captures dazzling stellar duo in Orion Nebula (photo) 

Event Horizon Telescope spies a black hole powering a super bright monster object

Astronomers using the Event Horizon Telescope have imaged a quasar at the heart of a distant galaxy that blasts out huge amounts of radiation powered by a feeding supermassive black hole. 
These extremely powerful events are often described as the central engines of active galaxies and can emit more light than every star in their home galaxy combined. Yet, scientists still don’t fully comprehend the physics that drive their powerful activity. 
This newly imaged quasar lurks at the heart of the galaxy NRAO 530 and was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which is famous for producing the first image of a black hole in 2019. The EHT collaboration team followed up this image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) with an image of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the Milky Way's own supermassive black hole, in May 2022.
Event Horizon Telescope spies a black hole powering a super bright monster object

On the fence ...

Dog Puppies Spontaneously Match Human Actions, While Kittens, Wolf Pups Not So Much

According to a new study published in Scientific Reports puppies – but not kittens and wolf pups – tend to spontaneously imitate human actions, even when they are not rewarded with food (or toys). The researchers of the Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, investigated whether young puppies, kittens and wolf pups have different tendencies to observe and imitate what a person did, without any pre-training and food reward.
Doing what others do in a new situation is a convenient way for young individuals to learn about the world. The tendency to copy the behavior of others is not only useful to learn new skills or new information but is also a way of promoting belonging to a social group. Dogs, cats and wolves differ in their domestication histories and innate sociality, which may influence their tendency to observe humans and learn socially from them.
The scientists first checked how 42 puppies, 39 kittens and 8 wolf pups, all socialized and living in human families, acted with a novel object placed in a room (e.g., touching it with the nose or paw). Next, while the owner was holding the subject, the experimenter demonstrated a different action on the object. For example, if the subject previously touched the object with its nose, then the experimenter touched it with her hand. Then the researchers observed whether the subject eventually performed the same action on the object.
“Since paying attention to the demonstration is a fundamental requisite for social learning, we first assessed whether the puppies, kittens and wolf pups looked at us when we performed the demonstration”, explains Claudia Fugazza, lead researcher of the group. “While typically the puppies looked at us almost immediately, it took four-five times longer to get the attention of wolf pups and kittens”.
Puppies and wolf pups replicated the demonstrated actions in ca. 70% of the trials, twice as often as kittens, but only the puppies tended to imitate the action with a body part homologue to the human experimenter (e.g., paw – hand), even if that action differed from the action they performed when they had not observed a demonstration.
“Typically, most subjects touched the object with their nose, when they had not observed a demonstration. However, after observing the experimenter touching the object with her hand, the puppies tended to touch it using their paw”, reports Stefania Uccheddu, co-author of the study. Kittens and wolf pups did not copy the action.
The results seem to support the effect of both investigated factors – inherent sociality and domestication history: “While dogs’ and wolves’ ancestor was a group-living, social animal, with intense within-group cooperation for survival, cats’ ancestor was a solitary hunter”, explains Andrea Temesi, co-author of the study. “Both, dogs and cats are domesticated species that today live in human families, but the dog was domesticated much earlier than the cat (between 20000-40000 years vs. 10000 years ago) and dogs were selected for several forms of cooperation with humans. Cats had a different domestication process; they hunted mice and rats in the human environment but did not have to cooperate or communicate with humans”, continues Márta Gácsi, co-author of the study.
Thus, it is not surprising that only puppies have developed the tendency to pay close attention to people and imitate their actions, even if there is no specific reason for doing so, such as getting food.
These results are intriguing, not only from a theoretical perspective, but also from an applied point of view: “We believe that our findings can form the basis for the development of novel training methods that rely on the tendency of puppies to learn by observation and to imitate human actions. This way, dog training can be less dependent on the use of food rewards and more able to take advantage of dogs’ natural propensity for social learning”, concludes Ákos Pogány.

Photographer captures image of rare fish that walks on its ‘hands’

In the dark and silty depths of Tasmania’s Derwent River, an unusual kind of fish can be found walking – not swimming – along the riverbed. The spotted handfish, which moves using pectoral fins that look like hands, lurks in the murky depths, ready to pounce on any prey it attracts with the fluffy lure above its mouth.
Its cream coloring and dark brown or orange spots blend in with the sandy floor, making the fish hard to spot, and even harder to photograph. This, coupled with the fact that the species is critically endangered, with fewer than 3,000 individuals thought to remain in the wild.
But French photographer Nicolas Remy was determined to see the elusive fish for himself. In 2022, he traveled from his base in Sydney to Australia’s coldest state, and dived into the waters of the Derwent which were a chilly 11 degrees Celsius.
An hour in, he spotted the first handfish, but with the burst of his camera flash it was gone. All the photograph had captured was a cloud of silt. Remy realized he would have to hone his technique for this species and spent three consecutive days and a total of nine hours in the river.
Photographer captures image of rare fish that walks on its ‘hands’

Rarely Seen Giant Pacific Octopus Filmed Swimming Through Oregon Tidepool

A rarely seen giant Pacific octopus has been filmed swimming through an Oregon tidepool.
Luke Smith, an employee at the Bureau of Land Management, captured footage of the huge animal swimming slowly in the Yaquina Head pools, to the north of Newport.
This species of octopus is only spotted in the local area a few times a year, the U.S. Department of the Interior said in a Facebook post. They are likely lurking in the waters more often than that, but the species is elusive.
In the video, the bright red octopus can be seen moving slowly through the waters. It uses its many legs to guide itself through the narrow waterway, briefly exposing its head from the water while doing so.
At the end of the video, the creature can be seen settling itself on a rock and changing its color to disguise itself.
Octopuses are known for being able to adapt to their surrounding environment. The species' normal color is red or reddish brown, as seen at the video's start. But they can change their colors and textures within seconds, to either yellow, brown, white, red or even a variety of speckled colors.
Rarely Seen Giant Pacific Octopus Filmed Swimming Through Oregon Tidepool

Giant Prehistoric Fish From Ancient Supercontinent Found Under Road

A giant prehistoric fish from an ancient supercontinent has been discovered underneath a rural road in South Africa.
The fossil was excavated from a roadside near Waterloo Farm in the south of Makhanda. Findings from the discovery have been published in a study in the journal Plos One.
The study revealed the fossil is from the tristichopterid family—an extinct group of huge, lobe-finned fish that lived during the Devonian period, 419 million years ago. Scientists found the majority of the dermal skull, lower jaw, gill cover and shoulder girdle during the excavation. The new species has been named Hyneria udlezinye.
This particular fish would have been at least 8 feet long, the study said. This was the average size for these fish. 
Giant Prehistoric Fish From Ancient Supercontinent Found Under Road

Animal Pictures

The Daily Drift

Welcome to today's issue of Carolina Naturally

'Nuff Said!

Today is February 21, 2023

Today is: Mardi gras

On This Day In History

In 1804CE: 1st locomotive, Richard Trevithick's, runs for the 1st time, along the tramway of the Penydarren Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

Ain't That The Truth

Oh, and while you're at it - check out our sister blog Come What May for off the cuff and off the wall seriousness. Heck, who are we kidding, it's just fun and hilarity.