Free Republic

Scientists hope the study of it and other giant genomes will shed light on species resilience. The New Caledonian fork fern (Tmesipteris oblanceolate) possesses the largest genome yet found. ORIANE HIDALGO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The human genome is made up of 3 billion base pairs of DNA. But that’s nothing compared with the New Caledonian fork fern (Tmesipteris oblanceolate), a leafy, tendrilled plant native to several Pacific islands. Its genome contains an astonishing 160 billion base pairs, making it the largest genome ever discovered, researchers report today in iScience. The finding could help scientists understand how genomes grow so large, and how...

May 30 (UPI) -- Traffic on a pair of California highways turned into a jam when a truck loaded with strawberries overturned, dropping barrels of the fruit into the road. The California Highway Patrol said the overturned truck, carrying about 40,000 pounds of fruit, blocked the northbound connector ramps to Highway 101 and Interstate 880 in San Jose on Wednesday morning and was leaning over a guardrail. The ramps were closed as crews worked to lift the truck upright and remove the fallen barrels of strawberries. No injuries were reported from the crash or ensuing traffic jams on both highways....

(Best USA Beef)—In mid-2022, we set up a news alert for terms like “cricket protein” and “cricket burgers.” Since then, there have been occasional peaks with a whole lot of valleys in interest as Americans generally aren’t excited about the prospects of getting their necessary protein from bugs. There was a spike that started shortly after news broke that bird flu was being transmitted to cattle. On the surface this makes sense, but it was conspicuously odd that there was no spike when bird flu was limited to poultry. Surely Americans would be concerned about their sources of protein whether...

NATIONAL COQ AU VIN DAY Each year on May 29th, National Coq Au Vin Day celebrates a delicious French dish. Coq au vin is French braise of chicken, cooked with wine, lardons (salt pork), mushrooms, and garlic. #NationalCoqAuVinDay A French staple, Coq au vin translates to “rooster with wine.” It’s a rustic, peasant-style dish that is easy to serve when entertaining because a lot of the work can be done in advance. And since we all celebrated National Wine Day just a few days ago, you might be prepared and have an extra bottle on hand just for this recipe....

The How Do Gardener, describes his moderately epic quest to keep squirrels from terrorizing his garden, and the ONE solution that is SO STUPID, that it just might work better than anything... WATCH THE VIDEO

Glenn told us we were going to eat bugs, and here we are... If you live anywhere between Texarkana and Chicago, you have likely already seen—or heard—about the 2024 cicada superbrood. This Biblical-scale insect invasion is the result of two cicada broods, Brood XIII and Brood XIX, emerging simultaneously. The last time something like this happened was in 1803. Trillions of cicadas will swarm out of the earth and fill the trees with a chorus of deafening buzzing. It didn't take long for the leftist elites to hop on this opportunity to push Klaus Schwab's dream: "eat the bugs." The...

How far would you go to avoid a rash from a common pest on hikes? Well, one reporter for The Wall Street Journal has gone as far as to blend poison oak into smoothies and mix them into his salad bowl — all in a bid to develop an immunity towards the chemical irritants found in the plant's leaves. Jeff Horwitz, who usually reports on technology, wrote about his slightly mad mission for a feature article in the Saturday newspaper. "I started eating poison oak in January, when the first buds began to swell on the hazardous plant’s bare stems,"...

NATIONAL STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM DAY | May 21 Each year on May 21st, we combine two favorites for a celebration on National Strawberries and Cream Day. Fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream is a must when strawberries are in season. They are the perfect, refreshing, light snack on a beautifully warm day! #StrawberriesAndCreamDay With these bright red berries in season, it should be no surprise that it's also National Strawberry Month. Strawberries are a very healthy snack as they are low-fat, low in calories, and an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and potassium. Strawberries grow all over...

In mid-2022, we set up a news alert for terms like “cricket protein” and “cricket burgers.” Since then, there have been occasional peaks with a whole lot of valleys in interest as Americans generally aren’t excited about the prospects of getting their necessary protein from bugs. There was a spike that started shortly after news broke that bird flu was being transmitted to cattle. On the surface this makes sense, but it was conspicuously odd that there was no spike when bird flu was limited to poultry. Surely Americans would be concerned about their sources of protein whether it was...

NATIONAL APPLE PIE DAY National Apple Pie Day, America’s favorite dessert, is observed annually on May 13th. #NationalApplePieDay The first apple pie recipe printed was in England in 1381. The list of ingredients included good apples, good spices, figs, raisins, pears, saffron, and cofyn (a type of pastry crust). While the apple pie existed well before the Pilgrims landed on the eastern shores of what is now The United States, Americans wax poetic about how American apple pie is. The phrase "as American as apple pie" has been around for more than 100 years. During the turn of the 20th...

I am watching the silly squirrels in my back yard. Why are they behaving that way? They throw themselves up in the air and flip over ... then squirm all around. They do this repeatedly

Abstract Positive and negative reinforcement are effective for treating escape-maintained destructive behavior. The current study evaluated the separate and combined effects of these contingencies to increase task compliance. Results showed that a combination of positive and negative reinforcement was most effective for increasing compliance.

Gardeners can buy a new seed, a genetically modified tomato the FDA barely looked at and GMO proponents hope will win Americans over to more modified foods. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As spring gardening approaches, a new contender has entered the fray—the genetically modified (GM) Purple Tomato. Unlike its GM predecessors, the GM Purple Tomato is not destined solely for the fields of commercial agriculture—it has made its debut in the backyards of home gardeners across the United States. With claims of heightened antioxidant levels and potential health benefits, this novel creation has stirred both excitement and controversy among consumers and scientists alike....

The first Saturday in May was designated as World Naked Gardening Day... -WATCH THE VIDEO-

An older friend of mine inherited a house with a large flower garden in the back. The flower garden is maybe 10 feet by 30 feet. Between the flowers and the shrubbery there are many weeds (no surprise there). A landscaper she talked to will clear the area of weeds, and has given her some options to control future weed growth.

* Evidence continues to accumulate showing that vitamin D is a strong ally to combat cancer * Low vitamin D levels are linked to an increased risk of cancers, while vitamin D can attach to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in your cells, setting off a series of signals that may affect how they grow, develop and survive * Although increasing vitamin D levels may help to reduce cancer deaths, health officials rarely recommend optimizing levels for this purpose * Vitamin D targets cancer in multiple ways, including anticancer, antimetastatic and anti-tumorigenic effects * The best way to optimize your...

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

It's not hard to see how the sapphire tower gets its name. Image Credit: HannaTor/Shutterstock.com Sometimes in nature, there are events that we have to wait for. Some, like the upcoming American cicadapocaplypse might not be so popular – whereas, across the pond in Birmingham, UK, botanists are thrilled to reveal the blooming of their sapphire tower. The sapphire tower plant (Puya alpestri) from the Chilean Andes can take up to 10 years to flower. The plant is a member of the bromeliad family, distantly related to the pineapple. Normally found at high elevations of up to 2,200 meters (7,218...

NATIONAL CHERRY CHEESECAKE DAY April 23rd recognizes the food holiday National Cherry Cheesecake Day. Cookbooks and bakers offer a large variety of recipes for cherry cheesecake. Some cherry cheesecake recipes call for the cherries to be mixed into the batter and others place the cherries on top. #CherryCheesecakeDay This smooth dessert hits the spot when the end of the meal rolls around. While most cakes have a crumb, cheesecake’s texture is nothing like cake. Indeed, its creamy, thick pudding-like character comes from the soft cheese used as the main ingredient. Depending on the recipe, either cream cheese or cottage cheese...

Looking for the easiest landscape roses to grow? Look no further! These roses are low-maintenance and perfect for adding beauty to your garden. [WATCH THE VIDEO]